Epic Nail Mail!

Today I got a record three nail mail packages. The first is the four polishes I ordered from Cult Nails during their buy three get one free sale - Captivated, Iconic, Living Water, and Let Me Fly.

The second package was a grab bag from the Lacquer Ware for Tips and Toes blogsale. I had no idea what I was getting beforehand, and Chris was very, VERY generous - she even included a gorgeous green franken called Chris' Last Franken! *sniff* The other goodies are Jordana Silver Jewel., Lex Seattle Sunshine, Eyeko Military Polish, Claire's Starstruck, SpaRitual Emerald City, and some frankening supplies. Ignore the stickers...I put those in the wrong photo. Whoops.

The third package is from Annie of Polish This!, and it wins the prize for "package that took the longest to get to me." Annie had trouble getting her package out of Finland, and I thought I was never going to get it until yesterday afternoon, when I got an email saying that she had been to Estonia and had mailed it from there. Then, lo and behold, it was waiting for me this afternoon with my other packages! Her prize included the nail stickers in the above picture, GOSH Yellow Doll, GOSH Sweet Rose, IsaDora Jaded, IsaDora Coral, Snowcrystal Green lagoon, Lumene Go Glittery!, Lumene Make Impact, and some very yummy Finnish candy - I'm quite surprised that I haven't eaten it all yet! :)

Quite a haul, don't you think! Feel free to be jealous! ;)

Skull Capped

For my last grey day of the month, I used OPI Skull & Glossbones topped with China Glaze White Cap, hence the dreadful cheesy title. I really like White Cap over pale greys in general, but I think this combination is especially lovely due to the slightly "dirty" quality of Skull & Glossbones. I used two coats of Skull & Glossbones and one of White Cap. Sorry for the lack of cleanup.

Over 500 people a day are diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumor in the United States. - National Brain Tumor Society

indoors, artificial light

I don't have much else to say today, partly because I'm sleepy and partly because I feel a bit ill. Thanks for sticking with me through all my grey posts for National Brain Tumor Awareness Month!

My A-Z

Nobody tagged me for this, but I tagged myself! If you haven't done it yet, consider yourself tagged. :)

A. Age: 18
B. Bed size: Twin
C. Chore you hate: Washing dishes. HATE.
D. Day: Saturday
E. Essential start to your day: Breakfast, which is usually whatever leftovers are in the fridge or, if there are no leftovers, a frozen burrito.
F. Favourite colour: Green or purple - I can never pick. Or blue. I love them all!
G. Gold or Silver: Gold
H. Height: 5'3''
I. Instruments: Piano, tuba
J. Job title: None - though I hope that will change soon!
K. Kids: Haha, NO.
L. Live: South-central Missouri (three hours east of Joplin, since everyone knows where that is now)
M. Mum’s name: Mom. Or Vickie.
N. Nicknames: Zar-Zar (which I hate), Zaraptor (don't hate that one), Z
O. Overnight hospital stays: I have no idea. A lot.
P. Pet peeve: The inability to use the English language. And blind intolerance.
Q. Quote from a movie: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." - The Princess Bride
R. Right or left handed: Right, but I do odd left-handed things like wear my watch on my right wrist.
S. Siblings: Nope.
T. Time you wake up: During the school year, 6:00. During the summer, whenever I feel like it.
U. Underwear: Um, yes?
V. Vegetables you dislike: There aren't any I won't eat, though I wouldn't cry if I never ate Brussels sprouts again.
W. What makes you run late: Life and my own laziness.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Several for sprained ankles and one for a kidney stone.
Y. Yummy food you make: Cake, cookies, pasta, French toast, baked omelets, gougères
Z. Zoo: I love zoos as long as they take care of the animals.

Grey-Blue Gradient

Happy Memorial Day! If you're American, be sure to take today as an opportunity both to honor the courage of those who serve in our military...and to eat some great food. :) If you're not American, then happy Monday! Today I have my next-to-last National Brain Tumor Awareness Month grey mani, and my next-to-last fact: "As many as 69% of children with brain tumors will survive, but they are often left with long-term side effects." - Miles For Hope My mani for today is, as I'm sure you deduced from the title, another gradient. This time, I used OPI Skull & Glossbones for the grey, American Apparel Peacock for the blue, and different mixes of the two for the colors in between. I finished it off with a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri for the top coat.

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I took pictures of my right hand this time because I thought it looked better than my left, and I am incapable of holding a nail polish bottle in an appropriate picture-taking pose with my right hand, so you just get those three fingers today. Later in my mani's lifespan, as I often do, I added some crackle - in this case, I used Sally Hansen Fracture Foil.

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It looked much cooler in real life, I assure you, but my camera was so distracted by the shininess of the silver that it didn't do such a great job at picking up on everything else. I imagine gold, white or black crackle would also look very cool over this. Until tomorrow!

Learned and Lacquered: Nitrocellulose

If you don't want to read the whole post, scroll to the end for a few essential points (in bold).

About a week ago, I was on my way home from a doctor's trip with some new nail purchases (doctor trip in St. Louis = trip to Ulta), and I started reading the box on my bottle of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri, which I've finally gone back to after giving up the hope that Seche Vite will ever stop shrinking my polish. I looked up all the ingredients, and what I found was pretty interesting to me. I asked my Twitter peeps if they would also find such information interesting, and the resounding response was, "yes!" So, I decided to start a series about the more science-y (but interesting) parts of nail polish - why certain polishes act the way they do, what the ingredients are and what they're for, etc. Today, I planned to talk about some of the main ingredients in nail polish, but I started with nitrocellulose and found that there was a lot to say, so I decided to stick to that.

from GuideChem

Nitrocellulose is the primary film former in nail polish. It gives nail polish durability and allows it to dissolve quickly when a solvent is applied (a.k.a. your nail polish comes off faster - this explains why it takes longer for me to take off my polish when I use Seche Vite, because it doesn't have any), and dries to form a thin coating on the nail.

Nitrocellulose is found in pretty much any nail polish, including top coats and base coats - the only products I've found so far that didn't have nitrocellulose were Seche Vite and GOSH Fix Base Coat, which I found very interesting. (You can see my document with all my polish and treatment ingredients here.) If you remember, I wrote in my post on GOSH Holographic that I found it to work just as well over Seche Vite as over GOSH Fix Base Coat, and I suspect that the absence of nitrocellulose may make for a good base for holographic polishes. I also wonder if the absence of nitrocellulose in Seche Vite makes it shrink...I may try the GOSH base coat over polish to see if it does the same thing.

Here's a list of some other film formers found in nail polish: Cellulose, Cellulose Acetate/Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, Diethylhexyl Adipate, Ethyl Tosylamide, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Nylon Fiber/Nylon, Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anhydride/Glycols Copolymer, Polyacrylic Acid, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Polyvinyl Butyral, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate, Sucrose Benzoate, Tosylamide/Epoxy Resin, Tosylamide/Formaldehyde Resin

That's all for today! I'm not sure how often I'll be doing this series - probably about once a week. Here's your recap on nitrocellulose.

• Nitrocellulose is the primary film former in most polishes.
• It helps make your nail polish come off faster when you use remover without affecting wear.
• The absence of nitrocellulose may make polishes a good base for holos.

Kelly Cracked

Poor Kelly...it was just too much to handle. She couldn't help it - she cracked.

I'm not talking about a person, of course, but Zoya Kelly, a cool dark grey that is not only gorgeous, but a dream to apply in two coats. I couldn't resist seeing how Kelly's cool blue tones would contrast with Sally Hansen Antiqued Gold, so here we are. But first, a fact! (I feel like an infomercial sometimes...) "The cure rate for most brain tumors is significantly lower than that for many other types of cancer." - Miles For Hope And now, the manicure:

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I'm definitely a fan of this combination. The gold really pops against the dark grey, and since I applied Antiqued Gold over a slightly tacky layer of polish, it cracked much better than when I tried it over Skull & Glossbones - I may have to revisit that combination at some point. What do you think? Is there hope for Kelly, now that she's gone round the bend? ;P

OPI Glam Slam England, NOPI Texture Coat Press Releases

I received both of these in the same email today, and I know you have probably seen them all a zillion times already (I know I have), so I'm just going to do one post. I also received a press release for OPI Nice Stems in the same email, but I already received that release, so you can just see my previous post.


Get “Unbeatable” Sparkle!
OPI Unveils Three New Shades from Serena Williams’ Glam Slam! Series

OPI joins tennis superstar Serena Williams in announcing the latest three lacquers in the Glam Slam! collection. To celebrate the world’s oldest, most prestigious tennis tournament, Glam Slam! England features two duo-packs filled with sparkle. The first Lacquer set includes Your Royal Shine-ness, a metallic silver shade, paired with Servin’ Up Sparkle, a shimmer-packed silver glitter. The second Lacquer set also features Servin’ Up Sparkle, along with Grape…Set…Match, a metallic.

“England’s premier tennis tournament warrants colors with extra glitz and glamour,” said Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “The next big trend in nails is making lacquer look 3-dimensional by adding different micas and glitters, turning fingertips into jewelry. With two bold metallics and a sparkling glitter, these colors are fit for royalty.”

“For stand-out nails, I love experimenting with different glitter shades,” explains Serena Williams. “The new Glam Slam! England lacquers can be worn alone for a bright pop of color, or layered with Servin’ Up Sparkle to create a textured effect.” Serena Williams has received the World Number One in singles ranking by the Women’s Tennis Association on five separate occasions, along with being listed as sixth
on the all-time greatest champions list. Additionally, she has won two Olympic gold medals in women’s doubles and has earned 27 Grand Slam titles to date. Serena is the most recent player to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously and only the fifth woman in history to do so.

2-2-2-2 OPI/Glam Slam! England
New shades in the Glam Slam! collection will be introduced to coincide with each of the four major tournaments, beginning with the Australian Open in January 2011, followed by launches in May 2011 for the French Open, June 2011 for Wimbledon and August 2011 for the US Open. As with all OPI Nail Lacquers, the Glam Slam! collection contains no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and each includes OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application.

Glam Slam! England will be available beginning June 2011 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for $14.95 ($20.95 CAN).

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!




Create Instant Nail Art!
Nicole by OPI Introduces Texture Coat

Nicole by OPI announces the launch of Texture Coat, a line of graffiti-style nail art products inspired by OPI’s bestselling Shatter. Available in six chic shades – Gold, Silver, Red, White, Turquoise and Black – Texture Coat offers a simple way to create unique, unpredictable patterns on nails with a quick, at-home application.

“Fans of Nicole by OPI are fun, fashion-forward women who love experimenting with trends and using nail lacquer as a form of self-expression,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “Texture Coat offers an easy way to create your own completely customized nail art. Whether you choose pastels, darks, glitters, shimmers, or sheers to pair with Texture Coat, the endless options will accessorize every look.”

To use this product, start with Base Coat Plus, followed by two coats of any Nicole by OPI nail lacquer. Let the lacquer dry completely before applying Texture Coat. Complete the manicure with Top Coat Plus for a high-shine finish.

Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquers and Nail Treatments contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality, with products featuring the Perfect Stroke brush for streak-free, even coverage. Texture Coat will be available July 2011 for $7.99 each at ULTA, Target, Meijer, Harmon, Wegmans, Sears, and H-E-B. Texture Coat will be available in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart and Loblaw.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

OPI Mermaid's Tears (and a Gradient)

I pulled out OPI Mermaid's Tears today for my grey-free Friday - I didn't initially intend to get it, but when I saw it at Ulta I knew it had to be mine. I have a few similar shades, including Essie Turquoise and Caicos, but the dustiness of Mermaid's Tears made me fall in love. It applied very well and took a perfectly satisfactory two coats for opacity.

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Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone - I had to add some glitter! I did a glitter gradient with Sinful Colors Nail Junkie, which in my opinion is the perfect gradient color for Mermaid's Tears. I didn't use a sponge, but once I put top coat on I could hardly see the lines anyway.

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I love it! I hope this doesn't chip quickly, because I'd love to wear it through tomorrow. I really can't resist a good gradient, and when it's a glitter gradient? Then I'm really in trouble. 

Tomorrow I'll have some more crackle for you...I hope you're not getting tired of it yet, because I'm still addicted!

OPI Skull & Glossbones

National Brain Tumor Awareness Month fact: Brain tumor symptoms often mimic other diseases, often making them difficult to diagnose.  - American Brain Tumor Association

I promise this IS a grey, but it pulls green on me when it's on its own. It's a very pretty color, though, and one of the two colors I knew I absolutely had to get from the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean collection, the other being Stranger Tides. I clearly have a thing for weird colors; what can I say? I found the formula of Skull & Glossbones (which is kind of a stupid name, in my opinion, but that's what I've come to expect from OPI) to be excellent: it required two coats for me, but it went on wonderfully and dried fairly quickly as well. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to take pictures until after one nail had already chipped - the day I wore it, I did a lot of cooking and made homemade lemonade (the work-intensive kind where you cook the syrup and stuff), and I didn't have a chance to take a picture until afterward. Fortunately, there was only one small chip, so I didn't feel obliged to re-polish that nail for the picture.

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Even though I was about to take it off due to the chip, I couldn't resist playing around with Skull & Glossbones. I'd found the Sally Hansen crackles at Walgreens the day before, and I got Cherry Smash, Distressed Denim, Antiqued Gold, and Fractured Foil. I was eager to see how well the metallics would crackle, so I went ahead and put a coat of Antiqued Gold on over Skull & Glossbones.

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I do like the effect of this, but it didn't crack much - I discovered later that it cracks better if you put it on over polish that's still a bit tacky. I'll have another grey with gold crackle on top for you Saturday (since tomorrow's grey-free Friday), and I like that combination much better. Care to guess what it is?

Pink Wednesday: Pink and Grey Crackle, Part 2

Earlier this month (May 4, to be exact), I did a pink and grey crackle mani for Pink Wednesday/National Brain Tumor Awareness Month. And that's the last Pink Wednesday I did. *hangs head in shame* However, Pink Wednesdays are officially back with this combination - OPI Skull & Glossbones (which I will show on its own tomorrow...I intended to today, but took an unexpected day trip instead) and China Glaze Broken Hearted. (I actually didn't intend to do a crackle mani, but more on that in a minute.) But first, a brain tumor fact: "A “benign” brain tumor can be life-threatening because of its location or behavior." - North America Brain Tumor Coalition This is something that some people don't realize - even if a tumor isn't malignant, it can still be very dangerous.

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Me like! You like? ;P I've always had trouble getting the China Glaze crackles to even out, regardless of what top coat I used, but I finally got this mani to lay flat by using two coats of Wet n Wild Clear and then one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri.

So, I said I didn't intend to do a crackle mani. And I didn't. This was supposed to be a dotty pirate Pink Wednesday - that is, I intended to do a dotting manicure with OPI Steady as She Rose on top of OPI Skull & Glossbones. And I did. And then I realized that the two colors were so close together that I could barely see the dots when I stretched my hand out an arm's length from my face. So, I just added the crackle on top. You can probably see some of the Steady as She Rose dots, but only if you're really, really looking for them. I guess that's all for today...until tomorrow! 

Zoya Touch Press Release

2011 limited edition, full coverage nude nail colors

TOUCH

soft  sensual  sexy

Zoya Nail Polish presents 3 new, full coverage nude nail polish shades designed to coordinate with a variety of skin tones ranging from light to dark. Each softly kissed with a bit of metallic to make them ultra wearable.

Zoya TOUCH Collection

Minka (ZP561) - latte beige cream with a metallic kiss

Shay (ZP562) - desert rose sand beige cream with a metallic kiss

Pandora (ZP563) - mauve beige cream with a metallic kiss

Zoya is the new color of fashion...

The Zoya TOUCH collection was designed to recreate the custom looks developed for and inspired by the runways of New York Fashion Week.

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find Zoya TOUCH as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.

TOUCH by Zoya

PRE-ORDER May 25 - May 31, 2011

shipping JUNE 1, 2011

Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl. oz. bottle (US)

Franken: Before the Rainbow

"Children’s brain tumors require specific research and different treatments." - Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation

Very quick post today - I thought I'd get this up before now, but I was busy all day either cooking or getting ready to cook. Before the Rainbow is a franken I made a while back using Zoya Kelly, Love My Nails Angel Baby (the glitter), and some other polishes that I didn't write down and don't remember. I haven't worn it till now for some reason, and I really like the way it looks on the nail. This was three coats.

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What do you think? Like I said, short post. :) Good night!

Graduation Mani

It seems weird to think that I'm now an alumnus of the school district where I've gone for 13 (long) years...I still haven't quite wrapped my head around it. What you see on the left is the right thumbnail of my graduation manicure - my high school's colors are red and white (but silver's cooler, so I used that) and our mascot is a lightning bolt. So, I used Finger Paints Curator's Crimson for the red base, then did all but my thumbs with a coat of Sephora by OPI Flurry Up. On my left thumbnail, I wrote "2011," and on my right thumbnail I did a lightning bolt, both in Sally Hansen Celeb City. Here's my left hand:

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I like it! I'm glad my thumbnail grew out a bit, though; otherwise I'm not sure I could've gotten the whole year on there. I used a toothpick for the thumbs because I knew I would be able to do finer detail with it than with my dotting tool. I'll be in St. Louis tomorrow, so I may not have a post up, but I do plan to post Sunday. I'm really excited about my graduation party, which will be then, because I'm going to plan and cook the whole meal - I may have to show some pictures of that as well! :)

My Musical Manicure

Yay, alliteration! Anyway, today's brain tumor fact is: "Pituitary tumors represent 13% of all primary brain tumors." - American Brain Tumor Association My grey manicure to go with that fact is the one I did for my final choir concert this past Sunday. I actually didn't get the manicure done until Sunday evening, but I'm glad I did it anyway. I used Dr.'s Remedy Healing Heather Grey for a base, drew the music notes with a black Sharpie pen, did one coat of Wet n Wild Clear (because it smears the Sharpie much less than Seche Vite), and finished it off with Seche Vite.

 indoors, artificial light (left hand)

indoors, artificial light (right hand)

Even though the Sharpie smeared some and the clear top coat faded it a little for some reason, I'm still very happy with this manicure - you couldn't see most of the imperfections from a distance, anyway, and the result is much better than what it would have been if I'd tried to do this with actual nail polish. If you have any questions as to what any of the musical symbols are, please leave them in the comments and I'd be happy to answer.

On a different topic, tonight is FINALLY my high school graduation! I'm going to miss choir, a few friends, and a few teachers, but all in all I am beyond ready to get the heck out of Dodge. In accordance, I did my nails for graduation, and you'll be seeing that manicure tomorrow on grey-free Friday. Maybe now that school's completely done with I can get back to posting on a regular schedule! And with that, I really ought to go take a shower...

Cracked Jade

Sorry to have disappeared on you all like that. For the past couple weeks, my life has pretty much consisted of sitting and doing nothing while I'm at school, and running around like a chicken with my head cut off when I'm not in school trying to do everything that needs done. Therefore, I haven't had any time for blogging or for reading blogs. I'm not sure when this state of being will end, but I do have time for a blog post today, fortunately. Here's my brain tumor fact for the day: "More knowledge about brain tumors has been gained in the last ten years than in the past hundred years." - American Brain Tumor Association

 indoors, artificial light

 outdoors, sunlight

outdoors, shade

To create this manicure, I used OPI Jade is the New Black, China Glaze White Cap, and China Glaze Cracked Concrete, all topped with a coat of Seche Vite. I guess that's about all I have to say about this...I liked it, but not as much as I hoped to, and I didn't wear it for long. Now, hopefully it won't be a week until my next blog post!

P.S. I graduate next Thursday. :)

Giveaway Winner!

I finished validating entries last night/this morning, picked a winner, and she has gotten back to me, so now it's official.

Congratulations, Natalie!


Thank you to everyone for entering the giveaway and for reading my blog - and, of course, for the birthday wishes.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy birthday to meeee! Happy birthday to meeee! Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to meeeeee!


So, I'm eighteen now...I can vote (yay!), smoke (gross!), buy lottery tickets (meh), and enter nail polish giveaways that require you to be 18 (yay!). To celebrate, I did a cupcake manicure. It's a good thing my non-grey days are Friday, or I would've had to incorporate grey somehow (shh, though...don't tell, but I don't think my prom mani tomorrow is going to have any grey in it). So, here it is:

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I did the same thing on the right hand, except my accent nail was my thumbnail instead of my ring finger. In hindsight, I kind of wish I'd used the thumb for the accent nail on both hands, because the cupcake on my left thumb looks a bit distended. Anyway, here's what I used for the mani:

Base: China Glaze Sea Spray

Stripes: American Apparel Dynasty and an unnamed Charlotte Russe polish

Icing: Wet n Wild White Creme

Cherries: OPI Red My Fortune Cookie over Wet n Wild White Creme

Sprinkles/glitter on accent nail: Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday (how could I not use it!?)

I did everything (well, except paint the base coat) with a dotting tool, which worked pretty well for the most part. However, it would have been nice to have a proper striper brush for the stripes - I have one on the other end of my dotting tool, but the bristles have come apart so that the brush no longer has a fine point. I'll have to come up with something else, but for the time being, my dotting tool stripes look decent from a distance. All in all, I was pretty happy with this manicure. 

I probably won't post tomorrow because I'll be really busy all day (and night), but I'll be back Sunday - until then, I hope your weekend is off to a great start!

Birthday Cement

An estimated 64,530 new cases of primary brain tumors are expected to be diagnosed in 2011. - American Brain Tumor Association 

Yeah, I come up with the most clever titles... *rolls eyes* Sorry, I just couldn't think of anything else to call this post. Anyway, this is going to be a short one, because it's almost tomorrow and I need to paint my nails so I can go to bed (really, I just need to go to bed, but I'm not going with naked nails!). This is the mani I wore yesterday and today, and which prompted my nephrologist (I had an appointment yesterday) to say, "I like your nails. They're shiny." :D I love my doctors. Anyway, here it is:

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Like it? I did a glitter gradient with Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday over a base of Sally Hansen Wet Cement, then added a coat of Essie Matte About You. That's all for today...I said it was going to be short! I'

Don't forget, you have 50 minutes left to enter my giveaway! (And I have 50 minutes left of being 17! Woohoo!)

Pink and Grey Crackle

Only two new treatments for brain tumors have been approved in the past 25 years. - North American Brain Tumor Coalition


Today I have a combination of a Pink Wednesday manicure and a grey National Brain Tumor Awareness month manicure. I used one of my favorite pinks, Color Club Yachty, Yachty, Yadda, and I topped it with China Glaze Cracked Concrete. Sorry for the shoddy cleanup - I always think I've gotten everything, and then I take the pictures...and I haven't. Whoops.

indoors, artificial light

I hope you don't mind crackle two days in a row, because I couldn't seem to come up with anything else that appealed to me. Don't worry, though, tomorrow will be something else (and I'll give you a hint...it's related to what's happening Friday)!

In other news (and if you don't want to hear about my personal life, stop now), my kidney stone is gone! Well, it's in a zippy bag on its way to the urologist...but it's out of my body! I am so thrilled - this is the best early birthday present ever. :) Have a great day!

Inverted Crackle

Even though survival rates for some childhood brain tumors have increased over the past 30 years, survivors often suffer from lifelong side effects of treatments such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. -Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation


Yeah, I'm looking forward to that...anyway, my second grey May manicure came about when I realized that not only are China Glaze Crushed Candy and China Glaze For Audrey almost the same color, I also have a regular grey polish that's nearly the same as China Glaze Cracked Concrete - Pure Ice Kiss Me Here. The natural result of this realization? An inverted crackle mani.

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Sorry for my gross dry fingers... :( Anyway, even though I really like the way this turned out, I didn't end up keeping it on. I'm not sure why, but I just wasn't in the mood. Until tomorrow!

Greydient

(I forgot to put my fact in earlier...whoops. But here it is now!)

A brain tumor is a cluster of abnormal cells growing in the brain. - American Brain Tumor Association

For my first grey manicure of the month, I did a grey gradient. I'd never done a gradient manicure before, but it was surprisingly easy - in fact, I used a packing peanut for my "sponge," and it worked out just fine. I used a base of Dr.'s Remedy Healing Heather Grey, then added Pure Ice Kiss Me Here, and finally, added Zoya Kelly. I then applied Wet n Wild Clear and Seche Vite to smooth it all out.

indoors, artificial light

I'm really happy with the way this turned out - I think the colors blend quite nicely, and combine to make this kind of dirty, grungy look that is still chic. I'm a fan. Since I only have a few greys in my collection and every post except those on Fridays will have grey in it, I think it'd be safe to say that I'll be doing more, different greydients throughout May - grey to blue? grey to pink? grey to green? Anything could happen... :)

Finally, you may have noticed that I put a tab on the top of my blog for National Brain Tumor Awareness Month. I changed a couple of the things that I said in my earlier post, so you may want to go check it out. Until next time (which is hopefully sooner than the gap between this and my last post)!