Christmas Skittles!

Good morning, and happy Thursday! Today I have some Christmas nails to show you. I am super excited for Christmas this year - partly because I'm actually excited for Christmas, and a little bit because I just want to be done with the semester. It's wrapping up! I only have one final, two projects and two papers left, and I'll be done it a week. So excited. Anyway, here's my Christmas nail art skittles mani:

Thumb & ring finger: Pure Ice Kiss Me Here with two coats of Lac Attack Holidays in Hogsmeade
Index finger: Two coats of China Glaze White Cap, topped with two coats of China Glaze Snow Globe, topped with two-ish (I say this because there was some finagling involved to get enough glitter on) coats of OPI Lights of Emerald City. (Not looking forward to removing this.)
Middle finger: Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe with gold circles in Zoya Ziv.
Pinkie finger: Zoya Rekha with snow in Cult Nails Tempest

Whew! That was a long list of polishes. I started this mani not knowing exactly what I wanted to do, but I really like how it turned out. This was the first time I tried Lac Attack Holidays in Hogsmeade, despite having bought it almost a year ago - I just felt weird about wearing it in January. I really like it, though, especially the stripey large red hex glitters. So cute.

It's supposed to snow here in St. Louis today, tomorrow, and Sunday. I really hope we get some accumulation, and I might just have to do another wintry/Christmas mani to get in the mood. :) Have a great day!

A Good Man Goes to War

Hey! Remember me? Yeah...this semester just about killed me. It's definitely been my busiest so far, and it's not an experience I'm keen to repeat. The semester's coming to a close, though, and I've slept what would normally be an obscene amount over the past few days. I think I'm about caught up, and I'm definitely eager to start blogging again. I haven't even had time to paint my nails much this semester, but I do have a few posts worth of pictures on my computer. My post today is actually showcasing my current mani, Nail Pattern Boldness A Good Man Goes to War. It's a polish from her excellent Doctor Who collection, Time Traveler, so I thought it'd be appropriate to wear Monday night, when I watched the 50th anniversary episode with my friends.

A Good Man Goes to War is a bright red jelly with black square glitter, black microglitter, silver hex glitter, silver microglitter, and gold square glitter. Because of the red jelly base, it's hard for me to tell whether the glitter is silver or gold, but that's my best guess. It's actually out of stock permanently, so if I give you a huge lemming...sorry? It's so pretty that I couldn't resist sharing, though. I used three thin coats here, which I found worked best for glitter distribution. I was very happy that A Good Man Goes to War wasn't patchy like some jellies - it distributed really evenly, and I didn't even have to reposition the glitter. Very impressed! (EDIT: I just took this off...and it stains. Not too badly, but I'd recommend doubling up on base coat with this one if you want to avoid staining.)

All pictures were taken outside on a cloudy day.

Yeah...gorgeous. I am so in love with this polish. I didn't try this for the longest time because I was afraid I wouldn't like it as much as the other Time Traveler polishes I have, but I was wrong - I love it. So much. Also, the name is wonderful. I can't wait for the rest of the season...do you watch Doctor Who? What did you think of the anniversary episode? No spoilers, please!

P.S. Have a great Thanksgiving! And don't worry, you can eat as much turkey as you want, because it doesn't actually make you sleepy.

Red Nail Art

EDIT 09/16/13: Obviously I expect too much of myself, as I haven't had time to do another nail art mani since I posted this originally. I am still going to try to post more nail art and I will probably use the challenge as inspiration; however, I am a college student with unrealistic expectations of what I can do with my time, so...yeah.

Hello all! I decided to do the 31 day challenge again this year, as I did two years ago in November. This time I'm not going to be able to do a post every day, and you'll notice it is no longer the 1st of the month (oops), but I really enjoyed it before and thought it'd be a good way to get my mojo going again. For those of you who haven't seen it before, here's the challenge:

The first day of the challenge is red, so I decided to wear one of my top two favorite juicy reds, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure All Fired Up. It's a squishy, super-bright red that really pops, and I always feel a little more put together when I wear it. After sporting All Fired Up by itself for a day, I decided to add some stripes. I used acrylic paint because I think it's easier to work with, but of course you could use polish as well.

Isn't it a great combination? I've been seeing a lot of the first two fingers as accent nails lately, so I thought I'd try it out. I originally intended the pink to stand out a little bit more, but I think maybe I like it as it is after all - it provides a little balance against the screamingly bright orange, purple and red. Sadly, as I'm typing this my nails have already chipped. C'est la vie, non? *sigh* Anyway, I won't be posting the rest of the weekend because I'm taking a short trip home to go fishing, but I look forward to painting my nails and posting again as soon as I get back! Have a great weekend!

Red Gradient

Hey there! Today's my first post as a 20-year-old, and I decided that my birthday present to myself was going to be no homework or studying (except for the final edit of my paper this morning), so I've been watching Whose Line is it Anyway and painting my nails all day. :) The manicure I took off today was the one I'm showing you now - I made a red sponged gradient using Borghese Sonata Berry, Rimmel Rapid Red, and OPI Red My Fortune Cookie. I wasn't sure how well it would turn out, but I really liked the results.

I always forget how much I like dark red polish until I put it on...it somehow has the effect of immediately making me feel classier. Borghese Sonata Berry is the perfect dark red because it's dark, but not so dark that it looks black. With the other two reds added, I think it makes the perfect gradient! 

Zoya Destiny

Can we spend a moment admiring how gorgeous Zoya Destiny is?

Zoya PixieDust: Chyna

Happy Saturday! My mom's coming up to visit today, and while I should have spent this morning working on my literature review and EMTALA presentation for Monday, I painted my nails and watched YouTube instead. Story of my life. Anyway, I have to admit something - I went about a week this week without painting my nails...and it wasn't horrible. I think I'm getting to the point where I don't feel like I *need* to have my nails painted all the time, though I still feel more polished when I have a nice mani on. Anyway, it was still definitely time to paint my nails, and since my samples of Zoya PixieDust arrived yesterday, I thought I'd try one out. I picked Chyna just because it looked so freaking gorgeous in the bottle - I just can't resist a glittery red. I used two coats, and two coats of top coat (Cult Nails Wicked Fast) in the second two pictures. All of these were taken in my lightbox.

While I was really feeling iffy about the PixieDust polishes from looking at the press release and promo stuff, I actually really liked Chyna. The textured effect was not as obvious (or as weird or gross) as I thought it might be, and turned out to be quite the cool effect. I'm now very much looking forward to trying the rest of the collection.

And now, I have a little questionnaire posted by the lovely Elizabeth of Life and Polish! I haven't done anything like this in quite a while, so I thought it would be fun.

1. How many foundations do you own?
None, actually! I do, however, love Pixi Illuminating Tint & Conceal, which is a wonderful tinted moisturizer I use sometimes.

2. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
Well, it depends on whether or not you count the amount of time I spend convincing myself to actually get out of bed...but usually 30 to 45 minutes including shower and breakfast.

3. Do you have a go-to makeup look?
If mascara is a go-to look, yes. I also go with mascara and lip stain quite a lot.

4. What about nails, a go-to nail polish look?
Not really, actually. Just whatever happens to catch my fancy.

5. How often do you try new skin care products?
Not very often. When I find something I really like, I tend to stick with it for as long as I can. I do like to experiment, though.

6. Steak, chicken or fish?
Since it's Lent right now and I gave up red and white meat and popcorn, I have to say fish. :)

7. What is your favorite lip balm?
Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm with Peppermint! I literally never use anything else. It's my number one "beauty" staple (I'm going to argue it's a beauty staple because, you know, chapped lips ≠ pretty).

8. When did you start wearing makeup consistently?
Actually only in the past year or so. I've really made an effort recently to always wear at least mascara, because I feel like mascara alone makes so much difference in both my appearance and how put-together and confident I feel.

9. Do you find you look older or younger with makeup on?
Definitely a bit older.

10. How many lipsticks do you own?
Only one that I actually use, which is Maybelline Red Revival, a classic bold red. I also have two lip stains, Pixi Lip Blush in Love (which they no longer make! sad) and Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain. While I absolutely love the products I have, I also want to expand my collection of lipsticks and lip stains. I don't really have any paler pink shades, so I'd like to work on that.

11. What beauty product do you wish was still made?
Ohmygoodness Pixi Lip Blush. It is my absolute favorite thing ever (okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement), and Love is one of those shades that looks good on everyone. I really wish I'd had the chance to get the other shades before the discontinued it. Pixi still makes lip stains, but they're not the same product or the same colors. I haz a sad.

Feel free to do this survey if you like, and have a great weekend!

This product was provided to me for review.

White Christmas

Hello again! Thanks bunches to those of you who have stuck around during my semester-long hiatus - I really appreciate it. Today I have some Christmas nails that, while I like them, aren't quite up to par in my opinion, at least on one of the nails. In my defense, I packed in a huge hurry because I had to pack and move out pretty much right after finishing my last two finals, and therefore forgot important nail art implements like...well...all of my nail art implements. Except toothpicks - I have toothpicks. So, this is a toothpick friendly manicure. What do you think?

 

Zoya Rekha

I'm here again! Zoya Rekha is the second polish I've worn from Zoya's fall collections this year. Normally I'm not a huge red person, but I really, really, really like Rekha. It's one of those that blurs the line between jellies and cremes, giving this wonderfully glossy sheen while still being entirely opaque. I had an unusually hard time getting my camera to shoot accurately when it came to Rekha's color. In my pictures, it appears brighter and more candy-like than it is in real life. It's hard to describe, but Rekha's closer to what I think of as a true cherry red (you know, like actual cherries).

 natural light

Preppy Stripes & Tutorial

Hello there! Today I bring you some nail art I did Thursday night. I ordered some striping tape off of Amazon a couple weeks ago, and I hadn't gotten around to using it yet, so I decided it was time to break it out. I wanted bold colors, and ended up picking China Glaze First Mate, China Glaze Grape Pop, and OPI Red My Fortune Cookie. The overall effect reminds me a bit of a prep school uniform, hence the title.

natural light

Click "read more" to see the tutorial:

SinfulColors Holiday 2011 - Swatches & Review

Good morning! I took my last final this morning for my political science class, and now I'm done! My mom's not going to be here until this afternoon because of work, though, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to post the SinfulColors holiday collection that I swatched Saturday. The collection is made up of five repromoted colors and two stripers. Although none of the polishes are new, they're all new to me, so I was pretty excited to try them out, especially with all the good things I've heard about Daddy's Girl. I do have to apologize, though - my nails were really short to begin with, and then my pinky nail broke halfway through swatching, so the last half only have three fingers. Sorry!

 sunlight

shade

Sugar Sugar, described by the SinfulColors press release as "a candy cane, red-hot tint," is just that - I love the color, and the glowy quality reminds me of my favorite red shimmer, Dr.'s Remedy Revive Ruby Red. The only thing I didn't like was the formula, which in combination with the brush was very hard to control, and as you can see, I ended up getting some bubbles. With a little more care, though I don't think this would happen. I used two coats.

 sunlight

shade

I decided to show Flower Girl next because I used it on top of Sugar Sugar. It's a bronze-gold color that I haven't seen in a striper before, which is really nice - I always like to find something unique. It was also really opaque, which is essential in a striper because it's more of a pain (for me, at least) to go over stripes twice. It's worth noting that the brushes on these stripers are thicker than Kiss or Nubar, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing; after all, it can be good to have some variety.

 sunlight

shade

Next, we have Midnight Blue, "a bold, bright twist on navy," or what I'd call a vivid, medium-blue shimmer. This polish kind of reminds me of Sally Hansen Blue It, but brighter and less metallic. I used two coats with this as well, but was more careful and only got a couple bubbles, though it was still a bit of a pain to apply. I like Midnight Blue, but I don't think it's a must-have.

 sunlight

shade

This is the second striper, Fashionista. It's a silver glitter, and to be honest, I was a bit disappointed with this one. The base was thicker than I like in stripers, and the glitter wasn't as dense as I had hoped it would be. However, if this is your thing, I would definitely recommend it - after all, it's cheap and easy to work with.

 sunlight

Sorry I don't have a shaded photo for this one - I didn't realize until I uploaded them that all the ones I took were a little blurry, so I decided not to include one. Anyway, Last Chance is a dark evergreen creme that seems to me like a non-jelly version of Nars Zulu. As I've never been a huge fan of Zulu (I don't tend to love vampy polishes), I'm perfectly happy with Last Chance. I used two coats.

 sunlight

shade

As you can see, Out of this World is a whitish silver, and I have to say, I'm not a fan of this one. It wasn't quite opaque with the three coats I used, and it's not really a color I would wear on its own. I think it might be good for layering, though...I'll have to try that sometime.

 sunlight

shade

Daddy's Girl, "a deep purple with a drizzle of shimmer and glitter," is by far my favorite of these. It's a gorgeous purple jelly with gold glitter, and I love it. It's not quite opaque with three coats, but it's more opaque than it looks in my first picture. I'm not sure why I didn't buy this one before...it's a vivid purple; what was I thinking?!

If you'd like to buy any of these for yourself, you can find them for $1.99 at mass retailers like Walgreens.

And with that, I need to go pack...I hope you're all having a great week, and don't forget to read my NO H8 post!

These products were provided to me by the manufacturer for honest review.

Dr.'s Remedy Jolly & Joy Swatches and Review

Hello again! I'm back, as I said I would be, with the holiday 2011 collection from Dr.'s Remedy. I know for sure that one of these, Revive Ruby Red, is a re-promote because I reviewed it before, and I think Passion Purple is as well; however, I'm fairly sure the other three are new - but by all means, correct me if I'm wrong! Now, let's get to the polish.

outdoors, sunlight

First, we have Revive Ruby Red, which as I said before, is not a new color - it was in last winter's collection as well. However, that doesn't make it any less gorgeous! If you read my original review, you will remember that I absolutely loved it then, and that definitely hasn't changed. It's got the same lit-from-within, glowing quality that made it love me so much the first time around, and is opaque in the same two easy coats. I encourage you to read my previous review of Revive Ruby Red for more details if you're interested.

outdoors, sunlight

The second color in Jolly & Joy, Passion Purple, is described by Dr.'s Remedy as "a bombshell-boysenberry with subtle silver meshed throughout," and I think that's an accurate description. I tend not to like shimmers with a colored base and silver shimmer quite as much as other shimmers, but I think this one is nice. I'm not wowed by it, and I'm not sure that I'd wear it all that often. However, if this sort of finish is your thing, go for it! The application was fantastic, and it got opaque coverage in two coats.

outdoors, natural light

Essential Emerald, the third polish, is described by Dr.'s Remedy as "a take on the classic tree-and-plant-inspired gem of a shade, with delicate glimmer and unparalleled amounts of glamour." Now, this is an area where I really have to disagree with the description - to me, this is a jade green, not an emerald. However, it is a very lovely color, and I like the silver shimmer in this better than that in Passion Purple. This one also took two coats, and the application was great.

outdoors, sunlight

Serene Silver Glitter is described by Dr.'s Remedy as "a seasonal sizzler like no other: shine, chic, totally unique in the metallic scene," and on this one, I totally agree. As far as I know, there really is no other polish like this one. For one thing, it's definitely a glitter, but the particles are so fine that it applies almost as smoothly and evenly as a foil, and looks a somewhat like a foil on the nail as well. Additionally, it has not only silver glitter, but red and blue as well, which is a combination I haven't seen anywhere else. Best of all, the glitter is very highly packed into the polish - I barely needed two coats!

outdoors, natural light

Finally, we have Resolution Red Glitter, "a red-meets-copper spin that's sequin-look-alike laden with high-shine and sparkle." I sort of see where they get the copper, but to me, the polish is mainly a red, pink, and silver glitter. It also barely needed two coats, and the application was good. 

Check Dr.'s Remedy out on Twitter and Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/Remedynails

http://twitter.com/#!/remedynails

These products were provided to me by Dr.'s Remedy for honest review.

Three in One: Days 25, 26, and 27

Sorry for my egregious lack of posting! I'm falling down on the job, I know - but only because I've been doing my best at keeping up with homework over break. I'm actually writing this post on my phone whilst riding back to school, and I took the picture on my phone as well. I got a new iPhone 4S, though, so the quality isn't too bad, though definitely not as good as the macro on my PowerShot. Anyway, today's manicure combines the last three themes: fashion, pattern, and artwork. My inspiration was a Spring 2012 print from DKNY - it's fashion, it's a pattern, and, in my opinion, fashion is art. I used a base of Wet 'n' Wild White Creme with OPI Red My Fortune Cookie, Sally Hansen Pacific Blue, and my Nubar nail art pen in black.

As you can see, I printed off the picture that inspired me and took the photo of my nails against it. After doing so, I think my nails were even more accurate than I thought they were at first!

Dr.'s Remedy Fall Fever Swatches & Review

Hello again! Two posts in a day, woohoo! I'm on a roll, what can I say? :) Actually, I usually try not to post two substantive posts in one day because I feel like it's a little bit much (not to mention that I really don't have the time), but since I'm doing the 31 day challenge this month, there's no way I could avoid it. Like I mentioned in my last post, I got the Dr.'s Remedy Fall Fever to review today, and I got to swatching right away. Unfortunately, I was in a race against the sun, so my pictures aren't quite as good as usual. I also have a hangnail on my middle finger that I retouched because I don't want to look at it, and I don't want you to have to look at it either. I promise that's the one thing I retouched, though (and I'll always tell you when I do retouch something). The above photo is a collage of the three polishes, with the bottle shot from the press release thrown in for good measure.

 natural light

First, we have DEFENSE Deep Red, which Dr.'s Remedy describes as "a rich bordeaux with a mystifying matte finish." To be honest, I expected this to be my least favorite polish in the collection. However, it turned out to be my favorite! I'm not a huge fan of most vampy reds, and this is the first one I've really fallen in love with. It's a gorgeous burgundy-red jelly that almost glows in the sunlight and only takes two coats - it does look a bit sheer in my picture, but it didn't in real life. I used two coats without top coat, and while it says it's matte, my base coat (Essie Protein Basecoat) tends to make semi-matte polishes glossy for some reason. It probably would be a little more matte on its own, but it didn't look like it'd be completely matte when I swatched it on an index card. I actually think it's prettier glossy anyway, because it allows the polish to show off its jelliness.

natural light

Next, we have BALANCE Brick, a "modern maroon with body and balance." I honestly am not sure what the "body and balance" part of that description is supposed to mean - I'd describe the shade as a delightfully juicy raspberry-maroon jelly. (And now I'm hungry for raspberries.) BALANCE Brick also took two coats for opacity. I'm not sure if it's a unique color or not, but I don't have anything exactly like it in my collection. 

natural light

Finally, there's NOBLE Navy, "a sea-at-dusk shade that reflects light and brings dimension to tips and toes alike." Unlike the other two polishes in this collection, NOBLE Navy is not a jelly, but a creme. But guess how many coats it took? One. That's right - one. It's vampier than DEFENSE Deep Red, but I can still tell it's blue in dimmish light, though it does look black once the lighting gets very dim. One thing I like about this shade as opposed to other deep blues is that it's slightly dusty, which I quite like. It kind of reminds me of a darker version of China Glaze First Mate.

I'm not a fan of dancing around the point, so I'll just say it straight out: I didn't think I'd be a huuuuge fan of this collection. I thought I'd like it well enough, but I didn't think I'd fall head over heels in love. However, with two gorgeous, two-coat-and-done jellies and one rich, one-coater blue, I'm definitely smitten. If you're smitten, too, you can get any of these shades for $17 at www.remedynails.com.

Also, if you're interested, you can like Dr.'s Remedy on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. Just click the words "Facebook" and "Twitter!"

These polishes were sent to me by the company for review. However, I will always review products honestly. For more information, see my disclosure policy.

31 Day Challenge: Day 1

Like many others in the nail blogosphere, I've decided to do the 31 day challenge. I'm not sure where it originated, but this is the challenge:

Why did I decide to do this in November, my busiest month yet? I honestly have no idea - perhaps I'm actually going 'round the bend. In any case, I will be joined this month by the wonderful Elizabeth of Life and Polish, so at least I'll have someone to keep me company as I journey down the path to insanity and aggravated chronic sleep loss.

Today, Day 1, is red day. Easy enough, right? I used OPI Red My Fortune Cookie (one of my favorite red cremes), then used two alternating layers of Nubar 2010 and BB Couture Sex on the Beach and topped it all off with good old Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. I took these pictures last night because I knew I wouldn't have time this morning, so they're not the best quality (dorm room lighting = far from excellent), but I hope you get the general idea.

 indoors, artificial light

 indoors, artificial light

indoors, artificial light

I'm quite fond of this combination. While red with flakies has been done many times before by myself and by others (speaking of which, why didn't I use Elle's Spell today? I just got it and haven't tried it yet...clearly my brain was not turned on last night), I still think it's pretty, especially because the layering of the jelly with the flakies gives it a certain depth, as well as a touch of glitter. All in all, I think it's a good start to my 31 days, and I'm not sure I'll want to immediately take it off later tonight. Now go peep Elizabeth's Day 1 post, and have a great day!

Edit: Unbeknownst to me until a few minutes ago, Manicure Addict, Polish Pauper, Bright Lights, Big Color, and CC Manicured are also doing the challenge in November, so go check them out as well!

Edit 2: And Dees Polish Endeavours! Who knew!

Sweet as Cherry Pie

EDIT: I have a coupon code for Inspired Nails that I completely forgot to post here the first time around. It's NEVERUNPOLISHED15, and it's good for 15% your entire order, excluding shipping. I'd definitely encourage you to take advantage! The code expires October 31, 2011.

For those of you who haven't heard of them, Inspired Nails is a fairly new company that sells full-nail water decals. They have a lot of interesting designs, so when they contacted me to see if I'd be interested in doing a review, I was thrilled. I was asked to choose two designs that I wanted to try, and I picked Mini Cherries on White and Van Gogh Starry Night. I figured it would be a good idea to pick one "unusual" design (Van Gogh) and one more normal one (cherries), though one that wouldn't be easy to recreate - I don't know about you, but I don't think I'd have an easy time making cherries that were that small without making it look like my nails have chicken pox. I decided to use the cherry ones first, because I knew that if I made any mistakes, the cherries would be a more forgiving design to make mistakes . . . also, I would be less mad at myself if I screwed one up, because there is absolutely no way I can paint Starry Night on my nails. So, here they are:

 outdoors, cloudy

outdoors, cloudy

I'm sorry for my messy hands...I've been a bit afraid of moisturizing my cuticles when I'm working at my new computer because I don't want to get it all greasy, but unfortunately that means that my hands look a bit gross. Soon I'll have everything set up and I'll be able to moisturize safely, I promise! ;) I wore the decals yesterday and the day before, and this is what they looked like mid-afternoon yesterday. As you can see, there's some tipwear on two of my fingers, and later that day the index nail chipped even more, so I sadly had to take them off. However, I honestly think that might partly be due to my base coat - I decided to give Nailtek Intensive Therapy II another try after it made my polish peel off a few months ago, so I'm suspicious that that might have been the problem. I'll be trying the Van Gogh decals over my normal base coat to be sure.

Aren't they cute, though? And to me, they're easier to apply than strips made of actual polish, because you can move them around before applying top coat, which makes them stick for good. I followed the instructions that came with the decals, and I had no problems. Unfortunately, my trusty Sally Hansen Insta-Dri - which has never bubbled on me before, even when I used thick coats - chose this manicure to bubble over. :/ I'm not sure, but I suppose it might be because I'm getting toward the end of the bottle and I've had to thin it several times. Or maybe I just slapped it on a little too thickly. 

Overall, I really enjoyed having these on, and I would've been happy to wear them longer. Also, I can't wait to try my Starry Night decals, and I think I might have to buy some for myself . . . except, I have no money. Boo. I suppose I can plan for the future - Burberry plaid? Peacock feathers? Alice in Wonderland? American Gothic? Blue lava? Blue stained glass? Okay, I'll stop - but seriously, there are so many great designs to pick from, so go check them out!

Fawkes the Phoenix

I know I told you I was going to show you the nail art I did over Green with Envy today...but then I changed my mind. With the last Harry Potter movie coming up, I've been re-reading the books like mad, so of course I had to do a correlating manicure. I've been making a list of ideas as I've read the books, and one that I couldn't wait to try was a Fawkes manicure. If you don't know who Fawkes is, well, Google "Fawkes the phoenix," and also, really?! Anyway, I knew that painting a non-cartoon bird on my nails would be pretty much hopeless, so I just did a feather on each nail. I used one coat of Wet n Wild Black Creme for the base (over base coat, naturally), then my red Nubar nail art pen, OPI Red My Fortune Cookie, China Glaze White Cap, and Nubar 2010 (sparingly) for the feathers.

 indoors, artificial light

 outdoors, sunlight

 outdoors, shade

Honestly, this manicure did not turn out as well as I would've liked, which I think is partly due to the fact that the reds I used are not perfectly opaque in one stroke over black. This meant I had to go over and over the lines I made to make sure that the red showed up vividly, and that compromised the cleanness of the design. I kind of saw this coming and would've tried it over white, but I knew that black would set the red and gold off so much better that I had to try it anyway.

That said, I cannot wait to do more Harry Potter manicures, and you'll probably be seeing them past the 15th, so be warned. :)

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:

indoors, artificial light

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! :)