eye ♥ U

Valentines day nail medley featuring  bleeding hearts, eye <3 U and pink roses.

I used Sally Hansen - shell we dance?, NYX - NP 21 flash, Sally Hansen - pink promise (#06), Anise - a bud for you, Butter London - rosie lee, American Apparel - coney island, O.P.I. - ogre-the-top blue, Revlon - revlon red (#680), Nail Star - white, Nail Star - yellow, Nail Star - red and black gouache.
For decoration I used iridescent pink bar glitter and rhinestone cabochons. Finally I sealed the design with Seche VITE - fast dry top coat.

Heart

I love the V-GAP  whether it cuts down the center or it creates the sweet heart shape, I think it is so sexy!
the negative space created by the cleavage shape is appealing on the nails , i think mainly do to its suggestive directionality. It really elongates your nails, and well like most things that have that same shape... like... toes... in sexy pumps, it draws you in and creates a contrasting soft but fierce shape.
I added embellishments around the crown of the "V" to accentuate that shape.

After O.P.I. - natural nail strengthener, and O.P.I. -natural base coat (1 coat each) I then applied three coats of Sally Hansen - shell we dance (#160). After those completely dried I used O.P.I. - deer valley spice, for the first time, 2-3 coats, which is a really pretty pinkish red that is really luminous. 

Depending on the light the polish appears more pink or red.

I then added small hexagonal glitters about 6 -10 depending on the finger and at the tip of the gold glitter "V" I added a small gold rhinestone cabochon. I then sealed the design with Seche Vite - dry fast top coat.

I'm really happy with the design and I think its really elegant but still playful so i'll probably be using this heart shaped cleavage design for NYE!

24 days of XMAS Challenge : Day 24

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Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays! For my final day of the 24 day nail challenge, the theme was to recreate your favorite nail design. Now, I decided that Jack Skellington was very appropriate for the theme, it being the night before christmas and all, and I wasn't ready to part with dear old Jack, so instead of doing a new set of nails I added on and did ZERO his dog! His colors work with both Jack and the holiday color palette, only more white is involved... he's a ghost. For those of you who aren't familiar with this movie... go watch it NOW!...but basically this is how it goes:


Jack is tired of being the Pumpkin King and stumbles across Christmas Town. He decides that he will relieve SANDY CLAWS and remake Christmas, only the monsters of halloween town don't understand what Christmas is all about, and so he gives them what they want... a terrifying holiday. His friend Sally thinks he is making a mistake, and in her attempt to stop him she creates fog so that he can not see, and will hopefully give up. (sound familiar... Rudolph?) However Jack's ghost dog Zero has a glowing red nose and stands in as the lead reindeer lighting the way to what becomes a twisted christmas and Jack's, almost, ruin. Jack's "presents" create a frenzy causing him to be shot out of the sky, leading him to his realization of what he has done. Trying to redeem himself and save the holiday, Jack rescues Santa from the Boogeyman just in time to save christmas. THE END
This is one of my all time FAVORITE movies... obviously :)
Now that you have the background, here are my nails! enjoy!

To see more of the Jack Skellington nails click HERE

Just like the JACK SKELLINGTON nails i did for day 23 of the challenge, I used Sally Hansen - shell we dance? (#160) 3 coats, Sinful colors - out of this world (#842), 1 coat, for the base.
I then used Nail Star - red for the collar, O.P.I. - designer de better for shading and black and white acrylic paint. I then added a red rhinestone cabochon for Zero's nose and topped it off with seche VITE - quick dry top coat.




be sure to check out these ladies to see their holiday best!

❅ nails and stuff ❃ obsessed with glitter ❇ paint that nail ❄ red hair and black nail polish ✺ Ruby's Nails ❅ finger painted ❃ My Polish Stash ❉ Me, Myself and Nail Polish ❇  KK Nails ✺ Life with Salpi ❅

Thanx for tuning in, and i hope everyone had a great holiday!

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24 days of XMAS Challenge : Day 23

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Here is the final theme, before recreating my favorite manicure (tomorrow), It's SANTA!

well... not exactly santa.... more like my favorite impostor, JACK SKELLINGTON dressing up as SANTA.

I drew my inspiration from an illustration by Tim Burton (my favorite!)

I liked the patterning in the outfit and the gangly body posture that is very much Jack and wanted to capture those aspects per nail. I call them my night before christmas EVE nails. :)

For the base color I used 3 coats of Sally Hansen - shell we dance? (#160)  and 1 coat of Sinful Colors - out of this world (#842).

Jack Skellington was done using Nail Star - white (#108), O.P.I. - designer... de better for shading on the face, Nail Star - red and black acrylic paint.

Finished it off with 1 coat of Seche VITE - quick dry top coat.  For some reason this read is not as vibrant in this picture when uploaded, disappointing.
From thumb to pinky the images go as such. thumb - bottom part of beard, index - hat, middle - head/top part of beard, ring - neck/body/shoulder, pinky - arm.

To see more SANTA themed nails check out these ladies blogs:

❅ nails and stuff ❃ obsessed with glitter ❇ paint that nail ❄ red hair and black nail polish ✺ Ruby's Nails ❅ finger painted ❃ My Polish Stash ❉ Me, Myself and Nail Polish ❇  KK Nails ✺ Life with Salpi ❅

Thanx for stopping by :)

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24 days of XMAS Challenge : Day 20

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FOUR DAYS LEFT! CRAZZZYYYY! 


SLEIGH/SLED was the theme for today! I chose to do santa's sleigh, reindeer flying over the moon. :)
I used a mix of nail polish and acrylic paint which allowed for a much smoother (less sticky) application of my design.

The color fade background was done using a base of Sally Hansen - marine scene (#23), 3 coats, and acrylic paint.  On top of that I used NYC - starry silver glitter (#105) which has a nice mix of silver and iridescent micro glitter mixed with medium sized hexagonal blue and pink glitter in a clear polish... It's really pretty! For the design I used all acrylic paint, and then sealed it with the amazing Seche VITE - quick dry top coat.


Tomorrows theme is REINDEER

To see more SLEIGH/SLED themed nails check out these ladies blogs:

❅ nails and stuff ❃ obsessed with glitter ❇ paint that nail ❄ red hair and black nail polish ✺ Ruby's Nails ❅ finger painted ❃ My Polish Stash ❉ Me, Myself and Nail Polish ❇  KK Nails ✺ Life with Salpi ❅

Thanx for stopping by :)

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24 days of XMAS Challenge : Day 17

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Hello hello hello. 

sorry this is a late post. These are my nails from yesterday, I did these then i painted my moms nails for a christmas party and so I became lazy... SO, NOW...here is day 17 of the 24 day challenge! The theme was TINSEL!
I wanted to keep this simple (again) so i did a nouveau french! I incorporated real tinsel, beads and tinsel like glitter polish!

The holo bar glitter tinsel-like base was done using Love & Beauty - black/silver, 3 coats. The one thing i dislike about Love & Beauty nail polish is the naming issue. It's an issue because they name all their colors the same... i.e. al greens are green all reds are reds. RARELY do they name the actual color like lavender or mint, but they seriously need to be a little more creative, a little more descriptive or at the vary least put a freakin' number! For the sake of better description lets just call it black/ holo tinsel! jeeeze :)

ANYWAYS.... next i put a single layer of Sally Hansen X - in the spotlight (#35) which is a clear nail polish with slightly larger and less tinsel per coat, just to add a little size variation.

For the embellishment I used a single strip of real tinsel (from the little bundle in my hand) on the tips of my nails to make it a "french".  Finally i added silver nail art beads in a windowed arrangement to accentuate the silver strip and give it a little more flare.

i'll be posting todays theme a little later, which is STOCKINGS!

want more TINSEL? check out these ladies blogs:

❅ nails and stuff ❃ obsessed with glitter ❉ Polish, Oh My! ❇ paint that nail ❄ red hair and black nail polish ✺ Ruby's Nails ❅ finger painted ❃ My Polish Stash ❉ Me, Myself and Nail Polish ❇  KK Nails ❄ My Wet Nails ✺ Life with Salpi ❅ The only way is Nails! ❃

Thanx for stopping by :)

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24 days of XMAS Challenge : Day 14

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A few days ago my parents, my boyfriend and I decorated the christmas tree! As I unwrapped the ornaments I was flooded with memories. Memories of being a kid and LOVING how some said my name, some i made, some that were my grandmothers, and some that have been on the tree for as long as I can remember. It was nice to see the ornaments that i remember from my youth, as well as a few new ones that I decided for todays challenge, with the theme ORNAMENTS I would look at and recreate some of the ornaments from the tree! Now because my nails are not as big as i want, and my design included other elements I couldn't do the really complicated ones, but still the ones chosen are tied to my christmas history.
Below are the ornaments/ decorations I was inspired by, and my ORNAMENT themed nails!

For the base color I used Sally Hansen - spark (#06) which is a really beautiful color. the polish itself it a greenish blue (which can only be noticed if smeared), but appears as a solid micro micro micro glitter iridecent blue to purple effect. Maybe its because this polish is not so new, but it was a one coater! I get tired of using the typical christmas palette so I thought a deep blue purple would make the ornaments and decoration pop out as well as be refreshing to use.


Next for all the fingers I took my Nail Star - silver (#114) and made a 1/2 moon of tinsel/branch for the ornaments to hand on. Then using my Ruby Kissed - french white  I dotted some circles on the silver.
Also after each ornament was finished i filled in the negative space with more dots and snowflake/stars in the same silver. Finally gold nail art beads were placed on top of each ornament to act as a ornament hook.


Starting on the thumb: for the ornament with the bow I used Love & Beauty - gold, then put gold bar glitter on top the O.P.I. because the ornament i was inspired by is a large glass orb with a gold netting around it. For the bow I used turquoise nail art beads to tie in some of the same color of one of the angels. The peppermint swirl ornament was inspired by this really beautiful Waterford Crystal peppermint ornament, and is kind of opal and metallic looking. To capture that shine I used Ruby Kisses - french white  and Kiss - red, and then added micro glitter on top of the red for the shine.


The index and ring finger with the angels were done the same so i'll do them together... So first I used round and (american :) ) football shaped cabochons in magenta, pink and aquamarine, the wings i used Kiss - white striper with Kiss - gold  glitter striper.  For the bottom of the angels and the center between the head and body I used magenta, light pink and light blue nail art beads. These angels were inspired by ornaments my grandmother gave to my mom. They are Swarovski crystal and are colored according to my families birthstone, my mom feb- amethyst, my sister oct - rose quartz and mine and my dads- march - aquamarine. These are my favorite nails because i think they were most successful.


The stars were done similar to the wings, I used A base of Kiss - white striper, Kiss - gold glitter striper then added some yellow micro glitter. Finally for the heard I used Nail Star - silver (#114), then covered it with red micro glitter.  Then 3 thick coats of Seche VITE -  quick dry top coat.


Tomorrows theme is PRESENTS!

For more ORNAMENT themed nails check out these ladies blogs:

❅ nails and stuff ❃ obsessed with glitter ❉ Polish, Oh My! ❇ paint that nail ❄ red hair and black nail polish ✺ Ruby's Nails ❅ finger painted ❃ My Polish Stash ❉ Me, Myself and Nail Polish ❇  KK Nails ❄ My Wet Nails ✺ Life with Salpi ❅ The only way is Nails! ❃

Thanx for stopping by :)

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24 days of XMAS Challenge : Day 11

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Christmas movies are one of the best parts of waiting for the big holiday day. Now one of my favorite holiday movies is Nightmare Before Christmas. Its so silly and imaginative, and one of the best parts, i can watch from halloween to christmas and its still so fitting. 
So how does this relate to my theme today? Well, if you've seen this movie before you'll probably recognize the scene i am depicting. When Jack Skelington takes on christmas he makes several stops on his route, one of them is at an old women's house. He opens the door an places what seems at first to be a harmless wreath... until like all of the haunted holiday toys it comes alive and starts to attack!. This scene is so ridiculous and playful and well depicts how twisted this holiday can be when not even an old women nor a wreath are safe from the handy work and fantastical minds of Henry Selick and Tim Burton.

I didn't want to white for the background because i thought it would make it more graphic looking and as your know its stop motion which means its built scenes using puppets and props. SO...

I used two coats of Sally Hansen - shell we dance (#160) which allows my natural nail to be scene so the design really stands off my nail. 

To make the wreath i started with my middle finger so i could determine where the arms of the wreath were going to move. So first i used L.A. Girl FLARE - hunter green, I sort of stippled a leafy wreath pattern i a circle then moving towards opposite edges of my nails... and then continued this in a line across the rest of my nails. 

Next to get a little tonality i used Sinful Colors -HD nails (#926),  spaced out to  add to the leafy feeling.

Now to do the actual leaves I used Nail Star - medium metallic green in differently sized dots all on top of the green already down, but spaced enough where the individual leaves aren't touching, so that it looks like individual leaves. Then to add even further to the leaves I used Kiss - green striper. To accentuate the leaves EVEN MORE I used Kiss - black striper and made little squiggles on the wreath to separate the leaves, then did a little choppy outline under the top section to give the wreath looking like it has a mouth. 

The eyes were done with Nail Star - white and Nail Star - black.

 For the last touch of the wreath i used Kiss - bronze striper to create the little berries on the wreath. I used bronze so that they would recede into the wreath more when I added the bow.

The Bow was done using Kiss  - red striper, for the base color. Then for highlights I used Nail Star- red on the outside edge of each flap of the bow, a line or two down the center and on the hanging ribbon. Again, not completely covering up the back ground color and not touching other red sections so that it looks more 3D. 

Then Seche VITE - quick dry top coat.. DUH! :)

PHEW! Stay tunes because tomorrows theme is HOLLY

More holiday WREATH inspired nails can be seen HERE:

❅ nails and stuff ❃ obsessed with glitter ❉ Polish, Oh My! ❇ paint that nail ❄ red hair and black nail polish ✺ Ruby's Nails ❅ finger painted ❃ My Polish Stash ❉ Me, Myself and Nail Polish ❇  KK Nails ❄ My Wet Nails ✺ Life with Salpi ❅ The only way is Nails! ❃

Thanx for stopping by :)

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24 days of XMAS Challenge : Day 6

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I cannot believe it is already day 6 of the 24 day challenge!  Christmas is almost here!
I thought i would get a jump start on this days challenge, so i bring to you my PENGUIN themed nails! For my inspiration I took a look at a book from my childhood, Mr. Poppers Penguins!

I'm pretty exhausted now so i'll just get right to it.

I used Sally Hansen - shell we dance (#160) for the base color. I then made half moons at the tops of my nails using Love & beauty - royal 2 coats. It was a little to bright and I was looking for a softer ore ice like effect so i put 1 coat of O.P.I. - kyoto pearl! it was the most beautiful thing, i almost stopped right there! 

For the penguins and Mr. Popper I used Kiss - white striper, Kiss - black striper, and Nail Star - orange. It was important that Mr. P and the penguins shared the same 3 colors like the book,  although I used orange in place of the red.  I then mad a line at the top of the blue semi circle using Nail Star - metallic blue, which is the same blue i used to illustrate the feathers, as seen on the cover of the book. 

For the Final touches I used the thing i love most and have greatly missed over the last several designs.. NAIL ART BEADS! I placed 20+ on each nail to create a sort of polka dot effect. The beads I used were clear which enhanced the design by reflecting the light as well as the paint beneath. Then finally 2 thick coats of Seche Vite - quick dry top coat to secure the beads. It really just glows! I really had a lot of fun doing this design and i look forward to Day 7 : Gingerbread Men!

To see more penguin inspired nail art check out the following blogs!

❅ nails and stuff ❃ obsessed with glitter ❉ Polish, Oh My! ❇ paint that nail ❄ red hair and black nail polish ✺ Ruby's Nails ❅ finger painted ❃ My Polish Stash ❉ Me, Myself and Nail Polish ❇  KK Nails ❄ My Wet Nails ✺ Life with Salpi ❅ The only way is Nails! ❃

Thanx for stopping by :)

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glitter globe

quick polish before bed. inspired by snow globes!

Colors include Sally Hansen complete salon manicure - shell we dance? (#160) for the base color and

Kiss - red striper  for the base of the globe. There are 4 types of glitter including super fine white and small hex white which are used for the snow and globe in the background, and small hex silver and large hex silver glitter for the larger/closer flakes. I also used silver nail art beads to emphasize the half moon which is the base of the snow globe... also because i am just obsessed with these beads!!!

THANKSGIVING

Now, i'm really not one for thanksgiving food. turkey makes you sleepy, stuffing is good as long as its meat-less, and potatoes... too starchy... but OMG.. PUMPKIN PIE IS MY JAM! esp. when homemade and fresh out of the oven! I drove up with my boyfriend to my sisters house in VT for this holiday and my sis spent all morning making pie! so until i get to indulge in my favorite turkey day food... i'll just have to settle with PUMPKIN PIE themed nails!!

In order to achieve this dessert design the colors you'll need are Sally Hansen Xtreme - crushed (#20)  for the pumpkin part of the pie (2 coats)

Love and Beauty - gold  for the crust (2 coats), Kiss - bronze striper for the tear drop holes in the crust.

Next you'll need decorative gold bead balls, to embellish the crust, which can be purchased online, and if you haven't used them before (which i hadn't before this) it can be quite tedious. The balls are adhered using top coat and after the design is complete you want to use another layer of top coat to secure the beads.

If you try any thanksgiving designs then SHARE IT!

and I hope you all have a happy holiday!!!