Folk'n' Fall

Folk art inspired halloween + fall nails!
Ombre V, Stripes, small hexagonal glitter, and jewel cabochons

what i used:
O.P.I. - palm springs delight + Love & Beauty - orange for the ombre base
Kiss (striper) - neon orange +  Kiss (striper) - bronze for the "V"
Sinful Color (striper) - bad chick + Kiss (striper) - black
Orange metallic hexagonal glitter + red and black jewel cabochons.

Jimmy Choo inspired nails

inspired by Jimmy Choo spring 2012 cuff+clutch, on my newly trimmed nails (semi- sad :(...) now if i only owned the bag to match...

The base color is Ruby Kisses - french white 3 coats, and the black spots and lines were done using Nail Star - black. Next the line was done using Kiss - red wine striper, and gold nail art beads. 

The top of the design was done using Sinful Colors - cloud 9, 2 coats, and O.P.I. - hong kong sunrise, with 1 coat of Revlon - pink chiffon (#911) on top to create a peachy pink. I finally topped off the design with a silver rhinestone at the top of the "V" to add some bling, and topped off the design O.P.I. - top coat. 

greek chic

Funky greek design!

After applying 1 coat each of O.P.I. - natural nail strengthener and O.P.I. - natural base coat, I then applied 3 coats of Ruby Kisses - french white.  Then using, American Apparel Neon - neon coral, Nail Star - white, Kiss - bronze (striper), and Nail Star - opaque silver I created this greek-like design. I then embellished using silver cabochons and iridescent orange small hex glitter, All topped off with Seche VITE.

Swatch! Orly - Passion Fruit

Orly passion fruit is an interesting color, being a mix of florescent reddish orange and an intense florescent pink. Depending on the light it appears more like one or the other, in pictures it looks more orange like, but in real life this was PINK!. To get this thickness of color I had to apply 4-5 coats because the polish is super thin. A color like this would go perfectly over a white base, probably only requiring one at most two applications to achieve the full neon impact.

Swatch! O.P.I. - bling dynasty!

sorry i haven't posted in a while, i've been trying to give my nails and nose a little break!

Here is my 2nd (EVER) swatch... O.P.I. - bling dynasty. Yes this is the color i used for one of my New Years manicures and sadly.. bling just ain't bling without all those diamonds! 

At first i was actually really put off by the color, i thought it was kind of ugly with my skin tone. However since blinging it out i've come to appreciate it more.

It's a sort of orange-brown/gold more than anything, especially in indirect or dim lighting as you can see in the 2nd picture.

To get this gilded nail i applied about 3-4 coats maybe 5? and then applied 1 coat of Seche Vite - quick dry top coat.

i'm curious to know which gold other people like most? i personally think i would rather a gold that is more on the metallic side and brighter, but as i said this has also grown on me.

thanx for stopping by.

BLING BLAO!

I LOVE BEDAZZLING!

These are my NEW YEARS EVE NAIL$$$! I wanted to bling out my nails, one, because of it being a night of celebration and two, because i'll either be wearing a LBD or something sequined... decisions, decisions. :) Just like I find it difficult to NOT have crazy embellished and busy nails, I also prefer to have two different (or similar in theme, but not in image or design) designs on either hand. The left hand is more simple, it uses more stones, and was inspired by new age, ICY bling. While my right hand has a more antiquated feel, both in color and the mass amount of nail art beads creating a filigree effect.
Even though i have my BFA in jewelry and metalsmithing I really don't wear a lot of jewelry... So i typically leave it to my nails to bring in that flash... and this manicure delivers!

On my left hand (gold) I used O.P.I. - bling dynasty, 3 coats, and on the right hand I used Love & Beauty - coral, 2-3 coats,with a ring around the nails edge using Kiss - gold glitter striper. I then embellished with gold nail art beads which created filigree and "settings" for my white rhinestone cabochons. I then used 2-3 really thick layers of Seche VITE - fast dry top coat because I'll be busy all day tomorrow with my NYE so I had to do my nails the night before and its important that my nails last the night!

I hope you all have a fantastic NEW YEARS EVE and DAY!!!

Review

Review on Martha Stewart Halloween Glitter/Glue 6pk.

So I bought these glitters actually in August of this past year, and have become obsessed with her glitters ever since!
Now as you probably know her glitters are priced on the higher range of craft glitter, but let me tell you, THEY ARE WORTH IT!

The quality of the glitter is outstanding, and if you love glitter as much as i do her colors are DELICIOUS and her packaging i super clean too!
 This pack of glitter comes in black, silver, red, green, blue and orange, colors which are perfect for the halloween/fall season.
They are super fine and loose so the glitter never gets sticky and clump together.
Perfect for a light dusting as well as creating a super metallic surface that goes on smooth and clean no matter how many layers. The viles of glitter are generous, depending of course how often you glitter, but mine are still half way full after 4 months!

Note: The only problem with using a lot of layers of glitter both loose and polish is that you need to be prepared to scrub harder when removing it!!

One of the most important things about using any sort of embellishment whether it be craft glitter or micro beads is how the colors hold, and Martha Stewart glitters deliver! Some glitters bleed into nail polish or when your at the end of manicure and it bleeds when putting on top coat... that's the worst!
However I have found that Seche Vite - fast dry top coat is less likely to cause bleeding, and O.P.I.- top coat almost always makes poorly dyed embellishments bleed, which can ruin the design!

Now as far as the glue is concerned I haven't used it, but I'm confident it is more than adequate for crafting on paper and such, but obviously not meant for nails.

All in all if you see Martha Stewart in a craft store next fall I highly recommend buying it! you will not be disappointed! This specific 6 pack of colored glitter is seasonal, however there are other color combos offered all through out the year.

You can buy the 6 pack of martha stewart glitters at Michaels, Jo Ann fabric and crafts, and other craft stores, or online HERE

24 days of XMAS Challenge : Day 16

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Today's theme (day 16) for the 24 day's of christmas challenge is LIGHTS!

I decided to go a different route for lights and instead use candle lights as my inspiration. One of my favorite things about the days leading up to the holidays is the candles my mom puts out. They smell so festive and add create an aroma for christmas that is just AMAZING. She also puts candle - lights (with bulbs) in all the windows and when outside it looks so pretty! Now although i didn't use any traditional christmas colors I think that the nails are warm and bright. I've also been interested in using alternative christmas colors because i got tired of using red and green all the time.

For the base color I used Love & Beauty - grey (with gold shimmer)  2 coats

For the candle LIGHT i first used Kiss - yellow striper  then Kiss - orange striper  on top of that

Next I used Nail Star - copper shimmer, and for the  "light" around the flame I first had to put Kiss - white striper so that when i put a layer of Kiss - orange striper  it would really POP!

For the candle I used Kiss - White striper, and for the dripping wax shadow (which is kind of hard to see) I used Nail Star - silver shimmer (#114) For the wick I used  Kiss - black , For the flame I first put down Kiss - white striper, then Kiss - yellow striper, and Kiss - orange striper. Finally I put a gold cabochon at the base of the flame for that extra shine! Then to fill up some of the negative space i used Kiss - orange striper  in a radial pattern around the design.

tomorrow is TINSEL time!

want more LIGHTS? 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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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!!!