It Only Takes a Spark-le to Start a Fire!

So yeah, yesterday was one of those days that you wish never happened, started, etc. I was one of the 'lucky' people at my company who lost their job yesterday. Sweet, huh?! (if anyone knows of any available awesome jobs in the Vegas area, please let me know!! :-D) I'm trying to look at it as a blessing, there are a ton of roads I could take at this point... I could work at night, and go back to school to get a culinary degree, I could get another graphic job, I could get a bartending or cocktail job, I could work at the casinos... the possibilities are pretty endless. I'm going to turn this situation on it's ass. :-D For today's nails I really wanted to do something fun and sparkly, so I used the new Nubar Sparkles polishes I bought at the International Beauty Show to do an ombre. :) These polishes officially kick ass, I can't stop looking at my hands, they're SO sparkly. I even ended up doing a matching pedicure!! :)



I used 3 coats of Nubar Petunia Sparkle, with Nubar Violet Sparkle sponged on the tip half of the nail. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat to smooth out the glitter coats. :)

So... what should my next endeavor be?

Oh, Quit Your Waning!

So I think I may be tired lately... there are two nights this week so far that I've passed out on the couch, etc. before 8:30 PM! :-P Last night it was about 6:45, and I slept the whole night. That can't be good, right? So much going on lately! Next Friday, I need to make a wedding cake for my friend Jessica's wedding... I'm a little scared because it's the one cake in a person's life they're not likely to forget. :-/ I also need to make some ice cream for class on sunday, I'm thinking Chocolate Cayenne, Fresh Strawberry, and Vanilla Bean. (Banana, too, if I can find ripe bananas at the supermarket). I'm hoping to do a 1-tier practice of the wedding cake on Saturday, and I hope to GOD it looks awesome. lol On the bright side, tomorrow is Friday, and at least over the weekend I won't have to worry too much about work, just personal obligations! :)

Today's nail art was inspired by the phases of the moon, which are: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Las Quarter, Waning Crescent, and Dark. (according to wikipedia.org) As of the time of this blog post, we are nearly at the full moon! :-D I only used TWO colors for this art- black and white! Oh, and by the way, the ring finger on my right hand is new CND Shellac, which would explain why it's not decorated with art.. lol I'm testing their 2-week claim, because if if can stay on me, it'll stay on anyone.





I used American Apparel Hassid
for the background, as well as mixed with American Apparel Cotton for the greys, and also used American Apparel Cotton
to lightly sponge over the base to make 'stars'.

What is going on with this blog? First, all the talk of 'brazilians', and now a Waxing Moon?! :-P (bad joke, I know)

CURRENT MOON

moon phase info

Wet Paint sale on Ideeli!

Hey all!! Just a note to let you know about the Wet Paint Glaze System sale on Ideeli.com today!! Everything is deeply discounted- there is a set of 15 polishes for $50, original price is $150! It's a pretty neat idea, and with those 15 polishes you can create 102 different colors!!



Here is the link! Wet Paint Sale on Ideeli

US Shipping only unfortunately. :(

Picture is from ideeli.com

Oh, How Tacky!

Hi everyone!!! I hope that this lovely April day finds you well ( and not wind-blown, like here in Vegas!! lol) Today's nails were inspired by something at work- my cork board!! :) I thought it'd be something different, and plus, when I did the dinosaur nails the other day, I thought the background looked like cork, so I thought I'd used that idea as a design! :)



I used MAC Abalone Shell (I wish I'd picked up multiples of this- I <3 it), with Zoya Dea pretty heavily sponged over it, then topped with CND Super Matte, which BTW isn't MATTE AT ALL!?!?!?, don't get it. After that failed, I went to my go-to matte topcoat, Essie Matte About You. Next, for the thumb tacks, I used CND Green Scene, American Apparel Downtown L.A. for the red tack, Pure Ice French Kiss for the blue tack, American Apparel Poppy for the orange tack, and CND Bicycle Yellow for the yellow tack. I mixed each with American Apparel Cotton to highlight, and American Apparel Hassid to shade, except the yellow tack, which I mixed American Apparel Poppy with to shade. for the metal part of the tack, I used American Apparel Hassid mixed with China Glaze Millennium. FOr the items tacked up, I used American Apparel Cotton for the white, American Apparel Hassid for the black, and American Apparel Downtown L.A. for the red. For the shadows of the tack on each nail, I used a mix of topcoat andAmerican Apparel Hassid. Topped the tacks off with a coat of Seche Vite top coat, being careful not to get any on the matte portion of the nail.

Totally tack-y, right?!

And, as a bonus sneak peek into part of the giveaway prize.... (hand screened by yours truly)

I'd Like the Brazilian, Please!

OH MY GOODNESS! For those of you that are new to the blog- WELCOME, or bem-vindos!! (I hope that translated correctly on Google Translate! lol) I am SO excited and thrilled from the HUGE HUGE HUGE response on my blog yesterday from the country of Brazil! I received 112,000 page views yesterday!! (thats about two-thirds of what I generally get in a MONTH!) So in honor of all my awesome new readers- I give you today's nail design- the Brazilian flag. :) Obrigado!!!



I used CND Green Scene as a base, used tape to tape off the diamond shape, painted CND Bicycle Yellow, then removed the tape. For the blue, I freehanded a circle with Pure Ice French Kiss, then used Sally Hansen All the White Stuff for the white band across it, as well as little dots (for the stars). I also used CND Green Scene to paint little squiggles for the words Ordem e Progresso ("Order and Progress"), since I can't paint letters that small. :-D Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Thank you to all my new readers, Brazilian, American, or whatever country you're from!! You rock, and I appreciate you!!

BTW- keep an eye out for a giveaway in the next few days- I was planning to have one for 1500 followers, but the follower count went up by 100 in a day, so I wasn't ready for it! lol Still finishing part of the prizes, and figuring out what the contest rules should be!! :)

Splat!

Happy monday!!! It's *bleepin* hot here today in sunny Las Vegas, and definitely doesn't feel like April should. :-D Today's design is simple again, I got home late after the show last night, and was too tired to do anything intricate, but I still dig the color combo- Flip Flop Fantasy is positively retina-searing, the picture doesn't do it justice! :) I'm sitting at my desk right now having a 'Flip Flop Fantasy'... wishing I was at home sitting in the shade wearing flip flops, my comfy jeans, and a t-shirt!! No such luck, it's a work day! The play last night was fantastic, and if any of you should get the chance to see 'Confessions of a Mormon Boy', I'd highly recommend it. It's hilarious, entertaining, charming, and heart-wrenching all wrapped into one story.



I used China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy as a base, with MAC Showy applied by dipping the end of a straw in the bottle of polish, then aiming it at the nail, and forcefully blowing air through the straw to splatter it. I topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Flippety flop! (I think it's about nap time for this redhead- why can't we have siestas here in the US?)

It's Sprung!

Ok, so it's over 80°F here in Vegas, I dare say that Spring has SPRUNG! Today's nail design was a simple one, I had very little time after class before I went to the International Beauty Show to do anything terribly inspiring, but I still like how it turned out!! I used one of the new polishes from my haul yesterday from a brand I've never used/heard of before- Dare to Wear by Lechat, I have to say, the polish is great, it applied wonderfully, and was opaque in 2 coats. :) (and CHEAP- since it was a discontinued color, it was $1.25 at the show. :-D Happy nail blogger here!! I also got to check out the new Shellac from CND, the lovely Kristina applied it to two of my nails. I'll post more details tomorrow about it!! :)



I used Dare to Wear Inspiring Surroundings as a base, with China Glaze DV8 applied with Konad Plate s9, and topped off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Ta-Ta for now.. I'm off to see Confessions of a Mormon Boy at the ONYX Theater here in Vegas. :-D Have a great night!! :)

Dino-MITE!!

Heidy-ho, neighbors! :) Today was a great day!! I participated in Corporate Challenge earlier (a Las Vegas competition between a bunch of corporations where we compete in sports, card games, etc), today's event was Kart Racing. Too bad Mike S. came in 7th, or we might have placed. :-P (Yes, Mike, that was another jab, lol) ANYWAY. lol Another fun thing I got to do today is go to the International Beauty Show! I'd never been to it before, so it was like being a kid in a candy shop... a tad overwhelming, but awesome. It was cool to see people like Nick Arrojo cutting hair a few feet away (and yes, I put in my phone number to be a hair model!! lol). I also loved going around to see all the nail booths, Nubar, CND, China Glaze, Minx, CalGel, etc. There are so many fun techniques- and I swear when I get my project done, I REALLY wanna try CalGel, it looks super rad... and I'm thinking that Shellac is going to be a must-have for this summer on my toes!!! Anyway- I'm hoping to have time to go back tomorrow, and I'll definitely be writing more about what I found, bought, saw, etc. in the next few days! :)

On to the nails... a girl named Danielle in my culinary class suggested that I do Dinosaurs.. I totally thought it was a kick ass idea, so I did it!! It's a T-Rex on my thumb, and dino footprints across the other nails! :)



I used MAC Abalone Shell as a base for the footprint nails, with Essie Mink Muffs and Zoya Dea sponged lightly on top, as well as for the footprints. For the T-Rex nail, I used Orly Snowcone for the background, L.A.Girl Army Green for the T-Rex, Nubar Forest for the shading and part of the lines, American Apparel Hassid for the eye, and the outlines, and Green Scene for the leaves at the bottom. I used Essie Matte About You on the footprint nails, and 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat on the dino nail.

RAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!

Behind a Mask

Happy Friday, everyone!! :) Today's nail design was inspired by an episode of Weeds in which the character Ignacio is a Lucha Libre wrestler who goes by the name Perro Insano (insane dog). I think the masks are funny, and colorful and fun, so I thought they'd make an interesting nail design! :) On a more personal note, the root canal saga comes to an end today- I get the final filling!! WOOO!! (this is the third installment/appt in the saga).



I used Urban Outfitters Matte Nude 3 for all of the exposed skin and American Apparel Hassid for anything black.

Left thumb:

Essie Mint Candy Apple for the base, with Pure Ice French Kiss for the darker blue and Zoya Trixie
for the silver.

Left index:

American Apparel Manila as a base, with American Apparel Downtown L.A. for the red.

Left Middle:

American Apparel Downtown L.A. as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the black.

Left Ring:

Green Scene as a base, with American Apparel Downtown L.A. for the red.

Left Pinky:

Sinful Colors Let's Talkas a base, with China Glaze 2030 from Khrome Collection for the outlines (for some reason the purple underneath dyed EVERY other color I put on this nail. (even through seche vite)



Right Thumb:

American Apparel Cotton as a base with American Apparel Hassid for the black.

Right index:

Pure Ice French Kiss as a base, with Orly Snowcone for the light blue, and Zoya Trixie for the outlines of silver.

Right Middle:

Zoya Trixie as a base with China Glaze DV8 and American Apparel Hassid for the lines.

Right RIng:

Electric Orange as a base, with American Apparel Downtown L.A. for the flames, outlined by China Glaze 2030 from Khrome Collection.

Right Pinky:

American Apparel Hassid as a base, with Sally Hansen All the White Stuff for the white outlines.

Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Today's .Com-Post

Happy Earth Day, everyone!! I hope that you are recycling today! (and every day!!) Today's nails were (obviously) inspired by Earth Day and the recycle symbol. I tried to make the background look like recycled paper, too! :)



I used Urban Outfitters Beige 1 as a base, with Zoya Dea sponged over it. For the recycle symbol, I used Nubar Forest.


Do your part- even if it's something simple, like getting a reusable water bottle, or bringing your own shopping bags... or even doing Back 2 MAC, where you bring in 6 of their empty containers to recycle and get a free lipstick!! (excludes Viva Glam)<---WIN/WIN SITUATION!

Another great company that recycles that I love is Bear Naked, a great granola company that has AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME granola (check out the Apple Cinnamon, Banana Nut, and the Chocolate!!), which has no refined sugars, and no preservatives or other gross stuff. This stuff is amazing- and this is coming from someone who'd rather eat Cheetos than carrots, and I'll eat this stuff over Cheetos. :-D

There are so many easy ways to do your part to save the environment... so get off the internet and do 'em! :-P

Sock it To Me

Guten Tag! :) The inspiration for today's nails came wile watching GLEE! (but aren't related to GLEE... lol) The new KIA Commercial with the toys came on (which I love- especially the sock monkey tattoo), and I thought to myself that a sock monkey design would be funny and cute! So to work I went!! :)



I used Essie Mink Muffs as a base, with American Apparel Cotton sponged on top to give the marled look of the sock, for the forehead and mouth area I also used American Apparel Cotton. For the red, I used a mix of China Glaze Salsa and Zoya Angelina. For the eyes, nostrils, and mouth line, I used American Apparel Hassid, and also mixed American Apparel Hassid with American Apparel Cotton for the highlighting on the button eyes. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Now that's one funky monkey.

Urban Decay Meets Hautelook!

Another Urban Decay sale on Hautelook!

Stuff starts at $4.25! They have the Apocalypse Nail Polish set for $13 (50% off!!)

They also have lipglosses, the big Buddha brush, pigments, etc for cheappppppp!

Urban Decay sale on Hautelook!

Scratchin' the Seven Year Itch

Hey everyone!! Today's nail design is one I've wanted to do for ages, it was inspired by Andy Warhol's Marilyn, c.1967 (On Blue Ground). It's not perfect, but I think I did alright, given the size, and time I had. :) A few of them look a tad 'challenged' but what can ya do, I was already up til 1 am doing them! I hope you all like them!!



I used Orly Gumdrop for the background, a mix of American Apparel Manila and American Apparel Cotton for the hair, China Glaze Flyin' High for the eyeshadow, China Glaze Salsa for the lips and shirt, as well as mixed with American Apparel Cotton for the face. For the lines/shading, I used American Apparel Hassid. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

And a message for one of my readers: Tia- send your dad a text message! :-P

Solar Powered

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Night!! (depending on what time it is when you might read this :-P ) Today's nail design is out of this world...literally. (It's the solar system!) :-P I've had this on my list for some time, but only just now got around to doing it. (too many other fun ideas kept presenting themselves!) Oh well, it's done now, and YES, I included Pluto, because to me, it will always be a planet, scientists be damned. I think Earth and the comet on the pluto nail ended up being my favorite things about this mani.

In correct order from the sun:


Left Hand:



Right Hand:



I used:

American Apparel Hassid as a base for all 10 nails, with American Apparel Cotton lightly sponged to make distant stars.

Left Thumb: Sun

American Apparel Manila as a base for the sun, with Electric Orange, Zoya Pinta and American Apparel Manila again sponged over it to give a fiery, mottled look.

Left Index: Mercury

American Apparel Cotton mixed with American Apparel Hassid and a touch of Essie Mink Muffs, and shaded with the same combination with more American Apparel Hassid.

Left Middle: Venus

American Apparel Cotton mixed with American Apparel Manila, the mixed that combination with American Apparel Pinto and a touch of American Apparel Hassid to shade.

Left Ring: Earth

Pure Ice French Kiss as a base for Earth, highlighted with Pure Ice French Kiss mixed with a touch of Essie Mint Candy Apple, For the continents, I used L.A. Girl Army Green as a base, then mixed with American Apparel Hassid and Essie Mink Muffs to create some topography. For the clouds, I lightly brushed American Apparel Cotton.

Left Pinky: Mars

American Apparel Cotton mixed with American Apparel Pinto as a base, highlighted with the same mixture with a bit more American Apparel Cotton, and shaded with straight American Apparel Pinto.

Right Pinky: Jupiter

American Apparel Cotton mixed with American Apparel Pinto as a base, with American Apparel Pinto to add in the lines and big red spot. :)

Right Ring: Saturn

Essie Sag Harbor mixed with American Apparel Cotton, then added a little Pure Ice French Kiss to the mixture to add more of the bright blue color that Saturn's Northern Hemisphere is supposed to have. For the rings, I used American Apparel Cotton.

Right Middle: Uranus

Essie Sag Harbor mixed with Essie Mint Candy Apple for the planet, and American Apparel Cotton VERY lightly used to create the almost non-existent looking ring.

Right Index: Neptune

Orly Gumdropas a base for the planet, then mixed with Pure Ice French Kiss for the outer shadow, and mixed with American Apparel Cotton for the highlight.

Right Thumb: Pluto and Comet

For Pluto, I used American Apparel Manila mixed with a tiny bit of American Apparel Cotton, then dabbed a little Essie Mink Muffs and American Apparel Hassid on it. For the comet, I used American Apparel Manila and Electric Orange.

Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Did you know that this past week the sun had it's most violent eruption in 15 years?!

It's Your Swirled, I'm Just Livin' in It

Hey there everyone! :) Today's bread class was fun! We learned to make english muffins and also made pizza. :-D Did you know that English muffins aren't baked? They're cooked on a griddle- never knew that!! Anyway, it lovely outside here in Vegas, if a little on the warm side (in my opinion, lol), at a sunny 87°F. :-D Today I decided to do a marble- it's been too long since I've done one! The colors I chose today evokes a retro vibe to me, which I love.



I used L.A. Girl Army Green, Orly Gumdrop (LOVING the SWEET collection), MAC Showy, and American Apparel Cotton. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Now go outside, and enjoy the weather, wherever you are!!

Worn...out.

Hola!! Today's nails are fairly simple, I used tape to tape off stripes, then sponged different colors from each side of the nail over the base color. I think that the effect looks like the screen printing on an old worn t-shirt. It was originally matte, and I took pics of it, then painted topcoat over it to see what it'd look like shiny, then looked at the photos and saw they were blurry, so y'all get the shiny version!! :-P



i used OPI for Sephora What's a Tire Jack? Matte as a base, with China Glaze DV8 and China Glaze 2NITE sponged over it. Topped off with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

And...some pix from the bachelorette party last night! :)

My hands (painted with the Chippen-Nails design) on a bona fide Chippendale's face (they wouldn't let a pic happen with the abs. *lame*



The group with the awesome bartender at the Rio- Elton!



The group after dinner at Hamada (Jessica, the bachelorette looks FULL of sass in this one!!)



And finally, a pic of me with my future hubs, *drool* (he doesn't know yet, but he will) :-D



I think I need to find friends paler than me (like Albinos probably), because my friends make me look like Casper. :-P

Chippen-Nails

Today's nails are dedicated to my friend Jessica, more affectionately known as J-Nas, or J-Nasty. :-P She's getting MARRIED!!! Yay!! Tonight is the bachelorette party, so in honor of the Chips we're going to see tonight, I did Chippendale nails- aka Chippen-Nails! :-D Personally I'm more of a Thunder fan, but a nearly-naked man is a nearly-naked man. :-P (jk, dad) Anyway. They're not perfect, and even though strippers these days don't have chest hair, I thought it'd be funny to sponge some on anyway. :-D



I used Urban Outfitters Matte Nude 3 for the thumb and pinky, Essie Mink Muffs for the index finger, Zoya Flowie for the middle finger, and Zoya Dea for the ring finger. For shading/lines I used the aforementioned colors, as well as Zoya Angelina and American Apparel Cotton. For the collar and bowtie, I used Sally Hansen All the White Stuff and American Apparel Hassid, and for the chest hair, I sponged on Zoya Angelina. :-P Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat to give them that 'just oiled up' sheen. :-P

Now, who's got some dollar bills?!

Forms Over Function

Happy Tax Day! I hope that everyone got their taxes done... I was a procrastinator and only did mine just last night. :-D I hate doing my taxes, all the legalese and fine print, etc, are like Greek to me. Oh well, in any event today's nails are inspired by income tax forms (and the IRS). :-D



I used American Apparel Cotton as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the black on all nails, China Glaze 2030 from Khrome Collection for the gold outline on the dollar sign, with American Apparel Hunter and Green Scene for the dollar sign. Topped it off with two coats of Seche Vite top coat.

What are you going to do with YOUR return (if you get one)?

On an updated note, root canals are evil, I'm sick of soft, bite-sized food (it was a lower incisor that was worked on, so no biting!!), and I'm hoping the new prescription works, because the Lortab sure didn't do anything to help. :(

Retro-Active

Not going to lie, today's nails are easy and simple, and pink... definitely not my usual. lol After my root canal yesterday (which completely sucked, btw, see below for details), I decided that I deserved a present. Well, I was in CVS, and had a coupon for $4 off of $20. I also had $7.50 in CVS Extra Bucks. The ORLY Sweet collection was on sale for $6.99 each, so I got Cotton Candy, Pixy Stick, and Gumdrop....for a total of $11. :) I thought that they were fitting of a post-dentist reward for the sheer fact that their inspiration was what sends people to the dentist in the first place! :-D Even though I'm not a pink person usually, I really really liked the pink I used in today's design...who knows. I wasn't feeling that great last night after the dentist, so I was after a simple design, so I busted out some fauxnad plates from a NailArt Diva kit that I got at ROSS, of all places. I loved the retro look of the sparkles on one of the plates, so I HAD to use 'em!



I used Orly Cotton Candy as a base, with Essie Foot Loose applied with the un-numbered fauxnad plate. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat for that candy-coated shine!

Root canal details:

Got one round of 'Novocain' , or whatever they use these days for numbing, still felt stuff, so he administered another round of it. Felt ok, then he started working...about 5 seconds in, I felt EVERYTHING, so he mentioned something about 'crossover' since everything he was doing on the right, I felt on the left, so I got ANOTHER round of shots in the FRONT of my mouth, and he got back to work. the drilling was fine, but once he started the actual root canal part, I felt EVERYTHING, and no anesthetic was helping (he tried flushing the canal with anesthetic, etc) so I had to suffer through the rest. Once he got to the bottom of the tooth, he discovered that it was infected, so they couldn't finish it, and I'm on antibiotics for the next week until I get it finished. He prescribed pain killers for me (Lortab/Hydrocodone), but they have no effect on me, which I discovered was probably because they are a composite of codeine and thebaine, and I've noticed that codeine-basesd painkillers don't have an effect on me (surgery, codeine cough meds, etc), they never take away pain, knock me out (as every doc says they will), or anything else. Oh well, I'll live, it just sucks because it feels like I was punched in the teeth (the root canal was on a lower incisor). :-P Enough bitchin' and moanin'. I'll live. ;)

Thank you again everyone for the well-wishes!

Animal Style

So today's nails are for the west-coasters, whom I hope will recognize them as the In-N-Out Burger cup design!! :) I LOVE In-N-Out, it is one of the places that keeps me here on the west coast! :-P I had it for dinner last night, and while I was eating, I looked at the cup and thought that the design would make for good nail art. Now, mind you, I've had In-N-Out of the idea list for some time now, but the original intent was to include it with a bevy of other fast food logos, but when this idea presented itself, I had no choice but to dedicate a day to it. :-D

The inspiration (I swear I heard angels singing, and possibly children's laughter):



The nails:



I used American Apparel Cotton as a base, with China Glaze Salsa for the palm trees, line, and squiggle line. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Hmmm, maybe Ill have it for lunch again today... Cheeseburger , no onion, fries lightly well, and a Dr. Pepper, please!!

On a suckier note, I get to have a root canal today, *cry* so I'm freaking out a bit.

Fortunately, GLEE is on tonight, so I have something to look forward to!!! YAY I'm so excited!

So Outta Shape, I'd Settle for Half-Toned!

Happy Monday, people!! (Ok, Mondays pretty much suck, but I'm trying to be positive, lol) Today's design was inspired by my career, and what I went to school for. One of my favorite things in college was learning about different printing techniques, styles, etc. I decided to try to do a halftone on the nails, I couldn't get the rosette quite right, but I'm overall pretty happy with the effect. If my professors could see me now.... :-P lol



I used Sally Hansen All the White Stuff as a base, with Essie Foot Loose, American Apparel Manila, American Apparel Peacock, and American Apparel Hassid applied with Konad Plate m60. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Sorry for the state of my cuticles, I've been slacking on the Lemony Flutter application. *sigh* :-P

BTW, thank you to all the well-wishers that posted hoping that I'd stop hurting! :) I have the best readers!!!

Send in Reinforcements!

Hey everyone!! Today was a lazy day, I ended up not going to class because I hurt myself on the jetty climbing around like a 5 year old (which apparently you can't do as easily when you're nearly 29), I slipped on a wet rock and pulled something in my calf and hurt something in my back. Sucky. The back injury hurts with each breath, I'd stop breathing, but that might be a worse situation to be in! :-P I FINALLY got my hands on Orly Glam Rock, the matte copper metallic that I've been lemming for a while now. (Nick G. from Sally Beauty went far and beyond his job to find it for me in the Vegas area, but alas, it was sold out, but I managed to get it from transdesign.com. YAY!!



To explain today's post title, I'll tell you what I used to create this manicure- PAGE REINFORCEMENT stickers!! :) I painted the Orly Glam Rock, then stuck the stickers on, painted the nails with American Apparel Peacock, then removed the stickers. After that, I used a dotting tool for the dots, which were an afterthought, because just the arcs looked super plain. I topped it off with a coat of Seche Vite top coat, I wanted to leave the copper matte, but the Peacock was matte because it was painted over the matte, and I didn't like how it looked. Hope you like it! :)

Beachy Keen, Jellybean!

Hey everyone!! Today's nails were inspired by where I was today and yesterday- the beach!! I went to Newport Beach to get the hell out of Vegas for a bit... plus of course, I wanted to go t IKEA. lol I meant for todays nails to look like surf breaking on the shore... its fairly simple because I didn't want to carry a bunch of tools/colors with me. I also got to see San Pedro today, which has amazing views, thanks to our awesome 'tour guide', Kerry. (and thanks for lunch, too!! :-P)

The inspiration:



The nails:



I used OPI Sand in My Suit as a base (fitting right?!), with Orly Snowcone for the water, topped with Milani Cyberspace. for the breaking waves, I used Diamond Cosmetics Giddy and American Apparel Cotton sponged on the shoreline. Topped off the sand with LA Splash Chmapagne Sparkle for the sparkle of the sand, and mattified it with Essie Matte About You.

From the Mad Greek- Fresh Strawberry Shake!



My first fried Cheese on a Stick, from Jane's Lemonade. :-P It was... interesting. :-D Yes, I was making the goofy face on purpose! :)



I need a nap now. :-/ lol

Welcome to the Promised Land

AKA IKEA. :-D OK, so let me preface this by explaining that I haven't set foot in an IKEA in over 2 years, I'm thinking about 3 years actually. I have been looking forward to this trip for months... not just because of IKEA, but the fact that I get to go fishing tomorrow and play on the beach ---> and see the Pacific for the first time!!!!! IKEA is just a bonus... and I'm seriously contemplating getting a few HELMER cabinets for the ol' polish collection, anyone have one for polishes? How many do they hold? The thing looks so tiny!!! :) (as 'That's what she said' runs through my mind) Anyway, I digress. Today's nails were in honor of my trip to said promised land, the land of pressed fiber laminated furniture, cheap prices, and simple style. *sigh*





I used American Apparel Manila as a base, then I painted the Pure Ice French Kiss over it for the Swedish flags and logo. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Sorry today's post is kind of on the late side, but hey, I'm on vacation, so deal with it ;) hahaha

Waste Not, Want Not

Today's nails are a followup of sorts to the biohazard nails that I did a week or so ago. When I was doing those, I thought of these, but had to wait to do them, so they weren't one right after another! :-P I decided to add the toxic waste at the last minute on these, they looked super plain with just the yellow and black, and I think that the radioactive green is a nice touch. lol They kind of remind me of the Simpsons for some reason. Who knows. :-P



I used American Apparel Manila as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the black symbols, and Pure Ice Wild Thing for the toxic waste, and also mixed with Green Scene for shading on the waste. I topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

That's Your Cue!

Hey!! Today's manicure definitely has some balls. (Billiard balls, that is) :-D I love playing pool, though I never seem to get to these days. I used to play a lot more when I was in college and in my early 20s, and was somewhat of a shark. :) Alas, my sharkin' days are over, and I am but a pool guppy now. I need to find a place and people here in Vegas to play a few games with! Any takers? :-)



right hand (messy!! lol)



I used American Apparel Hassid for the thumb, Electric Orange for the index finger, Pure Ice French Kiss for the middle finger, Green Scene for the ring finger, and American Apparel Manila for the pinky. I used American Apparel Hassid and American Apparel Cotton on all fingers for the while of the ball and for the numbers. :) Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat. :)

I think I need to play a good ol'-fashioned game of 9-ball I think... I'll settle for 8-ball though.

It Was Elementary, Dear Watson

Today's manicure was inspired by two things, one being a handwritten note on a co-worker's wall from her kid, and the other being the 3 years I spent as a software artist at a children's educational publisher, and all the manuscript writing pages I had to work on. :-D Oh, the memories.... David, Joe, Jordan, Jennifer Neumann *giggle*, Ginger, Dave, and Boz, I miss you guys!!!! :-D Hope all is well at the 'Zone, my friends. :-)



I used American Apparel Cotton as a base, Orly Snowcone for the blue lines, ORLY Pink Chocolate for the pink line, and American Apparel Hassid for the black letters. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Fun fact about me: I won the Penmanship award in Mrs. Wolthuis' 5th grade class (I think it was 5th, maybe 3rd? I had her twice) :-D Now I have a signature that would make a doctor weep. :-D

Two more things for the ole' SZ buddies...

To David... Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute.

To any other artist.... Did you try making it purple? Drop shadow?

Just Breathe.

Hey everyone!! Sorry today's post is so late, looooong day. :-/ Today's manicure is simple, and... a word not in my vocabulary...subtle. :-D I found the base polish on transdesign.com and thought it looked really pretty, I had no idea it was so sheer. this is 4 coats and then a million coats of the Sugar Sparkle, and you can STILL see my nail line... but, what can ya do?

The great thing about the base polish OPI Breathe Life, is that it was created exclusively to help the Lung Cancer Foundation of America in its efforts to raise funds to find a cure. As a person who lost my grandfather to lung cancer, I think it's awesome that it was developed, and I encourage y'all to buy it- it really IS pretty, and it's for a great cause.



I used OPI Breathe Life as a base, with CND Sugar Sparkle brushed on the tip half of the nail (about 4 coats to get the density of sparkle I wanted). Topped it off with Seche Vite top coat.

Cancer sucks.

Pickin' Up Chicks

Happy Easter everyone!!! Hope everyone is having a great day!! I'm woooorn out- Dita's show was beyond incredible last night! It's incredible, when she is on stage, you don't see any of the other dancers, its nearly impossible to tear your eyes from her, she is stunning! She did this smoke dance/act that was beyond words. The rest of the acts that she wasn't in that were just part of the normal Crazy Horse show were incredible too!! They do a soldier routine at the beginning that is absolutely NUTS. The show is definitely worth a look- with or without Dita- but Dita's acts were awesssssooome. Or to those that know me personally... AWE5OME. :-P Today's nails are (obviously) Easter inspired.... baby chicks!!



I used Orly Snowcone as a base, with Sally Hansen All the White Stuff for the shells, American Apparel Manila and Orly Lemonade for the chick's fluff, and Electric Orange for the beaks. For the cracks in the shells, I used American Apparel Hassid and for shading, I used butterLONDON Billy No Mates. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat. :)

Made lots of tasty bread in class today- Challah, Onion Rolls, and Bleu Cheese biscuits with Caramelized Onions and Walnuts... *DROOL* They were SO good. :-D

How is YOUR Sunday?!

What a Teese!

So tonight...I'm going to see Dita von Teese!!! I'm SO excited- I've wanted to see her act for YEARS! Today's manicure was inspired by the Fashion Against AIDS! Tshirt that she designed for H&M a while back...



It kinda reminds me a little bit of Patrick Nagel's art, with the dark brows, white skin, etc.



I used OPI Alpine Snow Matte as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the black and China Glaze Salsa for the lips and lip print on the thumb. Sealed it with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Burlesque!!!!! YES!!!

Flaming O's

Hey all!! Hope that this Friday finds you well! :) Today's nail design came to me through an after-dream haze as I was waking up this morning. I have absolutely NO idea what put it in my head, but it came out and colored my nails. :-P No complaints, they make me chuckle- flamingo lawn ornaments! lol



I used Orly Snowcone as a base, with Massini Power Pack for the Flamingos, American Apparel Manila and American Apparel Hassid for the beaks, American Apparel Hassid for the eyes, and 'legs'. For the shadow on the body, I used a mix of the Massini Power Pack and Color Club Ms. Socialite. For the grass, I used Nubar Forest for the background grass, and Green Scene for the foreground grass. Topped it off with two lovely coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Assault & Battery

Today's post is my first tutorial!!! YAYYYYY!! Everyone asked for one, and this is for you!! Today's NAILS were inspired by the batteries I just bought for my clock. :-D Enjoy!!



I used American Apparel Hassid as a base, with Milani Sassy Brassy for the tops, and Sally Hansen All the White Stuff for the lettering. Topped it off with Seche Vite top coat.