Foiled again!

Hello Dahlings!

I debated if I should post both versions of this mani or save one for later, but the Twitter vote was unanimously for me to show both. You win! I recently watched a YouTube video from ArcadiaNailArt on how to make your own gold leaf mani rather than pay big bucks for one of the gold flake polishes currently available. I don't know about you, but I ain't paying no $30 for a bottle of polish! LOL To see how ArcadiaNailArt made being gilty easy, go HERE.

Let's start with my left hand. Following ArcadiaNailArt's basic instructions, I shredded some Mardi Gras crafting gold leaf in a lil plastic jar. This did take almost 1/2 an hour cuz the pices need to be really small. This foil has green, gold, pink & orange-ish copper colors wafting thru' it.

I then painted my nails with 2 coats of China Glaze Awakening to get full coverage. Love that duo chrome look!

I then applied a 3rd coat, tidied my cuticles & used a soft flat paint brush to place bits of foil on my nails. Once I had foil where I wanted it I  carefully smoothed it down with the brush. A coat of Seche Vite & I was done, but it really could use a 2nd layer of top coat. Like some glitters, this really sucked up the top coat & feels a lil rough.

Now for my right hand: using the same method as before, I shredded up some Verigated Red gold leaf. This foil has reds from burgundy thru pink in it.

I then applied one coat of Sally Hansen Glossy. Yep, that's ONE coat! The polish is so dark a burgundy it looks black unless in bright direct light. Very vampy!

I applied a 2nd coat of the Gloss & added the foil as for the left hand, but alas, the red pretty much disapeared when I added top coat. Tho' the copper left behind is pretty, I was looking foward to the reds. (insert pouty face here lol)

Look at all the pretty colors! The Mardi Gras on the left is a go for this technique, the Verigated Reds on the right is not. I got both foils at Eureka Stamps. I know the $9.95 price seems like a lot, but those packages hold a lot of gold leaf! Like most of a sandwich size zip bag's worth.

Thanks for stopping by!
~ Inky

I have the Ruffle Mani Blues

Hello Dahlings!

Sarah from Chalkboard Nails does the most perfect Ruffle Mani I ever seen. (big sigh) This is my 3rd attempt & while its better than those that came before...I still need to practice this design more before I'll be happy wearing in on my nails. It also works for my Rainbow Challenge as my blue nails, so something good came out of this. I mentioned in my Dotted French Tip Glitter Ombre (a la Colette) post that I was trying the white glue base coat again. Here are the results:

Better! I still didn't get the polish off in one piece as reported by other bloggers, but I was able to get most of it off with just my jumbo orange stick. Both thumbs & my right pinky resisted all attempts to scrape the polish off the white of the nail, but like last time, the glue is no match for pure acetone & came off easily after a minute long soak.

Tonight's line up: Scandal Marine Blue, Sally Hansen Blue Me Away mini, Orly Snowcone, Finger Paints Blue Raspberry Taffy, Hello Kitty (no color listed), L.A. Colors Splash & Sally Girl 812097.

This 2 coats of Marine Blue over my usual base coat. In the bottle it looks like a very pale blue, but on the nail it has a hint of green to it. I could almost get away with 2 coats of this polish, but if I were to wear it alone w/o nail art (gasp!) I would do a 3rd coat to smooth out the smidge of streakiness & hint of VNL.

Check out the cuticle oil lube job! LOL

I used my largest dotting tool head & tried really hard to keep my dots the same size & in even rows. (Note to self: life is about progress, not perfection) I will master this design! Someday, after lots of practice, maybe? Anywho, after doing what I could I added a coat of the Sally Girl mini topper. It's a pearly sheer mint w/turquoise micro glitter. Last but certainly not least, a coat of Seche Vite.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Inky

 

 

P.S. Please forgive my wonky editing. I'm having 'puter coniptions tonight & hubby (the computer enginner) is asleep. I ain't waking da bear over this! LOL

Guest Post at Mimi Manicures!

Hello Dahlings!

I'm back again today to let you know that my beloved Mistress of Nail Art, Mimi from Mimi Manicures has graciously allowed me to guest post on her blog! If you want to know more about this mani, head on over to Mimi Manicures and check it out.

Well? Get going!

Thanks for stopping by!
~ Inky

Dotted French Tip Glitter Ombre

Hello Dahlings!

Wow! The title of tonight's mani is a mouthfull. LOL I got the idea from Colette of My Simple Little Pleasures & you can see her video HERE on YouTube. She is THE Water Marble Queen! My version uses different polishes, but follows her general idea.

Also, I'm giving the white glue base coat another try. Even if it doesn't all peel off my nails, it is easier to remove than glitter over regualr base coat. I applied the WGBC & let it totally dry then I added my base color:

This is 2 coats of Savvy Ebony Black without topcoat. It's a black jelly! I wouldn't want it on my samich, but I LOVE it on my nails! Now for da glitter fest:

Tonight's line up: Ruby Kisses Money Maker (small green glitter w/silver holo bar glitter), Tokidoki Latte (small purple, teal & fuchsia glitter w/silver holo bar glitter), Ruby Kisses Mardi Gras (small purple & light blue glitter w/silver holo bar glitter), Orly Be Brave (pink holo bar glitter) & Revlon Ruby Ribbon (red & fuchsia small glitter w/silver holo bar glitter). See a theme going here? LOL

I applied 2 coats of Money Maker on my pinky, 1 coat of Latte on my ring finger, 2 coats of Mardi Gras on my middle finger, 3 coats of Be Brave w/da 3rd coat dabbed on to fill in some gaps, & one coat of Ruby Ribbon on my thumb. I think Ruby Ribbon is going to be my fav holiday polish! So much BLING in ONE coat!!! I then used a large head dotting tool with Ebony Black to add the French tips & larger dots and the small end of that tool for the lil dots. All this glittery fun is topped off with a coat of Seche Vite.

Thanks for stopping by!
~ Inky

Going Green!

Hello Dahlings!

My stamp camp project prep is done & I only have 2 lil things left to do for tomorrow...so time for some new nails! I'm on GREEN for my personal Rainbow Challenge.

Tonights line up is a Sally Hansen green fest of Lime Lights, Resolution & Jumpin' Jade.

This is 2 coats of Lime Lights. Yep, it's really sheer. I figure 5 coat minimum for opacity & you still might have VNL. White or nude undies are a must with this one or you can use it as a top coat to add green shimmer to another polish. Since I knew I was going to be sponging over the nail line, I didn't worry about it.

I really do love gradients! I start by painting my nails with 2 coats of the lightest color I'm using, wrapping the tips.  Then I take a piece of sponge approximately 1/4" x 5/8" (to fit my longish nails, you may want a piece 1/4" wide but shorter or longer to fit your nails) & paint a stripe across the 1/4" width of each color starting with the darkest on one end & the lightest on the other with the middle value color inbetween. Then starting at the tip of the nail, with the darkest color lined up at the tip, I begin patting the sponge side to side across the nail. After I get good coverage at that spot, I move the sponge up towards the cuticle a smidge & repeat the side to side patting. Depending on the length of the nail I may do a 3rd pass a lil higher. I then pat my way back to the tip to even out the color & blend the demarcation lines. I could have blended this mani a lil better, but I know the next step would hide any badly blended lines.

To finish off the colors I added a coat of China Glaze Oxidized Aqua crackle polish. I've had this aqua blue & green theme going lately to match my hair & I figured this mani is probably the last one as I'm changing my hair color in the next week or so. By popular demand, here's a pic of my blue hair with tonight's nails:

I dyed it using Ion Brights Aqua on September 25. That was over 6 weeks ago & I still have lots of color left! I think part of the longevity of this dye job is my using the sealer differently than the directions say I should. The words on da bottle say to use the sealer after the 1st washing with shampoo. I lose a ton of color in the 1st washing & the color bleeds until I add the sealer. So I came up with my own method that works better for making my color last & is good for my hair too. I apply the sealer right after I finish rinsing the excess dye from my hair, comb it thru thoroughly & leave it in at least overnight. I left the sealer in after applying the aqua for about 36 hours. The sealer has conditioners in it & acts like a leave in conditioner to help compensate for the 2 washings without conditioner & the bleaching. So say Hello & Good Bye to my blue hair! It's been fun but it's time for something new. If you want to see what color I do my hair next...leave a comment please! Of course I'll be doing manis to match my new hair. LOL

Thanks for stopping by!
~ Inky

No H8!

Hello Dahlings!

Just a quickie cuz I have mondo stamp camp prep to do, but I couldn't let this special day pass without saying something. Why is today special you ask? Because 100's if not 1000's of nail polish & nail art enthusiasts are standing together against bullying. This is phenomenal!!!

If you've every been bullied you know that awful 'Why me? Why am I not good enough?' feeling one gets when targeted by others, just for being different. It sucks! What you may or may not have realized is that many people who bully others are pitiful beings who can't feel good about themselves unless they can make others feel worse than they do. I think it's so very sad that they feel this insecure. One of my fav quotes is this one from Enigmatic Ramblings : 'I never wanted to be different, I just wanted to be myself.' This pretty much sums me up. Unfortunately, there are those who can't handle 'different'. Anything that doesn't fit their myopic world view is bad & must be changed, driven away or destroyed. This is also very sad, as diversity is what makes life interesting! NOBODY is perfect. EVERYBODY is due their own learning curve. We all started out as beginners in life & the goal is to improve one's self at one's own pace in the way one thinks is best for themself. To impose one's view point about how one should appear or how one should act on others by physical or emotional force is WRONG! I spent decades trying to fit the mold my family thought I should be in. All I accomplished was dissapointing them by proving I couldn't be who they thought I should be. Trying to be other than who I am was like wearing hand-me-downs in the wrong size. I was uncomfortable & everybody knew it while wondering why wondering why I just couldn't be 'normal'.

I finally had an epiphany: If somebody has an issue with me, my apperance or behavior, it's THEIR issue...I don't have to make it mine. People can only hurt you if you let them.

So much for 'a few words'! LOL Bottom line: Be yourself! Nobody does it better.

Much luv for YOU, my polish sisters & thanks for stopping by!

~ Inky

Finally!

Hello Dahlings!

Just a quickie to tide you over until my next mani post on Friday. I FINALLY got my inky claws on the 2012 OPI Pink of Hearts duo!!! As an added bonus I got the 2011 Pink of Hearts Shatter polish too. (I luvs me some nail crack! LOL) I hunted locally all thru October & couldn't find the 2012 set anywhere. I asked at every store I went to that normally sells OPI. Nada. Zip. Nothing. Some of them (including Ulta) had no idea what I was even talking about. Ed Wyse had ordered it, but as of November 1st, their shipment still hadn't arrived. Lame OPI! So off to Amazon I went & found a vendor called One41 beauty out of Georgia that not only carries both polishes, they also offer FREE SHIPPING! You can buy the 2012 set HERE & the 2011 Shatter HERE. I wasn't into polish last October like I am now, so I'm glad they still had a few bottles of the shatter left. Yes, there are vendors offering both for less $, but when I added s/h the price was more & I'd have to place 2 orders instead of one. 

And here they are! Methinks my 1st mani after dying my hair fuschia again may have to be with the shatter or the glitter. Not both at once, the pinks don't go well together, but you will be seeing these beauties in the not too distant future.

Thanks for stopping by!
~ Inky