Dirty Little Secrets Tag!

Hello Dahlings!

 

I'm taking another lil break in my Does It Stamp! series to do another blogger tag.

 

I have xLoveHappyx to thank for tagging me in mid-May

& now I'm going to reveal some of my dirty lil secrets for your amusement.

 

1) What TV/Film show do you secretly watch?

I was watching The Walking Dead on Netflix & am waiting for them to get da last season. Most recently I've been watching Supernatural on Netflix. Why is this a secret? None of my RL friends watch these kinds of shows & Mr. Inky teases me about it unmercifully, so I watch when he's not home or after he goes to bed. 

Geez, I'd be better off with an online animal porn habit.

 

2) What is your worst bad habit?

I smoke cigarettes & have for 30 years. In fact, I started smoking to give me something else to do with my hands & mouth instead of chewing my nails. Now I have nice nails & crunchy lungs. Da things that seem like a good idea when you're young aren't always da best thinking in da long run.

 

3) What do you secretly like the smell of?

100% pure acetone! I don't sniff it like glue or anything,

but I can smell da quart bottle stored under my desk & me likey!

 

4) What are you secretly lusting after?

This one is hard cuz usually if I want something, I get it sooner than later.

(yeah, I'm spoiled, but not rotten lol)

I'd REALLY like to go on an Alaskan cruise someday...does that count?

 

5) What song do you secretly know all the words to?

Denis Leary's Asshole song. You can learn them HERE

 

6) What is the most expensive thing you own? Do you regret buying it?

My house.

Nope! 17 years & counting with no plans to move before da end of da decade. 

 

7) Who is the one 'non-famous' person you'd secretly like to meet? (blogger/youtube related)

Hmmm...another toughie cuz I'm not prone to fan girling. I've met so many wonderful peeps in da nail blogging world that I think da only way to work this one would be to host a humongous party & invite them all. Free airfare & hotel of course!

(as long as I'm dreaming, I'm gonna dream big lol)

 

8) What is your biggest pet peeve?

Stupid people. 'Nuf said.

 

I'm not going to annoy my friends by tagging them. 

If you want to do this tag, go ahead & leave your link in da comments!

 

I'll have another Does It Stamp? post for y'all next Sunday.

Thanks for stopping by

& don't forget about my 1 Year Blog-o-versary Give-a-Way

cuz you can't win if you don't enter!

~ Inky

Smiley Holo Stamping!

Hello Dahlings!

 

Have you entered my 1 year Blog-o-versary Give-away yet? Why not! I'm giving away a pretty decent pile o' loot & some of it could be yours with just a few clicks...

 

Now that da sun is finally coming out to play,

I decided it was time to stamp with holo polishes!

 

 Da line up: China Glaze Astro-hot & Color Club Beyond.

 

 This is 2 coats of Astro-hot. I had such high hopes for da China Glaze 2013 holos...until I started seeing swatches & reviews. While they put out some colors da other 2013 holo brands didn't offer, da linear holo effect is weak. They're pretty enuf, but they don't have much of a rainbow, they're a streaky patchy mess to apply & they don't stamp well either.

 

 I used this plate to stamp.

 

Ta Da! My stamping still needs work, but I did manage to get smileys on every nail. The lovely holo-ness of Beyond was weakened due to da thin layer of polish used in stamping, but in full sun da rainbows came out da best they could.

 

Thanks for stopping by

& don't forget to enter my Give-a-way!

~ Inky

It's My 1 Year Blog-o-versary Give-a-Way!!!

Hello Dahlings!

Yep! I've been blogging about my nails for nigh on a year now. I officially stated my intent to change da focus of my blog from rubber stamping to nails on June 24, 2012. I didn't actually post any manis until September & I didn't start posting regularly until October. My posting regularly is totally all da fault of my Mistress of Nail Art ~ Mimi of Mimi Manicures She did a shout out post on me & well...I need to post something for y'all to look at PRONTO! LOL I've kept going since then & here we are!

Since I know I'll be swamped with work later this summer & early autumn, I'm starting this give-a-way now. Here's da rules & stuff:

1) This give-a-way starts June 6th & ends July 4th.

2) This give-a-way is international. If da country you live in has issues with mailing polish & confiscates your prize, I'm not responsible for this & will not replace your prize.

3) One prize per person.

4) All prizes have been purchased by me & are new & unused.

(I picked a bunch of my fav things for y'all!)

5) Please don't cheat! If I find out you've cheated in any way, you will be disqualified.

Here are da prize bundles you can win:

#1 Nail Art Bundle

Orly Shine* & Liquid Vinyl*

3 stamping plates (M19, M45 & S10)

stamper & scraper

roll of gold striping tape

dual tipped dotting tool

one each gold & silver Stanford Uni Ball Gel Impact pens

Essence Nail Art Kit with a skinny striper & gradient sponges

34 assorted fimo canes

eco board file for delicate nails

Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream (my all time fav hand lube!)

Cassie Cosmetics make-up bag

#2 All That Glitters Bundle

Color Club set of 4 scented mini polishes in Berry & Bright*, Ho Ho Holly*,

Gift of Color* & Snowflakes

Joe Fresh Twilight (rainbow flakie in black jelly base)

Nubar Absolute* & Treasure* (scatter holos)

eco board file for delicate nails

Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream (my all time fav hand lube!)

Cassie Cosmetics make-up bag

#3 Sally Hansen Vintage Varnish Bundle

Sally Hansen Carnelian* & Topaz* Chromes

Sally Hansen HD LCD

Sally Hansen Nail Prisms Lavender Pearl & Cinnabar Opal

eco board file for delicate nails

Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream (my all time fav hand lube!)

Cassie Cosmetics make-up bag

#4 Mish Mash Bundle

China Glaze Magnetix Con-fused* & Sparks Will Fly*

China Glaze Magnetix II 3 image magnet

Essence Black Light Top Coat

L.A. Colors fuchsia crème polish (name & # unknown, but it sure is pretty!)

ELF Mod Mauve

Orly Crush On You

eco board file for delicate nails

Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream (my all time fav hand lube!)

Cassie Cosmetics make-up bag

#5 Mini Madness

Orly Dazzle*, Naughty or Nice, Velvet Rope, Rose Radiance*, On The List, Red Flare, Monroe's Red & Shining Star

4 Sally Girl neons (#s 812158, 812156, 812161 & 812157)

eco board file for delicate nails

Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream (my all time fav hand lube!)

Cassie Cosmetics make-up bag

 

*these polishes can be used for stamping!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Good Luck & thanks for stopping by!

~ Inky

I'm on Blogloving!

Hello Dahlings!

This post is part of my 'claiming' my blog in da process. Just ignore it. LOL

Follow">http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4301791/?claim=x4sry7hr78d">Follow my blog with Bloglovin

~ Inky

Weird Wednesday ~ Feeling Punk with Craft Scissors

Hello Dahlings!

 

I was feeling da need to do something punkish on my nails recently & decided this would also be a good time to try a cut tape mani. I've seen several blogs use decorative edged scissors from da craft store to cut tape that is then used to mask off areas of da nail & polished over...but I had never tried it myself. Partially cuz me & tape manis have a love/hate thing going, but mostly due to just having so many other nail art techniques I wanted to try more than this one. It's pretty silly when you consider da huge pile o' crafting toys I have in my crapht room,

including a couple dozen decorative edged scissors.

 

Yes, I spell craft with a ph when it comes to my dedicated play room. When my room needs to be cleaned da 'ht' is silent cuz at that point it's a crap room.

 

 

Da polish line up: Orly Beach Cruiser, American Apparel Neon Violet,

Color Club Diamond Drops & Black Heart Beauty Cursed.

 

Da tool line up: Fiskars Deckle Paper Edgers & a piece of 'dog bone' sponge.

 

This brand of scissors is widely available at craft stores & online. I got mine at JoAnn's. Michael's carries da ProvoCraft deco scissors line. Both these brands & any other brand of paper cutting deco edge scissors can be used for this technique. Check da craft section at your local dollar & other discount stores.

 

Da sponge is from a 3 pack of car washing sponges I got on clearance at GI Joe's years ago. Pretty much any sponge can be used for nail art, but da finer da surface (smaller bubbles), da better da blending. Make-up sponges are most commonly seen on blogs being used for nail art & I have them. I use them cut into small pieces cuz while cheap to buy, you get a lot more control as well as uses out of them when da sponge being used is smaller than your nail. I also have da dog bone sponge (that's what da package called them cuz they're shaped like a cartoon bone) & it works just fine too. I like to cut my sponges into pieces with one end measuring 1/4" x 1/2 - 3/4". How long depends on da length of my nails at da time. Da piece above is about 1 1/2" long & I just cut off da used part when I'm done & save da rest for next time until da piece gets too small to hang on to easily. You may be able to find this type of sponge in da auto section of your local dollar or hardware store.

 

This is 2 coats of Beach Cruiser. It is MUCH brighter in person...

like 'blinded for life!' neon. Me likey!

 

I then sponged a 2 color gradient using Beach Cruiser & Neon Violet with a my piece of sponge. I think I like 3 colors in a gradient better cuz I get a better flow of colors, but this turned out ok. Da Neon Violet was on da sheer side (like many neons are) & required my going back after da 1st coat dried & dabbing a bit more on da tips. I still ended up with a couple of tiny spots where da pink showed thru.

 

I then added a stripe of Diamond Drops down da center of each nail from cuticle to tip. I have to say that while I loved da look of this polish in da end, it was a pita to apply. I had to fish for da silver holo shards & da base is an unattractive milky, gloopy mess to apply. While it does dry clear, those lumps need to be smoothed out while da polish is still wet cuz it ain't self-leveling.

 

TA DA! Before I started painting my nails, I cut two 2" pieces of 'magic' tape (da kind that is frosted) & then used da scissors to cut both long edges on both pieces. I cut one piece down da middle parallel to da long edges to make masks for my index, middle & ring fingers. Da other piece I cut off center (1/3 - 2/3) for my thumbs & pinkies. I then cut da 1st piece into three equal pieces & da other piece of tape in half using regular straight edge scissors. This gave me 10 masks that would fit all my nails. 

 

I applied da correct size mask down da middle of each nail on all da fingers on one hand & then painted Cursed down da sides of each masked nail. I tried to not get polish on my skin cuz black can be a pita to get off later. After painting my thumb, I used da pointy end of my cuticle stick to clean up da couple of spots of black on my cuticles. (I tried to paint cleanly! LOL) I then placed my pinky on a piece of paper towel & used da pointy end of da cuticle stick to pin down da free end of da tape to da paper towel & pulled my finger away. I did this on da rest of my fingers on that hand & then repeated all of this on my other hand. I know many peeps use tweezers to pull da tape off, but I hadn't gotten mine out & doing so with wet nails is not advised. So I improvised & found an easy way to do it. I don't know how well this method of tape removal will work with really skinny pieces of tape (i.e. striping tape), but for wider pieces it works just fine & I didn't have to pull painted tape off with my fingers. I finished with my usual coat of Seche Vite & it mostly smoothed out da lumps from da Diamond Drops.

 

I have quite a few different patterned deco edge scissors to try now that I'm getting da hang of tape manis!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Inky

 

P.S. I'm still working out some technical issue with posting my Blog-a-versary Give-a-way, but it WILL happen this week!!!

 

 

 

Monday Quickie ~ Sally Hansen Gems!

Hello Dahlings!

 

Today's quickie...

 

 

Da line up: Revlon Stunning, Sally Hansen Glitz Gal & Lady Luck,

Sinful Colors Lazy Girl & Stripe Rite silver foil nail art polishes.

 

I started with 2 coats of Lady Luck on pinky & index; 2 coats of Glitz Gal on ring & thumb; & 3 coats of Stunning on my middle finger. I recently found da Sally Hansens half off at Walgreens & da most helpful Beauty Dept. manager pulled out a box of coupons from under da counter & I saved another 10% at da register! I've had Stunning for awhile, but hadn't used it yet. It's really sheer & if I weren't going to be adding nail art that covered da VNL, a 4th & maybe even a 5th coat would have been needed for full opacity.

My Dahlings, this bad girl NEEDS undies!

 

Cuz I can't leave well enuf alone, I added double line French tips with da nail art polishes. Lazy Girl was a bit on da gloopy side & will need thinner, but da Stripe Rite went on no prob. I finished with a coat of Seche Vite.

 

Stay tuned...I'm working on getting my Blog-o-versary Give-a-way put together!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Inky

Does It Stamp? ~ Round 2!

Hello Dahlings!

 

I found a few more polishes that stamp as I created a data base of my collection (that was a mondo bit of typing! LOL) & I've bought a few more as well, since I began this adventure. So without further ado...

 

 

Reds ~ Sephora by OPI Ruby Without A Cause & ELF Red Velvet

 

Oranges ~ L.A. Colors Art Deco Bright Orange & China Glaze Mimosas Before Manis. Da Bright Orange is actually a nail art polish, but da brush was way too fat for nail art, so I decanted it into an empty polish bottle & thinned it a smidge with some clear polish. I've found that quite a few nail art polishes will stamp cuz they're thicker than regular polish so da color will show up on any base color & not need a 2nd coat. Da downside of using nail art polish to stamp is da skinny brushes, they make getting enuf on da plate a wee bit of a challenge.

 

Yellows & Browns ~ Finger Paints Lemon Sour & China Glaze Harvest Moon

 

Hard Candy Crush on Raisin

 

That's it for this week! I'll be doing another blogger tag next Sunday & then some more greens & teals that stamp da Sunday after that. Oh! Keep an eye out for my 1 year Blog-a-versary Give-a-way coming soon!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Inky