Still not dead, and a happy Independence Day!

Sorry, guys. I really, truly am.  My place has no internet due to all kinds of odd reasons and I'm not entirely sure when we'll next get it, but until then I'll throw together a bunch of scheduled posts.  :D Please forgive me!

Until then, here's my fourth of july manicure. :) I used a bunch of favorites to create this one:  two coats of Essie Jelly Apple for my base, a striper to create the, uh, stripes, and dragged my favorite blue, Nfu-Oh 119, to create the blue bit. Then I attempted to splatter with a striper; it didn't work. I still like it, though!

Here it is in shade.

Further off, shade and sun. :)

My manicure is inspired off of the CND Lookbook, which has myriads of different, beautiful designs.  I highly recommend looking through it! And have a wonderful, sparkly, bbq-y Fourth of July! :)

An Apology, Some Nail Art, And Some Giveaway Updates

I've been working a lot more than I'd intended to this week, including training a new girl. Mostly because she's the new girl and I suffer from Older Sibling Syndrome (i.e., anybody who I am responsible for, I treat as though they don't know how to do anything by themselves), I ended up doing a bunch of the grunt work mostly reserved for the Clean Guy who just happened to take the day off.

While hauling around boxes, grinding coffee, and tossing out trash, I broke three nails.

They weren't badly broken. I figured, hey, I'll just go home, repaint my nails, call it a day, etc. So I did. I didn't re-file them down, or at least smooth out the rough edges so they wouldn't catch on anything, or some sort of logical endeavor that'd help you from exacerbating the condition.

So now I have one badly broken nail, and a couple of other raggedy little fingernails due to bleach. And tears.

Please, please, PLEASE be nice to my current NOTD:

Please ignore the finger frazzle, and that break on that finger...

(Sunlight)

Just don't let it distract you, yeah? D:

that said, this is two coats of billy no mates, with little drops of Indi-a Mood for Love over the nail, swirled by a T-pin. If you like I can make a tutorial over the weekend; it's really not very difficult!

 

 I imagine that using this technique would also be cool after screwing up a French, or a diagonal, or a moon mani, actually. Just blur the edges in a tendril-like manner! Awesome. 

Okay, the giveaway updates:   I realized that I hadn't really specified the bits and baubles that I'm giving out! Here they are: 

  

  

  

Two Pa glitter polishes, and one lilac holographic Sally Girl. Am I awesome? I'm totally awesome. 

International readers welcome, just want all the information I ask for two posts below (or here, if you like), etc. etc. etc. 

Oh. The China Glaze Outta Bounds and Essie Outrageous Orange do not have pictures yet, sadly, because I left them at my parents' house. I hadn't realized I'd hit 100 followers so soon, so I thought they'd take up less space and would best be left there.  I was wrong, clearly, but I'll have them sent to me asap. For what it's worth, Outta Bounds is an emerald green frost/shimmer that has a whole lot of pictures over the internets, and Essie Outrageous Orange looks like a neon but is in truth a very bright and sexy coral jelly. 

So, yes! Carry on. : )

First Water Marbling Attempt

Note to self:

 

 Shade.

 

I think I need two coats of Princesses Rule! before I cover it up with marbling attempts. 

I marbled with Princesses Rule! and Indi-a Mood for Love, in case anybody's curious. I quite like the pattern--there's something weirdly cherry-blossom and kimono-patterned about it, but it needs to be more opaque to be impressive. 

It's my second day wearing this mani, and I still have good wear, by the way. 

Giveaway post below! :)

NOTD: Gran's Vintage Wallpaper

Two coats of Butter London's Billy No Mates, and a gold lace That's It? Rub-on from EZ Nails.

I'd been experimenting with the rub-on when it failed (twice) and I was too lazy to try again. I just rubbed on the rest of it haphazardly to the rest of my nails, but I rather like the effect. Like aged wallpaper, hence the name: a whole lot of the design has been scratched or just aged away, leaving only the base color. It reminds me also of upholstery.

It's a BS of a project, I know, but I really do like it! I promise to be a little more careful next time I try something like this; I swear it won't be this all the time. :) I do want full-on lacey nails at some point, y'know. Without mishaps.

(Also, I think this NOTD is making me like Billy No Mates. Uh oh.)

NOTD: Stars

My Wagon Trail has been holding up much better than I thought it would, and I'd received a package today that I'd ordered from EZ Nails. I ordered a tooon of rubons and a rhinestone carousel and such, and I'd like to squee and show you! Eventually.

Anyway I wanted to freshen it up a bit with a lil somethin' somethin, so I took the gold stars one and pressed it against my nail, add topcoat, and voila. Interesting ring fingers.

I love it. It looks like halloween, or classy and sparkly giftwrap for new year's. I can't wait to try this over a dark blue, or something. :D

All right. Thanks for visiting! It is now time for lunch. >]

NOTD: Splatter

indoors
outdoors, sun.
outdoors, shade


These are two coats of Zoya Raven, and then Missha BR102. It's easy: paint the base color, and then remove as much of the secondary color as you can. Brush on top of the dried base--the streakier, dirtier, more textured, the better. Do it until you are satisfied with each nail.

I put on topcoat to emphasize the shiny (and oh, how shiny it got!) but you don't have to put on top coat if you want to emphasize the gritty texture of the nail. I assumed that the grittier it felt, the less 'on-purpose' my nails would look. Didn't want that.

Anyway, I'm completely in love with this look. It reminds me of tortoiseshells and dirty jewelry and halloween. Oh, and stones. And it's so easy: I could walk out while the nail is still drying because it's not meant to LOOK polished. That's what's so cool about it.

I keep forgetting to swatch Zoya Raven for you guys. Soon, I promise. :)