33 Day Challenge Day 09: Indian

I got behind in the Challenge again because I was stuck on wanting to do something super creative and outside the box. Problem is, I never came up with an idea that I could translate into looking good on my nails too. So in the end I took my inspiration from a box of my Yogi Bedtime tea. I went off of the pretty two-toned patterns, with a little something different on each nail. I love these colors together. They have a dreamy quality about them, don't you think?

I started with three coats of Sephora by OPI Havana Dreams. Then I free handed all the designs with my striping brush and Essie Bikini So Teeny. I also used a dotting tool in a couple of spots. I had issues getting the polish to brush on the nail evenly, so it ended up taking a lot longer than I planned. That's nothing new though, every thing takes me longer than it should!

What I used:
Sephora by OPI Havana Dreams
Essie Bikini So Teeny
Seche Vite top coat


It's been a lot less stressful having this Challenge spaced out with only three posts a week. At the same time I feel like it's going to drag on for a long time! With all the advanced notice I have for these prompt I feel like I should have super creative ideas for all of them. Here is what is coming up in the following weeks. Let me know if you have any brilliant ideas for me!

Breast Cancer Awareness Nails: Save the Ta Tas

I didn't initially have plans to do a Breast Cancer Awareness mani this month. It was when I was browsing Try My Hand's BCAM post, featuring half moons and french tips, that my genius idea struck. Then I couldn't wait to do this post, and I am endlessly amused by it.

See what I did here? PLEASE tell me you see what I did here. LOL.

I "enhanced" the half moons to be a little bigger than usual by reshaping a couple of paper reinforcements. First I applied a couple coats of nude polish and topped it with Seche Vite. When it was completely dry I used the paper reinforcements to mask off above my cuticles and painted the pink above it. Then I finished with another coat of SV.

I painted the ribbon on in like, two seconds. I wanted to do some fancy water marbling on a couple of my fingers, but finally gave up after an hour's worth (or more) of failed attempts. I finally settled on a sponge gradient on my thumb. Then as quick as I could, I painted a reverse gradient ribbon so I could finally be done!  I know this doesn't look like it took much time to do, but I tried a ton of stuff to finally end up with this. I'm so glad this is what I ended up with because I love it!

What I used:
paper reinforcements
Barry M Lychee- nude
Sephora by OPI What Aura Gonna Wear?- deep hot pink
Clinique Pinkini- bubble gum pink
Jenna Hipp Damage Control- pastel pink

This is for all you lovely ladies and gents(don't forget you have breasts too!). Be healthy and well!
Especially to anyone who has been, or has loved ones affected by this disease. Much love to you. <3

33 Day Challenge Day 08: Chevrons

I love chevrons (seriously, who doesn't?), so I was looking forward to today's Challenge post. In my Inspired By a Book post I tested out some nail tattoos for the first time. In the set there were three patterns, and this chevron pattern was one of them. I had a much easier time using them this go around, which was a relief. I love how colorful they are! Speaking of the colors, I'm realizing how Spring-like they look. This mani is for all you Southern Hemispherians. :)

I started off with a base color on all of my nails, Sephora by OPI The Way Tutu His Heart. The formula was a real big pain. It's a really pretty, soft color, but super streaky and sheer. I'm kind of glad I only have a mini bottle of it. 

I used striping tape to mask off some inverted "v"s. Then I painted each color on, carefully avoiding painting over the other side of the tape.  

The first time I tried the nail tattoos I followed the instructions on the box. Rookie mistake. Instead of dipping the transfer paper in water and then pressing it on the nail as per the instructions, I went the logical route. I placed the paper on the nail, then pressed a wet towel on top of it few a few seconds. Much better results! The cleanup was still kind of a pain, but manageable. I'm sure I could have masked off around the nail with tape to speed that up. I will try that next time.

I actually started this manicure last night with the intention of finishing it today. By mid morning the tattoos were already starting to show signs of wear. I did apply top coat, but maybe it needs two coats? It was bad enough that I just started all over. I'm glad I did because I would not have been as happy with the photos as I am now!

What I used:
Sephora by OPI The Way Tutu His Heart- light cream/pink
Essie Mint Candy Apple- mint green
Essie Angora Cardi- deep purple mauve
Zoya Lotus- smoky purple with pink shimmer
Barielle Darling Dahlia- fushia
Fing'rs EDGE Nail Tattoos Transfer Paper (purchased from Walmart)+


Have you used nail tattoos before? What was your experience with them?

Thanks so much for reading!

FYI: Future giveaway!

I mentioned on my facebook page a couple of weeks ago that I have plans for a giveaway! The plan is that whichever I reach first; 100 posts, 100 fb page likes, or 100 bloglovin' followers, I will have a (awesome) giveaway. So this is an update to say this is my 70th post, I have 61 fb likes, and 36 bloglovin' followers! So at the very least, I will have it 30 posts from now. But if you want to speed things up, go like my facebook page, or follow me with bloglovin'! It's gonna be gooood. :)

33 Day Challenge Day 07: Art With Your Oldest Untried

For those of you who don't hoard nail polish as though the apocalypses is nigh, an untried is a polish that has been acquired, but has yet to be worn. It sits prettily, collecting dust until it is lucky enough to be chosen from the endless stash. Before starting this blog, my collection was kept to a "reasonable" amount. In the last three months, well, let's just say it has "grown". So my oldest untrieds have only been waiting for that long. This mani actually features three of them!

I don't know how much this falls under the "art" category. This is another example of being so subtle, ..what was the point? But I liked the idea of this color combo, and I think it's gorgeous, so I'm not too concerned!
So here is a very subtle, shimmery, "waterfall" manicure a la The Nailasaurus.

I started with two coats of Sephora by OPI Metro Too Chic. I'm surprised it's taken me this long to use it because it is gorgeous! It's in the same family of another favorite of mine, OPI Wooden Shoe Like to Know (shown here). It has a brown base, but the rose shimmer gives it a soft purpley cast. I knew I would love it, I was just waiting for the right showcase I suppose.
With a long striping brush, I layered three different polishes on top of the base. I started from the cuticle, stopping about midway down the nail, but all at slightly different lengths.

This is so perfect for Autumn!

What I used:
Sephora by OPI Metro Too Chic- brown with rose micro shimmer
Sephora by OPI Wild About Shimmer- gold shimmer (the only one I've previously worn)
Sephora by OPI Is She For Reel?- gray with silver and gold shimmer
Sephora by OPI Nifty Shades of Grey- purple and green duochrome
Seche Vite top coat

I love how wearable this is! It's not crazy, flashy, in-your-face nail art. As much as I have quickly come to love the slightly crazy manicures, this is something I could wear everyday. What do you think? Too subtle, or the perfect amount?

33 Day Challenge Day 06: Texture

Thank goodness for challenges that force you to try things you've been avoiding. I've been wary of the textured polish trend, and just hadn't made the jump yet. I actually had to borrow a textured polish for today's prompt because I don't own any. Even with all the swatches available online, I've continued to sit on the fence. The photos haven't been enticing enough. The thing that has finally sparked my interest is the stamping manicures combined with textured polishes.

I've had the suspicion that the photos just don't do the textured polishes justice. I can't tell you it's true for all of them, but for this one it is! It really does look better in person. The photos don't show the sparkle that makes it so pretty. I've also been curious about how it would feel. I didn't have an issue with the feel of it on my nail. The thing I disliked was the way it scratched when I touched my face.

I applied two coats OPI Pussy Galore (I'm still amused they actually chose to use that name), and let it dry without top coat. Top coat takes away from textured appearance as I learned on my other hand. I used my DRK-A Large Stamping Plate and OPI Yes... I Can Can for the design on top. Yes...I Can Can is a typically a vampy plum/red shade, but on top of the light pink it really brightened up.

What I used:

OPI Liquid Sand Pussy Galore- light pink textured polish

OPI Yes... I Can Can!- plum/red

DRK-A Large Stamping Plate, purchased from Ninja Polish

I want to know your opinions on textured polish! Have you tried any? Do you like them? Have you been disinterested like I was?

Thanks for reading!

33 Day Challenge 05: Mexican

Hola! Como estas? That's as far as my Spanish goes, and it's probably wrong. Well, I know a little more, but it would be totally random and probably inappropriate. The prompt for the fifth day of the Challenge is "Mexican". So I came up with something fun and playful, a pinata with candy patterns!

I'm sure you noticed my nails are significantly shorter than in my last post. There was an incident with the nail on my index finger. It got somewhat mangled and I don't even know what happened. I frequently get injured and don't ever realize it until I notice a bruise or other sign of trauma. I guess I'm just tough like that.

I shaped my nails the best I could to work around that nail. The irritating part is that I have so many manicures that I am planning on doing and am excited about, but I don't think they'll look like I want them to while my nails are this length. So I'm going to just have to work with what I've got!

I started off with a different base color on each nail. Then I added the candy shapes. I made all of them with my Stripe Rite polishes which have tiny brush that you can make small detail with. I outlined them in white with another of those polishes. I made the pinata with my striping brush and the eye ball with a dotting tool.

What I used:
(base colors)
Sephora by OPI It's Totally Karma- green
Clinique Different Nail Enamel Pinkini- bubble gum pink
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Blue-Away- light blue
Sephora by OPI Paisley Attention to Me- orange
Sephora by OPI What Aura Gonna Wear?- bright medium pink

(candy colors)
It's So Easy Stripe Rite- medium bright blue (these polishes don't have names, these are descriptions)
It's So Easy Stripe Rite- bright pink
It's So Easy Stripe Rite- berry
It's So Easy Stripe Rite- white

(and a few other colors for the pinata)

What do you think? Muy bueno? I appreciate you all for visiting. Muchas Gracias!

33 Day Challenge Day 04: Tribal

I've got some catching up to do with this 33 Day Challenge. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll be all squared away.

I wanted to do something a little different again my second go (this was my first) around tribal print. So I did some searching on Pinterest for inspiration, and found this tutorial from Nailed It. I seriously love, love this! I've mentioned before how much I like red nails, and this is no exception. This is so simple yet bold, and lots of fun.

If you want to know how to do this, click the link I mentioned above. I follow the tutorial exactly step for step.

What I used:
OPI Red Hot Ayers Rock- red
Sephora by OPI What's a Tire Jack?- black
Sephora by OPI White Hot- white
Sephora by OPI Yellow My Name Is Betsey- yellow
Sephora by OPI Too Too Turq
Sephora by OPI Alley Cat

What do you think? Do you love this design as much as I do?