Pastel Misadventures

I have gone off the tracks a bit with today's manicure. Let's just say, I'm not happy with it. 

I actually started this mani with Zoya's Blu on three fingers and Julep's Adrianna on the other two.  My plan was to then start a chevron pattern with the other colors.  This did not go that well.  I think either my nails were too short or my taping too wide.  I did two of the Zoya based nails before I scrapped the plan.  I was just NOT feeling it!  

Phase two consisted of me sponging on Julep's Simone and Zoya's Godiva over the Blu and Simone and Blu over the Julep.....

I don't know if I have been working with a lot of brights lately or what my issues stem from, but this just feels washed out and blah to me.  I do like these pastel colors together.  Maybe it is the glitter on some, not on others.  I am not sure.  I do know that this will most likely be coming off tonight.  But this is also part of why I like and started this blog:  it is good to share the process and what doesn't really work as well as what does. 

Pool party!!!

It is Memorial Day Weekend here in the States. Sadly, we sometimes lose focus of what this weekend is all about, our Veterans. My nails at the moment are joining this trend. I didn't have time to do what I had in my head. So I threw on a quick neon color. Hence, China Glaze Pool Party!!!!

I will have to save my patriotic nails for the 4th of July, which also happens to be my birthday. :)

Work It! Wednesday....Galaxy Style

I know some of you must have seen this post coming after my Star Trek nails last Friday.  I had SO much fun with the galaxy nails in that manicure, that I just knew I needed to do a full galaxy mani!!

Galaxy on the red carpet

I can't get enough of these babies!!

I started with two coats of China Glaze's Liquid Leather.

Then, taking a make-up sponge, I sponged on Essie's Trophy Wife.  I tried to place them in different spots on different nails.

In the middle of the blue, I added Zoya's Perrie.

Then Zoya's Blu in the middle of that.

I finished if off with some placed hex glitter and then China Glaze's Fairy Dust.

To infinity.....and beyond!!!!

Mani Monday with Julep's Simone

It's Monday!!  Which means that classic time of the week for Mani Monday!!  After rocking some Star Trek nails all weekend, I knew I needed to change it up to start the week off today....sidebar:  the movie ROCKED!!!  Totally need to see it again as soon as we have a moment to do so.  My geek flag is flying high on this one.  It was soooo good.  Paired with the season seven finale for Doctor Who less than 24 hours later, I almost felt like I needed a recovery day on Sunday from all this greatness.  I had to watch Who over again as soon as it ended.  It was a good weekend of geeking out, but I digress...So really quick before work this morning, I put on some Julep Simone from their Classic With a Twist collection.  Some of you might have seen in my previous post that this is one of the nail polishes I received with my Julep Sea Salt Mystery Box and I have finally gotten around to putting this really pretty purple on.  

Simone

Julep describes this cutie as "soft pastel lilac opalescent shimmer".  The shimmer is subtle and pretty.  This is 2 coats of polish with their Polymer Top Coat.  The one thing I love with the top coat is that I had a bit of bubbling with this manicure because I really was cranking this bad boy out quickly and the top coat just buries it, almost like a magic eraser.  I am looking at them now, and you would never know they were there.  Love it!!

Foto Friday!

It is casual Friday once again! And I am heading to Star Trek tonight in IMAX....very excited! Eek!  Seems like a good time for a Star Trek mani. :). I love the galaxy nails and I think they need to be my next manicure. The Trek emblems need practice. 

Work It Wednesday! Julep Denver

Work It! Wednesday featuring Julep's Denver

I love this nail polish....I know, I know.  I seem to say that about all the nail polish I use these days.  It reminds me of something my college roommate said to me when I kept remarking how I loved song after song on a mix tape: "Of course you do.  You made the tape!"  And she was right then and she would be right now if she said it to me.  I buy the polish, so it is natural that I am going to love it!  :)

Denver...Isn't she cute??!?!!

I did add a matte top coat to my middle finger just to see what it was like.  This girl looks good matte as well as glossy!  Julep's wen site describes this color as a "seafoam green créme" that is so bright that it pops off my fingers.  It is bright, which I like.

WORK IT!!

NOTD: Blue Ombre Dots

Today feels like a great for dots!  Dots, dots, dots, DOTS!!  I get a bit crazy about dots.  As you can see, I have my blue Jawbone Up on, so blue dots seemed like the next logical thing to do in my planning stage.  I wear the Up almost 24/7...good thing I like blue!

For this manicure I started with a base coat of OPI's BerlinThere Done That from their Germany Collection.  I love this nude color.  It may be one of my favorite nude nail polishes out there.  Nude can be tricky for me with fair skin tones, but this one gives me nude without me looking even more pale or nuclear charged.

From left to right: Color Club Insta-This, Zoya Breezi, Zoya Wednesday, Julep Claire, and Zoya Kristen.

Wednesday came out looking more green than blue, but that is the nature of this color.    And yes, I did give my pinkie finger a start with Julep's Eloise, but I found that in person that and the Color Club colors were similar.  So I abandoned it.  If my nails were longer, I would enjoy adding more blue to the spectrum.

Foto Friday

It's Foto Friday time!  Casual Friday picture time.

I am still playing around with striping tape. This one features Julep's Ginger, which is one of their holographic polishes.  I have had this one for a few months, but haven't done much with it.  I am loving it with a coral triangle accent to it. The coral is Sinful Colors's Hazard.  I'd like to think this is Great Gatsby inspired...but I think it is the tip of the inspiration iceberg. 

Happy Friday!!!

Work It! Wednesday: China Glaze Bump and Grind

Work It! Wednesday!

Today on the red carpet mani cam, we have a lovely texture nail polish.  Check out China Glaze Bump and Grind from their Texture Collection.  

Lovely bright pink texture polish that has a light grit to it.  The texture is similar to the Julep Sea Salt finish in that it has a bit of bumpy texture and grit to it, but it is still one dimensional in color.  It is still subtle enough that it won't get annoying for texture on your nails.  I do love me a texture nail polish and I have a feeling this one will become a quick favorite for summer.

WORK IT!!

Mani Monday: Adventures in striping tape

I have been drawn to what folks are doing with striping tape and their manicures lately.  And I have had striping tape sitting in my stash drawer for the LONGEST time.  It has just seem too fussy for me to want to deal with.  But that is just silly.  So I settled in with Game of Thrones episode last night and set about cutting tape pieces to use....

First, I need some nail polish...

Of course I need some neon to start.  From left to right: Celtic Sun, I'm With The Lifeguard, Spectacle, Pool Party, and Tightrope.  I started with a base of Essie's Blanc as a base.  I wanted this neon to pop as best it could.  I topped off this neon party with some Wet n' Wild fast dry in black...well, I  don't know if that is its real name as it's sticker has fallen off.  But it is black.  :)

I went for a variety of pattern.  I wanted to see if my left hand could keep up in this adventure as well, and it did!  I guess this tape is not as fussy as I thought it would be.  Because as we all know...

But I did not really have that problem this time around, thankfully.  

Overall, this was an easy process and it has me thinking of all kinds of designs I can start playing around with.  It was a learning process as well.  I found I really needed to pull the tape off directly as any kind of angle just caused some speckling, which you can see on my ring and pinkie fingers.   Heck, for a first time while watching one of my favorite tv shows, I am okay with it it!  

What are your taping horror or success stories?  Happy Mani Monday!!

Blank Canvas

I need to start with an apology since I have not been posting much as of late.  I must confess:  I have been SO uninspired to paint my nails in the past week or so.  I would sit down to do something spicy and then just sit and stare at my nail polish stash as if it has all the answers I am looking for.  I would read what others are up to with their nail polish, but nothing sparked.  Over the weekend, I sat down thinking if I just sit down and kick out a great manicure in a color I love...usually in blue...that would do it.  But no, I would just do a sloppy job.  So that had to go!  My go to, love it, looks hard but isn't is typically anything with dots.  I actually started a cute pink and black dottie manicure the other day, but then it took a turn for the worst and began to look like garbage.  So I scrapped that too.  What is happening to me?  Am I nail depressed?  So uninspired that I can't paint my nails without going off the road and all over my cuticles??  Are nail polish and I breaking up????

NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This can't happen. 

I am taking back my nail mojo.  I need to utilize this time, shift my thinking a bit.  I am using this week to air out my nails and let them breathe for a bit.  If I can't figure out what I would like them to look like, then maybe they should stay naked.  A blank canvas for a bit.  Blank canvases are wonderful because they imply that possibility is infinite.  Instead of taking off one manicure to replace with another, I am going to tap into my blank canvas.

How do you pull yourself through those times where nothing seems right for you nails? Those moments when nothing inspires you?