Christmas Pretties

Alas, i am alive.  Sorry for the long hiatus.  Whenever i seem to do my nails it's not fun it's just color and then i take so long to take it off.  Well decided it was christmas and i couldn't let this Rainbow Connection not be worn during the Xmas season.

Please forgive the cuticles and the messy cleanup, i was running late for soccer and tomorrow's hot shower will clean up the flakies.  Will try to update better photos tomorrow. (also  please forget the bleeding red on the white nails i forgot how temperament red can be and i should learn to clean my top coat brush on paper after applying it on top of red)

Legend:
All colors are OPI
White - Alpine Snow
Red - From A to Zurich
Green (Jade actually) - Jade is the new black
Flakies/sparkles - Rainbow connection

Last year, i was regretting not purchasing Party Hearty so when i seen the Rainbow connection i know i had to have it.  I have no idea about a comparison between the two but my favorite hand is my left hand (little bit less sparkles)

So i'm going to attempt to blog one a week.  I'm thinking Friday night will be my posting night but that might change.

Side note:
Just to let the anyone know i am using Myfitnesspal for my healthy eating/lifestyle change journey so if you are on MFP feel free to add me - Alikat789 (i'm not calling it a diet cause it's not a diet it's a way of life)
I have about 70-85lbs to lose. i haven't set my long term goals yet but one short term goal is 10 lbs by Valentine's day.


Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, 
Cheers to everyone during this holiday season.

Here's to me posting another blog before christmas of my next set of nails before Xmas - cause to be honest i am hoping these nails make it past two days of wearing.  I seem to be struggling with peeling and breaking nails again.  Time for cuticle cream, more water and ??? i forget the other things i need to do....well on that forgetful note i better get some sleep as i'm starting to be forgetful.

Neon Nails

Thanks to the tutorial from:

Queen of blendingMUA

I like it but i could do better next time. Next time i would like to make the black strip lines thinner and make sure the black shatter (middle finger) was a thinner coat, not use the disco ball on each nail and only use for an accent nail.

Polish used:
Base coat - Witch Craft Protein Hardener
Forgot to add a base after this which might have made the white not dry
Base of Avon French tip white (not a good layering polish)
Sally Hansen Hard as Nails -  Hot Magenta & Disco Ball
China glaze Turned Up Turquoise (Neon) Orange Knockout (Neon)
OPI Funky Dunky
Black striping polish and switched to my striping brush with Sally Hansen Black out - my LA color Black Striping polish is getting thick, it was starting to leave a strand of polish from the brush to the bottle...time to try out the thinner to make it better.



Here's some kitty love (excuse the mess, i'm in process of cleaning) This is my cat Joey is on my bed and Niai (roomie's cat) is the black cat on floor.  Pic taken this evening.  No hissing - just observing each other, this was taken shortly after i played with both cat separately with the green frog on the wand. (in picture on floor).  I'm super excited cause this is an amazing steps to them getting along.  Niah did push the envelope even further to attempted to jump on the bed (closest to the wall) and Joey started to hiss and haulted Niah in her tracks.  Niah then stood her ground on the floor before walking away

This is Kala looking all cute on the railing in the hallway

Canadian Day long weekend Haul

While visiting family in Alberta on my mini vacation (extended Canadian long weekend),  i had a shopping day with Mom and she wanted to stop at Green Apple (which looked a lot like a Chatters).  I had to google at the nail polish display.
I purchased 4 new OPI beauts

black shatter
Dim Sum Plum
Pirates of the Carribean - Planks a lot
Pirates of the Carribean - Sparrow me the drama

I'll take pics tomorrow and upload after my 5 1/2 hour drive home.
The mani i wore after this haul was the Dim Sum Plum, *i love*  topped with the black shatter.  This mani had some staying power, about 3 days,   which is remarkable for my nails lately. Three nails have very noticeable wear.  I wonder if the staying power has to do with me not at work and not doing any dishes...i'm thinking so. (oh don't think i was a lazy bum - i did the drying of the dishes, Dad just wanted to wash)

And after chatting nail polish with my cousin at the annual "Smash the cars up rally"  she informed me that she can purchase any polish for me for cost with her nail tech licence so that would mean OPI $5 instead of $10....woohoo, i will be taking her up on this offer, just would have to be patient for the shipping or wait until another trip down to Alberta or her to come to Saskatchewan.

Guest nails - OPI Log onto love

My hand and my grandma's

Over the weekend, i visited my grandpa & grandma - my mom's parents.  15-20 Years ago my grandma  loved to get her nails done and she would always have some nail art on an accent nail or thumb.  But now health problems/older age has keep both her and grandpa inside the house and not driving or venturing out.  I am sad that i wasn't hooked into the nailart/polish world at the same time and can you imagine how good i would be now if i start to creating my own art when i was still in highschool.

As they live in my hometown which is 1.5 hours away, i visit when i can, i have promised her that each time i visit i bring her nail color chose and do her nails and i really think she looks forward to it. (she told me that i was very good/steady at painting nails, but i think she was lying as grandmas sometimes do to boost up the esteem)  She loves butterflies but i wanted to try to go with some nailart polish so the mani would last longer than the butterfly polymar rhinestones i attached last mani.   She's funny, she saved both butterflies, she said "they just kept showing up,but that's how butterflies are with me they didn't go down the sink water".  ( grandma also gave me her love of butterflies)  She wanted to give them back to me to reuse, so i took them and some scrapbooking tape and stuck them onto the kitchen mirror to add to her butterfly sticker collection.

Legend
Base - OPI - Log onto love
Tiny flowers - Sally Hansen Nail art pen with Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow
Rhinestones - dollarama with a dap of Seche vite to adhere
Top Coat - Seche Vite

That reminds me i need to write her an actual letter to mail, but with our Canada Post lock out i will have some time to write it so no real rush.

Relay Nails - Patchwork

My Nails for Relay.  This was after one day of wear so please forgive the tipwear.
Thank you to Kayla for the tutorial.  I wanted all three colors for Relay and i wanted to try to show each of them equally on each nail.

Colors used
Base - Funny Bunny 2 coats (not best but as OPI was most other colors felt it was the best base)
Orange - Brights Power - OPI Brights collection
Blue - No Room for the blues - OPI
Yellow - Mellow Yellow - Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear
Black lines - Black silkline & Kiss Nailart
Top coat - Seche Vite

As per Kayla's pictures tutorial the first step was making the black lines for the template.  And the last step was also making the black lines again.  I found some nails i was horrible at coloring in the space and running my colors on top of each other or painting overtop the black line.

I got lots of people commenting on this design, and the time it must have taken to do it, i found it was an easier design to do, but as my nails are still on the short side i used my paintbrushs to fill in the colors the nailpolish brushes were too wide.  It was amazing even at the end of the Relay (6:00 am) it still didn't look too bad, lots of chips but i only had 2 casualty nails in all the hauling and packing and unpacking of stuff.

Christmas Manicures

Here are some manicures i have sported during my Christmas Holidays.

Mani #1
applied this mani on Dec 23 pics were taken 1 day (Dec 26) after Christmas so they have some chips and wear.

index finger was a quick fix on christmas day, like my ring finger the best 

close up of pinky...love this

will do this design again but not with red christmas mani

i did a quick mani before heading to my brother and gf house and didn't have time to redo for Christmas Day.  i'm not thrilled with this mani, i should have stuck with my design on the pinky finger (apply base coat of Avon French Tip White and add the  red stripes) but i wanted to use my new green stripe brush.  Also i was experimenting with application.  Applied the purple onto the base color, thinking that the chi was a winecolor and then i just went with it cause i didn't have time to redo.


legend mani 1:
Avon - French Tip White
Silkline White
Green Art LA colors deco nail art lacquer
Red LA Colors Art deco nail art lacquer
Chi Behind closed doors

Mani #2 on Boxing Day

right hand

Tried out the Christmas tree with my copper striprite, the christmas tree design was from Blue Tape and Nails tips

Legend for Mani #2
OPI Here today...Aragon Tomorrow (is a suede but added top coat otherwise will chip in few hours)
Red LA Colors Art Deco nail art lacquer
Copper So Easy Stripe Rite
Gold/Brown Rhinestone
Top coat Seche Vite

Halloween Mani - first attempt

I attempted a halloween mani on thursday.  It was fun to do but i need so much more practice with making thin lines.   Thanks to Simply Rins for the inspiration for the spider and dollface22772 for the youtube tutorial on the spiderwebs.  I still have to practice a lot more to get as good as these ladies. forget who's idea was the ghost. (will link later when i remember/find it)

I was lazy with the second finger...(i messed up and then left it cause i thought it might look like a broom) i also forgot top coat...notice the tip wear from one day without top coat.

Right hand thumb nail .... (my non-dominant hand) also not sure why the seche vite decided to bubble in the inside circle lines.

Don't show pinky finger in this pic but it was just white.

I'm a little behind in posting some mani's but mostly cause they haven't lasted long enough to take pictures, (still troubles with peeling or seche vite) or it's just nail color without stamping or freehand design, (i'm not good enough to show swatches yet)

Will be attempting a football theme tonight.  I already have the base color on, but i see the seche vite really shrinks with this San Francisco sinful color. **** Friday evening Update**** Wow this color really doesn't last more than a day the tips were showing so bad that i removed 5 polish from my fingers.  I was going to paint my design tonight(Friday) for the Sunday game but  i'm hoping that it will last till then, (it might as i don't work tomorrow and i think the tip wear is from all the paper filing and typing)

Base Color - Funny Bunny OPI
Lines/Design - Black Kiss nail art paint
Top coat - Seche Vite

No Room for the Blues + tips

This is Tuesday's mani. Very simple to do and classy. Lots of compliments from people, my chiropractor's receptionist was intrigued today and thought i had talent. It has to do with the right brushes, technique, knowledge and practice. I have little talent compared to the blogs i follow...i'm practicing.  i told her where to get the kiss nail art pens.  they are wonderful, i recommend them.

Base -  OPI No room for the blues  2 coats
Tips - Kiss Nail art paint in black white and silver
Top coat - Seche Vite

I'm pretty impressed it's been a full working day and no tip wear...think i applied the Seche Vite correctly this time.

Last Friday's mani & Tonight's new mani

This is my new mani...love love love it. Hopefully i got the right amount of Seche Vite and i don't have shrinkage so far so good it's been 6 hours now and no shrinkage.

Left hand thumb

Right hand thumb

Right hand

Left hand

Left hand...reaction to Seche Vite Top coat and OPI top coat caused the rhinestone to bleed blue.



Colors used:
Base coat - OPI - Over the Taupe
Base coat - OPI - I'm Fondue of you
Dots - OPI No Room for the blues
Top Coat - Seche Vite


Some things i noticed now...i did my nails with the same diagonal, even though i tried to do them opposite at the time. I still need to do more cleanup, but i did a much better application of polish and didn't flood my cuticles. Orange sticks don't work well for dots...next on ebay purchase - dotting tool.

Tuesday's NOTD and nail polish haul

Wow, i'm finally posting pictures faster than before. yah for me.


I was freehanding on Tuesday, i'm not in love with this, i like my right hand much better, then looked again and it was more one half lavender/one half hunky dunky. After all that polish i decided the top coat could wait till the morning and guess what i forgot the top coat until mid afternoon and already the tips are wearing. (Damn office job, can't blame that either as i wasn't shuffling paper in the morning as i was in a learning campaign) I know that i need to paint the free edge and do a top coat even if i don't like the design. I'm tempted to remove this tonight (wednesday) and start simply with a base coat.

Base - Mary Kay signature - Lavender Moon
Top Coat - OPI Hunky Dunky
Kiss - white and glitter for the strips/lines


Nail Polish Haul


I'm a little excited, i got the Seche vite for $4.99Cdn a 50% discount. the Top coat $9.99Cdn i had to purchase at full price. The pink Sinful Colors was discount to $2.99Cdn. Green was purchased at regular price of $5.99Cdn. These are my first purchases of both Seche Vite and Sinful colors i'm so tempted to do my nails again but it's already 10:15am and i need sleep

NOTD

I did this latest manicure on Monday night, waiting until Tuesday after work to apply top coat...bad idea...think i'm starting to learn now. Also still trying to be patient with polish and apply thin layers and try to cleanup the mani afterwards better. It's a learning process!!!

these pics where taking on Thursday. Friday night (tonight) i will be removing this mani and doing another. I will try to take fresh pics before the polish goes on the tips.






Love this nail as i stamped almost perfectly with the gold...looks better in person.





Base coat - OPI I'm Fondue of you
Konad Black
Konad Image plate M64