31 Day Challenge - Day 15: Delicate Print

Hey everyone!  Man, I know...I've been gone for quite some time, considering I was posting pretty consistently for awhile.  But, I'm back today with Day 15 of that 31 Day challenge.  Now, I can assure you that you are not mistaken that it has taken me over a year to get to Day 15.  I sincerely hope to actually finish the challenge before another year passes, lol.

So here we are: Day 15 - Delicate Print.  I couldn't figure out what print I wanted to do...and I finally narrowed it down between lace and paisley.  I would've attempted paisley....except I didn't bring the right colors to do it, lol.  I basically had to do this lace print with primitive tools...well, tool, a dotting tool to be precise.  It was the smallest dot, but it still was too big for my little project.

As you can see, the lines are too thick for it to be a "delicate print".  It was supposed to be a line just bellow the smile line, then little hills on top of the line with dots on top and below.  Yes...maybe I went a little overboard with the dots, hahahah.

Here is a slightly better picture to see the lace-ness of my nails.  Basically, I have China Glaze's Shooting Stars on my tips, and then OPI's Yodel Me On My Cell for the lace pattern.  Let me say that it always looks different in my head, lol.

Next time, I'll try to hunt down a tiny brush.  I didn't have one available to me this morning, so I had to forgo the luxury. Heheh  Also, I think I'd cut down on some of the dots.  And maybe do the same design on my ring finger instead of the fishnets I attempted.  Lots of stuff to improve upon!

Hmm...so I'm thinking about doing a review of Glen Ivy Hot Springs & Day Spa soon....and of course, I need to move on to Day 16: Tribal Print.  Man, another tough one!  In case you haven't noticed, I've never done a tribal print before.  Guess I better get crackin! Hhahahah

Till Next time!

31 Day Challenge - Day 14: Flowers

Hi Everyone! It's been such a busy week so far, but I thought I'd just do a quick post on the challenge.

I decided to do a monochromatic french manicure with flowers on my thumb and ring finger.  I think the concept was better in my head (like they all are! lol), and the execution...not so much.

I only wore this look for a few days (chipped easily without a base coat), and now my nails are bare again.

I did add a little bit of glitter along the edge of the french and a little in the center of the flower in hopes of salvaging my look.

I guess it's simple enough that altough it didn't look the way I wanted, I could live with it, lol.

Looking at the next day for the challenge, I see it will be a Delicate Print.  If anyone has seen my work, you'll know that "delicate" will be pretty tough for me.  After that is Tribal Print...and I never really do those either.  I guess this challenge also encourages us to try new things, but ...it's still like a mental thing with me, lol.  I have hope after that because I already know exactly which glitter I want to do! LOL  I heart me some glitter!

Anyhoo, I gotta get back to work...Till Next time!

31 Day Challenge - Day 13: Animal Print (Fail!)

Hi Everyone!  So yes, as the title suggests, I tried to do an animal print, and failed. Go me!

So...I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm not a big animal print kinda person.  I've probably only done animal print nails once. Or twice. I don't really own animal print clothes...but admitedly, I <3 animal print bags.  Not just any animal print: Snake Print.  In hindsight, I should've just done snake print nails.  Instead, you have this sad look to my left.

So what I did was use O.P.I.'s I Don't Give a Rotterdam as a base color, and used my Art Club Nail Art Lacquer in Black to do the design.  What is it, you might ask?  It was supposed to be a Koala face.  I thought w/ some eyes and a long tear-shaped nose, it would be totally recognizeable.  Sadly, that is not the case.  I would need cute fluffly ears, and a little baby koala in the pouch.  So yes, it's a fail.  Seriously, I have no idea what I was thinking!  If it was a challenge that I liked, I might be tempted to do it again, but since it's Animal Print, I'm going to write this off as a fail and move on.  Someday...if I am so inspired...I will post a better animal print.  I have an idea for a snake print one that I want to try out...my last snake print idea did NOT work out.  At all.  Bleh...

Here's that challenge:

So...Flowers is next.  Hmm...my Summer Flower mani is pretty popular...I should try to make a new version of it. =)

Till Next Time!

Disclaimer:
1. Every product I used for this blog was paid for with my own money.
2. I am not affiliated with any of the companies who's products I used.
3. I am not being paid for this blog.
4. These are my honest opinions.

31 Day Challenge - Day 12: Stripes & Review of Nail Foils

Hey Everyone!  OMG, I finally did stripes!  I've been trying to decide for-like-eva(!) on what type of design I wanted.  In the end, I thought I would just get these nail stickers (for lack of better term), and test them out.

Soo...the last time I was at the store (when I got all those awesome OPIs), I passed by these nail stickers on the way out.  They kind of reminded me of the Sally Hansens stuff, so I thought I would try them out.  UGH, they suck.  Like really hard.  Let me explain...

So, when I saw these suckers, I thought they would be all polish-like (like the Sally Hansens ones), but they weren't.  They were all stiff...perhaps I should've melted them w/ a heat gun, but I decided to follow the instructions on the back of the package.  So the basic instructions were:

Step 1: Manicure your nails.
Step 2: Lightly buff your nails.
Step 3. Choose the sticker that fits closest to your nail size.
Step 4: Stick it on and press firmly.
Step 5: Cut off excess.
Step 6: Continue to press firmly to get out all the creases
Step 7: File off excess using a downward motion.
Step 8: Apply Top Coat.

I think the biggest issue was that the stickers weren't sticky enough.  They creased and wouldn't stay flattened, no matter how hard I pressed.  It looks okay-ish, but I was so annoyed with it I decided to remove it.  My hair kept getting caught up near the cuticle area, the feeling wasn't that smooth, and all the creases just bothered me.  I didn't throw a top coat on it, but at this point, I doubt it would've made a difference.

Would I recommend? NNNOOOO! Absolutely not.  I can't even think of an instance where I would...

Here's the challenge:

Next up is Animal Print.  I'm not a big animal print gal...I prefer other patterns.  But I think I have an idea of what I want to do for this challenge...stay tuned!

Till Next Time!

Disclaimer:
1. I did not receive any products I used for free.  It was paid for with my own money.
2. No one asked me to review this product, or create a video/blog about it.
3. I am not affilated with any of the companies who's products I used.
4. These are my honest opinions.

31 Day Challenge - Day 11: Polka Dots + O.P.I. Haul

Hi Everyone!  I have started on the second range of the challenge - Patterns.  I kinda don't do polka dots well, so I decided to go with polka rings? Lol...Just a random design I wanted to try out with the new polishes I just got. =)

Sorry this pic is kinda funky and you can't see the design THAT great.  Basically, I put on two coats of O.P.I.'s I Don't Give a Rotterdam, and then drew dots on my tips with O.P.I.'s Yodel Me On My Cell, and then put dots of I Don't Give a Rotterdam in the middle of those dots.  That way the have a ring-like effect. =)  I used my biggest dotting tool, but I think (if I ever attempt this look again), I will use the next size down.  I mean, my nails aren't that long, so I don't have the real estate for big giant dots, hahah.

Here's the challenge:

Next up is Stripes.  I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'll try to have something up in the next few days.  Can you believe I've actually been consistently posting?!?  Hopefully I can keep this up (or at least once a week up) for a while. 

Now on to the Haul!  So I finally had a little bit of extra pocket money, and decided to update my nail polish stash.  Normally, I don't buy too much O.P.I. mainly because it's pretty pricey.  However, I got a pretty good deal on the 6 bottles I got ($4.50 each), so I decided to limit my purchases to O.P.I. =)  There wasn't too much new China Glaze or Orly polishes available that I was interested in.  The store had quite a limited selection for those...I think I'll have to go to the other local nail supply store to pick up the new collection items, if I want them.  But....I'm limiting myself to one more nail polish splurge, and it's kinda price ($25!!!), so I probably won't be buying anything else for my stash...for a short while. =) I miss the days when I could just go buy whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted...it's hard growing up! LOL  Damn these bills and responsibilities!

Okie, so here are the six polishes I got (mostly from the Holland collection) from left to right:  Yodel Me On My Cell, Pedal Faster Suzi!, I Don't Give a Rotterdam, Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvelous (get it? har har), Significant Other Color, and Pink Shatter.

So far, I've tried I Don't Give a Rotterdam, Yodel Me On My Cell, and Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvelous (on my mom).  I can't wait to try the Pink Shatter, and compare it to the China Glaze ones. =)

For I Don't Give a Rotterdam, I used 2 coats for a semi-even coverage.  If I wasn't planning on doing a design, I probably would've used 3 coats for a more even coverage.  The coats are pretty thin, so I guess it's not a biggie to use 3...just more than I'm used to.  Like I've mentioned in the past, I prefer 2 coats. =)  For Yodel Me On My Cell, I only used it to make dots, so I can't really comment too much about the polish.

As for Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvelous, I used 2 coats for a pretty even coverage.  It's kinda sheer, though, so a 3rd coat might make it a little more opaque.  I think it looked pretty with just 2 coats, and I plan to get a swatch out.  I didn't do any designs or anything this time for my mom...just a basic mani.  Maybe when this project is over and I have more free time...

Overall, I enjoyed using O.P.I.  The brushes are a lot thicker than I'm used to (with Essie, especially), so it only took a few swips to get full coverage.  However, the colors I've used in this batch have all felt pretty thin/sheer.  I'll let you know how the rest of the colors work out.

Till next time!!

Disclaimer:
1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free).
2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog.
3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used.
4. These are my honest opinions.

31 Day Challenge - Day 10: Gradient

Hi Everyone! Wow, I'm officially 1/3 of the way through this challenge.  I'm going to give myself a small pat on the back...could've been bigger if I was really able to keep up with doing this everyday.  I've read some blogs where the author has found it pretty frustrating...which I can totally identify with.  Once again, I'm not thrilled with how my mani turned out.

So, I chose my colors (the scented Eternal and Essie's Watermelon), and then I decided to do a gradient on each nail.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the makeup sponges I normally use for this, so I thought I'd try with a different one.  TOTALLY didn't work.  The sponge I used was too dense...so it litterally looks like i just did a bad french mani job.  UGH!!!  And of course, now that I'm working, I don't have the time to just do it over. 

Here's the Challenge:

As a side note, I've been wearing these looks to work.  Now, I wouldn't wear these looks to court....and I don't really think they look "professional", but what harm is there?  I'm not meeting any clients (except my own private ones, and seriously, they don't care that my nails look funky), and I do my work well.  No one's said anything, so Imma keep at it.  Randomly, I bought a pair of work slacks yesterday...but now that I look at them in the office, they kinda look like jeans....I wonder if someone will reprimand me, hahaha.
Day 11 is going to be Polka Dots....I think I'll have to choose some more colors....

Till next time!

Disclaimer:
1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free).
2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog.
3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used.
4. These are my honest opinions.

31 Day Challenge - Day 9: Rainbow

Hey Everyone! I'm back for Day 9 of the challenge.  To your left I have a rainbow on each nail, and to the bottom, I have just one color on each nail.

I'm not sure which I like better...On one hand (literally, har har) I have rainbows that look drawn by a child, and on the other hand, I have a funky manicure (which I kinda made weird with those butterfly decals).  *Sigh*  I feel that Rainbow Day is Full of Fail Day.  I will be happy to proceed to the next challenge (Gradient) ASAP!!

If you're interested in what colors/polishes I used: Left Pic is all Nail Star (over China Glaze: White).  Right Pic is (Pink) Eternal Scented, (Orange) Orly's Pumpkin Punch, (Yellow) Nina Ultra Pro: Solar Flare, (Green) China Glaze: Turned Up Turquoise Neon, (Purple) Finger Paint.

I got the butterfly decals at a local nail supply store. Admittedly they apply pretty easily, and seem to stay on okay, but now that I've tried them a couple times, I think they just look weird, hahaha.  Kinda like, "what's that on your nail?!?"

I've decided on how I want to do my Gradient look, but haven't chosen colors for it yet.  I will definitely get that out to you soon!

Here's the Challenge:

Till next time!

Disclaimer:
1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free).
2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog.
3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used.
4. These are my honest opinions.

31 Day Challenge - Day 8: Metallic

Hey everyone! Day 8! Wow...I had such a hassle with this look. I know I'm reusing the crackle, but I didn't have the polish I originally had planned.

Anyhoo, so these are the colors I used:

Pink Base Color: Essie's Watermelon

Black Base Color: Orly's Goth

Metallic Crackle: China Glaze's Latticed Lilac

I'm not sure if I've reviewed Essie's Watermelon before.  I absolutely love it!  The color goes on wonderfully, and has a pretty good look with just one coat.  I usually add a second coat just to even out the bald spots (although they aren't that noticeable).  In this look that I'm wearing, I have 2 coats on my thumb, and one coat on the rest of my nails.  I don't think you can even tell...Also, Essie's brushes are a little on the skinny side, but it does the job. =)  Essie's polishes aren't too cheap...usually around $7 a bottle.  However, I feel like Essie is a little inconsistent.  You'd have an awesome coverage, awesome non-chipping polish (like Watermelon), but you also get ones that chip easily (like that Minty one).  I would definitely recommend this color, but I'm not sure if I would recommend Essie as a brand in general.

Orly's Goth is also a pretty cool color.  It's a nice black polish with silver glitter.  I don't really have too much to say about it.  It needs two coats to get a good, opaque coverage.  It seems to take longer to dry than other polishes.  It's pretty, and it works for this purpose. 

If you read my Day 5: Blue post, you might remember that I was complaining about the China Glaze Crackle polish in pink metallic.  I have found out that I have a pale purple (not pink), and I am still complaining about it.  Maybe I still haven't figured out the trick to the crackling part yet....I've tried laying it on thinly, and that seems to work TERRIBLY.  I only tried it because other people who have reviewed it claim the crackle effect works better when you apply a thin layer.  Not for me.  I actually think it works better when you apply a thicker layer, HOWEVER, you have to apply it quickly and evenly.  I think my problem comes when I'm swiping my third swipe (I usually do one stripe down the middle, one to the left, and one to the right) I accidently go over my first stripe.  Then that creates a non-crackling area.  Did that make sense?  Maybe in simpler terms, if you go over the same area more than once, it doesn't crackle.  At least for me.  Let me know if you have had different experiences!  I think I will give this polish one more chance.  Probably not for any more challenges, but for just a regular day sometime in the future. =)

I also wanted to let you guys know I bought a Silk'n Flash & Go, which I am using right now.  I think in a few more weeks, I will post a review on it, just so I have some definitive idea of how well it works. Hehehe

I have a couple ideas for the next challenge, Rainbow, so I'll try to get that out to you soon!
(The Challenge:)

Till next time!

Disclaimer:
1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free).
2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog.
3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used.
4. These are my honest opinions.

31 Day Challenge - Day 7: Black & White

Hi Everyone! I have my Day 7 look here for you.  I did  Black & White flames...inspired by The Hunger Games.  Yes, I know...Katniss didn't have anything to do with black or white, but I just chose colors that fit the challenge. =)

The colors I used are Orly's Liquid Vinyl (the black) and Orly's Orly Platinum (the white).  I also have Essie's Happily Ever After as the nudish base color.  Basically I put a few drops of the polish on the tips of my nails, then used a pushpin to drag it up to make the flames.  After I finished with the black, I let it completely dry before doing the same with the white.  I think it turned out pretty cute for a first attempt. =)

Hmm...if I were to use colors truly inspired by the Hunger Games and Katniss, I think I would've chosen a shimmery red and a golden-orange color instead.  I've seen this look done with 3 colors, and that looks pretty cool too.

Here's the Challenge:

I have some ideas of what I want the next couple looks to look like, but I don't have them ready to go yet.  Hopefully you guys won't have to wait long for the next post! I'm workin' on it! =)

Till next time!

Disclaimer:

1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free).
2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog.
3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used.
4. These are my honest opinions.

31 Day Challenge - Day 6: Violet/Purple

Hi Everyone!  I have officially made it to DaY 6 of the 31 Day Challenge.  Who knew it would take me forever to do six days of posts!

Anyhoo, I have a cute treat for you, ANGRY BIRDS!!!  Yes, yes, I know there's no purple angry bird, but this is an Angry Laker Bird!  And go team, they won the last 2 games while I was sporting this look!

I got this look from a video post from CutePolish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e0hewa7iY0

I actually a more "Angry Pig" lover, but I thought this look was really nice and a fitting look for my Purple look. I've gotten a couple nice compliments on them, but it's kinda hard for random people to really see what I have on my ring finger, lol.

The purple I used is Nina's Purple X-ing.  It actually chipped really easily, so I'm not too impressed with the polish.  And yes, if you look closely, my eyes are blue...I didn't have my black accessible to me at the time, so I improvised by using a dark blue.

Sooo yeah...I have my Day 7 look ready to go, so you won't be waiting too long for the next post! =)

Here's the challenge:

I see alot of work cut out for me! LOL

Till next time!

31 Day Challenge - Day 5: Blue

Hi everyone!  Woot, another post, sent in a timely manner.  Don't I feel on a roll...I think I got to this point last time too, but I am determined to keep it up this year! (Even if I'm starting 4 months into it...hahhaah)

For the challenge, I have this summertime Zoya color called "Breezi", and some Hot Topic polish in a sparkly purple color on my ring finger, all topped with China Glaze's silver crackle polish.

I guess I could take this opportunity to do a mini-review on China Glaze's crackle polish line.  I bought almost every color at Nail Warehouse Supply (they had a special that was buy 2 get one free).  So I bought the white, silver, and pink metallic.  I had already bought the black a week before.  I have tested all 4 colors on a variety of polishes (and am banging my head wondering why I didn't take pics of them!!!).

Here are my thoughts:
1.  You need to put the crackle coat on only after your base color has completely dried.  I had one nail that was kinda wet, and the crackle polish totally did not work out too well.

2.  All the colors seem to have a similar crackling amount, although it looks like Black crackles the best.  Direction of crackle is dependent on which direction you apply the polish.  Also, I find that having a little more on your brush works better, but some people say a very thin coat works the best.  You're going to want to play around with this to find what works for you.

3.  The black works best on light color polishes, especially a metallic silver.  I think that combination just looks the best, in general.  The silver, white, and metallic pink work best on darker colors.  As you can see in my challenge pic, the dark purple just seems to have a better contrast.  I actually had tried the metallic pink over a ballerina pale pink, and it just looked like I did a bad job of applying the polish,  You had to look up close and personal to tell that it was a crackle polish!

4.  I would definitely wear a top coat with this.  The crackle polish is almost matte, and I think it would chip off easily if you don't protect it with a top coat.  This mani lasted me about a week with minimal wear & tear.  Unfortunately the hot topic polish chipped after 4 days (the Zoya lasted a week, lol).

5.  These are relatively inexpensive (I got mine for $5 a bottle...and that one free one, lol).  I'm not sure how much they charge elsewhere, but I doubt it will be more than $8 each.  It's a fun and easy way to give your nails some texture without actually needing to do some tedious nail art (which I miss having the time for!).

6.  Would I recommend it?  OF COURSE!  I absolutely enjoyed wear these polishes, and I got lots of compliments at work (yes even now, a year after crackle has made it back in, hahahah).

I will try to get out some pictures of the different colors and stuff, so you can see what I'm talking about.

Till next time!

31 Day Challenge - Day 4: Green

Hey everyone!  Finally a post that's not 6 months apart from the last one! LOL

Here is the green polish I chose for the challenge.  It's China Glaze's Mistletoe Kisses.  It's a very pretty color that I don't get to wear too often (because it's not deemed "work appropriate" hahaah).

I know the pic is blurry, and the color seems a little different from others, but I believe it's because I'm only wearing one coat, and maybe my lighting is weird.  Overall, I really like this color and I would wear it again. =)

I will be posting Day 5 soon enough, and hopefully I'll have something set up for Day 6 soon! =)

Till next time!

31 Day Challenge - Day 3: Yellow

OMG, where did the time go?  I just checked my poor, neglected blog, and what do I see? I haven't updated it since my vacay in OCTOBER.  Geez, just shoot me, lol.  So here's a beautiful yellow, that I took a picture of MONTHS ago.  It's from Orly, and there isn't a name on my bottle, unfortunately.  I got the tiny mini bottle from Ulta, and figured it would be a cool color for the challenge.

I can't remember much about the polish except that I didn't like it too much, hahaha.  This is what I get for procrastinating my blog.  As some semi-excuses: first I had to prep for my son's first bday, then Thanksgiving came around (sister-in-law wanted to cook turkey......though that didn't work out cuz our oven broke!), after that the holidays which had all these plans attached, my birthday (which was spent @ Disneyland! Hehe), Valentine's Day (aka my anni), a Vegas trip, and then I started working.  So it wasn't like I was just sitting around on my bum, watching the baby...at least the whole time, haahaha.  But I do apologize for being so inconsistent.  I will *try* to do better, and I have a few ideas on future blogs. =)

Here's the challenge...since I'm sure you've all fogotten about it by now! LOL

So sad...this is just Day 3, haahahah. The good thing is that I have Day 4 and 5 almost ready to go...

Till next time!