Just a Quickie : Cookies and Cream French Manicure

Base : L'Oreal Le Pastille

Tips : Sally Hansen Black Out

Matte Gradient with Flakies!

I was organizing my polishes a bit today (I have them sorted by brand, usually, but they always get disorganized over time.) and I came across Sally Hansen Slick Slate. I haven't used it in ages but I don't know why because I love it so much! It was just sitting there next to Sally Hansen Pat on the Black and I thought, "Wouldn't those just make a lovely gradient?"

Blingy Christmas Present Nails

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

It's Christmas morning and I'm hanging out at the in-laws' and I thought I would do a quick post with some amazingly sparkly Christmas nails. I did this and couldn't stop staring at my hands because the shine and sparkle was so hypnotizing! The best part was, it was super simple and it only took a few minutes!

Christmas Water Marble

I love doing a water marble design around Christmas time because it always reminds me of Christmas candies. Instead of doing a red and white "candy cane" water marble, I used green and white! 

Textured Christmas Nails

I don't have a whole lot of textured nail polishes (maybe seven or eight) but I love them so much. I forget about them for a while here and there but eventually I remember and then all I want to do is wear textured polish for days. I knew I wanted to do at least one textured Christmas manicure and, when I decided what to do, I knew exactly which color I wanted to use. 

Festive Striped French

It's almost here; are you excited? I'm not as into Christmas as a lot of people are but there are some things I love about it. One thing the gift-giving. I don't care so much about receiving them but I love giving them. Mostly because I think I'm great at it. I don't ask people what they want for Christmas. I like to find that perfect gift all on my own and I DO NOT give gift cards. I'm especially excited about the gifts I got my friends and family this year. I think I've really nailed it. I also LOVE wrapping presents. 

Today's Christmas design is something simple and sparkly and it reminds me of pretty Christmas wrapping. 

Bah! Humbug!

Today's design is a little something for those who aren't necessarily fans of the holiday season. Not everyone likes this time of year weather it be Christmas itself, or the cheer, or the decorations, or what have you. Still want something seasonally appropriate on your nails without the Christmas trees and reindeer? This may be for you...

Glitter Christmas Tree

I've decided to finally start with the Christmas nail art. I didn't want to start too early because I'm one of those people who gets burned out on Christmas pretty quickly. It's most people's favorite holiday, I know, but not mine. Give me Halloween, anytime! But, I love being festive, no matter what the holiday, so I have to do SOME Christmas nail art...

I wanted to start simple and do something fairly minimalist. What I came up with was very easy and took maybe ten minutes to complete!

Sparkle and Splatters

Sometimes, I don't know quite what I want to do with my nails. Sometimes, I have no clue whatsoever. When this happens, I like to slowly go through my stash and see if any colors jump out at me. Every once in a while, a single color will inspire an entire design, right off the bat! That was the case with this design.

When I was looking through my polishes, I came across one that I hadn't used yet! And I bought it months ago! Funky Fingers Hip City Jack was just sitting at the back of a drawer in all of its frosty, sparkly glory.

Pretty Pink Tentacles

I had TWO nails break in the last two days. BOTH of them broke straight across. I took that as a sign to switch back to a square nail shape. I also had to go super short, thanks to those breaks. 

To take my mind off of how stumpy my nails are, I wanted something fun and bright on them. Bright colors make me happy and octopuses are my favorite animal. So I grabbed my stamping plates, a couple of happy colored nail polishes, and created some simple nail art with an octopus theme. 

Punky Girly Marble

It's been about two weeks since I've posted anything and I feel terrible. So many things happened. To start, I had family from out of town staying with me for a few days over the holiday. I only get to see them once or twice a year so my focus was definitely not on my nails. And when I say that, I mean that I neglected my nails completely. They were in seriously rough shape by the time they left. On top of that, near the end of their visit, we had a pipe burst under our house, so we had no running water for a few days. 

Once family was gone and the pipe situation was taken care of, my nails were in need of some TLC. I wanted to get them back in shape before I posted any pictures for the public to see. I chopped them down, gave them lots of pampering for a few days, and now I think they're ready. They're short, but presentable. 

I didn't want to start posting Christmas designs yet. In my opinion, it's too early for that. I'm thinking maybe the twelve days leading up to Christmas. (Get it?!) Instead, I went with something girly but with a little edge.

Snowy Nails

So, I actually did these nails a few days ago when many of us, in the US, were getting snowed on. It definitely snowed in Michigan but we didn't get nearly the amount that some places did. 50-70 inches?! I love snow, don't get me wrong, but that's excessive. Ha ha! (The snow has since melted and we've got 50 degree rainy weather now.)

Anyway, I had just picked up some fun new Funky Fingers polishes that just screamed for a snow-themed mani!

Matching Nautical Nails

It had been far too long since I had done my best friend, Heather's, nails. So we got together for a little mani time yesterday. Now, I love Heather but she's a bit indecisive. (If you're reading this, love, know that I mean that in the nicest way.) ;) While she was pondering on what she wanted me to do, I took the reins. She had picked out a gold and a blue and I know she has a love for the nautical. I picked a few more colors and went to town. Well, I ended up loving the design so much that I did the exact same thing with my nails! So we matched!

Litte Miss Von Schweetz

The other day, I re-watched Wreck it Ralph. Today, I was looking for something to watch and there it was. Instead of looking harder and deciding on something else, I just watched it again. I tell you, every time I watch that movie, I love it more and more. And my favorite character has to be Vanellope Von Schweetz. She's so fun and spunky and SHE'S COVERED IN CANDY!!! So, when the movie started I decided to do some nail art inspired by Vanellope. While I watched the movie, I kept an eye out for Vanellope inspirations. By the time the movie ended, I knew exactly what I was going to do.

Just a Quickie : Glitter Gradient

Base Color - Sally Hansen Vigorous Violet

Glitter - Sinful Colors Star Dust

Pink & Holo

I've had this queued up to post for days now. But the last week has been SO insane that I haven't had the energy to even blog. Today, I figured I  might as well catch up on my blogging since it's been a few days and I already had this ready.

A little while ago I got a new pink nail polish; Sally Hansen Flashy Fuchsia. I thought it would look good with some holographic polish. And it does!

My First Nail Foil

I got some nail foils from the Born Pretty Store a little while back and recently tried my hand at them the other day. It was super fun and way easier than I thought it would be! Not only that, but the sparkle and shine was unbelievable!

Fuse!

A few weeks ago, I came across something called Fuse Gelnamel at the store and it caught my eye. It's a diy all-in-one gel manicure system. That means that there is no base coat and no top coat. So, last week, I picked up the Fuse Starter Kit. I was very excited to try it out.

Just a Quickie: Crime Scene Nails

White: Sally Hansen White On

Red: Art Club Red

Black: Sally Hansen Black Out

Fingerprint Stamp: BM-414

Pumpkin Gradient

I have been gearing up for Halloween. I've been watching all of my scary and Halloween themed movies to really get myself in the spirit. I don't even really know what it is about Halloween that I love so much. I just get so excited about the decorations and the costumes. People make fun of me but I don't care.

I couldn't do Halloween manis without including at least one Jack-o-Lantern, right? Well, here you go!

Spooky Stripes and Spots

I was digging through my polishes looking for an orange and a green to use for today's design. Then, it occurred to me that Julep's Wanderlust collection came with amazing shades of both! I pulled them out and knew they'd be perfect for today's Halloween manicure!

Initially, I wanted to do stripes. When I opened my drawer to get my striping tape, I saw my dotting tools sitting there. So, I changed my mind. But I knew my striping tape was looking at me longingly, So I decided to do both stripes and polka dots! Isn't compromise the best answer?

Just a Quickie : Halloween Glitter Gradient

I got a late start on my nails tonight (hence, the simple design) so I don't have time for a long post. I also changed the watermark to a more festive, Halloween-y font! Like it!? I do!

Base Color - Sally Hansen Black Heart

Glitter - Pure Ice Take Me Now

Bloody Mani

Halloween is about scary, bloody, gory things. So, what would two weeks of Halloween nail art be without something a little bloody? Two colors, a dotting tool, and a nail art brush and in just a few minutes, you've got yourself a gruesome little manicure.

Adorable Ghosties

I asked hubby what he thought I should do for today's Halloween design and he suggested ghosts. I liked the idea and decided to do a cute, minimalist ghost manicure. I thought about making them glow in the dark. But I preferred a stark white background to my ghosts.

Just a Quickie: Spiderwebs

Base Color - Wet n Wild Under Your Spell

Web Color - Sally Hansen Silver Sweep

Spider Color - Ulta Little Black Dress

Them Bones...

One of my favorite Halloween decorations is this cardboard skeleton that I hang on the wall. He has hinged joints so you can pose him. There's something both creepy and fun about skeletons. Considering how much I love monochromatic manicures, I thought it would be fun to do a bone themed design!

Sparkly Halloween Jelly

I love Halloween. It is, by far, my favorite holiday. Actually, it's really the only one that hubby and I really get into. For the rest of the month, I want to do nothing but Halloween designs. I have some really fun designs planned but I want to start out with something simple.

I know that some people don't care for jelly polishes. I like them, though, and every once in a while, I get a hankering to use them.

Water Marble Week - Day 7

Well, today was the final day of my week-long personal water marble challenge. I had so much fun and I feel that my water marbling skills have seriously improved. I'm sad to see this week end but, being that Halloween is my favorite holiday, I'm excited to start with the Halloween nail art!

Since these last two days have coincided with my planned two weeks of Halloween designs, I've also made today's water marble a holiday one.

Water Marble Week - Day 6

It's after midnight so, technically, this should be day 7. But I started before the stroke of 12 so I'm still counting it as day 6. So, I'm still on track!

I wanted to try something a little different with this marble. Since we are exactly two weeks away from Halloween, I wanted to start posting holiday nails. With my marbling challenge coinciding with that plan, I figured I might as well make my last two marbles a bit Halloween-y!

Water Marble Week - Day 5

Welcome to day five of my personal water marble challenge.

I wanted to involve glitter in today's water marble and I just happened to get a new one yesterday. Essence Glitz and Glam. It also happens to be my first Essence nail polish. I was walking through Ulta a week ago and it caught my eye instantly. I didn't buy it then but when I went back yesterday, I headed straight for it. I thought it would be pretty under some simple black marbling.

Water Marble Week - Day 4

It's day four and I am LOVING Water Marble Week. I feel like I've personally challenged myself and I can see myself improving! 

I was doing a quick inventory of some of my most commonly used nail polishes today; I wanted to see if I needed to stock up on anything. When I opened my Sally Hansen drawer, I saw two colors sitting together and knew, instantly, that I wanted to use them for today's water marble.

Water Marble Week - Day 3

Due to the success I had with my Funky Fingers polishes yesterday, I decided to use them again. This time, though, I wanted to use my Funky Fingers neons. It may be rainy and cool but I'm always up for a fun, neon manicure.

Water Marble Week - Day 2

So far, I'm loving water marble week. I'm learning so much! I'm also figuring out that a lot more of my nail polishes work great for water marbling. I used to think that the less expensive polishes would not work but I've started trying them out and some of them have worked like a charm.

I decided to use a couple of those cheaper polishes to created today's marble. I am just thrilled with the results.

Water Marble Week - Day 1

Today is the first day of my personal challenge to do a week of water marble nail art. Already, just in this first day, I've improved my technique. I've almost completely eliminated bubbles! Those always annoy me most. Also, I've cut down on the time it takes by marbling more than one finger at a time. Yay!

Anyway, for today's marble, I wanted a darker color scheme that screams fall. I love fall and the weather has been just perfect.

Anise Water Spots

Recently, I've become a little bit obsessed with My Simple Little Pleasures YouTube channel. Colette posts these nail art tutorial videos and, oh, the things she can do with water marbles! Amazing. I've always just hoped for the best when I do a water marble but she has actual technique and knows how to coax some beautiful designs out of the polish. Thanks to her videos, I've decided to challenge myself to become better at water marbling. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to do an entire week of water marble designs. I've always loved water marbling so I'm excited. Also, with her tips and tricks, I'm hoping that it won't be quite so tedious a process and I'll have a lot more successes than failures!

Because I've been thinking about water marbling so much, but I don't want to start Water Marble Week until tomorrow, I chose another water based design for today. I went with some water spotting. I used both of my Anise colors for it because they're lovely and look great together.

Weird Holidays - October: Moldy Cheese Day

There are some really weird and obscure holidays and celebrations out there. So many, that I decided to dedicate one post a month to my favorite! 

Today is Moldy Cheese Day! I don't know why there is a Moldy Cheese Day. I, for one, do not deal well with moldy foods. But I thought it would make for some interesting nail art.

Just a Quickie - Sparkly Gradient

Gradient Colors: OPI Danke Shiny Red & A England Avalon

Glitter: China Glaze Fairy Dust

Holographic Dry Spotted

Today was such a crazy, insane, never ending day. I almost didn't have the energy to even do my nails. But I mustered the strength and got to it. 

I wanted to play with something holographic and decided to see how a holo polish would do in a dry spotted design. Well, it did great and it looks amazing.

Bright and Shredded

It's been a few days since the 31 day challenge ended and I've been both mourning it's ending and giving my nails a break. But today it's back to the nail art grindstone. 

Hubby recently got me a fancy new hobby knife and I wanted to use it for some nail art. So I grabbed my knife, some scotch tape, and, of course, my nail polish!

31dc2014 Day 31 - Honor Nails You Love

It's here. The final day of the 31 day challenge. Such bittersweet feelings to have it come to an end...

The final prompt is to honor nails you love. One blog I've been really digging lately is Drama Queen Nails. I chose this design to recreate and I love how it turned out.

31dc2014 Day 30 - Inspired by a Tutorial

I like this prompt because it pushes me to try something I've never done before. So the tutorial I chose is this one from Nailderella for Fishtail Braid Nails.

31dc2014 Day 29 - Inspired by the Supernatural

I've been really excited about this prompt for a while now because I had decided quite early on what I was going to do. When I was brainstorming, I thought of all of the usual supernatural suspects (ghosts, vampires, werewolves, unicorns, mermaids, etc.). But I wanted to do something different. So, I chose a "supernatural" being from one of my (and hubby's) favorite shows, Game of Thrones. I picked White Walkers to base my design on. For those of you who aren't familiar with the show, they look like this...,

31dc2014 Day 28 - Inspired by a Flag

I'm not going to lie. When I was looking for a flag to base this design on, I was looking for two things; I wanted something REALLY easy, but colorful. It didn't take me long to find what I was looking for!

This is the flag of Seychelles. See what I mean? Easy, yet colorful! 

31dc2014 Day 27 - Inspired by Art

There is a cafe downtown called the Dessert Oasis that I just adore. It's one of those coffee shops that actually does the poured "latte art" on each coffee. (They make a fantastic Mexican Mocha.) Whenever I see it, I think of water marbling. I thought that it would be the perfect inspiration for today's prompt, inspired by art.      

31dc2014 Day 26 - Inspired by a Pattern (Just a Quickie)

Argyle Nails

Julep Amy (teal) 

Julep Olivia (Brown)

OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons (nude)

31dc2014 Day 25 - Inspired by Fashion

We are officially in the final week of the 31 day challenge and, I have to say, I'm going to be sad when it's over. I've had a lot of fun and ended up with some designs that I've really loved. And I've done really well keeping up with posting. I only fell behind once and caught up the very next day. I hope I can keep the streak going for the home stretch of the challenge.

Today's prompt is inspired by fashion. I didn't plan this but I ended up doing another Betsey Johnson inspired design. I stumbled across her Fall 2014 and fell in love. She is by far my favorite designer and I just adore her. I love her use of colors, patterns, textures, and accessories.

31dc2014 Day 24 - Inspired by a Book

For today's prompt, I chose to do nail art based on my favorite book of all time; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Call it a children's book, if you want (it technically is), but I love it. I can't tell you how many time's I've read it. The only reason I haven't done Alice nail art before (other than my fuzzy Cheshire cat stripes) it seems a bit overdone. I see Alice nails EVERYWHERE. It seems a crime, though, not to use my favorite book as inspiration for the 31 day challenge.

31dc2014 Day 23 - Inspired by a Movie

I don't know where it came from but, just as I sat down to start doing my nails, my movie inspiration popped right into my head. Drop Dead Fred! What a great movie! I loved it as a kid! Hubby and I rediscovered it a year or so ago and I still love it so much! It's just so fun and, as obnoxious as Fred is, he is just the greatest. I was more than excited to create a fun manicure inspired by Fred.

31dc2014 Day 22 - Inspired by a Song

I went through a laundry list of song choices before I settled on what to do for today's prompt. It's tough to decide which direction you want to go in once you choose a song. Do you use the lyrics, music, or maybe even the music video as inspiration? I was looking through some playlists and, suddenly, it came to me. I knew what song I wanted.

Then, it happened. I put off doing my nails like I always do and... I BROKE A NAIL! Bad! My nails are just getting to a respectable length! UGH! I am so sick of cutting my nails down. So, I patched my nail, instead. I hate nail patches. You always have to redo them and it's just a pain. 

By the time I was ready to do my nails, I was tired, and annoyed, and almost ready to skip it. But it's the 31 day challenge and part of that challenge is posting daily, right? So, I did it anyway.

The song I chose is Bullet With Butterfly Wings by The Smashing Pumpkins.

31dc2014 Day 21 - Inspired by a Color

I wasn't sure, at first, how to interpret today's prompt. I noticed that a few bloggers were using the name of a specific nail polish as their inspiration. That seems like a fun way to go with it, so that's what I did!

31dc2014 Day 20 - Water Marble

Let me start by saying that this is my favorite water marble EVER! I spent an absurd amount of time at my nail station doing a ton of trial runs and experiments but what I ended up with is awesome!

I love combining nail art techniques together. For instance, my water marble color block manicure. For today's prompt, I wanted to combine water marbling with yet another nail art technique; gradients! The idea was to marble with a clear nail polish to let the gradient peek through.

31dc2014 Day 19 - Galaxy

I've done several galaxy designs in the past so I really wanted to do something different this time around. So, I figured I could give pastel galaxies a try. I've seen them around the blogiverse but never tried them out for myself. What's a 31 day challenge for if not to make you try new things?

31dc2014 Day 18 - Half-moon (Just a Quickie)

Base Color - Sephora X Perplexed

Marble Color - OPI Do You Have This Color in Stockholm?

31dc2014 Day 17 - Glitter

I love glitter so much. If I could cover everything I own in glitter, I would. Hubby would never go for that, though. My initial design plan for today was going to be way over the top. Glitter galore. I chose, instead, to keep it simple and let the nail polish do all of the work.

31dc2014 Day 16 - Geometric (Just a Quickie)

Base Color - 

Sally Hansen Silver Sweep

Accent Colors - 

Sally Hansen Sun Sheen (orange)

Julep Marion (teal)

OPI Purple With a Purpose

31dc2014 Day 15 - Delicate Print

We're halfway through the 31 day challenge!

Today is the day I was dreading simply because this is the only prompt for which I did not have a single clue as to what I was going to do. Seriously, though, what the hell does delicate print mean? I struggled with this prompt last year and this year was no different. I started and scrapped three different designs before I got to this one. And, frankly, I am only posting this one because I didn't have time to remove it and do something else. 

Call it cheating, if you want, but I ended up using stamping for this design. I really could not come up with an idea that I liked and this was a sort of last resort. It still came out pretty, though.

31dc2014 Day 14 - Flowers

Since I used my favorite animal as inspiration for yesterday's post, I thought it appropriate to use my favorite flower for today's. I love lilies; specifically Tiger Lilies. I also love Stargazer Lilies. But I've seen so many lily nail art designs out there, I decided to find another kind of flower. I browsed a flower glossary website for a while and, as you can imagine, there were TONS of flowers to choose from. I was looking at all of the gorgeous, intricate flowers when suddenly...

...THIS beauty jumped out at me! Instantly, I knew this was the one. It's such a simple bloom. But that, in combination with the gorgeous foliage, was what drew me in. It's called Purple Shamrock!

31dc2914 Day 13 - Animal Print

I knew from the get-go that I wanted to do something different for this day of the 31 day challenge. No zebra or leopard here. I did some research for a while but couldn't come up with an animal print to do. Then it hit me. Why not do my favorite animal? Enter the Blue Ringed Octopus.

31dc2014 Day 12 - Stripes (Just a Quickie)

Base Color - OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons
Marbled Colors - Zoya Kelly, OPI Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow, OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons, Sally Hansen Pat on the Black

31dc2014 Day 11 - Polka Dots

My favorite day of the 31 day challenge is here! I love polka dots so so so so much! When I was planning out my designs for the challenge, this was one of the first that I came up with. 

Also, I am SO pleased with the way this design turned out! I would wear this one every single day. It doesn't hurt that I used my favorite color. ;)

31dc2014 Day 10 - Gradient

Today's prompt is gradient. Luckily, gradients are one of my go-to techniques. 

I debated whether or not I should do something more than just a simple gradient. Maybe some stamping, or rhinestones, or polka dots... I wasn't sure so I started by choosing my colors . Once I finished the gradient, I was so thrilled with it, I just wanted to leave it alone and enjoy all of its simplistic glory.

31dc2014 Day 9 - Rainbow

I was very excited for this day of the 31 day challenge because my original plan was to do tie dye nails. The more I planned it out, though, the harder it seemed it might be to do. I knew I would use dry marbling to create the effect. But to have the amount of colors I wanted, on top of the already large amount of polish you need on your nails to get a good marbling, I knew that the drying time would be ridiculous. Then, an idea popped into my head! Why not DIY rainbow dry marble nail stickers?! BRILLIANT!

The final product is pretty killer...

31dc2014 Day 8 - Metallic (Just a Quickie)

Silver - Sally Hansen Celeb City

Gold - Butter London The Full Monty

Copper - Butter London Shag

Baseball Nails! (Again!)

Hubby took me to a Detroit Tigers game last night. As per usual, I did some special nail art just for the occasion! I've done several Tigers inspired designs in the past (like this, and this, for instance), but I never get tired of them and it's fun trying to do something different every time. This time I wanted something with some bling to it.

31dc2014 Day 7 - Black and White

Again, I was supposed to post this design yesterday. This time, I have and even better excuse than last time. Hubby surprised me with tickets to a Tigers game! So, we got to spend the afternoon in Detroit with another couple. It was so much fun, and the Tigers won! Woo hoo! Seriously, I love baseball sooooo much!

So, yesterday's prompt was black and white. The design I ended up with was not at all what I planned but I LOVE IT!!!

31dc2014 Day 6 - Violet

I was at a loss for what do to for today's prompt. Hubby suggested, "...that thing where you spray alcohol in water and dip your finger in it!" Ha ha. So, water spotting it is! I thought this was an opportune time to use my newest Blurple, OPI Do You Have This Color in Stockholm.

31dc2014 Day 5 - Blue

I know, I know, I was supposed to post this yesterday. I have a good excuse, though. A friend of mine, whom I haven't seen in months, was in town and spent the evening with us. Dinner, dessert, movies, and games occurred so there was no time for blogging. 

The prompt was blue and I already knew that I wanted to do a cling wrap marble. I've been trying not to use techniques that I will be using later in the challenge. I always want to default to polka dots or gradients. I want to keep it varied, though. So far, so good.

31dc2014 Day 4 - Green

This is going up much later than I planned but I got caught up doing chores and forgot to post it earlier. Being that it's so late, this will be a quickie post.

Today's prompt was green so I snatched up a couple of my faves and went at it!

31dc2014 Day 3 - yellow

Fun fact: THIS IS MY 300th POST!!!!!! Wahoo!!!

Not so fun fact: I had a nasty break today so I'm down to suuuuper shorties.

So, I went into this day of the challenge knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I had this whole plan laid down and my tools set out and my colors chosen. Yeah, I didn't do any of it. Initially, I was going to do a Spongebob Squarepants inspired manicure. Bright yellow nails with green spots and Spongebob's face as an accent. At the last minute, I decided to use a lighter shade of yellow. I slapped that on and thought, "I've already done Spongebob nail art. Maybe I should do something different." In the end I decided to just go simple and pretty.

31DC2014 Day 2 - Orange

Orange is my favorite color so I always love wearing my orange polishes. I already knew which orange I wanted to use for this prompt. Fall is fast approaching and the weather is changing accordingly. I have the perfect orange nail polish for this time of year.

31DC2014 Day 1: Red

Aaaannnd we're off!

It's finally here! The 31 day challenge has arrived! I'm ready for it, too. I've been brainstorming ideas for over a week and getting myself mentally prepared. The only thing that could possibly get in my way now is feeling too tired/lazy to do my nails. I'm not letting that happen, though.

The challenge prompt for day one is red. The prompts for colors are always the hardest for me just because there are a near infinite amount of things you can do with a prompt that vague. So, my plan of attack is this; pull out every polish in the color (red, in this case) and pick a few that I like together. Narrowing down the colors makes it easier to decide what, exactly, I want to do! For today, I went with a patchwork mani!

Out of sheer frustration.

I had a plan. I was going to do some nail art inspired by Doctor Who since the new season started on Saturday. I got to work and midway through the manicure, I got an idea to try something new. (I'm not going into a lot of detail because, frankly, I'm still peeved.) Long story short, I spent about an hour trying to make my vision a reality and it just didn't work. The end result looked muddy and just not good. Oh, I forgot to mention that it involved A TON of glitter and I forgot to use my peel-off base coat. 

So, with the time spent on my nail fail and the time spent getting everything off of my nails, I was so frustrated by the end of it all! At that point, I just wanted to do something quick and be done with it. 

Mint and Navy Dry Marble

I snatched up a bottle of Sally Hansen Green Tea yesterday. I have a few mint green polishes already but none of them are that perfect shade that I've been looking for. Some are too blue, some are too green, and some are WAY too sheer. Well, Green Tea is the one. I knew after seeing swatches and reviews on other blogs that I needed to buy it one day and when I saw it at CVS yesterday, I jumped at the chance. 

I knew I wanted to use Green Tea today but I couldn't decide what color(s) I wanted to pair it with. I went back and forth between something in the mauve family and something purple. Eventually, I did what I usually do and picked the color of the shirt I will be wearing tomorrow. (It's a weird system, I know, but it works for me.) So, navy blue it was!

Just a Quickie: Fan Brush Nails

Base Color: Zoya Kelly

Pink: ORLY Fancy Fuchsia 

31 Day Challenge, Here I come!

It's almost that time again! Time for the 31 Day Challenge! Sarah over at Chalkboard Nails has issued the challenge to the bloggerverse once again. I can't wait. I did it last year and it was definitely not easy but it was a blast. It made me really dig deep for creative ideas and practice lots of different techniques. Just like last year, submissions for each prompt will be hashtagged with #31DC2014 on various social media sites.

So, starting on September 1st, I will be posting a design every single day based on the challenge prompts. Well, I will try my hardest. Ha ha!

Who else is participating this year? If you haven't tried it, give it a shot!

Neon Watercolor Skittles

I know I've mentioned my pets a few times. One of them is our Corgi puppy, Oswin. He just turned seven months! Anyway, he got neutered yesterday and it's just the saddest thing. He has to wear one of those cone collars and, since his little legs are so short, it makes him so clumsy! He doesn't hold his head high enough so the collar gets caught on the ground and he trips over it. He's also mopes around because he isn't allowed to jump and run around. 

Sad puppy! Aww...

Meanwhile, my nails!

I wanted to do some watercolor using neons. All of my Funky Finger neons, specifically. Since they make a nice neon rainbow, I thought I'd do skittles nails to show them off.

Just a Quickie : Holographic Shimmers

Thumb, index finger, and pinky: cling wrap marble
Middle and ring fingers: Gradient
Butter London Trustafarian (green)

A England Tess D'urbervilles (blue)

...In a galaxy (manicure) far, far away...

Sometimes, when I need nail art inspiration, I try to think of something I haven't done in a while. I have so many favorite techniques, I sometimes end up doing the same three or four things over and over again. 

While perusing some of my old designs, I realized that it has been ages since I did a galaxy manicure. I don't know why because I adore them. They can take a bit of time but they look amazing and so unique. 

So I grabbed a few polishes (well, more like seven or eight) and went to work.

Diamonds (or pearls) in the rough.

Hubby and I had to take an impromptu road trip to Toledo, Ohio yesterday morning. I didn't have very much time to do my nails but I couldn't just leave them naked. So, I grabbed a polish from my stash that I actually hadn't used before; Taffy Tart from Sally Hansen's Sugar Shimmer line. I slapped it on and went on my way. I loved it so much that I just kept staring at my nails almost the entire drive. 

When I got home, I just had to add something to my nails. Just to make it a little more fun.

More Julep Wanderlust

The other day, I showed you some of the polishes from Julep's new Wanderlust collection. Well, The rest of the colors are just as amazing, plus there's a glitter that's just to die for. Once again, I chose to use a bunch all at once. Specifically, all four of the remaining polishes from the collection.

Textured Color Block

As some may notice, I've changed the look of my blog a bit. I wanted a fresh and simpler look. I'm using this revamp as a nudge back into regular blogging. I've been pretty bad about keeping up with my blog but, to be honest, I just haven't been doing my nails as much as I used to. With work, the puppy, and personal stuff, I just haven't been able to do them on a daily basis. This, unfortunately, means that I've also been neglecting my nails a bit, too. I just wasn't caring for them like I should have so they aren't in the best shape.

Well, no more of that! Back to pretty pretty nails and blogging and babying my nails! Now, on to the manicure!

Julep Maven Skittles

I have been a Julep maven for about a year and a half now. If you aren't familiar, it's a monthly beauty box subscription containing nail polishes and other beauty products/tools specially chosen for you based on your style profile. I, personally, am in it for the nail polish. The other products I have received from them have only made me love Julep more but the polishes are where my heart lies. They create a new color collection every month and the colors are almost always stunning.

This month's collection may well be my favorite so far. It's called Wanderlust and the colors are to die for. There was no way I could choose which colors I liked best so I asked hubby to make the choice for me. He couldn't decide, either, so he told me to just upgrade and get the whole collection. That's nine colors! Ten if you include the limited edition glitter celebrating Julep's third birthday. My box came in the mail yesterday and I had to do a mani with them today. 

I live in a menagerie...

...Well, not quite but it sure feels that way. I am cat-sitting for a friend for a couple of days. Her two kitties, my three kitties, and the puppy make for a fur-baby filled house! I love it, though. It is tough, though, to make sure that everyone gets the love and attention that they deserve. 

Anyway, this manicure started at one point and then went WAY in another direction. So, I was wearing this teal and dark gray striped shirt. It's one of my favorites. I just so happen to have two nail polishes that match it perfectly. I grabbed them and was going to do a striped mani to match the shirt. At the last second, I decided I wanted to match my nails to my work outfit for tomorrow which will be green. I really wanted to use the gray, though (Zoya Kelly) because it's probably my favorite gray nail polish in the whole world. So I perused my green polishes until I found the perfect match!

Some Overdue Water Marble

Yesterday, I wanted to do something that I hadn't done in a while. I sat and thought about it for a while and eventually decided on water marbling. It's one of those things that I love to do but usually, once I consider the mess, the time, and the 99.9% chance that I will screw up several times before I'm done, I decide against it. Well, this time, I had some spare time on my hands and I was feeling patient so I went for it!

I was heading to a party so I chose the colors based on my outfit for the night; black and white to match my top and blue to match my jeans! I've always loved the combination of black and white with a pop of color.

Pink, Sparkles, and a Fan Brush

Call me lazy, but most of the time, I just want nail art that takes next to no time but looks really unique. Don't get me wrong; intricate free-handed designs and water marble and stuff are amazing! But hand me some plastic wrap or a dotting tool, and I'm usually a happy girl.

Such was the case with this design. I didn't want to spend much time on my nails but I still wanted something fun, flirty, and PINK!

Micro Bead Flowers

A while back, I bought one of the Sally Hansen I Heart Nail Art Kits. I got the bead kit that came with three tubes of micro beads; one tube of teal, one tube of pink, and one tube of multi-colored. I have had that kit for several months and never used it. I eyed them today and HAD to do something with them. Unfortunately, I was in the mood for something minimal. I came up with the perfect compromise, though!

Dry Spotted?

I think I've discovered a new technique for myself! Well, I was trying to figure out something quick I could do with my nails. I had just grabbed two of the new Funky Fingers Electric Neons (which are amazing!) and thought that they worked very well together. I tried something new and LOVE the end result...

Gradient Stamping

So, I did some awesome nail art a few days ago and I was so proud of it! And then... I lost the photos! :( Terribly upsetting. It was something new and I loved it so much. I'll recreate it soon and post it for all to see. 

Meanwhile, today it crossed my mind that I haven't done any stamping in a while. I decided to slap some stamped nail art onto my digits.

Happy belated Birthday USA

With my family being in town, things have been so hectic. Every day included some sort of activity so there's been zero time for blogging. :( Sadly, they left this morning. Now, it's time to settle back into a normal routine which includes NAILS!

Yesterday was Independence Day and we celebrated with a trip to the Detroit Zoo (and a picnic) and then a nice barbecue dinner. Holiday nails are some of my favorite designs so, albeit a day late, I have to post some pretty patriotic nails!

There's Baloney in Our Slacks!

It's been quite some time since my last post but it's with good reason. I've been preparing for a visit from my family from Tennessee. It's been about a year and a half since I've seen them and I was SOOO excited. Also maybe a little anxious because with hubby and myself plus them and their guest, there are six of us in our little three bedroom house. Luckily, my awesome mother-in-law offered up two beds in her house (she lives right down the street) so everyone has a comfortable place to sleep. During the day, though, everyone hangs out and eats here. So, needless to say, things have been a little hectic. 

But, thanks to the Germany/Algeria game today, everyone's attention was occupied and I had time to do a little nail art! Today's design is based on one of my favorite cartoons from the 90s! Can you recognize it?

Silver and Doodles

This is a design I've been sitting on for over a week now. I actually wasn't going to post it at all because it's literally just something I doodled one night while I was bored. Heather brought over her Sally Hansen nail art pens (all of the colors I don't own) and I was playing around with them. I like the way that it turned out so much that I decided to share it after all.

A Little Metal

A few weeks ago, I ordered these small metal spike studs from The Born Pretty Store and I've been itching to use them. They're so fun and edgy. I just haven't been sure of what I wanted to do with them. Well, while listening to the radio, a Metallica song came on and I knew what I had to do. It couldn't be more perfect! Hubby and I are both big Metallica fans and I knew he would get a kick out of a design inspired by one of his favorite bands.

Splat!

One show that I am a huge fan of is How I Met Your Mother. There is one specific episode where the characters are all pointing out odd flaws or "gaps in knowledge" in each other. Ted's is his mispronunciation of the word chameleon. He is teaching his architecture class and says "Cham-ah-Leon." That always tickles my funny bone.

Every time I see that episode, I think of one of my favorite green polishes, Ulta Chameleon. It's such a fun color and makes a great base for fun designs. Splatter mani, anyone?

Game Day!

Hubby got some free tickets and parking passes for last nights Detroit Tigers game so, of course, we HAD to go. Being the baseball fans that we are, we couldn't miss out on that. Never mind the fact that the stadium is 20 miles away and the game didn't start until 8:00 pm (so it didn't end until about 11:30pm) and I had to get up for work at 3:45 this morning. It was a lot of fun and worth the sleep deprivation! 

Naturally, I had to do some Tigers nail art to sport at the game. (Get it? "Sport?" HA HA HA!!! I'll pretend everyone laughed.) I ended up doing two different designs because I wasn't thrilled with the first one. I'll share them both, though.

So glitzy!

Today is the last day of the Five Below nail art competition so I have one last Funky Fingers design to share with you. I wanted to go over the top girly with this one and I think I have accomplished just that!

Glitter n Studs

Some of you may have noticed a slight trend in my nail art the last couple of posts. I've been using a lot of Funky Fingers nail polishes. Five Below is having an Instagram contest for nail art/manicures. The entries have to use Five Below polishes and Funky Fingers is one of their brands. I thought I may as well share my Five Below manis with you guys, too!

Today is another Funky Fingers manicure. I seriously love this one. (I say that a lot, don't I?)