ABC Challenge: "S" is for Six Holo Dotticure

Happy Hump Day, all!  It's time for another ABC Challenge.  

This week, we're unfathomably up to the letter "S"!  Where, did the time go?

Today's idea comes from Liz and her fabulous traveling box of nail polish...

 

For my Mother's Day mani (an unexpected treat), Liz started me off with two coats of OPI's My Boyfriend Scales Walls, a favorite white creme. 

Next, she picked up a set of Martha Stewart embossing tools (super for dotting!), took six glorious shades from the China Glaze Hologlam Collection, and proceeded to go absolutely, positively, dotty on my fingertips! 

L to R:  Strap on Your Moonboots, When Stars Collide, OMG a UFO, Take a Trek, Infra Red, and Galactic Gray

Will you look at those six luminous pretties!  Geez, Louise!  Gorgeous.

Though the entire collection is sold out locally, it looks like they're available on Amazon, for a song!

You might be wondering about the holographic action.  Well, it's barely noticeable with this technique. But take my advice...

Just keep your eyes on the playful dots.  THAT's where the action is! 

I'm not sure what it is about dotticures that make me so irrationally happy, but I'm not about to fight it!

:)

Here's hoping you have a super day, and that you'll join me in checking out what my challenge buddies have come up with for their "S" manis....

ABC Challenge: "R" is for Rise and Shine

Hi, everybody!  Hope you all had a nice Mother's Day.  Mine was fab.  Liz came down for the weekend from Buffalo, and her brother Jesse popped in from New Paltz.  Loved having both our chillen here for a weekend that saw relaxation, laughs, fun tv, and my Mother's Day mani (This Wednesday, I'm sporting Liz's handiwork on the blog, for letter "S" week!).  All that, and good food, too! Yup. :) Yesterday, after I visited with Tina, Liz and I met in New Paltz for the sole purpose of chowing down on the most serious Mexican street eats available on the East Coast.  

Sweet Jayzus, that shrimp burrito we shared!!! The shrimp, marinated in that garlic aioli.  The cilantro cabbage slaw!  And the Raspberry salsa, squirted on each bite?  OMG.  T'was the most amazing gastronomic experience.  You'll have to excuse me.  I think I need a cold shower.

But you didn't come here to talk burritos.  Did you?  Let's get on to the nail polish....

For this week's ABC Challenge, "R", I grabbed two cremes:  Sinful Colors' medium green Rise and Shine, and Nubar's Mod Aqua, a reliable uber-pale aqua (that borders on white) for use in a gradient  mani.  I was a little squeamish about the whole thing, since previous attempts at creme gradients were a total bust.

Nubar Mod Aqua, and Sinful Colors Rise and Shine

But I needn't have worried.

In the end, flowers bloomed, music played, lovers came together, and I turned out my first acceptable creme gradient.

The photography?  Different story.

Rise and Shine is a medium jade creme. But you wouldn't know that because my camera flipped out and refused to see anything but a blu-er tinted version of the real thing. No amount of cursing would produce adequate color correction.  Sadly, my post-production skills are lacking, as well.

But the show must go on...

Despite the photography issues, these polishes worked together beautifully.  In my experience, Sinful Colors' cremes are usually thin, requiring three to four coats to achieve opacity.  Ordinarily, that's a polish I'd steer away from.  But for a gradient, where I'm seeking a subtle transition from one color to the next, this lighter, more translucent formula was a blessing.

And the combo makes me happy!  Which is what it's all about, right?

Well, that's it, folks!  I thank you much for stopping by.

Whether you yourself are a mother, or are today celebrating one, I wish you happy day! :)

PS.  Be sure to visit my lovely friends below.  They too, make me happy....

Liz's Indie Daze - ft. Chaos and Crocodiles Pre-Order Madness

Hello my darlings! I have to admit that I've been holding out on you, and it's about time that I share the most recent additions to my indie stash. Taking advantage of a pre-order event by the one and only Sarey (the lovely ladey behind Chaos and Crocodiles), I added six new polishes to my collection.

Spoiler alert. They are friggen awesome! This was the first pre-order that I've ever taken part in, and it was full of excitement because I decided to live on the wild side by picking up three mystery polishes. Next thing you know I'll be wearing a leather jacket and saying "Eyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" at everyone. Yes, I did just reference the Fonz. To be fair, I did tell you that I decided to live on the wild side.

Enough about me, it's time for the main event! Let's check out the polish!

First up, over two thin coats of Orly Liquid Vinyl, I have two coats of Bwahaha. This sexy glitter top coat is full of purple, silver, and fushcia glitters. Circles? Yeah, this polish has them in multiple sizes! Holographic glitters? Did you SEE those huge circles - holo madness right there! Squares, stars, hexes... this is an intense polish. Stunning in person, especially being topped off with a thick layer of top coat to bring out the shine. Seriously, check out that galaxy of glitter. It's otherworldly!

Next up I'm thrilled to show you Harmonious (clear base version). A glitter topper comprised of over a hundred different glitters, Harmonious is crazy cool. What I really love about this polish is the fact that Sarey offered three different bases - clear, milky, and white. If there's one thing that I love more than nail polish, it's nail polish options. I limited myself to picking one of the three options (rather than all three... because I have a serious addiction that doesn't play well with my limited budget. True story.). I'm thrilled with the clear base version, and I'm excited to try it over all different base polishes. In this swatch I have it over three coats of Orly Pretty-Ugly, and I love the combination! The best part about Harmonious is that with over a hundred different glitters, every manicure will be different!

Moving away from the glitter top coats, let's take a look at the majesty that is Rawr! A green jelly base filled with all different shades of green glitter accented with silver and copper, Rawr! is insane. I wore this polish to work last week, and I had multiple people take a look and exclaim "Ooooooooooh - Emerald City!" In person, this glitter bomb is eye catching to the extreme, and it's tons of fun to wear. Three coats gave me full coverage without any underwear. Rawr! is a real winner, and I highly suggest it if you're a fan of green nail polish. The fact that it's inspired by dinosaurs only makes it one hundred times cooler.

The first of the three mystery polishes that I'll be showing off is the awesomely named Songs For A Rainy Day. How's that for setting a mood for your mani? Admittedly, the weather here in Western New York has been glorious, but I didn't let that stop me from wearing this gray beauty. Black circles and hexes mingle among various sizes of blue, purple, gold and teal glitters in a shimmery gray base. For this manicure I used three thin coats, and I was really shocked that there was no digging around in the bottle for the large black circles.

The second mystery polish I received is called Heartfelt, and it is truely lovely. I have to admit that in the past, Heartfelt was constantly be added to my Etsy shopping cart only for me to have second thoughts and take it back out. I can't believe that I ever doubted my desire! This is a deep purple shimmery jelly that's filled with blue, purple, and turquoise glitters. Despite the purple jelly base, this polish takes on a blue hue due to all the glitters. While it's lovely in the bottle, this polish really comes alive on the nail! This manicure was three thin coats, and it gave me perfect coverage and an incredible depth of color. It's like looking into a deep, blurple sea.

Last but certainly not least, I've got the third and final mystery polish and it's super funky! Party At My House is a top coat filled with stars, hearts, circles, hexes, bars, and squares in a mix of predominantly pink, purple, blue, and black matte glitters. Once I applied a thin coat of this bad boy over Orly Dayglow, it became clear that this polish was insane! All different colors, in different shades and finishes. I love this polish because it is LITERALLY a party on your nails. I have to say that Party At My House is my favorite of the polishes that I received in my pre-order package. The fact that Sarey has so much going on without losing the plot speaks to her talent as a nail polish artist.

I am always so impressed with the polishes that I have purchased from Chaos and Crocodiles, and this pre-order experience only deepened my love affair with this indie brand. Every package that you receive from Chaos and Crocodiles feels like a gift from a good friend because of the care and detail that goes into each and every bottle. The polishes arrive wrapped up with coordinating origami stars and a little note from Sarey.

These days, with new polish brands coming out of the woodwork at a very large scale, it's important to stand out - I believe that Chaos and Crocodiles does just that through thoughtful customer service, high quality unique products, and a whimsical personal touch. Seriously, if you haven't checked out this woman's polishes yet hop to it!

I'm a big fan of polish brands that go above and beyond for their customers (really, who isn't?!)! From indies to main stream polishes, how important is customer service and interaction to you? Does it effect your decision to buy a polish? What brands of polish have you personally been impressed with when it comes to their customer interactions?

"Q" is for Hip Queens Wear Blue Jeans

No pun intended, but I was in a quandry over this week's Challenge:  the letter "Q"...

Seriously, my quilting technique is on the fritz (with nightmarish results that screamed "Do. NOT. Do. This.", and outside of a lacquer I'd recently used, there wasn't another "Q"in the whole of my ginormous polish database!  I was bummed.

Then, I got to thinking about that special box of polishes I hadn't yet entered into the database:  the stash from my first-ever lacquer exchange, with Lariesa!

BINGO!

Albeit by the skin of my teeth, I found myself a Q! 

Oh, yeah. It's my birthday.  (Not really, but I'm easily entertained.)

Hip Queens Wear Blue Jeans is a medium dusty blue creme from Dutch German (thank you, Simona!!!) cosmetics company, Catrice.  Confession:  I'm a sucker for anything not easily found in the US.  The "grass is greener"  effect, I suppose.  Ergo, Catrice is like my uncut lawn.

But, there was a little bump on that turf...

The brush was having issues.  There were these multiple stray hairs, jutting out here and there, not unlike those wiry gray menopausal numbers that emerge overnight on my chin.    Yikes.  I reached for my trusty sharps and somehow managed to snip the insanity into submission.  

And the formula?  It's a perfectly smooth two-coats-to-opaque application, but I had some staining, as evidenced by my cuticles. What I expected to wipe up easily with an acetone-dipped brush, left behind a blue tint.  Not nice.

For the reptilian-vibe design, I reached for Revlon Silver Dollar-928, a dependable metallic silver lacquer, and stamped things up with Bundle Monster plate #BM-215....

So simple.  So quick.  So "Q".

And just a final head's up...

Today, I was cruising through all the Q-manis posted by my challenger buddies, and gotta tell ya...there's some fabu nail art coming out of this group.  The freehand, layering, and quilted nails just knock my socks off.  Be sure to check 'em out!

Thanks for stopping by...

~  Lisa

First Birthday Giveaway Winner Announcement!

UPDATE:  48 hours came and went, and sadly, we didn't hear back from two of our winners. Soooo, tonight, two new winners were chosen and we've reached to them, via email.  

 GINI TEHANDON KELLY - Pass the Sprinkles
BROOKE SUSHILOVER WADE - Dashica stamping plate

These lovely ladies have until 9 p.m. EST on Sunday, May 5th, to reply back to that email, and claim their respective prizes.  Or (sniffle), we'll have to select again.  Crossing fingers.... :)

....................................................................................................

  YAY!!!!!  We are so pleased to announce the fabulous winners of our First Birthday Giveaway, together with their respective prizes...

KARRIE MILLHEIM - Pass the Sprinkles

SHANICA UPSTATE’S FINEST DEES - Pass the Sprinkles

KERI TAYLOR - Pass the Sprinkles 
GINI TEHANDON KELLY - Pass the Sprinkles

KRISTINA MEYERS - Pass the Sprinkles

BROOKE GESSNER - Dashica stamping plate
BROOKE SUSHILOVER WADE - Dashica stamping plate

SHERYL MANOOK - Llarowe gift voucher

DEBBIE DE MARS - Born Pretty Store gift voucher

All these lovely folks have been notified, via email, and have until 10 a.m. EST on Friday, May 3, 2013 to contact us.  In the event we don’t hear back from anyone, a new winner will be randomly selected at that time.

Thanks to everyone who participated!  This has been such a fun year, largely because it’s introduced us to so many wonderful people from around the world, all of whom share our obsession with lovely lacquer and nail art!

~ Liz and Lisa

"P" is for POLKA DOTS

For today's mani, in this 16th week of Kimber's ABC Challenge, I went with my favorite "P" of all....

Polka Dots!

I'm a sucker for bold graphics in all manner of design...and polka dots so nicely fit the nail art bill.

And, what's not to love?

It's fun, elegant, and practically foolproof, all of which makes this a technique perfect for folks experienced with nail art, as well as those newly obsessed!
 
My supplies...

L to R:  Zoya Purity, Zoya Audrina, butterLONDON Horse Power base coat, Sally Hansen Black Out, and HK Girl top coat

The drill...

Over a protective basecoat, I painted up two coats of Purity, Zoya's bright white creme on my thumb; three thin coats of Audrina, the brand's pink-leaning medium purple creme, on my index, middle and pinky; and two glossy coats of Sally Hansen's Black Out on my ring finger. All applied evenly and without drama.  I used a quick coat of HK Girl top coat to dry off the nail surface before applying my dots.

My dotting tool:  the back wooden end of a eyeliner brush, dipped into polish, and tapped with varying degrees of pressure to the nail.  Firm tap:  large dot.  Light tap:  smaller dot.

Once suitably polka dotted, I painted on another layer of top coat.  Fini.

In case you haven't figured...I'm big on sporting multiple accent nails (for no better reason than it's sometimes unbearably hard to choose just one).

So, this time, I went with three. ;)

 

Polka dots are smile-inducing. Don't you think? :)

Speaking of smile-inducing, when the clock strikes 11:59 p.m. E.S.T., on Tuesday, April 30th, we'll be selecting seven lucky winners in our Fabulous1st Birthday Giveaway.  If you've not already entered, we encourage you to do just that (click on the bright green button to the leftt to see prizes and learn more).

Thanks much for stopping by.  Here's hoping you have a terrific upcoming week, and that you'll not forget to visit my perfectly lovely co-challengers to see what they've got cooking for their "P" manis...

~ Lisa

 

"O" is for a Quickie Trio of Pastel Orly

It's week 15 in Kimber's ABC Challenge, and time to grab a fast "O" mani....

Up for a quickie?

This week's letter is "O", as in Jeff Pink's Orly.

Boho Bonnet, Kiss the Bride, and Coachella Dweller

Three pastels.  Soft and creamy.  In updated bottles. I approve.

 Skittled.

how special....cat hair on my wonky ring finger

 And stamped (Dashica).

That's all for today!

I wasn't kidding about that quickie.  :)

Looking for more "O"?

Follow these lovely ladies....

~ Lisa

Monday Mani: Easy Neutrals

I know it's Spring, and that now's the time to pull out the garden of color I'm hoarding in those polish boxes.

But not today.  Today...

So, I started out by pulling together this trio of softies...

Liz's Friday Indie Daze - Wedding Nails! (ft. The Hungry Asian, A England, Cirque and Cover Band)

As Spring looms ever closer, love is in the air! Birds singing sweetly, flowers blooming in bursts, and weddings! Over the next few months, a few of my loveliest lady friends are getting married - in my mind, that means one thing... wedding-appropriate manicures! In my most humble of opinions, whether you're the bride, a member of the wedding party, or a happy guest there is room to have fun with your nails on the big day. With that inspiration firmly in mind, I searched through my indie stash for the perfect wedding day manicures. Read on!

First up, I decided to reach for one of my favorite glitter toppers. This beauty by The Hungry Asian is called Mumbling, and it is too fantastic for words. This particular mix of silver and gold glitters in a clear base takes my breath away every time that I wear it! 

"N" is for Nice & Easy "Newsprint" Nails

Welcome back for the 14th week of Kimber's ABC Challenge.  I've been looking forward to the letter "N" since this event began.  For ages, I've been dying to try that technique known as "newsprint" nails! By the time this week rolled around, I was determined to learn how it was done.  Did I succeed?  You tell me. What follows are photographs of my end results, interspersed with the twisted paths I took to get there...

The first order of business was to find myself a light newspaper-colored polish, together with a base and top coat...