31 DAY CHALLENGE, DAY 31 - Re-Create Your Favorite Challenge!

Inasmuch as Lozlosa is a "team" blog, Liz and I  each took a turn at recreating our favorite manis from this challenge.  First up...

Liz

It was difficult for me to pick a "favorite" challenge look, but I decided to do something with sparkle, class, and a little flair. I now present my attempt at re-creating Diana's post from day 14 of this challenge... Flowers! 

Smooth... just like me. ::wink, wink::

The polishes I used were: Essie - Beyond Cozy, Borghese - Angelica Blush, Essie - Eternal Optimist, Nars - Ratin Jot, China Glaze - Holly-Day, Orly - Lucky Duck. I ended up skipping the gold-flake accent nails because I didn't have anything in my collection that would have recreated the effect.

I have always wanted to try the vintage flower look, but I never got around to doing it. Until now! The mix of soft, creamy flowers flanked by sexy glitter is a winner in my book. I remember Diana not being thrilled with the manicure when she did it, but I thought that it was lovely, and I hope that I've done it justice.

Check out the glitter on those babies. Yeah!

It's so hard to say goodbye... ::sniffle:: Today's post marks the last entry for Lozlosa's first nail challenge. It's been such a fun experience, and I feel incredibly privileged to have been able to get to know some of the lovely ladies who participated. The amount of talent and hard work that everyone else demonstrated only raised the bar higher, and the support that was extended was fantastic. Thank you all for participating - it's been AWESOME!

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Lisa

Last night, I poured a glass of Barefoot merlot (inexpensive but excellent), and spent a couple of hours reviewing the nail art posted by our co-challengers.  Geez, there's a lot of good stuff out there!  It was really neat being able to Go Back In Time and see again what we'd all done.

In the end, I  decided upon Kimber's truly lovely 31st day post: Inspired by a Tutorial!  Like Kimber, it was the first time I'd used a fan brush to effect "stripes", and lemme tell you:  this is one tres cool technique!

For my color palette, I pulled a trio of much-loved lacquers from the burgeoning stash....

L to R:  Nubar Faded Jeans, China Glaze Life Preserver, and Nubar Dark Wash Jeans

I began with two coats of Nubar Faded Jeans, a shimmery pastel blue, over my very favorite base coat:  Palladio Moisture Surge.  Once dry, I fanned impressionist-like stripes of China Glaze Life Preserver, a creamy rich coral, across each nail.  Next, I used the same technique to apply a layer of Faded Jeans stripes, and then  fanned a layer of Nubar Dark Wash Jeans.  I repeated those steps until I ended up with something I rather like (be forwarned:  lots of pix coming up)....

The polishes went on smooth, and other than some cuticle flooding (that I worked hard to rectify), the process was an enjoyable romp.  I look forward to trying it again (and again) with different formulas and shades!


And now... for the hard part (I wonder if all neophyte nail bloggers go through this, at the end of their first challenge) ....

I've had a wonderful time participating in this Challenge, learning new techniques, and improving my meager skills.  Along the way, the stars managed to align themselves and I discovered some super blogs and bloggers, from near and far, and all around the world.  I'm grateful to each and every one of you who took the time to visit our little blog and encourage us, along the way.  You've taught me much, and I look forward to keeping in touch!   

Finally, how's about a big hand and a  huge "thank you" to Kimberly Newman for her talent, generosity of spirit, and for taking the time to coordinate this fun event?  Kimber, you rock something serious!  Thank you so much!

Because I'm getting all thirty shades of weepy at the prospect of finalizing this post (NOTE:  Ladies, you TOO will one day go through menopause.  Wink.), I'm going to grab myself a hanky and encourage you to check out the splendid final offerings of our delightful co-challengers....

-Kimber at Kimber's Lacquer Korner
-Kat at Hooked On Polish
-Diana at Nails By Diana
-Kate at The Painted Pony Nails
-Sam at Polished Art
-Nail Narcotics
-Nicole at Nicole Gets Nailed
-Shelby at Shelby's Swatches
-Mixed Mama
-Joanna @ Sweet Polish of Mine
-Patty Greenberg
-Mari at Nailista
-Gini at Sassy Paints 
-Chameleon Stampede 
-Pam at Nail-E-Glance 
-Me, Myself, and Polish 

Thanks so much for stopping by!