Stripe You Later Nails Did

So I have this wedding shower to go to tomorrow so I had an excuse to redo my nails today!

I saw a colour sample on Pinterest (so addicted) and thought I'd go for it. I'm taking a different approach to posting and thinking of revamping the blog in a big style way so let me know if you like it!

I have some french tip guides on order from Ebay but I really wanted to do some simple striping and I just couldn't be patient. For this mani I used OPI San Tan.Tonio, Misa Dirty Sexy Money, and China Glaze Lemon Fizz.

So to start off I put on the OPI and then a coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine (like Seche but CHEAPER!), then waited...and waited....and got impatient...then had to redo my thumb...and waited... till finally it was really really dry. Then I took my pre-cut strips of tape and stuck them a couple of times to my hand first so it wouldn't be too sticky, then applied them to the middle of my nails.

I put the China Glaze and Misa on at the same time so that while they were still wet and using the tweezers, I could pull off the tape really really fast. Et voila! Stripy nails!

I think next time I'll put the lightest colour as the base since I noticed that its hard to get it even (and really it would need a couple of coats to turn out best) when you have to rip the tape before the colour dries. Live and learn :)

*Niki

Funny Girl Nails Did

It's funny how you never know how much you miss something until you finally get a chance to do it again! Man I've missed you polish blog! Life has been INSANE. And not  all the good insane unfortunately. But I have a very very low key wedding tomorrow so I needed to take the opportunity to finally polish my nails!

I looked to one of my favorite Momiji Dolls named Funny Girl to my inspiration.

As a base I layered China Glaze White on White with OPI Fit for a Queensland. Then used nail art pens to freehand on the circles.

I know its simple but I can't go too big for my first day back!

I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer so far and see you all soon!

Kurosuke Soot Nails Did

Who doesn't love the Kurosuke Soot Balls from Totoro and Spirited Away? THEY'RE SO CUTE!

I recently re-watched some of Miyazaki's films and was kinda of mad at myself for not ever doing homage to his characters in nail art form! So basically look for more of these designs to come LOL. One of my favorite characters from Studio Ghibli are the Soot - I even have a plush one that rattles when you pull a string!

So for the base I used China Glaze Recycle, then for the black balls - Orly Matte Vinyl. To get the "fuzzy" edges I used a fan brush and dipped it in polish to sweep on the polish. For the white eyes I used a nail art pen.

Madame Butterfly Wedding Nails Did

So I have a wedding to go to tomorrow - the first of 8 this year! WHOOO?! My dress is this kind of olive colour that I bought from Dress Barn (most unsexy store name EVER). But it looks really good on me! So I wanted to do something green and reflective and I thought of butterflies! 

So to begin with, using a sponge, I did a gradient of Nubar Wildlife, Gosh Golden Dragon, China Glaze 2030, and China Glaze OMG. Then using a black nail art pen I filled in the black, dotted with a white, gold and light green nail art pens and topped it with Sally Hansen Disco Ball (really sparkly rainbow glitter).

Top: with flash to capture some of the holo. Bottom: trying to capture the sparkle

 

My pictures sadly don't do it justice and IRL it looks crazy holo + sparkly. I think it would also look ten times better if only my nails were longer but every time I try to grow them even a little bit they automatically break :( I think I have to start investing in some sort of strengthening serum.

Film Buff Nails Did

I broke my thumbnail this morning and in a calculated effort to not rip off the rest of my nails so that they're even, I decided to polish them! Besides its been a while right?

For the base I used China Glaze For Audrey (haven't worn this in literally a year) then used a combo of white and black nail art pens, CG White on White and Liquid Leather for the film reel.

Gettin' ready for the Oscar's on Sunday. I'd be excited if it was anyone but Billy Crystal hosting - seriously...he's still alive?

Fly like Paper Planes Nails Did

Oh man, I did these a bit ago I've just had NO time to post them till now. I found some inspiration on the web for these admittedly - since my idea machine is working on fumes lately because Kai REFUSES TO SLEEP!!! I also regretfully cant remember where I got the inspiration from to link them properly - so if you know it, let me know and I will!!!

I used China Glaze Solar Power as the base, White on White and Recycle for the plane and black nail art pens for the plane path.

I think its super cute!

Gold Wave Nails Did

I challenged myself to do a 15 minute manicure while I was still the only one in the office early this morning. I originally want do some sort of ornate dotting and swirling pattern then I realized it was 8am and I just wasn't going to get that to happen lol.

So I ended up thinking of the people on my 2nd floor at work, the good old people in radio! So in tribute to them who were all probably working as early as I was I did a take on the radio wavelength.

I used China Glaze 2030 as a base and then simply lined in some waves with a nail art pen in black! Simple, quick, modern, and I like it.

Wild About Weddings Nails Did

Tomorrow one of my best friend's Stephanie is getting married...again...but this time to a keeper! So of course to match my fabulous dress that my sweet hubby bought me I thought I'd do my nails (since I haven't done them in so long because Kai sprouted teeth and likes to chew/rip off my polish :S).

This is what my dress looks like! It's a green and black halter made from silk and chiffon. It's really rather nice and holds my GIGANTIC boobs quite well. I wasn't quite sold on it at first but the more I see it the more I really like it.

So I decided to go with something a bit more exotic since the dress for some reason reminds me of the jungle.

I've been wanting to do a zebra print forever but for some reason despite its simplicity just never got around to it. So here it is with a twist:

I used Nubar Green Tea for the base and striped on China Glaze 2030 for the gold accents and then used a black nail striper on top for the stripes. And of COURSE they bled. I have to get a new Sally Hansen Mega Shine top coat since this one is thickening and making my polish bleed :( But its not that noticeable in person.

Excuse the horrible cuticles. They're recovering from lack of calcium and being butchered at the nail salon - AGAIN. What is with these people and killing my cuticles??? Poor poor fingers. Also no matter what I do I can't keep my skin hydrated. Any one have any favorite hand creams to recommend?

Grey Day Nails Did

WHY did the snow come back? Seriously it was like 10+ degrees C outside and then on Wednesday we had a snow storm. It was like early February again! Awful. So because of the craptacular weather I decided to do something a little gloomy. Okay not too gloomy though because I know spring is coming back soon. I used China Glaze Recycle, topped it over with Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure (remember that one guys?) and covered it in China Glaze Matte Top Coat. I like the effect, its all very dull but has just a little bit of sparkle from the flakies in the Hidden Treasure.

And if you havent already make sure to enter my Spring Cleaning Giveaway contest! Send me your spring mani for a chance to win an Eyeko prize pack!!!

Spring has Sprung Nails Did

Did you miss me? Cause I missed all of you!! Its been hard to find time to polish nails since Kai arrived, but we pretty much have nap times down so between about 2 of them I can try to get something done :).

Its finally starting to feel like spring and its absolutely beautiful out so I couldn't help but do something a bit light and fun! For the green background I used China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint and the pink is Color Club Pardon my French. Then I used nail art pens in white, pink and dark green for the designs. The darker pink I used for shading in the flowers is Finger Paints Up & Coming Artist. Hope everyone is getting a taste of good weather!!!

Crack-a-lackin Nails Did

Quick post!!

I saw that OPI had a new shatter polish out and I had to pick it up - while I was shopping for a few baby items for Kai I figured I needed a bit of a treat!

It's pretty cool but you know what I REALLY wish? That it was just a clear coat that would crack any top layer polish so its not only black. But its neat either way. This is Black Shatter on top of China Glaze Neon Purple Panic.

Did you get Black Shatter yet? If so what's your favorite pairing so far?

Tim Burton Nails Did

Wooh. So I took a bit of a break there but more on that later. For one of my Christmas presents Ben got me tickets to the new Tim Burton exhibit that is at the Bell Lightbox here in Toronto. It's actually here until April but with the baby on the way we thought it would be best to try to go see it before having to haul around a newborn. I was only able to get a picture of the front of the exhibit since cameras were prohibited on the inside but let me tell you it was awesome! The same exhibit is in NYC right now so if you can't make it to Toronto you have another option. It's the perfect exhibit for the Burton lover - there is so much going on in that guy's mind its incredible! Did you know he used to work for Disney as a concept artist and nearly all of his concept art was rejected? But then if you've seen the Adventures of Stainboy you can pretty much figure out why.

So I decided to do some Tim Burton themed nails to go along with my experience! I used a combination of all of the following: Orly Matte Vinyl, China Glaze White on White, OPI Thrill in Brazil and nail art pens in white, black and red.

Karmin G3 Review and Boozemas Party Nails Did

 I mentioned before that I would be receiving a Karmin G3 Flat Iron from the lovely people at Karmin to give a test run! Now I don't straighten my hair too often because it usually takes me about 2-3 hours (I'm not even joking), and that doesn't necessarily include all the prep before-hand like washing and blow drying it! So What I look for in a flat iron is something that is ceramic (I had one with metal plates on it once...never again!), light weight since I hold it for so long, and something that will hit a very high heat. The G3 is perfect for all of these, plus it has the added value over my current flat iron where it can actually straighten then put big curls in by wrapping your hair around the barrel. My current iron is so square and flat that doing that would be impossible and look pretty stupid - so I guess that's why it's one of the top hair straighteners!

So here are some before and after pics - I decided to straighten my hair for my annual Boozemas party. So keep in mind that I had been cleaning all day and didn't get a chance to actually blow dry my hair before I flat ironed it, so it looks WAY drier then it normally would. But you totally see the effect:

Before:

 

After:

 It works awesomely! I can't wait to try it with my full regime of wash, blowdry and straighten. And added bonus - this only took me 1hr 45min - trust me for hair as curly and thick as mine that is AMAZING. I would highly recommend this flat iron - makes a good stocking stuffer ;) And if you DO want one for your very own take advantage of 10% off with this code: GIVEAWAY10

I also did my nails for the party! Little presents! I used China Glaze Ruby Pumps for the base and brushed on crosses of 2030 with a bit of glitter from a nail art pen on top. Then I made very quick bows with China Glaze Emerald Sparkle. I think they're festive and cute!

Bees! Nails Did

Buzz Buzz! I watched "Bee Movie" over the weekend and was inspired to do this manicure! Plus its yellow, and since its one of my favorite colours it was an easy choice for a fun mani! Oh but can I just say that Jerry Seinfeld shouldn't be allowed to do voice overs for movies? He just sounds like Jerry Seinfeld...no different. But its SO obvious. Much like how Nicholas Cage is just Nicholas Cage in every movie he's in. But don't get me started on that man...ugh.

So for the base I used China Glaze Solar Power and for the honeycomb I used Lemon Fizz and a nail art brush. Octagons are hard to freehand let me just say! For the bees I used a yellow, black and white nail art pen. I think it came out super cute!

I also thought for fun that I would post a pic of my work station LOL. So messy! I don't have nearly as many polishes as some of you lovely ladies out there but I certainty put them all to good use!

Holiday Party Nails Did

Ah the Holidays are here again! I love Christmas despite the fact that the last few years in Toronto has been pretty snow-less. But I usually do get all excited about Christmas parties and putting up the tree. This past weekend Ben and I actually had 4 (!) parties to attend!! So I needed something versatile to get me through them all! So I've done gradient's before but I thought it would be neat to do one from left to right on my hand instead of top to bottom of each nail. For the base I used OPI Thrill in Brazil and sponged China Glaze 2030 on my pointer and middle finger, then switched using 2030 as the base and sponging Thrill in Brazil for my ring and pinky. Then I topped them off for some extra glam with red glitter from Midie Glitter 3 and a nail art pen in gold glitz.

And here are some pictures from the parties! Look at me looking all tired and pregnant LOL. And one of the parties was actually a dinner murder mystery. There is Ben being called out of the crowd by one of the actresses and looking mighty uncomfortable! LOL

Harry Potter Nails Did

Put ya nails up if you love Harry Potter!!

So good. See, I may hate Twilight but I LOVE me some Harry Potter movie franchise. This past weekend I saw the latest movie which is 1/2 of book 7 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was seriously fantastic and was what I consider to be the closest adaptation to the books since the first and second movies. It was also a little sexy! But I won't ruin that part for a few of you who haven't seen it. GO SEE IT ALREADY!!

So I thought I'd do a little Harry Potter theme. For a base I simply used China Glaze Liquid Leather. On my thumb I did the HP logo in China Glaze 2030 and dusted on some glitter from a nail art pen in gold.

For the golden snitches I used 2030 for the ball part and then a silver nail art pen for the wings. You can't see it too well but I also swiped on some iridescence onto the wings with OPI Happy Anniversary.

I think they're super cute and I can't wait to see the part 2!! You can bring a baby to the movies right? *sigh*

Man vs Food Nails Did

 I LOVE the show Man Vs Food. I think its because I can just live vicariously through the host while he eats all of the delicious things that I could never think to put into my body! If you haven't seen the show its on the Travel Network and basically this guy goes around the US sampling really outrageous food and then every episode ends in a food challenge.

He's done things like try to eat a 12 patty hamburger, eat 5 extremely hot chicken wings, 180 oysters and so on. He did eat the most delicious looking hamburger ever though - the grilled cheese burger. And yea, this is the replica that I made, and ate, not gonna lie. IT WAS AMAZING.

So I did the show logo on my nails. For the base I used Nubar NV2 then brushed "x"'s with OPI's Curry Up Don't Be Late, My Big Break, and a purple nail art pen. For the (very badly done at least in the head) wrestler man, I used for his skin a mix of China Glaze White on White, Lemon Fizz and Colour Club Pardon My French. The "vs" is China Glaze Solar Power outlined with a black nail art pen. And lastly the burger bun is a mix of China Glaze Solar Power and Coconut Kiss with nail art pens for the toppings and Rimmel Torrid for the patties.

Yea I'm hungry again...

Nursery Tree Nails Did

So I was waiting all week since my last nail art to do this art after I went to get my special mani and pedi with paraffin wax - and then it turned out to be pretty much the worst manicure I've ever had...EVER. You'll see the girl literally hacked at my cuticles. The paraffin was neat, but I won't be going back to that salon. I pulled out OPI's Banana Bandana, and they put two coats on which looked like 1 coat it was so streaked. It was so bad I should have taken a picture, but I asked that they not waste a top coat and by the time I got home most of it was smudged off and I replaced it anyway. Bah. So anyway I was still feeling yellow so I put on China Glaze Lemon Fizz and did some nail art with a black, white and green art pen. I thought I would do a design to match the decal that Ben and I just put up in the nursery of a really funky/modern tree! Hope you like it!!!

Dark Night Nails Did

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! This week I actually sported another variant of a mani I did last year called "Ouch Scars" only this time on my natural nails, so I didn't make a post about that. However I did sit down and actually DO my nails for the first time in what feels like forever! These are my Dark Night nails, complete with moon, dark sky and even some bats! They're kinda halloweeny...but also not :)

For the base I used China Glaze Coconut Kiss and then sponged on Orly Russian Navy in kind of a diagonal pattern. Then I used a white nail art pen to do the moon and shaded it a bit with a silver nail art pen to give it some depth. Lastly for the bats I used a black nail art pen. I actually really love how the gradient looks. And its kinda nice to sit down and do some actual nail art for once in a long time! I missed it...but I also miss having energy!!

Thought I'd share my costume with you. I made myself a Jack-o-Lantern shirt complete with a cap I made outta felt! Can't believe I only have 8 more weeks to go! Get this baby out!