Check out my guestpost at TrailerHood Chic!

Sorry I've been absent, more on that at a later date! But dont forget to check out my Guest post at TrailerHood Chic!

See you all soon!

Challenge Day 30: Copying the Copy Cat

 Hello Ladies! Today my mani was inspired by this YouTube tutorial. If you don't follow CopyThatCopyCat's blog you should! She does some really amazing nail art! On to the mani!

Remember my last post where I said that that was after a long day of swatching? Yeah this was after that...enough said...

I used Deborah Lippman Almost Paradise for the base, Wet N Wild Black Creme for the heart, and white paint for the lace and dots.

You cant see the lace too well on this pictures, but you can in real life. I have no idea why I look so red...lol.

What's your favorite YouTube tutorial?

Challenge Day 24: Perfect!...well not really.

 Hello Friends! Today I'm bringing you nail art inspired by my one of my favorite authors Ellen Hopkins. The books are written in poetry form and talk about topics such as: drug abuse, depression, suicide, prostitution and body image. You can find out more about the books here. To some it might sound like they would be boring and hard to read because of the poetry part, but it's really not. I would recommend them to anyone! Anyway, here's the cover that inspired me:

I really want to go re-read these books. My favorite of the bunch is Identical and I wish I could tell you why, but it gives the whole book away. Let's just say, I'm a psychology major...lol.

I thought I recreated it fairly decently!

This was done after a long day of swatching so excuse the mess. I started with a base of Milani White on the Spot and then sponged China Glaze Sweet Hook , Sinful Colors Paradise, and Essie No More Film. 

I put a layer of seche vite down, then I wrote the word "Perfect" and the swirls with a striping brush and No More Film and then took a qtip dipped in remover and dabbed the letters, my goal was to make them look like a water color, but it didn't work.

Finally I used Wet N Wild Megalast in Through the Grapevine mixed with remover again and dabbed that around the letters. 

Dwindling down!

Have you read any of Ellen Hopkins' Books? What's your favorite? Are you gonna pick any of her books up now? I'm excited for her new releases!!!

Challenge day 23: Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat!

 Hello Ladies! Did you get what movie I'm doing from the title? Yes! It's Alice in Wonderland! The original cartoon one for those who didn't click the link. When you google search Alice in Wonderland nail art you usually come up with some really cool card-based or clock-based nail art, which is understandable. I decided to do something different and I was inspired by the dormouse and his song:

Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat,

How I wonder what you're at!

Up above the world you fly,

like a teatray in the sky!

When you google search search "Dormouse Alice in Wonderland" you come up with this image which is what inspired me to do this:

SQUEE. It turned out so much better than I had ever hoped it would. And it also took me 2.5 hours to do this. On one hand. I can imagine how horrific it would have looked on the other hand.

I started out with a black base and used a no-name purple, revlon royal, and white (in random orders) to make the galaxy-esque background. Then added the stars and fireworks with a brush and a dotting tool with Milani White on the spot, Sally Hansen Insta-dri Express-so yellow, and China Glaze Aquadelic.

If you want to know a specific color on the dormouse just ask, because I must have used at least 12. I used a scraggly hair on one of my brushes to outline him. It was not fun. Just as a tip for you nail art fiends, I put a layer of seche vite between Mr. Mousey and my background in case I messed up, and when I took this off it  he came off completely separately from my background, so my idea worked!

I'm proud of my Alice in Wonderland nails! Have you ever done them?

Hope you have a great day!!!!

EGADS! Zoya Bottle Spam

ALERT ALERT ALERT HORRIFYINGLY BAD PICS AHEAD!!!

Hi ladies. My fiance needs his phone today so I was left without! So I used my really old phone to take some pics of my bottles of polish to show you! My neighbors are home today so I had to use my bathroom again. Here goes:

From Bottom left to top: Kelly, Jules, Zuza, and Wednesday. My favorite out of this bunch is Zuza. My least favorite is Jules, I still don't know why I bought that. Maybe it was on clearance. It was one of my first Zoyas.

The pinks! From top to bottom: Chloe, Kissy, Kimber, Lara, and Lo. I hated Lo when I first got it. It was the first time I ordered off the Zoya website, but I absolutely loooove it now. Put Chloe on top and you have candy on your nails. My least favorite is Kissy. It was a huge lemming for me for a long time, but it dries funny and I don't really care for glitter so much. Maybe I'll love it some other day, because it is a cool polish.

From L-R: Dree, Ivanka, Charla, and Tracie. My favorite of this bunch is Charla. Least favorite is Tracie. I bought Tracie because when my man was looking at swatches when the Beach and Surf collections released, that was the one he loved. It's too brush strokey to me.

And finally, from L-R: Julianne, Danii, Myrta and Paz. Honestly, the only one of these I've actually worn is Paz. So can't provide opinions on these. Paz is really thick though.

That's it! That is all my Zoyas. I'll probably buy a couple from the fall collections. What are staple Zoyas that I don't have? What are your favorite Zoyas? What are your least favorite?

I'm off to eat Hamburger Helper without the hamburger and head to bed!! Good night all!

Challenge Day 26: Inspired by Icat...er...ikat

Hello friends! Today I have some super fun inspired nails to show you. As usual, I was wandering around pinterest when I saw this post and I just had to recreate it. It is in french but when you translate it, it says that she copied these. But first! what is Ikat? I had never heard of it before. You can read this wiki or the tldr is that its a dye process that is similar to tie dye but uses a resist agent instead of string or rubber bands to create patterns. 

Here are some examples in furniture and fashion: (taken from this google search and put into a picmonkey.com collage)

Now! Onto my mani!

Agh, I forgot I had taken off my ring because my hands were swollen (damn heat) ignore that! I need to work on my hand modelling....

For my base I used Zoya Wednesday which did not photograph the correct color. I much prefer this color! lol. But there it is.

For the spotted areas I used Sally Hansen Ink Splatter a black cracking, China Glaze Lightning Bolt, a white crackle, and Sinful Colors Fusion Neon. Plus I think I used black acrylic for the middle dot.

I also tried it over OPI If You Moust You Moust, with Wednesday in place of the neon and I used black and white acrylic paint instead of the crackle. I liked the way that looked better, but I did not take pictures.

What do you think? Do you like trying to recreate looks that other people do? Or even other companies, for example recreating nail wraps? They can be kind of expensive.

Happy Sunday!

NPR: What I do in my spare time.

Hello again. I have nothing to do today (well nothing I want to do, my house is terribly messy, but who wants to clean?) so I thought I'd sit down and have a chitty chat with you.

First of all, I have something to confess. I am in the process of quitting smoking, not doing very well I might add. It's hard. But to busy myself at work so that I don't smoke on my breaks I have been crocheting! I wanted to share my creation with you all!

What do you think? It has a bow but it's difficult to tell in this picture. The lighting in my apartment is terrible. I used this pattern to create it, and some yarn I had lying around. The inside is lined with a black tshirt I never wear. I can't use it just yet because it doesn't have a clasp or anything yet.

and just because! My mani! Sorry it's so blurry. I was in a hurry when I took these pics and it didn't turn out but I copied the look from ChitChatNails, only instead of turquoise and caicos I used mint candy apple if you want to see what it's supposed to look like. It's super cute. I recommend trying this! I also recommend her blog. She takes great pictures and has great manis!

What do you like to do for fun that isn't polish related?

Challenge Day 17: Stripes!!

Hi laaaaaaaddiiieeees. Today is stripey day! yay! Or not. lol. I don't care for stripes so much so I just did a quickie mani with colors that I lurve. Way back when the Zoya Beach and Surf collection came out I saw this post by The Nail Network and I love those colors together. Soooo instead of water marbling I used them for stripeys! But first: bottle spam! yay! I missed these. Also note: the colors on these pics are wrong...they aren't nearly as bright as my fiances camera made them out to be.

From left to right: Zoya Lara, Tracie, Wednesday, and Essie Fear or Desire, which obviously isn't Zoya Arizona but I don't have that and from what I saw in Ulta they were the same so I didn't need both. Has anyone seen a comparison? Do I still NEED Arizona? 

I did stripeys on the two accent fingers and used Tracie on the other fingers.

I don't know what that weird dent is on my ring finger, and I could have used a third coat, but I was already hating this look so I didn't want to spend anymore time than I had to.

Honestly, I thought this challenge would be fun...but I'm turning out to hate most of the things I come up with. Makes me sad face. Does this happen to you?

Have a great weekend!!!

Win Shellac for life!

I know I'm bombarding you with giveaways right about now, but seriously! You NEED to enter this. 33+ bottles of shellac? I think so!

WIN SHELLAC FOR LIFE ($1266 value) - NAILPOLISHCANADA.COM TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE

“To be fair, it’s actually only a 25 year supply, so we can only hope the winner dies early to keep me an honest woman” - Nikki Smith, VP of Glitter, Nail Polish Canada.

CND Shellac is a cross between nail polish and gel which is cured under a UV lamp and lasts up to 14 days without chipping.

Chipped nails are an important issue that affect lives in many ways. “We’ve invented substantial research and the reason women slap or bite in a catfight is fear of chipping their nails. Hopefully, together, we can build a world where a woman can throw a punch at the bitch who kissed her boyfriend without worrying about chips” said Ms. Smith

The prize will go to whomever can show that their life will be most impacted by winning Shellac for life.
Be it better, or worse.

Maybe it stops your polish addiction long enough that you can save money, go to school, become a doctor, go to Africa and start saving lives. Did we say that this contest saves lives? Now we did.

Or maybe you’re just looking for a little understanding, “My husband will finally understand that other people take polish as seriously as me...” - Sarah P.”

Or perhaps the result won’t be as positive, “I’ll probably spend all my time painting my nails, not go to work, get fired, now I’m homeless, damn you NPC.” - Beth C”

If you or a loved one is still stuck in a world of chips, smudges and wasting countless hours re-doing nails we urge you to take a stand.

Enter here to win a Lifetime Supply of CND Shellac

Grand prize will go to the best description of how winning a lifetime supply of Shellac will change their life.
Winner selected August 7, 2012.

Prize Details & Entry

Grand Prize (Value $1266): 33 Bottles of CND Shellac + 36 Watt UV Lamp + 5 Topcoat + 5 Basecoat + Scrub Fresh.

How much Shellac do I need to last 25 years?
1300 (weeks in 25 years) / 2 (weeks application lasts) / 20 (applications per bottle) = 33 bottles of Shellac color

Open to Canadian and United States residents only.
See full rules on entry page.

For further info please contact rachael@nailpolishcanada.com
Trademark Disclaimer: This contest is not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with Creative Nail Design Inc. Product names and other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


I am not affliated with nailpolishcanada.com, canada, shellac, cnd, Ms. Smith, or any other brands or names mention in this giveaway. I'm not being paid for this, I just want you to know!

Julep is having a giveaway!

Yep that's right! the prizes are: A Nike Fuelband:

Image Credit and more info about the band

$500 nike gift card: YAY MONEY

and 10 Julep polishes. EXCITED

I entered and you can enter here.

31 Days of Nail art challenge: RAINBOW DOTS OF DOOM!!!

Hello my dear friends. If you are on the PAA Facebook group page (which I suspect most of you are and if you aren't then yay!!!), you have already seen this mani!!! I'm gonna keep it short and sweet today because I'm watching old episodes of Stormchasers on netflix and finishing crocheting a purse. If you want me to post pictures of my purse when it's done let me know!

Dotty goodness. My base is Sinful Colors What's your name? and I used Milani White On The Spot to dot rows in a diagonal manner.

Over the top of the dots I used China Glaze Surfin' for boys,Orange you hot?, Celtic Sun, which for some reason doesn't show up, and Surfin' for Boys Super glows...I don't get it lol. Next is China Glaze In the Limelight, Splish Splash, and finally Sinful Colors Dream on. I loved this and I think I wore it for 3 days. Which is unheard of for me.

This was before I changed my nail shape I think. I apologize for the ugly cuticle mess. Black is hard to get off and my brush is terrible.

Hope you all have a great day!

Challenge day 26: Inspired by Fashion!!

Hello Friends!!!! Today I have for you a Betsey Johnson inspired nail look. As many of you may have heard, Betsey Johnson has gone out of business, which makes me sad because I never could buy any of the clothes because they are too small to fit my body!! But I love the way they look and this dress is right up my alley. So, I did nail art to (kinda) match!!

Here is the dress:

I linked to this above, but it just takes you to pinterest, where I found the image. Does anyone read these?

Isn't it adorable? I want it sooooo bad. And Here is my mani!

Yaggghhh! It's so cute!!! I wish I would have put the actual bow up a little bit higher, but still...super cute!!!

For my base I used Nicole by OPI Paparazzi Don't Preach and Orly Nite Owl in a ruffle mani (pics down below) I almost died just at that part. With a little more practice it would have been perfect! I wish I had a lighter shade of tan or a nude to make the dots to recreate the colors from the dress more, but this works out too.

After that was dry I used CND Guava to create a bow across my fingers and then outlined it in an Orly instant artist striper brush (btw did you know that these are just paint? waste o' money, good thing I got it free). Finally added Seche Vite.

Here is the ruffle mani without the bows. I like this better, but both looks are super cute.

Here it is in the shade. 

18 more challenges left!!! I better get going! lol.

Do you like to wear ruffle manis? the last one I tried was horrible.... Inky Whiskers said on one of my blog posts that she tried to do a scallop mani and it didn't work out for her. Dotting in a straight line on a curved "canvas" is difficult. I find myself wanting to follow the shape of my nail, or avoiding my cuticle.

Challenge day 13: It kinda counts!

Hello my friends! Today I have deemed animal print day. I did not want to do traditional animal prints, just like most of the other bloggers I have seen do this challenge. So what did I do? Koi print! I imagined that it was like taking a fabric that had animals on it (technically would be a print no?) and slapping it on my nails. I originally saw a similar design on google and found it here. I don't know how I found it, but I did. I did this once where I used a more water-esque type background. Also, I filed my nails into a slightly different shape, and this is the longest I've had my nails in...honestly I think ever. I'm trying to see how long I can go without a break. I had a minor one on my right hand but that's while I rounded out my nails more. Kind of hard to tell on my middle and ring fingers because they are so wiiiiide.

I used Essie Turquoise and Caicos for the base color. On top of that I sponged a whole lot of teal-y seafoam-y typeish green blues that I have. I have 17 different ones....I honestly can't remember which. I think I used: Julep Daphne, Zoya Wednesday, Essie Mint Candy Apple, and....one other one...maybe not. eek. Bad blogger is bad.

For the Koi I used a white acrylic paint, black acrylic paint, Essie Action, Essie Orange, it's obvious! , and China Glaze Orange you hot? Ha the big koi on my pointer finger is all bug eyed. He's my new friend Krazy Eye. Say hello!

Here's a picture with Mr. Thumb fish and his cut off friends. This was my favorite one. Sadly, I did not take a better picture.

And as a super bonus! on the Polish-aholics Anonymous facebook group page we were talking about what brings traffic to our blogs. My most common search was Essie Action vs China Glaze Orange you hot? and the other two compared to Essie Orange, it's obvious! So, I did a swatch-y swatch on my nail wheel!

From L-R China Glaze Orange you hot?,  Essie Action, then Essie Orange, it's obvious! Two coats, no top coat. As you can see the China Glaze is just a tad lighter than Action and has shimmer and Action dries to a pure matte finish whereas the China Glaze has more of a plastic-y finish. and Orange, it's obvious! is darker and less yellow. I wanted to to include Essie Fear or Desire but forgot. But that color is somewhere in between, leaning more towards the China Glaze and Action.

Another one bites the dust! Do you like Koi? Every time I see them I think of the bridge at the koi pond at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo where everyone throws the food in and watches them fight over it. They are some crazy fish.

What is your favorite animal or animal print to paint on your nails?

Challenge day 20 addendum.

Ok. That was rude. I apologize to you fine ladies for my rudeness, but still! First I will tell you the polishes I used: Essie Mojito Madness  and OPI Siberian Nights. All fine and dandy. The first nail I did was my ring finger. I'll post another pic here so you don't have to revert back to my other post.

Ignore the black outlines for now. So I figured that that did not work so well because I didnt have enough purple, so each time I did a bullseye after this I added two drops of Siberian Nights to every Mojito Madness (Sounds like a fun night in Siberia to me). Ok. I enjoyed the psychedelic kind of flower patter on my middle finger, and the pattern on my pointer is also nice. I had an issue taping my nails this time. I taped too close to the actual nail, and the white of my base color was visible. So I thought "add an outline! it'll be somewhat on trend AND it will cover your mistakes" wrong. I ended up with this jumbled mess. FKLDSFKJG. So. I then decided to do some stamping using RA 107 using the same colors and using the same outline technique thinger.

I did have some frustration with the water marbling aspect of this mani, but the problem was with the outlining. It was imposible to clean up...agh. Stupid orly striper.

What are your thoughts on water marbling?