Quick and Pretty

I've been meaning to post all weekend, and this isn't what I intended to post about, but darnit, time is running out and I hate to start 2012 by feeling like a slack-ass loser.


Presenting...the reverse half-moon mani!

Zoya Yara with Mattese Black Glitter

I don't fancy I'm the first person to do this, but I'll be danged if I've SEEN it in any other nail blogs.  And ya know what?  I love it!  I'm planning on playing with this technique more in 2012. 


You know what else I think we're going to see a LOT more of in the coming year?  FLAKIES.  Yep.  What 2011 was to crackle/shatter, 2012 shall be to flakies.  Essie's done it.  Finger Paints did it.  Zoya's doing it.  So much for the clamor over Nubar 2010 and Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure.  Flakies are going mainstream!  Hop on board before it's old hat.


Hey, y'all.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I'm not a dominatrix...

...but if I were, this is the mani I would rock at all times:

 

I ask you, how effing awesome is this?  It's a slapdash mess, I know, but don't you judge me, Earl.  It's China Glaze Lubu Heels tipped with Essie Forever Yummy.  I cannot tell you how much I love this.  I kind of threw it together out of boredom and curiosity and MAN...it's awesome!  Next time I have a date (which should be sometime in 2015, if my romantic history is any indication), I am doing this mofo, and I'm doing it RIGHT.  It is the sex.  I'm sorry.  It just is.


Here, check out Lubu Heels on its own:

If you need to go have a cigarette now, I'll understand.

I'm baaaaaack!

Have I used that title before?  It's been so long, I don't remember!


I'm so sorry to have taken such a lengthy leave.  Between the holidays, the time change, the loss of my camera...it's just taken me some to get back on track.  I've been painting my nails very regularly in the interim, I just haven't gotten into the flow of photographing and posting like I should.  Honestly, I have no delusions that anyone missed me, I'm just always embarrassed to take up a hobby and then drop it at the first inconvenience.  I made promises, and didn't keep them...for shame!


'Nuff o' that.  So, I got a new camera!  I love it, but I haven't taken the time like I should to REALLY learn how to use it, so you guys are gonna see some rough pics along the way.  AND, I got an OttLite for an early Christmas present!  I have yet to set up a proper picture-taking place; I'm just using the light to do much better-looking, precise manis.  We'll all learn together! 


Today I bring you Zoya Cynthia, with a topcoat of China Glaze Fairy Dust:

Cynthia is a very dark, green-leaning teal, and she's a lovely.  But that is not the point here.  If you don't own CG Fairy Dust...CHANGE THAT!  It is blingalicious; glittery, but not hard to remove at all.  I mean...DANG.  It ain't Christmas yet; still PLENTY of time to ask Santa for some kickin' stocking stuffers.

Speaking of which...Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!  I hope to speak with you more in the future.  Bless y'all!

I've got good news, and bad news

The good news is...I'm back!  I had a RIDICULOUS time on the cruise last week.  I never want to overburden this blog with personal details about my life that will mean very little to the rest of the world, but I've just got to tell you:  I. NEEDED. THAT.  I've been on about seven cruises at this point, so it's not new to me, but I've been through so much over the last year or so that apparently I just had a lot of thinking and mental reframing to do that I didn't even know I needed to do, and I DID it.  I had a stoopid amount of fun, and learned a bit about myself in the process.  It was a personal retreat, if you will.


Sigh.  Enough.


The bad news is...I lost my camera somewhere along the way.  I've emailed Carnival in the hopes that it was in my room or something, but until then, I've got nothing with which to document my adventures in lacquer.  (Also, I lost all my cruise pics.  ACK!)  Between reevaluating my life right now and that unfortunate happenstance, this means that you'll be seeing less of me.  I.  Am.  Sorry.  My goal is to post perhaps once a week now, since I have a few unposted pics stashed up.  Hopefully I'll hear from Carnival with some good news; otherwise I'll have to wait for some holiday deals to roll around so I can get a good deal on the camera I've been eyeballing anyway.


To throw in another bit of good news, I'm going to look at this time as a great window with which to try to shape my nails up a bit (no pun intended).  I broke down and bought a $20 bottle of Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator, so we'll see how it does!  I'll bring you a swatch shot later in the week, but I just wanted to check in quickly post-cruise. 

Sparkles a Go Go - Pink Wednesday

Greetings from the Caribbean!  Well, actually, greetings from my desk chair, on account of it's actually the Tuesday before I leave for my cruise.  Yes, this is one of those Pink Wednesdays where I'm not actually wearing pink on Wednesday.  Sorry!  I'll be kind of busy being on a cruise ship.  Yeah.  As you're reading this, I probably have a fruity drink in my hand.  I'm probably in a deck chair.  I can't be bothered with wearing pink polish.  Don't hate.


A couple of weeks ago, though, I donned a pink mani I REALLY loved. 


(Sidebar:  Please don't judge me for the state of my nails and cuticles.  This blog is not here for me to overshare details of my personal life, but I'll just tell you that sometimes I may have a hard time prioritizing the care of my hands.  That's happened a lot lately, but things are looking up.  Hopefully my fingers will be in better shape soon!)

Love this!  This is China Glaze Go Go Pink with Mattese Nail Art Polish in Black Glitter. 

Go Go Pink is available as part of a package at Sally Beauty with Seche Vite Top Coat to support breast cancer awareness.  If your Sally still has this combo package, PICK IT UP.  Not only is it for a good cause, it's a bargain!  The total price for the combo is only $1 more than the usual price of a bottle of Seche Vite, so your Go Go Pink is only $1! 

The Mattese polish was part of my recent NYC haul...it came from Ricky's NYC, a beauty store that can only be found in New York, New Jersey and Miami.  I'm really loving this stuff.  I didn't know at the time that it had a nail art brush, but I'm really quite happy that it does.  Great stuff, huh?  Lookit the shiny!!!


I'm pretty pleased with this, my first attempt at doing anything besides cleanup with a nail art brush.  It's quite abstract, no?  Are they palm fronds?  Claws?  I don't know!


Hope you're all having a great week!

Cruisin'!

I'm heading out on Monday for a much-needed, long-awaited cruise the to Caribbean...woohoo!  I've actually done several cruises in my time, but it's been a few years since I was on one, so I can't wait!  On the agenda is a port I haven't visited and a cruise-line-private-island dealio where my party and I will have one of those nifty private beach cabanas - complete with water slide, hot tub, our own chairs, catering and free house drinks.  Sweet Pete...it is unwise to write a post like this several days in advance.  Makes it that much harder to wait out these last few days!

I've been sitting on this mani for a little while.  I really loved it, but I just kept waiting for the time to be right. 

How beachy is that?  It's H&M Deep Sea and an unlabelled Sally Girl mini glitter that I got as a freebie in a swap.  Seriously, this makes me want to dive into the Caribbean rightthisverymoment.  I wish it had a longer life span; it would be PERFECT for cruising. 

I wore it for one day shiny with Seche Vite, which made it shrink back; then I mattified it with Essie Matte About You.  THAT's when it really popped for me.  The shrinkage is frustrating, but I've come to accept that as the trade-off for how often and easily Seche Vite allows me to change my polish.

While I'm gone, I'll be testing out the weartime of Sally Hansen's holiday Salon Effects Polish Strips.  I'm very excited about the plaid and argyle patterns, and I can't wait to show them to you when I get back. 


Have a great week, ya landlubbers!

Butter London - Mixed Bag

The good news:  While in Austin recently, I picked up four new Butter London polishes.  I showed you Pink Ribbon in a recent glitter sandwich.  Today I bring you All Hail the Queen (top) and Victoriana (bottom), two lovely shimmer-packed polishes.

The bad news:  This stuff chips and wears WAY too fast for what it costs.  No other way to say that.  I've bought polishes that cost half as much and wore twice long.  It's a good thing Butter London puts out some beautiful, unique colors, because otherwise I'd think twice before purchasing.


Truth time:  What's the priciest polish you've ever bought, only to be disappointed by the quality?