Finally did my nails again.

Finally did my nails again.  I'm not big on holidays, but happy whatever you celebrate!  🙂

I know that I've got a little bit of everything going on right now, but it's got a holiday-esque theme, so it's cool.  LOL  It took me longer to plan this mani than to actually put it on myself... that seems to be my holdup lately.  😕  Thankfully, I've had some extra time since school is out, so I could think on it all I wanted to.  😛

I've done a few Christmas paint jobs in the past.  I would say that I'd re-share them, but I don't know.  I don't really feel like it.  I had a friend tell me that I should start water-marking my photos and I think she's right, but that just feels like more work.  I have to think about it.  LOL  If I do re-share anything, it'll be on Instagram, though.  You should follow me there just in case.  😛  www.instagram.com/polish_ALL_thethings

May or may not update this with polishes and plates used.  Depends on if anyone cares.  My biggest regret is that you can't see the beauty of the green on my pointer finger.  It's such a deep and amazing color.

Updated to add what I used:

For this mani, I used so many different things.  Here is a list:

Pinky:

Base - Peregrination by @differentdimensionus 

Stamping - It Mossed be Love by @hit_the_bottle from @beautometry 

Red Dots - Reindeer Games dots by @vapidlacquer

Ring Finger:

Base - Hot Black to Go by @rimmellondonus 

Stamping - Sparkling Diamonds by @colorsbyllarowe

Middle Finger:

Base - DS Radiance by @opi_products 

Stamping Decal - Gold Medal by @sinfulcolorsprofessional and Reindeer Games by @vapidlacquer

Pointer Finger:

Base - Pre-Lit Opal Tree by @enchantedpolish .  It's so beautiful, but I'm a sucker for greens. 😃

Stamping - Bronze by @mundodeunas

Thumb:

Base - Joy to the Waves by @chinaglazeofficial 

Snow - White on the Spot by @milanicosmetics , Break the Ice by @wetnwildbeauty , and The Outer Edge by @chinaglazeofficial .

Stamping - Black by @mundodeunas

Plates used were BPX-L008 by @bornprettynailart , @bornprettystore , @bornprettystorenailart , @bornprettynail , @bornprettystamping .  I also used a plate labeled "HD05" that I bought from ebay a while back.

When you get an email...

When you get an email saying that you sold something on Etsy and you are surprised, because you've been too busy to think about Etsy and totally forgot you had a shop.  LOL

I got up 3 different times...

I got up 3 different times this morning to go Black Friday shopping - ON THE INTERNET!  FOR NAIL POLISH!  LOL  I probably spent more than I should have, but some of them were gifts and honestly I work so dang hard that I just wanted to treat myself.  I scored some stuff that I'm super excited about.  I can't wait until it gets here!

Finally, a nail pic! 😃

Finally, a nail pic! 😃

I don't normally take nail pics in full sunshine, but these polishes were far too pretty for anything less. I'm time-crunchy right now, so I will edit this later and add what I used, but for now, just know that I was going for a forest-y, mysterious, magical, woodsy kind of feel. Nothing in particular, although the words on my thumb might be from a book (says Shaun. I don't know.)

Research polish;
Research plate;
Stamping, Layered Stamping, and Stamping Decal techniques

When you unknowingly...

When you unknowingly put a thermal polish on your nails and wonder why it's drying into a gradient...

But then you feel excited because ZERO-EFFORT GRADIENT!!!

Wanna paint these toenails so bad! 😂

Wanna paint these toenails so bad! 😂

Shaun just made me super happy. 😀😀😀

Shaun just made me super happy. 😀😀😀

He gave me my birthday present 12 days early. It was this box of nail polish, poop, and salt that I wanted REALLY bad. 😂

I did my nails.

I did my nails.  Nothing fancy, but I'll probably post a picture tomorrow.  This is a case where I just put on a stunning polish and let her do the work.  As much time as I wasted cleaning up my dusty, neglected nail table in preparation to actually DO something I COULD have done something fancy, but oh well.  Maybe that just means that I shouldn't go a month + without doing my nails.  LOL

This was a great way to spend the morning.

This was a great way to spend the morning. I needed some nail time with a friend!

Research polishes;
Research plates;
Stamping and Stamping Decal techniques

To anyone who runs pages:

I have a question:

I have been thinking about merging Polish All the Things and Happy Nails.  I don't see why they couldn't be one page.  Does that seem like a bad idea?  I post nails and jewelry both on Instagram under "Polish All the Things" because nails are things, too.

I feel like it would make more sense to merge PATT into HN because I have more likes on HN, but I'm concerned that I could not change my URL.  I guess I have a lot of things to look into.

Any thoughts or tips or reason for / against this?

Hey friends...

Hey friends, I just spent some time this weekend going over my Polish All the Things inventory and re-listing some things on Etsy.  I mostly haven't made anything new since I started school, but I do have plenty of items left if anyone wants things for the holiday season.

There are a few things up on the PATT Facebook page that aren't yet on Etsy, but maybe I will get them listed in the next couple of weeks.  It really all depends on how hard school is kicking my ass, but anyway.  We'll see, and I will definitely make an effort.

If any of you would be so kind as to share my shop and keep me in mind if you do any holiday shopping online, it would be greatly appreciated.  I have a tub of things I've made sitting in my room, and it would benefit me in more ways than one to get some of it moving out of here.

Etsy link

Thanks!  ❤

Since my water marbled nails were coming off...

Since my water marbled nails were coming off and Shaun told me to rest my brain I TOTALLY rested my brain.  I didn't even use it to be very creative, unfortunately.  But sometimes you find a color that's unique enough that it really doesn't need much else.  😃

I haven't bought any polish recently because, well, at a little over 1000 bottles it's honestly kind of tough to find anything new or exciting.  But then I found Moo Moo's Signatures and HOLY COW.  😳  She's got some really interesting colors going on, as you can see from this yummy green with the beautiful pink shimmer.

So, I treated myself.  I bought a few, actually, but this is the one I was dying to wear.  It's called Exotic Foliage, which I think is a perfect name.  It makes me think of some crazy leafy plant in a place far, far away.  So, I stamped an accent nail with a plant, put a dark stone on there, and called it done.

What do you think of this color?  It's giving me life right now.  ❤❤❤

Research polish;
Research plate;
Embellishment from BornPretty;
Stamping technique

I did these on Saturday.

I did these on Saturday.  I guess you could say that I was inspired to water marble some more after I did it on my friend Deb.  I haven't done this in probably 2 years until this weekend, but it was fun.  🙂

I'm really digging this polish.  It is light gray with FLAKIES IN IT, Y'ALL.  FLAKIES.  😳  They give it just a little bit of color and shimmer - not too much.  I love it, which shouldn't be any surprise to anyone who really knows me, because gray is one of my favorite colors.  (Fun Fact:  Gray, Brown, and Green are my top 3 favorite colors.)

Anyway, not a super lot to say about it.  I just wanted to post because I thought it was pretty.  The thumb is my favorite.  🙂

Research polish;
Watermarble technique

It's been a pretty good day so far!

It's been a pretty good day so far!  Is there anything a girl needs aside from friends, food, and NAIL POLISH?  I think not.  😃

I reconnected recently with someone I hadn't seen in YEARS.  We chatted and I did her nails a few weeks back, and now she's hooked!  I got me a nail polish buddy!  😃  We've mostly been stamping, but I showed her how to water marble today.  Got lucky and the first polishes she picked worked!  It was great.

We ordered pizza and talked and did nails.  She even brought her son that Shadow and I hadn't seen in forever, so it was a good time.  I hope we can all hang out again soon!

I know most of my friends are probably watching the game or relaxing, but I gotta get into some homework now.  At least I got to have some fun today.  😃  Happy Saturday, friends!  ❤

Various polishes;
Watermarble technique

So I just took my holo and chrome nails off....

So I just took my holo and chrome nails off. They definitely stuck better with proper application. I'm not sure if it's because I used cheap gel or what, but I had noticeable tip - wear within a few days. I dealt with it for all of this time because I didn't have time to take them off properly. They started chipping, though, so that was my cue. I knew I would pick at them and ruin my nails if I didn't get them off ASAP.

Well... about half of my nails sustained more than minor damage during removal. 🙁 It was my fault, of course, but it's hard to be that patient when your fingers are wrapped up in foil and you can't do anything. 😕

Overall, I think I would do it again if I wanted temporary chrome or SUPER DUPER HOLO nails, but I'd use a peel - off base coat to save myself some time, trouble, and damage. I would just do it knowing that they wouldn't last long. It was definitely a neat experiment and I'm glad that I have these options, but I honestly prefer working with regular polish.

Now I'm off to try to salvage my nails. I've got peelies and craters and all kinds of bad junk to smooth out. 😕

Yes, I actually spent money to own this.

Yes, I actually spent money to own this. If you don't know what Simply Nailogical is, you need to fix that. Sooner rather than later. 😛

Y'all. 😳

Y'all.  😳

So I did my nails again last night.  My first application of gels on myself was a complete fail, as all but 3 had pathetically peeled off within in a few days.  Since I am a bad person and did not remove all but those last 3 properly my nails took a little bit of damage, but nothing major.

I'd cut my nails down after the photos of the scale chromes because I figured I wouldn't be taking pictures for a while.  Well, obviously I was wrong.  So, bask in the glory of my silver chrome and holo nubs!  LMAO  Seriously, the chrome is so reflective you can see the reflection of the rainbow from the holo nail next to it.  WHATTT?!?!  😳

I took my time and did it correctly last night - buffing and all.  I used SUPER thin layers of polish so that I didn't flood my cuticles and overall I think this is better.  Hopefully this time they will stay on for more than a few days.

Y'all know I can't just have a hand full of matching nails, so I tried out my new holo powder as an accent nail (ring finger, if it isn't obvious.  LOL)  All I can say is "DAMNNNN."  I have some holographic polishes, but NONE of them compare to the strength of this powder.  I am in shock and awe.  The holo is even visible in regular lighting inside the house, which isn't always the case for holo polish.  Also, it's not completely visible here (because certain angles turn it back into a rainbow), but the center line down the holo nail looks chrome to my eyes IRL.  I just don't even have words for how amazing I think that is.  😳

Another great thing about the powder is that it can be used over any color (as can the chromes, actually), but I only have black gel for now, so that's what I used last night as a base for all.  I've seen photos online that show the base colors peeking through when used under the powders, so that is something to try another day.  I also need to see how I can mix and match gel with regular polish to extend wear, but I don't have the time for that right now, unfortunately.  😕

ANYWAY.  It was super hard not to stamp over these because that is just what I always want to do, but I think that my scale stamping actually took away from the beauty of the chromes on my last paint job.  Who would ever guess that less can be more?  LOL  Since these are true gels TECHNICALLY I should be able to stamp over them and even straight up paint regular polish on top of them and then be able to remove it with non-acetone remover without damaging the paintjob pictured.  When this mani starts wearing out I might try it just to confirm.  But not yet.  SO NOT YET.  I'm hoping to enjoy this one for some days.  😃

Research

Gel Nail Chrome Scale Fail.

Gel Nail Chrome Scale Fail.

Try saying that 3 times fast!

So these were done with the chrome powders I got last week. Chrome powders only work on certain types of gel polish, so that's what got me to FINALLY try gel polish.

UNFORTUNATELY I haven't had much experience with gels... literally, this was my first attempt at using real gel polish. I did a good bit of research on it several weeks ago, but by the time I sat down to try it out last night I guess most of what I'd read had gone out the window. 😕

First, I forgot to buff my nails. Then, even though I knew that thin coats were better when using gels - old habits die hard. I did ok, but gel flows easily and I flooded my cuticles. 😕 With regular polish I would just use an angled brush dipped in acetone to fix that, but that doesn't work on gels once they are cured.

So... my terrible solution to that was to clip the polish off me with cuticle nippers... while I was tired. Hence the chunk missing from my ring finger. LOL Since you can't just swipe a gel off and start over, it's on there for now. I'm sick and I have to study for another Calculus test, so it is what it is and that's ok.  Gotta keep my priorities straight (yay for adulting).  😛

I mostly wanted to try out my new stuff and now that I see how beautifully chrome and color-shifting these powders actually are, I'm happy.  I have never seen a nail polish that can achieve this effect quite so well, so these are pretty cool.  Also, if you're experienced in applying gel polish the chromes were super easy to apply.  You just buff it into your gel topcoat and seal!

Pardon my wonky camera angle, but it's hard to get a good pic when you have an interesting finish.  There were 8 powders in the set I bought.  These were my favorite 5 all used over black.  I also bought a silver for Shaun, of course.

Research;
Chrome Powders

😳

😳

This chrome!!!

Pics tomorrow. 😃

I really need to break out of my chicken shell...

I really need to break out of my chicken shell and post a video of these because a still photo just doesn't do them justice. Also, they are much easier to do than you might expect. 😃

I used a base of black polish, then this new magnetic Masura that I got. I know that magnetic polish was kind of a fad a few years ago, but these just have something about them. The magnet that this brand puts out is also CRAZY strong.

So... you can apply the polish and hold the magnet over it until it dries for a more crisp line.  I didn't want to do that because I wanted a more organic look, so I pulled them with the magnet, then top-coated them and watched as the line kind of bled out a little.  They looked super cool on their own, but you know I can't just stop there.  LOL  So I stamped this pattern on top.  I tried to angle it to match the wave of the lines in the magnetic polish so it would all look flow-y.

Anyway.  I'll post a link if I do get around to making a short video.  It will probably show up on my Instagram if I do.  😉

Research polish;
Research plate;
Stamping technique;
Magnetized

Edited to add:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Blu @ Polish ALL The Things (@polish_all_thethings)

I'm behind on posting...

I'm behind on posting - I actually did these before classes started last week!  They didn't last long, so I didn't get any better photos, unfortunately.  Let me tell you about them.

So this is a new polish - I think it is thermal, but it's nothing aside from hot here, so I never saw it change.  I do wash my hands (often, actually), but I think that I was so fixated on school starting that I didn't pay much attention to them while they were on.

So I'm digging the pink - it's a great shade.  The rainbow shards you see, unfortunately, were done with nail foils.  Beautiful, finicky nail foils.  LOL  I tried several different topcoats to see which wouldn't dull the effect, but only the crappy water-based one worked and that's just not enough to keep them on for long.  🙁

I threw a thin, metal unicorn on there because obviously rainbows and unicorns and pink are a winning combo.  I really loved the way these looked, but alas, they were chipping off by the next day.  I picked at them all week because nerves (terrible, horrible thing to do to your nails, btw), then FINALLY took off the remaining shards last night.  Now my nails are just naked and I have a Calculus test tomorrow, so they will remain bare for now.  🙁

I'm hoping this semester allows me at least SOME time to play with my nail art goodies, but that remains to be seen.  If I do manage to have time to paint, y'all will be the first to know!  🙂

Research polish;
Foils;
Embellishment

Ok, y'all.

Ok, y'all.  So those pretty little abalone foils were all completely popped off by yesterday afternoon.  I could tell when I was posting the photo of them that they wouldn't be on for very much longer.  😛  But that's ok.  I'd just gotten this Chalkboard Manicure Kit from Ciate in recently, so I thought I'd try it out.

Full Disclosure:  This came out like, 3 years ago.  It was an un-used kit, but definitely NOT new.  LOL  I am too poor to be paying $30 for anything non-essential, so when I found this on sale super cheap I snapped it up.

Anyway.  The kit comes with a matte black polish, a clear matte topcoat, and 4 "chalk pens."  The idea is that you paint the matte black down, draw on it with the pens, and the seal it with the matte topcoat.  Sounded simple enough, so I figured I'd try it out.

Well, the matte black kept drying almost like a crackle - you could see my naked nail through the cracks.  So it took about 3 thick coats to get all of my nails fully covered.  You can probably see that on my thumb, the polish itself cracked after it dried.  Blegh. I'm not sure if it's a matte thing (since I don't wear them often) or maybe that the polish is older, but I wasn't feeling super impressed at that point.

Then I got out the chalk pens and they were pretty runny.  You can see the thin spots in the drawings.  Not only that - the tips were huge and blunt.  Not really great for drawing on a tiny surface in my honest opinion, but if they were thinner it might have not looked very "chalky" so I'm sure it was intentional.

I was tired last night and didn't get too creative.  When I was looking up the date of when the kit came out just now I found maybe 2 or 3 manicures done with it that I actually liked.  Overall, I think it's a neat idea and I'm sure that the "imperfect, kind of messy" look is what's so great about these, but it's really not my thing.  The polish seems brittle and is already chipping, so these are probably about to come off.

Anyone out there digging it, or is this a total nail fail?  (You can be honest.  My feelers won't be hurt!)

Nobody look impressed...

Nobody look impressed unless you are impressed that I actually managed to do a thing.  I'm pretty much an open book, so I don't mind telling you all that I feel like I'm struggling with depression.  I'm not really doing so great overall, but yesterday was somehow mostly fine and I got a lot done, including nails.  Today I am fading into a lump of nothingness again, but maybe it'll pass.  In case any of you might worry, fear not - I made an appointment at the mental health center.  I'm not too happy that they can't see me until October 25th, but I guess that's what I get for being poor and unimportant.  Yay, Alabama!

So the last time I did my nails was July 13th - before Scooter died.  It was the caterpillar nails and you can probably see the effort and creativity that went into them.

That is not the case with these.  There was no creativity involved (though there was unintentional effort.  Yay for being stubborn).  These nails were done with nail foils and aside from them being a complete pain in the ass to apply, they are meant to be a quick and fancy manicure.  If you feel like being impressed, be impressed with my patience because SERIOUSLY - I had forgotten how terrible foils are to work with.

They come with glue, which is milky and runny, and you have to wait until it dries clear, and then wait EVEN SOME MORE before you stick the foil down.  If you don't, then the image gets all crinkly.  After you touch the foil to your nail you have to rub hard (with an orange stick, your other fingernails, or something) to transfer the image.  When you go to pick up the film it was transferred from you are more than likely going to break the image.  So you stick it back down and rub some more.  Repeat until infinity and hope the cracks don't show.  (If you are smart and used a coordinating base coat, you might get lucky there.)  😉

The other downside to foils is that they are brittle.  You would think that a normal, kick-ass topcoat would seal them down, but no.  A normal, kick-ass topcoat will cause them to wrinkle.  You have to use a runny, milky, water-based topcoat to seal them.  THEN, you are allowed to use the topcoat of your choice.  AND EVEN THEN your normally kick-ass topcoat won't keep these on for long.  I just looked down and the whole freaking foil has popped off of my pointer finger somewhere between the time I left work and got home to type this.  So.  That's some old crap, but it was pretty while it lasted.

In case you all want to run out and try foils now (I mean - who wouldn't after how fun I made it sound?) this is where I got them:

http://www.dollarnailart.com/cat_pages/foils.html

I ordered this abalone-looking stone print a long time ago so I don't know if they still have that, but it looks like they have a ton of cool stuff.  If you have the patience to work with foils I'd say give it a shot.  The rest of my nails are intact, so I probably lost the pointer finger because I was typing a super lot at work today.  I would say that if you wanted a foil manicure to last a week or so you would probably be disappointed, but usually if you wrap your tips, you're good to go for a couple of days, at least.

Nail Foils

We're getting ready for bed.

We're getting ready for bed. She's putting away her stuff, too. 😂❤️

We went to Sally's today...

We went to Sally's today, which got my attention for a few minutes.  I was kind of tricked by the sales lady into buying more nail polish than I meant to, but I can't really complain.  I got an Ever Glaze color by China Glaze and its topcoat.  They are supposed to be gel-like in that they can last 7 - 10 days, but they don't require a light.  We'll see.  And I also got a Finger Paints One-Step gel which does require a light, but my lamp was delivered today (on a Sunday, what?!), so that's ok.

This is not a great way to cope with things...

This is not a great way to cope with things (I recently lost a pet), but I've immersed myself in some retail therapy.  I've done a lot of research on gel nails and the different kinds of gels and how they cure, and since I was basically ALL IN at "chrome" I went ahead and bought a UV lamp.  I did not get one of the crazy expensive ones, but it was a best-seller with great reviews on Amazon.  So, there's that.  Unfortunately, my lamp will be here before my chrome powders, but that's ok.  I really don't need too many distractions before my Biology final.

People have been trying FOREVER...

People have been trying FOREVER to get me into gel polish and I have resisted.  LOL  But, CHROME NAILS are now an achievable thing - legit, shiny, mirror-like chrome nails, and you can achieve that with chrome powders and a UV gel topcoat.  I think having silver or gold nails would be cool, but there are some crazy rainbow shifting colors out there, too.  😳  So, I'm in.  It's not like I have tons of time to do my nails lately, anyway, so I can't really view it as a down-side if they last a long time now.

Another bonus is that I think you can still use regular polish and seal it with a gel topcoat, but I'll have to look into that.  If I could still use all of my beautiful colors and stamping plates, etc, that would be awesome.  I love using my current setup and I don't think that will ever change, but I guess I'm finally ok with branching out.  LOL

So... chrome powders and topcoats are on the way.  I just need a UV lamp.  Any suggestions?  I'm not trying to spend a lot, but I don't want a piece of crap, either.

I feel like I found my creativity, thankfully...

I feel like I found my creativity, thankfully, but just in time to go back to work and be too tired to put something like this together again.  🙁  Boo!

So I know this is totally spring and not summer, but I don't care.  I felt inspired by a plate and I went with it.  I'm happier with these nails than I've been with any of them over the last few months, but with as much other stuff as I have to do I guess I should be glad I have time to paint my nails at all.  Putting the same design on every finger can look really nice, but it's just not me.  Unfortunately, having so many options can be overwhelming, so it usually takes longer for me to decide what to do than to actually do it.  😕

Anyway, I did this the other day and it was ok, but I had stamped the caterpillar down in just black outlines and I really ended up being disappointed that I didn't do a decal instead.  SO... I took that finger off and started again.  😛  Originally I was going to make the caterpillar a cute little pink one, but, well... it made her look kind of phallic, so Shaun picked a blue and we went with that instead.  She's got green leaves and vines around her, as well as pink bow on her head and a yellow flower beside her.  That is much better than trying to discern what you're looking at with no color definition at all!

The background for all of the nails was done using plastic wrap - it's a lime green base with two other greens dabbed on top for texture (probably most visible on my thumb).  If you don't remember what I'm talking about since it's been so long since I've done it, you just crumple up some plastic wrap, dab it in some polish, and then lightly dab your nails until it looks how you want.  Super easy!  It's great for getting a marbled appearance and things like that.

The rest of the nails I explain on Polish All the Things if anyone is interested.  I wasn't planning to make a long post about these nails, but it looks like I did it twice.  LOL  Oh well.  My brain feels all swimmy from lack of sleep.  I think I am rambling.  Ok, done.

Any questions on methods or products, let me know!  ❤❤❤

Various polishes;
Research plates;
Embellishments from BornPretty;
Stamping Decal, Stamping, and Taping Techniques

I guess I went from light and bright to dark.

I guess I went from light and bright to dark.  LOL  These again, are not super fancy - just basic stamping, but I love this polish so much!  It is Tails of Love by FingerPaints.  The polish looks chrome, but it's got small round pieces of something (clear glitter?) in it to give it texture.  I know that a lot of people hate textured polish, but sometimes it's just what I need!  I love how deep it looks!

I used one coat of topcoat over the polish itself and then another over the stamping to seal it in.  This is a very hungry polish because I can still feel the texture on my nails, but I don't mind that.  If you wanted it to feel smooth, it would probably need 3 or 4 layers of a thick topcoat.

Sadly, I'm about to take these off.  I've been meaning to post them for days, but just didn't get around to doing it.  LOL  But my left hand is chipping like crazy, so it's time.  🙁  The chipping is the only downside (for me) of wearing super - thick polish.  Also, my right thumb is bugging me.  The stamping image actually wasn't wide enough to cover my whole nail and while I COULD have gone back in with another stamping of the image and tried to line it up I was just like "Nah." and went to bed.  I'm being super lazy right now.  LOL

Tails of Love by FingerPaints;
Research plate;
Stamping technique

I went through tons of nail pics...

I went through tons of nail pics over the last few days looking for inspiration.  I was like "Ooh, I'm on vacation.  I should do something crazy and elaborate!"  And then I realized that I wasn't having fun, so I quit putting pressure on myself.  I went with something goofy and colorful.  I recently got these neon dots in from the Born Pretty Store, so they were out on my nail art table and I just went for it.

I'm planning on playing in reptile dirt today and as cute as I think these are I hate wearing white nail polish.  It's more about the way it feels than anything.  Chalky or something.  So, my feelings won't be hurt if I mess these up.  LOL

This is a monster bag clip that a friend gave me.  I didn't have the best lighting setup today, so I needed something in my hand and a white bottle of polish wasn't cutting it.  Goofy all around!  PERFECTION!

White polish;
Embellishments from BornPretty

I got nail mail today! 😃

I got nail mail today! 😃 I've been reading for ages about how great stamping polishes by Mundo de Unas are, so I ordered some last month. They finally arrived!

Since I am on vacation I am gonna be playing with my new stuff later. I am so excited! So far, I am having a pretty good day! 😃

Kicking off vacation in these goofy things!

Kicking off vacation in these goofy things!  I was trying to be less "the same" on every nail.  I think I did a good job.  Well, except that I think my thumb might accidentally resemble a penis.  😕

So, I'd seen this video online that someone came out with stamping plates for stones - basically a template of a design that you arrange your stones into and then you pick them up and apply them with a stamper.  Sure beats putting them on one at a time!  Well, it's cool and all, but it was kind of expensive for what it was.  So, I tried just lining up some stones on top of the design I used to stamp polish on my nail and then picked them up and put them on with my stamper.

It worked pretty well.  They held formation on a sticky stamper head and since I have a clear stamper, placement was extra-easy.  I'd been wanting to try that out and I'll probably do some more of this in the near future.  I'll just need to keep a better eye on what my shapes come out like.  For the record:  On my thumb I was going for a smaller triangle inside a bigger triangle.  I maybe needed a few more stones on there.  LOL

Research polish;

Research plate;

Embellishments from BornPretty

If any of you are interested...

If any of you are interested, Celtic Sun is the only neon yellow nail polish I've used that didn't stain my nails. I always use a base coat, but most of them stain right through regardless. So, I'm super happy with that polish. 🙂

Did my nails last night.

Did my nails last night.  Again, not super creative, but with working so much and school I'm just throwing down something fast that doesn't require a super lot of thought and planning.  I'm not usually a neon kind of girl, but I bought this yellow for a specific reason (to do a thing that I don't yet have time to do) and thought "What the hell?"  So I put it on.

I tested a few stamping polishes over it and I liked the pink the best.  But it just wasn't sparkly enough, so I stamped over it with a holographic to give it some sparkle.  Holos aren't meant for stamping, but some will do it pretty well.  This one would have been kind of sheer without the pink stamping under it.  You can see where I didn't line the stamps up perfectly (I wasn't trying to - I wanted it to have a little depth), but I was more off than I wanted to be on my middle finger.  You can probably see it if you look close.  It wasn't bad enough that I felt the need to re-do the whole nail.  LOL  Who has time for that these days?!

Anyone interested in the polishes used?  Almost no one asks me, but most people write it out, anyway.  Here you go, just in case.  Not a bad habit to get into.  😛

• Base: China Glaze - Celtic Sun

• 1st Stamping: Born Pretty - Stamping Polish # 11

• 2nd Stamping: Color Club - Miss Bliss

Celtic Sun by China Glaze, Stamping Polish 11 by BornPretty, Miss Bliss by Color Club;
Bundle Monster plate BM-418?;
Layered Stamping technique

So... I tried another gradient!

So... I tried another gradient!  Diagonal this time.  And once again I ended up with all of my nails the same.  I think I have been getting so into what I'm doing that I forget to not do all of the nails.  Also, I have felt like crap, so my creativity is not at its peak.  Anyway, to switch it up a little I added a few stones. The two on the nail were not enough - I had to go off-nail this time!

I SUPER LOVE the way the stone on my skin looks.  I just used nail polish to adhere it temporarily, but they make some eyelash glue that is flexible and would probably hold for longer.  I've also had a run-in with some semi-permanent eyelash glue... that stuff is no joke, (just trust me), but that's what I'd use if I wanted this stone to stick all day.  😛

Research polishes;
Research plate;
Embellishments from BornPretty;
Sponge Gradient and Stamping techniques

This turned out much more subtle than I intended, but...

This turned out much more subtle than I intended, but overall I'm not mad at it.  This was my first try at a radial gradient and I guess my colors (holo pink and holo purple) were so similar that you almost can't tell them apart.  😕  Also, you can't really see the fade because of the print I stamped on there, so I may as well have saved myself the trouble of sponging the colors on there.  But I didn't, so I guess I got some practice in.  LOL

I'm not usually one to make all of my nails the same, so this is rare.  I think I was too tired to be creative enough to put together a theme.  I just honestly REALLY REALLY wanted to do my nails and try something new.  Mission Accomplished.  😃

Stamps on point thanks to my new stamper - The Big Bling by Clear Jelly Stamper.  If you are new to stamping and having issues with lining up / centering your stamps, or finding a good stamper that picks up well, I'd say definitely give this one a shot.  It's super clear and so squishy that I had a much easier time stamping my entire nail.  My C curve is strong enough that I usually have to roll, and ain't nobody got time for that!

Miss Bliss and Eternal Beauty by Color Club;
BornPretty plate BP-11;
Sponge Gradient and Stamping techniques

So... I'm digging these plates. 😃

So... I'm digging these plates. 😃 They are clearly designed so that you layer the images and that gives the pictures so much detail. It's awesome. Even when you don't line the images up perfectly (or when you roll one and stretch the outline like I did on the leaves of the larger flower) it still looks adorable.

Unfortunately for me I don't yet have a ton of colored stamping polishes so that means a lot of trial and error with regular polish. I'm not into that tonight so I only did a few nails. But I'm super happy with all of this. My new stampers are so clear that you really can't see them once you are close to the nail. They stamp pretty well, but my polish kept drying before I could pick it up. I'm sitting under an A/C vent and being too lazy to move. Also, my stamping polishes are old and probably need thinning. But anyway, it is all working. I'm super pumped today! 😃

There are not enough stickers...

There are not enough stickers in the whole of the Internet to properly express my excitement right now. MY ORDER NOT ONLY ARRIVED TODAY, BUT IT HAD FREE PLATES IN IT, TOO!!! AND CHECK OUT THAT FUCKING PRECIOUS PACKAGING, OMG. 😳

I'm so excited.

I'm so excited.  (This is nail art stuff, so if you don't care avert your eyeballs now.)  Tomorrow, my new stampers will be delivered.  I can't wait!  Woohoo!  NAIL MAIL!!!  😃😃😃

I've been wanting the super squishy clear stampers for a while now.  The two that I bought from Ali Express a while back are clear and that's cool, but they aren't very squishy and don't always pick up the images well.  My nails have a pretty strong C curve, so I have to roll more rigid stampers across my nails.  That just leaves more room for error, in my opinion.  You are more at risk of distorting your image or breaking the polish altogether if you do it the wrong way.  I know it's JUST nail polish and it's not super important to most people, but once I've invested so much time into a paint job (up to several enjoyable hours, at times), messing up a layer of stamping can really ruin my day.

Anyway.  I've been wanting a clear squishy stamper.  I'd seen these in one of the nail art groups I'm in, but the shipping from Canada was wayyy too expensive and those stampers aren't cheap, either.  But they emailed out a survey recently that gave you a coupon code upon completion and I went for it.  Since shipping was still the same no matter what, I ordered two.  Figured I might as well make the postage worth it.  LOL

So, they should be here tomorrow and I'm pumped!  They are not only clear and squishy, but they come with lids to keep the fuzz off.  One lid is even full of crystals, which does nothing except look pretty, but that's ok with me.  Hopefully, they will work as well as the reviews say they do.  Ahh!  So excited!  😃

https://www.clearjellystamper.com/

These probably look a little more fancy than they actually are...

These probably look a little more fancy than they actually are, but I don't mind that. LOL I did not want to go through the week with naked nails, so I sat down to paint them pretty late last night. Aside from the time issue, I used my new peel-off basecoat, Ready for Takeoff by UNT. I wouldn't have used that, BUT, I've been doing some damage to my nails lately. I don't know why, but I've been picking at them. Must be nerves or something, but anyway, this was an attempt to minimize the damange I'd do by picking my polish. So, since I wasn't sure how long my nail polish would actually stay on using a peel-off basecoat, I didn't want to put too much work into my paint job.

I got this glitter from Sally's. It's by Bitzy and it is called Funky Melon. Since the glitters are huge and neon and there was no purple in it, I decided to try it over purple. But first, I topped my purple with Fairy Dust by China Glaze, because DUH - everything is better with glitter! I wasn't planning to stamp over the glitter, but I really did not like the way it looked just plain. So I stamped this pattern, which was picked out by my son. I thought it would look horrible, but I actually kind of like it now. Funny how you smush a bunch of ugly things together and it sometimes turns out really cool. LOL

Anyway. My stamping is a little off on my pointer finger and thumb. I'm still using the second stamper I ever bought, back in 2011. It's a squishy eraser-colored one that I ordered from Germany, because I was having no luck with my konad stamper. I have some nice clear stampers, but they don't always pick up well, so there is no point in that. I have a few coming from Ali Express that I'm pretty excited to try, but we'll see how that goes when they get here. Maybe I won't be stamping crooked for much longer. Here's hoping! 🙂

UNT Peel-Off base coat, On a Trip by Wet n Wild, Funky Melon by Bitzy;
BornPretty plate BP-11;
Embellishment from BornPretty;
Stamping technique

I have been pretty quiet on here...

I have been pretty quiet on here, but I guess it's just because I feel about socialized out lately.  I'm not sure what it is, but I have a feeling that it's because I'm going everywhere and doing everything all the time.  Too much work.  Too much school.

At some point during all of that I have my kid and my ani-pals to take care of, chores, an online class, etc., to deal with.  Granted I'm not as stressed as last semester (yet!), but I just feel really anti-social.  In what little free time I have I've been watching nail art tutorials and nail art tool reviews on YouTube and lamenting my lack of time and money.  🙁

What I did for fun this weekend was stay holed up in my bedroom working on my Access database for Polish All the Things.  I learned a few things and it was cool.  Then I accidentally deleted part of it, but opened an older version and fixed my idiotic mistake and now I have a backup because I nearly had a heart attack when that happened and it was just super dumb to not have a backup.  Lesson learned.

Just finished my ethics homework for the week.  I think it's time to take a shower and then either work on my database some more... or possibly even paint my nails.  Nails is probably a safer bet because that ends.  I could sit here endlessly tinkering in Access.  😂

I hope you had a nice weekend.  I have no complaints.  🙂❤

Tried something new this weekend.

Tried something new this weekend. Instead of water marbling and dipping each finger I made one design, let it dry on the water, carefully took it out, and then cut it up and used them like decals. I don't know if I would always be able to make that work, but my nails are so short and nubby right now that it went just fine. I liked doing it that way because you USUALLY waste less polish, and it's USUALLY much less messy.

However, this time it was a huge mess. I spilled not only hot water on myself, but 3 open bottles of nail polish. EPIC FAIL. I was sitting there saying to Shadow (in an attempt to elicit help from him) "HOT WATER! NAIL POLISH!" Those are about all the words I could manage for a minute because I could not believe what I'd just done. He just looked at me like I was crazy until I screamed for him to get a towel.

I'm usually much more calm and prepared when doing my nails, but I had a "dying vole on my porch" type of situation to handle so I found myself suddenly chatting with Wild Mammal Care in the middle of my nail-doing. They asked me if she'd moved and when I got up to check I spilled everything everywhere because I am awesome. Also, my little porch vole didn't make it. 🙁 I'm not super surprised, though, because you don't see them out usually unless something is wrong.

So yeah. Nubs for now. That is what happens when I go a month without polish. My new nail / cuticle oil is doing a great job on keeping my nails from peeling, but having some layers of polish on is really what protects mine from breaking.

Also, pardon all the bubbles in my topcoat. It was getting too thick, but I gave my polish thinner to a friend so I just had to deal with it. LOL I gotta put thinner on my list of things to buy ASAP. Those bubbles drive me crazy!

Embellishments from BornPretty;
Watermarble technique

I've been out of school for almost 3 weeks...

I've been out of school for almost 3 weeks.  I had major plans to do crazy things to my nails, but as you might have noticed from the lack of posts, I have not.  To be honest I haven't really been feeling it.  😕

My nails were long and bothersome by the time school was out, so I shortened them and then shortened them again.  Then I tried this nail oil (Bliss Kiss Simply Pure Cuticle and Nail Oil, if you're interested) and it said to go a few days with naked nails while applying the oil many times a day to get moisturized.  So, I did that.  But I was also cleaning a lot (without gloves because I'm bad), so it took a little longer to get my nails to be in better shape.

I'm probably about to sound like a commercial, but that oil is the first one I've tried that ACTUALLY made any kind of difference in my nails.  My nails have no problem growing longer, but they will peel like crazy.  They are also naturally brittle, so will just snap off if I bump them on something.  Well, somehow, the oil stopped the peelies.  Even places that were already peeling up it seemed to seal back down somehow.  And they are little more flexible, so when I bump them I might get a new peelie spot (when un-polished), but they aren't snapping off.  So that is pretty cool.

I have no idea how things will go when I start painting again, but with as many layers of polish as I tend to use I've always felt that my nails were protected by it.  I am hoping that with them being in better shape AND polished that they will look really nice, as well as be stronger.  We'll see.

Anyway, if you're into nails and / or cuticles I would have no problem recommending Bliss Kiss oil.  I am not exactly a connoisseur of nail oil, but I did buy CND's Solar Oil a while back because it was highly recommended, but Bliss Kiss is better, in my opinion.  You can find it on their website or Amazon, whichever you prefer.

BONUS:  It smells faintly like an orange dreamsicle, which is surprisingly pleasant.  I think they have an unscented version if you're not into smells, though.

Check it out:  https://www.myblisskiss.com/simply-pure-hydrating-oil-pen

So... when I'm supposed to be sleeping but can't...

So... when I'm supposed to be sleeping but can't I sometimes go on YouTube and watch nail art videos.  I bet that's a shocker to you all.  😂

Well, I've never tried acrylics (wearing them OR doing them).  But I've seen some video tutorials and it looks REALLY fun.  I feel like I want to try my hand at doing them.  I have no time or money for that right now, unfortunately, but maybe I can go to school for that after I finish the school stuff I already started.

I don't think I'd have the patience to do that as a career, but I could definitely see me enjoying doing it for fun or for some side cash.  I don't want to do stuff like plain French tips, though.  I want to do the crazy stilettos and the aquarium nails and stuff like that.  OBVIOUSLY.  😛

I've been trying for several days...

I've been trying for several days to get a photograph of these to put up.  This is not the original manicure - I had more stones and one more finger full of hearts, but because I took so long to get pics a few fingers were starting to look crappy.  I decided to take them off and accent them in other ways since I don't have time to make more decals at the moment.  It's really ok with me - I'm digging these.  I usually have have pretty predictable "accent finger" patterns, but this time I think it's harder to tell what's an accent or not.  Maybe they all are!  Woohoo!  😂

Now I'm off to study.  Probably can't do nails again until after finals on Tuesday, but then I'm gonna go nuts!  THE END OF THE SEMESTER IS IN SIGHT!  😃

Research polishes;
Maniology plate BM-XL210;
Embellishment from BornPretty
Stamping Decal technique

This pink / purple / red glitter...

So I've been studying super hard for tests lately and two of them were yesterday.  When I got home from class - late though it was - I painted my freaking nails BECAUSE I DESERVED A TREAT!

This pink / purple / red glitter is a polish I bought on clearance from Sally's.  It's an Orly called "Explosion of Fun."  It's layered over some kind of bright pink L'Oreal that I will go look at and write the name of if anyone actually cares.  😛

Since I was so tired last night I used whatever was at hand.  The new Orly was within reach (as was my box of pinks), so I went with it.  I thought it looked kind of bright and tropical so I went with flowers as decoration.  I filled them in with white because it, too, was close at hand.  I probably could have been more creative with colors if my brain hadn't been fried from both a Biology and Trigonometry test in the same day, but it is what it is and I'm ok with how it turned out.  🙂

Members Only by L'Oréal, Explosion of Fun by Orly;
Born Pretty plate BP-54;
Stamping Decal technique

Well I did some things this weekend, but of course it's never enough.  I feel like I'm going to be perpetually behind until this semester is over, which is, thankfully, less than a month away.

I did take some time and clean up our hangout room yesterday.  My nail polish shelf looks AMAZING.  It took hours to organize my polish by color, but I think I'll like it better this way.  Fun Fact:  I have more blue polishes than any other color.  Green comes in second.  Purple comes in third.  Before yesterday I honestly had no idea!

With everything so clean and organized I'm fighting the urge to stop and do my nails, but I really need to get back to Trig and / or go to sleep.  I have Biology class in the morning.  I'm drowsy (despite having some coffee a little earlier), but I feel that it's a little bit ridiculously early to call it a night - especially considering how late I slept.  😕  I guess I'm gonna crack my book open and see if my brain wakes up or not.  I'm not in the mood to struggle.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend.  I do feel accomplished despite being behind on everything still so at least that is something.  🙂

I'm off to take (more) Ibuprofen and...

I'm off to take (more) Ibuprofen and maybe clean up our hangout room.  I've, um, made a mess in there.  😂  I had help, though!  My lap table had a ton of nail polish and other stuff on it and Boo Bear knocked it over while scratching his butt like an Actual Bear.  So nail polish, stamping plates, etc, are all scattered about.  I still have a box of pretties that I got around my birthday last year that I never filed away, either.  So now I'm contemplating a change.  Help me.

All of my nail polishes are grouped by brand / bottle shape.  My brain works well with that system, but most people tend to group by color.  I'm CONSIDERING doing that, but I just don't know.  It seems like a legit system - especially when you're looking for a color and you might not remember what all brands or bottle shapes you have that contain that color, but it might actually drive me crazy.  I have no idea.  But whatever I do it'll probably have to stay that way for a while because I'm about 99% sure that I topped 1000 bottles as of my birthday last year and I just don't have time for that much re-re-arranging.  Don't judge me.  😂

Suggestions?

The kitty cat nails didn't last long.

The kitty cat nails didn't last long.  The collar glequins and bowtie started coming off so then of course I started picking at them and just had to take all the polish off so that I didn't do actual damage to my nails from picking at them.  I'm the worst about picking.  Once I start it's all over with, so they just had to go.

So I did these last night.  I showed them to my guy today and he was like, "What made you do that?"  He looked truly baffled.   😂  Honestly, I saw something very similar in a blog and I liked the way it looked, so there you go.  They used totally different colors and no stones, but as you know I can't just leave well enough alone.  😁

I imagine that I will have the same problem with these as the kitty cat nails because of the stones, but that's ok.  I don't mind doing one last awesome mani before spring break ends.  😃

Research polish;
Research plate;
Embellishment from BornPretty;
Stamping technique

I was in the mood for something silly and fun

Ok, I guess I was in the mood for something silly and fun.  And also big because my nails are long enough to accommodate these big old kitty stamps (but just barely, as you can see from my ring finger).

I wanted a background that wasn't too crazy since I wanted the kitties to pop so I went with pale blue stamping over gray.  I used a few different cat-themed plates for that.  There are various paw print patterns, etc, and the middle finger says things like "Meow" and "Hiss."

All I really knew when I got started is that I was wearing these damn cats one way or the other.  😂  I had no plans for collars and bow-ties, but it just wasn't done until I added those touches.  How's that for spring?  They look quite dressed up for some reason!  Maybe they have a date!  😃

PSA Time:  Everyone make sure to spay and neuter your Ms. and Mr. Kitties because too many animals are killed in shelters.  It's a totally preventable problem - so don't be part of it.  There is no excuse.  Help is out there!

Recycle by China Glaze and Various polishes;
Bundle Monster plate BM-S161 and unbranded plate Kst-22;
Glequin and Bow Embellishments from BornPretty;
Reverse Stamping and Layered Stamping techniques

The lace and butterfly nails are coming off tonight.

The lace and butterfly nails are coming off tonight. The polish is starting to lift where I chipped the thumb earlier this week. If I don't remove it I'll start peeling my nails - which is terrible for them. Other than that they still look great - much to my surprise. As rough as I am on my hands with all of the cleaning and everything else I do they usually only last 4-ish days. I did the lace / butterflies on Thursday last week - so that's a record. I really don't mind when my polish starts coming off because I enjoy painting them as much as looking at them so it's no surprise that I was starting to get impatient with these. 😂😂😂

Anyway. I have no clue at the moment what I will do next. Gonna play with my plates and see what I come up with. I might be too tired to really do my nails tonight, but maybe I can at least settle on what I'll do at some point this weekend. We'll see.

Spring and Butterflies

I felt like I deserved it so I treated myself last night.  I painted my nails!  Woohoo!  😃

I didn't go with the whole "butterfly on each finger" thing.  I just can't.  It feels so wrong to try to match my nails.  And when I inevitably fail it will look dumb, too because they won't be perfect, so... there's that.  😂

I wish this lighting would have captured the beauty of my base coat, Demure Vixen by Essie.  I know it's not the best match to my skin, but I love the pink / lavender undertone.

I also meant for one of my butterflies to turn out blue (the one on the thumb), but the way I layered the colors it didn't work out that way.  Oh well.  At least it is somewhat different than the green and purple on the ring finger.

Anyway.  I did it.  And I like it.  But I wish I could take it off already and paint something else now.  😂  I'm terrible.

Demure Vixen by Essie and Various polishes;
unbranded plate BC-10 and konad plate m36;
Stone Embellishment from BornPretty;
Reverse Stamping and Layered Stamping techniques

Me, in dragon form. 😂😂😂

Me, in dragon form.  😂😂😂

I can think of a few people...

I can think of a few people who would wear the crap out of this collection.  Personally, I'm drooling over the top left plate and the middle one, OMG.    Also digging the semicolon.  I wish I had money that I didn't need for other things right now.  🙁  One day...

I wanted to test out a new plate that I got in the mail...

I wanted to test out a new plate that I got in the mail.

This legit took about 5 minutes to do. The plate works well even though I used a crappy polish that wasn't meant for stamping. The plate was also super cheap - it came from Ali Express and took forever to get here, but it was worth the wait. I really wanted some swirly floral-ish images and this hits the spot. 😃 I bet this will look stunning with some color. Maybe even over nude nails again. Or not. Who knows?  😂 

Later, friends. ❤