For the first time in FAR TOO LONG...

For the first time in FAR TOO LONG I did my nails.  When school is in I'm lucky if I get to throw down a coat of something pretty, so I've been missing this.

It didn't take a ton of creative energy to do this or anything - it's a mermaid look I've been wanting to wear for a while.  The amazing blue base is Alfheim by Illyrian Polish.  It has these green flakies that you can see on my middle finger that in certain lighting has this mani looking more green / teal.  I thought it was perfect for a summer / beachy kind of theme.

I've missed this so, so much.  Maybe I can squeeze in another mani before school starts back next month.  A girl can dream!😍

Alfheim by Illyrian;
Research plate;
Stamping Decal technique

Has anyone missed nail pics?

Has anyone missed nail pics?  😂  I sure have missed having time to paint and take photos.  Even when I do manage to get that much done I haven't been cropping or posting my pics.  Blegh.  Priorities.

I did these a month ago.  I used a magnetic polish and I'm posting two pictures because I don't want to deal with the video I took.  There is a super cool shift that a photo just can't catch, though.  You can see it most on my pinky finger.  Magnetic polishes are cool because from one angle, they might look one color or shimmery, but from another that same space will appear dark and deep.  It's really captivating in person.

Anyway, I have a few more photos I'm going to get ready to post tonight and I guess I will put them up over the next few days. I have felt rough for most of today so I'm taking it easy and doing something fun.

❤❤❤

Between Two Rivers by Masura;
Messy Mansion plate MM21;
Magnetized and Stamping technique

Nail pic! Woohoo! 😃

Nail pic! Woohoo! 😃

So this may not look that spectacular, but I tried a new nail art technique and unlike my nail fail the other day it turned out great. This is something that I've wanted to try for ages, but due to my packed schedule and never really feeling like I had time to "play" I just didn't get to it. I guess I'll go ahead and clue you guys in: The thing I wanted to try was gradient stamping!

The background image is stamped, but with 3 different polish colors (ranging from blue to green). It's done like regular stamping except that you put your chosen colors down in whatever pattern you want (as opposed to just one color covering the image) and then you scrape the excess polish off. I found that I needed to use a light hand so I could mix the colors during the scrape. Stamping polish notoriously dries fast (meaning that if you aren't quick, you can't pick it up on your stamping head - and even if you can, it might be too dry to stick to your nail), so you've gotta be quick. I scraped over each of these backgrounds about 3 times to get a nice gradient.

I tried this over white because I wanted to be able to see just how good of a job I did (or didn't) do. I'm not usually a fan of wearing white polish, but it's summer and these are bright so that's ok. I ALMOST decided to wear just the gradient, but by later in the afternoon I was like "Nah. Where's the fun in that?" 🤣🤣🤣

It feels kind of like a cop-out that I chose to wear another unicorn so soon, but I feel like this background was screaming for her. The plate was sitting on my table from being used previously and when I saw her little happy self - I just knew. 🦄🦄🦄 After that it was easy enough to paint in some stars for color variety.

Anyway, that's my mani for the week. I have no idea if / when I'll get to paint again, but I'm hoping that I will have time at least every weekend. It is such a stress relief and I don't really have any other creative outlets at the moment so I need this in my life. 💅💅💅😁😁

Various polishes;
Lina plate Make Your Mark 03, Harunouta plate L045, Sugar Bubbles plate SB 033;
Gradient Stamping, Layered Stamping, and Stamping Decal techniques

Nail pic time! 😃😃😃

Nail pic time!  😃😃😃

I have been waiting all semester to do something fun with my nails.  Then I had to decompress enough to feel creative.  Blegh, finally!

I feel like over the last year or two I've become more of a polish hoarder / collector than someone who does nail art.  It's really sad.  But on the bright side there are some beautiful polishes out there that I am more than happy to have come and live with me so I guess it's not all bad.  🙂

Since this is an indie polish I feel like I just need to say that Poetry Cowgirl Nail Polish did a great job on this one.  It's called "Faerie Wishes She Could Be Here."  It's an Indie Shop Limited Edition so I'm not sure if it's still available, but if you like it go and find out.

I love muted colors so this was a win by being grayish / lavender to begin with, but then it has these things (what I tend to call "opals" because they are not quite the same as glitter) that flash red.  THEN, ON TOP OF THAT AWESOMENESS it also has this crazy shimmer.  You can see the teal on my pinky and the lavender on my pointer finger.  I will also upload a blurry thumb pic of the pink.  It's SO PRETTY.

Anyway, I stamped with holographic polish because WHY NOT?  Then, I picked up a unicorn on my stamper and filled him in with a tiny paintbrush because that was obviously what needed to happen here.  😁🦄🦄🦄  I thought about adding stones and doing more stuff, but then I didn't.  The week began and I'm working and blegh.  Life force officially zapped.

So... I feel happy with this as a comeback.  I was planning to do something quite a bit easier, but then I went all out.  What do you think?

Faerie Wishes She Could Be Here by Poetry Cowgirl Nail Polish;
Sugar Bubbles plate SB 033;
Stamping, Layered Stamping, Reverse Stamping techniques

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

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

Nails I'm wearing.

Nails I'm wearing.  I love fairy stuff.  And this blue.  OMG.  I LOVE how it looks like it has freckles.  😃  The blurple color shift is pretty awesome, too.  😃

Research polishes;
Winstonia plate W208;
Stamping technique

Smaller earrings (12mm) - and now I have studs!

Smaller earrings (12mm) - and now I have studs!  I also have some more paisley in the works.  😃

Perky Pink by Salon Perfect;

unbranded plate H22;

Stamping technique

This totally has flakies in it, but they aren't showing in the photograph. Really pretty in person, though. 🙂

Psychedelic Hue by Finger Paints over Demure Vixen by Essie;
Red Angel plate RA-111;
Stamping technique

Red polish (research name);

Messy Mansion plate MM21;

Stamping technique

Psychedelic Hue by Finger Paints over green polish (research name);
Red Angel plate RA-111;
Stamping technique

These are some of my larger (18mm) earrings.

These are some of my larger (18mm) earrings.  Yes, I had Halloween on the brain.  😂😂😂

These change from blue to purple to almost pink - depending on the light. I love how they turned out.

Blue/Purple/Pink Color-Shifting polish (research name);
Messy Mansion plate MM21;
Stamping technique

Neon and black. Had to do at least one!

Black Crackle over Funky Yellow by Kleancolor

Firefly by Sally Hansen;

unbranded plate H22;

Stamping technique

Ready for Halloween. If no one wants these now, I'm sure they'll sell at OxfordFest in October. 😃

Tantalize by Sinful Colors;
Messy Mansion plate MM22;
Stamping technique

Amethyst by Revlon;
Messy Mansion plate MM22;
Stamping technique

Weird color combo that I couldn't resist.

Vintage Violet Crackle by Sally Hansen on top of Funky Yellow by Kleancolor

I did a ring with the brown crackle and gold, and a lot of people seemed intrigued by it. So I thought I'd make some earrings to match.

Brown Crackle by Kleancolor over Golden-I by Sally Hansen

These are my smaller rings.

These are my smaller rings.  I think they are a little larger than a half inch in diameter.  And they have pretty bands.  🙂

Creme de Mint by L'Oreal;

Red Angel plate RA-115;

Stamping technique

Preamp by Orly, Iridescent Glitter, White;

Red Angel plate RA-115;

Stamping technique

Various Blue polishes;

Messy Mansion plate MM29;

Stamping technique

Cinderella by Sinful Colors;

unbranded plate QA40;

Stamping technique

Flakie, White polishes

Silver and Iridescent Glitter polishes (research names);

Fab UR Nails plate FUN11;

Stamping technique

Winterberry by Sinful Colors, White polish;

unbranded plate QA40;

Stamping technique

Siren by Pure Ice;

unbranded plate HD01;

Stamping technique

Sand Dollar Make You Holler by China Glaze;

Fab UR Nails plate FUN11;

Stamping technique

Silver and Iridescent Glitter polishes (research names);

Fab UR Nails plate FUN11;

Stamping technique

You Yacht to Know Better by Finger Paints;

Messy Mansion plate MM13;

Stamping technique

I don't know what this pattern is supposed to be, really...

I don't know what this pattern is supposed to be, really... but in green, it made me think of something like moss. I was really at a loss as to what else this paint job needed and then I saw one of my fairies blowing a dandelion tuft and thought "This will be good." I like it. I like nature and fairies. 🙂

Research polishes;
Research plates;
Stamping techniques

I got one of the plates I didn't think I would be able to get!

I got one of the plates I didn't think I would be able to get! It's got dragons on it. I guess these are supposed to be dragon scales. ❤❤❤

I used it over one my favorite greens ever - A. England's "Dragon." Fitting, right? That is the only A. England polish I have. They aren't sold around here, so you have to get them online. It's one of the more upscale polishes. This is ONE COAT of it. For realz. 😳

Anyway, the photo on the top is all about the polish. It's a beautiful green all of the time, but look how it lights up under the sun. The shimmer! The color! It is just yummy. 😃

I know that these nails are not super fancy or anything like that, but I am really digging these. I have been drooling over these for two days. 😃

Dragon by A. England;
Messy Mansion plate MM21;
Embellishments;
Dotting and Stamping techniques

Mermaid nails!

Mermaid nails!

I've had the stamping plate with the mermaid on it for a while, but she's long so I had to wait until my nails were kind of long to fit her on there. I usually keep them a bit shorter than this because they start to get in the way.

Anyway, I'm really digging these. I hope I don't mess them up for a few days. I really like my scaly ring finger. I put some layers of flaky polish under the scale stamp to make it more realistic. I don't know if I did enough layers, but it looks pretty when it catches the sunlight. No complaints here! 😃

Research polishes;
Winstonia plate W108, Mash plates Mash-39, Mash-43, Mash-49, and Mash-50;
Stamping technique 

I have been up for the last few hours doing my nails.

I have been up for the last few hours doing my nails.  These are not them.  😂😂😂  These are the ones I did before the ones I just did.  It's a unicorn!

Research polishes;
Winstonia plate W117;
Glitter Gradient and Stamping techniques

So I went for something different...

So I went for something different.  TOTALLY DIFFERENT.  😂

Research polishes;
Embellishment by BornPretty;
unbranded plate A51;
Stamping technique

Nails I did last night.

Nails I did last night. This was my first time trying a glitter gradient and I like how it turned out. I think it's easier to do the grade with glitter than with two colors. Another bonus is that glitter doesn't want to come off, so putting it on the tips will help reduce tip-wear and keep your polish looking nice for longer. I'm sure I'll be ready to try something different before I wear this manicure out, but that is often the case with me. 😛

So this polish... I bought it a while back, but had never worn it. Last night, I felt that it was time. I've been in a very pink mood lately. LOL So I put it on and immediately thought, "Holy shit, it's beautiful!" In the bottle, it looks like a very flat color, but once you put it on it's got this sheen. You can see it in the photo. Just iridescent-y or something. I LOVE IT. And it's a little cheapie dollar polish from Wal-Mart! It's the brand "Petites" number 412, I believe.

Anyway, between the pretty color and the glitter gradient I was thinking "These are girly nails all the way." My original plan was to stamp flowers or some junk like that on them, but as I was looking through my images plates I came across the wings and I just thought, "Nope, wings. I have to use the wings." 🙂 And then when I was done, I thought, "These make me think of Katie." 😃

I went outside to take this photo and it made my glitter look kind of weird. In the first photo, the color is accurate, but in the 2nd one the glitter looks right. That's the difference between direct sunlight and not. I don't know if there is a way to find a good middle ground, so I put them both up because of that, and also, because one has the jewelry and the other does not.

FYI, on the nail piercing - you can't even see it in the first photo. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the hole is small enough that it can be painted over and it just disappears. I was kind of wondering if I was going to have to have a hole showing in my nail, or if I was going to have to cover it with a stone or something every time, or just wear the jewelry. But it appears that I have a choice, so that is even more awesome than I imagined. Choices are good. 😃

Pink Suede by Petites by Scherer, glitter tips;
Red Angel plate RA-115;
Glitter Gradient tips and Stamping techniques;
Nail Piercing by BornPretty

These make me think Mermaid-y thoughts.

These make me think Mermaid-y thoughts.  Or fish-y thoughts.  🙂  Super-shiny and sparkly - with scales!

Research polishes;
Red Angel plate RA-111;

stamping technique

I haven't posted my nails the last couple of days

I haven't posted my nails the last couple of days so here you go.  This silver was a color-changing polish I got on clearance at Claire's.  It's supposed to all go darker with a temperature change, but in general mine just looked darker on the tips which is fine by me.  Gradient without the work!  🙂  I just put a little dragon on there because I liked him and thought he'd look nice on the silver.

Research polish;
unbranded plate H22;
stamping technique

This was my first foray into layering stamps. I like it!

These images were from two of my new smaller plates.  I wish I'd used a warmer pink and that my shimmer behind the swirls was showing up.  Maybe out in the sun it will.  I still think they are cute, though.  This was my first foray into layering stamps.  I like it!  😃

Research polishes;
unbranded plate H22, unbranded plate H39
layered stamping technique