Black & White Lace

Now that Dancing with the Stars is over, I find I have a lot more time on Mondays.  It's odd.

But with my free time, I get to paint my nails (and blog about them, of course!), play with makeup, and play video games!  That's the life of the typical millenial, aka me.

For my nails now, I've had the idea in my head for about a week, but it was in bits and pieces and not a complete thought.  I'm so glad I got it all out on my nails though.

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Base Colors - unnamed magenta shimmer & unnamed pale fuchsia shimmer by Shades of the Season
• Stamping - used special white polish by Konad & noir black by b.m.c. using stamp plate BM-021 by Bundle Monster
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 2 hours

The stamping was harder than I expected because the stamp image I chose had a large fill space for polish, and I wasn't used to how much polish I had to use and how precisely I had to pick up the image (or else it would smear).

But these are all good experiences to have!

It's getting closer to Christmas and New Year's...so my next few nails will be outrageously festive.  I realize these nails are a little bit too delicate for the storm that is the holidays that will soon be upon us.

This is all I have for now.  Stay warm out there friends, and I'll see you next time! :)

Blue French Tip

Hello all!  I know I haven't posted in a while, but I actually did paint my nails at least once before this post but I didn't have the time to blog about it because it was Thanksgiving and I was busy eating/shopping/being lazy...ah yes, the American dream.

Anyways, here are my nails for now :)

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Base Color - mademoiselle by essie
• Tip Colors - Jeanne by Julep & Tribeca Silver by NYC; blue part was freehanded, and silver part was painted on using a nail art striper brush
• Stamp - BM-020 stamp plate by Bundle Monster used with special white polish by Konad
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 1.5 hours

French manicures are actually easier for me to paint on other than on myself.  When I paint my own nails, I often get caught up in the design and forget to take that step back so as to make sure my nails are even.  But when I paint on others I can easily step back and assess my progress.

I got to test out my new UberChic mat for nail art and large sticky stampers for this design.  The mat is amazing (so innovative yet so simple!) and the sticky stamper is too much fun.  I maybe spent a good 5 minutes just touching the stamping head and marveling at how sticky it was.  It's like touching jello.

I got home an hour early today so now I'm really confused as to what to do with my extra hour of free time...I honestly might just spend it playing Splatoon.

Well that's all I have to say for today.  Please stay safe, and I'll be back in about a week, plus or minus a few days.

Yeah :D

Pusheen the Cat Nails

Hello all!  Today I have Pusheen nails to show you :)

Pusheen the Cat is the cute, cartoon cat whose adventures and other silliness have been captured by Claire Belton.  Please visit http://www.pusheen.com/ on a daily basis as a way to bring a smile to your face daily! :)

But actually the reason why I painted Pusheen the Cat on my nails is because a friend of mine had requested them, and I was like "yeah why not".  This conversation happened back in the earlier parts of summer.  It's now November.  But let it be said that I am a keeper of my word, no matter how long it takes for my words and promises to be kept.

If you don't love Pusheen the Cat, you're wrong.  Fact.

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Thumb & Pinky - Erin by Julep; stamped with Special White Polish by Konad & iced silver by Bundle Monster using the stamping plate BM-019 BY Bundle Monster
• Pointer - Frankly, I Don't Give A-dam by Sephora by OPI; Pusheen the Cat face details done with a thin striping brush and Janae by Julep
• Middle & Ring - Mint Sorbet by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear; nail decals made using Double Duty Base & Top Coat by Sally Hansen, Penelope & Janae by Julep, & I Gotta Blush on You & Frankly, I Don't Give A-dam by Sephora by OPI; nail decals stuck on using Out the Door by inm
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 1.5 hours

I confess that I did quite a bit of photo editing for these pictures.  The reason is because I messed up and trapped a lot of air bubbles underneath the nail decals :( so I decided to smooth over those air bubbles the best I could while editing.

And somehow that triggered minor strains of trypophobia in me.  I'm normally not reactive to trypophobia but seeing holes in my nail polish made me feel a little bit uneasy.  Anyways, for those of you with that condition, I saved y'all from an attack.  And please don't Google image search trypophobia because good Lord you will not sleep well tonight.

I've also started using liquid latex barriers around my nails every time I paint them.  It really helps with the clean up (yay reduced clean up).  On the one hand, the nail art community can very easily go back to our old clean up routines, but on the other hand, acetone is a harsh cleaning agent so do we really want to expose our biological systems to that?  No.

I've read the MSD form for acetone too many times now.

That's all from me for now.  I hope you all have a wonderful week, and I'll be posting again soon!  But until then, stay safe, eat good food, play video games, etc.

You do you.

Carousel Ball Nails

Please understand that I volunteered for charity because I'm a good person.  We raised a lot of money for diabetes research and treatment options (and by "a lot of money" I mean like enough to pay for all 4 years of USC).  It was a wonderful night.  So many rich people.

Also I got to see Usher and John Elway, so that was pretty cool.

And since I work in both diabetes research and got to go to a free concert all for charity, I think I'm the real winner here tbh

Anyways, since I knew I was gonna be surrounded by so much wealth, I decided to paint my nails to reflect how simple yet sophisticated I was.  Or something along those lines.

Too bad nobody commented on my manicure ;_;

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Thumb, Pointer, & MIddle - gradient made with makeup sponge and Myrtle by Julep, Mary Lee by Julep, & Black Out by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear; stamped with BM-017 stamp plate by Bundle Monster using good as gold by essie
• Ring & Pinky - Golden-I by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 1 hour

Also I bought a Nintendo WiiU, which came with Super Mario Maker and the 30th anniversary Mario amiibo and oh my God bless freaking Nintendo ;u;

NOW WE JUST NEED ZELDA WIIU OKAY I CAN ALREADY SEE MYSELF CRYING TO THE MUSIC which is also how I feel every time I listen to Kingdom Hearts music.  Some may say I cry too easily.  I say...neh.

Inspired by: "Golden Days & Sultry Nights" Eyeshadow Palette by Tarte Cosmetics

There are a lot of words in that title, but it gets the message across.

I bought this palette from Sephora because there was a summer sale AND I had just gotten my first paycheck!  That was a highly dangerous combination, but it's okay because nobody got hurt :)

The more I stare at the colors (& at the name) of this eyeshadow palette, the more I feel inspired to be artistic and creative.  And I imagine myself vacationing by the beach in Hawai'i with a drink in hand :)

But for now, I am landlocked and working full time, so my vacation days can wait!

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Base Color - Too Yacht to Handle by China Glaze
• Thumb, Ring, & Pinky - sponged gradient with Too Yacht to Handle by China Glaze & Endless Blue by Sinful Colors, neon circle studs from BornPrettyStore
• Pointer & Middle - reverse stamped with image plates BM-023 & BM-012 from Bundle Monster using good as gold by essie, image filled in with Endless Blue & Happy Ending by Sinful Colors & Shocking by Marc Jacobs
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 1.5 hours

Technically it took me longer than that if you include the amount of time I spent prepping with the reverse stamping.  But even then, that's a lot of drying time, so I thought it would be best if that was left out.

I'm very happy with this mani.  I haven't been this satisfied with my own work for a while now, so to have this feeling back makes me feel very complete :)

This is one of those nail art designs that I don't want to take off, but I will in a few days...such is the life of a nail artist.

UGH.  THE COLORS.  THE DESIGN.  THE INSPIRATION.  THIS WAS ALL SO PERFECT.

Beat Arkansas State!

And beat them we did :D

Since I wasn't able to watch the game live (it was airing on the Pac-12 network and we don't got money for freaking cable like come on college football let's remember those of us in the lower middle class who don't have access to all the nice things in the world -____-), I will be spending my day today catching up with the game.

But at least my nails were on point.  I hear there were fireworks at the game as well :O

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Base Color - Myrtle by Julep
• Stamp & Dot Color - good as gold by essie (dots made using a dotting tool)
• Stamp Plate - BM-005 by Bundle Monster
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 1 hour

I just ordered some nail vinyls and they're on their way over to my house.  I'm not sure when I will get them, but I'm excited because I've seen them all over my Instagram and have yet to try them.  But now I will just be patient and wait :)

That's all I have to report on today.  Have a wonderful day! :)

Wedding Nails

My Bible study leader from my Freshman year of college got married this past weekend, so I had the honor of witnessing the confirmation of their love in holy matrimony :) it was the first time I've attended a friend's wedding.  Thankfully it was super casual, so I get to slowly practice appropriate wedding etiquette.  My knowledge and understanding of wedding etiquette will come in handy for the next 10 years as my friends get engaged and married!

But friends, if you're reading this, please pace out your weddings so I can attend all of them and not skimp out on wedding presents :D

My dress was a nice mint color, so I wore these nails to help encourage the summer spirit:

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Thumb, Ring, & Pinky - coral polish by bonita, Saaya by Julep, & Laree by Julep; stamped with royal blue by b.m.c using BM-023 plate by Bundle Monster; gradient made using make-up sponge
• Pointer & Middle - coral polish by bonita, Saaya by Julep, & Laree by Julep; gradient made using make-up sponge
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 2 hours

To be perfectly honest, I was internally freaking out about how fancy I wanted my nails to be.  I can't have nicer nails than the bride...can I?  I don't think she ever saw my nails, so I think I was able to get away with this set of nails this one time.  Actually this is the one thing I still need to figure out, and I'm sure it varies by bride.

SO LADIES.  IF YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED AND I'M A GUEST, PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW TONED DOWN MY NAILS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BECAUSE I CLEARLY DON'T KNOW.

Alright, that's enough from me for today.  Have a wonderful day, and I hope I will be able to post again soon! :)

Subtle Valentine

Hello!  Sorry I was away for so long.  School decided to start fast and start strong.  So I had to deal with that for a while.  I'm still dealing with school, but I stole some time to paint my nails the other day :)

I don't feel like wearing Valentine's Day nails on the actual day, so I painted my nails with Valentine's Day themes for now.  Just to get it over with.  Because it would feel weird if I didn't paint my nails in Valentine's Day colors/themes at least once a year.

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Base Coat by Finger Paints
• Thumb, Ring, & Pinky - Margit by Julep
• Pointer & Middle - My Vampire is Buff by OPI, stamped with crimson red by b.m.c. & BM-019 by Bundle Monster
• Top Coat - Top Coat by Out the Door

Approximate Completion Time: 1 hour

Valentine's Day will be one of those rare occasions where I get to paint both of my nails and I don't feel guilty because I will be so pretty :)

Hopefully you hear from me soon!

Dots and Flowers

Hello all!  It's finally 2015, meaning...that it's 2015.  That was about as deep and profound as I get.

Here are my nails to start the year off right!

And just like the title implies...dots...and...flowers...

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Base Coat by Finger Paints
• Base Colors - Char by Julep & coral by bonita
• Dot Color - Bunny by Julep
• Stamp Color - noir black by b.m.c.
• Stamp Plate - BM-016 by Bundle Monster
• Top Coat - Top Coat by Out the Door

Approximate Completion Time: 2 hours

I'm enjoying my new set of stamp plates from Bundle Monster!  The images are large enough to cover the length of my short nails...but the full sized images will not be large enough to cover the length of my longer nails.  But such is life.

New nails and a new year :) what's not to love?