2015 --> 2016 Nails

Hello all!  I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve and that your 2016 has been great so far :)

The first thing I did this year was throw up because of how much I ate and drank.  So.  Lesson for the kids out there:  your stomach isn't as great of a mixologist as you think it should be.  And hydrochloric acid is the last thing you want to deal with when entering a new year.

These are the nails that I wore to my friend's party :) I swear the only reason why I go to parties now is to promote myself or have others promote me.  It's not very effective.

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Thumb, Ring, & Pinky - Alexis by Julep; dots made using a dotting tool and Ellis by Julep
• Pointer & Middle - Ellis by Julep; pattern made using Moroccan Nail Stencils by vinyl boutique and sponged over with Maya by Julep
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 2 hours

I promise the nail stencil looks really cool and the only reason you aren't fully able to see how cool it is in my photos is because I chose the wrong colors.  But later I'll show you a more detailed look at the stencil (with different colors and I won't mess up then).

But for now, here's a closer look at the stencil.  In this shot, you can sort of appreciate the stencil pattern and the holographic nail polish.

Stop.  Stare.  Marvel.  Thank you.

Also, if you haven't noticed yet, I'm back to my round/oval nails!  Square nails were fun, but they were hard to maintain, and since I spend most of my time at work not maintaining nails, I decided it would be best to revert back to the classic round/oval shape.  Plus now my nails won't chip on the corners (because no corners haha) so I won't be so frustrated with my nails.

I hope you guys have a wonderful day!  And here's to a marvelous 2016 for all of us!!

Tricolor Braid

Hello all!  I hope you are all doing well :)

It's not the catchiest title, but it captures the essence of what I painted on my nails.

I got my flu shot today, so my left arm is going to be sore tomorrow ;_; however, my left arm is the arm I use the least in my lab work so I think I'll be good to go tomorrow.

But also the meteorologist predicts blizzard-like conditions so it's possible that I get a snow day tomorrow.  A snow day!  I haven't had one of those in like 8 years now.

Regardless of my sore arm and the cold weather, here are my nails:

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Thumb & Pinky - Julep by Julep
• Pointer & Middle - My Vampire is Buff by OPI as the base color; braid segments separated out using striping tape and filled in using a striping brush and Hocus Pocus by Formula X, Lainey by Julep, Mia by Julep
• Ring - Ellis by Julep
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 2 hours

The color on my ring finger is my first holographic polish!  I'm finally joining the craze - slowly but surely.  Julep calls it a "liquid holographic" polish.  I'm not sure if liquid is really the right word for this color, but it is very addicting to look at in real life.  If I didn't have to wear gloves at work I'm pretty sure I would be focusing all my time and attention on this one polish, rather than on the blood samples that need to be tested for antibodies linked to diabetes...

I actually painted my nails over the course of 2 days.  The first day, I just put down all the base color on my nails and after my nails dried, I went to bed.  Then the second day, I finished the design with the braid pattern.  I would have done this all in one day but for some reason I thought that splitting the design creation would be easier.  I was right.

Look at those crisp, clean lines.

With this colder weather, I wonder how my cuticles and skin will change.  I haven't steadily lived in Colorado for over 4 years now, so I have no idea how my skin is going to deal with the transition from fall to dead winter.  Goodness.

I hope you are all warmer than I am.  That's all I have to say for now, and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Talk to you soon :)