Another Mani Spam-Fest!

Not going to apologize this time...especially since it sounds like mani spam is a GOOD thing!

My Esty store is finally picking up, but that means a bit less time for fun blogging, lol! The jewelry isn't selling, but that's ok...it will be mine if it doesn't go, lol...(that is the biggest benefit of making your own jewelry!)

This is what I am wearing right now...First time trying the stripe-ing tape, and I am loving it...
Orly Winter Wonderland over white...pure heaven.

 I was so happy with how this turned out-below, my right hand even turned out good!

Next......

Two of my polishes sponged over black....I was playing with the stripeing tape...not very noticeable, though...

Below, Sinful Colors Slate...yummy color, but I couldn't leave it alone....

I sponged half..I was going to try some crazy ass design stamped down the middle...

Stamped...not well, and I stamped over the silver with the blue-green that I used for sponging...meh...

Below, Zoya Gaia, 2 coats of loveliness...

Now, for one of my lemmings...Candeo Mallard-Stunning, especially over Gaia. You can see the gold underneath *sigh*

Under regular light....*sigh*

OK, Kitten pics...
 

 

Playing catch-up!

I plan on spamming everyone with many pictures, lol! Hope no one minds-if you are curious about a polish and I haven't listed it...ask, and I shall find what I used!


First hmmm, maybe my pink/Breast Cancer Awareness manis... I know, October is over, but they were still great manis!

Above, Sally Hansen Twisted Pink with  diluted Nina Ultra Pro holo topcoat that spoke to me...
That's the full-strength version below, with my new all time Zoya Holy Grail topcoat. If you have bought any of these new NUP polishes in this different bottle...the brush is unbelievably HUGE! My poor skinny pinkie was swamped...

The Polish Hoochie introduced me to the Seche Ultra V-Best thing for slow drying Zoyas---I can now really love Zoyas!

Below, I can't remember if this was Sinful Colors...but I think it is...pretty slate gray with a blue-ish sheen to it. I stamped over it using LeaLAC stamping plates and Konad special pink stamping polish

Below... I think I used the diluted NUP holo polish (above)...not totally sure, though...But I liked it!

Below, my very first successful water marble!! Whoo-hoo! I used my 6Harts Secret Galaxy for the blue you see. I know I used my dotting tool a bit much, but that is ok, I guess, I was very proud of the result!

One last mani...My best friend gave me a Zoya that just  wasn't her color (not sure I believe her!) and here is my mani for the fist time using the Seche Ultra V....this was stamp-able in under 10 minutes, I was SO happy! Such a vibrant color, I thought, but clean-up was bugger...

 

 

 

Ok, slide show over...I hope you liked these!

O My, The Sunshine!

YAY! Summer has finally arrived in Montana, and so has the sun! Wheeeee!
I have some older manis I will post later...but I have some sunny summer ones I want to show you first..
oooooh, lookee! I have wanted to do a tone-on-tone holo stamp for awhile...

Sinful Colors Timbleberry, I think! I forgot to get a bottle shot :0)

Stamped with a truly old polish-I think I may have had this close to 10 years...Sally Hansen Nail Prisms Amber Rose

Close-ups! So pretty, yes?
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Next...

Sinful Colors Hazard (so yummy) 2 coats and I adore this color already! Above is the finished look-I was trying to catch all the colors.

Below, sponged with Zoya Gaia just on the tips. GAH! Ignore that nasty ugly skin thing I have going.

Below, sponged over Gaia with my new franken, which I plan on selling...it is SO cool...

Again, a look at the finshed look, really groovin on the blue and gold sparkles over the melon-y color of Hazard. What do you think-Doesn't it yell, "SUMMER"?

Mari Moon Artsy and Zoya Ginessa Mani (Spam!)

Hey there, it has been a long miserable week so not very fun. Back to things that make me happy and bring sunshine to my day :0)
On to the manis...

I broke down and bought some Mari Moon polish, and I am ADORING it! I bought a set, and will be splitting it with my friend Saundie (she wanted Unconventional) so I may keep the rest. This stuff is to die for *sigh*

Two coats of Orly Liquid Vinyl, with one coat of MM Artsy over the top. Speed dry top coat in between colors and on top. (Out The Door brand)

Above, you might be able to see the blue and the purple at once....below, the rosy pink color..Can't wait to try the other colors, now!

I thought I would try the picture style that Alizarine Claws uses..but no one can do it like she does! She has phenomenal nails!

Now, a not so fab mani, but it was pretty...
Two coats of Zoya Ginessa. I used MM Daring for the dots, and then used some of the Zoya speed dry drops over the top. I STILL dented it during the night! I really love Zoya colors, but the fact that I can't expect fast drying OR mix and match as easily makes me crazy with frustration!

Here is a little friend of ours we had to say farewell to this week....Snowball. Goliath liked/tolerated her. I hope we made her day as bright as she made ours. We shall miss you sweetie

Zoya Experiment Follow-up and other Mani Spam

Here are a few quick pics of me following up on this post . I wasn't patient enough to go longer than 3 days, so you are going to have to trust me on this-Zoya polishes appear to bind to gel base coat. Probably a generalization, but what can I say?!

Day 1 with different top treatments over 2 coats of Zoya Adina.

Day 3, same hand. Some tip wear, which I always have, but no peeling at all and no sign that it was going to happen, I was pretty stoked! I really love the Zoya colors and didn't want to give them OR my gel base coat up :)  I use IBD Gellac Base coat for strength and also it helps the  shape of my nails-evens out the tiny upwards tilt at the tips.
SO on to my next mani/experiment. I was inspired for this by The Nailsaurus, who in turn was inspired by nail art she saw on TV. I am not as talented at she, so I used scotch tape

1 coat of Zoya Ginessa over IBD Gellac base coat, and a PIA application of tape, Catrice Big City Life- New York (Thanks to the lovely Buzzwheedle)

This is the "franken" topcoat I used over my Zoya experiment, so this should work fine, since there is only a very tiny amount of SV in it.

 Sorry about the poor picture quality-

Not the cleanest application, I know...but I had this idea and I really wanted to try it. Drying time for this particular mani was long-hence the dents, but I LOVED this look and this mani!! What do you think?
I want to try this with other polishes, non-Zoya polishes to see if it is a bit easier.

Zoya experiment

So , yes, I broke down and bought some Zoya polishes, 1) great sale and  2) awesome colors!
However, I forgot what my friend told me about Zoya not playing nice with other topcoats. The first mani I did with a Zoya (Unicorn mani) started peeling off the next day. TOTAL bummer.

So I talked with my friend (a Zoya addict, btw), did some research and decided to start experimenting. Since I typically wear 2 coats of Gellac base coat under all polishes-that is its own experiment....

Tonight I tried 2 manis, Zoya Anchor over gel polish, 2 coats of Ginessa, 1 coat of Nina Ultra Pro speed dry (3-free) OMY that turned into rubber cement on my nails....bad move. Removed the glittery, silver mess that is now all over.

NEXT-yes, I was stubborn! N Zoya Anchor, just Zoya Adina-2 careful coats. So far, so good.

I alternated the Zoya fast dry drops and a franken topcoat. Not really an intentional franken, just leftovers from SV, Sally Hansen triple strength and a few other remnants of TC.

So here are some really bad pictures of a messily done mani-but hey, it is a process I guess!
Live and Learn :0)

My intention is to take some pictures of how this mess plays out-I will warn you...it might not be pretty! If there is anyone else out there that has used gellac/gel/shellac under other polishes....have you tried Zoya??



I love the colors of Zoya, so I hope it works over the gellac...at the very least.
OK, I am done rambling...g'night!

Unicorn nails in a Winter Wonderland (Spam alert!)

OK, there are NO unicorns on my nails, but the color combination reminded me so much of my childhood vision of Unicorns, that the name stuck! Also...a co-worker that I respect said it was very wintry-looking...I happen to think she was right as well :0)

I used my first Zoya favorite, Gaia, 2 coats and heavenly looking.

So pretty all on its own, but then it came to me, it needed some delicate sponging! I sponged with my new Essence Choose Me! I was a bit too heavy on that, so I sponged a bit more Gaia over E-CM

I loved how this looked, but no, it wasn't quite right.....

I sponged over that with Catrice Forget Me Not, Also from Buzzwheedle and put one coat of Sally Girl un-named glitter

*drools*

OK, now for the winter wonderland... We received 8-10 inches officially...but where we live it was closer to 20 inches of snow. Since I wasn't willing to go back OUT in that mess, here is a picture from my porch, LOL!

Fun, huh?! I am so glad we have a 4x4 vehicle! People sliding into other people, onto sidewalks and stuck in the middle of roads....you name it, we saw it! I feel very fortunate at times like this to have a home that is safe and warm. Our state is friendly to transients and homeless and we have a large population of homeless people. I just want to cry when I think of the people that are sleeping in cars or outside at times like this....their choice or not.
Take care and hug your loved ones...furry or not!