If I Were An Alien...

Good morning lovies!

This is going to be a quick post (I over slept and gotta run!).  For today's mani, I want to share some nail art I did a couple of weeks ago.  We had a Cowboys & Aliens theme day at work (NOT based on the film lol).  The kiddos and staff were encouraged to dress up, so I chose to be an alien.  But I was completely stumped as far as painting my nails went.  So I pulled out some green polish and thought "outerspace"...

Colors Used: Revlon - Posh, Sinful Colors Nail Art - Bad Chick, Love & Beauty - Purple

It started as a frecnchie... then dots... then random striping lol.  But I really liked it a lot :D

What do you think?

Alrighty, I have to go now *sigh*.  The next mani I have to share is also a frenchie that I'm also pretty proud of ;)

Until next time!

Stef <3

The Ever Elusive Polish Haul!

Finally!  I shall share my addiction with all of you lol.  These are all polishes I have purchaed in the last 2 weeks...

 JLB Metallic Colection (L to R): Deep Sea, Purple Rain, Hot Coco, Jade, Chocolate Lava, Immortal Gold, Cherry Pop

Not the greatest polish names ever, but MUCH better that the numbering thing they had going on in the last pack I bought (maybe they heard my whining? lol).  They are all practically one coaters, which is typical for most metallics.  I actually bought these to try them out because I wasn't sure how I felt about mettalics/how they would look with my skin.  And for $7 I'm thrilled I took the risk!  They're great polishes :)

 Claire's - Candy Shop

A polish that has been talked about, sought after, fought after for about a year now.  I'd read about this Deborah Lippman dupe back in March and thought, "That looks yummy... I want one!".  While passing by Claire's last week, I found it sitting by it's lonesome on a shelf and snatched it up!  It looks like a promising purchase, I just don't know what to do with it yer hahaha.

Wet n' Wild's Saved By The Bell Collection (almost!): Pom Pom Kelly, Straight A Jesse, Nerd Alert Screech, Chick Magnet Zach, Fashionista Lisa

I did a small happy dance at CVS when I found these polishes and then promptly threw a fit when I realized that they were sold out of Pin 'Em Slater (neon yellow).  Curse all of you girls who bought the odd amounts of polishes... grrr!! *sigh*  I'll get over it eventually... ok, over it!  They all painted beautifully on my color wheel and I'm excited to play with them :)

(L to R): Love & Beauty - Salmon, Revlon - Cotton Candy, Spoiled - My Saturn Broke Down, Spoiled - Show Me The Money

An odd grouping of polishes to end with but... there you have it lol.  Cotton Candy was used on today's mani.  The salmon is SO incredibly sheer that it will probably have to be used over other oranges and pinks.  The spoiled glitters I bought just because.  No real reason lol.

Ok, that's all the postings I have for you today!

Until next time!

Stef <3

Church Mani: A French Twist

Happy Sunday everyone!  It's been a very fun filled weekend for me so far and I'm so excited that I've had time to catch up on nail stuff and create a church mani to share with you all (woot!).

As you know, subtlety is the name of the game on Sunday's.  While I was out shopping yesterday, I picked up another scented polish by Revlon named Cotton Candy.  It is a shimmery baby pink that I thought would be lovely for church.  I combined it with a simple accent nail and this is what I came up with...

 Colors Used: Revlon - Cotton Candy, Revlon - Calla Lilly, Sinful Colors Nail Art - Bad Chick

 I applied 4 coats of Cotton Candy to get an even opaqueness (my only irritation with this mani).  On my ring fingers, I applied 3 coats of Calla Lilly and then did a stacked funky french using my SC striper.  

 Pretty straight forward mani and definitely something I'll want to try again in the future :)

 

Off to church I go!  I'll have a polish haul to share with you this afternoon, when I return ;)

Until then!

Stef <3

Did Someone Say Bling?

Hello hello hello my wonderful lovelies!

It's been a couple of day's and I've been out of the loop :(  I haven't had time to do any web/nail browsing, facebooking, nail painting and I'm very sad about it *cries*.

The mani that I have for you today is one that I literally did at work.  I bought some nail stickers at CVS earlier this week (Kiss Nail Dress) and they seemed easy enough to apply.  On my to work Thursday morning I snatched them up along with Sally Hansen - Pupming Iron and Spoiled - I Have No Reception, and I did a 10 min. mani while waiting for the kiddos to arrive...

I took the photos on Friday (while on break at works haha) hence the tip wear.  But you get the gist...

I did 2 coats of "Pumping Iron" and about 4-5 coats of "I Have No Reception" to get the accent nails to sparkle :)

 

 Silver and black flowers with some naked nail showing through, I loved it!  I got quite a few compliments on the mani which was nice to hear considering I threw it together while running out the door lol.

And one final shot...

I really liked these stickers alot and they come with 28 strips in a pack.  I think I paid around $7 for them and I still have 26 left... not too shabby!  They can also be used for your toes (or so they say lol).  So what do you think ladies?  I don't usually do "bling", it's not mah style :P

I owe you a haul and tutorial, I haven't forgotten!  And there WILL be a church mani tomorrow :)

Until next time!

Stef <3

Let's Go Angels!

Good morning, friends!

I have a fun little mani to share with you today.  I'm a little short on time so I'm just going to get right to it lol.

Today we are taking the kiddos at work to the Angels vs Royals game, this being the inspiration for my mani.  I must confess that I really don't care for baseball :\  It is one of my least favorite sports, but I've been going to games on and off ever since I was 5 yrs old (go figure!).  I remember the very fist game I went to with my Dad and so, for nostalgic reasons, I enjoy going to the stadium.  Eating the nachos are my favorite part :)

The Angels have a very long/complicated history (many owners, city changes, name changes, etc.). I feel like the team colors change every other year and it's really quite irritating lol.  So, I went with colors that I remember wearing as a child, when I would go to games...

 Colors Used: China Glaze - Hey Sailor, Sally Hansen - Mellow Yellow, Sally Hansen - White On, Sinful Colors - Midnight Blue, Sinful Colors - I Have No Reception (glitter), O.P.I. - Skull & Glossbones

I took these photos in the car while my honey and I were out doing some shopping (like I said yesterday, I just don't have enough hours in a day!  Lol.)  In the following two photo's, I was playing with depth perception...

I like this photo because of the sunlight that's peeking through ;)  Angels logo, blue sparkly-ness, a baseball, and pinstripe.  (The thumb has a smattering of dots just 'cause :P)

And the last one...

Here's hoping I'm not bored to tears!  Lol, have a lovely day ladies :)

Until next time!

Stef <3

Spooky, Scary?

Heeeeeeyyy!  How's it goin'?  Do you hate me for being gone for so long??  :(  It's not my fault, I promise!  There just aren't enough hours in the day lol.  Between work, wedding planning, apartment hunting and shopping for things to fill our eventually-new-place... I'm pooped!  But I have missed you all lots and lots :)  On to nail art?

My mani for today was not inspired by anything.  Zip, zilch, nada.  I couldn't sleep Friday night because I was dumb and drank far too much coffee around 6 o'clock in the evening haha.  So I got up and started getting creative.  I knew that I wanted to use one of my new metallic polishes by JBL (which I got in a nail haul that I plan on sharing with you at some point this week).  I also wanted use my stripers from Sinful Colors.  Here's the end result...

 Colors Used: JLB - Purple Rain, Sinful Colors Nail Art - Time Off (black) and Bad Chick (white), Sally Hansen - Mellow Yellow

I've been told that they look like trees/branches, a forest at night with fireflies/stars, lightening, Tim Burton inspired, etc.  I have to say that I agree with all of these statements hahaha.  I really just went to town hoping they would turn out alright.  I am quite fond of them :)  (side note... this mani is still on my nails... I'm pretty sure this is the longest I've ever kept a mani on!)

Plans for the near and no-so-near future:

• A polish haul ;)
• A giveaway for my 100th post! (This is post #79 :P)
• A vote/poll on which mani you would like to see a tutorial of (this will be in it's own post)

Alrighty chicas and/or chicos, that's it for now :)

Until next time!

Stef <3

An Apple A Day Or So They Say...

Howdy, howdy, howdy!  Happy Saturday :D

I've been out of the blog-world for a cool minute and I'm feeling at a loss, my busy week making it feel like weeks instead of 2 days lol.  I just need to get back into the swing of things so I'm gonna jump right in :)

I've been having a creative block recently.  My nail art has mainly consisted of stripes and polka-dots for the last couple of weeks and it's been bugging me!  So I decided to paint apples ;)

 Colors Used: China Glaze - Hay Sailor, Sinful Colors - Nirvana, Revlon - Posh, Sally Hansen - White On, Love & Beauty - Silver (holo glitter), Hard Candy - Matte-ly In Love

A lot of polishes for such a simple mani!  Lol.  If I had known the apple was going to turn out so well, I might have done a couple more :\  Overall I'm quite pleased with this mani, tho.  2 coats of sailor on each nail (such an amazing red!!).  I used the chevron/fishtail swooping technique for the apple, then applied the details with a nail art brush.

The glitter and matte topcoat were an afterthought, really.  The mani just seemed a little plain :P  I applied the glitter first, looked at it and decided it was a terrible idea!  Hahaha the glitter was too loud and outshone the apple.  So I subdued it with the matte topcoat :)  Lastly the apple was sealed with Love & Beauty's Quick Dry Top Coat.

Tada!

(please excuse the streak!)

That's all I have to share for now, I hope you have a loverly day :)

Until next time!

Ster <3

Pick A Color, Any Color!

Hello lovelies and happy mid-week!

Today's mani is more of a swatch than nail art and I hope that's ok (I promise they're fun colors!).  First, the story :)

I was out at dinner when a friend of mine shot me a text telling my that CVS Pharmacy was having some of their Wet n Wild polishes on sale for $0.69!  I got so excited that I ran straight over there after my meal was done haha.  When I arrived, I realized that it was a sale for their "Wild Shine" line only, a polish collection I've picked thru for the last couple of months.  All of the colors they did have that I don't own, I don't want to own lol.  So I left the display behind and felt a little bummed.

On my way out of the store, I stumbled upon some Revlon scented nail polishes that I had to check out!  I ended up walking away with these...

Bubble Gum, Mad About Mango, Beach, Ocean Breeze

Bubble Gum and Mad About Mango both smell fruity / like candy.  Beach I found interesting because it very much smells like sunscreen (not my favorite scent in the whole world haha).  Ocean Breeze is reminiscent of a light, watery cologne.  Very fresh, very nice :)

There were other scented polishes on the rack with these beauties but they weren't as bold and summery looking.  They just didn't have a place in my basket for this particular haul ;)  Here's what I did when I brought them home...

 Colors from L to R: Ocean Breeze, Bubble Gum, Beach, Mad About Mango

 

 

I love these colors!  They're bold and they have pizzazz :D  My one and only complaint would be about beach.  It is too sheer.  Like boogers-on-my-nails-because-I-just-picked-my-nose sheer.  I couldn't stand it!  So I put 1 coat of Sally Hansen's Green With Envy on my nail and then applied 2 coats of Beach.  Mucho better!

And the pretty shot...

I'm really excited that scented polishes have regained their popularity, I feel like I'm 10 again!  Lol.  Have any of you bought scented polishes yet?  I definitely recommend it, if just for nostalgia reasons :P

Until next time!

Stef <3

Happy Birthday Nini!!

Yellow!

Today is my darling friend Janina's birthday :)  I am so very happy that she was born hahaha.  She had a party Saturday night and the theme was "Rainbow" ('twas a very colorful time!).  I unfortunately couldn't do my nails like I wanted because I had church the next morning, so I've decided that today, her actual date of birth, I shall rock-the-rainbow.

The mani that I did was inspired by the cloudy/rainbow aluminum water bottle she loves so much (it might still be lost? *tear*)...

 Colors Used: Sally Hansen - White On, China Glaze - Hey Sailor, Love & Beauty - Orange, Sally Hansen - Mellow Yellow, Essie - Mojito Madness, Finger Paints - Inkblot Blue, Love & Beauty - Purple, Spoiled - I Have No Reception

Lots of colors!  I'm still getting used to my new camera and I haven quite the right lighting, hence the lack of photos (if I can take some better pics, I'll post them :P).  I started using a dotting tool to draw out my clouds, then I continued with the white down the tip using the polish brush.  With my striper, I applied one color at a time, not worrying about it being perfectly even because rainbows come in all shapes and sizes :)  With the small end of my dotting tool I added glitter (No Reception) to the clouds.  I finished it with L&B Quick Dry Top Coat and that was that.

I immediately texted a photo of the mani to Janina after I finished haha.  Here's hoping she likes it *crosses fingers*

Happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo!  You look like a monkey aaaaaaand you smell like one too!!  :P

Until next time!

Stef <3

Out of the Vault: My Very First Water Marble (eek!)

Hey there :)  A very happy Monday to you all!

I have decided to share my very first water marble attmept with you all *bites bottom lip*.  I did this a little over a month ago and was so ashamed of it that I never posted about it (the process was that horrible.  I made a bazillion attempts for hours on end trying to get a good water marble and this was the best I could come up with...

 Left Hand

 Right Hand

Water Marbling is a very popular technique and when done well I think it looks amazing!  Mine are just kind of blech hahaha. The colors I used were Sally Hansen - White On, Sally Hansen - Mint Sorbet and Spoiled - Let's Get Sushi.  Love the color combo... and that's about it!

I really would love some advice from those who have done this.  I taped off the sides of my fingers, I used luke warm water, I turned off my fans and I tried to work as swiftly as I could but it still came out a failure :(  What could I have done differently?

For those who want to learn more about this technique and how it is done, check out My Simple Little Pleasures tutorial on YouTube.  She so stinkin' good at it!

Until next time!

Stef <3

Church Mani: It's Becoming An Obsession!

Happy Sunday everybody!  I had an amazing morning in church and I'm feeling very uplifted/encouraged.  I feel compelled to share in the blessings!  :)

I've had a couple of people inquire about whether Amy responded to my email.  I'm happy to report that she got back to me very promptly and I shall be dropping it (the prize box) off at the post office for her in the morning :)  Again, I wish I could give you all something because I truly do appreciate you!  But, as my mother used to say when I was growing up, "I'm just a poor scufflin' black woman, tryin' to make a livin'" (only said to me when I was asking for money, of course lol).

Let's get to what you're her for... nails!

I have said on numerous occasions that I love polka dots.  It really has become an obsession!  I have been buying polka-dotty outfits, mugs, bedding, knives (yes, I bought a yellow and white polka-dotted kitchen knife!) like a mad-woman.  I'm not ashamed!  I'm just sorry if you're sick of looking at them hahaha.  Here's my dots for the day...

 Colors Used: O.P.I. - You Callin' Me A Lyre, Love & Beauty - Ginger (Nude/Scented), Love & Beauty - Nude (bottle shown)

I started with 2 coats of polish on each nail, alternating between Lyre and Ginger.  I then took my large dotting tool and applied polka dots with Ginger, followed by applying Nude with a smaller dotting tool on top.  I topped it off with Love & Beauty's Quick Dry Top Coat.

I love it. Love love love love love!  If there were a group that I could join to help me with my polka-dot addiction... I wouldn't!!  :P

One last photo...

I think the part I like best about this mani is that far away it just looks like I have pretty plain nails, but up close it's a party (albeit a quite one :P).

Until next time!

Stef <3

P.S.  I'm just figuring out my new camera but I like it already :D

Indian Summer Frenchie

Good morning, all!  I'm excited that it's the weekend, I need the break lol.

I am very sorry that I didn't post last night, like i said I would (I'm such a liar!!).  I was out with some wonderful friends and my honey.  It's been a while since we'd hung out so I was in no hurry to get home.  Hence I was exhausted when I finally was home and I went straight to bed :(  So yea, there's my apology and lame excuse lol.  Moving on!

I've been feeling like I'm in a mani rut for a while.  So I've taken the advice of Shiko (friend and fan) to look at YouTube videos for inspiration.  I came across one that Sephora put up called Indian Summer.  It combines the neon-y purple that's very popular right now with their 24 k gold topcoat (I believe it costs $30).  It's a beautiful combo and I loved it instantly!  I don't like the price of that topcoat however hahaha.  So this is what I came up with...

 Colors Used: Jesse's Girl - Wild Thing, Sally Hansen - Golden-I, Love & Beauty - Gold

I used the same sweeping technique as with the fishtail nails to get the curved tips (Wild Thing).  I then applied Golden-I with a striping brush. The Gold (glitter) was an afterthought that I slapped on at the end hahaha.  This mani was so fun and pretty, I wore it for 3 days *gasp*!  

I hate hate hate that I couldn't get a decent picture of it, so I bought a camera (a Cannon Powershot) first thing after work yesterday :D  But for now you'll have to deal with one more awful-terrible-no-good-very-bad-stupid-cell-phone piktar...

So there you have it, my twist on an Indian Summer :)

I have a polish haul to share with you if you're interested ;)  After the jump of course!

And The Winner Is...

Amy!!  Congratulations, girl :D

I have sent Amy an email and she will have 48 hours to respond, after which time I'll regenerate another winner.  Thank you all so much for participating!  I wish I could give you all something because you're all so great, I plan on doing another giveaway in the near future :)

I'll be posting again with a mani later today, but for now I must dash to work *bleh*.

Until next time!

Stef <3

Feelin' Sassy!

Why, hello there!  How's it hangin'?  ;)

Today's mani was brought on by a frame of mind that I was in.  I was feeling feisty with Aerosmith playing in my head (Train Kept A Rollin'... love it!).  I've seen pics of a mani that Steven Tyler had been wearing with a stripe down the middle (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).  Naked nail with black stripe down the center?  Anywhosie, it came to mind, so I combined my fiery attitude with his striped-ness and came up with this...

 Colors Used: Revlon - Craving Coral, Sally Hansen - Golden-I, Rimmel - Black Satin

I applied 2 coats of Coral (which is a little more orangey than pictured), took my striping brush and applied Golden-I, and then Black Satin with my smallest dotting tool.  Pretty straight forward mani that really fit my mood!  I love it :D

And for the "pretty"!  I love the gold that came thru in this shot *sigh*.

A pretty short and sweet post, but I hope you enjoyed it :D

I know I'm going to sound like a broken record but the giveaway ends in 2-and-a-half-ish days, so get those entries in!  Spread the word while you're at it :P

Until next time!

Stef <3

A 90's Throwback Mani

G'morning ladies (and gents?)!

I wanted to post this mani yesterday but got so caught up with other things that I ran out of time... woops!  But I'm really excited about this one so let's hop to it :D

This mani started as an experimentation with some new striping brushes I picked up on clearance at Target.  I'd been eying Sinful Colors Nail Art stripers for a few weeks now and when I saw that clearance sticker, I snatched some up lol.  Now some pics, then more talk....

Colors Used: O.P.I. Barre My Soul, Finger Paints - Inkblot Blue, Sinful Colors - Me First (neon yellow), Sunny Day (neon pink) & Bad Chick (white)

I started with 2 coats of Soul, applied my stripes and use a dotting tool for the dots and hearts.  It didn't take very much time and when I was finished, I laughed at myself because they reminded me so much of those horrid pants people used to wear in the early 90's...

Don't you agree?  Lol.  I topped off my mani with Love & Beauty's Quick Dry Top Coat and I was out the door 10 mins later with no problems :)

The "beauty shot"...

So there you have it, 90's nails (I suppose they could fall into the hot-mess category of the 80's as well lol)

Just a reminder... get those entries in for the giveaway!  It ends this Friday at 12:01 a.m. :)  For those of you who have already entered and shown your support, it means so very much.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Until next time!

Stef <3

P.S. I gave the blog a bit of a face lift :)  What do we think?

Church Mani: Heavenly With Frosting

Jello!  How are we all doing today?

I am feeling very unproductive and bored at the moment :\  I missed church rehearsal on Thursday night because I caught a stomach bug from one of the kids at work.  That meant that I couldn't sing with the choir this morning, so no church for me :(

I still did a mani for the occasion tho, to brighten my mood a bit.  Of course it had to go terribly wrong lol.  I'll show you the pics first and then explain...

Colors Used: Essie - Blanc, Savina - Heavenly, O.P.I. - Pirouette My Whistle

I took a ridiculous amount of photos and these are the only 2 that came out halfway decent.  I love my new phone and absolutely abhor the camera that came with it!!  I am going out when I get paid next Friday and buying myself a camera because I have been so unhappy with the photos in my last few posts.  The color isn't quite right, the flash is too bright.  It didn't pick up the glitter properly at all... *sigh* my ranting is now finished lol.

I applied 1 coat of Blanc because Heavenly is so sheer.  2 coats of Heavenly and then a sort of glitter gradient from the base up.  It is really subtle and pretty in person, I swear! Lol.

For those of you who may have missed it, I am having a giveaway for getting up to 25 followers!  You can submit you entries through the rafflecopter widget that's on the blog post :)  Contest ends on Friday, so start submiting!

Until next time!

Stef <3