Church Mani: Peachy Polka

Hiya peeps!

I have to pre-face this post with some news.  I posted on Facebook yesterday that if I reached 100 followers on Blogger, my hubby would buy me a light tent kit from Amazon.  Well...  I'M AT 100 FOLLOWERS!!!!!!  Thank you to Natalia for being #100 and thank you a million times over to all of you that find my blog amusing enough to follow :D

Today I went back to the basics.  I haven't done a polka dot mani in a little over 2 weeks, which is really impressive for me considering how obsessive I am about them lol...

 Colors Used: China Glaze - Peachy Keen, Sally Hansen - White On

Peachy Keen is a polish I've been trying to track down for about a month.  I finally got my hands on one this past Friday and it did not disappoint!

I applied 2 coats of the peach-ness to my nails and then, with a small dotting tool, applied a sparse smattering of dots.  I topped it with OPI's RapiDry Top Coat and immediately smudged it... not all that surprising for klutzy me haha.

Thank you all again for reading and commenting and just being awesome!  My followers truly are the best ;)

Until next time!

Stef <3

Church Mani: Concertized Lace

Hello, lovelies!

I'm sorry I was MIA this weekend :(  I had my final spring concert with my chamber choir on Saturday, stayed out way too late that night celebrating with friends and fam and then had to be up early for church the next morning.  While I was prepared for that and painted my nails accordingly, I was surprised by how tired I was when I got home SUnday.  I just did not feel like blogging haha.  Enough of my schpiel, onto the mani!

 Colors Used:  Love & Beauty - Beige, Rimmel - Black Satin

I was inspired by a mani that I saw by Neverland Nail Blog :)  I did 2 coats of each base and then free-handed the babe of the the lace design.  I added the details with my dotting tool and then topcoated.   Unfortunately, I only managed to get 2 decent pics of this mani *sigh*

This is definitely a design that I an going to try again soon :D

I hope you all have a very happy, peppy Monday!

Until next time!

Stef <3

Church Mani: Pastel Polka

Hello lovelies!

It's a blustery day here in Orange County.  I just got off of work and I'm feeling incredibly lethargic.  I considered not posting at all because i just want to veg, but then I changed my mind.  Not posting would be absurd!  ;)

Well, I'm going to share my Easter Sunday nails.  As always my church nails are subdued and while I got a lot of compliments, I personally find them extremely boring haha...

 Colors Used: Love & Beauty - Beige, Julep - Blake, Wet n Wild - I Need A Refresh-Mint, JLB - 05

Yeah, they're fine.  Not great, not awful.  Just fine.

I did 2 coats of Beige and then used my large dotting tool to make my design.

This post was quick and to the point, just how I like it!  Lol.  I'm off now to go spend some quality time with my sissy-in-law :D

Until next time!

Stef <3

Church Mani: Playing With Textures

Hello lovely readers!

It's been a while since I've posted on of these.  I try to keep my church mani's subdued and appropriate because I sing for the Hour of Power and don't want to create any sort of production trouble.  Today's mani, while being subtle in color palette, is a mix of fun...

 Colors Used: Julep - Julianne and Patti, Essie - Beyond Cozy, Hard Candy - Black Tie Optional

Really... I just wanted another excuse to wear Black Tie Optional.  I love it so much!  Lol.

Julianne is 2 coats, Patti is 1 coat a top of Rimmel's Black Satin, Beyond Cozy is 3 coats for complete opacity.  My thumb and index finger got 1 coat of Black Tie Optional, while my ring finger was topped with NYC's Matte Me Crazy Top Coat.  A quick and easy mani with lots of personality!  :)

Yay nails! Hahaha...

Until next time!

Stef <3

Church Mani: Feeling Rosy

Happy Sunday everyone!

I have been absent because of illness, my apologies.  It was one of those weeks where I was sick and feeling unmotivated.  I didn't want to do anything but curl up under a blanket and veg in front of the TV *sigh*.  I did attempt a few mani's while I was on hiatus, tho I'm not really crazy about any of them lol.  I'll be sharing a couple with you this up coming week :)  Onto today's mani!

This mani was inspired by a fan nail of the day that I saw on Julep's blog page (by the by, they shared my Princess Jasmine inspired nails this past week on their Facebook page! *squeals*).  I loved the idea and thought it would be subtle enough for church.

 Colors Used: Julep - Lisa and Hoch, Revlon - Temptress and Tuscan Sun, Wet n Wild - French White Creme, China Glaze - Love Letters

What I like... I think it's cute and fun :)  I've been crazy about grey polishes from the get-go and Lisa is just creamy beautiful-ness (it's practically a one-coater, I'm just a bit of a perfectionist and prefer 2 coats haha)

What I don't like... I need to work on my roses.  They look like something a child would do, definitely not a look I'm striving for lol.  The stripimg is alright. And I don't know what those farbeedoo's are hanging off of my nail but they were driving me crazy!

Overall tho, I am pleased with the way it turned out :)

That's all I have for now.  The next post I'll have for you might qualify as my first "swatching" post.  I dunno... either way it should be interesting!

Until next time!

Stef <3

Church Mani: Frosted Tips!

Good day lovelies!  I hope you are all faring well :)

My posts have been inconsistent of late (as has my wedding planning lol).  It's been almost a month since my last Church Mani post, reason being... I'm too pooped to post!  By the time I get home from church (while it is fulfilling, it's still a job for me) I feel like my work week is finally done and I want to savor the remaining hours in the day with my honey, not behind a computer :(  Now that I'm back to my regular hours, I think I will be posting my Church Mani's on Monday mornings instead.  Not to fear, the series isn't over yet!

With that being said, here is my mani from this past Sunday...

 

Colors Used: Love&Beauty - Baby Pink and Silver Glitter

I am in love with this glitter!!  It makes me happy every time I look at it :D  I'm seriously considering doing this mani again for my wedding..

I applied 2 coats of the Baby Pink, which is an ultra sheer polish.  I then used the Silver Glitter for the tips.  I was trying for a faded effect ;)

 I just can't get enough!

 Had to go for a ring shot lol.

Last one...

So, ladies... What do we think??

My next post will most likely be on my September Maven box and other Julep purchases :)

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

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

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

Church Mani: Let Freedom Ring!

Happy Sunday, friends!  It has been a roller coaster of a weekend.  I got paid (+1), was responsible and put half of my check into our savings fund (-1), went shopping with the Fashionista at The Americana (+1), got some really great stuff for when we (honey and I) move out because there was a sale at Sur Le Table (+1), had my cell phone stolen while shopping at H&M (-2), got a new and better phone (+1), but had to pull money out of savings to buy it (-1).  Which leaves me at a neutral 0 and that's is a-okay.

Having to replace my phone also means that I won't be able to buy a legit camera anytime soon, which I was really hoping for :(  So I'll just have to figure out how to take really great pics with my new phone *le sigh*

My church mani for today is in the colors of red, white and blue because we celebrate Independence Day in our services.  Full orchestra, choir and a 90 ft flag!  They do it up big at the Crystal Cathedral.  I wanted to get into the spirit of the day so  I came up with this...

Colors Used: Ulta - Blue Streak, Essie - Blanc, Sally Hansen - Pumping Iron, Julep - January, Julep - America

I don't have much to say about this mani.  I would never claim to be a super patriotic individual but I do appreciate the history of my country and the sacrifices that were made in order fo me to have a better life.  So happy birthday America! 

 

I'm pretty tired and not feeling very creative in the writing department but I love you all and hope you have a fabulous (and safe!) holiday...

Until next time!

Stef <3

P.S. Happy Canada Day to my Canadian friends :D

Church Mani: Chevron/Fishtail Frenchie

Good afternoon, all!  A quick Sunday post before I run off to my practically-nephews' 2 yrs old birthday extravaganza.  One of my very best friends gave birth to 2 amazing little boys 2 years ago and I can't wait to celebrate with her and the cuties :)

For today, I did a design that combined a technique that I'd been playing with for awhile and a design I saw from Sarah at Chalkboard Nails (If you're not familiar with her blog, please check it out!  She's phenomenal!).  I don't know Sarah personally but I really do admire her work.  Here's what I did...

 Colors Used: Confetti - Lonesome Dove, O.P.I. - My Boyfriend Scales Walls

I actually did this mani last night after taking off my first attempt at the chevron/fishtail mani (which turned out REALLY well and I'll be sharing it with you tomorrow lol).  2 coats of each color and then polka dots (if you follow me regularly, you know how much I love polka dots!).  Lastly, I topped it off with Juleps Fast Dry Topcoat because I wanted to climb into bed quick like.  Please forgive my poor, beat-up cuticles :(  I have not had time to properly manicure them in a while and during the second service at church this morning, I got a little bored an started picking at them.  They're not holding up so well so I shall be putting Neosporin on them and hopefully that will help. 

So there you have it!  I hope you all have/have had a very happy and blessed Sunday :)

Until next time!

Stef <3

Church Mani: A Mix Of Jellies & Creams

Oh my goodness, it has been far too long!!  Happy Sunday everyone and happy Father's Day :)

I have been so incredibly busy with work, graduations, reunions and family that are in town.  I just haven't had a spare moment to sit and type up a post :(  But I always have a mani for Sunday and I have about 20 minutes before I have to dart out and join my fam bam for celebration so... Let's get to it, shall we?

For today's mani, I wanted to use a polish I just picked up on clearance at Target.  I'd been eying it fora couple of months now and it was half off so I decided what the hey, why not?  It's Calla Lilly by Revlon, a sort of white jelly with gold shimmery flecks in it.  Really pretty!  By itself kind of boring.  So I paired it with Nude by Love and beauty and here's how it turned out...

Of course something always has to go amiss with me... I only got one pic before chipping it on a hand rail at church (I'm a klutz, I fell, you get the picture lol).  I really really love this look tho, I'm nuts about scalloped tips :D

I hope that this will tide you over until tomorrow.  I plan on typing up a post tonight and scheduling it for 8 a.m. PST tomorrow :)  Much love to you all and I hope you've had a marvelous weekend!

Until next time!

Stef <3

Church Mani: I'm Feeling Golden...

Good afternoon, friends!

Let me start off by apologizing for abandoning you yesterday :(  I was helping my future in-laws with some gardening and somehow in the process my right-hand thumb got pinched/cut with pliers.  It did/does not feel good lol.  I was reluctant to change my polish because acetone in cuts hurts like nobody's business!  I had to change it for church tho so I was very careful and I kept the nail art simple... with glitter!  :D  Hahaha.

I know that I've mentioned that I sing in a church choir.  I suppose I should let the cat out of the bag and say that I sing at the Crystal Cathedral.  The church and it's ministry are going thru a lot of changes right now and I feel very honored/blessed to be apart of it.  Every Sunday just keeps getting better and better and by 1:00 in the afternoon my whole day, my whole being, my whole spirituality feels golden!  Like gold is radiating all around me.  I love it!!  This was the inspiration for my mani... well this and my injured "fumb", teehee...

 Colors Used: Love & Beauty - Gold

Simple, sparkly and golden... That's how I feel :)

I am off now to change my polish once again for a concert that I have tonight.  I have to be in all black which I shall extend to my nails, but with a twist... hmmmm.  Tune in tomorrow and check it out ;)

Until next time!

Stef <3

P.S.  This is my 50th post!  Ca-razy!!  :D

Church Mani: It's a Formal Affair?

Good morning :)  How was your weekend?  Mine went really well but I'm exhausted from it. I think I'm sick with a stomach virus, the results being that my stomach is in knots and I have a fever that's making my brain addled *sigh*.

Today's post is going to be a little disappointing :\  I was not feeling well at all and I only took one picture of my nails before had to crawl back into bed (I also wasn't crazy about how they turned out)...

Colors Used: O.P.I. - You Callin' Me A Lyre?, Rimmel - Black Satin

Soooo in my head I thought this mani would be really nice for church.  I think I got church and formal affair confused in my head.  It's a balancing act for me.  I'm singing my praises to the Lord but at the same time I have to keep my professionalism.  Sometimes the two conflict and this was the outcome lol.

I removed these from my nails soon after taking the pics because I felt they didn't fit.  And then I was inspired to kick professionalism out the door and to paint my nails in colors and patterns that matched a new dress that I bought.  I planned on wearing the dress at the choir after-party Sunday afternoon, so I justified it in my head as great time management ("One less thing for me to do when I go home to change...")

I will have that mani to show you tomorrow.  Right now I'm going to crawl back into bed and hope that my fever breaks before I have to go in to work :(

Until next time!

Stef <3

Church Mani: Keepin' It Simple :P

Happy Sunday everybody!  It is a glorious day in my neck of the woods and I hope it is for you as well :)

We just got back from church and so here is the mani...

 Colors Used: Sally Hansen - White On, Julep - Meryl

Simple french tips with a little bit of "color" that I painted last night (boooorrrrring!  lol).  I was originally going to do a mani with another polish from O.P.I.'s NYC Ballet Collection but I thought that might be a little bit redundant.  Then my honey asked me if I wanted to go cruising down to Huntington Beach, in the new car, on a dinner date.  Of course I said YES!  Lol so I did this mani real quick before heading out.  

I think it's church appropriate and a couple of my gal pals in the choir commented on how they liked them.  So I suppose I'm pleased...

 

So that's it for today!   I really really really want to do some color swatches / comparisons and a couple of product reviews next week (I hope I can find the time :\).  I also have another polish haul to photograph and post.  I REALLY need to go on a "no buy" hahaha.

Until next time!

Stef <3

Chruch Mani: Ballet Style!

Good morning, all!  I am so sorry that I abandoned you yesterday (happy belated Mother's Day to all you mommies btw!).  I got super sick on Saturday and then after church yesterday I had to spend time with my mommies (my fiances and mine respectively haha).  So needless to say by the time I my day was done, I was too stinkin' tired to do anything else!  That being said, let's get started...

I bought / received quite a few polishes this past week and I used one of them in my mani for church yesterday.  I'll be posting my polish haul soon I promise!  Lol...

Colors Used: O.P.I. - Don't Touch My Tutu, O.P.I. - Pirouette My Whistle

These polishes are from O.P.I.'s NYC Ballet Collection.  All of the colors are very VERY sheer, with the glitter meant to top them off :)  For this mani I applied 3 coats of the Tutu and one coat of the Whistle.

 

 I topped it off with this new top coat my honey bought me (and I think I like it better than Seche Vite!).  It's called Out the Door.  I'll be talking more about it, along with the rest of my haul, later this week :)

This is a short post because it's the first day off my honey has had in a week and I'd like to spend time with him before I have to go to work, soooo...

Until next time!

Stef <3