Bikini Envy & M62

I would like to warn you: It is starting to get pretty cold here in Iowa so my skin/hands have taken a beating. They are ultra dry :( In fact, they are so dry that I got 2 paper-cuts just from counting money yesterday! I did a little Photoshopping but not to the extent where my hands look perfect. You will just have to look past it.

OPI Bikini Envy & Konad M62

I've been having a lack of creativity lately. Probably from working so much. All I want to do when I get home is sleep... I managed to get this manicure done this morning. Without mess-ups! Yay! It's simple and a little boring. BUT sometimes "less is more".

Here is OPI's Bikini Envy:

[Above] Natural light

[Below] Fluorescent lighting

For the stamping, I used Konad Special Polish in Apple Green (quite appropriate considering my prop). The image is from plate M62. It is a plate full of tip designs but I like this image better on the inside of my nail. I LOVE the two greens together.

I just got a bunch of new Stripe Rite polishes and Konad image plates so I hope to show you something a little more exciting later! Thanks for looking!

Bubble Bath Bouquet

OPI Bubble Bath

[Above] Photograph taken in natural light

[Below] Artificial light

Sorry for only having one picture to show you. I did it again. I was in a hurry to get my nails done before work, had everything perfect, and as I was putting my stuff away I smacked my hand against the bathroom door and ruined a nail! This seriously happened only 47.3 seconds after I put the topcoat on my last nail. I guess that's what I get for trying to rush things! AND I was already late for work so I couldn't redo that nail. I had to snap a quick photo of my other hand and then take all of the polish off so I could get to work. Here it is:
I used OPI's Bubble Bath (2 coats. love it.) and Konad image plate M40. I think I've seen this before, or something very similar (using flowers instead of a solid white tip)... It's fun and super girly. I wish I could have worn it longer. I'll definitely do it again.

Let It Snow!

This week we are scheduled to get some snow. Actually, a rain/snow combination. You know what that means... still no sunshine! Ugh! Here are my snow inspired nails... Forgive me. The one day that we did see the sun, I wasn't done with my nails until it had set! So here are some blah pictures under artificial lighting:)

The polishes I used were: Nfu Oh #69 (Blue), Nfu Oh #67 (Silver), Konad Special Polishes in Chic Blue and White.

I applied two coats of #69...

... followed by two coats of #67 across the tips of my nails. Next I stamped some blue sparkle bursts (which you can barely even see. I didn't have a dark enough blue) with Konad image plate #14. Then, I stamped the snowflake images from M59 in white...

...and finished by glueing rhinestones in the center of some of the snowflakes!

Are they cold and frosty looking? I think so!

And that's it! Give it a try!

Peppermint Inspired Nails

Peppermint Inspired Nails

For this nail creation I used OPI's Keys To My Karma and Konad image plates M45 (striped tip) & M65 (circle design, reminds me of a pile of mints). I stamped the design with Konad Special Polish in white. I had planned on using the lollipop from plate M14 but I ran out of room on my fing'ns (thats what I called "fingers" when I was little, haha).
One of these days, I will commit to adding rhinestones. That's another thing I wanted to do on this design... I guess I'm saving them for a better time.

I really love the simplicity of this design...

OPI Layering

OPI Have You Seen My Limo & OPI Significant Other Color

I really wanted to try out my new color "Significant Other Color" but I wasn't sure what to do with it since it is so sheer... so I decided to paint my nails with "Have You Seen My Limo" instead. Well, after having all these fun Konad prints on my nails I was pretty bored with just HYSML. I saw other bloggers layering polishes so I gave it a try. The outcome is a chameleon finish that changes from green to burgundy(?). I had a hard time capturing its true qualities on camera. The first photo shows it best... Here are the colors used:

Significant Other Color & Have You Seen My Limo

[Above] Two coats of OPI's HYSML. Indoor photo.

[Below] Natural light photo.

Added one coat of OPI's Significant Other Color:

[Above] Indoor photo

[Below] Natural light photo

The final color has a distinct green shimmer to it. This is from "Significant Other Color". Even though you can't see the green in the bottle picture, it is there!

Here are shots of the polish changing colors:

Let's FALL back...

Okay. So, I jumped the gun on Christmas. Here is a Fall nail design for you.

The polishes I used: OPI Get Me To The Taj On Time, OPI Bronzed To Perfection, Konad Silver Special Polish, and Silver Glitter Stripe Rite.
I used one even coat of GMTTTOT (wow, what an acronym!) followed by 2 coats of Bronzed To Perfection across my nail tips. (Remember: click the pictures to enlarge them. The internet seems to be compressing my images weird. They are not crisp and clean looking when they are shrunk to fit this page. Well, they are not on my computer anyways...)
Then, I stamped the leaf tip design from Konad image plate M56.
Lastly, I drew a silver stripe.


It is simple but elegant. Hope you liked it!

Or-nail-ments :)

It seems like every year Christmas decorations come out earlier and earlier... so I can't really help but get into the spirit of the holidays myself! I've already had to decorate at work. And with all these contests popping up, I need to get some Konad practice! My inspiration for these nails were Christmas ornaments. It's hard not to get carried away with this idea! I tried to maintain a clean simple manicure while still using multiple characteristics of those fun little baubles... I chose OPI's Bogota Blackberry as my "ornament" color. I wanted a rich red... not just, well, red.

Here's how it starts out...

OPI Bogota Blackberry & Konad Plates M65 (stripes) and M59 (snowflake)

Notice how 2 of my nails are glossy and 2 are matte. I didn't want all of my ornaments the same so I used Essie's Matte About You to change the texture. Now I have shiney ornaments and frosted ones!

[Above] Indoor shot

[Below] In the sunlight. I don't like how the silver stripe seems so raised up. The indoor shot is a better representation. I think the stripe flattened out as it dried completely through.

I used OPI DS Glow on my tips (I knew that color would be good for something!) and my silver Stripe Rite to add the finishing touch! I applied the gold tips diagonally to match the angle of the stripes on my third nail. This makes all of the nails cohesive...

If you are wondering, my ring is from James Avery. It's my birthstone!... And just so happens to match my nails!

Nails in the reflection...

Thanks for looking! Hope you liked it! :)

Nfu Oh #59

Nfu Oh #59

I've yet to see this color in the sun [sad face]. Yes, indoors it is amazing but I just know it has so much more to offer! Rain is in the forecast for most of this week so it doesn't look like I will be getting a photo of the flakes glittering in the sun rays...

I have never seen any other polish that compares to Nfu Oh's opal polishes. They are FULL of flakes and each flake shifts colors as you twist your nails. The flakes in #59 transform from orange to green. I used 4 coats to fully cover my nails. It's best to do thin coats rather than thick, as they dry faster and don't gum up the layers of polish underneath. In my opinion, flakes are far superior to glitters... but definitely not any easier to remove!

Go Cyclones! I graduated from ISU with a degree in Graphic Design.

And no, I'm not currently using my degree. What a waste.

Below are comparisons of #59 w/o Seche Vite topcoat and then with...

[Above] See all the little bumps and grooves created from the flakes?

[Below] Look how smooth it becomes with a thick coat of Seche!

I was planning on swatching my Nfu Oh opals and holo shown in the photo below but since the possibility of sunshine is NONE then I might put it off until later. Here is a picture of the bottles anyways... Notice Pete in the background. He is always being nosy.

#52 (already swatched but I'd like to post better pictures), #59, #38, #56, #65

Again, I order Nfu Oh polishes from www.fabuloustreet.com. Shipping only takes a few days and the customer service is just wonderful. They recently helped me find a color similar to Tiffany blue. I'm hoping to order soon and create a Tiffany & Co. inspired manicure. I can't wait!

... and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little sister! She is 22 today!