CNT Halloween Nail Art Challenge: Things That Go Bump In The Night

     If you're confused with the topic for today's challenge, don't worry, I was too.  Off to the side it said monsters and my brain isn't very creative so I was set on doing something with monsters.  I really wanted to do Monsters, Inc. Sulley and Mike, but as I watching a YouTube tutorial on One Stroke Petals another tutorial cought my eye. 

I am now in love with IHaveACupcake's YouTube channel.  If you are ever low on inspiration, please check her channel out!

     This mani was so easy to re-create and I am so happy with how it turned out.  I hope that you guys like it as well.

*All acrylic paint is from Artist's Loft*

*All black, unless otherwise specified, is Lamp Black acrylic paint*

*All white, unless otherwise specified, is Platinum White acrylic paint*

Base coat: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Hardener

Top coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

Pinky: face - Black Cream from Wet N' Wild - 1 coat

            yellow: Lemon Yellow acrylic paint

            pink: My own creation using Platinum White and Crimson Red acrylic paint

Ring finger: French White Tip from NYC - 3 coats

                     bow: same mixture as used for the cat nose

Middle finger: Black Creme from Wet N' Wild - 2 coats

                        green: a mixture of Viridian, Platinum White, and Lemon Yellow acrylic paint

Pointer finger: Sassy from Revlong - 2 coats

                        eyeball: Cobalt Blue acrylic paint

Thumb: Wet Cement from Wet N' Wild - 3 coats

Taken inside with flash

If you would like to see what the other ladies in this group are doing, please check out their blogs using the thumbnails below.

Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to comment.  I love hearing from you gals and guys.

 

CNT Halloween Nail Challenge: Witches

     Today in the Facebook group, Crumpet's Nail Tarts, our challenge is witches.  As with all these challenge post's I never have any idea what the heck I am going to do.  All I knew is that I wanted to use Scandalous from Revlon as the base.  Scandalous is a black base with purple hex and micro glitter.  This formula dried very fast on me and is opaque in two coats.  I am a sucker for a dark color and this seemed perfect for a Halloween mani.  I was going to use a dark purple creme for my accent nail but then figured my witch design wouldn't show well against a dark base.  Then I saw Essie's Pretty Edgy and knew that this was the perfect accent color.  A beautiful green that would be perfect for a witches face.  And the rest is history from there!

Base coat: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Hardener

Base color: Scandalous from Revlon -2 coats

Accent color: Pretty Edgy from Essie - 2 coats

Witch colors: Lamp Black and Lemon Yellow from Artist's Loft acrylic paint

Top coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

I hope you enjoy my witch!  If you want to check out some crazy, awesome witch manis check out these ladies blogs who are also doing this challenge.

ABC Nail Challenge: B is for... Book

     Today marks another installment of the ABC Nail Challenge.  If you couldn't tell from the title, today's letter is B!  I have wanted to do a mani based on the cover of the book that I have been reading since I started reading it a few weeks ago, and let me tell you, it was really hard to hold off and wait to do this!  But I used this adult thing called control, which trust me, I fail at all the time, and I patiently waited for the B challenge to arrive.  I am really pleased with how this turned out and I hope that you like it as well!

Base coat: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Hardener

Base color: Mellow Yellow from Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - 2 coats

Top color: Sassy from Revlon

Top coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

Technique: Saran Wrap Method

All these pictures were taken inside without flash

Someday when I'm all grown up I WILL be able to free hand a dragon on to these but for now this will have to do.  I think these match really well, what about you guys?  

If you have a few moments, feel free to check out some other B mani's using the links below.  Have a great day!

Adventures In Stampinig Sunday Challenge, Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lightning Swatches and Review, and Stamping With Mash Plate 43

  Sorry for the crazy long title but I like to make sure I'm thorough.  Our challenge in the facebook group, Adventrures In Stamping, was to do something we loved.  It could of been a polish, a stamp, a method, anything we loved.  I was at a standstill.  There are so many things I love.  I tried something with OPI's Russian Navy, but then I decided how much I loved Revlon's Whimsical.  I was going to do it over Sally Hansen's Mellow Yellow like I have posted before, but decided I would try the new Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Lightning that I picked up yesterday.
  I had a TERRIBLE nail day yesterday.  I have never wanted to throw all my polishes out the window so badly before.  I am not sure what it was but I really disliked the Insta Dri formula and brush.  I hate saying this because generally I LOVE everything Sally Hansen.  But this is the second product I am not pleased with.  The first would have been the Acrylic Top Coat, but that is an entirely different story.  The brushes in this polish have never bugged me before in other polishes but I don't know why I detested them all of the sudden.  I think it had to do with the thickness of the polish and me being exhausted.  The heat really takes all of my enerygy.  I feel bad complaining about the heat because we have been so lucky compared to the rest of the States.  It has only been over 90 a few days here.  I know, I know, pathetic, but I can't help it.   

  The formula was thick and clumpy.  I tried to do one coat like the bottle suggested but it was so thick that it bubbled.  I removed it all and tried to do two thin coats, and it still bubbled and clumped up.  I also tried to switch the basecoats I used thinking the Avon Smooth Beginnings I always use is almost empty and thought it may have been to thick.  The only reason I am not throwing the two Insta Dri polishes I own is because they are great for stamping, ironically enough, due to their thick formula.  Oy vey.  lol.
  Warning, thiese pictures are terrible.  My cuticles are a disaster, I jammed my pointer finger into something and had to cut my entire nail down, I didn't get very good pictures, I was just done by the time I finished this mani.  

Base coat: Sally Hansen Hard As as Nails Hardener

Base color: Lightning from Sally Hansen Insta Dri - 2 coats

Stamp: Mash 43

Stamping colors: pinky - Heat Flash from Sally Hansen Insta Dri

                            ring finger - Clementine from Sinful Colors

                            middle finger - Why Not from Sinful Colors

                            pointer finger - Let's Talk from Sinful Colors

Top coat: Sally Hansen Insta Dri Anti Chip Top Coat

Finished mani outside in indirect light

Taken inside without flash

One coat of Revlon Whimsical over Lightning in indirect light

Outside in direct sunlight.  Can you see it bubbling on the middle and pointer finger?

Look at how lumpy the formula is on my middle finger!

Outside in indirect light

Taken inside without flash

Inside with flash

I really hope I have a better nail day today.

 

Happy Easter

     So, this was one of the most frustrating manis that I have done in a long time.  What you see here was NOT my original plan.  I spent a good hour carefully drawing easter eggs on each of my nails, dotting designs on them and trying to stamp a grass onto them and decided I did not like what I was seeing.  Which sucks because I had taken a bunch of pictures for a tutorial and like I said, spent a good amount of time on it.  I am much happier with what I have now and have gotten a lot of compliments on it.  I know that I have shown the Whimsical over Mellow Yellow before but I love it.  It makes me happy.  What do you think?  What have you guys done for your Easter manis?

Base Coat: Avon Smooth Beginnings

Purple Base Color: Luxe Lavender from Avon - 2 coats

Yellow Base Color: Mellow Yellow from Sally Hanson - 2 coats over one coat of Bubble Bath from Sinful Colors

Bunny: All acrylic paint

Welcome spring!

The weather here last week was so depressing.  Rain, snow, grey skys... I needed a pick me up.  I am not one for yellow but when I asked my husband what color I should buy when I was splurging at Rite Aid's buy one get one 50% off sale, he said it.  So without hesitation I picked it up.  I mean, I really need to stop buying pink and purple.  I have SO many variations of them, it is really crazy.  I knew when all I wanted to do was crawl into bed, this is what I needed to try.  I wasn't sure if I should try it with my newest obsession, Whimsical or with my new stirp glitter, so I went for a combination of both.

Out side in natural light, no flash

Inside with no light 

Base coat: Avon Smooth Beginnings

Base color: Bubble Bath by Sinful Colors - 1 coat

Main color: Mellow Yellow by Sally Hanson - 2 coats

Pinky and thumb glitter: In the Spotlight by Sally Hanson - 1 coat

ring, middle, and pointer finger glitter: Whimsical by Revlon - 2 coats

Top Coat: Seche Vite - 1 Coat

Does this combination make you happy?  Do you like the Whimsical or the In the Spotlight better?

Whimsical Wet Cement

I went to the store the other day in hopes to pick up a Cinderella by Sinful Colors for a swap I am doing and of course, they didn't have it.  I decided to walk around and see what I needed ;-) and I saw the Revlon stand.   Whimsical has been making its way across my rss feed lately and to be honest I didn't see what the big deal was.  But as I held it next to my Wet Cement by Wet N' Wild that was in my clutches I though, hmmm, these would look cute over each other.  Later that day I fell in love all over again!  I now know what the big effing deal is!  I love the pink and blue hex glitter and the smaller glitter.  I do have one wish though. I wish that the blue base was a little easier to conceal because there are some spots where it pools and looks a little chunkier than the rest of the nail.

On my pointer finger I have one coat of Whimsical and two coats of it on my middle finger

I also have my Avon Smooth Beginnings base coat on

 Here is one coat of Wet Cement

Two coats of Wet Cement 

as you can see I smuged my thumb and pointer finger a little :-(

Two coats of Wet Cement and two coats of Whimsical

What do you guys think?  Have you tried Whimsical yet?  I just went to pick up a back up bottle of this and Fred Meyers was sold out.