Spotlight Saturday for 12/28/2013

Wow.  The last weekend for 2013.  This year flew by...can't say that it bothers me though.  Not the best year, but at least it was better than 2012.  They are trending upward & you can't ask for anything more than that.  Next year in 2014?  I'm going to be a participant and not a spectator.  But, enough of that...we're here for the polish, right?  I'm closing out 2013 with something colorful and sparkly!

Direct sunlight

GAME DAY - Blackhawks 12/27/2013

Hawks are back on the ice tonight after a short Christmas break...yeah baby!!!!

Introducing in 2014...Front and Center Fridays!!

OK, maybe dorky, but it's catchy...or gimmicky?  Take your pick. 

Sadly, my Try It On Tuesday's are stopping at the end of 2013, but in name only.  Gini @ SassyPaints is discontinuing the group thing we were doing, mainly because of decline in participation, but it was extra work that she really didn't need to take upon herself.  She's a busy blogger - with an awesome blog! - and the side project she created for herself I think was just too much of a time suck. 

But I want to - scratch that, I NEED TO - keep the tradition alive.  My untried polish pile just gets bigger and bigger, and I need to make sure they don't stay that way.  Since my Saturday posts showcase my untried glitters with a base color, it works out perfectly to move this post to Fridays so I can do a tandem kind of post if I want to, or need to.

I'm starting this in the New Year, which really is just over a week away.

Merry Christmas all!

Mish Mash Challenge #22: 3 Colors

Mish Mash Challenge day falls on Christmas this year, so I'm doubling up on Tuesday to get this in.  MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!  The 3 colors fell on a good day...I chose Red, Green and Gold.  My nails on my right hand are finally getting to a length that I feel OK photographing, but they are still short for me.  I hate always having to use my left hand in the photos - it's awkward for me to have to use my right to photograph.

T.I.O.T. (Try It On Tuesday) - 12/24/2013

Merry Christmas Eve!  I don't have much going on this year for the holidays, so it's just business as usual for me...and it's Tuesday, so time for a post. 

I am in LOVE with the Satin Glam polishes from Sally Hansen.  There are 8 colors released so far, and I have 4...I only bought the neutral colors, and I am kicking myself.  Thankfully, these aren't limited edition polishes, so plenty of time to pick them up.

This is 3 coats - NO TOPCOAT.
Indirect sunlight.

Spotlight Saturday for 12/21/2013

I've got my Spotlight Saturday ready!  I wanted to do a Christmas-y / Holiday glitter for this one, and this one came in my Mystery Box from Polish Addict Nail Color.  If you don't get in on these, I highly recommend that you do.  You can't beat the price, and I have not gotten a polish I haven't liked.

T.I.O.T. (Try It On Tuesday) - 12/17/2013

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things.  Feels very strange - I'd forgotten how much work goes into getting up a blog post!

So, my "come back" TIOT polish - Celestial "Mother of Dragons".  OH. MY. GOD.   I love! this polish.  I have been in a neutral and/or red phase for almost 2 months now.  Seriously, I have no idea where it came from...I don't have that many reds.  But this polish...<<sigh>>, I have no words.

Guest post for SassyPaints!

Another bad, bad for me.  I should get coal in my stocking for Christmas...seriously!  I did another guest post - yes, two of them, back to back!  This one was for Gini @ SassyPaints on November 30th.  This one was a spur of the moment holiday idea.  I was shopping and everywhere I turned there were holiday decorations. 

I decided on Christmas stockings to kick off the holiday - take a look {here}.

 

Thanks everyone!

Liz

Guest post for Vegan Nail Art, Baby!

OK, this is late.  Very, very...very late.  I did a guest post for Marilyn over at Vegan Nail Art, Baby! back on November 29th.  Yes, I know, it is now December 16th.

Here's the link to the post.  I've been trying to do a white opal manicure for FOREVER, and I am close - really, really close - to what I imagine it to be in my mind.  Photos aren't the best because it is pretty hard to photograph the effect of opal, but you can get a peek of it in a couple of them.

I want to thank Marilyn again for letter me take up her blog for a day.  Please take a peek {here}.

Thanks again for taking a look!

T.I.O.T. (Try It On Tuesday) - 11/19/2013

There will be a few pictures for this Try It On Tuesday, and a short post.  Four words....Crows Toes Indian Summer.  If you have this, then you know.  If you don't, then let me tell you - OH. MY. GOSH!!!!

GAME DAY - Blackhawks 11/17/2013

All hell is broke loose here today, and I gotta tell you, it freaked me out a little.  More than a couple tornados were touching down in towns not too far from me today, and one of the potential storm tracks brought that super-cell over my town.  It didn't happen, but I was holding my breath for a couple of hours today.  It got so bad, they evacuated Soldier Field and delayed the Bears game - when was the last time you heard of something like that?  Football plays in anything!  Scary stuff in the middle of November.

Anyway, Blackhawks game day - another back-to-back weekend for them.  I hated to take off my Spotlight Saturday manicure.  I will definitely be wearing that again.

Spotlight Saturday for 11/16/2013

I'M BACK!!!!!!!  Whether or not that is a good or bad thing, well, I'll leave that up to you to decide.

I've got a Spotlight Saturday for you that has me wavering from hate it to love it, and I'm cycling through both extremes pretty quickly.  I'm currently in the LOVE IT swing, so I figured I better write this post now.   (FYI - the photos aren't going to be great today; I explain why further down).

Yes, it is blurry.  But it shows off the AMAZING
holographic goodies in the glitter topper!

My Imminent Return...Dun, dun, dun!!!!!

Hello all !!!!  Well, I think I've almost got my head out of my ass, so that means I'll be raring to go here shortly.  I've got some homework to catch up on, so I'm missing today's Mish Mash, but I'll be back in the "Spotlight"...get it?  My Saturday posts are called "Spotlight Saturday's".........do I hear crickets chirping?  Hey, I never said the jokes would be good.

Have a good rest of the week, and I'll see you all again Saturday!

L.

Personal Rant

Hi everyone...

 

I posted this comment on my Facebook page, but it is something that really bothers me...how little respect some have for each other in this crazy polish world.  It turned into something bigger than I had originally intended, but I guess I needed to get it off my chest. 

 

For people that don't know me - and that is most likely everyone reading this blog - I have a very sharp sarcastic tongue.  I contain myself in writing, because people can't see the smirk on my face or the twinkle in my eye from a written word...sometimes the sarcasm is taken as truth.  I can't control how you, the reader, reads my words, so I have to try to control as best I can what I write so that most will "get it".  I know I can't please everyone, so don't ever expect me to try.  It ain't gonna happen. 

 

I've been under a self-imposed exile recently,because I lost that spark and I didn't find any joy in this.  In this environment where we all can't get along, I allowed all that negativity I was reading to somehow sneak in through my pores...my bad, I know.  But after writing the FB post, and now this, I am pretty sure I have purged it all from my system.  The twinkle is coming back to my eye, and I've loosened the self-censorship a bit.  I feel the bite coming back to my tongue.  It's still tingling, so it's not fully charged yet, so I'm gonna give myself another week before I start wading back into the waters...be ready folks!!

 

In case you want to read what I put on my FB page, here it is...in full.  And if you get through and read this whole post, I will be very impressed at your perseverance!! 

 

"This is just an opinion/commentary, and it's going to be rather long. I'm not looking for confrontation. If you are going to cut and paste snippets of this elsewhere to comment, at least tell me you are doing it.

I started in this polish...obsession...not too long after my mother passed away. I had already lost my father, so I was in a drifting kind of daze to adjust to life without a family.  

I'm not an artist, and I don't have unlimited finances, so I somehow wandered into this world. It helped me in a crazy way - doing my own manicures let me focus on something and start getting a new routine for my life, even if it was for a short time. Baby steps... These little bottles of polish started letting me see that there are still pretty things in the world, even when it has been turned completely upside down by events beyond your control.

But lately, this world has gotten pretty ugly - I know anyone who is on FB and gets stories in their newsfeed knows this. Many women feel it's OK to just blast people for - let's face it - things that really are pretty stupid. Like the whole Llarowe issue about the bottle size (I'm not even going to begin to get into the details of that one - it REALLY was stupid).

In a group that I am a member of, someone decided to post what they thought was a PSA about someone asking for help with vet bills, and accused that person of only using the money for polish. The conversation devolved into smearing shit on walls, adoption, and why people shouldn't have children...sadly, I'm not kidding.

I'm all up for a spirited debate, but these are anything but. They are slanderous, hurtful, rude, and most importantly, immature. Hiding behind a keyboard does not give anyone the right to be an ASSHOLE. I can't imagine what you women are like in real life...I do know I don't want to find out. Defending something is different than attacking someone for having a different view. I worked in an environment like this - it's not healthy.

I came into this world when I needed some emotional healing and I was lucky enough to stumble into a group of women that let me have that. Silly me thought the friendships I found in that group were universal in the polish world. Sadly, it is not.

And FYI - I blame those women now for my polish addiction. If they had been like a lot of the people I am encountering now, I would never have gotten caught up in all of this. ;P Just kidding on that last part, ladies from Kimber's Amazing Polish Ladies - you guys are the island in the sea!"

 

Thanks again for letting me take up your time!!

L.

Taking some time

Hey everyone!  Just a quick post...I've got some personal things exploding around me, and I need to take a little time to take it all in and settle it all down.   I'm only thinking of taking a couple of weeks, but we'll see how long it takes me to come back to some kind of equilibrium.

Although no one has died, it's a kind of loss and needs to be mourned.  I do think that it is all for the best, and will work out to be that in the end.  I think I will be a better person for it happening.  Sorry to be vague, but it's not something I want to put specifically in black and white, you know??

So...Happy Halloween everyone!  It's the kick-off for a festive time of year!

Thanks!
Liz

T.I.O.T. (Try It On Tuesday) - 10/22/2013

Here we are again - another TIOT post with Gini @ SassyPaints.  I picked a neutral this week, but oh, what a neutral this is.  I. LOVE. THIS. POLISH!!  I have become a little fanatical with Different Dimension polish, and this is just another one of her beautiful creations.  It is really new to my collection, but it would not be denied!

Mish Mash Challenge #12: Flower

Hello everyone! So, I missed last weeks challenge post. I did the manicure, but never got around to taking photos. With the holiday on Monday I got thrown off a little bit, and missed the cutoff to post in the inlinkz group...so, fudge it.

This week's challenge is flower.  I'm not a floral kind of gal...you won't see me sporting tulips or calla lilies.  This topic is way out of my comfort zone.  My artwork skills are seriously lacking, so I decided to do something a little abstract.  And, crazy enough, I kind of like the finished look.

Spotlight Saturday for 10/19/2013

Another Saturday, and we are getting closer to Halloween!!!  I had plans for Halloween night, and well, to condense it down, I had to switch around my school schedule and am now stuck in class...till 10pm.  A little bummed about that, but I'm stuck, and there is no changing it.

I decided to do some Halloween colors, and with my amount of untried polishes, believe me it wasn't difficult.

T.I.O.T. (Try It On Tuesday) - 10/15/2013

Wow, another TIOT already!  Gini @ SassyPaints sponsors this laid-back weekly "challenge" to give some of our untried polishes a little time in the limelight.  This week is one from Dollish Polish that took me more than a couple of re-stocks to get my hands on, and it is well worth the wait.

Spotlight Saturday for 10/12/2013

Today is neutral day with my manicure.  Grey base polish with a black-and-holo microglitter in a clear base  topper.  It is so sparkly! I apologize for the photos - I took them in direct sun a couple of days ago, and didn't notice until now just how washed out they are.

GAME DAY NOTD! - Blackhawks 10/9/13

It's fall, and that means HOCKEY season!!  There's football too, but nothing beats hockey for me. Tonight's game is against the Blues, so to commemorate tonight's game & the beginnings of the hockey season, here's my game day mani:

Mish Mash Challenge #10: Triangle BIG. FAT. FAIL.

Yea, late again.  Sigh....This week was a big fat fail, as I stated in the title.  I wanted to do something different than what I figured everyone else was doing, and I had some problems.  With each attempt, I got more and more frustrated, and less forgiving.  I settled on stamping, and well, NOT the best effort.  I am pretty sure that some of the problem is because my stamper, well, sucks, but my attention span wasn't the best. Who would have thought the challenge of 'triangle' would best me??

T.I.O.T. (Try It On Tuesday) - 10/8/2013

Another TIOT with Gini @ SassyPaints.  This one is from Salon Perfect, and is a beautiful dark blue leaning a little bit teal.

Spotlight Saturday for 10/5/2013 (posted on Sunday, again!)

Spotlight Saturday, the Sunday edition.  I'm having trouble with blogger on my web browser...so I had to cave and install Google Chrome.  Now it works like a charm...go figure.  I HATE Chrome, but since I only plan on using it for blogging, I guess it has it's purpose.  But enough bitching about my connectivity issues...on to the polish.

This week I wanted to break out my Fuzzy Coats.  I haven't worn them yet, and this one was a...chore...trying to find.  It was always sold out when I was looking for it.  I finally snagged it a couple of months ago, and it sat in a drawer. I can say that of a lot of my polishes - too many, which is why this whole Saturday thing started.

T.I.O.T. (Try It On Tuesday) - 10/1/2013

Try it on Tuesday with Gini @ SassyPaints2012.  This week I felt the need to wear something season appropriate.  I picked up this polish on sale, and it is so pretty.  Finger Paints, Hue Brighten My Day:

Spotlight Saturday for 9/28/2013

OK, so I had this post done, you know on SATURDAY, when I was supposed to post it.  Turns out I saved and closed it instead of publishing.  Woops!!

 



 

Spotlight Saturday, and I've got a drugstore polish this week.  This is not my usual kind of color pairing, but I just can't stop staring at my nails. 

Mish Mash Challenge #9: Blue

I am actually posting this weeks' Mish Mash Challenge on time.  Woot woot!!  This week is blue:

Mish Mash Challenge #8: Cold

Better late than never, I guess!  Whew, this post should have been up last week...oh well.  Today's post of the Mish Mash challenge is Cold.  I live near Chicago so cold is not a difficult concept for me, but when I think of cold, my mind goes to Russia - Siberia, to be exact.  I'll show you my inspiration after the jump.

T.I.O.T. (Try It On Tuesday) - 9/24/2013

Happy Tuesday!  Today is another Try It On Tuesday, with Gini @ SassyPaints.  I have a drugstore polish today, and it is GORGEOUS!! It amazes me to find polishes like this for less than $2!

*My FIRST* Spotlight Saturday for 9/21/2013

I'm doing something new.  I posted on Facebook that I came up with a plan, and this is part of it.  I have a...few (**clears throat**)...polishes that I have not worn yet, and they are sitting neglected and shuttered in a drawer right now.  It is not a very nice way to treat these pretties, so I decided that on Saturday, I am going to pull out some of them, and show them off.  My version of a personal "untrieds"  challenge.  Only glitters will be showcased here (along with an appropriate undie, of course).

**Just a disclaimer - if someone else out there is doing a 'Spotlight Saturday' (which with the number of blogs out there, the chances are good) I am in no way claiming the uniqueness of the idea.  I'm sure they will be different to not cause any issues.**

So for my very FIRST Spotlight Saturday, I give you (drumroll.....):

An interruption to regularly scheduled programming....

Hi all.  Taking a mini break here, but I'll be back in a few days. 

Having some kitty health issues again, but hopefully they won't be nearly as bad as the last time.  She went to the vet last week, because she was walking funny.  She's showing initial signs of neuropathy, which is most likely caused from elevated blood sugar levels (but there is a pretty good percentage that it will go away once blood sugar stabilized again - **crossing my fingers**). 

After speaking with a vet tonight at the animal hospital, her sickness could just be complications from increasing her insulin dosage recently.  Have to go to my vet in the morning to possibly get some more anti-diarrhea & anti-nausea medication, and also have them do a full spectrum urine analysis to check for infections.  She's not eating - well, she TRIED to eat, but threw it all back up about 3 hours later - and is now not eating again.  Only been 1 day of that, so hopefully anti-nausea will fix that right up.  Her vitals look OK, but slightly elevated white blood cell count is a little concerning. 

Too much information for you?  Yea, sorry about that, but this kitty is just too wrapped up in my life that I'm not ready to let her go yet...here she is again, looking MUCH perkier than she did last time she was in this hospital.  Three hours later, and she could not wait to get out of that carrier.  I kept seeing her paws come out of the bars on the front gate, trying to get my attention.

See you soon!
Liz

NOTD: Saturday 9/14/2013

Quick post.  Put this mani on Friday night, very late.  I had a really busy day on Saturday, and did not have a chance to do a good clean-up...well, let's be honest.  I didn't do ANY clean-up.  Don't judge.

Mish Mash Challenge #7: Least Expensive Polishes

Hi all!  Another Mish Mash, and this week it's our least expensive polishes.  This is going to be quick - I pinched my sciatic nerve, and if you've done that, nuff said.  If you haven't, it can range from dull to excruciating pain, to no pain at all.  Clean up job isn't the greatest, and neither are my lines, but I feel better with something on my fingers right now.  Small victories...

These particular polishes were on clearance at Ulta for $0.99 each about 3 months ago, and with my birthday coupon they sent me for $10.00 off any purchase, they ended up being free.  Can't get less expensive than that!!

NOTD: Sunday 9/8/2013

So, after that not-so-fun day of swatching and reviewing, I had to put on something that I could wear for a couple of days.  Not that those Orly's weren't gorgeous, but I wanted something a little more summery.

My first review! - Part 2, Orly Secret Society collection

Yes, you read the title correctly - this is Part 2 of a review post.  And again, these products were purchased by me, so nothing to disclose. 

Here is the complete Secret Society collection:


Picture from NailCandy101.com

My first review! - Part 1, Orly Secret Society collection

Yes, you read the title correctly - this is Part 1 of a review post.  As my blog header states, these products were purchased by me, so nothing to disclose.  Damn legal issues....anyway, I don't plan on making a habit of this, so I may as well do this one right.

This came about because a friend and fellow blogger - Dionne @ Glittery Fingers and Sparkling Toes - had posted reviews of some polishes from the Orly Surreal collection.  She wasn't able to buy the Secret Society collection yet, but when I told her I had them, she threatened me with bodily harm  asked me nicely to swatch them.  So here is the collection: 



Picture from NailCandy101.com

NOTD: Thursday 9/5/2013

I recently got a Mystery Bag from Daring Digits, and I am just in LOVE with every polish in the mix.  I was a little bit leery about doing one of these, mostly because you never know what you are going to get, but I was absolutely not disappointed.  With so many to choose from, it was tough, but this one just caught my eye and I had to wear it. 

Mish Mash Challenge #6: Hot

I can't believe we are up to week 6 already!  This week is "Hot" - I was going to go with the literal on this challenge, and I had done a red-orange-yellow manicure with some glitter, but it just wasn't clicking...and when a friend of mine got a quick glance at my nails and thought I did a Halloween theme with candy corn, well...yeah, they had to come off. 

So, what to do, what to do...I decided to not do the literal, and chose to treat "Hot" as "Sexy".  Once I made that choice, a song popped into my head - "Computer Blue".  And then  "Darling Nikki", "When Doves Cry"... Hopefully you figured out who inspired my Hot-Sexy mani this week, but if not, I won't hold it against you.  FYI - purple is NOT color correct.  I took too many photos, and it just would not photograph; it is a red-purple in real life.

T.I.O.T. (Try It On Tuesday) - 9/3/2013

Another week, and another Try It On Tuesday, sponsored by Gini @ SassyPaints. I've been in a red-orange-bronze kind of mood, and this polish just jumped out at me when I first looked at what to wear.  "You Are The Brute Squad" from LynBDesigns.  Metallic copper and holo glitter....sigh.....

 

Mish Mash Challenge #5: Music

Ah, music...I wasn't sure what I was going to do for this week.  I got a stamping plate from Cheeky that I wasn't expecting for a couple more weeks, so I was going to do the music notes, staff, instrument thing, but then...the VMA's happened (and just an FYI - this is one of the rare posts where I have video's embedded; with this challenge topic, I couldn't pass up the opportunity).  For those that don't know, MTV has an annual Video Music Award program, and no, it is not Miley Cyrus inspired.  That would have been a nude colored polish with a mouth and tongue accent nail...oh yea, and a foam finger worked in somewhere...

Tri-Polish Challenge: August #3

Crumpet's Nail Tarts Tri-Polish Challenge for August 2013 - colors are Red, Yellow and Green.  This is my #3 manicure for this month, and with the oppressive heat outside, and only a small portable A/C unit in the house, I opted for something light...and fast. Plus, I want to work on my stamping, and this week is perfect for it.

T.I.O.T. (Try It On Tuesday) - 8/27/2013 - on Monday again!

Real quickie for this week's Try It On Tuesday...yes, a day early again.  (Last minute cramming for finals will take up my Tuesday). 

LynBDesigns AWESOME!!!! polish:  The Fires of Gallifrey.  I was listening to and watching Dr. Who all weekend while I was studying, and thought this was a perfect.  Love, love it!

The color is described as red-based, but it reads more orange-y on me, which I like.  With the gold glitter in it, I think a truer red would feel almost holiday-like.  This was a quick paint job:  two thickish coats, with no undies.  Could have used some glitter food, but I'm only able to wear it a couple of days, and didn't want to bother.  That is the one bad thing with being in more than one challenge - I don't wear a manicure for a week like I used to.

Told you this would be a quickie!  No need for a jump break!
See you for the Mish Mash Challenge!
Liz

Liebster Award Nomination





PENDING AWARD...I'm not claiming it yet.

Hi everyone - Natalie at Over The Top Coat nominated me for the Liebster Award.  What is that, you say?  Well, that's what I said, anyway.  Turns out it is an award, passed around the net from another fellow blogger, to someone who is relatively new to blogging and has less than 200 followers.  Check, and check - that's me.  It is a great way to get to know a little bit of the person behind the text on the screen.  FYI - This has turned into a long post...sorry about that.

Tri-Polish Challenge: August #2

AUGUST 2013 colors:  Red, Yellow, and Green.  Oy!

Crumpet's Nail Tarts:  Tri-Polish Challenge.  It's 4 manis using three different color polishes.  The colors are given for each month, and you have to use the same 3 for all 4 manicures.

So, since yellow is just not my thing for a base, I decided to switch it around for this manicure.  Still a little stumped for creativity for the moment, so I went with and old favorite - a dotticure.

Colors used for the whole August challenge:
Love and Beauty (by Forever21) - Glittering Sea Green
Sinful Colors - Unicorn
Flower - NP14 Budding Romance

I decided to go with a red base on this one.  Flower is a brand that is exclusively sold at Walmart, and is a cosmetic line created by Drew Barrymore.  The colors are very...safe.  This particular red is very pretty.  It has a micro shimmer in it that it not a WOW kind of thing; it just makes it kind of glow when the sun hits it.

So, here it is:  my dotticure.

 















Two down.  Whew!  A few days for me to come up with something for next week!  Check out everyone else below for this crazy color combo!

Later!
Liz