NOTD for Tuesday 2/25/2014: Orly Androgynie

Going from bright and sunny yesterday to dark and sparkly today.  Like day to night...  This is an Orly polish that I really like, but I am a *little* disappointed with it.  All the gorgeous glitter you see in the bottle does not look the same on the nail.  That black jelly base swallows up a lot of it, but there is shine that still pokes through on your fingers.  I just wish there was more:

Front & Center Friday for 1/24/14: Orly You're Blushing

Front and Center Friday...Sunday edition.

I am hesitant to make any blog posts, because my poor hands have been so beaten up these last 3 weeks, they look awful to me.  Today is no different...they are so windburned they hurt.  Shoveling...I hate shoveling.  Especially on a really windy day.  My gloves are pretty good, but my fingers still froze.  Gotta love Chicago!

Only a couple photos and a quick blog post for this.  I wanted a nice neutral palate cleansing kind of color this week for some reason; maybe because of all the natural collections that are coming out for spring.  This isn't a recent one (I think 2012 collection), but you'd think I'd picked it up today.

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 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.....):

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

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) - 8/20/2013 (The Monday Edition)

This is gonna be a quickie - another Try It On Tuesday - yes, I know I am posting this on Monday, but if Halloween candy can be out in the stores in the middle of August, I feel OK about posting this one day early this week. 

T.I.O.T is the relaxed challenge put together by Gini at Sassy Paints.  She always has some fantastic polish or nail art posted, so go check her out.

This week, I was in the mood for pink. This one is a bright, shimmery, bubble-gummy, Barbie pink. Perfect!

ABC Challenge - "V" is for Venus In The Sky

Hello all!  We are here for the letter V, so here we go.

First, let me say that my original idea for the letter U and letter V both tied in together.  But that was before I looked at the calendar, and realized that the letter U fell right after Memorial Day weekend.  So my inspiration for V started with the letter U...who cares, right?  Here's the finished look, and yes, I know my cuticles look awful.  There is a lot of oil glare that wasn't there IRL, and they look bad in these photos.  But you are only here to see the polish, right?

ABC Challenge - "Q" is for Queen of Speed

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Hello all!  I got very lucky this week.  I had this "Q" in my stash that was my fallback in case I didn't think of anything else better, so I didn't feel too pressured trying to figure out what to do.  And best of all, it is the perfect base for my themed manicure that fits right in this time of the year.

Before the photos, let me just tell you two things:  1) I live near Chicago, and 2) I am a rabid hockey fan.  So, regular season just ended on Saturday 4/27, and the best team in the NHL is...drumroll, please...the Chicago Blackhawks.  But the post-season is just beginning this week, and everything basically resets to zero.  It doesn't matter what they did anymore, it's what they do from here on out.  **UPDATE - And all they did was win game 1...in overtime.  YAY!**  So to show my appreciation for the best professional sports team in the city, I did a little Blackhawks inspired manicure.  Oh, and the team colors?  Red, black, and white.

Queen of Speed from Color Club is a VERY sheer red - it would have taken a lot of coats for full opacity.  I was not willing to wait that long, so I used a coat of Wisp underneath, with two coats of the Queen.  It made this polish a very bright red.  PERFECT.

Not sure why pointer finger looks so orange...
doesn't look that way in real life.

For my thumb, I did a base of Wisp, and sponged on the red, green, yellow and orange (these are the colors in the feathers in the logo).  Is it a little messy? Yes; my transfers weren't the best, and my lines...looks like I was a little drunk when I drew them.  Unfortunately, I was not. 

Colors used:
Black striper
Midnight in NY (black shimmer) - Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure
Wisp (white) - Sinful Shine
Queen of Speed (red) - Color Club
Fresh (green) - Orly
Let's Meet (yellow) - Sinful
Drive Me Crazy (orange) - Pure Ice

And here is my inspiration:

I used Lisa's at LOZLOSA newspaper technique (yes, again), for the tomahawks and the Indian head logos.  My only issue:  they are backwards on the nail (obviously).  I think I know how to correct that, so with a little tweaking and playing with my software, I can get these images flipped before I print, so they transfer correctly.  **UPDATE - found a free online flipping tool, and have reversed images in less than 2 minutes.**

I had a little bit of trouble this time, because I was TOO DAMN IMPATIENT.   I wanted this manicure on my nails, RIGHT NOW, and they are messy.  I don't feel as bad as I should - work has been brutal on my hands this past week, and they are already looking pretty sad.  I'm going to have to redo them, but as long as the Blackhawks are in the playoffs, I'll be sporting some version of this.

So, here is my weekly shout out to Kimber at Kimber's Lacquer Korner, the master of ceremonies to this little challenge.  Even though we are (quickly) coming to the end of the alphabet, there are still 9 weeks left...plenty of time to join.  And just because the alphabet will be ending, doesn't mean that the challenges will be over.  If you are interested in jumping in, it is a closed group.  You will need to click on the ABC Challenge tab on her web page, and shoot her an e-mail to request to join.  Simple as that.

Now, onward.
Liz

ABC Challenge - "O" is for Orly, OPI, and Optical Illusions

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Step right up, step right up!!  I feel like a carnival barker...and I am beyond ecstatic about this week.  Now, before we get to the pictures, keep in mind this is not perfect work.  And, I need to give credit where credit is due.  Last week, Lisa @ LOZLOSA posted a FANTASTIC "newspaper" mani, with instructions (link to it HERE).  I loved this enough to try it this week.

Like I said, not perfect.  I was nervous because of the images I picked - very black heavy.  And a LOT of paper fiber left behind on the nail, some of which I didn't get because I was afraid of wiping off the black (yea, I should not have worried).  On top of that, my allergies are into overdrive, and trying to paint my nails with a staining red while coughing and sneezing, well, lets just say I did NOT color well within the lines.  I'm using my chitty cuticle pass this week.  Overall, I am SOOOO pleased with this - the options are truly limitless with this technique.  (The Orly red was crazy shiny, and pictures were taken at night.  Weather forecast for the next 3 days - rain.  I may update later if I can get something that resembles daylight, but otherwise...sorry, you will have to suffer through with the crappy photos).

 

 

**THIS IS MY FAVORITE**

 

Here are the original images I used.  I ended up inserting them into a Word document, and adjusted down the size from there.  They had to be drastically reduced, but the 12 original images I picked easily fit on one page.

Finally, colors used:
OPI - My Boyfriend Scales Walls
Orly - Unlawful

I SO wish I had better photos to do a little justice to how this turned out.  Thank you so much Lisa for the inspiration.

As always, Kimber at Kimber's Lacquer Korner is responsible for the group you see below.  If you want to join, visit her website, click on ABC Challenge, and drop her a request.  And no cheating...if you haven't signed up, please don't link.

Good night all, but before you leave, check these out:

ABC Challenge - "L" is for lemon-lime

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Since I was so long winded last week, I will be short (for me) on this one. I don't think I'm keeping this mani on very long. It is below freezing, blustery winds, and snow is in the forecast - again!. It was meant to perk me up and make me look forward to spring, but it's just not working...

I took this week's letter to heart, and not only is the concept comply to the rules, so do the 4 polishes I used (all were in my stash, hard to believe):

Maybelline Color Show - Lustrous Lime

Jessica - Lime Cooler
Sinful Colors - Let's Meet.
Orly - Lemonade

First time sponging, and it was fun - definitely will be doing this again.  It seemed a little blah, so I put on a topper of iridescent flakies from Studio M, and a purposeful mistake - from a comment RiaG made last week - on my accent nail with Hard Candy, Piece of Papaya.  FYI - this color is AWESOME!  I may wear Papaya and make a blog post if I do. 


Before:                                                                                        After:  Topper is:
Not bad, but too blah for my mood...                                            Studio M - Covered in Diamonds

 

It was almost impossible for me to get a photo where the greens read as green - the "naked" one on the left was the closest I could get.  In real life, it's much more noticeable.  Probably because these were yellow-greens and not blue-greens, the camera couldn't make the distinction.

And as always, cheers to Kimber's Lacquer Korner for starting off this challenge - it's never too late to join. Just see her website, and request to be included.  It is a laid back challenge - once a week, as opposed to every day - because she realized that life sometimes comes before polish.  Shocking, but true!

Thanks for taking the time to read...and now, onward to all the other lovely ladies' submissions for the letter "L"...

ABC Challenge - "C" is for...Confused

Well, I missed a week on my posting, so I am picking things back up with "C". 

My first choice was camouflage.  I had seen a couple of examples of it I really liked, and thought I would try it.  I worked at it, and I did complete one, but...after 2 days, I just did NOT like it. AT ALL.  I'm going to run with the reason that I am still new at this, and don't have the creative juices flowing just yet.

So, what to do, what to do...then I had an idea.  Well, a chain reaction thought really, that started in an unlikely place.  The ending of the hockey lockout.  The Blackhawks took the ice over the weekend, and I started thinking about when they won the Stanley Cup.  The parade in Chicago was crazy, and when I was watching it, I remember all the confetti that was coming down when the two double decker buses drove the team to the rally.  So, confetti it is.  Well, my version anyway.

Simple choice - only two colors.  Orly White Tips and China Glaze It's a Trap-eze. 

I'm still trying to find time to do these photos during the day, but things are crazy with work and school schedules.  I need to get a camera too.

The single digit temperatures, sub-zero windchills and all this forced air heat has made everything dry, so I'm still working on making the finished product look nice, but this one IS better than the last.  Baby steps...
.
I'm looking forward to "D".  Have a good week everyone!

ABC Challenge - "A" is for Aqua

Alright...drum roll please.  I'm in need of a new manicure, and the cold weather has killed my fingers, so please excuse the photo.  This is more of a test for me really, to see if I can get the hang of this posting stuff.

My "A" for the challenge is for Aqua - as in China Glaze Aquadelic.  I topped that off with Orly's Mermaid Tale, and voila!  I have a summery manicure in the dead of winter.  It's kind of fitting though, our office at work is like 80 degrees...feels like summer inside all year round.



Ugh!! This will be a reminder to not neglect my hands, especially when it will be only 10-20 degrees outside.

So...not the best mani, that's for sure, but I did, by some fluke, have the polish on before I even knew about the challenge...maybe it was destiny.
I've been pretty sleep deprived for the last 3 weeks, so bear with me here.  Things will get better.

Until "B"...