Crumpet's 52 week challenge - Week #4

Week #4 - 70's and/or grey + color

I'm back, and this is a week I've been dreading.  I didn't want to do the grey & color theme, because that would be easy.  I decided at the beginning that I was going to do the 70's, but how do I do it without it looking like...the 70's?  Avocado green, mustard yellow, rust, shag carpet...if you were alive and cognizant in that decade, you know what I'm talking about.

I ended up searching for some images, and came across 3 that I incorporated into this week's challenge, and I gotta say, I'm pleasantly surprised.  This works as an OK fall mani.  Yay me!

Mish Mash Challenge #27: Green, and YES, I am late AGAIN!

This was supposed to be a Wednesday post.  Yea.

This weeks' theme is:  Green.  Pretty simple, but I really do like the way this came out!  Except for my finger nails.  It is making me very unmotivated to polish.  I have had the worst luck with trying to keep everything hydrated...my nails, my hands, my skin, and me.  It is so freaking dry, cold, snowy.  Yes, I know it's winter, but we haven't had a winter like this in a very very long time.

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 #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

ABC Challenge - "E" is for Egyptian inspired.

First off, I wanted to comment on something that was brought up on the Facebook page.  I just wanted all the great ladies involved in this challenge to know - I know I don't reply to any of the posts made on my page, but with my limited time, I would much rather spend it looking at what you all have come up with and commenting on your pages than replying to comments on mine.   Be assured, I read every single one (and not just because the "Publish" option forces me to).  I really, really appreciate all the comments and words of encouragement that you leave every week.  Now, on to the mani...

My mother was a huge fan of anything Egyptian.  I don't know why, but she was.  I wish I had taken her to some of the exhibits that made their way through Chicago, but she had issues going in to the city, among other things.  So when "E" came up, I thought I would do something related to it.  My inspiration picture is this:

Not just for the picture, but for the colors.  Gold, coral, and turquoise seem as if they are a primary part of all the images I was looking at.  I also thought it would be a good example to see if I had any of the images in this photo on any stamping plates I have.  Well, that didn't pan out really well, but I did have a couple.

Next, the polishes I used:  I decided to go with drugstore brands.  Partly because I couldn't find a coral and turquoise in my collection (Sinful Colors had them both), and partly because I was anxious to try something from the Wet 'n Wild Fergie collection.  I had tried Wet 'n Wild before - it was disappointing.  But new marketing, new packaging...why not give it a try?

The colors are:  Sinful Boogie Nights (coral), Sinful Mint Apple, and Wet 'n Wild Gold Album.  The gold?  1 coat = full coverage.  Very happy with this polish for $3.99 a bottle.  There are a few other colors in the collection that I wouldn't mind getting.  If they all apply like this, I'm going to watch the new Wet 'n Wild a little more. 

I know I am VERY long winded this week, but this made me think of my mom...anyway, here's the mani.  Again, night pictures.  I had intended to take them during the day, but the last two days have been cold, wet, windy, dark, snowy, wet, cold...you get the idea.  I don't think I was able to go 10 minutes without having to put lotion on my hands, it has been so bad.  Plus, moving files and handling paperwork all day for the last two days were VERY hard on my hands.  Three days in, and it still doesn't look too bad, if I do say so myself.

I had a choice of doing something more time period authentic, or have a little fun with it.  I decided to have a little fun.  I didn't have patience for authentic...  Oh, I almost forgot to mention - this is the first time I ever tried stamping...EVER.  Although these were just single images, I totally see myself doing this a LOT more.

So, there you have it.  One more week down - time is really flying with this!  Thanks again for the look see, and be sure to see all the other ladies' take on the letter "E" below!!

Until next week!

ABC Challenge - "D" is for dots!

Another week has flown by; can't believe how fast it's going!!

So, for this week I decided dots.  I liked this idea, but I had a little trouble with the execution.  I don't have anything in my supplies that gave me a nice clear dot - and I tried a couple of things.  I looked for a dotting tool, but nowhere near me had any - can you believe it??  I ended up ordering one on Amazon, and would you know, the FIRST time ever that my package is in limbo...

So, they look more like blobs than dots, but hey - what are you gonna do?

I used Maybelline Onyx Rush - the bottle says "New Shade", but it isn't.  I was too lazy to take the label off.  I wanted to try a matte finish against the dots, and I used Essie Matte About You.  Love it!  I think I will be doing more matte topcoats.

For the 'dots', I used all 6 of the colors in the China Glaze Bohemian Collection - Deviantly Daring, No Plain Jane, Rare & Radiant, Swanky Silk, Unpredictable, and Want My Bawdy.

Again lighting and camera issues.  I was ready to take pictures today at work, but massive thunderstorms and dark clouds all day long.  It was 7pm dark at about 2:30pm today.  So, I only have 1 workable photo. 

I don't think I could ever do this on a permanent basis - I have SOOO much respect for the women that keep these kind of blogs.  It is crazy time consuming, and the work involved in getting those perfect macro shots of hands...wayyyy to much work for me right now. 

So, hats off to them.  Sending a big thank you for letting an amateur like me play in the majors!!
Check out the other fantastic ladies in this fun challenge below.

Good night everyone...until next week!!