NOTD for 7/12/2015: Pahlish. And please don't hate me...

Yes, I am still alive.  Over 7 months since my last blog post.  Yikes!!  I realized I have too many pretties and not enough people to share them with, so I'm going to try this blogging thing again.  But it will be shorty posts.  I promise.

So here's my NOTD for today.  It isn't exactly what I was shooting for; I wanted some clean lines using striping tape, but the humidity here all summer has been so high.  It feels like it's raining every day, and my nails just wouldn't dry.  So I improvised a bit with an almost steady hand and a dotting tool.

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.

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: 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. 

ABC Challenge - "T" is for Theoretical Collection

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Hello all!  I had another manicure in mind for "T", but I FINALLY got my hands on these polishes, and the plans went out the window.  I. LOVE! THESE.  I am not really a huge fan of the big chunky glitter (but Different Dimensions Echoes collection has me smitten).   So when I first saw these, I had to have.  It took a while, however.  As you all know, trying to buy indie polishes during a restock is like those bridal dress sales.  If these polish sales happened in real life and not a virtual one, there would be a lot of broken bones and bloodied noses, let me tell you!  And I would feel really bad for causing all that damage (KIDDING!! Well...maybe not as much as I should be).

ABC Challenge - "G" is for geometric

Hello, hello!!  I'm cheating a little bit with this post - I am "drafted" and ready to go here on Sunday, but holding off the PUBLISH button until Wednesday, make that Tuesday; I didn't want to wait.  I am in a mood, and can't seem to want to keep a manicure for more than a couple of days, no matter how long it takes me to do, or how much I like it.  I'll probably have my "H" post done before the weekend!

Anyway - focus, focus.  This week in Kimber's hosted ABC Challenge, is the letter G.  Last week's manicure was an issue for me - every day I woke up wanting to like the colors, and every day, it did not happen.  I figured I would go to the other end of the spectrum in colors this week, and I did....sort of. 

I got a little inspiration from Jenni at I Relish Nail Polish and her Fish braid mani last week.  I also commented on FB about walking by a display at a local store that was packed full with ESSIE dark colors.  I picked up my first 3 from the brand, and planned on using them this week also.  The detour I took was in the base coat.  With three dark colors I planned to use, I had no choice but to use a very light base.  I remember Kimber using a taupy base color back in week E, so I went that route.  Yes, you women are inspiring me - giving credit where credit is due.

So...I painted three coats each of my Essie colors onto a sheet protector, and let them dry overnight.  I peeled them off and decided to cut them into squares/rectangles and triangles.  Easy, right?  Not so much (for me, anyway).  These suckers seemed pretty strong, until I got a TINY little nick in one, and tore it almost in half.  OOPS!  Also, the scissors I was using to cut the shapes created JUST enough static electricity that I couldn't get the little pieces of polish to let go.  It was pretty comical - and it got the attention of one of my kitties.  Bad got worse really fast. 

I ended up, for sanity's sake, making the shapes quite a bit bigger than I had originally planned.  1)saved time, and 2) saved my sanity.  I was going to do circles with a dotting tool, but with the size of these cutouts, it just would have been too much.

On to the pictures...I'm doing my camera research too, but these seem to be a little better than usual.  Maybe because it turns out there really is a sun out there - haven't seen it in what seems like forever.  The down side?  It's like 15 degrees outside, so the photos are taken inside near a sunny window.

The colors:
OPI Skull and Glossbones (light grey) LOVE this - I already know I will be using again at least one time in this challenge
ESSIE Stylenomics (green)
ESSIE No More Film (blue)
ESSIE Carry On (burgundy/wine?)

I have to say, so far in this challenge, this is my favorite that I have done.  The top coat I used made the colors bleed (until I figured out a way around it, at the end, of course), and the shapes did morph a little out of proportion, but all in all, I am happy.  The photos magnify every "flaw", real or imagined.  IRL, this looks good - because I say so. (And no one will tell me different - ha!)  Now, it I could get all my nails the same length, life would be good.
 

Thanks for stopping by...please stop and look at all the other amazing ladies that are participating in this challenge below.

SEE YA!