52wkCrumpet14: three shades of purple

This is week fourteen of Crumpet's 52 week challenge! The "rules" are very flexible and you have all week to accomplish the mani. As always, must be done on your own nails, using the colours suggested (or parts thereof).
This week's prompt: dots and three shades of purple (either each alone or combined). I chose purple as dotting tools are next week, and I didn't feel like dots! Purple is my second favourite colour (after green) so I decided to do my signature waterfall mani. I am in no way implying that I made up the whole waterfall idea, but I use this mani a lot for clients and in my To Go sets and see it as one of my "signature" looks.

I started with two coats of OPI Peace & Love & OPI (shade 1). This is a purple based oil slick of a colour, that shimmers in green (talk about a two-puncher!!!). There are also aspects of steel grey.

Using a 00 slimmed down brush I added the wisps of the waterfall. I started with Zoya Monica (shade 2), followed by OPI A Grape Fit! (shade 3). Then I combined shades two and three into my last wisps (so technically still using three shades of purple, if you interpret "shades" as "polishes").

I took the liberty of adding some glitter as it is New Year's Eve soon and this will be my mani for that. I dabbed Glitzology Baby Dragon (a purple and green glitter) on to the cuticle base. I had to work off a palette as the polish is very thick. I also thinned it down with clear polish. This is the perfect glitter for this mani as all the colours come together.

right hand

I trimmed my nails down for a couple of reasons. A major one is to show ladies (and clients) that you can have shorter nails and still do art of groovy stuff. So many stare at their nails and think they are ugly or too short or any other reason to convince themselves that they don't want-need-desire polish. In addition, they were getting too long and typing is much easier now!

This will be my last mani – and post – for 2014. So, Happy New Year to all and may you slide into the new year with ease. Hoping 2015 will bring us all closer to nail art nirvana! Thanks all for reading and following, and I thank you for offering me inspiration in your posts and blogs. I put together my "best of 2014" page if you want to catch a peek (Best of 2014). Cheers girls! xx

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End of year: My Ripponburn ladies 20:14

Lilian

Yesterday was my last visit to my ladies until mid January. I packed heaps of glitter and was anticipating another round of Xmas holiday manis. But the ladies were more subdued. It was s-u-p-e-r hot as well. Lilian went out of the ordinary and wanted hand drawn somethings (I did a tree and a snowflake). I had no paint with me, just polish. And a kind of fine brush, but not my really good brushes. Turned out OK, and she was very happy!

Janice

Thelma

Helly

Janice was first as she had to head back to her room. She went for a nice Xmas green. There were really only four Christmas-y manis: Lilian, Janice, Thelma and Helly.

Gladys

Joan

Gladys went for a caramel with sparkle and since it was Christmas and all, hahaha, I allowed Miss Joan to have pink! I like Miss Joan very much, always good for a laugh and she sings all the old songs like my aunt used to.

Margaret

Nellie

Margaret and Nellie (yay Nellie!) had pink as well. I really like Nellie's mani, a nice hot pink with the groovy magenta glitter (on Margaret's as well). I hope Nellie's stayed a while as she was a bit shaky and kept trying to put things away.

Ina

Dorothy

Jenny

That brings us to our most popular mani of the day: Magnetic Sparkling Champagne from Layla. Such a gorgeous colour!! The magnet brings out both gold and silver in the polish - really, really pretty.
And, my ladies, wraps up another year at Ripponburn. I ended up going twenty times. Thank you all for following and reading about the girls. We lost Norma and Ivy, that is sad. I hope everyone stays on board for 2015!!

Mani breakdown:
all had Seche Clear as a base, two coats of base polish and Out the Door as a top coat. After pics then an almond oil cuticle wash.

Lilian: China Glaze Hey Sailor, hand drawn art topped with China Glaze Twinkle
Janice: Layla Mojito
Thelma: Zoya Elisa topped with Lush Lacquer Ho Ho Holidays
Helly: Lush Lacquer Ho Ho Holidays
Gladys: OPI DS Illuminata topped with China Glaze Let it Rip
Joan: Nicole by OPI Selena, accents OPI Ray-Diant
Margaret: Revlon Innocent topped with piCture pOlish Gene Doll
Nellie: China Glaze Sexy Silhouette topped with piCture pOlish Gene Doll
Ina, Dorothy & Jenny: Layla Sparkling Champagne

52wkCrumpet13: grey (in a candy cane style)

This is week thirteen of Crumpet's 52 week challenge! The "rules" are very flexible and you have all week to accomplish the mani. As always, must be done on your own nails, using the colours suggested (or parts thereof).
This week's prompt: distressed and grey (either each alone or combined). I chose grey as after all it IS Christmas and I could not think of a festive way that I would want to wear distressed nails. But I had an old fab grey that I decided to use and since we are allowed to also use white and red, I jazzed them up for Christmas.

I started with a one coat base of Layla Silver Galaxy. I love this polish and it is one of my first Laylas, and my first magnetic. In the meantime I have purchased a total of six magnetics from Layla, and a double up of this one!! The polish has a gradient grey with little sparkly bits! You can do one or two coats, I did one today. I probably should have done two; if you look closely at my index finger you can see the blue gel polish shining through. I top coated with Out the Door before moving on.

Armed with my fine line brush I decided to use gel polish and my new knowledge to paint the lines. I used Gelicious Queen of Hearts for the red, and their basic French White for the white. I did the red lines first and then cured the nails. Then I added wisps of white on each side and cured again. I purposely did not want a big band of white next to a band of red. More swirvy is what I was going for.

right hand

My right hand was not as difficult as I thought it would be. Using the gel had the bonus of being able to correct as you go (as long as I didn't cure). A couple got too thick and one white line wisped over the red so I got a flat brush with rubbing alcohol and lightly removed it before curing. Then I top coated.

The nails look really nice and festive but in the macro photos you can see some bleeding. I probably should have waited more before top coating, I guess. In the sun the silver really sparkles! I may have bent the rules a tad, but this will be a great Christmas mani to take me through the weekend.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Frohe Festtage and all the jazz!!! xx

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52wkCrumpet12: glitter topper (alright then, Frozen for adults!)

This is week twelve of Crumpet's 52 week challenge! The "rules" are very flexible and you have all week to accomplish the mani. As always, must be done on your own nails, using the colours suggested (or parts thereof).
This week's prompt: crinkly tape, and glitter topper (either each alone or combined). I chose glitter topper as I had an idea for snowflakes and a Frozen type adult mani. A bit of inspiration again from Queen Robin but also from heaps of other artists out there who are doing snowflake manis. And I really didn't have any ideas for crinkly tape.

I started with a one coat base of OPI Bubble Bath. I purposely did not want a French tip base as that would have been too stark and white. Only from the cuticle edge I swept up a coat of LA Colors Sheer Passion. This is (horrors ick!) a frosty pearly pink white. This gave the Bubble Bath an edge without being too opaque.

Then I added a glitter gradient from the tips inward of OPI Pirouette my Whistle and China Glaze Ray-Diant. Pirouette is a very tender feminine silver and white glitter while Ray-diant is coarser and has aspects of gold and silver. I tread very lightly and just skimmed the surface, going over a couple of times. Then I top coated with Out the Door and let it sit while I got my white paint ready.

right hand

Using one of fine line brushes I painted random snowflakes all over my nails. I tried to concentrate on having one bigger one per nail, then some small ones. The white nail on my right hand is a new white gel I am trialing, so sorry for the unmatchedness! I placed a Swarovski rhinestone in the middle of each larger snowflake just because I felt like it. I almost never wear rhinestones but if not now, then when???

I really like this mani, it is soft but also festive without being a major Xmas tree on your nails (though nothing wrong with that!). I could also see the idea as a bridal mani, maybe with flowers or roses instead of snowflakes - unless you have a winter wedding! And, yes, I am totally aware that this looks like Frozen (the Mr pointed that one out). Man, I need to let that one go.

If I were to do it again, I would add more glitter to the tips to cover up the natural nail colour. Or maybe first apply a very light-touched silver as the base. Ah, live and learn! Happy Holi-Nights!

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My Ripponburn ladies 19:14

Nellie

Nellie is back!!! She has been in the big smoke hospital for weeks and weeks with her broken bones. But she is now "home" and it was great to see her again! She received a super pretty holiday mani, too. Most opted for glitter and holiday dazzle – it's that time of year. On a sad note, Sally has passed away. At least it went all very quickly, but sad just the same.

Thelma

Lilian

Thelma is coping well being on her own and she was first up. Had to get back on her oxygen (!!) and the nurses were trying to rope her in!! She was having too much fun chatting with all the girls in the room. Then Lilian and Gladys, more and more glitter. Lilian didn't want any base, just the pure red and gold sparkle.

Ina

Jenny

Speaking of no base, Ina wanted a pure gold look. I will tell you right now, that will be a lot of "fun" to take off (I'll avoid that day!). Looked totally fab, though. Even Jenny got in on the glitter bandwagon. I think everyone had glitter...

Dorothy

Helly

...except for Dorothy and Helly, but they had metallic – almost the same. I was very happy with myself for remembering to bring the copper polish, as it is Dorothy's favourite. It feels like a autumn colour to me, that is why I forget it often. But she loves it.

Margaret

Joan

Margaret and Joan had watermelon pinks and glitter - very summery and fresh looking. These will last two weeks and then I am back just before Christmas for major holiday nails. That will be my last visit for 2014.

Mani breakdown:
all had Seche Clear as a base, two coats of base polish and Out the Door as a top coat. After pics then an almond oil cuticle wash.

Nellie: Alternating CND Serene Green and China Glaze Hey Sailor, topped with Lush Lacquer Ho Ho Holidays
Thelma: China Glaze Hey Sailor topped with Lush Lacquer Ho Ho Holidays
Lilian: China Glaze Electrify
Gladys: China Glaze Hey Sailor topped with China Glaze Electrify
Ina: China Glaze Blonde Bombshell
Jenny: Zoya Logan topped with China Glaze Blonde Bombshell
Helly & Dorothy: OPI Sprung
Margaret: piCture pOlish Watermelon, accents topped with Emily de Molly Scarlet's Red
Joan: Alternating piCture pOlish Watermelon topped with Emily de Molly Scarlet's Red, and China Glaze Hey Sailor

52wkCrumpet11: red and gold

This is week eleven of Crumpet's 52 week challenge! The "rules" are very flexible and you have all week to accomplish the mani. As always, must be done on your own nails, using the colours suggested (or parts thereof).
This week's prompt: chevrons, and red and gold (either each alone or combined). I chose red and gold as it is Christmas and I feel like I just did chevrons. I took inspiration from the great Robin Moses and painted poinsettias.

Inspiration from Robin

I started with a one coat base of OPI Gwen Stefani's last year's holiday collection: L.A.M.B. (Love.Angel.Music.Baby). This is a beautiful polish, applies very satiny and is 95% opaque in one coat. I did not worry too much about the remaining 5% as I knew I would be painting over the gold.

Although, in the pics, you can't really see it, the poinsettias are painted in two tones of red. I mixed a darker red and a lighter one. I started with the darker petals, then drew the lighter petals on top. I had to go over some of the petals twice. At fault would be the gold base vs a white base. Well, that's my excuse!!

Then I drew the leaves in two tones of green and added some white and black accents here and there. In the middle of each flower I used a dotting tool and dabbed a splotch of China Glaze Electrify (a great holiday red-gold glitter).

right hand

I am getting better at using my non-dominant hand. Key is to hold the brush really far down, at least for me. I find I am having a lot of control now. Top coat brings it all together. I will be adding a gel top coat on this one so that I do not ruin it by removing client polish and for it to last until the next challenge mani.  I wonder if any of the girls will also do holiday stuff???? Cheers all! x

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