52wkCrumpet27: Not worn enough

This is week 27 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: Music and Not worn enough (either each alone or combined). I chose Not worn enough as I had spied this old green a couple of weeks ago and thought "I need to use this again sometime". Today is the day!

This is a one coat base of China Glaze Agro (Hunger Games collection). I love this green!! The hue is an antique metallic shimmer, going into olive green. Fab fall-autumn colour. Very rich and a bit medieval (go Game of Thrones!). I wore it heaps a couple of years ago then stopped. Too many polishes, not enough days.

When this was dry I used acrylic paint and drew flower-fronds in grey shades all over. I like the grey-green combo. Out the Door sealed the deal. This is one of those manis I really like on myself and others. For some reason, painted flowers always look elegant and in some way artistic. I try other things, but always come back to something like this.

An InLinkz Link-up

52wkCrumpet17: three shades of green and/or yellow

This is week seventeen 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: fire, and three shades of green and/or yellow (either each alone or combined). I chose green and yellow combined, wanting to revisit a pond manicure that I did over a year ago. It is also a sunny alternative to the cranberry marbling I just took off. The gel mani was lasting quite well after a week but for the life of me I do not understand how all the Japanese nail afictionados handle all the rhinestones! A couple of mine chipped off after about three days and they were annoying. Always catching on my hair. Pretty, but annoying.

I started with a one coat base of EMS Recombination from Indigo Bananas. This is a shimmery green jelly, perfect for layering and sandwiches. Then I added some random vertical lines in OPI Green-wich Village. Similar tone, but darker. This was covered with one layer of EMS.

Then, using OPI Need Sunglasses?, I added yellow horizontal lines to the tips and some verticals randomly. This was covered in EMS.

Lastly, I added some wisps of horizontal Green-wich and then top coated.

I filed down my nails into more of a square for this one. Going after a horizontal look with the lines. I haven't worn square for a while so it is a nice change. This has been a busy week as I had a major wind disaster at last weekend's market and have needed to 1) rethink my whole layout to windproof better and 2) while I am at it, restyle a bit. So besides creating jewellery and painting a lot, I have been figuring out table placements, enjoying mani clients and writing film articles. Busy bee me! And... I still want to do my Japanese Nail Art lesson!!

Thanks for reading girls x

An InLinkz Link-up

Zoya Awaken - kind of an adult Frozen!

It was not until I looked at my mani while at the video store that I realized how Frozen my nails are!!! Too funny!! This is my selection from Zoya's Awaken Collection. I bought three, and used them all in this mani. I felt like a simplier look after all the nail art the last weeks.

Dillon

Rebel

I applied an alternating accent PITR base in Zoya Dillon and Rebel. Both are light and airy shimmer colours, very springlike. Dillon is an icy green, Rebel an icy turquoise. Coverage was great (as always with Zoya - slowly my fav brand), two coats each.

In the shade

Then I applied one coat of their Monet glitter top coat. The polish looks beautiful in the bottle but is a tricky one to apply and have an opinion on. Seems like a large pastel-ed version of Maisie, but would have to try on a dark to see how that would work (note to self). It is full of holographic hex glitter in a jelly clear-pink base. I used the dab method to apply, otherwise the specks would be few and far between. You can see in the shade pic how there is an almost mosaic look to the glitter top coat. Like the flecks are embedded in the polish. I am on the fence on that: sometimes I think it looks great, then I think it makes the nails look "dimpled". I top coated with Out the Door.

A lot of bloggers use this on pink so I may try that next time with my ladies. Seemed a bit too much of an obvious choice. I really like the coolness of this mani, without clashing with my skin tone. The colours still look light and summery and the bling factor is Wow in the sun!

I have quite of few Zoyas right now (almost 30) and just bought some more in the giant Candy Girl 50% off sale!! (CandyGirl shop). Their consistency is one of the best and I love their colour choices. I admit, a tad pricier, but the product is worth it.

Big day, big mani: NZ Citizenship ceremony

Hi all! I am now a New Zealand citizen! I took my oath on Friday. It goes without saying that I am very proud and happy. Totally groovy experience! This is the mani I wore for the event (and am still wearing). All in greens and kiwiana colouring! I had my dress sorted, and even my ring (my own) and my earrings (glass north and south islands).

I started with a base of OPI Green-Wich Village. This was perfect green to match my dress, which was green with black (kind of looks like an awning!). Three coats, though, for complete coverage and then I top coated.

Then I mixed an acrylic paint a bit darker than the OPI and drew fronds over my nails. That formed a backdrop leaf pattern. Then I used an army khaki green (Thai indie) and drew over those frond for depth. I used black polish for the silver fern and added some valuable 18K OPI flakes (if not now, then when???) and some dabs of China Glaze I Herd That (soft gold glitter). Top coat sealed the deal.

right hand

I did each step at a time on both hands and made it up as I went in regard to fern placement. I really like the green, looks very rich.

So, proud of my mani I set off in the morning on Friday to take my oath in front of His Worship the Mayor. There were twelve of us, plus partners and family. Each of us took the oath (first with a bit of a story of where you come from etc), then we sang the anthem, then there was an obligatory pic in front of the flag, a cuppa and we each got a Kowhai plant that I have already planted in our garden. Below a bonus shot of the new Kiwi and the Mr.!!
Thanks for following girls xx

Skittlette with Poppies Magic from NZ indie Peacock Pie

This polish is a dream and very inspiring! I had an idea before I had even applied it!! NZ indie polish maker Peacock Pie (here her etsy shop) is relatively new to the polish scene. But she has a super love of glitter and though usually a bit blue-purple heavy (hence "peacock") she got inspired herself by the art of Jasmine Becket-Griffith (her Strangeling website here) and created these limited edition polishes. Loving green (and the combo with black and red) I chose Poppies Magic – how could you lose????

I created a skittlette using a base on all nails of one coat of Cult Nails Deal with It (a neon-y lime green) topped with one coat of Thai Diffi in a lime green shimmer. Three of my nails (pinkie, ring and thumb) were painted in ruffian with Poppies Magic. I used two coats of this Peacock Pie glitter - the polish is very creamy and opaque! Not like usual glitters, so you can definitely wear this on its own. But I wanted to incorporate the lime green aspect and thought of a ruffian design.

just finished, studio lighting, no clean-up

My thumb, middle and index fingers were painted using acrylic paints. I added a black elongated stripe under and up the side of the ruffian of my thumbs, and a white dot. The other two main fingers were first painted in alternating stripes in black (actually a very dark grey) and white. Then I added flowers in a two-tone red with white and black accents. What I really like is that the white on the lime green caused the white to be oh-so light yellow (similar to the glitter specks) – that gives the nails a vintage Hawai'ian look.

I took my time and did a proper right hand (non-dominant). The ruffians, of course, were simple but the stripes and flowers were more complicated using my left hand. The whole mani took well over two hours to complete. But then I was creating as I went and working on multiple levels at the same time (I simultaneously did a nail set). When done I top coated with Out the Door.

The green really pops and the colour combo with Poppies Magic is fab. The glitter of PM is really cool and has brilliant red, white and black specks of different sizes. The only specks that are larger are the red ones. Well done, Serra, on this fantastic shade – and I hope I can get a back-up!!! Hope y'all like it. This mani will take we through the weekend at the market.
Cheers! xx

Duochrome shimmers à la Lucy

Ode to Lucy! I saw this last week or so and immediately was in the mood for duochromes. Lucy's original post used white cross stitches (didn't really like that) but otherwise was totally totally fab! (here is her post).

I used two duochromes for the mani and applied over a dark blue base. I started with ILNP Mutagen, an almost Ozotic 503 dupe. Almost. The polish shimmers in green through purple to brown. The other side is Ozotic 502, a copper-brown-red shimmer. I alternated one coat Mutagen, one coat Ozotic, one coat M, one coat O. Then top coated.

When all was dry I added some black cross stitches. Probably not good enough, but effective. Then top coat again. Very simple and beautiful mani. I got heaps of comments on them at the market. Apologies, these photos were taken after two days of wearing the mani as I had no time (in the daylight) to take pics! But still looking good!