GOT: green – trio of greens in chevron

Now this is an easier day! Green! To say I like green is an understatement, ergo I have been buying green polish since my restart at being glam. I couldn't bring myself to just doing a simple one green mani so chose three oldies and created a chevron. All of these polishes I bought the end of 2012.

I started with a coat of OPI Thanks a Windmillion. A colour I don't wear heaps but I remember finding it at my local pharmacy in the $5 box – they were getting rid of all their OPI stock (now only sell Revlon, jerks).

Then using one colour at a time, I started my chevron. I started with OPI Jade is the New Black, a great darker green with a tinge of yellow - so not bluey cold green, but warm saturated green. Next was Zoya Logan, a fab green holo with hints of gold shimmer. I did another row of the Jade-Logan before adding one stroke of Windmillion. I only wanted a thin line of that to end things up under a last coat of Jade. Can't believe how shiny the mani is with just one coat of top coat.

So not a true chevron, but a chevron with a twist. The three colours work well together. Unfortunadamente I will not be rocking this for long as Thursday is also Waitangi Day here in NZ - a national holiday, not really an independence day (hmmm... ask the Maoris about that one) but an important day for us Kiwis. And I am thinking up a special mani for that. Cheers all!

Summer stripes with You Oughta Know

Although my dots were still in pretty good shape, I felt like something new last night. I wanted to use one of my new Nostalgic Lacquer glitters, and then had an awning stripe idea - oh so Tuscan!

I started with two coats of Butter London Cheeky Chops - a good bright but a tad muted yellow. Then I used my white striper and drew three lines on each nail. Pretty simple. Worried about cuticles lines later for clean up!

Then I grabbed Nostalgic Lacquer's You Oughta Know - a black-white based multi-glitter with bright flecks of red-orange and yellow and tiny turquoise spots. Even though I had the bottle upside down, I had to fish around for the glitter. Not that big of a deal, but still worth mentioning. Probably two layers of glitter. One layer of top coat.

If I were a "normal" person I would have applied at least another layer of top coat. But I know I will not be wearing this for long (GOT day and Waitangi Day on the horizon). The large black hexs have an ever so slight taco effect. And some of the thin bar glitter sticks up (and you annoyingly pull it off!).

All in all the mani looks good - the awning style of the yellow and white stripes reminds me of Disneyland! In fact, the whole mani does. I feel a pendant coming on....... ha!

yes - you can buy!! :) here

full sun

right hand

GOT: dots – multi-coloured spiral dots like a Mexican pavement

Right away I want to say that I have not been lazy or forgetful, forgetting to write or anything. The watermelon mani lasted so long! And that with working at the café doing dishes and everything. I think it was the Jealousy on the tips - that mesh glitter is like armour. I did top up a bit on one or two tips but otherwise, zero problems. It would have lasted longer..... but, that mani had to go as it is GOT challenge time.

Yeah, dots! I have re-fallen in love with dots. So versatile, so many things you can do. Maybe I have more control now (meaning, practice) and can do both hands easily. This idea came from wanting to do a multi-coloured mani but still have it a bit summery (without going pastel). I do like how it turned out - thinking a coat of matte top coat could change the look as well.....

I started with a base of piCture pOlish Malt Teaser. This is a really yummy chocolate colour - it really looks like melted milk chocolate. I don't really think it looks like Malteasers (the Swiss candy). They are not as creamy looking (if I remember correctly) - I would say it looks like Milka Noisette!! This is two coats and coverage was really good.

Then I started dotting using different sized tools. I started with the yellow "mid" swirvy line and worked from there. One colour at a time; so all the yellow dots, then the green dots and so on.... Just one dot coat. I probably should have used a more vibrant blue (like blagger - edit note: would have been better for the rules sake as well) but tried the CND (it was feeling a bit underused!). I waited a good long time before top coating. Didn't want any of my dots to smear - funny the things it seems to take forever to remember to do!!!

This mani totally reminds me of a tiled walkway at EuropaPark in Germany (can't find the photo of that). It was leading to troll land and made out of different coloured glass tiles. My nails also remind me of the paved/tiled patio at pottery village in the Spanish village at Balboa Park in San Diego. Spent many an hour there.

right hand

Polishes used (in order of application):
base colour: piCture pOlish Malt Teaser
yellow: Konad stamping yellow
green: OPI Greenwich Village
red: OPI My Paprika is hotter....
pink: China Glaze Neon & On & On
blue: CND Blue Rapture
(forgot to mention: bar CND and Neon & On... all the polishes are older. I just wasn't thinking there for a minute, but so wanted to use that pink! And Blagger would have been the better option on the blue as that is old as well.)

Above a pic of Spanish village and below all the other gals and their dots!

Slice of Summer: freehand drawn watermelon tips

Well, I saw this idea somewhere a couple of weeks ago. Now I just spent minutes going through my pinterest boards to see if I pinned it - want to give credit. And, of course, I didn't. Somewhere out there is a similar nail design. Oh well.

Had the idea but was totally totally jazzed that my newest destash polish (from Lisa) came yesterday. I was going to use another coral colour but this is absolutely perfect! Love it! Enchanted Polish Shrimp Cocktail. There is a luscious shimmer to the colour, like velvet almost. I think application would be good but that is hard to judge as I was only painting my tips and you kind of dab and stroke a bit then and there.

I started with two coats of OPI Bubble Bath. This is the perfect nude for me. Then I free hand applied Shrimp Cocktail on my tips. Probably went over twice and tried to get the sides. Sometimes I think I am such a wuss as I am so cautious with the sides as I do not want to touch my skin. But, you can always do clean up! Keep forgetting that. I top coated because the Mr was making dinner and I wanted to help.

Then, using a small dotting tool I applied the rind of the watermelon using piCture pOlish Jealousy. I love this green and between manis and jewelry will be needing another bottle soon! Jealousy is a mesh polish, meaning over-loaded with glitter. I knew I could not do fine lines so am happy that the tip lines are uneven. Rinds are uneven, too. Just used the dotting tool as a brush and connected them across the tips.

Then I used a simple black striper polish and dotted-slashed some seeds around. A generous coat of top coat was on the agenda after this. I showed the Mr and he even guessed "watermelons". Yeah, two points for him!

right hand with broken index :(

Today is "race day" across the road. So loud V8 cars going around in a circle. When it gets too loud across the road people venture over here for a relaxing cuppa. I'm on a cloud anyway today: reached 100 likes on my FB page, sold two pendants at the café, and one on etsy this morning! World domination of hand painted glass necklaces has begun!