Artsy Monday: Hot Pink and Orange Leopard

Happy Monday everyone! I totally got off track this weekend in posting things. So this is my late Artsy Thursday post.

I started off with Rimmel Sunset Orange and Confetti Not Your Mother's Pink. I actually like the way this looks plain. I looked everywhere for Sunset Orange, and finally found it at Ulta.

I used Konad M57 and the Konad Special Black polish. I really need to remember to use lint free pads when using Konad. A few strands of lint got stuck to the plate, so when I stamped, the image smeared a bit. I tried to Photoshop it as best I could. But you can still see some of the smears. :( I filled the holes in the leopard print with alterating colors. I think maybe next time I'll use lighter shades for the spots so they show better.

I hope everyone's Monday goes great!

xox...L

Black Shatter w/Pacific Blue

Happy Sunday everyone! I'm currently laying on my couch doing absolutely NOTHING. It feels pretty awesome! I cut down my nails to nubbins last night, so I'm still filing them down and deciding what shape I want them to be. Here is something from the vault though.

Black Shatter w/SH Pacific Blue


Pacific Blue is by far one of my favorite blues. I was insipired to do this after a friend of mine said how PB was her favorite blue then later in conversation she mentioned she got BS and loved it. Both of the colors compliment each other very well since PB is such a vibrant color and BS has a really crazy effect. BS applies very easily IMO. I have seen people say it can get very goopy, so I make sure to shake it very well before I use it.

I like bigger cracks so I applied really thick coats (which makes bigger cracks). I noticed that if applied fast enough, you can do two coats to make even bigger cracks. I tried this same technique with Crackle, and that was a total fail.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

xox...L

Nails by Huemorista

One of my many obsessions is creating things, so any time when someone else shares that same passion...I HAVE to show support :)

So, let me start off by saying how talented Jayna is. I have yet to successfully franken anything; much less the amazing colors she's come up with. I picked Lavender Hush and Bubble Bath from the "Sweet Serenity" collection and Sex on the Moon from the "Naughty" collection.




How adorable is the packaging???



Lavender Hush:

LH is from the "Sweet Serenity" collection. It's a cool lavender with a shimmer.





Sex on the Moon:

Ok, to be quite honest I mostly got this because of the name. How cool is it? But this is actually a pretty amazing polish. It's a darker purplish gray. This has bigger flecks that are alot more visible than in BB. It also has tiny holo glitters. Who doesn't love a bit of holo in their life? Anything with this a recipe for success in my opinion. Suprisingly enough, I think this is my fav of the 3 and I can definitely see myself using this the most. I'm a sucker for greige/blurple. Yes, I know this isn't either....but I like color combos the best. I like that the flecks aren't too visible (I don't feel too comfortable wearing "crazy" colors to work), so this is perfect for everyday wear.

Bubble Bath:

I can't wait for the summer to get here...I plan to rock this all summer long. It reminds me of the color of a pool. I wish my camera had had enough juice in it to be able to take a picture of it in the sun. When the light hits it, the flecks reflect and in combination with the blue, it just looks really "cool" (as in water...not being stuck up, lol)



I can't wait for her spring line to come out!


Click HERE to visit her shop :)

xox...L









Deborah Lippmann: Glitter in the Air Review

I'm a total sucker for blues and pinks. I called 2 weeks ago and GitA was out of stock...I was pretty bummed. I got lucky today, and they had just been put out. Yay for Nordstrom's!

I had mixed emotions on buying this because I had not seen one swatch of it that caught my eye...the color looked a bit off in pictures. I got it anyways...thinking if I didn't like it I could always swap or put it up for a givewaway later down the road. But...I think this one is a keeper. I read that GitA was inspired by Pink's 2009 VMA performance. Same song, Glitter in the Air. I LOVED that performance. She did a trapeze act wrapped in ribbon and then somehow ended up wet (I can't remember where the water came from though, lol)

How crazy is this?!?!

After reading how many coats it took to get this opaque (and still hating it), so I went with Kleancolor Pastel Bleu since it resembles what the base coat SHOULD look like.

When I used the tester at Nordy's, I had Revlon Coconut Crush on the tips, and I did two coats over it. The VNL looked way better. If I ever decide to wear it alone, I'll definitely do something to my tips. This looks sad!!!

I actually really like this! It reminds me of squishy yogurt. I applied one thin coat of PB (hence the steaky mess). The application was a bit tricky because the bigger flakes were hard to get on. I had to move them around to the desired spots. This was 3 coats. Plus 1 coat of PB and 1 of SV.

I absolutely LOVE how the glitter from the bottom layers blend in to the background and only a few are in the foreground. I think this was the whole "glitter in the air" effect DL was trying to accomplish.

Close-up of the glitter. It looks so "whimsical" and a really nice break from all the pinks and corals. When you look closer, you can see flecks of purple, green, orange, and red. (Although I'm looking at the bootle and I don't see them)

I actually really like this color. I have seen a bunch of "hate" towards it, and although it's not the PERFECT color, I think for me it works. Not as out there as AtU or Happy Birthday, but a more subtle variation of it. DL can do no wrong in my book. Except...for Maneater? I got it free with my purchase today and I was stoked about the name...I'll have to try it on...stay tuned :)

Deborah Lippmann, you.are.a.genius.

xox...L

Corset Invitations

I LOVE finding things I forgot I had while looking for something else! I was looking for some beads, and in looking though my 87687768 storage spaces, I found this. I made this about 2 years ago. I was Matron of Honor for one of my closest friends, Wendi, and these were the invitations to her bachelorette dinner/party.

Inside:



Back:

Isn't she the most beautiful bride ever???

I also made programs (not sure where they're at though). I think eventually I'd like to make a tutorial, but I'm not sure where any of the stuff is. I'll just have to keep on digging then...

:::edit::: I found the pic :)

We used those stock invitations they sell at craft stores that you just print out with a template. I went to a paper shop and bought sheets to make the programs and used the ribbon that was supposed to tie the invitation closed to make a knot at the top. I got an eyelet maker and made some holes at the top.

xox...L

The Heart Truth

So as you may know, February is Women's Hearth Awareness Month.

Here are a few facts taken from The Heart Truth:

-Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women.

-Almost eight times more women die from heart disease than breast cancer,  and more women die of heart disease than all forms of cancer combined.

-Women's heart disease risk starts to rise in middle age.
-About 3 million American women have had a heart attack.
-A woman suffers a heart attack every minute.
-Sixty-two percent of American women who die suddenly of a heart attack had no prior symptoms.
-Americans can lower their risk of heart disease by as much as 82 percent just by leading a healthy lifestyle.

I've been seeing the limited edition Diet Coke cans, and they are seriously really cute!

So I was inspired to do my own take on it...

Yet another excuse to use Obey Me. I am seriously loving this RED! 

Ring:

Celeb City with the red glitter Im holding. I used a dotting tool to make the heart, as you can tell from the lopsidedness of it. The little person was made with a nail art pen. I have found these pens Kryptonite though....Seche Vite! It cracks like crazy when you apply SV over it. Or at least it has for me.  

Thumb:

Konad accent (this came from the plate that has the alphabet) made with the special Konad polish. I tried Celeb City, but I'm not sure why it did not want to work for me. I actually thought SC would be perfect for stamping...but I think I'm starting to notice that thicker polishes are better for stamping. Has that been yall's opinion?

Take care of your heart, if you don't....who will??

xox...L

Wonder Woman Nails

I was so excited when I was told on MUA that these were out. So, I called MAC and to my surprise they had them in stock.


How ADORABLE are these!?!?

SPIRIT OF TRUTH/OBEY ME

I actually really like both of these colors. The colors are so rich. SCORE for MAC!!!

Obey Me is actually a bit jellyish so there is a slight VNL after 2 coats. I really like this shade of red. Most reds tend to make my hands look really orange, or the red itself pulls orange because of my olive complexion. This stayed red and didn't give me lobster hands. The bottle is just to die for...so that's a plus.

I was surprised at Spirit of Truth. This is a total one coater, and I imagine that it would be pefect for stamping. I love the bottle so much, I doubt that I will be "wasting" it on stamping. I used two coats here, but only because my application was so crappy that I wanted to make sure it pictured true to color. Also, how clever are the names??

I decided to play around with some WW nail art....what do you think??

Have a great weekend everyone...xox...L

Artsy Thursdays: Cupcake Nails

I did this last Friday, but I decided to wait until Thursday to post this. I'm giving myself a MUA 3 year anniversary mani. This was insipired this. Not sure what I'm gonna do yet though :|

Gahhh this took forever to do! But...I think this was because it was my first time doing something 3D (ring finger)

Thumb:

2 coats of OPI Show it and Glow it! over 1 coat of LA Girl Matte Lilac.

Index:

Sinful Beautiful Girl. BM20 plate with Konad Special White Polish

Middle:

LA Girl Matte Lilac

(Stripes) Matter Lilac and Beautiful Girl, (Cupcake) Sally Hansen French Tip White.

Pinky:

Matte Lilac with BM19 plate

I used these little silver 3D balls from Sally's.

I hope you like it. Happy Thursday

xox...L



Texas Mani

Hi! Happy Wednesday :) Here is my Texas Mani. I totally think I'm gonna rock this veryyy soon. I got my tickets to see Brad Paisley today, so the countdown to Rodeo is officially on...

Thumb, middle and pinky: Suzi Loves Cowboys

I HAD to go back for SLC from the Texas Collection. The brown looked sooo pretty in the bottle; I had NO IDEA that a brown jelly/sorbet was even possible. I was extremely surprised to see how smooth this went on.

Index: Extra-Va-Vaganza! (Pictured above so you can see the glitter)

Extra-va-vaganza! also came in the mail today (along with Simmer & Shimmer) so I couldnt wait to try it on. Gahhh...I love this whole line of glitters SO much. This one has mostly orange glitter with silver and very few turquoise flecks in there. This went on a little thinner than Show it & Glow It! which is a bit dissapointing. I had to apply 3 coats to get even coverage. I think MAYBE it's because it has less strong colors than Si&Gi. Not discouraging enough to wear it again....because I really liked it

Ring: Essence- Just in Case

This is one of the best spent dollars in a long time. I wish I had bought a backup of this because this was the last bottle when I got it (so keep an eye out for me). I was afraid that my skin tone (NC40) would not compliment it. But I was wrong! I really liked this coppery/brown color. The application was extremely even and 2 thin coats were enough. I also used Konad S5 plate. I'm still polishing (no pun intended ^_-) up my stamping skills, so this was not at all in the middle of my nail..wahh!!

All in all....I'm pretty happy with it :)

Have an awesome night....xox

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ok, so I meant to post this during the weekend, but I didn't get around to it. So, here's a little extra mani. Can you tell what I was craving?? ;)

I kept this on for all of 10 minutes after this pic was taken. Buuuut.....I just HAD to take a picture to show you. My funky nail shape is alot more apparent with this. WAHHH (-_-) I used Zoya Sarah, and OPI Jade is the New Black and Suzi Loves Cowboys. I absolutely LOVE Sarah. This red is extremely shimmery. It pictures ALOT lighter than it actually is, so I think I will be using this more during the Christmas season. It is however, really good for stamping! The strawberry stem and chocolate were done with Scotch tape, so that allowed less room for errors. I did NOT want to freehand this (because it would've taken way too long and I was not planning on keeping this on for long). Thanks for looking! ^_^

Valentine's Day Mani

I was inspired by this mani. She has some great stuff...so check her out!

Here is a bit closer shot it the accent nail

I used OPI Ate Berries in the Canaries and Show It and Glow It! for the accents. I absolutely LOVE this color combination. I had to go back and get the rest of the Burlesque glitters because they match with sooo many colors. The heart was made with a dotting tool. Looking back, I should've practiced a bit more on the heart before I actually put it on my nail....but I was watching the Grammy's and was too disctracted. My index and middle finger have a really odd shape to them right now. I would file them down to shape, but I THINK I'm gonna let them grow a bit before I do that. I hope everyone has a lovely V-Day!



Artsy Thursdays: Rodeo Inspired Mani

Ok, so I decided that I will TRY and do a weekly "inspired by" (insert random "muse" here) mani. I'm shooting for every Thursday. I'm starting off with a rodeo inspired mani. It's Houston, Texas. It's a HUGE deal here! One of my closest friends is a total cowgirl, so this is in part inspired by her as well :)

I used Orly Royal Navy with Konad M60. I LOVE RN...it is sooo pretty. The application was really easy, really even formula and I was surprised that it only took 2 coats for it to be even. 



It's a really rich blue with turquoise shimmer.  Below is without flash so the turquoise is a bit more apparent.

Originally I thought Deborah Lippmann's Across the Universe would look good as a "texting thumb" accent. I have NO idea what in the world I was thinking!!! Here it goes...UGHHH...TOTAL EPIC FAIL!

Happy Thursday and thanks for looking :)

Valentine's Inspired Wire-Wrapped Ring

Another one of my random hobbies is making jewelry, my favorite being making wire wrapped rings. I rarely wear my own creations...so my friends get benefited from this :) With Valentine's being so close, I was inspired to make this. I got these stones on clearance at a beadery shop...I could be in those stores FOR HOURS!

This is what I used...

I will be more than happy to make a tutorial (at least as best as I know how to explain it), so I will place a poll on the front page and do one if enough requests come in.


Here is the finished product. I hope you like it :)

Back View

Front View

Manequin hands/artsy pose (^_^)

               

Happy Hump Day!

BM/Konad Cheat Sheets

When I decided to start stamping I had NO idea how many stamps there were...ahhh the choices!!! (>.<)

I started off with the Bundlemonster image plates because I was super hesitant to shell out $7 per plate on something that might not even work for me. So...I went on Amazon and purchased the 21 plate set for $17.99. Even then, I didnt have a good idea of what I was getting....here are some cheatsheets in case you want to know what comes in the BM set.

 

I also picked up a few Konad plates at my local mall. I'm lucky enough to have a kiosk so I can see them in person and know what I'm buying beforehand. 







M1-43

















M44-81

 
















S2-10

I hope this helps!!