Snow White Mani

Today Bella has her Halloween/Fall Dress-up Day and Festival at school. I'm pretty bummed I don't get to see her until the afternoon :( They asked all the kids to dress up as their favorite book character, so she wanted to be Snow White. That worked out PERFECT for me because we just recycled her costume from last year and I still get to see her in this year's costume on Halloween :) This is our first actual school function, so I decided to do a Snow White mani to show my support, haha!!


I decided to do an apple accent on my ring finger and a crown (to represent the Evil Queen) on my thumb.


Here are the colors I used:
-Thumb: 10 Pinky Promise w/OPI Glitzerland & ChG Medallion accent
-Index: Zoya Sooki (2 coats)
-Middle: MAC Spirit of Truth (2 coats)
-Ring: SH Red Carpet, OPI YDKJ & Green-wich Village
-Pinky: OPI The "It" Color (3 coats)

I rarely show my right hand since I have a hard time drawing decent accents with my left. But here is my left hand...it just had to get into the action :)


I did an apple accent on my right thumb and WnW Black Creme with a bow Konaded (is that even a word??) with BL Knees Up (I can't wait to do a full mani with this!!) to represent Snow White's hair/bow.

Bells loved this mani so I did her nails too!!

I LOVE these fat little fingers SOOO much!!!

This was Bells last year. Hopefully I can get a good picture of her today :)

She even had a matching apple candy bag

These little felt candy bags are super easy to make. I made her one for her costume this year. Check out my tutorial HERE if you want to learn how to make these :)

Sally Hansen always has me going on Mystic treasure hunts!

Hi everyone! I have missed being here, life has been pretty hectic lately! If you wanna read what I have been up to, you can check out My So Called Un-Life. On to more important things (like the nails!!)...

I first got into nail polish maybe about a year ago...there are just sooo many reasons to love nails and everything you can do with them. I remember when making my first "lemming" list and searching EVERYWHERE for certain colors. Somewhere at the top of my list was Sally Hansen Mystic Lilac. I must have gone to every drug store in my area looking for it and NOTHING! So heartbreaking!! Then...one rainy day I stopped at a random Walgreens and what do I see in the clearance jar.....MYSTIC LILAC! I remember thinking "SUCKERSSS...Ya'll don't know how precious this is!" I hoped to find a backup so I asked around, but no such luck. I guess I was meant to take just one bottle home. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, it ended up in my untrieds for a year. Yes, a whole year!! :(

This past weekend I sat down for my weekly mani/pedi and wasn't feeling any color, so I decided to purge with a nude/taupe. A few choices later and still...nothing. Until ML caught my eye....how could I have forgotten you for so long???

My nails are still pretty short (I have learned that I am a stress nail-biter)...but oh how I love the color!!

From Sally Hansen's Fall 2010 collection, ML is a grayed-out lilac taupe with grayish almost-green micro shimmer. I applied it at night, so when I took pictures I was a little dissapointed at how un-lilac it pulled on me, since it looked nothing like the bottle color. I still loved the color, though...



Direct light w/flash



Direct light, no flash

Look at that micro-shimmer!!

The next day I went outside and fell in love even more with this color. I think it's taupe-y enough that you can wear it to work, but still edgy enough that it's not meh...

I wonder what happened to all the bottles of ML?? It seems like there are never enough of these awesome colors....Sally Hansen, why do you do this to us???

I missed you all so much!! It's great to be back. I have some really neat (wait, did I just use that word??) things planned out for all the upcoming events/holidays. I can't wait to share them with ya'll!!

Simple French

I'm having a bit of a color block. I could not pick a color to apply for the life of me. We did housework all day long, so by the time DD&H were asleep, it was already about 10 o' clock and I was ready to go to sleep myself. I went with something quick, a simple french mani. It is so classic to me, you can never go wrong with a french mani.

I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Whirlind White and Orly Bare Rose for the pink part, topped off with Insta-Dri Top coat and I was ready for bed

I cleaned up the tips with a little bit of acetone. I think French, a nude like OPI Bubble Bath (hmm...I think I will wear that next), and a red like this one are my fail-proof manis. (A really dark vampy like OPI Lincoln Park After Dark too, at least for me)

What's yours?

Happy Belated Easter!

Happy Belated Easter everyone! I looked literally for an hour for my cables last night to upload these after we got home from all the Easter festivities, but they were nowhere to be found! I finally found them this morning in Bella's bag. Anywho, I had a more elaborate mani planned for Easter, but I'm glad that I went with something more simple. This is Sally Hansen Jade Jump. It's a part of their Spring 2011 line. This is the only one that I got from the collection (The others seemed dupeable. The only one I kind of regret not getting is Chartreuse Chase).

Ok, so I know most Insta-Dris are one coaters, and I'm sure this one would have been too...but it wasn't. I'm not sure if it was because a ton would come off the brush (I kept moving it off the brush so it applied very streaky) or the fact that I applied it too thin/thick (because of the brush problem). It looked fine after 2 coats though :) A while back I saw this on Chloe's Nails and decided to try it. I used craft scissors and cut a piece of Scotch tape and lined up the two strips to make the zig-zag pattern. I applied one coat of Lively Lilac..and voila! I accented the egg with pink rhinestones (I'm running low on them so I will soon have to invest in more). I did an thumb accent, but I ended up not liking it too much. Here is goes:



This is the one downside to working with rhinestones. I didn't get a decent pic of my thumb, but it was full of bubbles. It really irks me that the surface is not smooth. :( I ended up taking it off and just painting it JJ.

Bella had a great time. She got 4 Easter baskets (one of the perks of being an only child/only granddaughter on both sides). She ended up dumping one out and shoveling dirt in it, lol

What did you for Easter??

Sally Hansen Lively Lilac

I totally missed Pink Wednesday yesterday, UGH! I just came home and layed on the couch and dozed off. I got up kinda late and wanted to watch American Idol, so I knew I needed a one coater to do a really fast mani. SH Insta-Dris to the rescue!

I love this lilac. It's darker than most of the lilacs/lavenders that I have and I love the silvery shimmer that it has. Is it possible for this to be a creamy shimmer? That's what I would best describe this as. I actually tried this once before and did 2 coats. When I applied SV over it, it wrinkled up for some reason. So from now on, Insta-Dris are strictly one-coaters. Besides...I love the color as it is. No streaking or gaps.

I'm still undecided on my Earth Day mani. Have you thought of what you're gonna wear tomorrow?

La Vida Es Una Lucha

Happy Tuesday (or my Wednesday, since I'm off on Friday)!! So I HAVE to get one of these tees. The guy who is doing my shoes is a crazy awesome artist and this is one of his pieces. How awesome is this?!? It's a play on words because Mexican Wrestling is called "Lucha Libre". This is roughly translated into Life is a Fight.

He said he thought it would be pretty cool to do this on nails, so because curiosity got the best of me I HAD to try to recreate this somehow. Here is what I came up with:

The blue I used is WnW Saved by the Blue (it's a gorgeous cobalt blue, reminds me of SH Co-Bolt Blue, only lighter), Sally Hansen Celeb City and WnW Black Creme. I scotch taped the lines on my thumb (I was going with the wrestling theme and this was the "ropes"). I freehanded the mask with the brush end of my dotting tool and then just filled it in. His face was made with a dotting tool and filled in with a brush.

We got into talking about how I do my nails since he works mostly with markers. Like...a major conversation about what I can/can't do my nails with and he posed a really good question. Could I use the same oil based acrylic markers he works with on nails? I stopped by my art supply store and picked up a few colors just to try them out. It was an EPIC FAIL! The colors stayed on the nail just fine, but the moment I tried to put any TC on, the colors ran and the image distorted. I Googled this and in theory, it SHOULD have worked, but I'm not sure why it didn't. His solution was to just apply the clear coat he works with (a spray) and tape off the nail so it wouldn't get everywhere. But, what about the rest of us who don't have clear spray paint? I think maybe if it was acrylic paint that is brushed on it would have worked? Have any of you worked with acrylic paint before? Anywho, needless to say..I have extra pens that will more than likely find a new home :|

My Favorite Pair of Shoes

I have a thing for Converse! I'm on a mission to own as many colors as I can, so far I'm up to 6 pairs, but the teal ones are by FAR my favorite of them all! A while back I did a Chuck mani on MUA

My nails were much shorter back then (this was in December I think). The closest color I had to match my shoes was OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui. SSFS is a gorgeous blue, and I love it...but it doesnt quite match the color of my shoes. Then alooong came Sally Hansen Blue Me Away. It is a perfect match!! So I decided to recreate this mani, I even added an additional accent.

The white tip on the ring finger was done with Scotch tape. For the laces and black trim I used Sally Hansen Nail Art pens like these, and just applied rhinestones to the lace holes. For the thumb I used my dotting tool and freehanded the star with OPI Simmer and Shimmer.

I'm even having a separate pair of Chucks custom painted. I can't wait for them to be ready so I can show everyone! This took me a while because I was watching DWTS...yes, still Kirstie FTW! The cleanup took a while because blues are just a total PitA to remove, they stain horribly! I'm sure you can see it in my cuticles. my accent nail is actually horribly stained :( Oh well, I still love you BLUE!

Thanks for looking :)

Sally Hansen Co-bolt Blue

Did you guys know April is National Child  Abuse Prevention Month? Ok, so I work at a children's hospital, and I can honestly say that working there has given me a whole new perspective at both childhood and motherhood. I cherish the childhood that I had because I never had to face the truly heartbreak that some patients face. And as a mother, it makes me appreciate the fact that I have a healthy child and never take month a moment for granted with her. This is on the front gates of the hospital all month long, it says "Because if you don't hold my hand, who will?

This has been sitting in my drafts for a while. It's Sally Hansen Co-bolt Blue. As with most Insta-Dri's, it's good enough to be a one-coater. I decided to test out my theory and this is one coat (plus 2 of SV). It's a metallic cobalt blue.

I also majorly hauled and putting a bunch of stuff up for swap. I can't wait to sort it out :)

Happy Saturday!

Nail Art Challenge (Days 19, 20, and 21)

Hey everyone! How are ya'll doing? It seems like forever since I posted anything so I have a few posts to put up. Bare with me :) I'm still two days behind....I will dedicate a full day to nail art one day to catch up. Ok so let me get started. Day 19 was a total bust. I started off with Essie Splash of Grenadine. I love the Kardashian sisters' nails, they always have the nicest nails. Khloe posted it here. Although on me it looks way lighter for some reason:

I used BM20 and SH Coral Rush. This is an excellent np to stamp with. Actually all of the Insta-Dris seem to be really good for stamping. Perfect one-coaters too. Here is my end result:

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I will file this mani under the FAIL category. I really dislike this one. I think the coral color was too much for the base and it just looks off. Maybe if I had picked a lighter color they wouldn't have clashed so much. Oh well, you can't win them all (-_-)



Day 20:

With all the holo craze going on lately I decided to pull out an untried. This is Milani HD. I tried OPI DS Coronation and I loved it. This one is even better in my opinion. The holo is way more apparent and scattered. It's a bit sheer. I only did 2 coats, but I'm sure had I done another one, it would have been completely opaque. Here it is alone:

Most of my manis are done at night since I wait until Bella is asleep so I rarely have sun pics. This pic does not do it justice AT ALL! I did some Konad Zebra Stripes with their "special" polish.

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I liked this one the best out of the three I'm posting. I think this would look majorly FIERCE with a LBD! :::insert sexy growl here::: The holo is also a little more apparent in this pic. I am so glad I invested in the black Konad polish. I have the worst luck trying to stamp with black and this makes it a whole lot easier to get crisp, clean lines.

Day 21:

You know how sometimes you have this idea in your head and you THINK it's gonna look super cute..then you actually do it and you HATE it?? This is totally one of those days. So I really like french manis. I think it's a cute way to do something subtle. I've been wanting to try the BM french tips. It seemed like a good idea :|



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I have a bad habit of not putting my polishes up after I use them. I have this box I keep what I'm gonna use for the day in. This was there, so I thought....why not? I used CHG Hologram and stamped it with SH Coral Rush. (Can you tell I'm on a holo trip? LOL) It looks kinda Christmasy to me.

Ok...that was a looong post. Thanks for making it to the end.

Nail Art Challenge (Day 17&18)

I have been totally slacking! I'm off from work and my laptop at home is super slow. So here is yesterday's mani:

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I hadn't yet tried a dotting tool mani yet, and since I have probably wore out the shamrock plate I tried it out. I was going for a french tip, but I think my dots went up way too high. :(

Here are the colors I used:

-Milani3D HD

-China Glaze Laser Lime

-SH Emerald City

-Zoya Edyta

-Nina Leaf Me Alone

I like the mixture between finishes (shimmer, holo, and cremes). I think it contrasts well. I had better luck with this than with my previous dotting tool experiment. I worked one color at a time, so the polish didn't dry up on me like it did last time.

My DH decided to give me the day off today and when I woke up he had headed off to work and dropped Bella off at the babysitters to give me some "me" time. Good call! I have been watching HOUSE all day long and laying on my couch. So since I have this new found love for mood polishes I wanted to try another one out today. I went with Claire's Peaceful/Confident. It was a total bust! Like...no color change at all. I applied 3 coats and still...nothing! I took like 8667578679 pics and I could see no change at all. This mani overall was a letdown. I did some flowers with gold Konad polish and those weren't that visible either. It just like I randomly placed the rhinestones :( Booo for day 18!

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I celebrated St. Patty's yesterday by going to the beach, so I knew I needed to wear something that would really pop in the sun. I wore OPI DS Coronation. It's a silver holo. The application was really nice, and the holo really popped in the sun. Like with most holos (in my experiece) it ate up my top coat. I should've applied two coats of SV. Here it is with one: (excuse all the sand in my cuticles, lol)

Here we are. Galveston water is more like dirty puddle water...no amount of Photoshop can change that, lol

Have a great weekend everyone!

Laura :)

Nail Art Challenge (Day 15 & 16)/ Glow in the Dark Ring

So yesterday I spent most of the afternoon making rings. I don't know how, but I managed to stab myself in the face with my pliers. Ha! I think I was so afraid to break a nail that I'm almost glad it was my face and not my hands. Sick huh? I had to make up for the day I missed so I applied a BM stamp to my already applied color (SH Blue Me Away).

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I know I said I was gonna stick to greens for the month, but the day was soooo pretty..I just had to do a blue! Once I took that off I was fully planning on doing a nude. Do you ladies watch The Bachelor? Well, Monday I watched the finale and I just loved Emilie's nails. The opaque-almost white look looked gorgeous on her. After reading around a bit I found a couple of colors that I wanted to try and I fully intended to use one of those. Buuut...since I THOUGHT St. Patty's was today, I went with OPI Jade is the New Black. 


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What a poor excuse for nail art, huh? I used the gold Konad special polish to stamp the clover. I think overall this week has been a bit off for me. But, today is my Friday; major PLUS! The whole ring making threw me off, so as a little extra...here is one of the rings I made yesterday:

The owner of the bead shop said she had just gotten these in and that they were glow in the dark. Who doesn't want their jewelry to glow in the dark?!? How cool is this stone?? I'm a total nerd and this reminded me of Lex Luther stealing Kryptonite from the art museum in Superman Returns. Ha!

Side Note:

I really need to figure out how to stamp twice on the same nail. I'm not sure how the ladies with really long nails do it to get overall coverage (other than with the XL stamps). What techniques do you use to fully stamp your nail if the plate is too small?