Pardon my cuticles, please... lol I've been terribly neglectful of them lately and it shows. I really need to get back into my usual routine for caring for them. =T 

Anyway. I decided to go for something simple and soft this time. I used one coat of Finger Paints "Gossamer White" and then used Milani "Hi-Res" for a French tip. This on it's own was lovely. But you know me, I have to jazz things up a bit. I applied a coat of OPI "Yule Love This Silver" glitter top coat, and then added some super pretty rose water decals from Viva La Nails and a final top coat of Seche Vite to seal the deal.

I just got this email from Sally Hansen, and thought I would pass it on for those who haven't gotten it yet or don't get the newsletters from SH!

Sally Hansen's HD Hi-Definition Nail Color Sweepsatkes

Here's what you could win:

One Grand Prize winner will receive a 32inch HD TV

Three 1st Prize winners will receive an iPod Nano

Ten weekly winners receive a Sally Hansen gift bag

 

Sweepstakes ends on August 21. This is open only to residents of the United States.

Click HERE to check out the terms and conditions, and to enter!

I decided to play with water marbling today, since it's been a long time since I've done it. I haven't entirely finished cleaning up the edges from it yet. And as such, I remembered why I don't water marble more often. lol I used several colors, not always using the same/all of them for each nail. Just various ones; I honestly didn't even look at what colors I used I just grabbed some purples, grays, blacks and a white. 

I've not bought any new nail polish since acquiring the much coveted SH Hidden Treasure (which I've still not found again to buy a back-up or two... *sigh*) and the Sinful Colors polishes... so I'm afraid I've nothing new in the line-up any time soon. I'll try to work a couple new polishes into my budget soon.

I am paying attention to the calendar though and it's almost time for a new Pick Of The Month... I promise I'm going to get August's color picked and posted on time! lol 

Sorry for the delay in making any new posts. Our internet was out for a couple days, and then yesterday I spent the *entire* day in the hospital waiting for the arrival of my new niece, who yes is absolutely PERFECT! 

Anyway while I was sitting in the waiting room yesterday I snapped a couple pics of my nails. Two coats of Misa "Sugar Daddy" plus some water decals from Viva La Nails. Yep, I hit the butterfly ones again. Couldn't help it, they're my favorite. lol 

Sponging is another method of doing gradient/fade nails, however the final look is a little different than that you will achieve by following the gradient/fade tutorial I posted previously. The previous tutorial method will result in a smooth transition from one color to the next whereas sponging leaves a "splattered" type finish. Sponging may be more desirable as it tends to require fewer and thinner coats of nail polish than the previous gradient method which can build up to a fairly thick layer of polish at the tips or base of the nail depending on the direction of the fade. In my experience it is easier to do a multi-colored fade with sponging than the previous gradient method, but you may want to experiment to see what works for you.

In addition to base and top coats you will need at least two colors of your choosing for the fade, a sponge and a sheet of scrap paper. I recommend getting the cheapest sponges you can (try dollar stores), as they can't be washed out and reused. You will be able to get numerous manicures done with one sponge, but once it's used up it's done. I also prefer the sponges that are finer in texture, with smaller holes. (For example, a finer sponge such as this one, rather than one like this.) You might want to try both kinds of sponges though and see which you prefer. You can cut the sponge into smaller pieces to work with, this will help you get the most use of it as it will provide you with more surface area. You can also try cutting the sponge into small shapes (be careful!) to sponge shapes onto your nails instead of doing a gradient. (I have not done this myself but I have seen others do it.) You can also use sponge-tipped eye shadow applicators if you prefer - this has become my favorite. Small, convenient, easily accessible and ready to use straight out of the package. I get packs of them from the dollar store so it's cheap too.

Start off, as always, with clean dry nails and apply base coat. If you would like a base of a solid color, apply the desired number of coats of that color and let it dry completely. For this tutorial I am not using a base color. I went straight to sponging on a yellow polish (see end of post for list of colors used) and I did not take it all the way down the nail.

To begin your fade, apply some nail polish on a corner of your sponge. I just "paint" the polish directly onto the sponge, however if you prefer you can get an old, un-used CD (blank CD-R's are always a good option, too) and put a drop of nail polish on the CD and then dip the corner of the sponge into the polish. Either way, after applying some polish to the sponge, dab it on the scrap paper a couple times to remove excess polish. Yes, this might feel a little wasteful but it is necessary; if you skip doing this you will get too much nail polish on your nails and the gradient/fade effect will not turn out.

Once you've dabbed off some of the excess polish, dab the sponge on your nail to apply color to the nail. Go however far down the nail you like for the design you are doing, and with each subsequent coat/color do not apply it as far down the nail. It is important to let each coat dry completely before applying the next; but this should not take long as this method does result in only a thin layer being applied at a time thus drying should only take a few minutes. Don't worry about getting nail polish on your fingers - you can clean that up once you've completed your manicure.



Once you are satisfied with the look, let the final layer of sponged on color dry, apply any additional details you may want (nail art, rhinestones etc.) and seal with top coat.

The colors used for this design were (in order of application from base of nail to tips): Sally Hansen Hard As Nails XtremeWear "Mellow Yellow", Rimmel 60 Seconds "Sunny Side", Pure Ice "Flirt Alert" (2 coats, second coat did not go as far down the nail as the first coat) and Petites "Peach Orchid" (sponged over all colors for a soft "glow" to the look).

I recently discovered that Viva La Nails offers free sample packs to nail/beauty bloggers (and those who do youtube videos) and of course, I *had* to get my sample pack. A girl can never have too many pretty nail art supplies, after all! ;-) If you are a beauty blogger (or youtuber!) click here to see the details on how to request your sample pack.

Considering that they are based in Europe, I got my order very quickly. (I've had to wait around for other packages from Europe for *months* - not pleasant!) I placed my order on June 26th and had the package in my hands on July 12th. Again ladies, if you have never purchased anything from "across the pond" before and this sounds like too long of a wait, it truly isn't. 

I was surprised by how much there was in the pack! It almost felt like Christmas going through it to see everything! lol My pack included water decals, stickers, rhinestones, dazzlings (which are also referred to as "sprinkles", depends on the brand I guess) glitters, and more very fun, pretty stuff. 

So of course this has meant I've done my nails three times in as many days. LOL I normally don't do my nails more than two or three times a week max, but... with so many pretty new things to try out, it is very difficult to leave my nails alone right now. :p Following are my first designs utilizing some of the products from the sample pack.

I decided to start simple with this one, which was truly lovely, I might have to do this again soon. I used a couple water decals and accented each of them with small pearls (oh my goodness those tiny pearls... I am in LOVE!) and then I used rhinestones to create a flower under the butterfly decal. You can't see it very well in the picture but I finished off that rhinestone flower with a pearl in the middle. I couldn't resist! ;-)

For the next design I really had no idea what to do, I just wanted to try the crushed shell very badly. I also decided to use some of the gold glitter, and I used one of the heart shaped rhinestones too. Ok, it might not be pretty. But it was fun regardless, and gave me a chance to try the shells. I am on the fence about them. It's a product I've been curious about for some time but I've never known just what to do with it. I'll have to try to come up with something better in the future. One thing that I didn't like with the shells was the fact that they felt rough on my nails. They snagged several times on clothing and towels, and they were a little stubborn to remove. I'll have to try them out again to make any decisions on how much I like them but for the moment, I think crushed shells are not my thing in nail art.

And the last design I have for today is back to something simpler. I used some cute little flower stickers - these are honestly the BEST nail art stickers I have ever used. Without a doubt. Usually the stickers are kind of "stiff", and they can be hard to place on the nail and pop up quickly and don't last very long. These ones are nice and flexible though so they adhere perfectly to your nails. Just like those adorable little pearls, I LOVE the stickers! I also incorporated some glitter; the specific product you'll want to look for on the Viva La Nails web site is the "Flitter". It's the strips of glitter. Which I am a fan of, by the way. I added some of it to this design for an unknown reason, I just felt compelled to do it. And I am loving how it turned out. I added a couple little bits of the middles of the punched star dazzlings, just to add a little something extra to the ring fingers. (Thumbs got 'em too.) 

I still have so many more things to try out from my sample pack, but so far I am very impressed with most of it. You can be sure that many upcoming NOTD posts will be designs that incorporate one or more of the products from the sample pack. 

Thank you, Viva La Nails, for the fantastic opportunity to try out these great products!

Chocaddict at Mon con a moua is having another fantastic giveaway. Check out the prizes:

Click the pic to check out all the details and to learn how to enter. Ends August 31st.

(natural light (indoors), with flash)

I decided to play around with combining matte and shiny polish today. The base color for today's nails is Nicole by OPI "Razzle Dazzler - Matte" (yes, I'm kind of loving this polish already lol) and then I used red, orange, and yellow nail art polishes to add the flame design.

(natural light (indoors) no flash)

I like this one a lot actually; though I do have to say I think I'd like it more if my nails were still longer. Oh, those darned short breaks. Oh well. I'll be doing this one again once my nails grow back out for sure. =)

(natural light (indoors) with flash)

(Sorry this one's late!)

I do not generally like matte polishes; they look fab on others but for me I tend to prefer glossy finishes. But these days, even I have been getting the itch to give matte another try. Rather difficult, since this seems to be a trend my area has not adopted yet. So matte polishes and/or top coats have been impossible to find.

But finally, a couple are available to me locally. The Nicole by OPI Matte line has *finally* been released at my Wal Mart. I mulled over whether or not I really wanted to get a bottle of matte polish - I would prefer a matte top coat to just transform any of my current polishes matte, without having to commit to a bottle of matte color. Since that just ain't happening - I decided what the heck, I'd get a bottle!

There are only 5 colors in this line if I am remembering correctly; I did not make note of the color names but I did notice they are all colors/names from the regular line, simply in matte form. There was a silver, purple, black, dark blue and a teal. I opted for the black. Cause hey, as a fan of black nail polish in general... you just can't go wrong with black. The name of the black polish is Razzle Dazzler - Matte. 

As with all mattes, you must work quickly when applying this polish because - as with all mattes - this dries in a snap. So to avoid dragging/streaking, get a speedy rhythm going when applying this stuff.

This is ONE coat; natural light + flash:

and again but no flash:

None of the polishes are "creme" polishes - as in, they all have that silver shimmer to them. I'm a bit undecided on the silver shimmer - on one hand I surprisingly quite like this polish when again, I don't normally like mattes. Is that because of the shimmer that lends it a slightly more satin than absolute matte finish? I'm not sure. At the same time, I'd really love to try a truly matte polish, minus shimmer.

This polish did apply beautifully though. If you look closely (more noticeable in the picture with flash) there is a small spot on the tip of my pointer finger where it didn't quite cover completely, and then on the middle finger slightly to the right of center there is a line where I had a little dragging - but it's not *too* bad. Practice with the polish will take care of that. But there are not any visible brush strokes as there often can be with matte polishes - it is very smooth and even. Love that about it!

I'm pleasantly surprised by this one and how much I like it. I just might have to try to get the rest of the colors from this collection. =D

This is an old design that I did for Independence Day a couple years ago; since I'm not doing anything special with my nails this year I thought I would at least share a picture of this one. 

As a totally un-related side note, I picked up one of the Nicole by OPI Matte polishes today. More to come on that soon. =)

I didn't plan this design; I just decided to do whatever came to mind and hope for the best. lol 

I apologize, I know it's sloppy. It was another "super late at night but I can't sleep so I'm going to paint my nails" thing. heh. I do that a lot lately, it seems. 

And just a little FYI for anybody who might be wondering: No, I do not plan to do anything special with my nails for the holiday tomorrow. Sorry. I will post a previous nail design that I did for the holiday a couple years ago but I will not be doing anything new.