Easy Valentine’s Day Nails

I had the idea to put regular stickers on my nails since it sounded like a super-easy way to get a cute effect for Valentine’s Day.  So I started rummaging through my sticker box (poke fun if you want, but I love my sticker box)!  It’s the same one I’ve had since I was a kid and I’ve amassed quite a collection.  My faves include my original E.T. stickers from when the movie first came out… and my cute Rainbow Brite stickers from the 80’s!  I have a lot of heart stickers too so I decided on these red foil hearts.  Then I picked a girly pink polish and started painting!

I used 3 coats of Sephora by OPI I’m Wired and then placed the sticker on my ring finger.  I didn’t know if the Seche Vite topcoat would bead up on the foil sticker or not- so I used a thin coat of Orly Bonder on my ring finger to create a nice sticky surface on top of the heart. Then I applied my Seche to lock it all down.

These Valentine’s Day themed nails are so quick and easy!  You could put more stickers on if you want, but after I placed the one down I felt like it would be enough.  <I’ve noticed that if I’ve ever ignored my instincts in the past… that I’ve gone on to muff up the manicure.>  So always trust your gut and have some fun with your stickers!

Temporary Tattoos!

I’ve been dying to test out tattoo nails forever!  So I recently picked up a couple packs of temporary tattoos at the local dollar store.  The tats that I chose for this mani were random.. I used the Japanese symbol for friend, a butterfly wing and some swirls.  I love how the pinkie came out- reminds me of that movie Nightmare Before Christmas!

I wanted the background to be reminiscent of my bare skin so I used two coats of Sephora by OPI Leotard Optional as my base color.

I tested the temporary tattoos on my dominant hand until I got the technique down.  Here’s some tips I learned:

♥ Wait for your base color to dry completely before applying tattoos.

♥ Cut down the tattoos with scissors to roughly match the size of your nail.  This makes cleanup non-existent (yay) and will also make for easy placement of the design.

♥ Apply the tattoo to your nail by following the same instructions on the package.  With one exception- use more water than normal!  That helps loosen it up so when you lift the paper off there won’t be any tattoo sticking to it.

♥ The glue that transfers from the paper to the nail may feel a bit bumpy.  You may need more than one topcoat.

I have some celestial tattoos that are calling to me now!  Man, these tattoo nails came out great and I can’t wait to try this again.  I love non-traditional nail art that can be created with everyday things or stuff lying around the house!

purple dream giveaway entry

I’m entering a polish giveaway that Luchessa is offering!  Her blog post entitled New Purple Dream Giveaway explains it all.  Basically to enter the contest I must post a purple nail design … and on Jan 21st the random winner will be announced.  Thank you to Luchessa for the chance to win!  Here’s the purple design I came up with….

I enjoyed using all purple polishes!  Who doesn’t love purple?  In real life this mani sorta has a 70’s free-love hippie feel.  Here’s the colors I used along with a makeup sponge and a dotting tool:

♥ OPI- Dutch ‘Ya Just Love OPI? as the base

♥ Sephora by OPI- It’s Hippo To Be Square for the sponged area

♥ Wet n Wild Megalast- Through the Grapevine as the flower petals

♥ Sephora by OPI- I Don’t Bite as the center of the flower

Good luck to all the other entrants!

lavender and thyme

Today I’m wearing Sephora by OPI ‘Thyme for a Mani’ and China Glaze Crackle Glaze in ‘Luminous Lavender’.

With this mani I knew I wanted to use my crackle Luminous Lavender.  But what base color would go with it?  As a general rule when I use crackle… I always choose a contrasting base shade so the mosaic effect really stands out. So either a dark base color and a light crackle…or a creme base and a glittery crackle, etc.  I scanned my polish stash and couldn’t really find what I was looking for to complement my purple crackle.   Then I noticed my mini bottle of Thyme for a Mani and it hit me: LAVENDER AND THYME.  Yes, I like this aromatic herb theme!  Besides, it’s fun to pair polishes solely based on their names lol!

I love the end result…the color combo has a romantic feel…and the purple glitter crackle is extra-sparkly yet demure at the same time.  It did soak up all my top coat though.  I applied two thick goopy clear coats and it still feels a little bumpy on top.  But that doesn’t bother me… I like using lotsa layers!

What are your thoughts on crackle?

Sparkling Leg-Warmers

Sephora by OPI – Sparkling Personality from the Betsey Johnson collection

I love waking up to find snow on the ground!  Now it really feels like the holiday season in NY !  That inspired me to do a wintery design. I’m calling this mani SPARKLING LEG-WARMERS!  I used two Sephora by OPI polishes- Sparkling Personality and Break A Leg-Warmer. (It’s kinda fun to name your manicures, don’t ya think?)

Sephora by OPI – Break A Leg-Warmer

I taped off my nail using little pieces of blue painters tape.  It worked pretty well!  If you’ve never tried it before- you should experiment with some!  Its really easy to work with and peels off like a dream.

I’m groovin on the color combo- I like how the grey base color really showcases the different pigments of the glitter.

Now that I’m done beautifying myself- I might go outside and shovel.  What would a mani be without a few well-earned dents and smooshes?!

Post-christmas excitement!

Of course Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus and spending time with loved ones.  But I can’t help but be super-excited about all of my nail polish gifts that I received from my family!  I feel like a little kid- I woke up this morning psyched to play with my toys!  Here’s a pic of the stash I received.  I don’t know what color to use first!

Did you get any thrilling gifts this year?

Post-christmas excitement!

Of course Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus and spending time with loved ones.  But I can’t help but be super-excited about all of my nail polish gifts that I received from my family!  I feel like a little kid- I woke up this morning psyched to play with my toys!  Here’s a pic of the stash I received.  I don’t know what color to use first!

Did you get any thrilling gifts this year?