Catching Up

At the beginning of March, my manager left on maternity leave, and I am now both her and me at work, so I have been VERY busy.  The reason you care is because it leaves me exhausted at the end of the day, and unable to do my nails, much less post about them.  As of Friday, my face has broken out in stress-induced hives, so I am taking the hint, and slowing down, and doing my nails! :-)

Here's my current mani, featuring Ruby Wing color-changing polishes.  It makes me smile to see the color change, and forces me to leave the house to see it, since it changes color in the sun.  The color change is pretty quick, and is triggered by UV rays.  Pretty cool!!

"Birdie" (yellow) and "Gypsy" (mint), before the sun.  Super-cute, springy mani, right?

This took 3 coats to get completely opaque.  Topped with Poshe.

The same mani, but in the sun:

LOVE this color combo too!  So fun!

Here's a side-by-side comparison:

Here are some exciting past mani's I did since my last post:

Black-tipped French with Lacquistry's pretty pastel glitter bomb "Chick-a-dee doo-da".  LOVE this polish!!

Color Club "Halo-graphic".  Gorgeousness!!!

OK, you're all caught up.  :-)

Lacquistry's "Wonderland of Sand"

I've had this mani on the entire work week since December 17, but just realized I haven't posted about it.  Anyway, I got an awesome bunch of Lacquistry polishes from her Winter/Holiday collection, and "Wonderland of Sand" seems to the the perfectly quintessential Christmas-y glitter polish.

I also used Zoya's "Sarah" (red) and "Ivanka" (green).  It was super-pretty all week at work, and it wore like iron!  It's much more sparkly in real life.  I used 2 coats of WLOS, topped with a coat of Gelous, and finished with Seche Vite.  BTW, I do have a layer of glue under that accent nail, so removal should be a breeze!  Christmas perfection!

If you've never tried a Lacquistry, GO NOW!!  At the time of this posting, she still has polishes stocked in her Etsy shop HERE.  Check out swatches on her FB Page, too.  Jenna's the BEST when it comes to gorgeous glitter bombs!  

Day 2: 12 Days of Christmas Challenge: Green

Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge is "Green".  I wanted to do a glitter, so I looked through my Indie stash, and found one by my absolute FAVORITE Indie Lacquistry with green glitter in it.  I really wanted to use red nails as the undies, but Day 1 was red, so I figured I could use silver as a base color again.

I LOVE the red nail!!  The glitter makes it look super Christmas-y, and now I regret not doing the undies red, or at least green!   And just what is this mystery Lacquistry polish?

It's one of her Halloween polishes "Witches Warts"!  I think it's got the potential for a very festive life after Halloween, don't you?

Check out the other cool peeps doing the challenge with me, and be sure to visit our hostess with the mostest, Iced Lacquer!

XOXO Alexis Leigh
Purple Castle
It's All About the Polish
A Ginger's Nail
The Polished Mommy
Robyn Loves Nails
Teen Polish Junkie
Mari522 (on Instagram)

Better Late Than Never: Nail-Aween Challenge Days 8,9, & 10

This week was horribly busy for me!  In addition to my full-time job, I ended up having to write a report for work till midnight one night, made the kids' costumes, went Trick-or-Treating, and worked on my little Elf Coat business, so manicures were hard to come by.  But I did manage do my last 3 days of the Nail-Aween Challenge, but have just now had the chance to download the pics & do my post.  So here they are:

Day 8:  Witch Nail Art

This is a lovely no-name polish by Love & Beauty from Forever 21 stores, and I was surprised by how much I liked it...it totally reminds me of the night sky!

Day 9:  Pumpkin Mani

 These are beautiful holographic polishes by Chirality called "Just Before Dawn" and "Katydid".  BTW, I found out that Chirality basically means "chemistry" ;-).  The green "Katydid" is a much more linear holo than "JBD", and "JBD" is the absolute perfect shade of orange!  This is 2 coats of each, and the formula was a dream to apply.  Buy your very own HERE.

Day 10:  Any Halloween-Inspired Mani

Yes, I took the easy way out, and used my previous mani for this one (I was busy!).  This is "Pickin' Punkins in the Patch" by Lacquistry, and it is super-gorgeous!!  Jenna has some polishes in stock as of this posting, so click HERE to get your very own glittery awesomeness!  

This Challenge was certainly a challenge, and I had a lot of fun!  Many thanks to Sassy Nails for hosting it!  

"Go Pink Wednesday" #3 - Lacquistry "Prom Dress"

It's time for a glitter bomb.  And when I think glitter bomb, I think "Lacquistry". So I pulled out my gorgeous "Prom Dress" and put it on for my "Go Pink Wednesday" manicure!  

With flash:

No flash:

Gorgeous!!  I used Savvy "In the Mauve" for undies.  The checkerboard pattern is based on THIS You Tube tutorial by Mo Diddie.  

Check out the other great peeps participating in "Go Pink Wednesday":

A Teacher's Secret Nail Blog

At Your Finger Tips
Beauty Is Merciless
Beauty Ninja

Beauty Scraps
Beauty-Shoes-Nails-Fun

ChameleonStampede

Cosmetic Sanctuary
Criminal Nails

Dliteful Trends
dreamy MM Nails & Make UP

Glazed Talons

I Heart Pretty Polish

Just Another Polish Addiction

Lace & Lacquers

Lacky Corner

Liesl Loves Pretty Things

Life in Color! 

Makeup Mom 123
Mandy's Polish

Mani-Curiously

Maria’s Nail Art
Model City Nails
 Art-LiciousNail

Nail Call

Nails and Paint
Once Bitten Nails
Ooh La La Polish!
Pinked Polish

Set in Lacquer

Shelly’s Sassy Nails 

Superficially Colorful

Susy's Nails

The Crumpet

The Fox Claws

The Obsessed

The Polished Mommy

The Polished Pixie 

Things I love at the Moment 
Tomboy Nails

Too Cute-icle

White Jasmine Nail Art

Lacquistry's "24k Shredded" & Orly "Buried Alive"

I had to attend a pretty important/formal meeting at work, so I needed some plain nails.  I thought a dark brown-ish Autumn mani might be appropriate, and I found my untried Orly "Buried Alive" in my stash.  Look at the beautiful golden shimmer in this!  

This is 2 easy coats and they went on super-smoothly!  <3

As soon as I got home on Friday, I had to spice it up.  I used a Bundle Monster plate and stamped it with gold Pure Ice "Jaguar", and really blinged it out with another untried in my stash, Lacquistry's "24k Shredded":

 

BLING!!

Lacquistry Giveaway for My U.S. Facebook Fans!

I recently noticed that I have over 350 fans on Facebook, and as of this post I have 361!  It's overwhelming to me that 361 people care about what I have to say about my nail art, and I'm flattered and honored and am very thankful.

As a way to thank my loyal fans, I am giving away a brand new, never-used bottle of Lacquistry's "I Make It Rain (Leaves)" from her "Sweater Weather" Fall Trio collection.  I was lucky enough to snag both of her Fall Trio collections, but I have seen lots of comments from people who were disappointed they couldn't get Lacquistry's polish for one reason or another.  So, I'd like to offer a chance to you!

Since you're a fan of mine, you already know how much I love Jenna @ Lacquistry not only for her genius polishes, but because she is truly an awesome person.  I've had the privilege of working with her on some custom orders, and with every convo back and forth, I am made more certain that she is genuinely selfless and caring, and the world desperately needs more peeps like her.

Why am I going on and on about Jenna again?  Because I would like the winner of this polish to know a little bit about the person who created it, and because it is her giving spirit that inspired me to offer this polish to you!

OK, on to the giveaway:

The giveaway starts NOW and ends on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 12:01 a.m. EST.
  This giveaway for "I Make It Rain (Leaves)" is open for U.S. residents ONLY!  Click HERE to enter my International fans giveaway!

I will announce the winner on my Face Book page (of course) and here on my blog.  If the winner does not contact me within 24 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

To enter via the Rafflecopter thingie below, you must be a U.S. fan of my Face Book page, and a fan of Lacquistry Nail Polish's page...that's it!!  Because this giveaway is a "thank you" to my U.S. FB fans, I am not requiring you to follow my blog, but if you'd like to, please do! ;-)

GOOD LUCK, AND THANKS AGAIN!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Dragon" & Lacquistry Fall Polishes (lotsa pics)!!!

So last night I finally tried out my dusty A England "Dragon".  It's sooo beautiful IRL, these pics don't do it justice:

Super-smooth, this is 2 coats of holo gorgeousness!  Totally reminds me of dragon scales, which is cool because I'm on Book 3 of the Game of Thrones series "Song of Fire & Ice", in which dragons have returned! :-).  My nails remind me of Daenerys's dragons, and I love them!!!

When I got home after work tonight, I discovered my Lacquistry Fall Collection polishes in the mail!!! YAY!!  I was lucky enough to snag all 6 polishes when Jenna re-stocked her shop, so I am a super, super happy girl!  I immediately picked out 2 of my faves and I smothered the "Dragon" in spectacular autumn-ness:

 Goes great w/Pumpkin Ale!

 Playing in the leaves Jenna included in the envelope!

These are "Pickin Punkins in the Patch" and "Corn Maize" <---clever name!!  2 coats of each totally coated each nail in glittery goodness!  I topped 'em with Gelous and then Seche Vite to make 'em smooth & shiny!  You have eyes, so there's really not much more to say about these fantastical autumn glitter bombs!  I'm soooo excited to get these Lacquistry polishes inspired by my favorite season!    

I know I sound like a total broken record, but Jenna is a polish genius!  She's an amazing person full of integrity and chock-full of talent, and she truly cares about her art and her customers.  I'll gush all day long about her & her polish...just try to stop me! ;-)  Unfortunately, her Fall Collection has sold out, but keep an eye on her FB Page for an announcement on when her Halloween Collection will be released.  I. MUST. HAVE. THOSE!

Glue Base Coat, Iguanas, and Jenna!!

When I was in grade school, I remember taking my bottle of white Elmer's glue and spreading a thin layer on my palm.  When it dried, I grossed my friends out by peeling the glue off my palm in skin-like layers.  Ah, those were the days!!

Now some 30 years later, when I saw THIS POST by Nails by Ms. Lizard, I had an epiphany, the angels sang, and a ray of sunshine burst through the clouds!  Use a coat of Elmer's (PVA) glue as a base coat directly on the nail, paint on your glitteriest Indie, then peel it off when you're all done!  Crazy lady say what?!  No sticking acetone-soaked cotton on your nails, no wrapping your fingertips in foil, no rubbing with felt until your fingers cramp, no waiting every other week to do a glitter mani because you don't want to deal with removal?  It was almost too good to be true!

So I tried it for myself.  I got a bottle of plain ol' Elmer's glue, and squeezed some into an empty mini franken bottle.  Then I painted on 1 full-coverage coat:

Then I let it dry completely till clear.  Took about 5 minutes:

When the glue is dry, it's smooth and not the least bit sticky.

Then I applied "Brash" polish which, although very pretty, did not win my heart since it took 3 coats to get to this opacity.  I got this at Payless Shoes, of all places.  

Now for the fun part:  Lacquistry's "Donald Trump's Iguana" on top:

Gorgeousness!!  But I figured it was a little too blingy, bright & fun to wear to work (I'm in Human Resources - blah!).  So I took my wooden cuticle stick, pushed gently against the polish around the cuticle edge, and it came right up, easy as pie:

I kept pushing till it got right to the end:

The leftover residue washed right off with soap & water.  No acetone was used at all in removing this glitter-bomb mani.

Is this not AMAZING!?!  I feel like Princess Jasmine, cuz I just found a whole new world where I can paint on glitter polishes without the ever-present "just remember you're going to have to remove all this" voice nagging me.  Glitter is not just for accent nails anymore!!  I can't tell you how excited I am!

And just one more thing about Jenna at Lacquistry.  If you don't already know by now, not long ago Jenna announced on her FB page that she was aware that some of the glitters in polishes she had sold MONTHS before were bleeding.  So, she took it upon herself to make replacements for EVERY one she had made, and mailed them out to her customers.  Amazing integrity, and definitely someone who has my unflagging loyalty.  If you've been a follower of mine, you know how much I love me some Jenna...she's an awesome person!  Not to mention she mixes up a mean glitter bomb!!

I got my package a couple days ago:

THANK YOU JENNA!! <3

Lacquistry Custom "Sand & Sea"

If you have followed my blog or FB page at all, you know that I absolutely adore Jenna @ Lacquistry!  She is a freakin' polish-making goddess, and is a total sweetheart to boot!  So, when I had the opportunity to request a custom order from her a while back, I jumped on the chance!  

I have already posted about one of my customs, "Hawaiian Sunset".  Next up is "Sand & Sea".  

Jenna says, "First up, you asked for something involving the beach and sand. I came up with something for you combining 9 different shapes, sizes and colors. We have the ocean represented by a "salty" cool oceanic blue (hey that rhymed!) sprinkled with mini holo sea green hexs' and light blue holo hexs'. The sand meets the sea with an "un-gold" true shimmering sand color- achieved by blending 3 different fine sand colors and a sand colored mini-hex for size interest. I kept it more of a cool-toned, misty day as opposed to a bright sunny day, if that makes sense."

 I think it makes PERFECT sense!!

I mean, look at that freakin' BLING!!  And it is totally the SAND & SEA.  Well, technically, this is the Ocean (Newport Beach, CA to be exact), but whatever!  These are the cool colors of the Pacific, as opposed to the bright aqua's of like the Carribbean, and I LOVE it!  I am totally amazed that she was able to get the color of the beach into a bottle!!  

The other polishes in my mani are Zoya's "Charla" and a water marble fail of a gold & silver Pure Ice polish (I'm too lazy to find the names, and I'm too bitter to care).  I actually painted "Charla" over the other failed water marbles, since I've heard she stains like a beeotch, so hopefully this layering will help avoid that.

Here's another pic in the sun, cuz that's how I roll!

For a little more drama to this story, this is actually the 2nd version of "Sand & Sea".  The first exploded in the mail, and arrived like this:

We think it was due to the heat, since it was like 110 degrees in Arizona, and about that here in Cali during the transit time, and it actually had to bake in my metal mailbox all day until I got home from work.  It was obviously well-wrapped, so it doesn't seem likely that was the culprit.  At any rate, Jenna promptly made a replacement one, which made it home safe & sound (obviously, duh!).

Sorry, it seems like I gush whenever I have something to say about Lacquistry, but I've loved every single polish of hers I've gotten (I'm up to 20).  She's also the one that got me hooked into this nail community; I accidentally stumbled upon "Autumn Flurries" in an Etsy treasury and the rest is history.  Also, Jenna is a true artist who really cares about her craft, and I deeply admire her talent.  Did I mention she's also like the coolest person ever?

Jenna is currently finishing up her custom orders (she's not taking any more at this time), and has announced that she will start stocking her Etsy Shop soon.  Keep an eye on her Facebook Page for updates, and to also check out the other custom polishes she's made for other lucky customers.  I can't wait to get me more Lacquistry!!