Let It Snow Challenge-New Year's

I recently purchased Ninja Polish Caribbean Reef and showed you in a post this week what it looked like.  It is in my current top ten favorites.  I also am obsessed with reverse glitter gradients.  I figured I would combine them.....with a little reminder of the year.  I taught a spin class this morning and found a whole hours worth of New Year's themed songs.  It was a lot of fun.  I have to find the time to do stuff like that more often.  I think it makes the time go by faster.  Anyway...enjoy.  I will be back again before the New Year. Oh...and if your wondering, it's over Cult Nails nevermore.  My go-to black base coat.

Sheswai Honeyfox

I have to admit, I am obsessed with Sheswai.  Awesome polishes.  They are super pigmented and they have all been close to a one coater.  I have used two again because the consistency for me was sort of like a crelly (half creme and half jelly).  It was not flattering on my unattractive nails.  It picked up the flaws like my ridges, even though I used my trusty nail ridge filler from Nail Tek.  I think the color is gorgeous.  A real drop dead red.  But, I will be shipping it to a friend who is a Sheswai Collector and it will have a better home.  Here is a look....no top coat.  You don't need one with Sheswai and I will be topping it with something else soon....stay tuned.

Ninja Caribbean Reef

Yesterday I showed you Sheswai's Stoked and today I am showing you some amazing polish that I topped it with.  This is Ninja Polish Caribbean Reef from their Bling Collection.  It is amazing polish.  You must buy it.  Worth every penny.  If you have doubts after this picture, check out the YouTube video they did of it so you can see the bling-tasticness of it in the sun.

Sheswai Lacquer Stoked

I had never heard of Sheswai Lacquer (pronounced she-sway) when my secret swap partner in a facegroup group had it on her wish list.  I decided to order some for myself.  Six to be exact, and I am totally glad I did because it really is amazing.  The bottles are made with a wooden cap limiting the use of plastic.  Their polish is 3 free and very opaque.  I used two thin coats to achieve this look and no top coat.  It dries shiny without any help. This is the first of the six that I will be showing you and I have been layering each after one day of wear with some of my untried indie polishes.  I will be showing you those too.  Here is Stoked.........

 

 

 

You can purchase Sheswai Lacquer on their website

Let it Snow Challenge-Holidays

I wanted to do something really simple.  I am holiday'd out believe it or not.  I had done this a few weeks ago when I received my Festival of Lights Polish From Amy's Nail Boutique on Etsy.  I layered it over Zoya Song.  This is one of the most amazing layering combinations.  I am in love with this polish.  A few of us pestered Amy into making us some customs with the same look in different colors.  They are all equally amazing.  I actually bought a back up bottle of this polish.  That is the first time I have EVER done that.  She still has some left.........

This picture under lamp light shows the holo goodness.

 

 

 



 

Giveaway Winner

Congrats to Patty for winning the Jade Diamond Collection.  I also hit the next milestone so I will be thinking this weekend about what I can give away next......

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Guest Post at A Little Polish

I am so happy to be doing a guest post for Stephanie over at A Little Polish, here is a little preview...you can click here to go check out the rest of the pics and the story behind the design.

 

 



Let It Snow Challenge-Ugly Christmas Sweater

I found a lot of ugly sweaters during my search.  It is amazing how many I found.  I have even heard of people having ugly Christmas sweater parties.  I settled on one that wasn't too ugly but that I would never wear myself.  Here is my simpler take on it and the inspiration picture follows....

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For Sandy Hook Elementary School

At the suggestion of my good friend, Rachael Tayler, bloggers from all over the world are uniting to do a white manicure today.  This is a way to show our support for peace and non-violence and to let all of those that have been touched by this tragedy know that they in our thoughts and our hearts......

 

 

Digit-al Dozen Does Festiveness-Early New Year

When I think of festive or holiday, I have to add in New Year's.  The ending of a year and start of something fresh.  What better way to do it than with Cult Nails Nevermore?  I love the look of fireworks over a city skyline.  Don't You?

Digit-al Dozen Does Festiveness-Joy To The World

I browsed a lot of wallpapers in attempt to come up with inspiration for these posts.  This one caught my eye because it was very simple but really cute. I love to spend time on backgrounds trying out different shades, techniques and textures.

Digit-al Dozen Does Festiveness-Holly Tips

Every time I do a white background, I end up really disliking it.  I prefer dark vampy colors or some kind of textured look over white to soften the brightness.  I tried to break it up here with the glitter tips but it still just doesn't do anything for me.

 



Digit-al Dozen Does Festiveness-Presents

Before I get to today's mani, I wanted to remind everyone about my giveaway for the Jade Diamond Collection.  You can enter Here.

Today, I have for you a design based on wrapping paper and presents.  I used Finger Paints Merry Mistletoe as the base but ended up stamping over it and then adding hexes on it after that.  Even with three coats, this did not have very good coverage for my tastes.  In a way, I'm glad because I like the depth the additions gave it.  I added a bow in red and gold.  I am happy with it.

 



Digit-al Dozen Does Festiveness-We Three Kings

What an honor to be asked to participate with this amazingly talented group of nail artists.  I knew I had to step up my game for this group.  Does anyone have that feeling when they talk to one of their favorite bloggers like they are some kind of a celebrity?  Silly, I know.

This months theme was holidays.  I love a broad topic.  I did a lot of searching for pictures that inspired me and finally found a few that I really loved.  This first one is a depiction of The Three Kings (even though I only used two because I didn't want to overwhelm my tiny canvas). I did a gradient for the base and used acrylics to paint the Kings and Camels.  Hope you like it.

600 Follower Giveaway-Jade Diamond Collection

And, I have arrived at 600 followers at a very busy time of year.  I am wrapping Christmas gifts, covering for co-workers at the gym who are taking time off for the holidays and finishing year-end work at my "real job" during the day. 

I also plan on making eight different kinds of Christmas cookies this weekend and I still have three more nail posts to finish because I am working with two fantastic groups on some holiday manicures and will be doing a guest post for a good friend later this month. 

I am still committed to keeping to my original plan of doing a giveaway every hundred followers since I am grateful for all of you who check out what I am doing  on my little blog.  So, enter below for a chance to win the Jade Diamond Collection. 

These were purchased from Ninja Polish who graciously allowed me to use their photo.  They just got some in stock so, you can check them out at their store here and see some swatches.  The most impressive pictures are layered over black in my opinion. 

Thanks for continuing to support me and good luck.



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Let It Snow Challenge-Holiday Movie

I doubt this deserves any introduction but I can tell you about my inspiration.  I bought some glitter online recently along with other supplies to make my own polish.  This green was in the group but I hate bar glitter of any kind.  I obsessively pick at it once it is applied to my nails.  So, I needed to find another use for it.  It reminded me of Grinch fur (or hair??).  You know I love to attach crazy stuff to my nails.  I also figured, since the Grinch looks straggly, I wouldn't trim it at all either....

 

 

 

 

Here is what the other artists did........

 



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Let It Snow Challenge-Snowflakes

I think snowflakes are a great place to start for the Let It Snow Challenge.  I am continuing on with the same group of individuals.  We have lost a few and gained a few along the way but overall, it is an incredibly talented bunch.  We are going to do weekly posts throughout the Winter months.  The group was named The Nail Challenge Collaborative so we didn't have to continue to change our facebook group name.  I'm excited to start.  I decided to go big since I am behind on my posts.  I have added to my snowflake design a snowman and some icicles.  Hope you like it.

 

Here are the challenge items you will be seeing over the coming months......

 

 

And.......my cohorts......



 

 

WOW!! Judging Nail Art is Tough!!

I was thinking that picking one winner of this challenge would be too difficult so I purposely set aside three prizes thinking I would cover my bases.  Clearly, I should have set aside quite a few more.  I decided that I would ask my fellow judges to pick their four top favorites and would tally up the votes.  Although we were able to decide after agonizing deliberation, it was really, really tough.  Finally, the decision came down to the stamping since that was the main purpose of the competition and I wanted it to be the major focus of the manicure since that was the only real criteria.  I am definitely going to do this again in the future.  I have found some great new blogs to follow with some really amazing talent.  So, without further ado, the winners are......

This amazing entry by The Nail Buff shows flawless stamping execution. 

 

 

From Karine's Vernis Club, she did a stamping skittle manicure.  Here is a pic from her post that shows both hands.  She submitted the one on the right to be judged.

 

 

And lastly, here is Mandy's Polish.  What I loved about this was the execution, and, the comparison she did to her first attempt in her blog post.  Amazing improvement.

 

 

 

I just want everyone to know that the quality of every entry was amazing and hopefully, you will all agree from seeing the entries that it was a tough call.

 

I also want to thank Stephanie from A Little Polish, Victoria from Manicurator and Katee from A Girl and Her Polish for helping my judge.  I am glad I didn't have to make the decision alone and grateful that you all put such serious thought into helping me select the winners. 



Only 9 hours left to enter.....

You only have 9 hours left to enter......

Great prizes and not a lot of competition.  Don't miss out on your chance to show your stamping skills.  Enter HERE.

Fall Into Autumn Challenge-Fall Flair

This item was up to the individual.  I decided to use one of my new Jade Diamond Polishes for this. Its called Galaxy.  Kind of reminds me a bit of Enchanted Austin Powers but some of the glitters are a bit larger.  I wanted to put some fall colored leaves on the tips to look almost like a french tip but unfortunately, the Jade Polish is bumpy and it made the leaves look a bit deformed.  From a distance though, it was quite a pretty color combination.

 

This was the last item on our Autumn Challenge list.  I have a week break and then next week, we will roll right into the next season.  Looking forward to winter.

 



Jade Diamond Twist

Before I post on the Jade polish, I wanted to remind everyone about my stamping contest.  You have another 10 days to enter.  Don't forget because there are some great prizes.  You can enter HERE.


When I first saw the pictures posted on Ninja Polish's facebook page for these new Jade polishes from Brazil, I immediately got on the e-mail list and anxiously awaited notification that they had arrived.  Of course, I bought the whole set.  And, there is no question that they are really pretty polishes.  The one I wanted the most was Twist because I loved the emerald color in the pictures.  I put on two coats and right away noticed something familiar about it.  Here is what it looked like...

 

Great application.  the first coat was very sheer.  It became opaque in two and had a nice shimmer.  But, I recognized it as I started painting the first coat.  I ran to get my Color Club Metamorphosis and re-painted one nail.  Then I posted it online in a group because the similarity was significant and I wanted to see if anyone could guess what the dupe was.  Everyone guessed Zoya Charla.  I hadn't even thought of that.  I then replaced another with Charla.  So here they are from the top, Zoya Charla, Jade Diamond Twist and Color Club Metamorphosis.....

 

And from a different angle, left to right, Zoya Charla, Jade Diamond Twist and Color Club Metamorphosis.....

Charla is a bit darker, as you can see.  the glass flecks in Charla are larger and it has more gold shimmer that is visible on the nail.  Metamorphosis is a tad bit more emerald and a little more iridescent but all three are very similar.  Oh, and here is a close up of what it looks like over black.  just one coat.

Learn a few interesting facts about me.....

Gwenn from Sweet Sugar does a great series where she posts interviews with bloggers.  I love the idea and I enjoy reading them because you learn a little bit more about the people you follow.  I am grateful for the opportunity to share a little bit about myself.  If you don't alredy follow her, you should.  I love her blog and she does a lot to support the community, especially new bloggers.  If you want to check out my interview, click here.

This week, I have a few things to post on.  First, I have a review of my experience with taking Biotin over the last several months. Second, I just got the whole Jade Diamond Collection in the mail and plan on swatching those for you to see.  Lastly, I have the last item on the Fall Into Autumn Nail Challenge.  Then I will have a few weeks off until our Winter Challenge starts.

A Nail Art Contest-Stamping

I have wanted to do this since the first blog post I wrote.  Entering contests have been beneficial for me in two ways.  Most importantly, it challenges me to think out of the box and hone my nail art skills but it also brought traffic to my blog and it helped me gain some followers that I have been grateful for. 

The one thing about contests is that, let's face it, some people are simply amazing with regard to their natural talent.  I can't do some of the free hand stuff that Sonoma Nail Art does.  Her skills are far beyond what I will ever be capable of. 

So, with that in mind, I decided to make a challenge that is manageable for those that don't have the tremendous free hand skill.  The Bundle Monster competition for Halloween amazed me.  The stuff people came up with was just outstanding and it made me wonder what else people could come up with if the theme was not just limited to Halloween. 

So, ignore the background for my poster because I am still in a fall frame of mind and loved the picture......

 

 

There will be three prizes.  First, a holiday trio from Butter London.  This includes, Rosie Lee, Fairy Cake and The Black Knight.

 

 

 

Second, the Zoya Ornate Collection.  This includes, Aurora, Ziv, Blaze, Electra, Storm and Logan.

Lastly, a mini set of Amy's Nail Boutique's Holiday Collection which includes. Festival of Lights, Frosty, Happy Holly-days, Gingerbread and Silent Night

 

 

 

Thankfully, I will not be making the decision alone.  I will have help from some talented bloggers that I have really grown to adore over the last year.  Katee from A Girl and Her Polish, Victoria from The Manicurator and Stephanie from A Little Polish.  The have all agreed to shoulder the burden of choosing a winner.  So here are the details.....

• There is only one entry per person.
• This is open to international participants.
• You must use polish only, no acrylics for this challenge.
• You must have your entry submitted by November 26th at 12:00 AM.
• Also entries must be submitted by using the Inlinkz tool that follows. You can link to your blog or any other social media site if you are not a blogger.  
• There is no set theme....anything goes.

 

 

Fall Into Autumn Challenge-Fall Harvest

I love sunflowers.  Especially when you see fields of them.  I also have really been enjoying fall colors.  I have done sunflowers before over Floam but decided to do something different with a more fall color background.  This is Zoya Tanzy and Daul sponged together for the base coat.  The sunflowers were done with acrylics.

 

 

 

Color Club Collection Winner

And the winner is Brittany D.  Congratulations!!  I am shipping it out this week.

 

 

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Fall Into Autumn Challenge-Autumn Dots

Before I start on today's challenge, I wanted to remind everyone one last time about my giveaway.  It is for the whole set of Color Club Halo Hues.  This a gorgeous collection of holo polishes and I am just amazed at the quality for the price.  You can enter here.

I saw a photo online when I googled autumn dots and really fell in love with it.  It was such a pretty picture and gave the image of a gorgeous tree with it's leaves changing using only dots aside from the tree trunk and branches.  I had to use it as inspiration for this challenge.  This is over Milani White on the Spot as a base to make the colors pop. 

 

 

 



Fall Into Autumn Challenge-Favorite Fall Sweater

I really own very few sweaters.  I work in a nursing home and the residents like it 80 degrees all year long.  And, they are still wearing shawls and sweaters.  Meanwhile, the employees are usually sweating their hair out.  I wear the same short sleeve shirts all year long and wear a jacket of some sort if it gets chilly.  So I did a google search of sweaters and found one that I liked.  I don't think it would look good on me at all but I like the style.  Maybe a bit more Christmas or Winter-like than Fall but who cares.  I used Essie Bikini So Teeny and one of the colors from the China Glaze Prism Collection to sponge a reverse gradient on the top.  I liked it.  Very delicate look, just like the sweater.....

Here was the inspiration......

 

 

Pahlish Train Underwater

This has been on my wish list for quite a while and I was super excited when Jaclyn from The Life, Times and Lacquers of Lilmoon contacted me to let me know that I won it. It did not disappoint at all. I had put on OPI DS Magic (which is fantastic BTW) and I decided to leave it as a base for Train Underwater.  This is only one coat and it is beautiful......

500 Follower Giveaway-Color Club Halo Hues

What a fun ride this has been for me.  I have thoroughly enjoyed it.  I love blogging and following other blogs but have made really amazing friendships through this process as well.  I committed that I would give away something at each 100 followers so here we are again.  I thought long and hard about what to get and since many of you are lemming the new Color Club Halo Hues, I decided it would be a good fit.  I was lucky enough to find them at a local beauty supply shop for 4.95 a piece.  I did a group buy twice and bought them out completely.  This is what the display looked like that I brought up to the counter...........

I think the sales girl thought I was nuts. I included one extra set for my followers to have a chance at.  If you want to see swatches of these, you can find them here.  Sorry there was no sun that day but trust me....they are amazing.

Enter below, you have until November 7, 2012 at midnight to enter.  International followers are welcome.


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Fall Into Autumn Challenge-Halloween

So, I gave up on the daily posts.  After about day 18, I realized I was posting crap just to keep up and I don't want to do that.  I enjoy showcasing polishes I love, doing challenges and focusing on nail art but too much at once just gets you a little burned out.  So, the next item on the challenge list is ironically Halloween.  I have one more Halloween design left.  Here is is.......