OPI "Meep, Meep, Meep" and DS "Luxurious" with Sally Hansen Yellow (Name Unknown) Gradient

This manicure is going down in my book as a partial fail.  While it looks acceptable for wear, it is problematic for a perfectionist like me and will likely be removed later tonight.  While the concept is awesome and the colors work so well together, the method I used to create the gradient effect and, consequently, the cuticle clean up, was a NIGHTMARE.

Because these polishes all contain sparkles, they were nearly impossible to remove in a precise manner, and the sponging technique I used to apply the polish wedged polish DEEP into my cuticles.  So, with that said, I apologize for my cuticle cleanliness.  Other than that, I love how this manicure looks and the how the colors blend.  I will be trying this one again, but with a different application method and perhaps some more embellishment.

Orly "Miss Conduct" Holographic Polish with Black Stamped Nail Art

Be prepared to see a lot of holographic polishes on this blog.  I am a junkie for rainbow-y glitter type polishes much like this one.  Although it isn't as dramatic as some of the other polishes you will see, I absolutely LOVE this color by Orly.  Appropriately, it is called Miss Conduct.  I did some black stamping on this manicure as well, that turned out much better than I anticipated.  There is definitely still room for improvement though!

OPI “Vodka & Caviar” with OPI “Spark de Triumph” and Red Heart accent nail

This manicure could be well utilized for Valentine's Day, but I love it at any time of the year.  With red being my favorite color, it is hard for me not to want to wear it all the time.  And who doesn't love some sparkle and hearts?  Are you wondering how I painted the heart?  There are lots of effective ways to accomplish this seemingly difficult task, but I will save all of them of another post.  For this particular manicure, I used blue painters tape.  Yep, the kind you use to mask of walls etc.  I cut the design into the tape, placed the design as I wanted it to appear onto my nail and then painted the red.  I quickly, but carefully, removed the tape and topped with my favorite clear coat.  NOTE**  Two very important tips if you use this method...1. Be sure your nail is dry!  There is nothing worse than pulling up your base color with the tape! 2. Adhere the tape to the palm of your hand a few times to weaken the adhesive of the tape.  Even though it is designed to release from surfaces easily, it is still pretty sticky and you don't need it to be!

How do you paint your OWN nails?

One of the things I hear a lot when I talk to people about my obsession, hobby, addiction, whatever you want to call it, is that they don’t know how I DO IT!?  How do you paint YOUR OWN nails like that?  There are always the jokes out there about the left hand looking so great and the right hand looked like my three year old might have painted it.  Really, what it comes down to is….you guessed it, PRACTICE.  And to prove it, here is one of my older "manicures” before I really got hooked (and improved in technique).  Notice the terrible mess around my cuticles and I clearly didn't know enough about nail polish to know these glitters really don't work well to create a "French tip" effect! ;)

OPI- "Divine Swine" of the Muppets Collection

OPI- "Rainbow Connection" of the Muppets Collection

OPI "Affair in Red Square" and Black Nail Stamping

Really, what is better than a sexy red with some delicate artistic touches?  I guess a little black dress would have been nice too, but remember this is a Mom's blog, and (trying to contain my laughter) we don't get out much! ;)  

Rainbow Cheetah Print

As if I didn't love rainbow colored anything, a way to make it better, is to add an ANIMAL print! So...Waahlaahh!  For this mani, I used a variety of colors (as you can see). The Base colors for my index finger and ring finger were China Glaze's "Flirty Tankini" and to create the gradient color change I sponged on China Glaze's "Orange You Hot" and "Sun-Kissed" with a makeup sponge. The middle finger and pinky fingers got a base coat of CG's "Sun-Kissed" and then sponged with CG's "I'm With the Lifeguard" and Wet N Wild "Eggplant Frost."  Top that all off with some holographic top coat and then stamp with Konad M57 stamping plate, and you have this creation! Two coats of Seche Vite UV to finish were also used!

Finger Paints "Art You Wondering" & Black French Tips/ Accent Nail Striping

I always seem to shy away from glitter polishes because they are so hard to get off, yet they are so gorgeous! I can’t refuse anything sparkly, but I am always looking for ways to improve an already awesome polish.  I give you….Glitter polish meets black tips and accent nail sunbursts!