Back online!!

So in my little hiatus from the blog world I completed my first 31 day challenge and then promptly lost half of those pics when my phone went hay-wire (WHY didn't I back everything up!?) Needless to say I became a bit unmotivated...

BUT! I did/do miss it so hopes of making amends I've posted the pics that actually still exist and survived the failing of my iPhone; I also want to begin a 31 Day challenge anew (dare I try again??). 

Day 28: Inspired by a flag (Nigeria)

Day 20: Watermarbled

Day 19: Galaxies

                           

These are just some of my fave nail designs from 2013 that didn't really get any press:

                                  


                                  
                   
                   
                                 
 

Tape Me Up

I decided to start if the new year with some tape manicures, LOVE tape manis! The first was actually inspired by my boyfriend, who although he makes fun of nail obsession he does ask me questions that force me to see my colors differently- sometimes less is more. My second look is inspired by packapunchpolish, I just LOVED this manicure the moment I saw it.

Look #1
What I used:

Essie- "Angora Cardi"
Nails Inc. - "Black Taxi"

Look #2

What I Used:

"High Hopes", "Grape Pop", "Four Leaf Clover", "Heli-Yum", & OPI- "Havana Dreams"
the Glitter used but not shown is OPI- "Spark-Tacular! Top Coat"

Using nail tape to create the boxes and then fill them in randomly did take time, but it was definitely worth it!

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree...!

So I was really excited to do a Christmas tree and Ta-Da! It's a really simple design but I like how it turned out.











What I used:

Milani- "Twinkle"
Seche Vite (Top Coat)
Brucci Acrylic (Basecoat)
Nails Inc- "Chelsea"
China Glaze- "Four Leaf Clover"
OPI- "Be-Claus I Said So" (ornaments)














       

As usual there's the issue of properly trying to capture glitter on camera

In this up close shot you can see the purple glitter more clearly

Right hand


In other news my Bundle Monster case came!

Happy Polishing!

A lil Tape Goes a Long Way.

So today's entry I wanted to dedicate to tape manicures. When I first purchased my nail tape I didn't think much of it except that it would look pretty, so I focused on designs like
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unfortunately this manicure didn't last too long as the tape started peeling off 2 days after I did my manicure!

So after some soul searching I started creating the more typical design you expect from tape manicures like this pic ------------>
And honestly this manicure did last MUCH longer.

Further along my journey I stumbled across Nailside Blog which helped open my eyes to this brilliant nail community. I was also inspired to recreate some of her designs.

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And lastly there are always blunders along the way. Usually nail tape peels away clean but I've found two things save me from particularly thick designs/polishes, an occasional coat of Seche Vite as I go and trying to make the tape color to the polish color as much as possible.

Thanks for reading!

Rewind

So maybe I should thank Hurricane Sandy for gracing us over in NYC with a four day weekend...

Major shut down city-wide as we all sit and wait for the storm to pass.

In other news I was inspired to do something I never do, refresh a manicure. Not that I think it's a bad idea, I've just always been partial to fresh nails; the whole process just feels more rewarding that way. So, on this fine hurricane weekend I opted for a rewind on my bright pink Sinful Colors manicure from my first post.

Original manicure in Sinful Colors #52, Cream Pink with Seche Vite

Taped off with nail tape

First coat of OPI- You Don't Know Jacques

Second coat

Cleaned off excess and topped off with Seche Vite