NotD: Rock Candy Plus...?

So, I know a lot of nail lovers out there took advantage of the Groupon deal for the Julie G Frosted Gumdrops Collection. That means, there are tons of swatches circulating and you don't really need another, right? So, what I'm going to try to do is find out what other nail art techniques will work with these. But I'm going to give you a swatch first anyway. Haha.

JulieG Rock Candy

Since they're textured, I'm pretty sure it will be nearly impossible to effectively stamp over it. So, my first attempt was saran wrap. I know it's not going to get the same effect, but I wanted to see what it would look like. I used black so it's easy to see, but I think I would have liked it much more with a different color. All the texture is still there, though. Anyway, here it is.

Saran Wrap Nail Art over Textured Polish

Sorry this is smaller. The other one was taken with my camera at home. I don't know why my phone pics are always so small. But you can click and enlarge it a little. So, what do you think? I think I'm going try sponging next. Any other suggestions?

As always, thanks for reading. Have a wonderful weekend!

Mini Haul & NotD

Okay, so it's more like a micro haul. I spent $4 at the Dollar Tree. (^_^;) But they had some new stuff since I last went...in November. Haha.

A basic black for a buck. How could I pass that up? Plus, I need a new black for stamping.

Look at this beauty! Who doesn't love iridescent glitter? I can't wait to try this one.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of bar glitter, just because they're a nightmare to remove, but it's spring and these were such pretty colors! We'll see if I actually get around to using them before spring is over. Haha. Now for the kicker.

Mylar shreds?! They're so gorgeous! Some of the shreds are kind of big, but can easily be cut. Okay, so this might not be as big of a deal for some of you, but there is something about iridescence that I absolutely love. From bubbles to a crow's feathers, it's just so beautiful to me.

Alright, let's get to the nails. ^_^ I don't know what made me do these. I'm not big on nautical themes or anything, but I just felt like doing something different. I used a striping brush rather than striping tape, so the lines aren't perfect. It was good practice, though.

Nautical Nail Art

Pure Ice French Kiss & Sally Hansen Golden-I

I used Pure Ice French Kiss, Sally Hansen Golden-I and some of the large loose glitters from my November Dollar Tree haul. I kind of had to, since I hadn't used any of it yet. You know, to justify buying more. Haha.

Well, I hope you all are having a good week so far. Thanks for stopping by!

My First Requested Mani

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I received a request to do a very specific mani based on Violet Beauregarde from the original Willy Wonka movie. Of course, I wanted to refresh my memory so I did an image search. I see there have been a few takes on this already.

I decided to do an abstract version. I used Urban Outfitters Blue Jeans, Cherry Tomato, and Wet n Wild Ebony Hates Chris. I used tape to get a clean black triangle, but as I've stated before, I don't usually get to start my nails til 9pm or later. So, instead of painstakingly taping off a chevron for the red stripe, I tried to freehand it. There are obvious inconsistencies, but they aren't noticeable from any reasonable distance anyway. If I had time, though, I would have definitely taped it off.

Anyway, here are the results. Please forgive my rachet cuticles. I pulled a hangnail the other day when I was in a meeting. (>.<) Serves me right, I suppose.

Violet Beauregarde Inspired Nail Art

Thanks for reading!

Revealed! My Only Nail Blogging Secret

DISCLAIMER: Though school glue is washable and non-toxic, it still should not be ingested. This method is for swatching and decision making purposes only. I do NOT recommend wearing it for any other reason. It will easily peel and wash off. Use this method at your own risk and discretion.

Alright, as promised I'm going to share my one secret method with you all. Although you may think a disclaimer is a little much, I just want to make sure you all understand that this is not for wearing. However, if you are a nail blogger or have ever matted a mani only to realize that you liked it better the other way, then this method might just change your nail life. Haha...well, maybe. I do ask that you give me proper credit if you share this method. I'm not one of these huge, amazing bloggers, so I would appreciate acknowledgement of this. Like I said, it's the one thing I've got. (^_^;)

PIC HEAVY POST!

So, between the disclaimer and the intro, I'm sure you can figure what I'm talking about. I've always been observant of the less obvious, and ever since I was a kid using school glue as "skin" I've noticed something. Then when the glue basecoat was introduced, I noticed it again. School glue has a matte finish! You can now swatch EVERY polish or mani with a matte finish and never waste your matte topcoat! However, if you prefer the matte finish, then you will need to add an actual matte topcoat for daily wear. As stated above, this will peel very easily. It is in NO way permanent, nor is it a replacement for matte topcoats.

You might be wondering how good this method could actually be. So, here are a BUNCH of pics and you can decide for yourself. One tip, use the glue method before a topcoat.

Essence Grey-t to Be Here

Essence Grey-t to Be Here with Matte Finish

Pointer = Glue/Middle = Matte Topcoat

Can You tell tell the difference?

Also, since I didn't swatch it before, here's Urban Outfitters Blue Jeans. It looks very purple in the bottle and much more blurple in real life.

Urban Outfitters Blue Jeans Polish - Indoor Lighting

Urban Outfitters Blue Jeans Polish - Florescent Lighting

Glued up. ^_^

Whoops, caught some dust! haha

All peeled off.

Revlon Heavenly

Blue Jeans against my blue jeans. >_<

Ended up wearing it with an accent nail of Revlon Heavenly. LOVE! Can't believe it took me this long to use it. I was up so late that I didn't "matte" it again after adding Heavenly.

I hope you guys get some use out of this little tip of mine! Please let me know how it works for you.

NotD and Swatch

Well hello there! I know my posts have been scarce, but work has been crazy and I just don't have energy for anything by the time I've taken care of dinner and such. I do apologize though. I really miss you all! I will say, it's easier for me to post a quick pic on Instagram. This is not just for nails, but feel free to follow me.

Now, on to the polish! You all might remember my Urban Outfitters haul. Well, there's a reason I don't buy polish that's "displayed" in bins (basically). One was crusted shut and that's when I noticed it wasn't quite full. They have tester bottles, so this kind of peeved me. But not a biggie.

The colors were pretty, and they had a nice variety of glitters that were comparable to indies. Application, however, was streaky and overall disappointing. I would not pay $5 for these on the norm.

Ok, so here's Cherry Tomato. This red is super bright and almost leans toward red-orange in real life. Not my color at all, but my intent was for nail art anyway.

Urban Outfitters Cherry Tomato

Next is Slime, which looks much more chartreuse in the bottle, and an accent nail of Mystic layered over Blue Jeans. Sorry, I didn't swatch Blue Jeans, but I'm sure I'll be using it a lot. Beautiful color but more purple than anything.

Urban Outfitters Mystic

Urban Outfitters Slime

That's all for now. I hope this helped if any of you are picky about how much you spend on polish.