Cheery Mani

Challenge Day 13 calls for a cheer-yourself-up mani. I've been itching to use both my Zoya Robyn and the spring images on BM-302. I couldn't decide between the bunny and the full-nail image of birds, snails and...what are those? "Suessian" trees? So I went with both in a skittle mani.

Obviously, Robyn is my base color, except for Kleancolor Metallic Fuchsia on my pinky. (It's much more metallic IRL, and so beautfiul!) I stamped with Konad Special White, and then used Sinful Colors Snow Me White, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Lightening, and the fuchsia for the dots, stripes, and flower on the bunny nail. I couldn't figure out how to incorporate the accent/art colors into the full-nail stamp image, which is really the only thing I didn't like about this look.

Favorite Color Family

My favorite color is blue, and to me that includes all shades of teal and aqua as well. So for Day 6, I chose to use a franken I named Haring Off, a taupe jelly with deep, vibrant aqua glitter and accent my trigger finger and thumb with Wet 'n' Wild Bijou Blue, which looks to be just about a perfect match for the glitter in Haring Off!

Day 20 Doover: STILL Not a Water Marble!

Doover: (DUUUver) smooshing-together of the words "do over". My kids hate getting back school papers that I tell them are doovers. After the stamp "marbling" fiasco, I decided I'd give water marbling another try. Oh, it was horrible. The agony! The ugliness! The mess! I think I figured out what's up, though. I swear to goodness, I think it's my dehumidifier!!!! Going to test that theory out in a couple days; I raised the indoor humidity level from 40% to 50%. We'll see...

In the meantime, I removed my two coats of Pure Ice white and the gunk from trying to water marble three nails at 10 pm Saturday night. I NEVER start doing my nails after 9:30, but I started all over after 10 o'clock and did these needle marble nails:

sunlight

crummy indoor shot

right thumb, one of my faves

 I used CG Fly, Pure Ice Hot Tamale, Wet 'n' Wild Bijou Blue, and NYC Purple Pizzazz Frost, which is not a frost but is actually a gorgeous deep purple-to-blue duochrome. All but Fly are the ones I'd wanted to use for the water marble, but I think this was pretty nice, too.

Oh, and then, OUCH! This is what happened the next morning:

 My first break since doing the treatment outlined at Nail Care HQ (but my own mix made from her recipe).

Here's a majorly overexposed shot of my nail after I repaired it with nail glue and a piece of silk wrap. I don't mind having to nubbinize because of a broken nail, but this one was into the quick, and I need it to grow out enough that I can cut it and still keep my finger protected! As long as I was doing that, I figured I'd just leave it the length it is for now...

Birthday Haul Part 1: or, Glittah City!

"We now interrupt your regularly (or not so regularly) scheduled nail art challenge to bring you this random post..."

Yesterday was my birthday! 39...ugh. One more year until I'm flippin' 40 years old. Ack. Barf. On a more cheerful note, my kids all got me awesome polishes, some I'd been coveting for months, some I didn't even know I wanted until I got them! And I didn't just want them because my kids gave them to me; they really are great! Lots of shine, shimmer, and GLITTAAAAAAH! I had to take a break from the nail challenge

Left to right: Olivia got me Wet 'n' Wild Shine Wild Card and SC Superstar, Ian gave me Wet 'n' Wild Shine Bijou Blue and SC Call You Later, Isabella gifted me the long-awaited Notting Hill Blues, and Kristiana gave me Nicole by OPI Rainbow in the S-Kylie, which will forever be known to her and me as "Party in a Bottle". The Different Dimension Space Camp mini is there just b/c I added it over one of my bday skittles, and I hadn't used it yet, and I loooooove it.

Notting Hill Blues on thumb (topped with Call You Later, which I didn't realize 'til it was on that it has green and teeny gold glitters—so much depth!) and ring (+ Rainbow/Party...), Superstar topped w/ Space Camp on index (I love the formula on Superstar: a jelly that stays true to it's "jellyishness" but still leaves no VNL w/ just two coats!), Bijou Blue on my middle and Wild Card on my pinky (both topped with Rainbow/Party...). Wild Card is pretty sheer, and I still had VNL at two coats, but I think a thin third coat would remedy that, and it is a shade and finish I didn't have. The Bijou Blue was thinnish, but a medium 2nd coat was enough to achieve opacity, and although I thought I had something pretty close, it is in fact different enough that I don't have any dupe.  Flash:

Outdoor (overcast)

 I love ALL the polishes my sweeties gave me! Later, I will be posting parts 2 and 3 of my birthday haul, polishes I bought via Amazon.com with gift cards from my best friend and my bestie SIL!