Circle, Circle, Dot, Dot

I got my cootie shot.

:-D

I survived day two at the new job- and let me tell ya, I'm outta job-shape, I can't remember ever being this exhausted after a day of work. So far, the job is great though, and the people are really super nice! :) (I hope they think the same about me too!) I'm debating what I can whip up in my oven to fully win them over though. :-9 Today's nails are just a random design. I liked the colors, and wanted to use them together, and this is what I came up with!

I used butter LONDON Artful Dodger as a base, with circles and dots painted over it with MAC Rich, Dark, Delicious, Essie Alligator Purse, and the yet unnamed franken that I showed you yesterday. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Great, now I have that damn Jamie Kennedy song in my head. Whatever happened to Stu Stone?

A 'Bone to Pick

Herringbone that is. Today's nail art is my interpretation of a herringbone pattern. I actually even frankened the base polish myself- it matches the wall pant of someone I know perfectly! I loved the color so much on the wall (I picked it out, natch) that I had to create a nail polish for my very own. :) I used a mixture of equal parts American Apparel Manila, American Apparel California, and a few drops of L.A. Girl Army Green.

It matched my shirt (unintentionally):

I used my franked polish, which I'm still undecided on calling, with MAC In the Buff to paint the lines to make the pattern. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

About the job:

I am now working for a real estate marketing company as a graphic designer! :) First day went great, other than freezing. Everyone seems really nice so far, too! :)

OMG!! Check out all these colors!!!

This seriously might be my fave mani to date! It's SH Prisms, Turquoise Opal

Oh and ignore the nick on my pinky :( Too lazy to fix.

Thanks for looking, hope everyone has a great day/night :P



Review: Fast Forward with China Glaze

China Glaze's Quick Drying Top coat - Fast Forward

The perfect quick drying top coat. I haven't found it yet. I've tried some, but I didn't really like the finish of OPI RapiDry, the cracking "David" caused, the shrinkage I got with Seche Vite and Nubar Diamont is clearly having an identity crisis because it isn't behaving as it should be. So, I decided it was time for some fresh meat!

The good.. and the bad?

I realize I'm a bit overly critical and picky when it comes to a top coat, that's probably why I haven't found my perfect match yet (Gee, this reminds me of why I'm still single). Anyway..! I want my top coat to be quick drying, manageable, glossy, smooth as glass and chip resistant. Fast Forward actually scores quite good in these departments. It dries fairly quick (not as fast as Seche but still FAST). It does an awesome job at leveling, I'd really recommend using this over gritty glitters and stuff like that. The finish is the thing I love the most, it's glassy, stays that way too and it just feels very smooth. I haven't experienced unusual cases of chipping, cracking etc. But, is it all that and a bag of crips?

Application

Application is super easy. It isn't thick or thin, it's easy to handle and almost applies itself. I'm not even halfway the bottle though so I don't know if Fast Forward tends to thicken up after a while. Also, it doesn't get streaky or bubbly, sounds good right?
There is one thing though and that's the smell. I don't mind strong smells but if you do, this is not your guy! The very strong smell of Fast Forward reminds me of peppermint candy with acetone icing. While Fast Forward is b3f, it still smells like a chemical explosion.
Unfortunately I have experienced some shrinkage too. Yup, it's there. Not always, it depends on the polish you're painting over, but yes, it can happen.

Overall

I'm really happy with this top coat and if it wouldn't cause shrinkage, I'd be in love. It's glassy, sexy smooth and stays put rather well. I'm pretty sure the smell will be a problem for some, but if you can handle it and you're still looking for a decent top coat you might want to give Fast Forward a shot!

You can get this top coat at eBay, TransDesign, Head2toebeauty and other etailers. Prices may vary - starting $3.

Lunchtime Mani. Funky French

So I switched things up a bit, and didn't do a black tip!!! Woo hoo, lol.The tips color is SH Inst-Dri, Grape Going. I love this color uber much!

My first Frankening Attempt....

So last night I attempted to franken for my very first time!!! I had alot of fun doing it, and even my hubby loved the results.

This is actually the 2nd franken I made, and my fave!
Here is what I used. Well the 2 on the left didn't get added till later, but you will see...



Before the teal & gold glitters.

With the glitters added

Here is my 1st franken. I fogot to take a pic of what I used, this is a mixture of a blue & pink medium sized glitters from Funky Fingers, with WnW Black & some of the bad batch of ChG BFF. In this pic you can kind of see the holo from BFF

Here you can see more of the actual glitter

I can't wait to try this last one in the sun, and maybe I will like it better. This was a lot of fun though, and I can't wait to do more.

How to : My French, Funky French and Other Nail Designs

Many times while on MUA, I will post pictures of nail designs & TONS of funky frenches. I often get asked just how I do it. So here is my step by step for you guys.

Here is the mani, I will be showing you how I did.
The colors I used are Finger Paints - Tough Art to Follow & Savvy Green with Envy.



First you paint your base color, this can be ANY color you want. You need to make sure it dries though.



Then, I take scotch tape, and stick it to my palm. You will see later why I prefer scotch to painters tape. I stick it to my palm, so it takes away some stickiness, and doesn't pull up the base color.


Then I tape it onto my nail, in the desired design, here it is my diagonal design.
If you notice since the tape is clear, I can tell whether or not it is completely taped down correctly. So I don’t get any leaking underneath the tape. This is what it will look like –


Once you have it right, you paint your nail the other polish color –
Remember to do 1 nail at a time, otherwise the 2nd polish can dry to the tape, and pull up.



Once you're done, painting the nail, just slowly pull the tape off. Then do this to the rest and Ta-Da, you’re done.

I hope this helps, and is easy to understand. I'm not the best at explaining the process. If you look back at some of my past manis, you will see I use this technique a lot. I love my funky frenches, and for them, you just tape the nail off, leaving the tip open and free to paint the color of your choice.

Fall-ing for You!

Hey all!! Quick post today- I'm on a desperate hunt for my birth certificate, which has magically disappeared, and which I need TOMORROW. :-/ Not good. Anyway, today's manicure is to celebrate the first day of FALL!! (which, sadly, Las Vegas doesn't really have... it's just slightly less hot.) I used three autumnal colors over Incoco's Oscar Night nail appliques! (which saved my life when I had 1.5 hours to get showered, ready, do my nails, and get to my last minute interview!)

I used Incoco nail appliques in Oscar Night, with Barielle Unraveled Rust, Essie Alligator Purse, and butter LONDON Minger marbled over it. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Wish me luck with finding the birth certificate!!

Awesome Graphic Designer Seeks Job

UPDATE: I got a job!! Ironically, not from this post, but from a résumé that I sent out at the same time. They called me up right when they got it, and I interviewed this afternoon and GOT THE JOB!! :) YAY! Thank you all for your well wishes!!!

Are you hiring?

As many of my readers now, except possibly the new subscribers, I am, unfortunately, unemployed right now. When I started the project, I was a full-time graphic designer working as a slot machine artist here in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada. About 7 months into my yearlong project , I was let go due to some company restructuring. I've had about ZERO luck finding a job. No one here in Las Vegas is hiring, and most of the ads I read that are hiring, which are for service industry jobs in the casinos (bartenders, cocktail waitresses, hostesses), have a requirement of head shots, and suggest that applicants be models, actors, or dancers. I'm none of these things. I do like to work- and prefer to have too much to do as opposed to not enough. I'm quick and friendly. I like deadlines and challenges, and learning new things. I have knowledge of major design programs AND mixing drinks. I like people, and can talk to anyone, yet I'm still unemployed. Not fun. I've applied for design jobs, for typesetting jobs, for marketing jobs, for bartender jobs, and for server jobs to no avail.

I know that plenty of people are in my same predicament, and trust me, I empathize.

So in closing, I put this message out into the world. Hire me?

NYX Sale at Hautelook!

I know that I've been posting sales every day this week, but it's apparently Beauty Week at Hautelook- so they're doing lots of great cosmetics/beauty sales!!! Today's sale is NYX Cosmetics, they have everything from brush sets and brush belts to chrome pigments, to eyeshadows and mascaras...and everything in between! They also have some KILLLLLER special effects eyelashes (perfect for fun looks AND Halloween!), palettes, huge kits and makeup sets, too!

Check out the sale! NYX Sale on Hautelook!