Total Eclipse of the Heart

The first question one encounters when mentioning the Twilight Saga (after the barrage of taunting and insults) is this: Team Edward or Team Jacob?! Personally, I have to say I'm both, I am totally Team Edward in the books, but very Team Jacob in the movies. Noooo, it's not because of Taylor Lautner's 8-pack (though it certainly doesn't hurt), it's because Edward is too brooding and angsty for me in the films, and Jacob has a charismatic quality, sense of humor, and playfulness about him that definitely doesn't show up in the books. While Lautner's acting skills are not, shall we say, 'Oscar-worthy', he does bring a great personality to the screen, and honestly, they shouldn't bother with shirts for him, they're totally unnecessary. (I can say this now that he is technically 'legal' :-P)

Today's nails were much requested, and obviously had to be done. I had a few people request the very same thing... a Jacob vs. Edward manicure, so Libby P. Maria Clara, and Nikki, I hope you approve! :) (but please ignore the cuticles on my right hand- bowling and sewing are tearing them up!!)

Team Edward:

Team Jacob:

I used American Apparel Hassid as a base on all nails but the ring finger on each hand, then applied Nubar Stronghold with Bundle Monster plate BM20. For the edward nails (left hand ring finger), I used topped Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud with one coat of Zoya Alluria. I shaded with a mix of Nubar Stronghold and Zoya Alluria, used a mix of American Apparel Hassid and A Beautiful Life Poison for the lips, a mixture of American Apparel Manila, Zoya Jancyn and MAC Showy for the eyes, and a mixture of MAC Showy and American Apparel Hassid for the brow. Topped off the entire face with CND Sugar Sparkle, because I live in Las Vegas, land of sun, so Edward would look like a damn disco ball. :-D For the Jacob nail, I used Zoya Flowie as a base, Zoya Dea to shade a little for the bicep, and American Apparel Hassid for the tattoo of the wolf pack members. (or at least the best I could do on such a small canvas!! :-P) Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat. :)

Go Team everyone!!! :) (except Victoria...and Riley... and well...you get the point.)

Everything Isn't Just Black & White

...but these are.:-D

Today's nails are a geometric black & white pattern. I actually painted this on part of my dorm fridge in college! :) (that fridge currently keeps my beverages chilly in the garage!) :)

I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the black. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

OK- I'm off to go wait in line to see Twilight: Eclipse. Yeah, that's right I'm a nerd. lol

Go Team Undecided!!!

Pink+purple chrome hearts!

Black french + glitter + baby pink chrome hearts inlay!
Gel sculpture extension

Purple + pink chrome hearts!

Gel overlay

Pink chrome hearts + dark pink disco balls! Mini bows added for the extra sweetness. :D
Gel overlay

Pink+purple chrome hearts!

Black french + glitter + baby pink chrome hearts inlay!
Gel sculpture extension

Purple + pink chrome hearts!

Gel overlay

Pink chrome hearts + dark pink disco balls! Mini bows added for the extra sweetness. :D
Gel overlay

Remember to Eat Your 5 a Day!

Taco Bell has lettuce, so that counts...right?

I've had the idea for this manicure for a while now, I figured that since the recommended daily consumption of fruits & vegetables is 5, and I have 5 fingers on each hand, that it worked out perfectly. :) I, of course, don't eat vegetables... unless you're my mom that is reading this, which in that case, I eat 10 servings a day– probably more! :) (but only if Taco Bell lettuce counts...or ketchup on burgers?)

I used:

Thumb: Asparagus (this I actually DO eat, and really like)

ULTA Banana Rum in the Sun as a base, with a mixture of CND Green Scene and ULTA Limelight for the stalks, and added American Apparel Hassid to that for the spear end, with small touches of straight CND Green Scene on top.

Index: Carrots (again, I enjoy these, and used to gnaw on them all the time with my dad as a kid)

CND Electric Orange as a base, then mixed with China Glaze Salsa for the shading, and Zoya Jancyn for the highlight. For the blue background, I used Zoya Robyn and for the carrot top, I used CND Green Scene.

Middle: Green Apple (love these if they're Granny Smith)

American Apparel Butter as a base, with a mix of that and ULTA Limelight for the inner core line, ULTA Limelight for the peel, MAC Showy for the seeds and stem, and CND Green Scene for the background.

Ring: Red Pepper (key ingredient in Sunshine stirfry- which Jacquie will remember)

Zoya Robyn for the background, China Glaze Salsa for the base color of the pepper, then mixed with Zoya Jancyn to highlight and American Apparel Hassid to shade. For the stem, I used CND Green Scene.

Pinky: Corn (I miss fresh from the farm corn on the cob!!)

American Apparel Manila as a base, then with Zoya Jancyn for shading next to the husk and between kernels, then a mix of American Apparel Manila and American Apparel Butter for the highlight on the kernels. For the husk, I used CND Green Scene, then mixed with American Apparel Butter for the husk highlights.

Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Now that you've got your dose of fruits and vegetables for the day, you're free to eat something a bit tastier- like chocolate, or maybe steak.

Twigs & Berries

:-D Sounds like a much more 'interesting' post than it probably will be. ;) Camping kicked my ass, I napped pretty much as soon as I stepped out of the shower after getting home today. I fulfilled my S'mores and toasted marshmallow craving (for now), with a 5 s'mores, and 7 toasted marshmallows (2 of which I ate with breakfast). :-D I also cooked 'tin foil' dinners, which I made by slicing potatoes, onions, chopping garlic, sliced smoked sausage, butter, salt, and pepper and putting it in a tin foil 'pouch' and placing them on the grate over the fire. I also cooked baked potatoes by wrapping them in tin foil an dputting them IN the fire for an hour- they were amazing.

Today's nails are a simple design that kind of remind me of nature- twigs & berries to be specific. :-D

I used MAC In the Buff as a base with Bundle Monster plate BM06 used to apply A Beautiful Life Poison. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

The potatoes right after they were out of the coals/fire:

My potato! (butter, salt & pepper)

And my latest iPhone case creation, thinking of selling them on etsy, thoughts? (it even has a pocket for credit cards!)

Happy summer nails

Hello my Sweet Nail-Art Lovers
I missed you all week long, because i had this gorgeous manicure to share with you. And guess what? I even have a matching tows. In fact tows came out first and i really loved how this idea looked so i decided to make a matching manicure. This is not exact match but kind of look alike and made with the same base color and same decals. I really like the 3D effect that this yellow circle added to the design.
By the way this gorgeous base color is an amazing Zoya "Robin" from summer Flash collection.
So here are my tows and nail and i hope you ll enjoy, i had a blast wearing this sweet bright pair this week. Have a great week, and stay tuned next Sunday :)

Bridal nails..

Ok.. bridal nails again! :D

Classic dual french nails with silver and white. I think this is really elegant!

Gel sculpture extension.

Think this is what brides would love. French style nails with pink flower petals and all the bling stuff! Gel overlay on natural nails.

Mei mei! (pretty pretty!)

Bridal nails..

Ok.. bridal nails again! :D

Classic dual french nails with silver and white. I think this is really elegant!

Gel sculpture extension.

Think this is what brides would love. French style nails with pink flower petals and all the bling stuff! Gel overlay on natural nails.

Mei mei! (pretty pretty!)

Bridal nails..

For a bride who wants black glitter extension for her bridal photoshoot. Simple flowers and crystals to go with the black base.

For a bride who has never done her nails before. clear glittery acrylic nails with simple roses n strings of pearls n crystals.

Bridal nails..

For a bride who wants black glitter extension for her bridal photoshoot. Simple flowers and crystals to go with the black base.

For a bride who has never done her nails before. clear glittery acrylic nails with simple roses n strings of pearls n crystals.

I'll Have S'more!!

Ooey, Gooey, Melty, Chocolatey, Sugary, crunchy goodness. Yes, this is one of the only reasons I go camping...for the s'mores. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love hanging around the campfire, and fishing when there is water, and all that jazz, but I really truly love s'mores, hot dogs, and baked potatoes cooked in the fire. Since I'm going camping tonight up on Mt. Charleston, I decided to do S'mores nails!!! :) A few years ago, I was introduced to the double chocolate method, go ahead, try it, it'll rock your world. I'm seriously so excited for roasted marshmallows, and how I painted it is how they're perfectly cooked... though if my mom were camping with us, they'd be flaming balls of charred sugar, never could understand why she likes them burnt. *gag*

I used:

Thumb & pinky: Graham crackers

Some mix of MAC Showy, Zoya Dea, Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme, American Apparel Cotton and American Apparel Palm Springs.

Index & Ring: Chocolate *drool*

Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme as a base, with MAC Showy to shade, and Zoya Dea to highlight.

Middle: toasted Marshmallowy goodness

American Apparel Cotton as a base, with MAC Abalone Shell, American Apparel Palm Springs, Zoya Dea, MAC Showy, and OPI for Sephora What's a Tire Jack? Matte sponged on lightly in layers. I love how the tip edge looks like it was singed. :-P

Topped the chocolate nails off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat, no top coat for the marshmallow nail, and for the graham cracker nails, I sponged on Essie Matte About You so it wouldn't give a smooth matte finish, but a rough one. :-D

Ok, I'm off to head up the mountain!! :) Have a fun day/night!! :)

PATRIOTIC

Everytime I use the fimo clay dots from oaktreedollshouseminiatures.com the nails turn out so cute so I had to incorporate them into the 4th of July theme. I created the flag on the ring fingers with acrylic :)

This is OPI gel polish in Big Apple Red. I hand painted the design.

4th of July nails! I mixed this confetti with stuff I purchased from dollarnailart.com. The white stars are confetti from Zurchers party store.

This is a light blue art glitter called Mystery. I added fimo clay flowers from kennickkreations.com.

These nails have 3 different colors of pink with silver stars.

Minx releases World Cup nail designs

I still haven't gotten around to getting some Minx nails done, but in the meantime I got some news!

Minx nails Releases World Cup Nails for Fans!

"The FIFA World Cup is well under way, and to help celebrate this exciting occasion Minx has created a fabulous and fan-worthy line of designs called the FANstastic World Cup Flags! There are a total of 13 great countries represented by their nation’s flag, allowing fans to extend their support and patriotism to their very fingertips."

These look kinda fun don't they? I've seen so much World Cup mani's pop up in only 2 weeks time, I love it. Normally I'm not really into soccer (or football if you must), but this whole World Cup brings so many people together, so fun!

I can imagine not everyone feels like spending hours on bustin' out a perfect flag, so these could come in handy.

The flags
USA	Argentina	Australia	Brazil	France
Germany	Italy	Mexico	South Africa	South Korea
Spain	Saint George	United Kingdom	Finland

Too bad Italy and France are already eliminated. Apparently Finland isn't even participating in the World Cup? And no Holland? Aw :-(

Who do you think is going to be the World Champion?

www.minxnails.com salon locator

It's Close to Midnight

and something evil's lurking in the dark...

Thriller is, and always will be, my favorite music video of all time. FAVORITE. When I was younger, we had the thing on BETA MAX tape. Yeah, that's how we roll. The damn video was pure genius, as was all of Michael Jackson's stuff. His life was marred with controversy, plastic surgery, criminal allegations, you name it, but dude defined the word 'entertainer'. One year ago today, the media was sent into a frenzy, and the world mourned one of its greatest known entertainers. You may not agree with him, like his music, or give a rat's ass about him, his life, or his death, but you have to admit, he changed the face of entertainment as we know it. Reader Geraldine E. requested today that I do Michael Jackson nails, and I thought and thought about what I could do- there are so many sides to him, but i decided to choose my all-time favorite to focus on– Thriller. I did the werewolf eyes from the end scene of the video, the zombie face/eye, the werewolf fur, the red leather jacket, and on the thumb, his iconic white sparkly glove (even though it wasn't part of Thriller, it is one of his signatures, so I had to include it). I love the zombie nail, it's my favorite! I wish I could keep it on for more than a day!! :/

RIP MJ.

I used:

Thumb: Iconic White Sparkly glove

Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud as a base, with Zoya Luna over it, and American Apparel Hassid for the black.

Index: Michael's face/eye from the last scene of the video, where his face is normal except his eyes

Zoya Dea mixed with MAC In the Buff as a base, Zoya Dea to shade, then mixed with American Apparel Hassid to do the darkest shading and the eyebrow, and then Zoya Dea mixed with MAC Abalone Shell to highlight. American Apparel Cotton for the base for the eye color, then CND Bicycle Yellow over it for the eye, topped with American Apparel Hassid for the pupil.

Middle: Michael's Zombie face/eye

Sally Hansen Trendy Creme as the base, then mixed with American Apparel Hassid and American Apparel Mount Royal to shade, and mixed with American Apparel Cotton to highlight. For the eye, I used American Apparel Cotton with black for the outline and the pupil/iris, and a few dots of American Apparel Cotton for the reflection.

Ring: Werewolf fur

Zoya Dea as a base, then mixed with American Apparel Hassid for some of the fur, and MAC In the Buff for some, and mixed with American Apparel Cotton for a few highlights.

Pinky: Michael's Jacket in the beginning when he is on his date

China Glaze Salsa as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the black diagonals, then mixed with China Glaze Salsa for the jacket seams and details, then American Apparel Cotton to highlight in places because the leather was kind of shiny.

Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y'alls neighborhood
And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
and rot inside a corpse's shell

The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the Thriller.....

....aaahhahahhaahahahahHAaHAHAHahahahahahahahahHAHAHAHhAHAHAHAHAHHahhhAHAHHhhaaa.

Which reminds me, I also love Vincent Price, that part makes the whole damn song.

Check out the iPhone case I sewed this morning for my new iPhone 4, its fleece-lined, canvas duck exterior with a elastic hairtie/button closure. Hell yes for good old-fashioned ingenuity! (and cheapness) :-P

OPI DS Signature

Hi everyone! Is everyone enjoying the summer and celebrating the sunny weather with a fair share of holographics? I know I am! OPI Signature from the Designer Series is actually a polish I used up, yes, to the last drop! I got it back in 2008, paid full retail price of 20 euros and didn't even regret it. So I was pretty bummed when I used it up. I usually wore this on my toes, it's so much fun in summer! And yes I've posted about it before, but I figured it deserved somewhat better swatches.

Reunited again

Michelle from TheLacquerFiles was incredibly sweet to fill that OPI DS Signature void in my heart and gave me hers, since it wasn't her color. And guess what...

...I still love it! The formula of this polish is perfect, it glides on smoothly without being runny. It does need 3 coats, but they dry fast and you can easily apply thin ones. I didn't even use a top coat, see how shiny it is on its own. The mauve/pinkish color is a bit conservative maybe, but the holo effect gives a nice twist to a decent color.

This holo is more of the scattered type, and in the shade it looks like in the picture below. The holographic effect is definitely toned down but it left a pretty depth anyway.

Well dear readers, this was it for today! Thanks for stopping by and have the best weekend!
- Michèle

There's an App For That

For those of you not in the 'know', today was the release of the amazingtastical iPhone 4G from Apple. Thousands of crazy people around the country (like myself) waited in line for hours and hours and hours with the hopes of being one of the lucky ones to place our hands around the holy grail of smart phones. Personally, I showed up with my roommate, Maris, at approximately 1 a.m., to sit on a filthy Las Vegas sidewalk for 5 hours, only to be moved indoors into the Caesar's Forum Shops where we again, sat on the ground for 6 more hours by the time all was said and done. I have to say it though, it was so worth it. Scratch from our memories the argument coming near blows over line jumpers, people selling their spot in line for $400 and $500 dollars. I even facilitated such an exchange, picking a man who looked like he had money to burn out of the stragglers, yet no finders fee. *sigh* :-D Devin, the charming iPhone angel who bestowed upon us our shiny new iPhones, was a welcome change from the cranky restlessness of the crowd, with an easy smile and the ability to endure a certain amount of slap happiness on my part. Then there were the people we stood shoulder to shoulder with for hours on end, sharing sarcasm, irritation, and laughs. Finally, the line jumpers, if you're somehow reading this, learn to share, act civilized, and not be assholes, we managed to maintain our shit, I'm sure you can too. (though this redheaded blogger was shaking with fury, and the job of keeping her little mouth shut)

Today's nails are dedicated to us, the crazy ones. (and Lenny, of course)

I used:

Left hand:

Thumb: YouTube

Sally Hansen Trendy Creme as a base, with a mixture of American Apparel Manila, American Apparel Cotton, and Zoya Dea for the yellow part of the television, Zoya Dea for the outline, then Zoya Dea mixed with the outer outline. For the knobs, I used a mix of American Apparel Hassid and American Apparel Cotton, with American Apparel Hassid to shade, I also used American Apparel Hassid for the vertical speaker slots. For the shadow around the edge of the screen, I used a mix of American Apparel Hassid and Sally Hansen Trendy Creme, and for the highlght on the screen, I used Sally Hansen Trendy Creme mixed with American Apparel Cotton.

Index: Weather

Zoya Robyn as a base, with OPI What's With the Cattitude? brushed around the edges towards the middle. For the sun, I used American Apparel Manila with Zoya Jancyn to shade, as well as for the minute sunbursts. For the temperature, I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud.

Middle: Maps

Zoya Harley as a base, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the white road lines, as well as for a base on the interstate sign. For the orange highway line, I used Zoya Jancyn, and for the yellow, I used American Apparel Manila. For the interstate sign, I used China Glaze Salsa for the red and Pure Ice French Kiss for the blue.

Ring: Calendar

Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud as a base, with China Glaze Salsa for the red, American Apparel Hassid for the black, and Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the THU.

Pinky: iTunes Store

Color Club Pucci-licious as a base, with American Apparel Esprit lightly brushed outward on the bottom half of the nail, and China Glaze Grape Pop brushed out from the center on the top half for the burst. For the music note symbol, I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud.

Right Hand:

Thumb: Calculator

American Apparel Hassid as a base, with a mix of American Apparel Hassid and China Glaze Lemon Fizz for the grey buttons, and Zoya Jancyn for the orange button, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the +, -, X, and = symbols.

Index: Notes

China Glaze Lemon Fizz as a base, with a mixture of Zoya Dea and Sally Hansen Trendy Creme for the brown binding at the top, American Apparel Mount Royal for the blue lines, and China Glaze Salsa for the red lines.

Middle: Phone

Claire's MOOD Polish in happy/earthly as a base, with CND Green Scene sponged lightly on the top half. For the phone symbol, I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud.

Ring: Facebook

A mixture of American Apparel Mount Royal and American Apparel Esprit as a base, with American Apparel Esprit for the bottom line, and Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the f.

Pinky: iPod

CND Electric Orange as a base, with Zoya Jancyn sponged lightly over the tip edge. For the iPod symbol, I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud.

Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat for the fresh from the Apple store shine. :-D

P.S. Forum Apple staff: Did you know that Blaine made cookies?! :-P haha!

OK, seriously, I'm on hour 36 with 1 hour of sleep somewhere around 1 pm this afternoon. I need shuteye in a bad way. I'll see you folks tomorrow. :-D

Polish for Paws

Pawlish by OPI

I'm not even sure how I navigated myself to this obscure dark corner of the internet, but I found something that really took me by surprise. Nail polish for cats and dogs. Wow. Now, I knew there were protective caps in all kinds of funky colors, but nail polish for paws? Never seen that before. And maybe I'm one of the last to know, as OPI released a line called Pawlish by OPI back in 2007! Pawlish by OPI, "Colors for nails...for those with tails!" This collection consisted out of six colors with names like: Yuppy Puppy, Poodle Pink and Bow Wow Green.

That line is long gone and discontinued but some etailers still sell it. There are other brands out there that market especially for pets, such as Color Paw and Pawz.

The Ingredients

My main concern would be the ingredients. Is it harmful? Well, trust me when I say it's almost impossible to find the ingredients of these polishes, but all brands claim to be formaldehyde free. One brand claimed the following:

The nail polish is made from natural plant products and includes ingredients such as aloe, seaweed, and green tea extracts combined with vitamin E. After some intensive Googling I found this: Ingredients of the Color Paw Glitter Top Coat(...): Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Isobutyl Acetate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Polyester Resin So much for seaweed. These polishes promise to be really opaque so only 1 coat is needed. And why would that be? Probably because cats and dogs aren't the types that appreciate getting full blown manicures. Wait! There's more And it doesn't stop at just nail polish, nail art hit the scene as well. They have stickers and decals, and special glitter polishes. There's also a wide range of nail polish remover products. I'm not sure what to think of this. Honestly? It baffles me that this is even a successful niche. I don't think my pets would appreciate the look and feel of blingtastic nails, and of course I don't want them going around stealing my thunder, so I'll leave their nails alone. How do you feel about nail polish for pets? I'd never do this to my pet, it might cause discomfort or health problems I don't really care, as long as they don't shxt on the carpet I can't wait to try this out, it would compliment Pepe's outfit so well!    pollcode.com free polls

OPI's Promopic Nail Art Stickers French Manicure

pug image credits go to ~gabbybear

A True M*A*S*H Up

Being around for daytime TV lately has brought a few shows from my past back for me. Did you know that they show reruns of Little House on the Prairie and M*A*S*H every afternoon? Both of those are shows that I loved when I was a kid, and the first notes of 'Suicide is Painless' bring back a tide of old memories every time I hear it. I loved the banter and insults between Hawkeye and Major Burns, not to mention 'Hot Lips' Houlihan, Radar, Klinger and all the other great characters on the show. I remember always wanting to try Grape Nehi because that's what Radar always drank at the bar. Today's nails were inspired by those funny surgeons and nurses from the 4077th, on a TV show long ago. :-)

I used Sally Hansen Trendy Creme as a base, with American Apparel Cotton for the white background of the medical cross. For the cross, I used A Beautiful Life Poison, and for the numbers, I used American Apparel Manila. Topped everything off with a coat of Essie Matte About You to give it that old worn drab look.

Wicked Website: CND's Nail Style Gallery & LookBook

Every now and then I stumble upon a website I really like. Usually I just bookmark them, and that's that, but I figured I might as well share the stuff you might be interested in!

Creative Nail Design

CND, or Creative Nail Design, is a family-run company that makes nail polish, skin care, and nail care products. A lot of you are probably already familiar with the brand, but if you're not, you might have heard about their Cuticle Eraser, Shellac or the nail art they did for the Ruffian Fashion Show, the reversed moon mani. But the Ruffian manicure isn't the only great design they came up with. CND states that nails are the ultimate fashion accessories, and looking at the increasing popularity of nail polish and beyond, they might be right!

Inspiration Injection

In fact, they've got an entire section on their website with some really hot nail art designs. You can browse through the Nail Style Gallery, where you can find tons of very modern designs grouped by style: from Fancy Flirt to Global Chic. There's also a LookBook with images of their runway looks.

So, if you happen to like their style and you're feeling a bit uninspired, don't hesitate to take a peek!

visit the lookbookvisit the nail style gallery

images are property of CND