Two Tech Metallic for #31DC2014 #stnchallenges

Another double challenge nail art.  Still running a little behind, but hopefully I am catching up.  The prompt for Style Those Nails is two techniques and #31DC2014 is metallic.

This was inspired by these gorgeous shoes!

Source

Aren't they gorgeous?  I wish I could wear shoes like these, but the arthritis in my knee does not allow it.  Doesn't mean that I don't appreciate a beautiful shoe.

I started with two coats of OPI Push and Shove.  First I sponged with Sally Hansen Gone Grey, but it just wasn't dark enough.

So I added Pahlish Eleven's Hour is Over Now.  Sponging, technique #1.

Then I stamped with DRK-C and Finger Paints Black Expressionism.  Stamping, technique #2.

Then I stamped with Bundle Monster BM-313 and Maybelline Bold Gold.

Not as beautiful as the shoes, but I still love it.  Thanks for looking and commenting!

Finger Food Rainbow and AIS Tiger = Obsession

I have an image of myself.  I am romantic, but not cutsie.  Dark, but not morbid.  Alternative, not disco.   I am "Supernatural", not "Keeping Up With The Kardashians".  Hayley Williams, not Beyonce.  "Seven Psychopaths", not "The Hangover".   "Amelie", not "Titanic".  I am artsy, not crafty.  I am a little off...but in a good way.    My animal totem would be a wolf, a bit of a loner, but part of the pack and maybe a little misunderstood.  But I am more vampire than werewolf.  My blog will never be stark, but it might be a bit minimalist.  I am not animal print, I am lace.  Fall, not summer.  I am oxblood, not neon.  So then why the hell do I love these so much?!?  What does this say about me?!?!

Every time I glanced down at these, it made me smile, grin and skip.  Maybe because it brings me back to my childhood with its Lisa Frank-ish feel.

Don't let the pictures fool you, these are neon, bright and obnoxious.  A gradient of China Glaze Loves a Beach, Celtic Sun and Splish Splash could do nothing other than scream "LOOK AT ME!"  That is bad enough, but I took it a step farther.

I added tiger stripes.  This is just unnatural.  Why does it make my heart happy?!?

What caused this adorable abomination?  Finger Food Buffet rainbow prompt combined with Adventures in Stamping International Tiger Day.

My eyes!  But I can't stop looking!  I want to show random people on the street!  What is wrong with me!  Maybe my view of myself is totally wrong!  Who knew a bit of nail art could cause such self questioning.  Running to remove it before I start questioning my whole existence.  Gotta go.

My First Twin Blog Post!

Welcome to my first Twin Blog post.  Not only is it my first, but I also get two twinsies, Katie from Lustrous Lacquer and Hanna from The Dalai Lama's Nails.   The theme this month is animal print.  Each pairing (or in our case, threesome) was assigned an animal and we got tiger prints.  We each agreed that we wanted to do a nontraditional take on the theme, so don't go expecting any orange/white/black going on around here!

I thought about doing a pastel tiger with some white stripes, but I opted for a duo chromed stripey thingy (tee hee).
  
I started with two coats of Julep Blakely.  Blakely is one of those hematite, teal, purple shifting duo chromes that I found really hard to capture under the stripes.  But I tried, as attested by all the pics coming soon.

I stamped over Blakely with GA27, M69 and Finger Paints Black Expressionism.
 

 

Yep, not springy, but it doesn't matter, I love it!  Don't forget to check my other twinsies to see their take on the nontraditional tiger and all the other animal prints!

My Dotty Tiger

Today's prompt for the Crumpet Nail Tarts 33 DC is animals.  I am a bit ambiguous about what I came up with, but let's see what you think.

 Look at those tiny nails!  This was done late summer in prep for this challenge.  

Artificial Light

Flash

This started with three coats of Maybelline Color Show Dotty.  When I was looking for these speckled Maybelline polishes at my local Target, this was the only color left, other than the black and white.  I actually like this polish as it is perfect for Halloween and fall manis, but since those were a way off when I purchased this, I decided to use it for a Dotty Tiger.  

I stamped with one of my many zebra/tiger patterns, which I didn't write down and am to busy to go through all my plates to figure out, and my fav stamping black, Finger Paints Black Expressionism.

I have to be honest, Maybelline Color Show is some of my least liked polish, although I own many of them.  It has little to do with the polish itself.  This applied with a good spread of glitter, no fishing needed, and I love the jellie finish which, with three coats, gives it that depth that I adore.  No, the reason I have a love/hate relationship with the Color Shows is the bottle and the brush.  Let's look at a little comparison.

The Maybelline Color Show bottles are small (as you can see compared to the Sinful Colors and the China Glaze bottles above), only .23 fl oz.  It is short, with a fat cap the same width as the bottle.  This makes for a nice looking bottle, but a difficult to manipulate handle for the brush.

On top of that, the brush has sparse and stiff synthetic fibers that don't fan across the nail.  This means that you need to use more brush strokes and it tends to drag the polish across the nail rather than spread it.  Here is a comparison of a China Glaze brush (left), which I consider a middle of the road quality brush, and the Maybelline Color Show (right).  

It really is a shame that these need so much finesse to apply because Maybelline has recently come out with some nice collections, including a holiday Brocade collection I will feature here soon.  Obviously the drawbacks to the packaging have not outweighed my desire for new and unique polishes.  At roughly $3.99 normally, It is difficult for me to resist a BOGO 50% off polish sale at my local CVS, even if the polish may be a bit fussy to work with.

So what do you think?  Is this a nail fail or not?  I like these tigers because they are different from others I have seen, but I think they may be a bit busy.  Have you tried any of the Maybelline Color Shows?  Do you detest the packaging/brush as much as I do?  Let me know your opinion!  And then check out the other creatures featured on our talented ladies tips.

Trying for a Snow Leopard

The black & white challenge is almost over!  After this there is only one more.  Today's theme is faux fur.  I was going for a snow leopard look.

I went for a double gradient, base and stamping.

This started with two coats of Revlon Pure Pearl.  This was one of my first polish purchases, and I honestly didn't think I would ever use it as a base.  This is one of those polishes that show every single brush stroke, but I really like the pearl finish.

Next I did a gradient with Finger Paints Black Expressionism.  The first three fingers went really well, and the last two (ring and pinkie) not so much.  I think it was because my sponge got too saturated with the polish by the last two nails.  Next time I will try using a new sponge half way through and see if that helps.

Next I stamped with PUEEN09 and a gradient of Black Expressionism and Sally Hansen White On.  I do this by putting a stripe of one color at the top of the stamp and a stripe of a second color halfway down the stamp.  I then scrape the polish so that one polish bleeds into the other.  Does that make any sense?  You can actually do this with several different colors, if you wanted.

What do you think?  Look like a snow leopard?  Check out all the other animals.