a break

I know I only post ever 2-3 days (sometimes a little longer), but I will be taking a break till the new year.  I will be in and out of the kitchen way too much to paint & remove each time.  It would be fun doing all those paint jobs, but only having it on while I sleep seems like a waste.  Plus, it will give my nails a much needed break from chemicals & polish.  I'm not even sure I will be painting my nails for Christmas dinner!  I am making warm sticky toffee pudding (among many other things) and that will have to be done during dinner.

Happy Holidays to all! And see you in 2014!

peppermint candies

This paint job isn't so obvious as a red & white striped candy cane paint job.  But it does remind me of peppermint candies.  Just a base coat and a dotting tool, easy and done.  Yes the dots are a bit off and not perfect but that is what I was going for.

It's the time of year when I start stirring my hot chocolate with candy canes.  Have you tried that?  It is amazing.  Peppermint hot chocolate is wicked good.  I also keep the cinnamon next to my hot chocolate mix.  When I'm not craving peppermint I add a dash of cinnamon to the drink.  It is great and makes the hot chocolate (no matter how cheap or expensive your mix is) taste great.

OPI - Got The Blues For Red
Wet & Wild - French White Creme (side note - this is a 99 cent polish and it lives up to that price, it is thin and the coverage is awful, the brush is not cut correctly, but it was only 99 cents so I can't really be that mad)

preppy argyle

Argyle nails!  So preppy.  They look like golf pants!

This was my first attempt at argyle so they are far from perfect.  This paint job takes a while.  Each layer has to be totally dry before continuing.  Start with the base color (1-3 coats depending on coverage).  Let dry.  Paint on the diamonds.  I used three colors but this could be done with one or two.  Let dry.  Paint on the over stripes.  Let dry.

Some tips/tricks I will use next time I try this paint job:
*use a sharpie to do the over stripes, it will help make perfect stripes
*take time to do each step
*use a dotting tool to dot on the four corners of the diamonds, will help alignment and spacing

Wet & Wild - I Need A Refresh-Mint, On a Trip, French White
Sally Hansen - Celeb City
Sinful Colors - Dream On

purple & gold

This is an odd purple for me.  It is much more of a warm purple (red undertones) than I normally use.  But it really works with gold.  Add some gold glitter to the tips and a full gold nail, presto - complete look.  Nothing fancy and very easy.

OPI - GoldenEye, Suzi & the 7 Dusseldorfs

teal tips

Super short nails can still rock a colored tip.  It gives the illusion of a longer nail.  Such an easy look.  No extra brushes needed.  Just do the base colors.  Let dry and a quick swipe of the opposite color just on the tips.  Done.  Yes, the lines are not perfectly straight but it still works.

LA Brites - Flash Freeze
China Glaze - Turned Up Turquoise