Nik's Easter Stripes

I really had the intention of doing a themed mani more in line with the real meaning of Easter, but I couldn't find a stamp that I liked enough. Next time.

I really had a million ideas (give or take) for an Easter mani and couldn't decide, so my friend Candace helped me pick this one.

Base: Sally Hansen - French Tip
Thumb: Zoya - Portia
Pointer: a mix of white and a Wet N Wild Orange that the label was worn down and I couldn't read the name
Middle: Sinful Colors - Unicorn
Ring: Finger Paints - Tiffany Imposter
Pinky: Revlon - Lily

I used three coats of the white and let it dry completely. Then I ripped ten pieces if scotch tape and cut ten pieces if striping tape. I de-stickified the scotch tape on my palms because I find it keeps it from yanking off layers of base coat.

I securely attached the scotch tape over the bottom half of each nail at a diagonal, and then the striping tape parallel just above it.

I painted each tip and peeled off the tape before moving to the next.

I photographed my nails, then, after deliberation with Candace, decided to give them all one coat of Wet N Wild - Hallucinate for added sparkle. Used my Ol Trusty too coat - Nutri Nail. Then more photos.

Thoughts?

Ive got the Baby Blues.. and White

Okay, I don't REALLY have the baby blues. Not really. I could go for a day off though. The boys haven't been very happy today, I think it's because daddy worked this weekend.

I do have a bit if baby fever... Which is weird, because I have a 6.5 month old baby. But whatever.

I just needed a title.

My post-holiday manicure began last night after I took off the green and glitter leprechaun/rainbow explosion on my nails. I used a good base coat, but it seems like if I use the tin foil method while wearing a green polish and glitter top coat, it stains. Second time time month? What gives?!

So, I used some cuticle balm and then slapped on some Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Breezy Blue. Two coats.

Third coat this morning.

And it still wasn't opaque. Ugh! I had planned to do a glitter topper on the top half of my nails, but decided maybe some art would better distract me from my visible nail line.

I used striping tape on my ring fingernail, and put on a coat of Sally Hansen - French Tip. It's just a plain white I got in a French tip kit YEARS ago that I rarely use, but it's very opaque and worked great for this mani.

Then, I broke out a dotting tool and have each of my other four nails a different design.

My left hand looks the same, more or less.

And, uh, FTC is hammering down on review blogs and junk and although this isn't REALLY a review, I will note that I bought these myself and was not sponsored in any way. I think we are technically supposed to say at the beginning if we are sponsored.

Anyway, pictures! Including one without white so you can see my three coat transparency issue.

Black starburst

I'm in a bummed mood, so I'm not dedicating a lot of effort to this entry.

Zoya storm is the base on accent nails.

Sally Hansen.. A solid black polish is atop.

I used a single star from a Wet N Wild Fergie (Hollywood Walk of Fame I believe).

It took two coats of top coat to get mostly smooth because my black is old and really thick.

I then used Hard Candy's discontinued matte top coat.

I'm not feeling the dedication to watermarking the photos either, but I love how the manicure turned out!

Peace.

Suzi Loves Cowboys in Greenwich Village. And Did you Ear About Van Gogh? He went Over The Taupe!

Thanks, Desi, for help with the title! I couldn't think if a clever one or name for this mani, so I asked her help arranging the names of the polishes I used in it.

My mani today is thereby referred to as:
Suzi Loves Cowboys in Greenwich Village. And Did you Ear About Van Gogh? He went Over The Taupe!

All of these polishes are OPI brand.

I love OPI. I love the sturdy brush. I love the formula. The dry time. The shine. The chip resistance. It's my other favorite, next to Zoya, for big brand polishes.

I decided that, since I chipped my nails from yesterday in the shower at 1:00am, I would try a tape/striping tape/dotting tool manicure today. It was quite a process. Took about four hours due to the fact that I screwed up once, and have two little boys to care for. I have actually only completed the left hand fully and will attempt to finish the right hand during nap.

I started with my favorite khaki- Did You'Ear About Van Gogh. I used one coat on each ring and middle finger. While that was drying I applied two coats - Over the Taupe, the yummiest milk chocolate color, to the rest of my nails.

The next time I could steal a few minutes for myself, I taped off the bottom of my khaki nails in opposing diagonals. Gave each a coat of Over the Taupe.


Fast forward. I taped off the tips of all nails, switching directions at the khaki duo, and also added a line if striping tape not far from the other. Then, I gave each nail a generous coat of Suzi Loves Cowboys.

I took out a dotting tool and gave each nail one or two little dots of Greenwich Village, a dark lime-ish color.

Sealed with Sally Hansen Anti-Chip fast dry top coat (red bottle). I am torn between keeping it glossy or going matte.

These colors are very Nik. They complement my skin, my hair, and my eyes. And, I think I'll be wearing these colors to MOPS in the morning, if I ever get my laundry done!

My own polish and striping tape mani.

Quick post.

Thanks to a tip by Kristain on our Facebook.com/MommiesManis page, I was able to create a successful striping tape design!

I used two of my own nail polish creations made from clear polish and eye shadow (I have a pictorial blog entry to show you how to do that a few weeks back!). As an accent nail base I used "Mommy needs a Latte" (made for that post!). When that had dried about 15 minutes, I taped a design and covered all of my nails with one coat of "My Favorite Sweatshirt," and peeled the tape off immediately. I used two coats of top coat for shine and smoothness.

Love it! Too bad I broke a nail today.

Striping tape fail.

I'm not a pro manicurist by any means. Don't ever think I am.

Here's proof. Tonight, I decided to try striping tape. I received Finger Paints... Art.... Something.... Hot pink in my first nail art society box this month (the rest of the box except a file and dotting tool was crap which was frustrating) and decided to try it out tonight.

I used Zoya -Arizona, a yummy orange sherbet cream color, as a base for two accent nails, and after they had dried for twenty minutes or so, I put on striking tape and then gave all of my nails two coats of the hot pink.

I let them dry another ten or fifteen minutes, and peeled the tape off slowly.

The results were disastrous.

Someone give me tips?