I'm Gassy

Or Gas MASKY at least. :-D Chris, the 'lovely dude' (<--he liked being called that the other day on the blog) who I speak of on occasion here on the blog, turns a whopping 40 years old today. Seriously ancient. (just him, this doesn't apply to any other 40+ year olds) In honor of his getting older, I decided to paint the logo that he paints on EVERYYYYYTHING, his gas mask. :-D

I used OPI Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow as a base, with L.A Colors Striper in White (I didn't use the brush, just the polish). Topped everything off with Essie Matte About You.

On another note, my silicone nub finally fell off my f key, so now I have to press really hard. lol

Superstar - Remember Me Red

Helloooo!
Bit of a break in transmission, but we're getting down to the last month before Kaz and I head to Blighty so it's getting seriously busy, dudes.

Anyway - quickly on with my samples of Superstar polishes, and my utterly un-photogenic nails! Honestly, I just look back at old photos of my nails on this blog and want to cry. They used to be so nice - now 6 months of peeling, peeling, peeling. I don't understand it :(

Today I have a classic red, which usually makes me yawn. But as usual, as soon as I get it on my stumps it's a different story and I love it. I think I have red-blindness or something...

Unfortunately these are the only two photos that are good enough to print and don't show my completely shoddy cuticles in all their horror.



It's a jelly, people!
Red jelly. Highly pigmented, 2 coats.
Lush.

Even my bad application and crappy nails can stop this from looking good :D
This is actually just as good as the Streetwear red jelly Kaz sent me, which was up til that point the best red I'd ever tried - jelly or no. Now I have two faves :)
Slam dunk again, Superstar!

Now, in other news - if any bloggers are up for meeting Kaz and I in London in early October, Helen over at Nice Things is helping us organise a day out. We're gonna hit Bond and Oxford Streets and scour them free of nail polish! Followed by a boozy lunch. And possibly more polish. Hopefully no police or ambulances....
In other words, it's gonna be a sexy party!

If you're interested, get in touch with Helen over at Nice Things and she'll give you the deets :D

Making a Splash

Since yesterday's nails were so, well...GREY, I thought today I'd make some colorful ones!! I tried a technique of using a crumpled paper towel to apply the colors other than the base color. I I think (if you squint) it looks sort of like the shadow on the bottom of a pool of the ripples on the surface of the water. Perfect for a day like today, which was absolutely gorgeous. (uncharacteristic for a Vegas summer- it never even hit 90°!)

I used Essie Turquoise & Caicos as a base, with Essie Mint Candy Apple, Essie Bone Chilling White, and Orly Bailamos sponged over it. I also used Orly Bailamos for the 'moon', then edged it with aqua colored crystals. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Tonight was the last night of bowling league *sad face*, but here is a picture of my team- we took 10th place (out of 18). GO TEAM (Our name was 'I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter') Gotta love that not just one, but TWO of my other bowling buddies chose ME to give bunny ears. What kind of crap is that?! :-P

Team 'I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter' (Alicia, Bill, Joanna, and Me)

Grey Matters

Recently, I was putting polishes away in my Helmer cabinets, and noticed how many greys I have. I don't know, there is something about greys that I really love, and today, I thought that I'd do a monochromatic nail design utilizing a few of them.

I used butter LONDON Billy No Mates as a base, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the white stripe, Orly Mirror, Mirror for the miedium grey stripe, Essence Pointbreak for the darker grey stripe, and American Apparel Hassid for the thin black stripe. I topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

I was recently asked if I ever use a base coat, and the answer to that is YES! I always have. I guess I just never list it because it changes between a few. I have used Nubar, Essie, Seche, Seche Ridge-filling, Seche Natural, Barielle, and I think that might be it. Since I don't wear polish long enough to worry about chipping and tip wear, I don't feel right recommending a basecoat that might or might not be good, because I don't fully test their limits. I feel OK with mentioning the Seche Vite top coat because it makes my project possible, if I didn't have it, I would 99% of the time post pictures of lumpy smudged and dented nails. :-D Hope this answers any questions or concerns. :) If not, let me know, I'd be happy to answer you!

And the cross-stitch project I was working on a couple of weeks ago, I finally got back around to finishing the stitching. :) I got the pattern from Skull-a-Day–Day 258, it was designed by Noah Scalin.

Oh, How Fon-dant!

Today was my friend Gelly's baby shower, and somehow, yet again, I managed to get everything done on time. I think that I thrive on last minute pressure, since it seems to be the only time I can really focus on a project and get things done. As I mentioned yesterday, I made the cake for the shower, and also my gift for her, which I finished at 1:07 p.m. today. (I had to be to the party at 3, which was 45 min away, in North Vegas, and I still hadn't gotten ready yet!) The cake was a hit, as was the gift (a hand-crocheted baby afghan in the colors she wanted for her nursery), plus I had fun eating and hanging out with the girls. Plus, as it happens, I am a master of baby shower games, which I find funny, since I know nothing of babies. (They come from the stork, right?) Today's nail design was based on the cake that I did for the shower, incorporating the multi-colored dots of the bottom tier, and the graphic flowers of the top tier.

The inspiration:

The nails:

I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud as a base, with OPI Parlez Vous OPI? for the purple, Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Spring Green for the green, and Milani Teddy Bare for the brown. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

The afghan that I made as a gift:

Completely off-topic, but I need a new laptop (mine is 7 years old), or at the very least, a new keyboard for mine, as mine is missing the 'f' key, which makes it difficult to type, since there is just the silicone nub that goes under the key for me to press. One day. :-D

I'm off to clean up Hurricane Buttercream/Fondant in my kitchen, and Tropical Storm Yarn in my living room. Perhaps tomorrow I'll get to the sewing table/area.

Surfer Stripe

Today has been craaaaaazy. I've spent the entire day trying to finish my gift for my friend Gelly's baby shower tomorrow. (I've been working on the darn thing for 2 weeks), I'll post the picture tomorrow just in case she reads this post, I don't want to ruin the surprise! I've also been baking the cake for the shower tomorrow, and after I post this, I'm off to make some buttercream, and get the decoration party started. :-D I'm SO exhausted, I was up 'til 5 am working on the gift last night, and I've been goin' all day! lol I need a nap! Anyway, to the nails. A while back, I told you all about a brand called Island Girl, and did a post with their color changing polishes. Well, today I decided to use some of their regular polishes to make a design.

I used Essence The World's Coolest from the Surferama collection as a base, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud on the tip end. Over Essence The World's Coolest, I used Island Girl Island Volcano (a glitter polish with iridescent glitter, and iridescent mylar flakes suspended in a sheer aqua base), and then I used Island Girl Hawaiian Magic to paint the stripes. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Concentric Centric

Today's nail design is simpler than the last two days of designs, but I still really like it. The other day, I used my ULTA rewards to get Essie Sew Psyched and Essie Little Brown Dress, and I really wanted to use them. I also picked up Essence The World's Coolest from the Surfer Babe collection, and wanted to use THAT too, and thought it was an interesting combination with the sage and the brown, so I went with it.

I used Essie Sew Psyched as a base for all fingers except the ring finger, where I used essence The World's Coolest. For the design, I used Essie Little Brown Dress, then topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

What a Bunch of Nerds!

They're sour, they're sweet, they might break your teeth. Who hasn't loved Nerds at one point in their life (youth or otherwise)? I LOVE some Nerds, every flavor is delicious, from Watermelon to Wild Cherry, Lemonade, Grape, Strawberry, I'll take them all!! I remember opening both sides of the box and pouring them into my mouth when I was a kid... SO yummy. Today's nail design is dedicated my favorite nickname for people, and the candy that I love and my teeth hates...NERDS!

I used

Thumb: Nerds logo

OPI What's With the Cattitude? as a base, then mixed with China Glaze Flyin' High for the background swoops. For the logo, I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud outlined in China Glaze Flyin' High, then outlined in American Apparel Hassid, then outlined in Pure Ice Wild Thing.

Index: Grape/Strawberry

Color Club Yachty, Yachty, Yadda as a base, with Sally Hansen Vavoom Violet Creme sponged on top for the 'Strawberry' side. For the grape side, I used a mixture of Orly Snowcone and Barielle Grape Escape to make the shade of purple I wanted. I also used that combination to make the Nerd character, highlighted with American Apparel Esprit, outlined in American Apparel Hassid, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the eyes.

Middle: Apple Coated Watermelon/Lemonade coated Wild Cherry

China Glaze Happy Go-Lucky as a base, with Eyeko Coral Polish for Resort Nails for the left side. I used American Apparel Summer Peach as a base for the Nerd character with Eyeko Coral Polish for Resort Nails over it, outlined in American Apparel Hassid, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the eyes.

Ring: Wildberry/Watermelon & Punch

Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Spring Green as a base, with a mixture of Barielle Grape Escape and Orly Snowcone for the wildberry side. For the Nerds character, I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Spring Green, highlighted with a mixture of Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Spring Green and Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud, which I also used for the eyes, then I used American Apparel Hassid to outline.

Pinky: Watermelon/Wild Cherry

Eyeko Coral Polish for Resort Nails as a base, with Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Spring Green for the left side. For the Nerds character, I used a base of American Apparel Summer Peach with Eyeko Coral Polish for Resort Nails over it and American Apparel Hassid to outline, and Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the eyes.

I topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat to make everything candy-coated. :-D

YUM.

You bunch of Nerds. ;) (which is a compliment to me)

Urban Decay Sale at Hautelook!! :)

Woot! Urban Decay Cosmetics sale at Hautelook today!! The last few have been AWESOME, so I'm excited!! The sale starts at 8 am PST, so get on there early, so stuff isn't sold out!! :)

Urban Decay Sale at Hautelook

Taste of Victory

Hello my Sweet Nail-Art Lovers
I call this manicure Taste of victory because it seems like we won.... Long story short is that Diana from Painted Lady Fingers have notified me that someone stole my header and all the content of my blog together with hers and some other fellow bloggers.
We collectively contacted blogger team and it seems like they just turned down a scam blog.
Oh, gosh that feels good to know that blogger team is on our side and help protect our blogging initiative copyrights.
So this is the manicure to celebrate our little victory.
My only hope is that scam blog will stay down from now on.

This is my right hand, to eb honest i like this one even better :)

I Know You Are, But What am I?!

Any kid that grew up in the 80s knows (and probably loves) Pee Wee Herman. From his adventures under the Big Top to his dancing on bar tops, Pee Wee has been a cultural icon for as long as I can remember! I remember watching his show all the time when I was a kid, and I remember watching his movies at the babysitter when I was younger. To this day, I still can't hear the Champs' "Tequila" without mentally doing 'the' dance that Pee wee is so well known for. Today's design suggestion was from my friend Kristin when we talking last night at bowling. :-D Speaking of bowling, that is why my right hand thumbnail is so short. It kept breaking at bowling, and I didn't really want to cut all my nails to nubs for the entire length of league, so I just kept that one short. Today's manicure includes Clocky, Chairry, Penny, Pee Wee, one of the flowers, Globey, an ant from the ant farm, Magic Screen, Jambi, and Mr. Window. :)

Today's secret word is.....NAILS! You all remember what to do whenever anybody says the secret word right?!

I used

Left thumb: Clocky

http://images.broadwayworld.com/upload2/98206/tn-500_pee4.jpeg as a base, with American Apparel Manila for the yellow, Nubar Sexy Red for the red grid, Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the eyes and mouth, and American Apparel Hassid to shade, outline, and for the clock hands.

Left Index: Chairry

OPI What's With the Cattitude? as a base, then mixed with Orly Snowcone to shade for the arms, etc. For the mouth, I used A Beautiful Life Poison, and Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the teeth, as well as the eyes. For the eyelashes and pupils, I used American Apparel Hassid.

Left Middle: Penny

OPI What's With the Cattitude? as a base, with American Apparel Summer Peach for her face and neck, then mixed with American Apparel Rose Bowl and Essie Mink Muffs to shade, American Apparel Manila for the hair, then mixed with American Apparel Hassid to shade the hair. For the hair ties, I used Nubar Sexy Red, For the eyes, I used China Glaze Poetic, American Apparel Hassid for the pupils and smile, then Nubar Forest with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the collar.

Left Ring: Pee Wee's iconic suit

Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud as a base, with Orly Mirror, Mirror for the suit, then American Apparel Factory Grey to outline the suit lapels, and also mixed with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the buttons. For the bowtie, I used Nubar Sexy Red with A Beautiful Life Poison to shade.

Left Pinky: Flower

OPI What's With the Cattitude? as a base, with American Apparel Manila for the petals, then mixed with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the center of the flower. For the smile, I used Essie Foot Loose, then Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the eys, with American Apparel Hassid for the centers. For the stem, I used Nubar Forest.


Right Thumb: Globey

Orly Snowcone as a base, then mixed with Nox Twilight Talon for the shading on the nose and chin. For the lattitude/longitude lines, I used American Apparel Hassid, for the eyebrows, I used Nubar Forest, and for the eyes, I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud, with American Apparel Hassid for the centers.

Right Index: Ant from the Ant Farm

CND Electric Orange as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the ant and music notes.

Right Middle: Magic Screen

American Apparel Esprit as a base, with Nubar Forest, L.A. Girl Army Green, and Pure Ice Wild Thing for the screen, Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the mouth and eyes, and American Apparel Hassid for the knobs and eye pupils.

Right Ring: Jambi

American Apparel Hassid as a base, then mixed with Orly Gumdrop for the 'mist' behind Jambi's head. Orly Gumdropfor Jambi's skin, shaded with China Glaze Flyin' High, American Apparel Hassid to outline the eyes and for the eybrows. For the eyeshadow, I used American Apparel Esprit mixed with Barielle Grape Escape. For the turban, I used A Beautiful Life Poison, with China Glaze 2030 from Khrome Collection for the trim.

Right Pinky: Mr. Window

Eyeko Lilac Polish for Lovely Nails as a base, with OPI What's With the Cattitude? for the window, American Apparel Manila for the window panes and windowsill, Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the eyes and American Apparel Hassid for the eye pupils.

I topped off everything with two coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Mekka Lekka Hi-Mekka Hiney Ho!

Lovely Lotus

So, as a request from Chris, the lovely dude who brought me nail polishes back from India, today's nail art utilizes 2 of the Indian polishes!! :-D I wanted to do something abstract and decorative, and this is what I came up with. I think it's kind of a different twist on a moonicure.

I used Lotus Herbals Luscious Berry as a base, with Lotus Herbals Orchid Pearl for the design. I used Essie Matte About You over the tips to make them a tad more matte than the 'moon'.

Stila Cosmetics Sale on Hautelook!

Hey all, just wanted to let you know that there is a Stila Cosmetics sale on Hautelook!

There is lots of good stuff, eyeshadow palettes, lipglosses, you name it!! WOO!!

Check it out!! Stila sale at Hautelook!

*goes over to Hautelook.com to go shopping* :-D

Bullseye!

I was watching TV today and though I don't recall what show/movie it was in, I remember seeing a dartboard, and I thought to myself, "Self, that would make a fun nail design!". So there you have it, dartboard nails! Who here wants to challenge me to a game of Cricket?!

I used American Apparel California Trooper as a base, with Nubar Forest for the green sections, Nubar Sexy Red for the red sections, American Apparel Hassid for the black sections, and China Glaze Millennium as the metal separating the sections. No room for the numbers, sorry. :-D Last, I topped everything off with a coat of Essie Matte About You.

Weird thing is, I play better darts when I'm drinking than when I'm sober. What's up with that?!

Tip the Scales

Today when I sat down to do my nails, I had NO idea what I was going to do. (like most days) This is what happened, I think it kind of looks like very graphic fish scales. :-D

I used Essie Sag Harbor as a base, with NOX Twilight Talon for the 'scales'. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Tonight was AWESOMEEEEEEEEEE. I was lucky enough to get tickets to 2 concerts. Not one, TWO! :-P (FREE) I got to go to Cyndi Lauper at the House of Blues, and Michael Franti and Spearhead at Mandalay Bay Beach. Cyndi Lauper was INCREDIBLE. She sang a ton of blues songs, and then sang her well-known hits. (and you bet your ass I wore my MAC Viva Glam Cyndi. :-D) Michael Franti was also really amazing, I love how his music is so happy and uplifting, he's definitely a gifted artist! :-D

This is me after tonight (no, not red, smeary, and round-faced...HAPPY! Don't mind the zillions of freckles...I'm cursed)

Tangled Talons

When I was younger I would often doodle the same thing. I would draw a series of dots to comprised the outside of a circle, then I would connect those dots with lines, lots and lots of lines. Today's manicure is my interpretation of those doodles so many years ago. It kind of looks like tangled string to me a bit. :)

I used butter LONDON Billy No Mates as a base, with Essie Matte About You on top of it, then I used American Apparel Hassid and CND Anchor Blue to paint the line art.

The Kitty is Alive

Hello My Sweet Nail-Art Lovers
Today's manicure is a clone of one i did last summer and it involves hello kitty stamp.
This time i went with blue pallet again, but in my honest opinion kitty ended up looking a bit too blue, that would be a perfect drowned hello kitty :) Fortunately kitty is alive and manicure survived almost 5 long work days.
As a lot may wonder how i achieved this look - i simply stamped kitty first, and than put the glitter around the stamp using thin brush. I am thinking to make more manicures in this technique, i guess some flowers would look cool too.

The Results Are In!

After what seems like a zillion hours or counting and deliberating, I've got the contest results. One person in the competition was unfortunately disqualified to do two reasons, one being that she doctored her nail design in Photoshop (or other photo manipulation program), which was the main reason, but to add insult to injury, she was 'buying' votes by offering extra entries to her giveaway. I have to say that next time I will actually OPEN the photos before posting them next time, because the photo manipulating was quite obvious. Sorry to that entrant, but you should have known better.

This was TOTALLY not in the spirit of the blog or the contest, and to say I'm disappointed and irritated is a serious understatement. Giveaways on blogs (especially with this many entries) are a HUGE undertaking, and the time and money spent getting them up and running is considerable. The next giveaway will not utilize ANY voting by peers of entrants/readers due to the experience of this contest.

Sorry to be a party pooper with all that. On to the results!

The only votes that were counted (as stated in a later post) were votes from registered Google or OpenID accounts.

The winners!

First and second place are divided by just 2 VOTES!!

First place goes to....

THIFA!!

Second place goes to...

LINDSEY!!

Third Place goes to...

NALUMA!!

Thank you all for the great entries!!

Winners, please email me your mailing information to thedailynail@gmail.com!!

NOX Twilight Nail Polish Review

Check out the Daily Nail: Reviews site, I just posted swatches and review for 6 of the 12 polishes in the NOX Twilight nail polish collection!

For those of you who haven't visited that site, my reviews are based on how well a polish applies, how unique the color is, and how well it works for Konad and other nail art. :)

'Daily' Grind

Yeah, I totally went there. I knew at some point that I HAD to do the Daily Nail logo on my nails, it's pretty much a given. :-D Tonight I get to go to Frank Caliendo's show, should be a good time!! (plus, it's free, so it's a billion times better!)

I used American Apparel California Trooper as a base, with A Beautiful Life Poison for the logo. :-D I then sponged a tiny bit more of American Apparel California Trooper to give the speckled look of a stamp on paper. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

BYS Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass

Hi!

Well as you may have heard by now through all our screeching on Twitter, BYS has a new collection (although 3 polishes in my mind hardly constitutes a collection) which no one seems to have heard anything about till I found them in KMart by accident on Tuesday. I'm subscribed to their newsletter - how come I never got a head's up about this?? Is it a soft-release? An old one? No idea...

They look to be inspired by "Alice in Wonderland" - but before you go "Yeah, yeah - whatever. Another collection inspired by Alice. Bit late to the bandwagon, there..." just be aware that they are GLITTERS.

ALL.

GLITTERS!

You can find the official pics over on the BYS website, but I only bought 2 of them, as the green one ("Adventures of Alice") was a bit meh in real life.

(L-R: Down the Rabbit Hole, Through the Looking Glass)

So without further ado, I give you my craptastic photos of what may be the best glitter BYS has ever produced (haven't tried "D.R.H." yet, so I'll reserve final judgement) - "Through the Looking Glass" -

An electric blue fine glitter, with even finer gold flecks...

Sorry the pics are a little dark in places - the weather is awful at the mo and so is the light...

The pigmentation isn't bad, but I put a layer of a random blue polish on first just so I didn't have to do too many layers to reach bottle colour. This is two layers of the actual glitter polish you're seeing here.

Although the glitter is fine, it's very dense and has quite a smooth finish.

Oh, gawd - my awful, awful hands - sorry! I managed to get a macro shot, but I realised when I downloaded it that there was a little issue with cleanup that wasn't obvious as I was taking it. So please just ignore the scattershot of glitter on my cuticles and look at the polish, people! :)

Trying to get some different light on the situation...

This is by far and away the best glitter I've ever had from BYS - the colour, the formula, the application - all above and beyond what you'd expect from a budget polish line. I'll say it once, I'll say it again - keep on doing what you're doing, BYS gang! Your work is STELLAR and us Aussie girls are loving your work lately.

Now, I discovered these in Kmart for the princely sum of $4.75 each (an absolute steal by Aussie standards, you overseas gals), but there were only a few left so they're going fast! Alternatively you can sit on your butt and order them from the comfort of your own home on Fashion Addict for $4.95 HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Sorry international readers - so far I don't know of any shops willing to send these overseas...

Back soon with "Down the Rabbit Hole" - which looks to me a bit like a grainy glitter version of OPI's My Private Jet...

Let's Go Disco!

In today's mail, I got some killer new polishes from the Twilight Beauty polish line. I'll be posting more about them on the Daily Nail: Reviews site tomorrow or the next day. They're really great polishes, honestly I was a tad surprised. For today's manicure, I used one of the polishes from the line, Nox Twilight Disco Darling, which is a holographic glitter polish.

and the obligatory blurred sparkle shot:

I used Nox Twilight Disco Darling as a base, with China Glaze DV8 sponged on the tips of the blue nails, and China Glaze TMI for the ring finger. I used Konad Plate m64 to apply American Apparel Hassid, then topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Ok, I'm off to bed, spent 4 hours at the taping of a 3-D commercial for Cirque du Soleil The Beatles LOVE tonight, then about 20 minutes in the Mirage parking ramp going absolutely nowhere because the cars weren't moving, with no air conditioning on in my car because the needle was below empty on the fuel gauge. :) I finally made it home though. :-D (obviously) On the bright side? I met a couple cool new people, and it was fun chatting and laughing with them while we all waited for the stage to be set, then performed, then reset, re-filmed, taken down, set with new stage etc... lol

I am the Last Barman Poet

I am the last barman poet.

I see America drinking

the fabulous cocktails I make,

Americans getting stinky

on something I stir or shake.

The Sex on the Beach,

the schnapps made from peach,

the Velvet Hammer,

the Alabama Slammer!

I make things with juice and froth,

the Pink Squirrel,

the three-toed sloth.

I make drinks so sweet and snazzy,

the Iced Tea, the Kamikaze,

the Orgasm, the Death Spasm,

the Singapore Sling,

the Ding-a-ling.

America, you've just been devoted

to every flavor I've got.

But if you want to get loaded,

why don't you just order a shot?!

Bar is OPEN.

-Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise- Cocktail, 1988)

I LOVE this movie, and I think it's part to blame for my stint as a bartender (which I miss). Anyway, I saw it on TV today, and of course I stopped everything I was doing to be sucked into the horrible mess that is Cocktail. (such a sweet, sweet mess) Seriously, who can resist godawful lines like 'Champagne, perfume going in, sewage coming out'? It's a movie that you hate to love, or love to hate. :-D Today's nails are dedicated to this gem of a movie, specifically the poem he recites in the 'Cell Block' scene. I had that stupid poem memorized at one point, and no, I'm not ashamed to admit it. ;) I did the Cocktail logo, an Alabama Slammer, a Velvet Hammer, a Sex on the Beach, and a shot (of Jack). 

I used:

Thumb: Cocktail sign

Eyeko Indigo Polish for Sultry Nails as a base, with Essie Foot Loose for the logo.

Index: Alabama Slammer

Revlon Mad About Mango as a base, then mixed with American Apparel Summer Peach for the froth. Zoya Jancyn for the orange, and CND Electric Orange for the orange peel, then China Glaze Salsa for the cherry. Mixed Revlon Mad About Mango with American Apparel Pinto and American Apparel Summer Peach for the ice cube highlights and shadows, then used American Apparel Hassid for the background.

Middle: Velvet Hammer

American Apparel California Trooper as a base, with Essie Mink Muffs sponged over it. Essie Sag Harbor for the shape of the glass, and American Apparel Hassid for the background.

Ring: Sex on the Beach

Zoya Jancyn as a base, with a mixture of Zoya Jancyn and China Glaze Salsa sponged over it. For the orange, I used Zoya Jancyn, CND Electric Orange for the peel, and American Apparel Summer Peach for the pith. Again for the cherry, I used China Glaze Salsa, then I used American Apparel Hassid for the background.

Pinky: Shot of Jack Daniels

Mixture of American Apparel Manila and American Apparel Pinto for the liquor, then outlined the glass with Essie Sag Harbor. Background color was American Apparel Hassid.

Topped everything with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat

Coughlin's Law: Beer is for breakfast, 'round here, drink or be gone.



Disclosure: Eyeko Indigo Polish was sent to me for consideration by the manufacturer.

Contest Voting

Ok, due to the abnormally large number of ANONYMOUS votes, which could be the same person over and over, I am amending the voting to ONLY count votes from a non-anonymous source, meaning they have to be from a GoogleID account, or whatever you use to legitimately follow blogs on blogger.

Sorry to be a party pooper, but it's gotta be fair. If you want your friends to vote for you, they have to use their account, NOT anonymous, because I will NOT count them if they don't.

Thanks,

Melissa

Superstar - Party Purple

OK guys - another Superstar Lacquer - this one was my surprise favourite. :)

In the bottle, Party Purple looks like a nice enough dark amethyst polish, but on the nail - sooo gorgeous!

Unfortunately, with my nails the way they are, these are the only two pics worth publishing - complete nail fail!

Opaque in one coat (this is two, though) - high gloss, applies like buttah! I totally wasn't expecting to fall in love, but this is definitely down as one of my favourite purples of all time....

Don't you just love it when you get a nice surprise with a polish and adore it when you don't expect to?

Now, Ariana at Superstar also sent me a little something that anyone who loves neons will splooge over! Observe -

Can't see what I'm talking about? Blame Blogger.

NIXX-ENHANCE!!

Gah! Dark skinned honeys of Australia! It's almost Spring - get yourself some yellow polish now, O-M-Freaking-G!

(BTW - that colour is "Eccentric Yellow")

In the Weeds

Tonight is the season premiere of Weeds!! I came across this show after a recommendation from a friend and was instantly hooked. So hooked, in fact, that I watched the entire first 5 seasons in less than a week. :-D It's horrible, but oh so good! :) Favorite character is Andy, with Nancy being a close second, I love her dry remarks. In honor of tonight, I did a Weeds manicure!  Guess what else today is?!  My sister's BIRTHDAY!!  I would love it if everyone wished her a super happy birthday!!! :)

I used L.A. Girl Army Green as a base, with Nubar Forest for the logo and with Bundle Monster plate BM07. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Another fun thing today is that I got to meet Keri B., one of the MAC Sr. Artists! :) She was in Las Vegas teaching an airbrush class, so I met up with her after she was done! She was super nice, and it was fun to meet another twitter friend!! :) I think we need to all do a Nail tweetup... in Vegas? lol :-D

Keri and I:

Photo courtesy of Keri B.

My eyeballs of the day: 

I used MAC Chrome Yellow, MAC Orange pigment, and MAC Basic Red pigment with MAC blacktrack to line. 

and lastly, my 'niece' Mira, and my 'nephew' Yukon, he is barking because he wants the frisbee! :)

Photo courtesy of Stacey Osburn

If She Doesn't Scare You...

...no evil thing will.

I've had this idea on my list for ages, and thought with the chatter about MAC's upcoming collection Venomous Villains, that it'd be a great time to do Cruella nails. :) I must say, I LOVE the packaging (read: boxes, not compacts) for this collection- with the sketchy one-color drawing of each villain. I guess I like the compacts, tubes, etc. too, but not as much as the boxes. I hope I can snag some of this collection when it comes out! :)

I used Essie Bone Chilling White as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the spots, Nubar Sexy Red for the red of the collar and her lips, A Beautiful Life Poison to shade the collar. For the dog tag, I used China Glaze 2030 from Khrome Collection, and mixed it with American Apparel Hassid to paint the '101' on it. For Cruella, I used Eyeko Nude Polish for Perfect Nails for her face/neck, with Pure Ice Wild Thing for her green eyeshadow, China Glaze Flyin' High for her earring, a mix of American Apparel Manila and American Apparel California Trooper for her coat, and American Apparel Hassid to outline everything. For the background, I used Nubar Sexy Red. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

And my eye's from my roommate's birthday party last night. I had a goofy look on my face and my eyes are huge, but it showed off the makeup the best. :-P