Bright Summer Smooshy Nails!

This is a perfect summer mani for the beautiful sunny weather we've been having lately!  It's hard to believe summer is winding down and before we know it, kids will be going back to school and leaves will be turning colour.  Well, more than they are; I've already noticed leaves changing here and there.  Anyway, let's enjoy the warm summer while we can! Here's what I came up with!

Started with a stamper smooshy base of Fancy Gloss Neon Green, Neon Yellow and Neon Yellow Orange, no top coat (or base coat; this is right on Duri Rejovicate base).  I had planned on doing a sponged gradient but it got late by the time I started my nails (these pictures were taken at 1:13 am!) and I thought it would take too long so this was the next best thing.

Topped with KBShimmer Clearly on Top.

Stamped using image from UberChic UC Radiate Love using Painted Polish Midnight Mischief.

UberChic UC Radiate Love 

The little strand of polish in the flower center on the index finger really was bugging me so I removed it with a brush and acetone but not as neatly as I would have liked so the image isn't as crisp as on the other nails.  Not obvious IRL but it is on these close ups. I also had a little polish smear on a couple nails so will have to try to remember to let the stamping polish dry a bit more before top coating.  Or float it better!

Enjoy these last days of summer while you can!  Well, at least for the next month or so before fall officially arrives!

Thanks for looking!

GlamNailsChallenge; Bees!

I'm late again for the #glamnailschallenge posting on June 16th which was bees!  Here's what I came up with!

Started with a textured base of OPI Emotions with accents of OPI Hate To Burst Your Bubble, both two coats, no top coat.

Stamped using images from BM-422 (pinky and index) using MdU 11 and Messy Mansion MM18 on the rest using MdU 2.  I didn't top coat these nails as its kind of pointless using liquid sands if you do but I do wish I had have because some of the stamping rubbed off the next day before I took them off!

BundleMonster BM-422.

Hope you're having a great day and thanks for looking!

Fluid Friday Easter Nails!

I'm interrupting blue nails to share some Easter nail art and because these are on a fluid base, sharing on #fluidFriday!  I think these nails are as adorable as can be; I wore them for a couple days which is unusual for me!  Here's what I came up with!

I made some homemade fluid hard polish using Garnier Fructis as suggested by @damningeden (although when I was watching YouTube Videos, Kyong Lee mentioned this product being used by someone else back in 2017).  I can't say for sure who came up with it, I just know this is how I found out recently. I had been experimenting with Nourishing + Coconut Oil Breakage Serum but not adding it to the polish directly, but rather by making a spray from it as I had seen it being used by various fluid artists on YouTube with acrylic paints a few months ago.  After doing some research, both products have the same silicone ingredient 'Dimethicone' in them (which is the silicone product that creates the cells) and I have tried both now by adding to the polish and IMHO, the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti-Frizz does work better.  But there is some trial and error with the formula and I'm not entirely convinced that the Nourishing + Coconut Oil doesn't work just as good.  I still have about a third of a bottle and will continue to try it out.  But this is a whole other blog post! 

Speaking of trial and error, the top swirl was my first attempt of making it fluid so I had to add a bit more product; the bottom one is better results and the one I ended up using for this mani.  Lots of cells!

This is my 'good' bottle of fluid art polish using China Glaze Be More Pacific.  I cut up the decal into nail size pieces and got ready for application.

Applied the fluid art pieces, cleaned up with acetone and brush.

Applied KBShimmer Clearly on Top.

Stamped with an image from Chez Delaney Animaux 004 using MdU 1, 68, 101 and Painted Polish Stamped in Rose and Stamped in Greenery.

Topped with KBShimmer Clearly on Top to finish.

The stamped covered up a bit more of the fluid part of the decal than I would have liked but that's OK.  Still cute!

Thanks for looking!

April the Giraffe Gives Birth!

I seen over the weekend that April the Giraffe gave birth to another baby boy on the weekend!  Congrats to Oliver and April!  In all honesty, I didn't follow this birth nearly as much as the last and didn't even know she was pregnant again until about a week ago.  I do however remember being on baby watch for what seemed like months back in 2017 so at least this time, only had to check back to the live feed a few times and seen later in the day on Saturday that the birth had taken place!  I did nails because what better a excuse to use those giraffe stamping images that I probably wouldn't use otherwise!  Here's what I came up with!

Started with a base of two coats of Konad Sandy polish in yellow (sorry, don't know if it has a specific name; I couldn't find anything on my bottle).  As I didn't top coat these nails, I put these under nail dryer for about 10 minutes before stamping.

Stamped using images from Chez Delaney Animaux 004 (middle), Delaney Animaux A001 (pinky and index), Infinity 52 (ring) and MoYou Animal Collection-02.  I used a custom colour of stamping polish by mixing MdU 9 and 23 on the plate each time that I stamped as I didn't have quite the right shade of rusty brown stamping polish that I wanted.

MoYou London Animal Collection-02

Look!  I finally figured out my macro lens!  This was one of the first times I used it for; still needs some work but I see the possibilities of better, close up pictures!  This is a family pix; Oliver, April and new baby or could be April, Tajiri and his new brother!

Here's the mani I did for the 2017 baby!

Thanks for looking!

Starting The Month Off On A Green Note!

I'm going to start March off with a green mani; love how this turned out!  The whole month won't be green but I do have a few St. Patrick's Day mani's already done and will be sharing them between now and the 17th!  Here's what I came up with!

Started with a base of two coats each of Different Dimension Retrograde with an accent of Cirque Polish Urbanized.  I like how the holo flash in the Different Dimension compliments the accent nail well!

Topped with KBShimmer Clearly on Top.

Added a couple accent studs.

Stamped using an image from Marianne Nails XXL8 using FunkyFingers Dark Knight.  A great image to let the base polish shine through!

Finished with a final coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top.

Thanks for looking!

Lemons!

Here's the nail art portion of the lemon mani I shared with the Cuter Cuticles IEC 2018 Exclusive trio! I don't think there are too many items that you can't find in an image on a stamping plate so it was fantastic to find so many lemon images on stamping plates....and I even found more after I did these!

Started with a base of Moyra Vivid Sand 717 Sunshine over a coat of Nicole by OPI Hit the Lights with an accent of OPI Black Onyx.  I went with the sand look to try to mimic the texture of a lemon.

Stamped using images from Delaney Fruits 001 (middle and thumb), MoYou Tropical Collection-08 (index), Wistonia W118 (pinky) and Lina 4 Seasons-Summer 02 (ring) using Funky Fingers Dark Knight; MdU 11 was used on accent.

MoYou Tropical Collection-08

MoYou Tropical Collection-09  (I didn't use this plate as the images were too large for my nails but took pictures of it as I thought I was going to.)

Wistonia W118

Delaney Fruits 001

Top coated just the accent finger to finish.

I think these could also be super cute summer nails and can see myself doing something like this in the future!  Thanks for looking!

Digit-al Dozen Does Tropical; Day 3

I didn't take many pictures of this mani so this post will be short and sweet (at least as far as pictures goes). I'm in a nail funk.  I want to do my nails but nothing seems to pan out.  Including this mani which is why I'm bringing it up now.  I hope the trend of nail fails ends; this was suppose to be a bright colourful neon blob mani but for the life of me, I could not get the polishes to blob colourful and it was just a mess; not even a hot neon mess as I could have used it!  Then I wanted to do yellow, green and blue gradient but the green wouldn't show up on the gradient and the blue didn't either for that matter and then I couldn't even get the thumb to gradient at all, it was as if I was taking more polish off the nail than putting it on it so I gave up on it and this is what is seen.  And don't get me started on my middle nail that has had two cracks in it and having to deal with them slowly growing out; I wrote a big long comment about this but deleted it because I'm sure no on wants to hear me whining about it lol.  So because I've always shared the good with the bad, and this is the bad as far as I'm concerned, I'm sharing this anyway. There aren't many pictures as when I was doing these nails, in my mind they were a fail that I wasn't going to share but took a few anyway just in case it panned out.  I suppose in the end it didn't turn out terribly bad (there could be a whole lot worse in life!) but again, not what I envisioned when I sat down to do my nails.  I've been trying to think outside of the box for the challenge too with more nontraditional looking mani's and maybe I'm just thinking about it too much, who knows!  Anyway, here's what I came up with for day 3!

 Started with a base of two coats of KBShimmer Chick Me Out, no top coat.

Attempted Did a sponged gradient using KBShimmer Chick Me Out, Essence LOL and Girly Bits I've Got High Hoops, topped with KBShimmer Clearly on Top.

Stamped using Delaney Hibiscus 001 using FunkyFingers Dark Knight.  

Topped with KBShimmer Clearly on Top to finish.

Here's the other ladies Day 3 tropical mani's!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thanks for looking...and for putting up with my rant!

Cuter Cuticles IEC 2018 Exclusive Trio

press sample

Lemon is one of my favourite scents; it's so refreshing and pure!  Not too overpowering either which is something I like when I'm looking (or sniffing!) for a scent!  You wouldn't believe how excited I was when I heard that Cuter Cuticles Indie Expo Canada 2018 exclusive trio was lemon scented butter barrier, lip balm and cuticle oil!  While I received the trio to review, I also picked up a back up set...good thing I did as my daughter promptly claimed a lip gloss while at the expo!  All this lemon scents deserved a coordinating mani; hopefully you enjoy it!  

The cute yellow organza packaging that the trio came in! You know, yellow....cause of lemons!  It's nice to see Sammy goes all matchy-matchy like I do!

The goods!

Cuter Cuticles butter barrier in Lemon Cupcake!  For those who have purchased Cuter Cuticles products before, you will know that this scent has been offered in past; in fact, it was one of the first scents ever released! I checked back to my purchases and had picked it up back in 2016.  One of my faves!

Are you like me: having cuticle products in your purse, in your car, at the night stand, at your office desk, at the end table where you watch tv, in the bathroom at your weekend spot?  Cuter Cuticles has been a cuticle saver for me; you only need to look at my blog posts prior to 2015ish to see that I have way less hangnails than I did since I started to add the barrier butter as part of my regular routine!  Don't get me wrong; I still get the occasional one but that's just because I've been too busy with life to apply it on a regular basis. That's when I turn to oil for some heavy duty moisturizing!   This picture is a little misleading; it's not that this is a super size of the barrier butter; it's the regular size...it's just I have small hands!

The packaging is a convenient size; not so big that it takes up a lot of room in your purse, on the desk, or on the shelf, but big enough that it's not too hard to find in your purse, on the desk or on the shelf!

Here's my naked nails soaking up the butter barrier!  Cuter Cuticle products are listed on the estore; the Lemon Cupcake scent is currently being offered here but even if it's not and you are craving it, you can always ask for it to be made in a custom order!

In addition to butter barrier, Cuter Cuticles also has a wide assortment of yummy scented cuticle oils.  

How great is the steel balled applicator?  I've tried a lot of different oils but to me, the application is just so much easier with the ball type of applicator!  While I'm a big fan of the butter barriers, I turn to the cuticle oils at night or when needed (like when I've been neglecting my nails) for extra moisturizing.

The Lemon Cupcake lip gloss was an IEC exclusive, but Cuter Cuticles has a wide assortment of lip balms in playful scents!  

As I mentioned earlier in the post, my daughter had attended IEC with me and she quickly claimed the Cuter Cuticles Lemon Cupcake lip gloss; this was the last I seen of it!  The one I'm holding above was in the second bundle I bought!

Here's the coordinating mani....with my nails soaking up the butter barrier.  If you've never used Cuter Cuticles products, you will see that they look 'oily' right after application, but it soaks right in I want to say within five minutes or so and lessens down to a moisturized look versus that glare that you see here.  It's not like you can't touch anything for 3 hours because your hands feel greasy; not the case by any means! I would normally wait if I had applied it to my nails before taking a pix for swatching purposes, but because this post is a product review, wanted everyone to see the moisturizing in action!

Here you can see it has already absorbed better within a few minutes of the photo shoot!

Links:  Cuter Cuticles, Facebook, Instagram

Cuter Cuticles was established in 2014 and is owned and operated by Sammy, a long time nail art fan and polish lover.  Based in Oshawa, Ontario Canada, Cuter Cuticles ships worldwide; see the Cuter Cuticles estore for more information!

Thanks for looking!