You're a man of science. I'm a man of faith. Do you really think all this is an accident? That we, a group of strangers, survived, many of us with just superficial injuries? You think we crashed on this place by coincidence?  Especially this place? We were brought here for a purpose, for a reason — all of us. Each one of us was brought here for a reason.

And so it ends.  I hope you all enjoyed my LOST series.  I SO loved this show and it was so much fun to be able to relive it through nail art this week!!  In conclusion of my series I leave you with some of my most favorite LOST quotes, an extra mani (check the middle of my art collage!) and my most favorite mani's from the wonderful ladies who joined me on this challenge. :)

I don't know what kind of Commie share fest you're runnin' up in Cavetown, but down here: possession is nine tenths. -- Sawyer

These are the lovely Miss Emma's nails for season two.  Emma had some amazing nail art throughout the challenge and she played with texture in a very interesting way.  This has to be my favorite of all the ones she did though.  The blast door map.  That thing rocked my world. And I have to say, when the hatch finally exploded...I was sad to think of it's demise. Emma did a great job bringing it back to life! :)

 You know when I used to get high, I'd watch nature programmes on the Beeb. Polar bears are meant to be quite clever, very clever. They're like the Einsteins of the bear community. -- Charlie 

These nails belong to Sarah, otherwise known as the stamping queen!  I love the gradient on this and also that she did some free handing (which came out amazing!).  It's a tribute to one of my favorite characters, Charlie Pace and it was her season three mani. :) 

Dude, you've got some...Arzt...on you -- Hurley

These are my favorite of Debbie's nails! They're her season two nails and they came out so pretty.  I love the color combo, the representation of the numbers (who didn't love those numbers?) and the cool Dharma-like art.  The color combo worked well too. :)

Yes Charlie, if only we were all wearing license plates. -- Sayid

Also from season two? Kerrie's number nails! I love these! The numbers were such an integral part of the entire series.  And at the end of the day, I'm STILL not 100% sure what they mean! But that's the fun of the series isn't it?  Kerrie also did some cool Dharma van nails and some fun 70's tie dye which were very cool.  But I think the number nails were the ones I liked the best!

 Those things had to happen to me. That was my destiny. But you'll understand soon enough that there are consequences to being chosen... because, destiny, John, is a fickle bitch. -- Benjamin Linus 

These are my favorite of Kirsten's nails.  They're her season one art.  I LOVE that she did the Swan Station because it was one of my favorite things about the series.  I also love that she represented Aaron and Charlie's nickname for him, Turnip Head (even though technically, Turnip Head wasn't used until season two! :P).   Her 815 nail is stellar too.  I love how clean and crisp the design is! :)  She had some really freaky happenings with the photography of her season 6 set of nails so don't miss checking that out! :)  

Thanks to all these wonderful ladies for letting me participate in this challenge.  LOST remains my most favorite television show of all time.  Every time I watch it I have new questions and I learn things I missed before.  I still have my BIG book of LOST which I used to write theories and different things in.  :)  For me, it will never end.  

And one more quote for the road...

Well, I lived in these houses 30 years before you did; otherwise known as last week -- and I have no idea where the hell we are. -- Miles

Thanks so much for following along!! My first rehab your nails series will be up this coming week! How to remove acrylic nails PROPERLY! :)  I can't wait to share it with you!

Every question I answer will simply lead to another question.

How true that is.  I don't want to ruin the ending of this glorious show for anyone out there so I'm changing things up and not summarizing the season for you.  It was bittersweet for me...much like the nail art I ended up with!! There were some interesting similarities with other seasons, especially with show titles.  Previous seasons featured: What Kate Did, Everybody Hates Hugo, The Long Con, and The Beginning of the End which season six answered with What Kate Does, Everybody Loves Hugo, Recon, and The End.  I based my nail art this season on the thing I thought was the most important of the season: the reunion of all the losties.  Jacob rounds them up in various locations throughout the season, offering that 

"You were all like me. You were all alone. You were looking for something you couldn't find out there. I chose you because you needed this place as much as it needed you."

He is helped by Desmond, who is represented by the Scottish flag on my thumb nail.  

The index is a pair of handcuffs to represent the reuniting of Sawyer, Miles, Kate and Sayid.  Sawyer is now a detective working alongside Miles and they are involved in an accident with Kate.  Later, they catch up with Sayid after an incident at a restaurant.

The middle is an ultra sound.  Juliet gives Sun an ultrasound while Jin watches and later she is reunited with Sawyer at a vending machine.  She also reunites with Jack who turns out to be her ex husband.

The ring is Charlie's Drive Shaft ring.  He is reunited with Claire at a charity concert where his band plays alongside Daniel Faraday, now a musician (and does it seriously get any dreamier than a British pianist who is also a mega smart physicist?)

The pinkie is a neon light featuring the numbers.  It represents the bar where Hurley and Sayid reunite with Shannon and Boone.

Pinkie: Revlon Black Lingerie, LA Nail Art Pen in White and China Glaze Wicked Style

Time it's like a street, all right? We can move forward on that street, we can move in reverse, but we cannot ever create a new street. If we try to do anything different, we will fail every time. Whatever happened, happened.

And that just about sums up season 5!!  Season five was a mess of time travel, time shifts, and back filling of storyline.  While it did answer SOME questions for us...like that the freighters were all linked to the island...it also opened up a ton more holes in the story.  After the time shift Ben creates at The Orchid, Locke makes it his personal business to stop what Ben has started.  Meanwhile Daniel leads the left behind losties to the Swan to try to figure out what "time" it is. Charlotte starts to have violent flashes and ultimately dies which is sad for Daniel but on the whole, not really so sad. The lefties (hehe) try to fit into their new life on Lost Island by fitting in with the Dharma Initiative.  Sawyer takes on a new name, LaFleur and starts shacking up with Juliet.  Jin gets picked up by an old favorite, Rousseau, now eight months pregnant and newly stranded with her science team. Locke manages to turn the wheel and land himself in a present day (2007) Tunisia and eventually makes his way around to see the O6. He learns that Helen has died and he tries to convince some of the O6 to return to the island.  Unfortunately, Ben kills him before he can do much.  Desmond has a strange dream of Daniel Faraday (who wouldn't like one of those!?) and he and Penny, with their aptly named son Charlie in tow head off to England to meet with Daniels mother. Jacob starts to show up and eventually rounds up the O6 on flight 316 on Ajira Airways to Guam.  Lawnmower man reappears as...you guessed it...the pilot.  

"We're not going to Guam, are we?"  

Well spoken Frank.  There is so much more I can say about this season! Ben as a kid! Wowza,  The O6 reach the island in 1977, three years since the lefties got stuck there, and they assimilate as new recruits.  Sayid turns out to be a future assassin for Ben. And Ben goes crazy and kill Jacob.  The season was up, down, and all over the place!  But it was a good one. :)  On to the nails!

My thumb is the logo for Ajira Airways flight 316 which the O6 return to the island aboard.

The index finger is Jughead, the massive bomb left on Lost island in 1954 which is later used to destroy the island. 

The middle finger is the compass Richard Alpert gifts to Locke in order to help him fulfill his purpose.

The ring is the frozen donkey wheel that both Ben and Locke use to turn time at The Orchid.

And the pinkie is a yin-yang which is meant to represent Jacob and the Man In Black.  

Two players. Two sides. One is light. One is dark. 

Colors are listed below as always!! D

Don't forget to check out my fellow losties: Debbie, Emma, Kerrie, Kirsten, and

Sarah's amazing art for this season!
And look for tomorrow's post at 4:20 PM!


Thumb: China Glaze Lemon Fizz, Winter Berry, and Models Own Nail Art Pen in Black
Index: Essence Just the Nude of Us, China Glaze Mahogany Magic and Lemon Fizz and OPI Suzi Ski's in the Pyrenees Suede
Middle: China Glaze Fast Track, Mahogany Magic, Lemon Fizz, and butterLONDON Bluey
Ring: OPI Suzi Ski's in the Pyrenees Suede and butterLONDON Diamond Geezer
Pinkie: Revlon White on White and Black Lingerie

Rescuing you and your people...I can't really say it's our primary objective.

And thus the stage was set for season 4 of LOST.  Season 4 issued in a whole slew of newbies and among them was my beloved Daniel Faraday.  He was deliciously geeky, ridiculously smart and wickedly cute in all his awkward glory.  Faraday was among the members of the freighter who came to the island.  Other 'freighters' included Charlotte (British redhead who Faraday ultimately admits to loving...that's right ladies, he likes red heads :P),  Miles (who talks to dead people),  and Frank otherwise known as Lawnmower Man otherwise known as the supposed original pilot of Oceanic flight 815.  Not there to rescue them as the losties had originally hoped, it turns out the freighters are hired hands of Mr. Charles Widmore and are there to find Ben.  Typical.  Locke spends the entire season searching for Jacob so that he can finish his 'purpose' on the island.  Michael reappears as 'Kevin', a freighter crew member. Keamy and his guns show up to blast the Losties camp to smithereens (don't worry it will be back...).  And then there was that helicopter which finally showed up to gather losties.  Oh yeah..SANS Claire.  Yeah screw you too, Darlton.  If Charlie had to die to save Claire the least you could do was load her up in the heli.  At any rate her storyline was dead boring by this point.  Even a flashback episode (Par Avion) couldn't save her sleepy storyline. Keamy kills Ben's daughter...or rather...Rousseau's daughter Alex though almost at the request of Ben.  So Ben responds by blowing up the freighter.  Goodbye rescue.  Sawyer and Jack play a virtual game of Pong with Kate as the ball bouncing back between them which leads Sawyer to utter the lines ,  

"In about a week you'll find a reason to get pissed at Jack and bounce right back to me." 

in response to her leaving. Again.  It turns out he might actually really love her though, sadly.  He later evacuates the heli mid flight as it runs out of gas and just in time to catch the island's time shift after Ben spins a wheel at the Orchid.  Oh and Penny's boat? Yeah it finally shows up.  Happy times for Desmond after a rough season with flashbacks.  Charlotte dies without finding a constant but Desmond is saved by Penny and then he is very literally...SAVED by Penny.   The six survivors of all this madness return to the real world but are plagued by guilt over those left behind.  All in all...a busy and action filled season.   So the nails...

The thumb represents New Otherton.  The abandoned barracks of the Dharma Initiative and later The Others, which the losties take residence in during the season.

The index finger is the logo for the Oceanic Six: Jack, Kate, Hurley, Aaron, Sun, and Sayid.

The middle finger is the chalkboard shown in The Constant, where Daniel works out his theories at Cambridge and where he ultimately becomes Desmond's life saver.

The ring is homage to Daniel and his cute little skinny tie. :)

The pinkie is the logo for MacCutcheon Whiskey which is a running point of contention (and pissing matches) between Desmond and Mr. Widmore. 

As always colors are listed below! I hope you enjoyed todays "upside down" mani!! And don't forget to check out my fellow losties: Debbie, Emma, Kerrie, Kirsten, and

Sarah's amazing art for this season!  You'll find tomorrows post at 2:30PM!


Colors used:
Thumb: China Glaze Trendsetter, OPI Suzi Loves Cowboys, LA Nail Art in White
Index: Revlon White on White, OPI Dating a Royal, Essence Bella, butterLONDON Queen Vic
Middle: OPI Suzi Ski's in the Pyrenees Suede, LA Nail Art in White
Ring: Revlon White on White, Black Lingerie
Pinkie: ManGlaze Santorum, China Glaze Brownstone, Revlon White on White

 What's that? You're not taking drugs are you, John? I only ask because of the strict zero tolerance policy you've enacted, and I wouldn't want you to have to start punching yourself in the face.

Well ladies and gents...it's time for season three.  Season three was a real doozy of a season.  Most of it took place at the Hydra Station which is actually later found to exist on an adjacent island to the original crash location.  And let's not forget my favorite moment of the season...when the Red Sox won the series!!  :P   Season three also introduced us to the not so amusing characters of Nikki and Paulo.  For me, Nikki and Paulo were Boone and Shannon take two: now 100x more annoying!  I was not sad to see them go early on in the season.  And I'm fairly certain everyone was with me on that.  The best part of their passing might be this exchange between Hurley and Sawyer: 

"She stumbled out of the jungle; face planted. Said something like ply wood. And, and..."
   "Actually I think she said power lines."     
"Well who the hell knows what she said, she was five seconds from dying. Probably seeing a light at the end of the tunnel...

" Paulo lies! That's what she said, Paulo lies not power lines, Paulo lies."     
"Who the hell's Paulo?"  

Well put Sawyer. Well put. Oh and better yet...what she said was "Paralyzed." Awesome.

Kate finally chose Sawyer over Jack (well chosen) but then...she didn't.  Typical Kate.  Jack bartered for her freedom despite her obviously harlot attitude and she and Sawyer take off with Alex and her now tortured boyfriend Karl in tow.  We're also introduced more personally to Juliet who, I was highly annoyed by.  I didn't like her with Jack (though you'd think I would have!)  and I liked her less when she inevitably moved on to greener pastures (but that's for season 4!!)  It also included one of my most favorite quotes of all time. From the mouth of Benjamin Linus no less:

  

"Do you believe in God, Jack? Two days after I found out I had a fatal tumor on my spine, a spinal surgeon fell out of the sky, and if that's not proof of God, I don't know what is."  

Other things that happened?  Kate and Sawyer are captured and finally "hook up".  In attempt to escape no less than 7 others are killed.  Juliet is brought back to camp with Jack which sparks concern from the losties. Charlie disengages the Looking Glass which allows communication with the outside world and ultimately pays for it with his life (worst LOST moment EVER!).  Desmond has flashes of the future which change depending on what the losties do.  Ben shoots Locke and leaves him for dead.  Sun ends up pregnant and Sayid and Locke discover another station: The Flame.  And let's not forget that Hurley resurrects a Dharma van complete with beer! Oh how I lived for those little happy moments in such a stress ridden season. Reminds me of "the first...and hopefully LAST, Island Open" created by Hurley in season one. :)

On to the nails!!  My thumb is the Hydra symbol.  The index finger is the quintessential moment where Charlie gives up his life for the greater good.  He leaves Desmond with just this message: "Not Penny's boat." (btw Darlton, why did he have to shut that door and drown?!)  The middle is that "Jesus stick" Eko carried around with him until his unfortunate death via Smokey. The ring is the Dharma van Charlie, Sawyer and Hurley took for a joy ride.  And the pinkie is the fish biscuit!! Who can forget how Sawyer tried to get those silly bear treats?  He was so proud of himself...until Tom offered that it had only taken the bears two hours to get the treat!  Oh and the Kate exchange?

 "You taste like strawberries."  

"You taste like fish biscuits."  

Classic.

Don't forget to check out what the other ladies came up with for Season Three! Debbie, Emma, Kerrie, Kirsten, and Sarah will all have something wonderful I'm sure! Tomorrow's post will be up at 1:06PM!

"I have this dream. I'm driving a bus, and my teeth start falling out. My mum is in the back, eating biscuits. Everything smells of bacon. It's weird. 'Course I don't wake up screaming."

Thumb: Zoya Veruschka, butterLONDON Dosh

Index: butterLONDON Tea With The Queen, Models Own Nail Art Pen in Black

Middle: China Glaze Mahogany Magic and Knotty

Ring: Orly Au Champagne, Barry M Cyan Blue and Silver Foil, Hard Candy The End

Pinkie: butterLONDON Jaffa, China Glaze Ahoy!

On behalf of the DeGroots, Alvar Hanso, and all of us at the DHARMA Initiative, thank you, namaste and...good luck.

So it's day 2 of my Lost-a-thon mani series and that means it's time to break out the jumpsuits!! The Dharma Initiative was introduced in season 2 and let me just say...I'm OBSESSED.  I seriously have all sorts of Dharma swag and even once hosted a LOST party complete with Dharma beer!  Most..OK almost all of my art this season revolves around the enigma that remains the Dharma Initiative.  A lot happened in this season which I didn't cover on my nails. Not because it wasn't important but because I felt that the Dharma is MORE important. :P  There were those annoying Tailies who appeared seemingly out of nowhere and disappeared almost as quickly.  In fact, while season one saw only two major deaths (Ethan Rom and Boone Carlyle), season two seemed almost riddled with it. Shannon is notably taken out by the wrong end of Ana Lucia's gun.  Then later Micheal does everyone a favor by taking out both Ana Lucia and Libby in one fell swoop.  Rousseau captures Henry Gale in her trap and Jack, Sayid and Locke take turns torturing and coddling him for information.  Meanwhile there's that hatch.  Filled with the sexy goodness that is Desmond Hume.  The hatch, otherwise known as Station Three or The Swan Station was the big news on Season 2.  It caused more than one rift between Jack and Locke, acted as a safe ground for Sawyer while he was injured, offered the Losties shelter, food, and access to clean clothing and a shower, gave Hurley a new shot at being a DJ (complete with awesome records like Mama Cass!) and...supplied Charlie with an opportunity to make good on his peanut butter promise to Claire.  All in all, this season moved fast and delved much deeper into the characters and the island that season one had. 

 So the nails...the thumb is the side art from the Blu Ray box.  It depicts the island with dark water and cloudy skies. 

 The index is the opening screen of the Swan Stations orientation film...

"Welcome. I am Dr. Marvin Candle, and this is the orientation film for station 3 of the *DHARMA* Initiative. In a moment you will be given a simple set of instructions for how you and your partner will fulfill the responsibilities associated with the station."

The middle finger is the logo from Mittelos Bioscience which is the front by which the Dharma Initiative allegedly recruits new members like Juliet.

The ring finger is the mad face icon which appears on the screen of the computer inside the hatch just before the numbers are entered "4,8,15,16,23,42, EXECUTE"

The pinkie is the logo from Oceanic Airlines which is the airline which the losties (and the tailies) crashed on. I felt it was more fitting this season since the logo actually appears on the tail of the plane and also one of the tailies, Cindy, was a flight attendant.  

Colors used are listed below! Look for post number three tomorrow at 1:50PM (noticing a pattern yet?)

Don't forget to check out my fellow losties: Debbie, Emma, Kerrie, Kirsten, and

Sarah's amazing art for this season!

Thumb: China Glaze Icicle and Holly-day, OPI Suede Suzi Ski's in the Pyrenees and Skull & Glossbones, Revlon White on White and Black Lingerie

Index: Revlon Black Lingerie and OPI Skull & Glossbones

Middle: China Glaze Brownstone, Icicle, and Revlon Black Lingerie

Ring: Revlon Black Lingerie and China Glaze Gaga for Green

Pinkie: OPI Skull & Glossbones & Dating A Royal, butterLONDON Queen Vic, and Barry M Cyan Blue

Is this your first plane crash?  You can always spot the n00b's.  ;)  

Today is an exciting day for me.  It's the day I start my second series of nail art!! This one I get to have some helpers for. I've been teasing here and on my Facebook page about the upcoming challenge.  Six girls. Six seasons. Six mani's. And now we're here!!  So I'm sure you've guessed the premise by now.  If not, you need to get yourself to a DVD player and start watching RIGHT. NOW. Seriously. Don't even continue reading.  And be prepared to be completely absent from your life for the next 96 hours or so.  So I'll start by introducing my partners in crime here.  The "others" (hehe) are: Kirsten, Sarah, Emma, Debbie, and Kerrie.  So don't forget to check out the awesome art work they come up with.  So each day, starting with today, there will be a new manicure featuring art inspired by each season of LOST.  My blogs will be going up at various times of day to coincide with the series as well. Look for tomorrows at 8AM EST. 

And now...without further delay...Season One...

I'm going to be completely honest here and admit that the reason I started watching this show is that I think Dominic Monaghan is a seriously hot dude. I had a general idea about what the show was about. But truly: Dominic. *Sigh* Oh wait...where was I?  Yeah...LOST.  So if you've seen the show you know how magical that pilot episode was.  I don't think I breathed a single time while I was watching it.  Years later, I watch in in 3D (yeah my TV rocks) and surround sound...and honestly, it's the best darn two hours of TV money can buy.  I'd rather watch it than even a film.  It's THAT. GOOD.  The crash. The jungle. The suspense. The mystery.  It's breathtaking.  I hated Jack. Pretty much from the moment he stumbled his drunk self out of that jungle.  I loved Hurley. Charlie. Oh Charlie.  I loved him instantly too. His funny little remarks.  Everyone else had to kind of grow on me.  And Shannon and Boone. Oh those two.  They drove me crazy but in an OK way. :P  I think my favorite part of the season was the growth.  The first season of the show really filled out the characters for us but without being obvious or obnoxious.  The characters were building trust with one another.  There was that little incident with the caves vs. the beach.  And that little Ethan Rom incident.  But for the most part everyone, even Sawyer, worked together to try to survive, and of course, escape.  The other thing that excited me about season one...that hatch. What was in that hatch!?  Oh I agonized about it.  And the loss of Boone.  I have to admit Boone was NOT my favorite character but oh how I cried when he died.  And those transfusions?! With sea urchin needles.  Crazy talk.  We were also introduced to the smoke monster, Rousseau (in a round about sense) and the others though at the time they were survivor stealing primitives.  Oh how I missed the innocence of season one.  But it got better in season two...when that hatch busted open...but that's for tomorrow!! The nails I did for this season were to represent some of the more prominent characters. My thumb is Jack in his initial stance on the beach (which is incidentally the image on the side of my Season One Blu Ray box), the index is Hurley's headphones.  I missed Hurley's music when that thing inevitably died early on in the season.  The middle is Charlie.  Remember his Sharpie? At one point in the season his hands read both LATE and FATE.  The ring is Kate.  It's her hand peeking out of the bamboo thresh after the pilot was "eaten" by Smokey. "One...two...three...four...five".  The pinkie is Locke.  It's the light from the hatch after Locke and Boone launched something from their trebuchet into the top! Polished used are listed below. :) What were your favorite moments from season one?

Thumb: China Glaze Sea Spray and Recycle, butterLONDON All Hail The Queen, Catrice London's Weather Forecast, and Revlon White on White and Black Lingerie

Index: OPI Skull & Glossbones and I Have a Herring Problem, Revlon Black Lingerie

Middle: butterLONDON Tea With The Queen, Revlon White on White and Black Lingerie

Ring: China Glaze Smoke & Ashes and Foie Gras, Illamasqua Viridian, and butterLONDON Tea With the Queen

Pinky: Ulta Marine Attraction, China Glaze Sea Spray, OPI Skull & Glossbones, Essence It's Two Bright and Romeo, NYX Gilded Glitter

All nails except middle are top coated with Seche Vite. Middle is top coated with Essie Matte About You.

 

Well ladies and gentlemen...that's the end of my Hunger Games series.  I hope you all enjoyed it.  As of today, I have still, rather sadly, not seen the film.  Though I've read the books many times over!  I had a lot of fun trying to represent all the districts with the China Glaze polishes.  It was really a winning collection in my book and one worth owning.  I can't wait to do more series like this!  I think my most favorite district ended up being district 10.  Yes, the cow print!! I don't know why, I've never had cow print on my nails before and for some reason it's never even occurred to me to do it.  It was fun and it turned out so cute! I may try it again in the future! I also really loved the capitol nails, because they were flashy and subtle.  I have SO many things lined up for my blog for the next two months.  Some are surprises (!) and others not so much.  In May I will begin the first part of my Rehab Your Nails series.  You guys have been asking me to do more nail care posts and I've been listening!  So the first of those will be here in May and I will round them up for you on a new tab at the top so you can always get to them easily.  I can't wait to share the tips and tricks I've learned with you. :)  If you have requests for nail care posts PLEASE don't hesitate to contact me! I'm compiling a list and will start to go through them one by one. Thanks so much for sharing my Hunger Games excitement! Which mani was your favorite? Have any of you tried to recreate any of them? I'd love to see!!

Today's Hunger Games mani centers on the capitol.   The Capitol is the wealthy, flashy, city which all the districts work to maintain. It is also the only major city to be mentioned in the series. It is thought to be located in the northwestern section of the former United States of America, seemingly in the Rocky Mountains. It is likely that it is in the current day state of Colorado, Utah, or Montana. Residents of the capitol dress in very outrageous fashion, even dying their skin and wearing various wigs.  These nails are based on the nails that Effie Trinket famously wears during The Reaping in the films.  Since there is no color in the China Glaze collection to represent the Capitol, I had to choose my own! I started with a base of China Glaze Wicked Style, which was not only fitting color wise, but also a VERY fitting name for the nail art!!  Then I sponged Orly Luxe lightly on the tips and up to about the halfway point of the nail.  These are really fun because the amount of gold flashes differently in different lighting ranging from very evident (as shown above) to just a glimmer.  I hope you've all enjoyed the series!! I have something REALLY exciting for you coming up.  Another series!! This one is going to include some other bloggers and it's based on something I REALLY REALLY REALLY love.  So I can't wait to share it with you. Stay tuned...

Thanks for following!!

Visit the previous district: Graphite Mining/Nuclear Power

District Thirteen is the elusive district which, according to the Capitol was annihilated and the original reason for the Hunger Games.  If you have only seen the films or have not yet finished reading the second book in the series...get ready for a spoiler!!  District Thirteen is actually a fully functional, operational district. Their industry is: graphite mining and nuclear power.  District 13 was never destroyed, they just moved underground.  They made a treaty with the Capitol since they had access to nuclear power and they agreed not to destroy the Capitol if they were left alone. The President of the District is Alma Coin.  District Thirteen plays a big role in the rebellion of the districts of Panem, and ultimately, ends up having it's own surprises.  These nails are sort of based on the idea of fire out of the ashes.  Katniss alights the fire of the rebellion in the district when she arrives.  This is also the very first thing I did when I got my China Glaze Colors of the Capitol collection! It makes such a nice contrast and it's very easy to do. Since there is no China Glaze color for this district, I've used Stone Cold and Electrify to do this mani.  I hope you're all enjoying the series! There is ONE post left in this series.  

I have another VERY exciting series to come after this...I will leave you simply with this as a hint: There will be six girls, six designs, and six seasons.  And if you ask me...it's the best six seasons of television to ever exist. :)

Next in the series: The Capitol

District Twelve's industry is mining. Specifically coal mining. They are also one of the poorest, most ridiculed districts in the nation of Panem. Located in the Appalachian Mountains, they have a population of fewer than 10,000 people.  Obviously since the main characters from the book are from this district, there is a TON of information on it.  It's separated into four main areas: The Hob, The Seam, The Victors Village, and the merchants section. Katniss and Gale are from The Seam whereas Peeta was from the merchants section.  The Seam is the poorest part of the district and the things Katniss learns from living there help her greatly in her round of the Hunger Games.  The China Glaze color for this collection is called Smoke and Ashes. It's a gorgeous color; deep black with green and gold shimmer.  I would have much preferred Stone Cold as 12's color though, being it looks almost exactly like a piece of coal.  For this district I chose to do some coals over a fire for my accent nail.  The intention with the other nails was smoke on a night sky but they ended up looking like coal briquettes themselves!  Either way I think it worked out!!  I used Riveting and Stone Cold to complete the mani. :)

Only two more Hunger Games posts left!!

Next up is District 13: ???

District Eleven's industry is agriculture. Orchards, fields of grain, and cotton surround the district.  I already did grain nails and I wasn't too keen on orchards or cotton so I went with a sort of all around green-y design.  The bottom is meant to symbolize a hill or field while the green stripes represent growth. Could be flowers, trees, food, etc. This is a poorer district of Panem and it's also where Katniss' partner in crime, Rue is from.  Other known tributes include Thresh, Chaff, and Seeder.  The author of The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins revealed in interviews that this district is located near Atlanta, Georgia so I imagined it as being warm and sunny.  The blue background (meant to represent the sky) is a franken I made which I am calling Forget Bee Not. :) It's a pale blue laced with gold, green, and pink shimmer.  Thanks for following along...

District Ten is another one of those districts which the book left out much information on.  So I'm going with the film's accepted industry of this one and it's livestock. he tributes from District 10 were dressed as cows with flaming belts in the 75th Hunger Games, which Katniss thought was, "ridiculous".  I used that idea to an extent for these nails. Of course, there is no flames!!  I actually felt a little bad about doing this one because the China Glaze color for this district is called Foie Gras.  I don't know why but it feels awkward polishing on an animal print with a color inspired by dead animals!!  But hey, you win some you lose some, right?  There are also no named tributes from this district.  So not much info to go on.  I liked how this came out though and it's my first time doing cow print so I feel good about that!  I hope you're enjoying the series!

Next up is District 11: Agriculture
Or visit the previous district: grain

District Nine is another district whose industry was not really specified in the books.  While I haven't seen the film yet (though I'd like to) I'm relying on the film for this particular series of nail art since it has more defined industries for the districts and as well the polish line is modeled after the films not the books.  In the film, the industry of this district is grain. There are no named tributes from district nine and it is the only district in which all known tributes have died.  The color for this district is Harvest Moon which is a gorgeous burnt orange with shimmer to spare.  You can get a better idea how it looks in real life by checking out my thumb in the picture above! So pretty.  I think it's one of my favorites of the entire collection.  I went super simple on this one and polished on 'grain' with Orly Luxe. The results were super shimmery and while it's not super obvious that I have grain on my nails I think the inspiration is there. :)

Next in the series is District Ten: Livestock
Or visit the previous district: Textiles

District Eight's industry is textiles. In the books, Katniss describes District 8 "as an ugly, urban place stinking of industrial fumes, the people housed in run down tenements, barely a blade of grass in sight".  Obviously I'm not doing nail art based on that!  There is also mention in the books that it's a cold district and it is assumed to be a very poor one as well.  Woof and Cecelia are the known tributes though the ones who participate in Katniss's games are not named.  Other people known from the district are Twill, Bonnie, and Commander Paylor (don't worry if you've not read the books and only seen the films, these people are coming!)  The color China Glaze chose for this district was called Dress Me Up and it's a light dusty pinkish shade.  It's actually a lovely color and very flattering as well.  It again, has little to do with the district given the descriptions above BUT it was easier to work with than some of the others! I went simple one this one giving it an easy pattern so that it would resemble cloth.  The pattern was done with butterLONDON Toff.  I liked the subtle color difference and from a distance it really looked more textured than patterned which is the effect I was looking for.  Thanks for following!  

Next up is District Nine: Grain
Or visit the previous district: Lumber

***Don't forget to check out the winner of my Free Swag Giveaway!!***

District Seven's industry is lumber.  I actually LOVE the descriptions of this district in the books. We all know I'm a big tree hugger!  It's supposed to be a district lush with trees and beauty. It's also said to smell like pine.  The only mentioned tributes from this district are Johanna Mason and Blight.  I find it a bit odd that while the other districts tribute names seemed to fit their district industry this one actually had very odd names. Not Johanna of course though her last name seems more fitting to district two, but Blight. What has that got to do with lumber and trees?  Well if you were wondering too then I have the answer for you.  It's not really very pretty though.  Blight apparently is rapid and complete chlorosis and it affects plants by browning and then killing the plants.  Cheerful, no?  His parents must have really loved him.  :P  Anyway I went simple on this one.  I used Mahogany Magic by China Glaze for the base, keeping with the theme of using the district allotted polish.  Then I stamped a wood like pattern on with China Glaze Foie Gras.  It was a bit easier to see in person and I matted it the first go round but it looks much better with a shine to it!  You can click the picture and blow it up to see the pattern more accurately!  Thanks for following and I hope you're enjoying the series!

District Six is the Transportation district.  There isn't a whole lot of information on this district in the books and it's so unimportant in the scheme of the story that it's tributes aren't even given names.  Given that and the fact that this is another color match-up fail from China Glaze, I was a bit stumped at first as to what I should do for my art.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Fast Track as a color. It's absolutely stunning: neutral, sparkly, great coverage.  It just has nothing to do with transportation.  I wish it had been something darker or murkier.  But I digress.  I got to looking at pictures online and ended up loving the look of the rail trains.  They all have these little square windows and then these two stripes which run the length of the cars.  Even better is that my nails fit perfectly into the scheme of a train by creating their own little cars!  So this is my take on that. The thumb is the lead car, with the big dark windows, and the other nails represent the other cars with the pinkie bringing up the rear. :)  I created the stripes with China Glaze Mahogany Magic and Dress Me Up and the windows with Stone Cold.  Then I top coated the whole thing with Seche Vite. :)  I hope you're enjoying the series and thanks for following! 

District Five's industry is power.  They harness solar, electric, and nuclear power for Panem.  The only known tribute from the district is Foxface and whether you've seen the film or read the books there isn't much to say about Foxface.  I wasn't entirely sure where I wanted to go with the art for this district.  I had a lot of ideas but on the day I sat down to do it I had an epiphany. Sadly, the full effect of this epiphany is lost in the picture BUT if you have the China Glaze polish for this district I fully encourage you to take it into the sunlight.  It sparkles in a way that really makes your nails look alive.  I started with a base of Barry M Gold Foil for these.  You can't really see it but I wanted to be sure that the glitter would be fully covering the nail and it's always better to start with a similar base just in case!  Then I added two coats of Electrify.  After seeing the way it lit up in the sun I decided to go simple and do 'lines' of power.  The black was a stark contrast to the glitter and when I moved my hands in the light it really did look electric!! I wish it had picked up better on camera.  I need to work on that for next time! :) 

I hope you're all enjoying the series so far!

Next up is District Six: Textiles
Or visit the previous district: Fishing

Next up is District Five: Power
Or visit the previous district: Technology

Today's nail art is inspired by District Three.  District Three's industry is technology and known tributes include Beetee and Wiress.  The tributes from this district also play a rather large part in the unfolding of the book series.  They are great with technology and electricity.  The China Glaze color for this district is Riveting which is a stunning glass flecked orange.  I'm not a big orange person myself; I love the color but it just doesn't flatter me.  This one doesn't make my skin look TOO awful though!  I was a little stumped on where to go with this art.  Technology can mean so many things and go in so many directions, but I decided to go simple.  I used China Glaze Stone Cold to stamp some circles on it so that it would look like a fancy grid or gadget screen.  And I left the stamped parts matte to add to the dimension.  It almost looks like it's glowing, no?

Next up is District Three: Technology
Or see the previous district: Luxury