Today I have something SO fun for you guys!! I've started a new challenge called Forty Great Nail Ideas with The New Crumpets Nail Tarts.  Way back in the day I was part of the original Purple Fairy Crumpets and this is basically that group revamped (although with other upgrades in between!!).  So I'm super excited to be back with the Nail Tarts and this challenge is extra cool because it's going to run for the full length of the YEAR.  So you'll get to see some really fun art from me and loads of other ladies once a week!  Our first challenge was to do a mani based on hobbies.  I have SO many hobbies that it was a little tricky to choose one and on top it's sort of difficult to translate hobbies onto your nails sometimes.  I decided to choose yoga though.  I started with yoga about five years ago and I didn't love it.  I did it like, twice or something and then stopped.  I've always been very active and I love sports and working out and it was just way too...low energy for me.  Not that it isn't work because it is but it's sort of more relaxing than something that will pump you up.  Then about a year ago I went back to it as a 'break' from my regular high energy workouts so that I could do less lengthy workouts during the week and spread them over seven days.  Now with my CFS it's really the only thing I'm able to handle ALL the time and adding it to my daily workouts has made a huge difference in how much I'm able to do on a standard day.  I guess you could say I've grown to love it. :P  Anyway this is a layered splash marble technique with some fun yoga symbols on top. I hope you enjoy the mani and don't forget to check out the other ladies mani's below!! 

Most of you probably know that I picked up some sheer shades recently and I.LOVE.THEM.  I've had so much fun playing with them.  They blend, they can be layered, you can color with them... the possibilities are just endless.  One of the ways I played with them was in doing something I'm calling a splash marble.  This may well have been done previously, it's difficult to create a new nail technique these days, but if it has I haven't seen it anywhere. You can use it to make multiple effects and I've sort of fine tuned it for a future mani.  Basically what you want to do is to do a standard water marble and then use alcohol to spray the surface so that the marble separates.  My index nail was a bit of a fail but you can use it to do a random sort of marble like on my pinky OR to make sort of a blended leopard type effect like my middle two fingers.  The sheers make it extra interesting because if you don't make a full bulls-eye in your cup but rather, just do a few sheer drops, you can then dip your nail repeatedly to make a layered effect.  I think it might be fun to use this in conjunction with stamping like a pond mani but I haven't gone that far with it yet.  At any rate I hope you like the art!! :)

I know you're all excited because it's time for another week with the Digit-al Dozen!  This week's theme is books and it's actually been a bit of a challenge for me because I read SO many books.  Literally, I'm currently in the middle of four (yes, at once) because I can't devour them as quickly one at a time!  This art work is for one of my favorite books.  There were a lot of different ways I could have taken it because the particular book I chose has SO many gorgeous details and descriptive elements.  The setting is just an amazing place.  But when I held it up to a few people and asked them to guess the book, they all got it on the first try.  Have you guessed it yet?  It's for Memoirs of a Geisha. I really love books about Japan and China and it was such an easy read for me.  It's a very moving book but it's not one of those I'm-gonna-cry-everyday-for-weeks kind of reads which really appeals to me.  I wanted to capture the most important elements of the book so I focused on the red/white color scheme and on the umeboshi.  I used some square glitter on the ring finger to simulate rice so that it would sort of resemble the onigiri with the bright red umeboshi plum at the bottom.  Then I used some fans to sort of tie in the Geisha theme.  I hope you really loved these! Please check out what my fellow book worms have come up with for today's theme and stay tuned all week for more books!!

Colors used: 

Essie Blood Curdling

 Zoya Purity 

OPI Lights Of Emerald City 

Zoya Raven

These are some nails I've been meaning to get up for awhile! You'll have to pardon my slowness as things have gotten very hectic for me. I am making an effort to post more frequently though! This is another in the series of Jamberry strips I got to review from Shea at OMG Wait What Polish Is That. If you're interested, you can see the other designs I got as well as the original review for the Mo Mo pattern, here. The pattern I've used here is the Tangerine IKAT. I used it on my ring finger once again (only one strip to the pack on the samples!) and like before it was a breeze to apply. One thing I did differently this time, was rather than digging out my hair dryer I simply rubbed the strip in my hand a bit before releasing it from the backer and then I blew on it a bit to heat it.  It still worked quite nicely but I do think it's easier to gently warm them using the blow dryer.  These do take a small amount of practice to apply properly but they're so easy once you get the hang of it and they last really well.  I also love how many patterns are available AND you can even make your own custom wraps if you're so inclined! This time I paired my strips up with some Essie Bone Chilling and Zoya Sharon! Don't you love them?

 There are lots of other designs to choose from so don't forget to visit her store or her Facebook page to see what's available and snag some for yourself!! :)

So I'm starting this new thing called Flashback Friday.  It's not going to happen EVERY Friday but here and there I'll be recreating nail art from my early days!  There are a lot of mani's that I really wanted to come out differently than they ended up and I just didn't have the skill level to take them there.  So I'm going to start re-doing them and hoping that now I have the skillset to do them properly!  It's also a bit of a chance for you, as my readers, as well as myself to see how not only my art skills have improved, but also my photography skills.  So this is the first of my flashbacks.  The original art work: Sew DC, was done in March of 2011 so it's been nearly a year and a half since they were first done.  They were based on a pair of DC shoes that I have which I still have and still absolutely love!  Here's the original picture:

The main problem with the original is the photography skills.  My nails didn't take up nearly enough of the frame, it was taken in bad artificial lighting and it's way too dark.  There's also a severe lack of cleanup and unfortunately, I couldn't get away with zero clean-up at that time!  Originally I used five coats of Essie Like Linen and then waited an inordinate amount of time before stamping the flowers on using Essie Sew Psyched, Orly Prince Charming, and Revlon Fuschia Fever.  This time I used three coats of the Essie Like Linen, since I realize now that the base doesn't need to be completely opaque when you're using stamps to cover the entire surface.  Then I used a coat of Seche Vite and about 20 minutes later I was able to start stamping.  I was a bit less random with the stamping this go round and since I no longer have Revlon Fuschia Fever, I subbed Max Factor Disco Pink.  Both are hot pink creme's but it turns out that the Max Factor is a bit less sheer when stamped.  Overall I think I like the new version better.  I used less stamps to let the base show through more and I like the pop of pink.  These are still some of my most favorite nails I've done!!  Which version do you prefer?

It's time for another edition of Dupes Up! This weeks contenders:

 Essie: Pure Pearlfection from the LuxeEffects collection

Retail Cost: $8

vs.

Orly: Twilight  from the Holiday Top Coats Collection

I know what you're thinking. She's crazy, right? These look nothing alike.  I would agree with you at first glance...but there's more to these two than meet the eye. 

I apologize first for the awkward angle of my index finger in this picture.  It was the only way I could get the shimmer to show.  These are both swatched over Hard Candy The End and Ulta Snow White as per ususal.  I'm sure you've already noticed why I'm 'dupe testing' these.  They are both multi-tonal shimmers packed into jelly bases.  Yes, the Orly is packed into a lilac base while the Essie is in a clear one.  But tell me, do YOU see a difference?

Naturally I assumed that on a white base it would be blatently obvious which was the Essie and which was the Orly.  Not so.  The lilac base in the Orly didn't even show on white after THREE coats.  After which point I stopped trying.   To my eyes they look exactly alike.   In this picture, the Orly looks a bit murkier but I can assure you that this is mostly due to the lighting and the shadow in the picture.  It also seems that over white, they lose a lot of their multi-tonal effect and show mostly as a white-ish, silvery shimmer rather than a colorful one.

 Over black they look exactly the same as well.  The colorful shimmer is easier to see here than it is on the white but again, the murky lilac base of the Orly Twilight makes no appearance here.  From what I can tell, these polishes are essentially the same.

Verdict: Close enough for spades.

I know the price difference on these two isn't much BUT if you weren't lucky enough to snag the Essie LuxeEffects polishes you may have been able to score the Orly at Sally during their winter clearance sale for just $1.67.  Yes, you read that correctly. One dollar and sixty-seven cents.  Orly's do also contain a SMIDGE more product than their polish counterparts.  The Essie is a 15mL while the Orly is 18mL.

Where to buy: Both of these are from 'limited edition' collections this winter.  The Essie was available at Ulta and select drugstores nationwide.  Orly can be purchased at Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply stores.

Rematch!!

Essie Pure Pearlfection 

vs.

Retail Cost: 4.99

Day 14 of the 31 Days of Christmas Challenge has arrived! Today's inspiration is Christmas trees. I had literally NO time to get these nails together so I cheated a bit (gotta love Seche Vite) and just took off the top layers of yesterdays art to put on these. Instead of warming up the Essie Bone Chilling I just threw a coat of Essie Luxe Effects in Pure Pearlfection on top for some shimmer and then stamped on ornaments using China Glaze Glittering Garland and Poinsettia.  The gold tops of the ornaments are Color Club Gingerbread Man and I made a little dot tree with the same green plus some China Glaze Cha Cha Cha and a bit of Orly Prince Charming.  I think the tree would have come out better with more space between the dots.  But you get the idea!!  Also sorry for the poor lighting.  I've been up at the crack of dawn and home late most nights so I haven't seen sunlight in forever! Gotta love the holidays!

So it's day 13 of the 31 Days of Christmas Challenge and that means today's inspiration is angels.  Is anyone else in total shock that today is December 13th? Where is the time going?  Lucky me I have my Christmas shopping complete! And my extra sweet husband gifted me early with a Keurig coffee pot which I can't stop obsessing over.  I'm in love with it and it makes my extra hectic life so much easier!  Anyway onto the nails...I was in a hurry today so this is another stamped mani.  The base coat is Essie Bone Chiling and it was kind of stark for my taste so I warmed it up with some Deborah Lippmann Diamonds and Pearls and then I added a coat of Essie Luxe Effects in As Gold as it Gets.  To top it off and make it more angel-y I added some gold feathered "wings" with some Color Club Gingerbread Man.  Enjoy and thanks for following!!

It's day three of the 31 Days of Christmas Challenge  and that means today's challenge is: Snow Globes.  I really wanted to use my new China Glaze green which I snagged in a set for $4 with a pretty glitter and, guess what? A snowglobe!  So I decided to do the snowglobe on just one finger as a fun accent.  I thought the snowman was kind of cute but looking at him in the picture he seems a little wonky too me.  Oh well, he only lasted a day poor little guy!! I used to love snowglobes when I was little and we used to make them with jars and fun things from around the house!  I hope you enjoy my snowglobe nails :)

Thanks so much for following along! Have you ever made a snow globe?

Don't forget to check out what Debbie, Claire, Kerrie, and Emma came up with for their snowglobe mani's!

Base on all nails but accent is:  China Glaze Holly-Day

Base on accent nail is: Essie Like Linen with China Glaze Holly-Day tips.

Snowman made with: Ulta Snow White, Hard Candy The End, Orly Orange Punch, China Glaze Poinsettia, China Glaze Holly-Day and China Glaze Snow Globe.

It's Friday!! So you know what that means! Time for another Purple Crumpet Fairy Challenge! This weeks challenge was chosen by Emma, and it will be the last Friday challenge until January since we're working our way through the 31 Days of Christmas Challenge! :)  

I was really excited for this one because jellies are one of my favorite finishes.  I had a ton to choose from but I decided to use a new one that my husband picked up for me recently.  It was a bit sheer on it's own, as jellies tend to be, so I layered it over another jelly with a bit more finish before I made the sandwich.  I think it came out pretty nice!! I actually have a few of the Deborah Lippmann's which are intended to create this jelly sandwich like effect (think Glitter In The Air, Across The Universe...etc.) and I think this came out as great if not better than the Lippmann's.  I love the way the glitter looks suspended between the layers and also the way it's sort of muted but still glittery. :)  

Enjoy and thanks for following! Have you ever made a jelly sandwich?

Don't forget to check out what Debbie, Claire, Kerrie, and Emma came up with for their jelly sandwich mani's!

Base is: Essie Like Linen

Jelly sandwich made with: Essie Main Squeeze and NYC Starry Silver

Pink Wednesday is here again.  This week I sort of stumbled onto my pink mani because I happened to get a free Zoya in my monthly Birchbox.  The color was Izzy and really, while I LOVE this color I don't think it's appropriate for my age range! My husband pointed out that it sort of looks like those little girls press on nails you buy at the store.  I do love the color though so I'm hoping I can find a way to use it that looks less childlike!  The flowers were from another free polish, Trophy Wife, that was gifted to me recently. :) You can't beat free polish!!

Enjoy and thanks for following! How do you feel about foil finishes?

Base is: Zoya Izzy

Awhile back I got a TON of nail supplies in the mail.  I mean, a TON.  Decals, stickers, foils, lazer foils, striping tape...you name it.  Foils were one thing I was really excited and yet terrified to use!  I've heard it's tricky, it takes practice, it can be a mess...so I picked the foil I liked the LEAST from the ones I had received and gave it a go on one nail.  It came out rather nicely though I did learn some things from round one.  The most important thing I learned: make sure there's glue on every surface of the nail!! No glue = no foil.  And there's no going back if you mess up.  Anyway a few tries later I felt I had a good handle on it so I decided to incorporate it into a mani.  The execution of this manicure isn't the problem.  It 's the concept.  The foil wasn't as gold as I thought it was and the gold I used at the base of my nails wasn't so much shiny as sparkly.  So it looks a little wonky.  But it made it 24 hours still which is a miracle given that it's foil and matte!!  

Enjoy and thanks for following!! Have you ever used nail foils?

Gold is: Orly Luxe

Green is: Zoya Veruschka

Ok. So ONE more Halloween mani!!  Last night I was kind of bored and I remembered that I had some Halloween polish I hadn't used yet--well--not Halloween persay, but creepy!!  A few weeks back someone mentioned that you could snag the Essie Morticia's Nails set for only $10.  Where I live, ONE Essie will run you $8 so three for the price of one is a steal in my book.  I even got free shipping!  They arrived awhile back and I put them in my drawer and kind of forgot about them.  Until last night.  I was watching The Simpson's annual Treehouse of Horrors with my husband and got inspired to do ONE last Halloween mani.  I keep seeing these blood drips popping up (mostly from fans of True Blood) and I thought it would be a quick easy mani I could do for today.  And it was!  One thing I love about the Morticia's Nail's set is that all the polishes inside are jelly finish.  So while I had to use a bit more red to get a more opaque look, it was also more blood-like since blood is not really opaque.  I'm taking these off tonight before I trick or treat with my neices since I'm going as a Poke-girl (pics to come!) but they're fun for the day!! Enjoy and have a wonderful Halloween!! :)

So these are my second (and final) Halloween design this year.  Hopefully next year I'll have more time and motivation to do more but it seems all I had was trouble with them this year!!  This was my second attempt at these as well although I was smart this round and tested my designs on a nail wheel before I started on my nails.  The first round was nice but the colors were all wrong.  So I started again with these murky greens.  I did kind of like the end result but the haunted house looked a bit more busy than I wanted.  Oh well. Next year! :P

Enjoy and thanks for following! Hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

Base coat is: OPI Stranger Tides with reverse french in Essie Sew Psyched.

Swirls on all nails but accent are Models Own Moody Grey

Ghost is Konad White

Today is my last day of vacation at home!! Tomorrow I will be headed to a bunch of places (we're doing a mini-vacation in a few places!) so I thought I'd post some nails to tide you over :P  I have a couple of things set to auto-upload but if I know blogger...and I DO know blogger...they'll never actually post.  I'll be back Sunday with new and exciting things!  These nails were inspired by a Missoni for Target dress I snagged a few weeks back (when they actually still had them!).  It's also my first frankened polish because out of all the nail polish I own it seems I don't have one rusty orangy redish one. :P  The polish on the thumb is the franken.  It was actually pretty fun mixing the colors together so it's possible more frankening is in my future.  Stash photos are to come at some point this week and it's out. of. control.  After spending HOURS swatching and numbering and organizing (I'm still not done) I've decided to cut back on the polish buying for awhile. There are a few on my wishlist but nothing serious. :)  Today I've also reached 100 followers!! So I just want to give a HUGE thank you to my followers, new and old, I love sharing with you and I've learned a lot from your feedback. :)  I haven't decided if I'll do a giveaway or not for several reasons.  The most important is that I started this blog for myself to have a place to post my passion and see how I'm improving.  I'm so excited and happy to share it with people who are passionate about the same thing and I'd like to think that you're all following along because you feel the same.  I hate the idea that someone is following me just to win something free and not because they really enjoy what I'm doing.  It's also just a really big hassle to get a giveaway together and get it shipped out.  I have A LOT of swapping going on right now and it's getting overwhelming.  And the final reason is that I've learned recently that there may be legal implications to having a giveaway.  So I'm still thinking it over and I'll let all of you know what I decide.  But thank you anyway for following along with me.  I really appreciate having you along for the ride! :)

*Side note: I've added a Blog Sale tab to my page.  If you could check it out and see if anything catches your eye that would be great. I'm trying to clear out some polish I don't use and I'd love for it to go to some polish lovers like yourselves! :)*

Base on all nails: Essie Sand Tropez

Zig Zags are:

Models Own: BlooBloo

butterLONDON: Jaffa

China Glaze: Lemon Fizz

Hard Candy The End mixed with Orly Prince Charming

Franken: Dusty Rose

Kineizukun is a little squirrel (yeah I know it seems like he should be a raccoon!) who LOVES to clean!  I love to clean too which makes Kineizukun and I a good match!  He's a relatively new San-X addition but SO cute!  I did the ring finger as his little tail and the thumb as his face. :) Hope you're enjoying getting to know my favorite San-X characters this week! Who are some of yours?

Thanks for following!

Base: Revlon All Fired Up

Dots: Ulta Snow White

Accent Nail: Essie Sand Tropez, Barry M Mushroom

Kineizukun: Revlon All Fired Up, Ulta Snow White, Essie Sand Tropez, China Glaze Ingrid, LA Nail Art Black

I keep seeing everyone doing these Japanese cherry blossom manicures and I think it looks so pretty on the nail!  It seemed easy enough so I thought I'd try it out for myself! It turns out it's ridiculously easy and it's pretty difficult to get a bad effect, even if you screw up.  I wish I had made the branches a little smaller but other than that I really ended up liking this art. :)  I used a matte topcoat to mix it up a little bit and it surprisingly lasted about four days with no chips! Bonus! :) Enjoy and thanks for following!

Base color: China Glaze For Audrey

Accents: Barry M Mushroom, Ulta Snow White, OPI Sparrow Me the Drama

Topcoat: Essie Matte About You