And...book four!  The Goblet of Fire.   I actually really loved this book as well...I know, I know...but I think it started off a whole lot of new things, like the physical return of Voldemort and also his followers.  It finally threw Snape into the pot as a would be assassin for Lord Voldemort and it started to make things much more real where the threat of the Dark Lord was concerned.  I also loved the idea of the TriWizard Tournament.  I think it was so much fun to see that there are other magical schools and that they might be very different from Hogwarts.  And who can forget Hagrid's new love interest?  It was also sad in a way, of course, since Cedric dies. :(  This book also started to show us Harry's more 'teen' side since he's chasing after Cho and Ron and Hermione's relationship starts to shift more heavily into romance and away from friendship...although, the most we see here is jealousy!  Anyway I wanted to focus my nails around the tournament and the players.  My thumb represents Mad Eye Moody, who, incidentally doesn't REALLY appear in this book until the very end, despite having a large role throughout it.  The index represents Krum and the Durmstrang school.  I used a bit of flocking powder down the center to represent the furs they wear.  The middle, of course is for Hogwarts and Harry.  It's not super exciting: the Gryffindor crest.  The ring finger is for Fleur and the Beauxbatons.  It' s actually holographic since she's part Veela and I thought it was fun that it comes alive in the sun but goes sort of dull in the shade since the Veela are meant to be very beautiful but also very ugly and dangerous.  The Bauxbatons also wore a lot of silver and blue so it worked well all the way around.  And then the pinky of course is for Cedric and his house of Hufflepuff.  I hope you're all enjoying this series!

Don't forget to check my fellow mischief makers, Kerrie, Emma, Abby, Julie, Debbie, and Sam's pages to see their art for this series!!

Check in for tomorrows post on book five: The Order of the Phoenix
Or visit the previous book:  The Prisoner of Azkaban

Thumb: Essie Sand Tropez, China Glaze Foie Gras

Index: OPI Red, China Glaze Foie Gras

Middle: Color Club Disco Nap, China Glaze Winter Berry

Ring: Color Club Worth The Risque, China Glaze Electric Beat

Pinky: Color Club Almost Famous, Revlon Black Lingerie

Here it is!! My favorite book in the series: The Prisoner of Azkaban.  Why is it my favorite? Well...OK I don't know it's just the one I most enjoy reading.  I think a large part of that stems from the general attitude of the book.  This is the last book in the series before things start to get seriously sad.  Hagrid becomes a professor and does a pretty hilarious job at trying to teach the students about magical creatures!  And it also has Lupin, who turned out to be my favorite professor for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.  I was oh so sad when he went away! But don't worry...shhh...he comes back!  Harry also got a real, actual, true family member in this book.  No, they aren't related per say but it's the first time in the series he has a magical person to lean to as a real family member and a link to his parents.  I chose to do my nails for this one based on the Marauders Map.  It was a useful tool during this book and I loved the way it came alive on screen.  Those tiny little footprints walking from room to room?  Priceless.  I want one!  Even though I had SO many ideas for designs for this book I wanted to keep it simple and stick to just one theme so I left it at just this.  I think the Marauders Map is representative of many things throughout the book. It belonged originally to Sirius, James, Professor Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. All who are important members of this book.  It was given to Harry by George and Fred, who are the kings of messing about!  Harry uses it to avoid Snape and also in conjunction with his invisibility cloak (can I get one of those too?)  to get all sorts of information which comes in handy throughout the book.  And ultimately, he gets to keep it to use for later endeavors. Mischief Managed.

Don't forget to check my fellow mischief makers, Kerrie, Emma, Abby, Julie, Debbie, and Sam's pages to see their art for this series!!

Enjoy! And check in for tomorrow's post for book four: The Goblet of Fire 
Or visit the previous book: The Chamber of Secrets

Colors used: Essie Sand Tropez , China Glaze Foie Gras and Winter Berry

It's time for book two in the Harry Potter series: The Chamber of Secrets.  For me, a large part of book two was the basilisk and the overall appearance of snake related things.  The fact that Harry learns he can speak Parseltongue, the snake in the walls, the constant battles with Malfoy and the Slytherin gang.  It's a running theme throughout the book so I wanted it to be the main focus of the nails for this one.  I also wanted to include some of the more important points in the book so for this one, i ran the basilisk through the background of my nails and then used the foreground to showcase some other points.  One of my favorite things about this book was that it sort of isolates Harry from the other characters in a very real way for the first time.  It causes him to question himself and his role as a Gryffindor.  I think the fact that he's ostracized a bit for his ability sort of makes him a bit more relatable to other kids and it also really strengthens his friendship with Ron and Hermione while at the same time solidifying for his own mind, where he stands as a person.  I also really loved Lockhart for his uncanny ability to be both arrogant and also completely incompetent.  We all know someone with Lockhart syndrome!  So for my nails I did Lockharts pixie's on the index finger.  It was the first REALLY crazy thing he did as a professor and it sticks out in my mind from both the films and the books.  I felt it represented him well!  For the middle finger I chose to do a mirror.  Hermione uses the mirror to prevent herself seeing the basilisk head on.  It's a large part of how Ron and Harry find out what's actually lurking in the walls.  It also represents Hermione's role in helping to defeat the basilisk.  In the previous book her smarts got them out of many messes on the way to the final battle but in this book she's not physically present to help them defeat the basilisk so the mirror is really the pivotal point in her assistance.  It leads them to plenty of necessary information.  The middle finger is of course, Tom Riddle's diary.  The most important physical item in the book if you ask me.  Not only does it represent Voldemort's vitality but it also helps them to uncover the secret to his immortality, which later becomes an important piece in the Harry Potter puzzle.  For the pinky I did a few camera's to represent Colin Creevy.  Colin wasn't really a MAIN character in this book but his presence was felt often and I felt he really stuck out for me as a character despite his lack of real presence in a main role.  So there you have it! Book two!  I can't wait for the next one since it ended up being my favorite in the series! (book series, not nail art series...teehee!!)

Don't forget to check my fellow mischief makers, Kerrie, Emma, Abby, Julie, Debbie, and Sam's pages to see their art for this series!!

Next up in the series is book three: The Prisoner of Azkaban 
Or take a look back at book one: The Sorcerer's Stone

Background all nails: butterLONDON Dosh, Orly It's Not Rocket Science, Sally Hansen Chrome Pen in Green

Thumb: Revlon Black Lingerie, LA Nail Art Pen White, China Glaze Velvet Bow

Index: China Glaze Electric Beat and First Mate

Middle: Revlon Black Lingerie, China Glaze Icicle

Ring: Essie Sand Tropez, China Glaze Velvet Bow and Foie Gras

Pinky: Barry M Silver Foil

I'm so excited to finally be doing this series!! I'm sure by now you'll recognize what it is! If you don't...it's HARRY POTTER!! I absolutely love Harry Potter.  I came about it in a rather odd way though.  See, when my brother was younger he HATED reading.  Like, legit hated it.  He refused to do it even when it was necessary so on the advice of someone, my parents bought him the Harry Potter books.  I did not read them.  Later, my whole family went to the theatre to see the film since they'd all read the books and were really excited about the films.  I did not go with them.  Cut to four weeks later and Harry Potter is the new rage, everyone has seen it and it's literally the only thing left in the dollar theatre that my friend Aubrey and I haven't seen.  So what the heck?  We go see it.  I mean, it's $1.50 how bad could it be.   I was skeptical going in but mostly because neither of us had a single clue what the movie would be about.  And we loved it.  I went home and devoured the first four books (since 5, 6, and 7 weren't out yet) and actually went to get the following three at midnight on their release days.  Yeah, I'm THAT Potterhead.  I even took the two days after the seventh book was released off from work...you know, to read the book!  At this point I have all the films and have read the books many times over, even in Spanish and the original British release versions.  It's just such a great series!  So on to the nails:

I wanted to represent some of the more important points of the first book/film on my nails for this one.  I started with a kind of shoddy version of the "HP" logo on my thumb.  The index finger represents Number Four Privet Drive, where Harry lives with his aunt, uncle, and cousin until he receives...the middle nail! His letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  After he goes to school he learns about wizardry, obviously and also about the wizard sport Quidditch.  I represented the Snitch on my pinky finger since Harry is a seeker for the school Quidditch team.  The ring finger is meant to be the Sorcerer's Stone which is the main premise of the first book.  Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione set out to find the stone so that Voldemort can't find it and use it to secure immortality.  :)  Excellent books!

Check below for the colors used and don't forget to check my fellow mischief makers, Kerrie, Emma, Abby, Julie, Debbie, and Sam's pages to see their art for this series!!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post for book two: The Chamber of Secrets

Well, I have successfully wrapped up my Rehab Your Nails series for this month!  I hope some of the information was helpful for you and that you'll use it to keep your nails healthy and beautiful!  Now that I'm a licensed Nail Technician, I'm sure MUCH more info will be coming in the next few months!  But for now, I want to give you all the chance to win some supplies to help you get your nails into shape. This is sort of a mini-mani giveaway! It has most of the basic supplies you need for a manicure though. :)  The giveaway will run for two weeks and again, it's open internationally but I'm not responsible for lost/damaged items or items which do not pass customs.  So what will you get?

Winner receives one each of the following:

OPI 180/400 file

Cuticle pusher/v shaped nipper

Cuccio Naturals trial sized hand butter in Tuscan Citrus and Herb

Avoplex cuticle oil To Go (this stuff is amazing!)

Zoya mini in Pandora

Block buffer

Sally Hansen Double Duty Top Coat and Base Coat

Nail Brush

Good luck to all who enter!! Thanks for following along!

It's time for my final Rehab Your Nails post (for this month!!) and it's going to be a good one!  Today's post will show you how to give yourself a basic manicure.  This is going to be a powerful tool in your arsenal when you start polishing your nails frequently.  Nail polish and especially remover will do a number on your nail plate.  So keeping nails healthy by giving them regular care is very important.  Keep in mind that you only need a manicure about once every two weeks.  This is going to show you how to do a manicure with water, but my preference is to skip the soaking portion.  It can weaken nails if it's done too frequently.  On to the supplies!!

I totally forgot to number these.  But...I think it's pretty easy to tell what's what!!  You'll need some cotton balls/pledgets/cotton pads,  all the supplies for basic cuticle care, a nail file*, a nail buffer*, some orange wood sticks, cuticle oil, a nail brush, and, if you're going to be using water you'll need a nail bowl (or a regular bowl that your nails fit comfortably in) and some antibacterial soap. I'm also using a paper towel as a work surface.

*I'm using a 180/400 OPI file.  It's important to use the proper file when doing any procedure on your nails so that you don't damage the layers of the nail plate.  Please do not use any file with a number lower than 180 on natural nails. The same is true for buffers. I'm using a 225 here.  You can use whatever suits you but for this purpose I prefer the 225 grit.

PLEASE NOTE:  It's illegal in most states to perform a manicure on someone else without a license. I'm not going to pretend I'm ignorant and people aren't doing it.  However, I really implore you, if you're doing manicures on other people do NOT use your tools from person to person.  It's not always apparent when someone may have a nail disease or disorder and just like with colds, you can easily spread around infection if you don't know what you're looking for.  At all times we all have a minimum of 7 microscopic cuts on our hands.  It's VERY easy for you to spread diseases and infections.  So use common sense and get new tools for each person or find out your states laws for properly sanitizing them between clients.  :)

Now onto the procedure!!

These are the nails I'm starting with:

They're pretty janky I'm not going to lie.  I waited til I had a bit of cuticle to work with but I also just had acrylics off not too long ago so they're thin and damaged and if you look closely (thumb!) there is still a little bit of acrylic hanging on!  But this is perfect because it will allow you to really see what a manicure can do for your nails and your hands.  So the first step is going to be to file your nails to the shape you'd like.  I went with square. :)  Then you'll apply your cuticle remover.  All you need to do is apply it around the cuticle and follow the manufacturers instructions for how long to leave it on. I'm using OPI Avoplex Exfoliating Cuticle Remover.  I don't necessarily recommend it, but it came in my school kit and it works as well as any other I've tried.

Here are my nails after I applied the cuticle remover.  You just want to cover the cuticle...it doesn't have to be super neat, but as I mentioned before in my cuticle care post, if you feel any pain or tingling PLEASE remove it immediately.  My cuticle remover is gentle on skin but some aren't.  Certain ones WILL eat your skin and that's not pretty! So be careful and follow the directions. If you're going to be soaking your nails that will be your next step.  If not you can skip to the step after!

To soak the nails you just want to add a little of the antibacterial soap to your bowl, add some warm water and submerge your fingers for around 3-5 minutes.  Then you'll remove them and pat them dry with a towel or the paper towel you're working on. Then you'll want to follow a basic cuticle care routine (skip adding oil or lotion!).  Next, use an orange wood stick, a curette, or a cotton swab to clean under the free edge of your nails.  Then you can brush the nails with a bit of water and your nail brush.

Brushing should remove any remaining cuticle remover, cuticle, or dirt or debris from cleaning under the free edge.  After brushing you can gently dry nails with a paper towel and then use your buffer to LIGHTLY buff the surface.  The main purpose of buffing is to remove the shine from the nail plate to help polish adhere.  You can also remove small ridges or minor staining with buffing but it's important not to go too far with it. No matter how often you give yourself a manicure, you should only buff once every OTHER week.

This is how my nails look after they've been brushed and buffed.  At this point you can move on to the lotion.  Just apply it as you regularly would.  I chose to use Hempz lotion.  I really like it because it's thick and it moisturizes very well but it doesn't feel heavy or greasy.  I'm also a HUGE fan of whipped Shea Butters.  Especially the ones made by Shea Radiance. My favorite is the Kalahari Melon scent. :)  But anyway you can use whatever lotion you want to.  If you are going to be doing your nails frequently it's important to choose one that isn't going to dry out skin.  It sounds crazy but a lot of lotions have alcohol in them.  The ones from Bath and Body Works are a HUGE offender for this.  But we'll get to all that in another post!  Work the lotion into your hands, then add cuticle oil to your cuticles and...

Voila! Finished nails.  If you're following your mani with polish then you can skip the cuticle oil until you're finished and be sure to swipe the nail plate with some alcohol or remover before polishing to get all the lotion and oils off the nail plate.  I'm sure you can see a BIG difference from the nails I started with to the nails I ended with though!  I hope you all found this series useful!  I'd love to do more in the future and it seems there's interest in that so there will be more for certain at some point! Remember if there are any specific questions you'd like me to answer or posts you'd like to see you can always email me at BeePolished@yahoo.com!  Thanks for following along!  There will be a Rehab Your Nails Giveaway up later today so be sure to look for it! :)

It's the day before I go to State Boards (ahh!) so I went a little lazy with the nails!  Leopard is my new fall back mani. It's easy, fancy, and kind of funky. :P  I think the print is REALLY growing on me...I almost bought a leopard print shirt the other day! But don't worry guys, I'm not gonna go full on Jersey, although just so we're on the same page, I could totally pull it off. :P  Anyway I have a million things to do before I hit the road for my test! So here are some simple and fun leopard nails for you today! They shimmer SO much in the sun they almost looked like Minx. Winning.

Colors used: China Glaze Fast Track, Harvest Moon and Models Own Nail Art Pen in Black