I can so be flashy!

While I type this, the hurricane is raging fierce outside! I've got my tub full of water just in case! I do NOT follow the old adage, "if it's yellow, let it mellow".  You know who you are out there!! I guess you now know that I wrote this post way before you see it.  It happens.  Get over it!  My blog, my rules remember? I just hope the power doesn't go out.  I hate that!

Last night, I was having an email conversation with a blog friend of mine.  And she said that I'm not flashy when it comes to nail polish.  I'm not gonna name names-she knows who she is!! HAHAHA! At first, I was a little appalled and offended and believe my response was, 'them's fighting words!'  But the more I thought about it, maybe she is right.  I don't do glitter so I guess technically no I'm not flashy.  But I was determined to try something different today to prove her wrong.

Here we have Orly Space Cadet and Orly Plum Noir.  These bottle shots were taken outside in the hurricane on my window shutters.  I think it's a pretty cool look.

Check it out, my camera kept the purple as purple! How cool is that! Plus wow what a freakin' awesome bottle shot eh?  To me, Orly Space Cadet is a little scary.  It is a heavy shimmer and may even cross over into glitter land.  Which I am freakishly against.  Maybe I suffered a glitter accident as a little girl.  Who the hell knows!  But Orly Plum Noir is one pretty purple creme.  I have seen recently, people doing an accent nail in the opposing color and thought these two would go really well together.  I tried outdoor shots, but again, Irene is not helping.

Outdoors

Indoors

Outdoors

Indoors

As you can see, Space Cadet is a rainbow of pink, purple, gold and green.  If it had been sunny, it would really have been something.  The Plum Noir is probably my favorite purple polish so far.  It just is.  You can also see that on my ring finger I did the contrast color.  So when I stamped with plate M 78, I used the opposite color.  It actually is really hard to see.  So I am letting you know ahead of time.  So I'm going to use this stamp again for my next mani and you'll be able to see it better.

Outdoors

Indoors

Outdoors

Indoors

It looks much better in person.  You can hardly see my funky french in these.  I have to admit that I am liking this Space Cadet.  It shimmers with so many different colors.  While I don't think it has changed my mind about going to the glitter side, I am digging the flashiness of this polish.

So I guess my friend was right in saying that I'm just not flashy.  What do you guys think??

I've got deja vu-do you?

I saw on another blog a swatch for China Glaze Westside Warrior and was so glad I bought it for myself.  I hadn't tried it yet, so I thought today's the day.  When all was said and done, and I looked at what I had done, I hung my head in shame because it's almost a dupe of my own mani! I am seriously stuck in a design rut and have got to pull myself out of it! I promise I am going to start mixing things up. Unless you are happy with what I am doing, because I really like my funky frenches! But I do realize that people get bored easily and I don't want to lose readers because I'm become comfortable in my polishing.

Anyway, you know my favorite colors are brown and green. At least you would, if you actually read my blog that is! So Westside Warrior is right up my alley. It is a true army green and awesome. I thought I was being so original in my mind, that it wasn't until later that I realized I had done this look before-of course with different colors and a different stamp-but the end product is almost the same.  Here is the look before. I apologize ahead of time for my lack of fabulous design ideas.  It's just not something I was born with.  I can't draw, can't do nail art-but I can combine colors in many ways and amuse you with my tales of life.

Here we have the obligatory bottle shot.

Oh how I swoon for this kind of green.  This has become one of my favorite greens of all time! The formula was great, almost perfection in one coat, but I always do two of course. I've got my indoor and outdoor shots for you as usual.

Outdoors

Indoors

Outdoors

Indoors

Isn't it pretty?? It's an olive khaki army green all wrapped up in one.  Pure heaven in my mind.  If you really are reading my blog, you would also know I swoon for Essie Little Brown Dress and use it often.  I'm actually down a third of the bottle! That never happens.  Maybe I need a backup?  I just love brown and green together so I stamped with BM 221 and funky frenched away.  Again, the indoor and outdoor shots.

Outdoors

Indoors

Outdoors

Indoors

I really love this look, but I thought I was doing something original, and then I remembered my camo funky french that I linked you to earlier.  Of course that was a different green, but the same brown.  I apologize for my rerun of a mani!  For some reason, I lack imagination and artistic abilities.

Let me know people, are you getting tired of my funky frenches? Need you to be honest.  Yes I love them, but don't want to bore the hell out of you!

Not what I had in mind

When I was putting together colors for today's mani, I had a specific combination in mind.  Once I got to the actual polishing, I realized that it wasn't going to work with the colors I had chosen. So I had to make a quick change up. Before we get to all that, let's view my bottle shot with my sleeping babies.  Forgot to tell you, it's Zoya Marina from the fall mirrors collection.  I got it with their buy 1 get 2 polishes sale recently.

You can just feel their excitement for this polish can't you? This polish is a steel blue with subtle silver blue shimmer.  It's really something-I have nothing else like it.  Here are indoor and outdoor shots.

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Indoors

Outdoors

Indoors

Isn't it pretty? I didn't get any of the mirrors collection at first, because I thought they were glitters.  Then I saw swatches of them and realized I was missing out.  Originally, I wanted to stamp with Zoya Cynthia which I posted here but when I started, I realized it wasn't going to show on my nails. So instead, I grabbed China Glaze Calypso Blue.  Which is one of my all time favorite blues.  I posted that alone here.  I used stamping plate M65, which is a geometric funky disco design, but my nails are small and it didn't really translate.  I topped it off with my funky french.  Here it is.

Outdoors

Indoors

Outdoors

Indoors

This isn't quite what I had in mind when I started this but it came out OK I guess.  I dread taking this blue off because I know Calypso Blue leaves horrible smurf hands behind.  Oh the price we pay for beauty!

Want to also share a funny with you.  On Tuesday, Virginia had an earthquake.  Guess where I was? In the bathroom where I work.  Now really-is that a place to be when an earthquake hits? I'm OK and so is my house-was a little scary, but when it was happening, I didn't realize what it was, so didn't get too scared.

How about this mani? Thoughts?

Random Numbers Have Chosen

I have picked the two winners of my giveaway! For the life of me, I can't figure out how to get the random numbers thingy on this post, so you'll have to just trust that I'm not a lying cheating SOB!

So instead, here is a picture of my fishtank to soothe you.

My fish had babies recently! Never had fish babies! They are so cute-wish I could show you them.

GET ON WITH IT!

Here are the winners:
Polish Amor
Oreo

I will be emailing both to let them know! Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway!  I'll have another one later on-haven't figured out when yet-maybe 500?

Til next time-polish maniacs!

Ode to Laura

Today I have a very special post for you.  I have made a very nice blog buddy in Texas, named Laura.  She recently did frankens to represent all the characters in the Breakfast Club her fave movie and mine.  I was in awe and told her that I wanted my own set of her frankens.  We did a swap and she made me my very own franken. She calls it 'Fingers Franken'. I told her what I wanted and she made it for me!  Here is a picture of all the polishes she made.  The minis are from her Breakfast Club collection. Since I am lazy with links here is a link to her site with links she made to these posts!

Now Laura knows I don't do pink, but she said she couldn't bear the other 4 Breakfast Club polishes to be without their princess pink.  Aren't they beautiful? I can't wait to try all of them.  But for today, we have Fingers Franken a la Laura. Indoors and outdoors.

Outside

Inside

Outside

Inside

To me, this is awesome.  It is a greyed out khaki green with a hint of brown and hidden blue green shimmer.  It is me all the way.  I love this color!! Because it's so special, I didn't want to cover it up too much.  So I just did the tips with Konad white polish and M77 and M56.  I did one design on each hand to see the difference.

Outside

Inside

Outside

Inside

Inside

Outside

The hearts are for you Laura, cause I heart you! No one has ever made me my own polish before! I cried when I got this in the mail.  It really is something special.  I love it! Thank you so much Laura! You are a franken master!

Please check out her blog, and her Breakfast Club franken series.  It's worth it!  Laura's Lacquers

Hey Ladies-Get Funky!

Ahhhhh the sweet sounds of the Beastie Boys and their Paul's Boutique album.  Anyone else love the Beasties? I am really into all types of music. I have a vast CD collection of music from Monk monastery music, country, rap, rock, classical, you name it I have some of it! When I grabbed Deborah Lippmann's Single Ladies, my thoughts just kept singing "Hey ladies, get funky".  I don't know why only single ladies get to wear this sexy red-yes I am single, but you ladies out there with a partner-wear this anyway and be proud!

Man am I on a weird kick today eh?  I've been bored with my artsy fartsy bottle shots lately.  I still think it's kind of silly, but thought I'd start having some more fun with it.  So here is my baby Sam and DL Single Ladies.

He's been jealous of Checkers since I show her more often. So he was nice enough to pose and look interested for you! This is a dramatic, sexy deep dark jelly red.  I have to say though, that I hate DL's formula.  It is runny, patchy and this jelly was stringy.  Whenever I got to the tip of my nail and removed the brush, I got a mozzarella string going from the nail to the brush.  Then it would leave a little extra dot of polish on my tips.  Not cool.  I really am not going to buy any more of her polishes.  Here are inside and outside pictures.

Outdoors

Indoors

Outdoors

Indoors with Flash

This color was hard to capture indoors, so I used flash so you could see the beauty of the jelly.  Yes the polish is a pain in the ass, but it sure is pretty.  Plus I just love jellies. Next I grabbed RBL Insouciant which I posted alone here and Bundle monster BM223.  This really came out awesome, but is hard to see.  My friend Oreo would call it 'subtle'.

Outdoors

Indoors no flash

Indoors with flash

Right now blogger is being stupid and it won't let me upload more pictures.  I took so many to try and capture the design. This is really cool to look at, but it certainly is NOT screaming loud.  You have to get up close and personal to see it. Maybe that's a good thing, if you're single and using this sexy red to get the attention of someone you like! Hey now, maybe that's what Deborah was thinking!

I actually really love these two reds together.  I got alot of compliments on it.  I also get asked if I free hand the tips. The answer is yes I do.  I tried tape, but it always pulled off the stamp design so I figured out how to free hand it.  I think it looks really good! Practice certainly helps.

One last shout out-my giveaway ends Wednesday at midnight NY time.  Get your entries in!  Who else is loving this jelly red? Do you like the subtle or are you more a loud in your face kind of girl? Isn't Sam a cutey? He just loves the spotlight!

Purple Flower Power!

Yes I was a hippie in my past life, and a goth and a freak.  I loved every minute of it! Do you ever miss who you were and wish you could be that person again? I really liked when I was in my 20s with my shaved head, stripes shaved in the side near my left ear and mascara colored tips in my hair.  To go with my Chuck Taylor blue on the left foot and red on the right high tops of course! My BF at the time wore the other pair.  His nickname was SMURF! Another reason why I love the Smurfs! If you're out there Smurf-call me!

The past few days, I haven't been feeling well, and for some reason, have been driving down memory lane missing who I was.  Sometimes I wonder where I'd be now if I had made other choices in my life.  Do you guys ever do that?  But this is where I am now and I have fabulous nail polish for you today.  Enough of the maudlin-get on with it!

I have yet another Nails Inc for you today.  If you are craving even more, check out Claudia's impressive stash at Chromatic Misadventures. She and I are both addicted to this brand.  I think she has about 80 bottles to my 20.  I just discovered the stuff, give me time!  We compare notes! Actually, she is killing me with her swatches, cause I want them all! And I can't get them!

Enough stalling, today I am playing with Franklin's Row.  A really deep berry purple with shiny blue shimmer. It's really cool.  I am trying to break out of my creme rut and add a little pizazz to my life.  Here we have once again, the artsy fartsy bottle shot.

Isn't that a pretty color? Are you excited to see it? Well here it is, indoors and outdoors.

Outdoors

Indoors

Outdoors

Indoors

When I first put it on, I was worried since I don't really do glitter.  This is not a glitter, but it is a heavier shimmer than I usually wear.  But the more I looked at it, the more I really liked it.  To funky it up, I used another Nails Inc, St John's Wood, which is a lighter periwinkle/cornflower.  I also used BM16 and went all hippie on my nails.

Outdoors

Indoors

Outdoors

Indoors

This came out really pretty.  I am getting better and better at the stamping stuff. This is just about perfect.  Plus I love the two purples together.  The camera is showing it more blue, but trust me, these are true purples.  I have been wearing this for a few days now, and have gotten a lot of compliments on it.

So who were you in your past? Were you a jock, nerd, freak etc? I'd like to know! Plus, isn't this mani cool as hell?