Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Thanksgiving Nail Art - Andy Warhol Inspired Turkeys

This time last year I was in the middle of a Thanksgiving Nail Art Challenge. If you want ideas for turkey day nails here are the links to the 5 days:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

In the last couple of months, my turkey nails from day 5 have blown up on Pinterest. As of me writing this, it has 2938 repins and 336 likes. I am flabbergasted at those numbers. Thanks to all of Pinterest for your love!


Pinterest

Well, it got me thinking about what I can do for my Turkey Day nails this year. I was bouncing ideas off of my amazing friend Sunny, of 365 Days of Color (shameless plug - you should check out her Elf Christmas collection!), and we thought about Andy Warhol's depiction of Marylin Monroe.

source

My thought was, my Turkey nails are so Pinterest famous, why not honor them as Warhol honored Marylin? A bit of a stretch, I know, but I love how it turned out... Even if it's not in typical fall colors.



I used acrylic paint for most of the turkey designs. There are two reasons for this:

1- It doesnt smear. There is nothing worse than spending two and a half hours on nail art and having it smear.
2- I needed a ton of colors and at $.69 each at Michaels, acrylic is much more cost effective.

Here is a break down of the supplies used, by finger.

Thumb (first row, middle Marylin):
Base - Deborah Lippmann Dancing in the Sheets
Craft Smart Hunter Green
Craft Smart Pool Blue
Craft Smart Yellow
Craft Smart Light Pink

Pointer (third for, left Marylin):
Base - Zoya Robyn
Craft Smart Navy
Craft Smart Flesh
Craft Smart Light Orange
Folk Art Baby Blue

Middle (second row, middle Marylin):
Base - Barielle Smarty Pants Pink
Craft Smart Mustard Yellow
Craft Smart Red
Craft Smart Navy
Stripe Rite Neon Pink (dulled down with some Craft Smart Black)


Ring (second row, right Marylin):
Base - Zoya Jacqueline
Craft Smart Hunter Green
Craft Smart Yellow
Craft Smart Pool Blue
Avon Nail Art Enamel Blue Vibe

Pinky (third row, right Marylin):
Base - Dazzle Dry Chery Parfait
Craft Smart Black
Craft Smart Light Pink
Craft Smart Yellow
Craft Smart Flesh (mixed with a little Craft Smart Light Pink)

I hope your Thanksgiving is full of family and friends. I know mine will be :)

Monday, May 6, 2013

Beauty Blogger Q&A

Happy Monday!

I was tagged by the AMAZING Heidi over at My Vanity Basics and Kim at College Polished to do a little Q&A to let you guys get to know me a little better... Here we go!


1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight? Straight. It's all my hair is good at doing. I wanted my hair curly and down at my wedding, and they literally had to sizzle my hair to make it happen lol! (you can totally tell how much product they used in this pic!).


Cardiac Development

2. What is your natural hair color? I was super blonde as a child, now I am just dirty blonde. It'll lighten up in the summer though. My hair naturally highlights the more I am out in the sun.

3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon? I have never done a full-blown die on my hair. Maybe about 6 times (in my LIFE), I have had semi-permanent highlights added to my hair. I have a gift certificate from my mama for Christmas to go get it done before this summer.

4. How often do you wash your hair? My hair is super fine, and therefore gets greasy very quickly. I have switched to a non-sulfate shampoo and can stretch it to two days, but I have to have my hair up on the second day. If I want my hair pretty, I wash and condition daily.

5. Do you wear the same style every day or change it? I either have it blown-out and straight, or in a messy bun or clip. I never do any curling or anything for a normal workday. Only special occasions.

6. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon? About once a year I will go get a pedi done. Otherwise, I do it all myself.

7. How often to you change your nail polish? On the weekends when I swatch, multiple times in an afternoon... But usually 2-4 times a week.

8. Do you polish your toes in the winter, too or just in the summer?  What is winter? I have never lived this strange phenomenon. lol. Here in Mesa, Arizona our "cold winter day" is about 55 degrees! Needless to say, I wear flip-flops year round and therefore NEVER have naked toes.

9. How long does it take to put on your makeup? My normal, workday make-up takes about 10-15 minutes. If I'm going somewhere special and want a more dramatic eye, add about 10 minutes.

10. What do you do first? Face or eyes? If I'm doing a dramatic eye, I do it first. But, for the most part it's always face first.

11. Do you "collect" makeup or just buy what you need when you need it? I don't have an extensive make-up collection. Ive been using the same foundation (Bare Minerals Matte) for years. I recently started to branch out and try new things, but for now all of my make-up fits in one drawer in my bathroom vanity.

12. How often do you wear false eyelashes? Pretty much only Halloween... I have pretty long eyelashes. With a curler and a couple different kinds of mascara, I can make these babies long, long, long. I have to eyelash test new sunglasses lol!

13. Do you do a full face of makeup every day? If by full face you mean foundation then yes. My foundation is mid-coverage so I never feel like I am caked up with make-up. If its a weekend and Im just running to the grocery store, then I just touch up with concealer and translucent powder. During the week, I add a little eyeliner, curl and mascara my lashes and add a highlight of shimmer in the corner of my eyes. Keep it simple!

14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)? If I am not leaving my house, then no.

15. Will you leave the house without makeup? Nope. But like I said above, I am willing to leave with minimal make-up on. This comes from years of struggling with acne. Every teeny-tiny little blemish feels like a beacon to me, so I feel self-conscience if I don't cover it up.

16. How many high end products do you have? Everyone's definition of high end is a little different I think... I have quite a bit high end nail polish. Some people would consider my foundation (at $30/jar) high end, although it lasts me 6-8 months so I don't find it that steep. My mascara and cream concealers are Benefit, so those would be considered high end... but that's about it in my make-up drawer lol.

17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes? Not often enough... I try for every other week... but my goal is to get myself into the habit of doing it every week. I am due for a washing, have to do it tonight.

18. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed? No, I never think that far ahead lmao! When I am brushing my teeth before my shower I stand in my closet and decide. I have a Sonicare with a timer, so I know I have to decide in 2mins or less; keeps me from agonizing for too long haha!

19. How often do you change your handbag? I have a purse I made over a year ago that I still use every day. I have the fabric to make myself a new one, just need to bust out my sewing machine. I have small purses that I move important things into for going out, but otherwise I use my purses until they die.

20. What time do you get up & go to sleep? I get up at 4:45am every weekday morning.... so Im in bed by 10 at the latest. Every minute Im awake after 8:45pm is a minute I take away from my precious 8 hours of sleep... so I try to go to bed around 9 (which is much easier in the summer when The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are on at the 8 o'clock hour. In the winter when they're on at 9 I rarely go to bed before 9:30 lol).

21. How often & when do you workout? I do some form of activity every day... but working out is hard for me to come bye lol! My hubby is starting a new job in a couple weeks and he will have to be up at 4am; my goal is to wake up with him, do my daily HIIT (my favorite workout videos) and make a fruit breakfast smoothie for both of us before my shower time of 5am.

22. Left-handed or Right-handed? This is a bit of a story lol. I was SUPPOSED to be left handed. My kindergartener teacher smacked my left hand and forced me to write righty. We aren't talking about ages ago either, this was the early 90's. Of course, I was too young to know something was wrong. I told my mom about it a few years later and she was furious. Now, my hand-writting sucks no matter what hand I use (they look almost identical, but it's faster to write with my right). But, this did help me be ambidextrous; which is handy!

23. How tall are you? 5'4''

24. Do you speak a foreign language? None fluently.

25. How many pets do you have? I have 4 (yes 4) dogs and 2 cats. My life is full of hair.



Christmas Card pic a few years ago - minus the youngest pup

26. How often are you on Blogger? Every weekday... rarely on the weekends.

27. Do you read the comments posted blogs? I never miss a comment on my blog. Getting comments is the best and I truly enjoy them.

28. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts? I have a draft email saved in my gmail. That way I can access it no matter where I am (mobile, work, home).

29. How did you come up with your blog name? I am generally a super happy person. I love the "peace love laughter" things and all of the different variations (I've even seen Peace Love Llamas lol!) so I decided I would make my own tweak to the name and make it my own!

30. What kind of camera do you use? It's an ancient Olypmus. I really want a new camera.

31. How often do you clean your house? I keep it tidy throughout the week and deep clean is (bathrooms, floors, etc) on the weekends.

32. What is your favorite color? My favorite color is hot pink. My favorite colors to wear are teal and purple. My favorite nail polish colors are green and blue. Im strange, I know lol.

33. What is your favorite beauty/fashion magazine? I only get one magazine, and it isnt beauty related lol.

34. Do you swear? CONSTANTLY lmao. But never on my blog, I try to keep it professional (it's hard haha). I can swear at work... which only feeds my nasty habit.

35. What are you doing with the rest of your day? It's lunch, so Im going to go eat, then finish my work for the day. Tonight for dinner we are having Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps. yum-o! And I have to wash my make-up brushes when I get home (I even told my hubs this morning to remind me!)

I tag Sunny at 365 Days of Color and Cordia at Seriously Swatched.

Friday, May 3, 2013

365 Days of Color Maybe aby Review

**This was sent to me for review. I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own and are an accurate representation of my experience with the product.**

Happy Friday!! sorry I dropped off from posting this week. I broke my nail really bad and had to wait for some uv gel to arrive to fix it until it grows out. Im not tell you which one I broke... bet you can't guess :p

I have 365 Day's of Color 12 Month's of Color May shade to share with you today.


I only have one picture to show you today because my camera decided to be a pain in the you-know-what and not photograph another angle without throwing off the color. Thanks camera!

Anywho, this is two coats of Maybe Baby over Zoya Rocky. Sunny sent me a mini bottle as a tester for my review, so I had to fish a little to get the big glitters. But not too bad, they picked up pretty nicely. I would recommend getting a full size; you will get even more glitter if you have the big brush. Maybe Baby has holographic silver and gold glitter in multiple shapes and sizes, silver holo hearts, and giant blue, teal and pink holo dots. I love dots!! So sparkly and pretty!!

You can find her shop here and her Facebook here for shop updates. She is only open the first and third weekend of the month right now due to a strict study schedule with school. So, if you want this, you better head over there right now! The mini costs $4.50 and the full-sized is $8.

She also recently added sugar scrub, that is AMAZING. And has a bunch of new scents for her balms, oils and scrubs you need to check out. I use all three of those products daily. They are wonderful. There is also an awesome Mother's Day special going on right now. You can get two full-sized nail polishes and a 1oz hand product for only $17 (the polish alone is $16); go here to check it out!

**This was sent to me for review. I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own and are an accurate representation of my experience with the product.**

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

A England Dragon

I have a pretty for you today that I am appalled took me so long to wear. All of my organizing brought this mishap to my attention. So, here I am correcting my mistake.

AEngland, Green, Holo

AEngland, Green, Holo

Do you want to know the best part about Dragon?? This is ONE COAT! I die. So pretty. This is a rich, mossy green packed with holo shimmer. I painted these at night, so didn't have a chance to get them out in the sun. By the time I got home form work, it was too dark.. But trust me, it's gorgeous. I highly recommend this be added to your collection.

PS - I've decided to include a thumb in pics now, instead of holding the bottle. The problem is, my thumb has a ridge that isn't bad, but obviously sticks out like a sore thumb (parden my pun) in pics. What is your favorite ridge filling base coat? I am clearly in need of one!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Different Shades of Blue Autism Awareness - Fishtail Braid

Here we are, another Monday. And this marks the last 3 days of the nail art challenge. Have no fear, I have something special planned in a couple weeks that I am pretty excited about!


Believe it or not, this is the first time I've done a fishtail braid mani. I'm pretty happy with it, although it is not my favorite nail art...



My camera has been a bit of a pain lately. I really wish I could afford to get a new one. Im not happy with my pictures today. I used Zoya Blu, Wednesday and Rocky (from the new Stunning collection I will be showing you next week). I free-handed everything. I think next time I do this technique, I will use smaller lines!

Be sure to check out the other ladies participating...


Friday, April 19, 2013

Different Shades of Blue Autism Awareness - Awareness Ribbon

TGIF ladies!! Can someone tell 2013 to slow down?? I feel like it should be February haha!

 
I kind of rushed today's, so I'm not thrilled... but, alas, no time to redo it lol!

Barielle, OPI, Avon

Barielle, OPI, Avon

I used Barielle Platinum Ring as the base. I put OPI Gone Gonzo over my pointer, middle and pinky fingers. Then I used my Avon Nail Art Enamel in Blue Vibe to draw the ribbons.

Be sure to check out the other ladies participating...

Thursday, April 18, 2013

365 Days of Color One Colorful Year


**This was sent to me for review. I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own and are an accurate representation of my experience with the product.**

Can you believe that Sunny has been making her pretty polish babies for a year now?! To celebrate, she created a special limited edition polish that is going to be available in her shop when it opens tomorrow.

I helped her name this polish, so she sent it to me to review... and I got a full size! Woohoo!!!

365doc, indie, glitter

365doc, indie, glitter

**This was sent to me for review. I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own and are an accurate representation of my experience with the product.**

One Colorful Year is a white base with (direct quote from Sunny) "a little of pretty much every glitter I have used over the last year." It lives up to it's name.... it's SUPER colorful.

This is 3 coats, 2 was safe for looking good while wearing it... but photographing a polish in a lightbox tends to make the nail line more noticeable so I did 3. The formula is a bit thick, but I think that's more because there is so much glitter than anything. I didn't have any problems with application, even with the thicker consistancy.

She opens shop tomorrow (she's in a cram session for school, so she's only opening a couple times a month for a little while).

You can find her shop here (it's in maintenance now, will open tomorrow) and her Facebook here for shop updates. One Colorful Year is very limited edition, with only 60 being made, and it costs $8.00.

**This was sent to me for review. I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own and are an accurate representation of my experience with the product.**