Who says glitter has to be shiny?

Let me start this post with this piece of information.  I have drooled over Floam nail polish for a very long time, but it is hard to spend so much on a single bottle of polish.  Granted I spent eight dollars on a bottle of Butter London, but it was on sale.  I mean Butter London for eight dollars?  Who would pass that up?  So when I saw a post (I am sorry I can't remember who's) about Salon Perfect Kaboom I began stalking my local Walmart.  And then I saw it!

I immediately bought it and the only other one they had at the time from that collection, Shocked.

Since I don't have Floam, I can't say how close it is, but The PolishAholic has an excellent swatch of it.  I really love it and want to get the other polishes in this collection.  I just have to wait for a bit more cash.  (Curse you reduced wages of summer school!!)  Well, I thought I would do a swatch for you, so I hope you enjoy the rest of these pictures!

Tootles!
Fitz

Stars. . . Lots of stars

So I wanted to change up my manicure.  I also wanted a design.  I didn't want to take up a lot of time, nor did I want to mess with stamping and picking a plate.  So I saw China Glaze Passion for Petals in my stash and realized something this pretty should not be on my untried list.  I also recently bought some loose glitter and this manicure was born.

I like simplicity and I am going to keep that going and not talk much more in this post.  I'll just let you enjoy the pictures uninterrupted.

Tootles!
Fitz

Can't get enough of your. . . Stamping

Today's theme in Sunday Stamping is the 70's and I used the above fabric swatch as inspiration.  I am so proud of how this turned out, however this is an instance where up close, as in a picture, isn't as good.  Still I love this manicure and I hope you do too.

To do this I made decals with my stamp pattern from Cheeky CH44 just as I did in previous posts (there are two links there).  I am getting better with the technique and it is nice to let things sit and really prepare for a manicure.  It also makes doing the non-dominant hand so much easier.

I used China Glaze Life Preserver as my base color.  I then filled in the decal in random ways using Kalahari Kiss, Chocodisiac, and Budding Romance.

Time really is your friend doing this technique.  You need to make things are dry before going to the next phase of the design, just like any manicure.  The nice thing is it isn't on your nails, so you can do other things while you wait.

Well I hope you like this.  I really do and I hope it lasts a little while. . . although I did get some new matte glitters to play with. . . Oh the temptations of being a polish-a-holic!

Tootles!
Fitz

Yellow and Purple make. . . Well brown if you mix them, that would be gross. . .

Well hello!  Today is a lovely full of. . . sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows. . . Is that too cheerful for you?  Me too actually.  I am sitting at home waiting for the next phase in my life to begin.  I got a new job and just completed training yesterday.  However, I don't start the job until August so. . . Yeah, waiting. . .

In the meantime I have anew manicure!  Actually I did this a week ago and I haven't had a moment to blog about it, so here we go!

I am sorry, I am in a strange mood.  I will try to be more serious now.  I did this for Sunday Stamping and the prompt was complementary colors of a color wheel.  I really like purple and yellow together and I got this new metallic purple.  I was so excited!  I thought I would do a soft yellow with some curly design, very subtle and then BAM! a big purple skull on my accent finger!  Well, the polish didn't stamp and I have some serious trouble with the skull stamp. . . so I did another purple and a bow (which looks red in these pictures, but I swear it is purple!). . . Not as awesome as I planned. . .  Oh well.

So, I used China Glaze Lemon Fizz, Urban Night, Konad Special White, and Special Gold.  The plates were  Bundle Monster BM-317 and Gals GA44. 

I still think it is really pretty and it has held up rather well (I am still wearing it and there is hardly any tip wear).

Well,  I best be going before I say something embarrassing. . .

Tootles!
Fitz

Summer Sun

You may recall a previous post using Del Sol's nail polish.  If you don't know about it, their polish changes color in the sun.  My previous manicure using it had a the difficult challenge of changing in winter sun.  Well summer is here and I got some inspiration and I am in love!

I love how in the shade the manicure is subtle and classy.  It kind of reminds me of bridal nails.  However, once the sun hits it the manicure changes to a daring and fun.

I used Del Sol Ruby Slipper and Konad Special White.  The stamp was Gals Plate GA29.  RS is a silver glitter in a clear base in the shade and then a reddish pink with red glitter in the sun.

This manicure makes me excited for the summer, maybe not the heat, but more time and a bit more of a relaxed lazy feel.  One of the nice things about working for a school is summers off.  I am working summer school, but at least that is only five hours a day.

This last picture was me playing around.  I decided to see what would happen if I put my hand under water to take the picture.  The result being is you can see the red glitter shimmer better.

Well, here is to summer and the adventures it holds!

Tootles!
Fitz

Gradient French Manicure. . . Fail

Sometimes I think the blog medium is rather fortunate, because I am so hyper right now if I was speaking to you I would be talking a million words a minute.  This is what happens when you don't drink caffeine and you have two very strong black teas to keep a migraine at bay.  I feel like my skin can't completely hold me in.  I don't know how those with ADD or ADHD do it.  (If that comment is offensive to anyone I am sorry, I don't mean it that way)

On to the manicure and all its. . . Well, you'll see.

I was trying to imitate this elegant design by Door Sixteen.  I think the nude is the wrong color for my skin tone and that I should have sponged both colors on rather than what I did, which was sponge just the dark brown.

I used China Glaze Sunset Sail and Sephora by OPI I'm With Brad.

To me, SS looks too plastic and fake.  I have never tried to find my manikin color, but I think I may need to start that quest.

This is not the last time you will see this design, I will try it again when I have found a better nude color, in the meantime I think I will do it again tonight with more traditional French manicure colors (pink and white).  Hopefully that will help calm me down. . .

Tootles!
Fitz

Cool glitter and butterflies

I have to tell you that although I am unsure of how I feel about this manicure I love the glitter I used for the gradient.  I am just not sure I used it the best way I could have. . .

So, today's Sunday Stamping is all about butterflies. . . and dragonflies.  But I don't have a dragonfly stamp, so we will stick with butterflies.

So the butterfly is from Winstonia W112 plate.  I started with China Glaze Kinetic Candy (one of my favorite light blues) and then tried to do a glitter gradient with Sally Hansen Fuzz-Sea.  I think I glopped the glitter too much on the tips, but I love this glitter.  It is so unique and stands out in my collection.  I want to find another manicure for it and I will.

I almost forgot, the polish I stamped the butterflies in is  Nabi Flamingo.  It does a decent stamp, I just with you could see how it sparkles in the photos, but alas they are just photos.  If only we lived in Harry Potter world and the pictures would move a bit. . .

I think I might have to get the other glitters in this collection.  Now where to get the money. . .

Tootles!
Fitz