Orange You Glad Halloween is Almost Here?

How do you come up with a good blog post tittle for a manicure inspired by the colors black and orange?  You go the cheesy route.

This design is from the vault, but there was wear on the tips and I felt like I could do it better, plus it was the best way to know what polishes I actually used.  Plus it is perfect for the Bundle Monster Halloween challenge!

The polishes I used were China Glaze Liquid Leather, Julep Mariska, Tia, Konad Special White, and Special Black.  The plates were Bundle Monster BM-411 and Betina B-10.

I layered two thin coats of Tia over LL because I was a bit impatient to wait for opacity since it is a jelly (Which I will explain in a post reviewing my October Julep box).  Mariska has some shimmer to it, which you can see in the bottle, but the shimmer gets lost on the nail.  I will say it is a neon, albeit subdued, so you do have the wretched neon formula to deal with.  But it is a pretty color, so I deal with it.

Well I hope you all liked this manicure.  I know there are not as many pictures as usual, I accidentally deleted one off my SD card. . .  Opps!

Tootles!
Fitz

Be Sure to Bring Your Death Certificate

Have you realized I love Halloween yet?  You haven't?  Can't you read between the lines?

So for the Bundle Monster Halloween Nail Art Challenge I did this. . .

The challenge is Trick-or-Treat and the best part of Halloween is being scared. . . and costumes. . . The best thing about Halloween is costumes and being scared.  Okay, so, that means that this manicure is meant to be scary.  Boo!  Did I get you?

I think I might a bit tired, so that me be why this post it bit all over the place. . .

Back to the manicure!!   I used Julep Mary Lee, Maybeline Color Show Clearly Spotted, China Glaze Millennium, and Konad Special Black.  The nail stamping plates were Betina B-19, Bundle Monster BM-413, and BM-H07.

I hope you didn't mind my weird post and you liked the manni!

Tootles!
Fitz

Arrrgggggghhhhhh!

You know I love Halloween and Halloween polish.  When I saw China Glaze But Of Corpse I immediately thought zombie.  I have been trying to figure out how to do a zombie manicure with this and when I saw that today's prompt for Bundle Monster's nail challenge I came up with this.

I really like the design, but I wish it was a bit more involved than just stamping.  I may have to play with this polish again. . .

The stamps I used were GALS GA33, Bundle Monster BM-H08, and BM-411.

I am not a huge fan of textured polish, but this one really is fun!

Here is what the polish looks like in the shade for reference.

Hope you all love it!

Tootles!
Fitz

Candy Corn Dotticure

From the vault:  October 2013

As you can see from my blog archive I did not post in October of last year.  That doesn't mean I wasn't doing nail art.  It just means I was lazy busy to share it with all of you lovelies.  So I will try and post them this month.

The biggest problem with designs from the vault is I may not remember the polishes used. . . This is one of those cases.  I a pretty good idea on the white and yellow, but the orange is a bit of a guess. . .  So I think the polishes used are China Glaze Dandy Lyin' Around, Papaya Punch, and Happy Go Lucky with Essie's  matte top coat Matte About You.

The design idea came from Smashley Sparkles.  I really like the design, but I could execute it better.  Maybe next year I will give it another go.

Tootles!
Fitz

52 Week Challenge: 3 color Gradient

I was going to use a design from the vault for this, but decide I wanted to do something new.  I had an idea in my head and wanted to see if I could execute it.  I know for Halloween time and being a three color gradient this isn't that original, but I still wanted to do.  I mean it is candy corn, what is more Halloween than that?

While trying to find the right polishes for this design I found I don't have a lot of orange polishes.  It is not that I don't like orange, I just don't seem to have a lot of them.  My favorite orange polish, Orly Crush On You, is a jelly. . . but it was the only "true orange" without any shimmer I own.  I need to fix that.  So started sponging the colors over white, but that was just a disaster!  So I removed everything and started again with COY as the base color and that worked much better!

The other colors are Nina Ultra Pro French White,  Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Butter-fly Stroke, and China Glaze Glitter Goblin.

I wasn't sure how I felt about the manicure until I put GG over everything as I had intended.  It seemed to soften the gradient and make it much more wearable.

I really like this design.  Of course the pictures don't do it justice, because it doesn't capture the sparklyness of GG.  I hope you like it anyways!  Don't forget to check out the other participants!

Tootles!
Fitz

An InLinkz Link-up

Cool Happinin' Ghosts

Bundle Monster is doing a Nail Art challenge to win their yet to be release 2014 Create Your Own Nail Stamping Plates.  You follow the theme for the day and include some kind of Bundle Monster product.  Today is supposed to be inspired by ghosts.  I mostly have plates from Bundle Monster, but I do have some stickers.  One of the collections I own has hats, glasses, and mustaches.  I thought those might be rather adorable on the sheet ghost shape.

I know this similar to a design I had previously done, but I think it is a bit grown-up and definitely executed better.  I know the background color, China Glaze Want My Bawdy, looks blue in the pictures, but it reads more purple in real life.  I don't think blurples were meant to be photographed. . .

I also used Nina Ultra Pro French White, China Glaze Liquid Leather, and Maybelline Color Show Clearly Spotted.

I really like how these little guys turned out.  I am not sure which one is my favorite.  If you have a favorite, leave me a comment and let me know.  Any suggestions if I visit this design idea again?

Tootles!
Fitz

Edit*  I won Bundle Monster's nail art challenge for this day and this design!  I am over the moon excited!!

52 Week Challege: Two Color Gradient.

My first Halloween nail art of the year!!!  Oh How I love this time of the year!  I do have some manicures from last year that I didn't post, so I will be filtering those in.  For now this is all new and for Crumpet's Nail Tarts!

I tried and tried to clean this up and I still don't think it is completely free from residue.  On my hands it looks awesome, however in the pictures the imperfections are seen.  That doesn't mean I am not in love with this design, I really am!  I am sad I won't be keeping it for very long. . .  The cost of doing nail art challenges.

This was done with Julep Cleopatra which is a matte black, but I used top coat on it and so it shines brilliantly!  The other main polish is Pacifica Red Red Wine.  I got this in my September Ipsy box.  I really like the color.  It is dark and rich.  However, like many a dark reds, it does stain a bit.  Consequently I had clean-up issues, as previously mentioned.  I did use the Elmer's Glue method, so it could have been a lot worse.  After I sponged the two colors on, I used Konad Special Black and Winstonia W116 to stamp the bats on my ring finger and thumb.

A nice, simple Halloween look.  Who could ask for anything more?  Make sure to check out the other participants!

Tootles!
Fitz

An InLinkz Link-up

I am the Pumpkin King!

Happy Halloween!

After so many Halloween manicures I wasn't going to do another one, but you see my favorite movie is Nightmare Before Christmas.   I have seen so many different versions of this manicure.  I just had to do it too.  It seemed like sacrilege if I didn't.  So without further ado, I give you Jack Skellington!

The thumb and ring finger each have a different Jack face, some turned out better than others.  The left hand ring finger is supposed to be embarrassed.  I used Finger Paints Paper Mâchè, Sephora by OPI If You've Got It Haunt It, and China Glaze Liquid Leather.

My thumb on my left hand is supposed to be smiling to the side.

My right ring finger is supposed to screaming.

My right thumb is supposed to be winking, but he looks inebriated in my opinion.  All in all I am very happy with this design.  I feel like I paid the proper homage and we can now end Halloween the right way.  

I hope you all had a frightfully good night and all you boys and ghouls are now tucked in bed while sugar bones dance in your heads.  As for me I will always be fond of that skeleton man.

Tootles!

Fitz

TIHNAC #11

The Final challenge is to recreate another participants art.  There are so many amazing manicures to choose from it was really hard to choose.  I believe I mentioned that I like graveyards, so I decided to recreate Amoki's design. 

I loved the simplicity of it.  I didn't have the exact colors, so I improvised.  I used Finger Paints
Paper Mâchè and Meet Me At The Met.  MYATM is a gorgeous gun metal gray.  Then I used China Glaze First Mate.  The white seemed a bit to stark for me, so I tried to tone it down with Sinful Dare.  I guess that is an old color, but it was given to me.  It doesn't really show up, but hey I tried

First Mate photographed a bit brighter than it is in person.

My thumb all by its lonesome.

This photo was outside, but in the shade.

I really had so much fun doing this.  I think it was a good way to dip my toe into the realm of challenges.  I am also so very inspired by all the other talented participants.  Thank you for letting me join your ranks.

Tootles!
Fitz

TIHNAC #10

Trick-Or-Treat!!

There is only one more challenge after this and then it is finito!  It has been a fun ride.  I have learned a lot and it has pushed me to keep trying.  I will be sad when it is done.  I kind of want to do one for Christmas, but I am not sure if I will have the time.

So today's prompt was Trick-Or-Treat.  I originally thought about doing something candy related.  Candy is usually the reason everyone goes out with common phrase on their lips.  That really wasn't why I did it.  Yeah, what kid doesn't like candy, but I loved dressing up.  I am a theater person at my core and Halloween and being on stage are the only time society doesn't frown on looking like someone else.  Hence this manicure.

I think this design by I Have A Cupcake looks like little kids dressed for Halloween.  So we have a Mummy, a Witch, Dracula, Frankenstein, and a ghost.

I used a lot of different polishes.  The only ones not by China Glaze is the over the ghost to give him an ethereal shimmer, Sally Hansen Teflon Tuff Maui White Frost and the mummy's eyes, OPI Royal Flush Blush.  The others are White On White, Señorita Bonita, Liquid Leather, Trendsetter, Holly-Day, Sunshine Pop, Gaga For Green, and Stone Cold.

A close up of my thumb.

Some photos in the shadow.

 Well I will have one more Halloween manicure.  I am supposed to choose my favorite, but I have no idea what I am going to do. . .

Tootles!

Fitz

TIHNAC #9

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea. 
~Edgar Allen Poe

Spooky, romantic graveyards are the prompt this time.  I have to admit I love graveyards.  I have always been fascinated by the lives long forgotten buried beneath the surface.  My mind tends to wander and fabricate stories about the names etched on the stones.   Maybe I shouldn't be admiting this to you. . . I hope I haven't weirded you out. . .

On to the manicure!

I found this lovely design by I Have a Cupcake and knew I had to try it!  It is completely romantic and spooky and I had to try my hand at the hand!  I am so proud of this!

I used Essie Matte top coat for a change.  I thought it made it look more like fog and more organic.  The polishes are China Glaze Recycle  and Concrete Catwalk.  I did a gradient of Recycle as the background.  I Have a Cupcake showed using your finger to make the gradient effect, so I thought I would try the technique.  I am not sure if I like it.  I think I might have to try it again with a darker color sometime so I can see the effect more clearly.

A close up of my thumb.

 Then the a couple of shots in the shade.

I really did love doing this manicure and I hope you like it too.  Don't foget to to check out all the other talented participants, they really are fabulous!

Tootles!
Fitz

TIHNAC #8

The theme for today is witches.  I was inspired by two different artists and decided to incorporate both ArcadiaNailArt and Nails In Nippon.  Well, mine did not turn out as well.  First of all, it is a lot harder to draw a silhouette then I thought it would be.  (That is what the ring finger is supposed to be, a silhouette of a witch)  Secondly, China Glaze Mummy May I was not the best choice as the background color.  It made everything too dark.  Oh well, you can win the all.  I did learn a few things and I had fun, that is all that matters, right?  Right?

Dotting tools were my friend though all of this, of and a detail brush.  Besides Mummy May I, I used China Glaze Tree Hugger, Electric Beat, Glitter Goblin, Hey Sailor, Liquid Leather, and of course Finger Paints Paper Mâchè.

The other problem was squeezing in time to take the pictures.  Consequently I am losing daylight supper fast.

All in all, it wasn't an epic fail, I just felt I could have done better if I had the time to do it again.  Maybe next year.



Don't forget to check out all the other participants.  Their talent is awe inspiring!

Tootles!
Fitz