Weekend Nails: Indigo Bananas and an Extend-a-Mani

Press Sample 

*These products are Cruelty Free 

Another weekend slips by...sigh. But I had pretty nails though! I'd been wearing Indigo Bananas When Are We so I did an Extend-a-Mani using Holy Matrignomey!

Indigo Bananas

When Are We and Holy Matrignomey

Digit-al Dozen Does Traditions: Jingle Bells

*** 

Hello everyone! I'm jumping in mid-week to this week's Digital Dozen - Traditions. Thankfully I didn't have the traditional flu, but I did have a migraine which delayed my participation.

It also interrupted my "creative juices" and diminished my ability to do decent nail art, but I've always said you get the nail art fails along with the successes, so...

For this mani, I did an "Extend-a-Mani" because I just didn't have it in me to start from scratch. I was going on day 3 of Chanel Vamp, so I used Pure Ice Silver Mercedes for the bells and acrylic paints for the ribbons. (All purchased by me.)

It's not exactly a "fail" but all I see when I look at it cropped closely are the mistakes and polish wear LOL! We're always hardest on ourselves I think.

Growing up, the only "traditions" I had were watching old Christmas movies like It's a Wonderful Life, Christmas in Connecticut and Remember the Night (both with Barbara Stanwyck, the best actress EVER), Holiday Inn and Young at Heart - possibly not considered a "classic" Christmas movie, but it was on every year and was set during Christmas - Doris Day and Frank Sinatra. We were pretty poor and I didn't have a family really "into" holidays. So I'd sit and dream about what sort of Christmases I'd have when I grew up. Best laid plans...HA!

Please be sure to check out the other great Digital Dozen creations of their special traditions in the links below.

***

An InLinkz Link-up

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

13 Days of January Nail Art Challenge: Follow a Tutorial

Nothing to Disclose

♥

It's FRIDAY! And today begins the 13 Days of January Nail Art Challenge. It's just a shortened version of Crumpet's Nail Tarts January 31 Day Challenge for those of us too busy for the full one. We will be posting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout January.

The first prompt is "Follow a Tutorial" so I chose one from @nadeekay on Instagram.

Here's her tutorial...

And my results on my first attempt weren't exactly stellar but I get the idea now and I think I'll be trying this one again. I may approach it from a different direction though.

But I do have to say, it's super cute at arm's length!

I used acrylic black over my current mani so I guess this is technically an Extend-A-Mani! Fancy Gloss Frozen Berries and Pipe Dream Polish VIP Pass (both purchased by me.) Not exactly color-accurate here though but I was trying to focus on the technique.

Be sure to check out the other great manis from the other nail artists in the links below!

♥

An InLinkz Link-up

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Extend-A-Mani: Pollock-esque Nail Art with Elevation Polish

Nothing to Disclose

Time for another Extend-A-Mani!

 

Here's what I used...

I started out wearing Elevation Polish The Twinkle in Yeti's Eye. One of the most difficult polishes I've ever tried to photograph! It's a very bright, saturated teal that just seems to look blue. But I think I outsmarted it at the end of this post!

And then I wore it with a gradient of Elevation Polish Cuernos del Paine...

With flash

With flash it's too green ^^^^

And to extend it even more, I did Pollock-esque accent nails using the splatter method - with a coffee stir stick and something I have plenty of. Hot air. You just "put your lips together and blow." For this I used my go-to black creme, Wet n Wild WildShine Black Creme along with Elevation Polish Mount Ventoux and I Got the Axe...

See how blue? ^^^^

So I used my cell phone and held a bottle of BLUE polish (hehehe)

Not a great pic but the color is finally closer!

Hope you're having a great Labor Day weekend!

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

WEAR TEST: Christian Louboutin Rouge Louboutin with an Extend-A-Mani Gradient

Nothing to Disclose

*This product is not Cruelty Free 

♥

You'll remember not long ago I did swatches and review of the new Christian Louboutin Rouge Louboutin polish...

and I promised a wear test...well this is it!

I wore this one as I do all polishes - no base coat. Just something in my chemistry that doesn't do well with them I guess. I used one coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top top coat when I applied it and I re-applied a coat of top coat on Day 4.

Now I'm pretty rough on my hands/nails. I generally don't use the dishwasher because it's just me most of the time. So I've done laundry, lots of dishes, hair washing (which is oddly the hardest on my nails even over housework), and yes I've been known to use the nails as tools.

Overall, it wore well on me compared to other polishes with the same "abuse" - I had tip wear, but no chips. I ended up testing it for 7 days, which is at least twice as long as I leave most manis.

This is Day Three...

Day Five...

Day 7...

You can see it's definitely worse for wear on Day 7. I'm not sure what to blame the surface marks on...the dogs? But still no chips and I've had worse tip wear in 1 or 2 days with some brands.

So what did I do next? An Extend-A-Mani of course! Just a sponge, some black polish, a bit more Rouge Louboutin and Voila!

Well what do you think? Does it make the price go down any easier? The wear isn't what I'd call outstanding, but I'd rate it above both Chanel and Dior based on this wear test. It's certainly above-average, especially with the abuse I put my hands through.

Thanks for checking back!

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Elevation Polish Layering! Extend-a-Mani: Aconcagua and The Arches

Nothing to Disclose

*These products are Cruelty Free 

♥

I just have a quick post for you right now because as you're reading this, I'm on a plane to CosmoProf - Vegas, Bay-bee!

Either of these polishes can be worn alone and I usually do but for some reason I decided to layer one quick coat of Agongagua over my existing mani of The Arches and it was gorgeous! And it extended my mani for another few days!

Artificial lighting...

Indirect natural lighting...

----------------------------------------------------------------

I have some post scheduled for you while I'm gone - you're really NOT going to want to miss Sundays posts! Trust me.

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Extend-A-Mani: Gradient Nails with Added Holo Palms

Nothing to Disclose

♥

I'm back, finally, with another Extend-A-Mani! I've been so busy swatching and trying new nail art ideas that I hadn't worn anything long enough really to DO an extend-a-mani, but I did this week!

I wore a cool gradient for a few days that I posted on my Instagram...

I did this using my violet orchid franken and black, topped with one coat of Jindie Nails Electric Grape (new version)...

So when I wanted to extend it for a few days without just "freshening it up" I decided to do free-hand palm trees in holo.

For this I used 4 Colors by Llarowe polishes I had sitting on my desk because you know, I wasn't about to get up off my lazy butt and walk to the polish room and use up all that brain power actually CHOSING something. Actually, there's a major confession. Most of my nail art ideas come from "what can I use that I have sitting here already without having to get up." Also, a lot of my nail art is really just an extend-a-mani, more out of laziness than actual creativity. But please don't tell anyone.

I used Refresh...ing, Nice Melons, My Own Private Paradise and Independence Day.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's not the best mani to show you up-close-and-personal like this, but at arm's length, it's super cute and fun! And that's the best part of an Extend-A-Mani - you're playing around with something you were going to remove anyway so if it doesn't work for you, you've lost nothing!

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Extend-A-Mani: Mickey and Minnie Nail Art

Nothing to Disclose

*These Products are Cruelty Free 

♥

Extend-A-Mani

Mickey and Minnie Nail Art

Just a quick Nail of the Day/Extend-A-Mani post for you today while I finish swatching some other beauties for you!

I was wearing Kiko #240 Apple Red so I decided to do a little nail art to extend my mani! I chose Mickey and Minnie just because it seemed like the perfect red and it's something simple and quick.

I used Wet n Wild WildShine Black Creme for the frame on the pinkie, the bow and the mouse ears on the thumb and Salon Perfect Sugar Cube for the dots and other accents.

Cute as a button, right? And easy to do with just a dotting tool and striping brush.

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Extend-A-Mani: Blue Flowers

Nothing to Disclose

♥

Today I have a quick and easy Extend-A-Mani post for you over Chanel Fantastic #481. I've taken Kiko #385 and a plain white creme for quick flowers (note that these aren't detailed or difficult - more abstract - the "suggestion of"). I used Kiko 347 and 394 for the stems/vines.

I used a small flat brush and dipped the corner in white and then in blue. When I touched the brush to the nail, I sort of give is a slight twist and pull up quickly. It's much easier with acrylic paint but for some reason I always use nail polish instead. I used a striping brush for the thinner lines but I really do need more brushes because mine are falling apart LOL!

It only took less than 5 minutes and it's a whole new mani.

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Tweed Nail Art

Nothing to Disclose

♥

Tweed Nails

I broke a nail this morning and to maintain a little uniformity in a couple of collection posts that are coming up, I'm having to re-swatch a few. I'll be showing those to you soon, but in the mean time, here's a quick "nail art experiment" for you. Tweed Nails!

So this is really an Extend-a-Mani post!

Just by the very nature of (and inconsistencies in) tweed patterns, this one is pretty hard to mess up just because it's so random.

I started with a base of Kiko 327 Granite Grey, which I wore today as sort of a palette cleanser/welcome back shorties mani. I added random vertical and horizontal stripes here and there with Zoya Shelby (pink) and Wet n Wild Wild Shine Black Creme and French White.

It sort of reminded me of a Chanel jacket. ♥

Of course, as with all patterns like this, it looks better at arm's length. Even when my shorties make my fingers look a bit stubby. LOL!

I was inspired by my friend Bénédicte over at I'm A Nail Art Addict - hers uses different colors but the effect is so cute!

What do you think? Would you try something like this?

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Extend-A-Mani: Flower Nail Art

Nothing to Disclose

♥

Extend-A-Mani

Abstract Flower Nail Art

Today I have another extend-a-mani post for you. As I've mentioned, I use these as opportunities to practice nail art. I mean I'm either going to make it last longer or remove it, so might as well practice, right? And I promised I'd show you the wins AND fails on my "nail art journey" so here ya go!

I was wearing my violet franken (someone needs to hurry up and make this color because I'm almost out and I have no earthly idea how to re-create it HINT HINT) so I grabbed blue and white acrylic paint and a small flat brush and started trying to figure out the "one-stroke" thing. Then I went in with a little black polish for the insides of the "flowers" - I didn't do very well on my first try but it wasn't a total fail. It's not great up close, but it's pretty killer at arm's length!

And a not-so-great cell pic...

See how it gets better the farther away you get? LOL!

What do you think? Have you tried the "one-stroke" method? Was yours a Fail or a Win?

♥

 If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Extend-A-Mani: Halloween Nail Art - Spider Webs

Nothing to Disclose

♥

Halloween Nail Art

Spider Webs

Just a very quick NOTD (Nail of the Day) for Halloween - Spider webs! And it's an Extend-A-Mani!

I need new, thinner brushes, but you get the idea. Mainly I just wanted to play around with PicMonkey again. LOL! I'm not smart enough for Photoshop and I use PicMonkey for collages anyway, so I figured why not play around with the cool effects?

This is the original manicure...

I used Nails Inc. Atomic and Sinful Colors SinfulShine Nouveau Purple for the gradient and Milani black and white cremes for the rest.

Have you done any Halloween Nail Art yet? Please feel free to post your Halloween manis to my Facebook page!

Have a great Friday!

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Extend-A-Mani with Dior Bengale and a Gradient

Nothing to Disclose 

*Dior may NOT be Cruelty Free 

♥

I have a really quick Extend-A-Mani post today. I've been "poorly" as my mom would have said. Translation: feeling like crap - for a few days, so I haven't been doing much.

I think this one is REALLY simple and really pretty...I wore Dior Bengale for a few days and then I did a quick black gradient on the tips to cover tip wear.


Dior Bengale alone...

And with black gradient tips...

Happy Tuesday!

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Extend-A-Mani: A Gradient and Some Glitter

Nothing to Disclose  

♥

Today I have another easy way to Extend-A-Mani with a quick gradient and some glitter. I used my existing Dior Galaxie #992 manicure and did the gradient with Zoya Shelby. Then I topped it off with Elevation Polish Daisen.

Continued after the jump...

Extend-A-Mani - Illamasqua Gradient

Nothing to Disclose

*These products are Cruelty Free 

♥

I'm back with another "Extend-A-Mani" post for you. This method is my go-to and the quickest and easiest of all my "easy way out" manicures.

All it takes is about 5 minutes, a make-up sponge and a coordinating color for the mani you're already wearing!

Continued after the jump...

Extend-A-Mani: Stripes

Nothing to Disclose

*These products are Cruelty Free 

♥

I've been doing what I call extend-a-mani nail art for quite a while. Mainly because I'm lazy. But also because I was never great at nail art and needed the practice. So last year, I started trying a little nail art on my mani before removing it. I got a little practice and it didn't really matter if I messed up because I was removing it anyway. Plus, when they actually turned out okay, I'd leave it and wear the next day. Bonus!

So now, when I'm tired of my mani, I just add a little nail art and wear it another day - extend-a-mani! I've done quite a few posts on these and got a great response, so I've decided to start showing you my extend-a-manis on a more regular basis.

Yesterday, I was wearing Illamasqua Baptiste. Last night I used a striping brush, a plain white creme (I use Wet n Wild Wild Shine French White Creme) and Essence Colour and Go Break Through, each alone, and then mixed for another coordinating shade and just did free-handed, random stripes.

I think it's a cute, very quick and EASY way to extend your mani. And it's free-hand and random, so you really can't mess up. And if you do, I'll tell you a little secret...these photos are always close-ups. At arm's length, you really can't see the mistakes.

What do you think? Is this something you would do?

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.