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!

♥

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30 Day Challenge Day 22 - INSPIRED BY SONG

Well I jumped into this one with my eyes closed. I sort of had to because the songs I know and love are mostly from the 40s. I can't really draw an Ol' Buttermilk Sky. I could have maybe done Green Eyes, but how do you draw Temptation? Or For Once in My Life?

So...I went with a song that I could do literally and one that would challenge me, which is why I joined this challenge. Fade to Black.

Fade To Black Gradient

Fade To Black Gradient

If you'd like to join the 30 Day Challenge using your untried polishes, go here to grab the codes to embed in your posts for the next 30 days and add your post using the link below! Thanks to Polished Criminails for starting this one!

Untrieds used:

Essence Romeo

Orly Liquid Vinyl 

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30 Day Challenge Day Ten - Gradient Nails

Day TEN - Gradient Nails!  The only gradients I've managed to pull off so far are glitter gradients, so that's what I went with again.

Lynnderella The Garden of Even Gradient over Barry M Indigo

Since we are really trying to use untrieds from our stash, I chose Lynnderella the Garden of even layered in a gradient over Barry M Indigo for this challenge. I was really surprised how much I really like Barry M Indigo! And I didn't have any issues with formula or application. The Garden of Even did really look like it was in a clear base, but it is slightly milky. I don't know if it's intentional or if there's bleeding, but it's there.

Lynnderella The Garden of Even Gradient over Barry M Indigo

Lynnderella The Garden of Even Gradient over Barry M Indigo

Lynnderella The Garden of Even Gradient over Barry M Indigo

Lynnderella The Garden of Even Gradient over Barry M Indigo

Lynnderella The Garden of Even Gradient over Barry M Indigo

If you'd like to join the 30 Day Challenge using your untried polishes, go here to grab the codes to embed in your posts for the next 30 days and add your post using the link below! Thanks to Polished Criminails for starting this one!

Untrieds used:

Lynnderella The Garden of Even

Barry M Indigo

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Nail Art with Pure Ice - Tape/Gradient

As I've mentioned before, I'm not good at nail art. My friend Amy at I'm Feeling Nail-Venturous, however ROCKS it. And she always makes it look SOOOO easy. LIAR!

But I keep trying. Amy's latest mani was my inspiration for this attempt. Click the link for her photo tutorial. I didn't have the matte black that she used and my gradients need a little camouflage (insert glitter here) but it's not my worst attempt!

First, Amy's gorgeous mani:

Amy's mani - click here for her photo tutorial

I used Pure Ice polishes for my attempt: Kiss Me Here (grey) Black Out (black) and Beware (silver glitter.)

Pure Ice Kiss Me Here, Black Out and Beware

Pure Ice Kiss Me Here, Black Out and Beware

Pure Ice Kiss Me Here, Black Out and Beware

Overall, I'd say on a 1 to 5 scale of difficulty (5 being the most difficult) this was a 2. What do you think? Do you use nail art tape in your manicures? Gradients?



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Thrifty Thursday Starring Milani and a Polka Dot Mani!

Well I'm not sure what got into me exactly, but I'm wearing YELLOW!  Yellow hates my skin tone, but I decided to give it another shot and maybe tone it down a bit with some easy nail art.

So for today, I have a polka dot "gradient" of sorts using yellow!  And since it's Thrifty Thursday already again, it's wallet-friendly!

Polka Dot Gradient Mani

Milani Yellow Whiz is what I'm using for the base and I used two coats. Milani's formula is usually amazing. This one is a tad thick and not self-leveling, but if you know that going in, it's fairly easy to work with.

Milani High Speed Fast Dry One Coat  Polish in Yellow Whiz

And then I used a double-ended dotting tool to make small and large dots in a random pattern, concentrated at the tips and tapering off toward the middle of the nail. The dots are Milani White on the Spot and Nails Inc.  Tavistock Street.  For a total thrifty manicure, you could use Milani Just Grayt, which I understand is a CVS exclusive and I don't have a CVS here in PoDunk. But I will get it. Pure Ice Kiss Me Here is another grey that would work fine for $1.99! My inspiration was Sarah at Chalkboard Nails. Once again, I fall short, but practice makes perfect, right?  Here's her polka dot mani. Isn't it gorgeous?  (And she's now done an easy tutorial with pink and blue dots!)

Chalkboard Nails Polka Dot Gradient

And my version...

Polka Dot Gradient Mani

But there was still too much yellow, so I changed it up a bit by putting the grey as a base on my thumb and ring ringer and reversing the dots...

Polka Dot Gradient Mani

Polka Dot Gradient Mani

Polka Dot Gradient Mani

Polka Dot Gradient Mani

What do you think? Of course you can use any colors to do this easy polka dot mani. Give it a shot and post your polka dots on my Facebook page!

Milani polishes are available at milani.com and at various retailers. I purchased these at my local Walgreens for $4.79.


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Guest Post! Gradient Mani by Laurie of Dressed Up Digits!

Boy are you guys in for a TREAT today!  Laurie with Dressed Up Digits kindly agreed to Guest Post for me today and show you this awesome gradient mani inspired by the Sweet Colors Temperature Changing Polish I posted about here and here.  Thanks to MeiMei's Signatures, we can now get these polishes more readily. See her post here for ordering details. BUT if you're talented, like Laurie, maybe you can recreate the look!


Those of us who aren't talented in the nail art department (yes, I mean ME) have to rely on the kindness of those who are to bring you posts like this one. THANKS Laurie! ♥

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Hello Everyone!! The lovely Sheila asked me to guest post for ya'll today--that was my best Texan drawl what did ya'll think lol! I just found out Sheila is in Texas and I was lucky enough to live in San Antonio for a few years. Well she and I are pretty far apart on the map--I'm all the way up here in Wisconsin but one things for sure when we both saw the picture of the black color changing nail polish from Sweet Color we fell in love. I know Sheila's been lucky enough to get a bottle of it but I felt like there wasn't a chance in H E double hockey sticks for me so instead I decided to try to create a gradient giving me the same look. It was a labor of love let me tell you! The colors I chose at first were WetnWild Ebony Hates Chris, China Glaze Foie Gras and China Glaze Below Deck. After coming up with the gradient I felt it wasn't spot on so I went back over the gradient using Below Deck and Milani One Coat in White but then it was too white! Finally I settled on stipling Below Deck and Essie Chinchilly over the white and FINALLY I was happy!

Here's the gradient I came up with--what do you think?

I was happy with it but I wasn't IN LOVE with it. I felt like there could be more so I stamped on it!

I think the stamping added a little extra something to it don't you?

And if that wasn't enough I decided to haul out one of my new ebay rings to see how it looked with it!

Oooh it looks lovely with this mani don't you think???

Last but not least here's a pic I copied from the internet to do side by side comparisons--not dead on but pretty darn close!

What do you think--close enough or would you rather have the color changing polish? I think Sheila and I would get two totally different looks from the polish with her in the hot humid weather and me in the cold humid weather LOL!

Here is a picture of all the polishes I used in this endeavor

All in all I'm really happy I attempted to recreate this super cool look--I love gradients and find no matter the colors--dark and vampy, light or neon, they really add depth to any mani.

Thanks so much for having me today! I hope you all have a fantastic day!!

And THANK YOU, Laurie! ♥  It's gorgeous!

Don't forget to visit Laurie at her blog!

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