NOTD: Spring Has Sprung!

Hi all! :)

Today my NOTD is Essie- Lilacism, with stamping from Konad plate, m21, this design:

It was stamped in Savvy- Deep Amethyst, one of the most beautiful purples I own. :)

Only 2 fingers today. This is from a couple days ago, and I had some tipwear.

I loved this. It was so cute, and sweet! Totally made me think of spring--and Easter... :) I love Easter.. and bunnies.. :) So, I guess I'll have to do some Easter manis next! Sorry I didn't get up the St. Patrick's Day Ideas. There's always next year!

Thanks for reading!

~Emily

NOTD: Orly Gumdrop + Essie Mint Candy Apple!

Hey guys! :)

So this is the mani I did from that ULTA haul.. It is a base of Orly Gumdrop, and stamping from Konad plate m21 with Essie Mint Candy Apple. I think it is very pretty! And quite springy! :)

Please forgive the chips. It was ready to come off, but I didn't have any pics! First I did 3 coats of Gumdrop, because it was kind of runny, and stringy. Then I konad-ed over that with Essie Mint Candy Apple, and loved it! It was kind of subtle, but not so that you can't see it. After adding topcoat, I added a tiny pearl to the large flower's center. It was so cute! ^.^

Thanks for reading!

~Emily

Haul: ULTA!

Hi ladies!

I have a new favorite store! ULTA! Last Friday I went up and got, well, a little crazy.. :) Take a look at my new beauties!

 First row: left to right: Orly Gumdrop; Orly Cotton Candy; Orly Pixy Stix
Second row: left to right: Essie Midnight Cami; Essie Mint Candy Apple; Essie Mesmerize; Essie Lilacism; Essie Van D'go

The Orlys:

The Essies:

And one more group shot:

:D I love them! I have already done manis with Gumdrop and Mint Candy Apple, Lilacism, and Midnight Cami, not to mention a pedi with Mesmerize! I will post soon! :)

Thanks for reading!

~Emily

Konad: What? And How?

What is Konad?
Konad is a brand/company that has created a unique process for producing nail art. It consists of a stamper, metal image plates, and special polish. Much like t-shirt printing, Konad works by "inking" your image plate, scarping off the excess, lifting the polish up from the grooves with your stamper, and transferring it onto your nails.

What You Need:

Top Coat, Special Polish, Scraper and Stamper, Image Plate

You Also Need:

Cotton Balls/Pads, Q-Tips, Nail Polish Remover

How it Works:

This process needs to be done as quick as possible, as the "special" polish dries very fast.

Step 1} Clean off your image with nail polish remover. It gets all of the oils, and lint out of the design, which makes for smoother, and prettier stamping! Let this dry, completely. **The pink plate holder is not necessary, but I think it makes stamping easier. Just be sure to clean out the disk-shaped area from time to time.

Step 2} Paint a small dot of the "special" polish onto the design of your choice. You don't need a lot, just enough to cover the design entirely.

Step 3} With your scraper at a 45 degree angle, lightly scrape the design, to remove excess polish. You should now see the polish-filled design on the plate.

Step 4} Take your rubber stamper, and quickly roll it ONCE over the design, to pull up the polish. Roll from one side of the stamper to the other. 

Step 5} Time to stamp your nail! Hold the stamper eye level, so you can see what you are doing, then just like you did to pick up the design, roll it over your nail. Do NOT roll back and forth. Don't press too hard, and don't forget, this is fun!

 Step 6} Wait a couple of minutes, then use your topcoat to seal your design. You could use the Konad topcat, but any regular one will work. Try to cover in as little strokes as possible, and be quick.

Try to remember, this takes practice! My first attempt (August 28th, 2010) was not pretty! But I've gotten better with time. Also, if it's your first time, try this over an old mani, you aren't ruining perfect nails!

I purchased all of my konading supplies from Amazon. The image shown here is from Bundle Monster plate, BM15-also available from Amazon.

Thanks for reading!

~Emily

TOTD: Essie Mesmerize + Nautical Nail Art

Hi ladies!

Just a quick post for today. On Friday I stopped at my ULTA and picked up a few Essies, and Orlys. I. Love. ULTA. It's the best store I've ever visited. :) Anyway, here is Essie Mesmerize:

 Above: Essie Mesmerize- Alone, with Seche Vite topcoat. I wore this alone for two days, and then it got a little boring, and since this is the perfect blue (Essie calls it a "Royal Va Va Blue") I decided to add some nautical nail art. :)

 Above: Essie Nautical: With free-hand stripes on the tiny toes, and a free-hand anchor on the big toes. I started out trying to stamp the anchor from plate bm08 in China Glaze Cheers to You, but... that didnt look good: first, I missed the center of my toe on the first try, so then I tried stamping randomly all over (FAIL!). Second, it was too sheer. Third, the stamp was too tiny. So I did this! And I really cannot take my eyes off of it..

 

 I got so many compliments at school today! :) Thanks Alyssa, and Ms. Portwood, specifically! (if you read it that is..) I know I really shouldn't put this up until I get pics of the actual haul, but I couldn't wait! :)

Thanks for reading!

~Emily

Walmart Haul: Makeup!

Hey ladies!

So, I actually got this a couple weeks ago, aaannnd being the procrastinator I am, I forgot to share them :) Well, here they are!

 Left to right: Hard Candy: So Baked Bronzer; Maybelline The Falsies: Black Drama; Physician's Formula Happy Booster; Covergirl Lip liner

 There they are!-minus the happy booster.. I think it should get its own post. :)

Thanks for reading!

~Emily

Candyland NOTD Series: Mr. Mint!

Hi all! :)

Today I am showing you the "Candyland NOTD Series: Mr. Mint" manicure! I honestly don't have the words for this, so onto the pictures..

And now my thoughts...:

Honestly, I HATED this manicure. It was a pain to do, and it didn't even turn out right! Ugh. This cam off as soon as I took the pictures. It was painful.. :P I hope the others turn out better!

I've always loved Candyland.. The colors, the characters, the simplicity of the game... I think I have it somewhere.. I hope so... I need it for pictures... Must remind myself to rummage through the garage.. Now I'm rambling. I always feel like my posts are super short.. Of course, it doesn't matter since no one reads this anyway. I mainly do this for the invisible people out there... However, if somebody does by chance read this.. let me know! I would LOVE to hear from readers! I feel so alone.. I mean, the sidebar says I have followers... But when I ask for comments, or ideas, I get nothing.. I'm not even sure my mother reads this. Let alone the "friends" I have who encouraged me to start this dang thing, and even started ones of their own because of it! Am I such the nerd, that even my Harry Potter-loving, anime-watching best friend can't bother to comment and say "Hey! Keep writing! I'm out there! I read this stuff!" :/ I even "advertise" on Facebook... Nothin. Nobody cares about me.. *sigh*

Thanks for reading--if there is anyone.

~Emily

New Crackles!

Hi ladies!

Today I am showing you the two new crackles that finally came in the mail last week! :) They are Mia Crackle Glazes Blue, and Black. Here they are, alone and layered

 

 Left to right: Blue- Alone; Layered over Orly Glitz; Layered over China Glaze Cheers to You

 Left to right: Black- Alone; Layered over Zoya Nova; Layered over Color Club Wham! Pow!

And that completes my "Crackle Haul"! I can't wait to do more neon/crackle combos! :) They are fabulous. I also loved black, and Nova! I will have to do that. That's all I have for today! Until I polish again!

Thanks for reading!

~Emily

Update

Hey guys!

Guess I kinda abandoned you didn't I? Sorry about that! I've been pretty busy lately... :)

Just thought I'd check in and tell you I haven't given up! I'll be back soon with some fun things to show you:

Candyland NOTD Series

 Crackle Polishes

Zoya Swatches

Saint Patrick's Day Nail Art Ideas

... and maybe some other fun things I have in mind if I can finish them. Until I post again!

Thanks for reading!

 ~Emily