having super short nails is really not fun.  the ones that i broke at Ikea are still stinging like mad everytime i wash my hands or do dishes.  or paint them. 

since there isn't much to paint i decided to go with a nude look. 

heh.  who am i kidding.  i don't do nude well.  so i did a nude glitter! 

i used 2 or 3 coats of Funky Fingers Sakura Glow because it has a pink base and i thought it would help disguise the staining on my nails.  and then i used 2 or 3 coats of Orly Prisma Gloss Silver.

and a super duper way-to-close macro shot where you can see that my fingers took a beating from the "clean all the things" day:

a trip to Ikea for one shelf turned me into a cleaning monster today.  i have literally done nothing but clean today.  and the one thing i wanted to accomplish hasn't been done.  i wanted to get the shelf assembled and the stuff that's going into it organized.  i got the assembly part done...

 i also got my entire living room and kitchen tidied up:

and my dresser now looks like a girl actually lives here:

but the stuff that is going on the new shelf?  still a terrible untidy pile on my dining room hutch.  most of it is my man's work stuff.  he runs poker tournaments at night and does contracting during the day.  there is quite the assortment of things on it... a showerhead, cards, receipts, pencils galore, floor plans, a NY Giants baseball cap, a measuring tape... oh my.

so, no nailpolish today.  i broke two nails right down to the quick pulling boxes meant to go in the new shelf out of the box they had them in at Ikea :(  so i have stubbins again.  stubbins with slightly chipped polish from all the cleaning i did today.  why isn't it as much fun painting them when they're shorter?? ;)

yesterday during a long ride in the car to visit family my man suggested a manicure idea.  last night i decided a variation of what he described was a great idea.  so i pulled out my polishes and spent about an hour (yeah, laugh away) deciding which colours would work for the idea.

i came out with Color Club's Total Mystery (the blue), Alias (the purply-ish one), and Ulterior Motive (the pink).  all from their Alter Ego Keep It Under Cover collection.

i painted my thumbs with Total Mystery, my index fingers are half Total Mystery, half Alias.  the middle finger is all Alias.  the ring finger is half Alias, half Ulterior Motive and the pinky is all Ulterior Motive. 

with the flash to show the glitter a bit.  you can also see the shrinkage caused by my brand new Seche Vite :(

and now i must get dressed and ready to go.  we're heading out to Ikea to buy a couple of shelves for the living room so i will have more strorage for my yarn and polish :)  i love Ikea :)

the girly manicure did not last.  i just couldn't take it anymore.  all the elements together were just too sweet.  so i spent a while soaking off the decals last night and removing all evidence that my nails were cutesy girly.

i replaced the girly with more pink.  but it's way less cutesy than yesterday's look. :)  i used OPI's Designer Series DS Signature and OPI's Teenage Dream from the Katy Perry Collection on my ring finger and the tip of my pinky finger.

i have to take a moment to tell you how i ended up with Signature.  i was perusing the makup section at my local Winner's (a brand name discount store here in Canada) and i saw that they had nailpolishes.  i wasn't huge into polish at the time.  i don't really even know why i looked.  but i did.  and i saw the Signature and i was wowed by it.  i didn't know it was called a "holo" or that it was discontinued or even rather iffy to get one's hands on.  i just saw *pretty* and Had To Have It.  i paid $6.99 for it.  the most expensive polish i had ever bought (at the time).  when i started to read nailpolish blogs and really get into polish i realized i had scored a pretty decent deal on the Signature!  now i kinda wish i had bought all three bottles they had!

so... in essence, OPI DS Signature started my nailpolish obsession :)

for the pinky i wiped off a lot of the polish from the brush and started applying it 3/4 down my nail.  i got a light coat of the glitter this way.  when it was dry i applied another light coat from about 1/2 way down my nail.  and then when that was dry i did another coat at just the tip of my nail.  i think the effect turned out similar to a sponged look :)

i applied my Seche Vite top coat and voila!  all done.  i applied a rather generous coat to the glitter nails but i just like my tips to feel smooth rather than gritty, as glitter tends to feel.

with flash, because it is so overcast here today that getting the camera to pick up the holo effect without the use of the flash was proving rather difficult:

this is not my usual taste.  i don't know what came over me last night when i painted my nails.  they're so... girly!  so... pink and purple!  so... feminine and pretty!  it's so not me i've already found inspiration for a new manicure and i've only been wearing this one since last night.

i used China Glaze's Anklets of Amethysts (i am so in love with this colour, it is such a pretty bluish purple), some nail stickers made by Kiss and, on my ring finger, Kiss Nail Art polish in Silver Glitter to make the little flower stem.  which is upside down to the rest of the world, but since i look at my nails more than other people do i decided to make it right side up for my view.  hehe :D

just a little bit.  i had to stop at walmart for milk and decided it was a good time to stalk the makeup section.  oh, who am i kidding, there is never a bad time to check out the makeup section ;)  i got a few "art" nailpolishes.  i have never used them before, i'm afraid i may not have a steady enough hand to create much with the super thin long brushes they have.  after opening them and checking out the brushes i have been thinking about getting some nail wheels to practice designs on.  zomg... this obsession just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger!!

i also got some cosmetic sponges to try out some sponged looks with my nails.  and some nail art stickers.  when i get home i realized that i had two of the same designs.  one packaged was taped tightly to the next and they looked like one alone.  so when i got home i was surprised to find two.  :\

not pictured is a bottle of pure acetone to help with small clean ups, although my application is getting better :)

yesterday i mentioned how i nearly passed up Orly Prisma Gloss Silver in the store because the pigment had settled and i thought it was just another boring clear polish.  i had assumed it was sitting out on the display untouched for a month or two or more.

but i was wrong.  this stuff settles at warp speed.

here it is in it's shaken up glory:

this was about an hour after shaking it all up to mix it:

i had planned on taking pictures every hour to show you guys the settling, but i got rather busy with other things, so this one was taken about 3 or 4 hours after its last shake:

and this one was taken this morning when i got up, maybe 12ish hours after the last time i shook it up.  this is pretty much how it looked when i picked it up at the beauty supply store:

my nails are still, pitifully, naked.  i will have time this afternoon to get them all prettied up.  maybe with my one of my new haul polishes.  i have been feeling very inspired by pretty much everything Let Them Have Polish posts!  love love love her fantabulous creativity :)

yep.  i went to the beauty supply store right after the bank.  sssshhh.  i like that store.  they don't carry a huge selection, but they carry enough to drool over.  and when you buy polishes they wrap them up in protective wrapping.  i declined the wrapping, i knew it would be a waste cuz i live right around the corner and the polishes were not going to stay wrapped up for long ;) 

from left to right:  i got a new Seche Vite (mine is half full and starting to do the evil shrinkage thing), China Glaze Reggae to Riches, China Glaze Sugar Plums, China Glaze Anklets of Amethysts and Orly's Prisma Gloss Silver.  i almost passed up the Orly because it had settled so badly it looked like just a clear polish.  i'm glad my curiousity got the best of me and i picked it up to see the oh so pretty holo pigment settled at the bottom.  i shook it up and then had.to.have.it. 

i'm leaving the house today with my nails naked (except for a nail strengthener i applied last night). i wish i had the time to paint them before i go out.  they are stained a perty orange from wearing China Glaze's Drastic without a base coat (doh!).  but... when it comes down to it, i'd rather go out with my nails naked than not cash the cheque that's in my hot little hands.  and, conveniently, my bank is located almost across the street from a beauty supply store... hrmmm ;)

something simple tonight.  my toxic skulls were lasting perfectly fine, not even a chip!  but i get bored easily i guess, cuz i just needed a new look.  my man was off helping out a friend, so i took the opportunity to paint my nails.  he really hates the smell of nailpolish.  i really hate the smell of onions (always gives me a migraine).  so, since he never cooks with onions for me, i do the same for him with the polish and only do my nails when he's at work or very very asleep.  lol.

this one is China Glaze's Good Witch?  and Nicole by OPI's Sprinkle of Twinkle (which i scored for 50% off today at Shopper's Drug Mart).

pardon the flashy pictures.  it is literally the middle of the night here (2:23a.m. as i start this post).  i can't sleep so i decided to do a quick tutorial on how i made the skulls and bows in my last manicure :)

so... first, gather up your supplies.  you'll need the polishes you've chosen to use and something to create small dots with.  i use a fine knitting needle, because i knit, a lot, and they're handy around here :)

using the brush that is in your nailpolish bottle, and using the colour you want for your skull, create a circle on your nail for the head of the skull:

next, get a spare piece of paper or foil and put a drop of the skull colour on it:

using your dotting tool, create three "teeth" on your skull:

next, get your bow colour ready by placing a drop on your scrap piece of paper.  to make the bow, create 5 dots with your dotting tool in this configuration:

next step is to fill in between the dots to create the bow:

now add a drop of your back ground colour to your spare piece of paper and use your dotting tool to add eyes and a nose:

seal that baby up with some topcoat and you're done :D

happy painting :D

freehand design created mostly with my trusty Boye US1 double pointed knitting needle.  now that i see it in the light of day i think i'll get around to touching up the bow on my thumb before i leave the house :) 

polishes used:  essie sexy divide (base), Revlon Top Speed in Super Nature (green) and an unlabled Joe Fresh white.  Seche Vite top coat.

i do have to note that i was rather disappointed with essie's sexy divide.  it is such a deep beautiful purple, but no matter how thinly i applied it, how long i let it dry between coats, or which base coat i used, i kept ending up with bubbles.  i fully removed it twice and started over.  on the third go i just left it and squished out what bubbles i could by pressing down on the polish while it was still soft.  the Seche top coat smoothed out the fingerprints.  phew!

and no inspiration.

okay... entirely not true.  a quick look around at all the nail blogs i read and there is way more than enough inspiration!  :)

here's a secret.  i am one of those mental types.  i enjoy living with chronic depression and anxiety.  and today is what my love has come to call "a crazy day".  he doesn't say it in a derogatory way, he says it with a smile in a way that makes me smile.

crazy days usually mean pjs, sofa, internet and absolutely no motivation.  and that's killing the perty that could be my nails!  they're currently only wearing a nail strengthener.  my stash boxes are open on the sofa next to me, but i just am not feeling it!

in the meantime, while i'm waiting for this bout of depression to pass, or for the inspiration for new nails to come (whatever happens first), i'll show you my stash.  it is tiny compared to some :)

this is where it lives.  right beside "my" spot on the sofa :)

inside the boxes.  there have been some additions since this picture, the boxes are both full up to the brim now.  i don't know how that happened ;)

so... i've been thinking.  a lot of nailpolish bloggers have these great giveaways after they reach a certain number of followers, or they reach a blogiversary, etc.  and i want to do that too.  i love spreading joy in any way i can and sending nailpolish to polish hoars is going to be fun!

and that thought led to me thinking, what could i add to a giveaway collection?  i don't have a very large stash, but i do already have a brand new unopened Joe Fresh Twilight, bought in anticipation of either selling on eBay or giving away on my blog.

i pop by my local Winner's once a week or so and i've scored some pretty ossim nailpolish there.  it's where i found my OPI holo.  and my Seche Vite.  there is a store in a big mall in the next city over that also sells discontinued colours and over-productions.  i scored a few of the OPI Katy Perry collection there... 3 for $15 (when i buy OPI at the local beauty supply store each bottle runs $9.99plus).

if i had a mental list in my head of your most coveted nailpolishes, who knows?  perhaps i'll come across them at Winner's, or the outlet store.

so comment and let me know what your most coveted polishes are.  i will use your comments to build a list and hopefully build up a pretty cool giveaway for when i have a significant blogger moment :)

my retro mod dots "Monsters Inc" manicure died a horrible death last night.  my love and i have a deal... he cooks (i hate cooking), i do the dishes (he hates doing dishes).  it works out very well :)  we're both happy with the arrangement.  most of the time. 

i had been slacking on my end of the deal.  and the dishes piled up.  a lot.  so yesterday afternoon i did up a rather large load of them.  by hand... we don't have a dishwasher in our apartment. 

the tips of my mani starting chipping :(  ugh.  instead of touching it up (it was totally fixable), i just removed it completely last night in favour of trying out my new Nfu-Oh's.

the lighting in my living room is pretty sucky at night.  so when i did this one i didn't realize just how much the purple finger sticks out from the rest.  i'm very tempted to add some red dots to it to make it blend a little more with the rest of the mani.

i used Revlon's Top Speed Nail Enamel in Cherry as a base for Nfu-Oh 59 and Sinful Colors Daddy's Girl as a base for Nfu-Oh 51.

 i decided to make the best of a bout of insomnia last night.  i just could not sleep.  i napped yesterday afternoon, thanks to a migraine :(, and then i just couldn't get back to sleep when sleep time came.  so i stayed up almost all night watching a documentary about the history of magic and painting my nails.  problem with insomnia though... i was exhausted, but could not sleep...  being exhausted while painting polka dots on small surfaces means not so great dots.  but it's a fun look despite the weird spots, so i'm sharing it with you all anyway :)


i created the dots with what i had around at the time.  i don't have any special nail art tools.  yet ;)  to make the dots i put a drop or two of polish on a scrap piece of paper.  the big dots were made by dipping the back end of a pen into the drips on the paper.  the medium dots were made with the back end of a Loew Cornell round paintbursh that i use to apply gel/cream eyeliner.  and the small dots were made with my trusty Boye US1 double pointed knitting needle.  :)

- black: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out. 
- light blue: China Glaze Bahamian Escape. 
- green: Revlon Top Speed Enamel in Super Nature. 
- dark blue: Joe Fresh Prussian Blue.