Oxblood and nude ombre manicure with Essie “Skirting the Issue”

I’ve been really into oxblood red this season, so when I saw Skirting the Issue from Essie’s Stylenomics collection, I got it immediately. This manicure was done with Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 140 Peachy Keen with Essie Skirting The Issue on the tips. Usually when I do a gradient manicure, I use a makeup sponge to put the second color on the tips. This time I wasn’t going for subtlety, so I just painted Skirting The Issue on the tips. I’d heard some negative things about Skirting the Issue, but the formula worked perfectly for what I used it for. It does have to be layered, but it dries quickly and has a lovely jelly finish. I can’t wait to try it alone.

On the other hand, this Sally Hansen color is a nightmare to apply. It took me 5 coats just to get something that wasn’t streaky! I have some other Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes that I don’t have trouble with, so I think it’s just this color. Either way, I think I’ll have to replace this color with a different polish.

 

Nude and gold manicure with Dior Sienna and China Glaze I’m Not Lion

Today’s manicure is done with Christian Dior Sienna and stamped with China Glaze Passion using Bundle Monster BM 312. I was hesitant to get the Dior polish since it’s so expensive, but I convinced myself that if I got something in a conservative shade I could use it for interviews in the future. Maybe not the most sound reasoning, but I really like the formula. It applies like butter and was opaque in two coats. The brush is thicker than that for your average nail polish. I have mixed feelings about thicker brushes. They help with an even application but are less precise. Unexpectedly, I ended up really liking the brush. The accent nail is with China Glaze I’m Not Lion, which I knew I’d love as soon as I saw it. It is a holographic glitter with a coarse texture once it dries. I had some trouble photographing this manicure for some reason, so these pictures don’t do it justice. I picked up China Glaze I Herd That at the same time, which is a similar glitter polish, but is copper. I can’t wait to try that one out now.

 

I’m not doing any black Friday shopping this year. The one thing I’ve been eyeing is at Zoya. My mom is impossible to shop for. The one thing that I know she’ll use if I get it for her is nail polish. For mother’s day, I got her a boxed set from Zoya that they had as a special. It was three pre-chosen colors in a nice black box. I ended up swapping out some of the colors I didn’t think she would like as much. Now, they’re selling the same boxes with your choice of colors, called dream boxes. I know what I’m getting everyone for the holidays now!

Pink and tan leopard print with China Glaze Kalahari Kiss

I’ve been wanting to try out the leopard print manicure I saw in this post at Swatch and Learn, but I thought it would be really time consuming. I just bought China Glaze Kalahari Kiss, and while I was swatching it, I got carried away and added the leopard spots with a dotting tool in pink using Zoya Gilda and black using A England Bridal Veil. It was so much easier than I had thought, and it was quicker than stamping in my opinion. So take a look at that post I was talking about and don’t be afraid to try it!

Neon sunglasses

It’s getting cold here, and the temperature shock coming back from Hawaii was not pleasant. I miss the days this summer when we would grill on the beach. I thought I’d reminisce a little with this manicure. From thumb to pinky, I used Zoya Lo, Essie Tart Deco, China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Lime Crime Pastelchio, and Lime Crime Once in a Blue Mousse. It’s stamped with plate CH 37 from the Cheeky summer collection. I love the packaging for these stamping plates, and I really like the size. They’re really cute, but I haven’t been using them too much since it’s cold.

Now for a couple Hawaii photos.

This lady was out promoting her nail salon. That umbrella is amazing. I need one.

Zoya Bailey and Tess Floral stamp

Hey everyone! So I’m back from Hawaii. I’ll have a couple of pictures to share that I’ll put up later this week. For now, here’s a quick manicure done with Zoya Bailey and  stamped with Zoya Tess using Konad m60.

Rainbows + Hawaii

I’m in the airport about to go to Hawaii for a conference. I’m so excited. The high temperatures the whole weekend are in the 80s and the lows are in the 70s. I’m going to find time to hit the beach and maybe even come back with a tan (or a sunburn more likely).

This manicure was pretty simple and quick, but I liked how it turned out. The base is Lime Crime Lavendairy from the Desserts d’Antoinette collection. I love these colors and they are nice and opaque. They always end up looking kind of bad around my cuticles, but I think this is mostly operator error and because of how light the colors are. They dry fast and apply evenly, so I’m a fan. The rainbow is done with Migi nail art pens, which I love and have been raving about. These colors are from the neon collection.

At the hospital, I was in the middle of presenting my patient to my attending physician and he interrupted me and said “I love your nails!” It was hilarious because he’s a stoic guy. I’ll take that as a compliment.

Movember mustache manicure

While I do like mustaches on men, I’m not a fan of the mustache trend. I don’t really understand the trend of the finger mustache tattoo, but to each his/her own. However, I can get behind prostate cancer and men’s health. So, I put some ‘staches on my nails in celebration of No Shave November and the November Polish Days Event. The polish is Speciallita Hits No Olimpo in Hermes. It’s a pretty nice holographic, but I didn’t get a chance to photograph it outside.

 

 

Halloween costume party manicure – Red with military insignia

I ended up going to my costume party as a military officer. I really like this costume! I paid about $30 for it a while back, and though it’s still pretty flimsy like most Halloween costumes, I got a lot of comments on how high quality it looked. I figured the outfit looks vintage with the skirt, so I went with red shoes, red nails red lipstick. Any excuse is a good excuse for red lipstick, right?

For the manicure, I used Zoya Sooki, gold tape, and Migi nail art pens for the sergeant insignia. Gotta say, I ended up liking the ensemble 🙂

Mint argyle manicure

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mint Sorbet and China Glaze passion stamped with Konad m60. Halloween may be over but I have a Halloween party to attend this weekend so I need a manicure to match my costume. I’ll show that off on my next post.