Oxblood Red Swatch: Essie Skirting The Issue

Hey everyone! Here’s a very quick swatch of Skirting The Issue by Essie, which is a deep burgundy red. The pictures were taking with (I think) 5 coats, but it was still very manageable and didn’t seem too think. It dried in a reasonable time without getting goopy. I still think it would have worked well with fewer layers, but it would not be nearly as dark. I like how the jelly finish works with the vampy color. I hope I have a reason to wear it soon!

Red Konad French manicure, carpet catastrophe

Today was my day off. When I woke up this morning, I noticed that parts of my carpet were a little bit damp, but only in a couple places. I brushed it off and kept getting ready, but then I realized that it was getting wetter and wetter each time I walked on it because the carpet pads were soaked. I tried to figure out where it was coming from, but my bathroom, washing machine, and water heater were all totally dry and there were no leaks in my ceiling. We called the handyman for my apartment complex, and he was pretty perplexed as to where it was coming from also. He decided to check the neighbor’s to see if it was coming from there. Lo and behold, the toilet had been clogged and overflowing and there was no one home. So my carpet is covered in, more or less, poop water! Haha, well I’m lucky I was home and it was my day off so that I could get someone to come by to look at it.

My Saturday manicure is a French manicure in Essie Scarlett O’Hara over my naked nail, with top coat. I used Konad stamping plate M19 with 2 stamped layers of the Scarlett O’Hara. Thanks for listening to my rant!

Pink ombre mermaid? nails

I was inspired by this tutorial at Little Nails that I read a couple months ago. However, I neglected to look at the tutorial again before doing it, and I just went at it. Needless to say, this really doesn’t look like a mermaid tail. Still, I think I like the final product. I used so many nail polishes that I don’t want to write it out, but I do know what I used. Ask away if you’re wondering what a color is.  I swatched it on paper and figured out what I was doing wrong. Next time they might actually turn out right!

Konad stamped glitter french manicure

Without a doubt, my favorite way to do a French manicure is with the Konad stamping plate that comes with the French manicure kit (set F, plate M19). It takes some getting use to, but once you do, you can do the tips in just minutes, and they end up a lot more even for me than doing them freehand. For these, I did the tips with the stamping plate, then put Essie Shine of the Times on top. After a while, I decided I didn’t like the glitter over the white tips so I just restamped them, so the tips are a bit thick. Has anyone tried using this plate? Have you had any trouble?

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.

 

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.

Breast cancer awareness nails

If the NFL can support breast cancer awareness, I can too! Sorry my cuticles are looking rough today, I better put on some lotion. This is Essie Miami Nice and Konad special polish for the stamping. Stamp is Bundle Monster BM321.

I’m on oncology for my internal medicine rotation in a month, so something similar might make a comeback. Gotta support the girls 😀