An Octopus Over A Sponged Manicure...And My Camera Is Still Missing

How do you lose a camera?

I'm very happy with my little camera.  It's simple to use (because I can't operate one that has more than two buttons - on/off and shoot), it's small (lightweight and easy to handle) and it's pretty fool-proof (don't go there).  But what it isn't is lose-proof. I can't seem to find it anywhere and it's driving me mad. I don't lose things - hardly ever. I don't set things down and forget where I put them - not something as costly and important as my camera.  I need my camera.  How can I blog without my trusty, handy, always-there camera? The longer I go without her, the more I lose hope of finding her again.  I miss my camera.  "Please come back to me!".

Can you imagine losing your kid?

 "Where's your son?" "I don't know where I put him..I must have left him around here someplace, haven't seen him in a few days, I'm sure he'll pop up somewhere eventually."

In the mean time, this is a mani I hadn,t posted yet. Wish me luck finding my Canon.

First I sponged a few colors in shades of blue to get the mottled effect.

Then I stamped my octopus and tentacles across my nails using reverse stamping so that I could easily position the tentacles.

Ciao for now.

Sneak Peak: O.P.I. Alice Through The Looking Glass

Hi friends,
I can't wait for the  sequil to Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland called Through The Looking Glass.  Looks like I'll have to wait until May 27 when the movie hits the theaters.  I'm a big Johnny Depp fan, and I love the actress who plays the Queen of Hearts. She's also Beatrix Lastrange, by the way.

Well, O.P.I. has collaborated with Disney and has a new collection of brights themed around the movie.  The always creative names are as follows:

The I's Have It
Oh My Majesty
What's The Hatter With You?
I'm Gown For Anything!
Fearlessly Alice
A Mirror Escape
Having A Big Head Day
Mad For Madness Sake
What Time Isn't It?

I think the names perfectly suit the movie, and the colors are a good fit too.
I admit that I'm partial to O.P.I. Their polishes are fantastic and the creativity that goes into naming them is enviable. So, of course, this collection is a winner for me.
Till next time, Ciao Bellas!

Edible Nail Polish: Nail Biters, Have At It!

Hi friends,
I recently ran across a new organic edible polish. Kid Licks.
When I was a kid, I bit my nails. Religiously! It didn't occur to me how unsanitary it was, or how ugly it made my nails. I was a little kid and didn't care...yet. Can you imagine what I would have done with edible nail polish?

This relatively new company, Kid Licks (see www.kidlicks.com) came up with a concept that allows littlies to paint their own nails safely. The polishes are organic and safe to consume. The line consists of only three colors, but they're working on expanding their collection. The colors are Barley Grass Green, Beet Red, and Sour Carrot Orange.

Since the polishes are essentially food and preservative free, they have to be refrigerated and will last up to two months.  But here's the clincher. The full size bottles go for $13.99. I doubt my mother would have paid that much for me to eat food off my nail, but I think the concept is nice for littlies who insist on handling their manicures on their own. My concern is the sanitary factor. As parents, we're constantly getting our kids to wash their hands and keep their fingers out of their mouth. Isn't this counter productive? "Here's some edible nail polish for you sweetie, now, it's ok for you to stick your dirty, germie little fingers in your mouth".  Although I think it's great that someone came out with the product, I'm not sure about the actual use.

What do you think about edible nail polish? Would you buy it for your littlie, or not?  What are your thoughts on this product?
Till next time, Ciao for now.

Another Morgan Taylor Sneak Peak: Street Beat

Hi there ladies,
Does Morgan Taylor sell electronics now? Umm...looks that way. The new Morgan Taylor Street Beat Collection comes complete with a free wireless speaker. Well, that's new. The idea here is to rock out to music while polishing your nails with graffiti inspired polishes, maybe??? Ok, so maybe I'm not getting it, but the idea is cute anyway.  The collection includes six colors that are presumably inspired by street graffiti. I don't believe that many or any of the colors remind me of street graffiti, but like I said, the concept is...cute. So, let me see if I get this.  You have a selection of street graffiti inspired colors, the wireless mini speaker, representing a boom box (the 80's?) and there you have it - Street Beats.  Ok, I'm going to stop analyzing this. I think I'm over thinking this. I gotta let it go.

So, here are the not so graffiti colors.
Tag, You're It - a bright hot pink
Street Cred-ible - a yellow/orange cream
Cou-tour The Streets - lavender
B-Girl Style - bubble-gum-ish pink
Hip Hot Coral - a shimmery coral
Give Me A Break-Dance - a green teal

Umm...I'm really trying to work with this concept here, but a few of the names are cringe-worthy. The colors seem very pretty, but as for naming them, O.P.I. they are not!  But, it's about the polish, not the name, right? All in all, the collection is nice for the summer. If you have other ideas about the creative concept for this collection, please clue me in. Give me a better perspective here. Maybe I'm just missing my camera, and I'm just not able to be more subjective. Help me out here ladies.  Till next time, Ciao for now.

Orly's New 2016 Summer Collection: Pacific Coast Highway

Hello Ladies,
Today, I have another new summer collection for you. This one is by Orly, and I think it's a winner. The Pacific Coast Highway Collection includes six vibrant pastels that are all truly perfect for the summer.

Road Trippin is a bright yellow cream, Summer Sunset is a soft shimmery orange. Put The Top Down is a soft pink cream. Scenic Route is a basic lavender cream, Life's A Beach is an orange red cream, and last, Paradise Cove is a fuchsia shimmer.  A few are described as neons, but I don't think I'd describe them as such (maybe Road Trippin).
All six colors are also available in mini's.

If you pick up any of these, let me know how you like them. Till next time, Ciao for now.

Jelly Sandwich

Hi there ladies,
I'm on the mend and looking forward to real food. Yummy food. Fattening food. Like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There's no peanut butter for this manicure, but there's plenty of jelly. To contrast the squishy jelly, I used a bit of matte black polish and black charms to accent the look.
Hmmm, I think I'm in the mood for another jelly sandwich, perhaps tomorrow.
Ciao for now.

Sneak Peak: Morgan Taylor - A Very Nauti-cal Girl

Hello friends,
Are you ready for the summer?  Morgan Taylor is.
I have a traditional summer set for you today. But, alas, no manicure to show. Not because I haven't polished my nails, but because my camera has disappeared. Yup, my trusty friend grew legs and walked right out the door.  I hope she comes home soon. In the mean time, I can catch you guys up on a few new polishes. Morgan Taylor's new summery set, A Very Nauti-cal Girl, includes four colors that are perfect for July. The 4th of July to be specific.

All four colors appear to be cream finishes. Wish Upon a Star is a vibrant classic red, Girls Love Buoys, my favorite, is a beautiful rich magenta.  Catch My Drift is a deep cobalt blue, and My Yacht, My Rules! is described as "a sweet white".  Ok, they look good to me.

The collection includes two duo packs with Girls Love Buoys or Catch My Drift and it's coordinating Gelish mate.  Also, for those who don't want to commit to the full size set, there is a mini 4-pack.

If you get your hands on one or more of these babies, I'd love to hear your thoughts on them.
Until next time, Ciao Bellas!

Electric Nights - A Sparkly Purple Manicure

Hello ladies,
Today I wanted, no...I needed glimmery shimmer glitter. I felt a bit under the weather this weekend and glitter was an absolute necessity to restore me. Color didn't matter, finish didn't matter. I just needed glitter. So, I aimlessly grabbed a bottle of polish (which happened to be purple), and happily finished off the manicure with enough shimmery glitter to satisfy.
Ahhh, just what the doctor ordered. I am restored.

Ciao for now.

 

Happy Friday, Let's Party!

Hello friends,
It's Friday and I'm ready to let my hair down.  It's been a busy week, and I'm ready for some R & R.  But first, before I get my snooze on, I want to spend a little time at my new hangout, celebrating the end of the work week with friends. So I went for a festive look, to start my weekend, stamping party-like curly designs over a gold base.

I love the ovelaping stamped design here. It adds depth and vibrancy to the manicure.

What are your plans for this weekend? Will you do a little celebrating, or R&R, or both?

Until next week, ciao for now!

Peach And Teal Yin Yang

Hello friends,
Great day today. I'm in a peachy mood, so I went for peach mani with my beloved glitter.  I had to free-hand the yin yang thingy. I think those remedial kindergarten art classes are paying off. I advanced to squiggly lines pretty fast.

Ciao for now!

My Borgia Finale

Hello friends,
Today I have the last of my Borgia inspired manicures. My fascination with the family and the era led me to read one of the several books written about the family. When I said in my first post that the Showtime TV series was loosely based on the Borgia family, I didn't realize how loose. Let's just say that the names match up, but not much else. Not only does the show grossly distort what's truly known about the Borgias, but most of what is actually known is speculative at best. So, my curiosity is now sated, my obsession is over, but although I finished the book, I haven't finished watching the series. What will I watch after the Borgias?  The Tudors of course! Just kidding. I'm going to leave the 15th century in the 15th century.

Till next time, ciao Bellas!

Rodrigo Borgia Was The Pope of Rome...Go Figure

Buongiorno, bonjour, hola and hello friends,
With all due respect, I'm halfway through the Borgias Showtime series and with all the blood, gore, torture, poisoning and murder, I tend to forget that this isn't the Sopranos. It's the Pope of Rome. And the show is based (however loosly) on a real family and real events. I really have to get a book and read up on these notorious people. I think the Sopranos might have learned a thing or two from this family.
Now I bid you adieu, adios, and ciao Bellas!

Still On My Mind: The Infamous Borgias

Buongiorno, bonjour, Hola and hello friends,
I've been getting a history lesson watching The Borgias. I think I want to take an art class studying 15th century Roman Renaissance art and culture. I might want to sign up for a remedial art class as well. One where they start you off with the basics. You know, circles, squares and straight lines. I think there's a prerequisite for that one. It's called kindergarten, there might be age restrictions for that though.

In any case, I can still dream and I can still do nail art (no drawing required). Today I have part two of my Borgias segments. I'll go ahead and make this a mini series because I have one or two more ideas floating in my head.
Ciao Bellas!

A Borgia Inspired Manicure

Hi friends,
I've been watching the Showtime series the Borgias. The imagery, scenery and costumes are striking and leave an impression in my subconscious. That might be why I came upon this manicure. I stamped the intricate scroll design over a glittery beige/gold base.  For the ring finger, I reversed the design and stamped neutral scrolls over a black base.

While the series is stuck in my head, I might consider another Borgia inspired manicure.
Till next time, Ciao Bellas!

A Graduated Purple Manicure With Floral Touch

Hello friends,
I haven't done a gradient is a while. Todays manicure would have been simple gradient stripes, but, I decided to add a stamped floral print over my pinky and ring fingers. 

I forgot how much I enjoyed gradients. I'll have to do another soon.
Till next time, Ciao Bellas!

MdU Velvet, Zoya Caitlin, Zoya Isa

Too Hot To Touch: Marble Stripe Mani

Hi Lovelies,
I wish the weather here was as hot as this manicure, but it isn't. It's down right chilly! And I'm sitting outside on a windy train platform with no gloves (because I'm typing). Train, please get here!  Ok, so this is gonna be short. For this manicure I used polishes from two of my favorite brands. On the higher end, there's Zoya, and on the lower end there's my favorite drugstore brand, Sinful Colors.  I made a few stripes of these down the length of my nails, then used a small striping brush to pull the polishes widthwise across the nail. This was a super simple design, and I hope you enjoyed it.

Ciao Bellas!

Zoyas Jolie and Arizona, Sinful Colors Feel the Vibe and GoGo Girl