LBD Spring Collection 2017 - Tulip Blossom

Hi loves!
It's a little premature for me to say this,  but I can't wait for school to end. I know we're in spring break right now,  but I can't help rushing things along.  My little man is now a teen, and his big brother graduates from high school next month.  I feel like I'm going back to college all over again.  I think I'm more excited than he is, as I'm looking forward to reliving the best years of my life vicariously through him and his friends.  As an added bonus I will retrieve space in my home when he leaves.  That means reduce,  reorganize,  and redecorate.  That's always fun.

Now let's get to the polish.  This is the newest polish in the Little Black Dress Nail Lacquer 2017 spring collection.  It's called Tulip Blossom and it reminds me of Easter baskets and... well, Tulip blossoms,  hence the name,  lol. It has an iridescent glow in which you can see hints of blue.  Tulip Blossom can be found in the LBD store here.

Watch for the next spring color next week.  Check back here or follow LBD on Facebook.
Ciao bellas!

Frozen...No Really, I Feel Frozen!

Hi Ladies,
I don't know about the weather in your part of the world,  but here,  it's cold.  I'm not fond of cold weather, but it's that time of year where I dread my day ahead the moment I open my front door.  I think I must be allergic to cold weather and I should be able to work from home every day that doesn't reach 70 degrees Fahrenheit, (or 21 degrees Celsius).  I may take that up with my supervisor.  I won't lose by asking.

I figured maybe I could trick my mind into accepting the cold, so I did a wintry manicure.   It sort of reminds me of the movie Frozen.  I like Elsa ,  maybe I can handle the cold if I just let it go.

Ciao for now !

Polish,  Limpet Shell

Peacock Pretty

Hi Ladies,

Even though we're moving towards the winter season, I got this idea in my head to paint a peacock manicure (more specifically, stamp a peacock manicure).  I set out with a few peacock-like colors and had fun.  Perhaps a turkey mani would have been more appropriate, but at least I stayed in the foul family.

Ciao for now!

Lilac And Lavender Ombre Manicure

Greetings Lovely Ladies!

I'm loving the lilacs and lavenders lately.  Lastly, a little layer of floral stamping, leaves a lingering impression on this lightly holo ombre look.  I had to let loose with the L's because who can say 'lilac and lavender' without wanting to string a slew of L words after it?  Right?  Ok, it's out of my system now.

I'm doing a little (a lot) fall cleaning this week, in preparation for a visit from my Dad.  I don't mind my house being a bit out of sorts on an average day. Functional disorder is acceptable for me because we're a pretty busy family and I gave up any delusions of environmental perfection years ago. I have two boys so perfection doesn't exist anywhere in my world.  But when Dad and Mama D say they're coming to visit, my head explodes and I convulse into fits of panic because I know it's impossible to pull my house together enough to make them think that I run a tight ship and have it all together.  Nope, the truth comes out when they come to town. As much as I try to pretend, I don't have it all together, and most of the time I'm just floundering through each day trying to keep order and get the important things done in a reasonable amount of time.  I know they don't have crazy expectations and I'm sure they don't think my home sucks, (because it doesn't) but I have this thing about impressing them.  It's this unnecessary and unrealistic compulsion that I have to make them proud of me that I can't seem to put into perspective.  And it's just them.  Anybody else could come visit and I straighten up like everybody does before they have company.  But Dad and Mama D aren't just anybody. They're the two people in my life who I respect and look up to more than anybody else.  What they think matters.  And even though they are the most non-judgmental people on the planet, that somehow makes it even more important that I don't screw up.  It's a vicious cycle. 

To keep myself from driving myself crazy, I have to make a reality list of things to do and not do. I can include things like washing the dishes and scrubbing the floor and cross out retile the kitchen backsplash and add wainscoting around the walls.  I can add vacuum the carpet and take out the trash rather than repaint the walls, strip the paint off the furniture and re-stain the tables.  See how I have to keep things in perspective?  So, I will refrain from rushing out to buy new dishes, new curtains and new furniture and instead, settle for something more along the lines of picking up groceries and a jar of Dad's favorite instant coffee.

With reasonable expectations on myself, I can feel my blood pressure going down.  Ok, I can see where to start now.  Toss in a load of laundry, do the dishes, and vacuum.  Great start. Oh, I can't forget, Mohinder Suresh needs his fish bowl cleaned, and the plants could use a drink of water. 

I'm out of panic mode. Now I just have to stay sane and stick to the revised, realistic list.  Wish me lots of luck.

Ciao for now!

 

Sneak Peak: Orly Sunset Strip Holiday 2016 Collection

Hi ladies,
Orly went semi-nontraditional for their holiday collection this year. We're still seeing the typical red, green, and silver which is fine.  But they're of the standard variety. This collection has 6 colors including a red, green, silver, pink, purple, and blue.  I'm not giving a lot of description here because only a few colors appeal to me. But take a look for yourself.


The collection is due to come out right about....now.
Ciao Bellas!

Sneak Peak: China Glaze 2016 Seas And Greetings Holiday Collection

Hi cuties,
I am so happy to see that some polish companies are doing something a little different this year for the holidays. Who would have thought of a holiday beach theme collection? China Glaze, that's who.  I think I love the collection simply because its not typical. Who can resist names like Sand in my mistletoes, Let's Shellebrate, Eat Pink Be Merry, Partridge In A Palm Tree, Tis The Sea Sun, Good Tideings  and Twinkle twinkle little starfish. Kudos to you CG.


The collection of 12 polishes releases some time in October, and you'll be able to find them at my favorite beauty shop, Ulta. There's also several mini sets.
Ciao for now!

Photo downloaded from Pinterest

Fuchsia and Teal Manicure

Hi friends,
Summer vacation is slowly coming to an end. Some kiddies are back in school or counting down the days until school starts. Parents are picking up schools supplies and shopping for new uniforms and school outfits.  I have done none of these things.  Not because my kids aren't going to school soon, and not because I'm a super mom and already have everything ready to go.  I'm just trying to hold on to this last week of freedom. We took a second mini vacation last weekend, and today I'm playing hooky from work.  By Friday, I'll be ready to start shopping for school supplies and uniforms.

I have very mixed feelings about the fall.  My schedule picks up and I'll find myself back in the rat race again.  On the plus side, however,  a return to normalcy comes with a sense of familiar security.  Are you ready for fall?
Ciao for now.

New Collection by Little Black Dress Nail Lacquer is...Dazzling

Hi Ladies,
I have a terrific new collection to show you by Little Black Dress Nail Lacquer.  The collection is called Dazzlers, a collection of eight super glitter polishes. Perfect for the pretty princess in you. The polishes in the photo above are (from left to right),

Shimmering Silver White
Exciting Gold
Tantalizing Tangerine
Captivating Crimson
Smashing Grape
Alluring Azure
Tranquil Teal
Enticing Emerald

Try them out.
Ciao Bellas!

Back To Fashion For Inspiration...Where's My Muse?

Hi friends,
It's been a super busy summer for me.  I can't tell you how many times I've tried to sit down and prepare a post just to find out (at the last minute) that my oldest has a basketball game/practice , or my youngest needs a ride across town to hang out with his friends.  And when I finally get settled in to do a manicure, I run into painters block. Color minus the creativity. Let's face it, that's probably not what you're here to see. I can't even decide on a simple stamp to use.  I've got nothing ladies. I'm drawing a blank here. Zero, nada, nani mo, nichego, niente, rien. Or in the words of my childhood friends,  not a doggone thing. So what do you do when your brain and all your creative energies have gone on vacation?  I pull inspiration from any place I can, that's what I do.  After a recent shopping trip (much needed retail therapy), I used colors from a new outfit for my muse.  Peach is a popular color this year, so I pulled out a peachy polish, a coordinating plum and a splash of gold. The design didn't come out quite like I planned, so I threw on a clear holographic topcoat because nothing solves a problem like holo or glitter (or both in this case).  And voila! A light, summery peachy mani.

Either I keep shopping for clothes and bust my budget, or I do what I did last year and flip through magazines and surf the net for drool-worthy furniture and room decor that I can't afford.  Now that's inspiration! So you might be in store for a few upholstery recreations. Odd, I know. But it works. Go with it.

Help me out. Tell me what you want to see.  Drop me a comment below. Until next time,
Ciao for now!

Beach Vacation: Under The Sea Manicure

Hi friends, it's been years since I had a vacation.  It was well overdue. So, last week, I caught some rays at the beach. Soooo relaxing.  The kids thought it was the best vacation ever. But it's been so long since we had one that they really don't have a solid reference point.

I wanted to wear a sea life manicure for my trip, so I used a pretty teal blue glitter flakie base color with multi-color stamping, reminiscent of ocean life under the sea. And here's the shocker: I wore this manicure for the entire week! I can't remember the last time I wore a manicure for an entire week. Great achievement.

My next mani is a summery gradient with a touch of sun.
Ciao for now!

Biker Chick Manicure

Hi friends,
Today I'm enjoying watching the rain fall outside my uptown office window (neighorhood Starbucks).  Sometimes the rain can be so soothing, and this is that type of rain. Reflecting on my week I think this was a good one. I got a lot of work done at the job, and at home. I got though prom, and I've been checking things off my To Do list (slowly, but surely). I had some enjoyable moments as well. I hung out with a few of my YouTube friends, and I'm looking forward to a grown up play date next week in a YT friend's makeup room.  Can't wait. (I promise I won't go to Ulta, Sephora or MAC to buy more makeup. I promise, I promise, I promise...this is my mantra for the week)

Awww, budget be damned, I'm gonna get me some makeup! A girl can never have too much eyeshadow. UD here I come!

But really, even though this rain today is cleansing and refreshing, I'm inclined to think of hopping on a motorcycle and riding off into the sunset. I call this manicure Biker Chick. A hot purple blend glitter over a sweet neon pink. Add matte black vinyls and silver studs, and voila!! A perfect manicure for a biker chick.

Anybody here a biker chick? I see more and more ladies on the road each year. Girl power!
Ciao Bellas!

Didn't Quite Cut The Mustard... Or Maybe It Did

Really?!?

Hi friends,



Can you see where I was going with this?  How was this supposed to work? What was I thinking?  Turned out more mustard than fuchsia. Looks like I didn't quite cut the mustard (excuse the pun, still coming down from yesterday's pun-capade).



You know how sometimes you want to match your nail design to your outfit?  But somehow The Order Of Nail Art Designs (not to be confused with The Order of Water Buffalos) doesn't grant you permission.  So you're left with a nice manicure that has no resemblance to your outfit. What do you do? Change your outfit? Right, like you're going to take that wedding gown back hours before you say "I do". Or in my case, go find a mustard color outfit (which I don't think I own).
Nope, you just gotta go with it. Nobody but you guys know that I screwed up.



I started out with good intentions.  A fuchsia base color, then a little purple glitter polish, orange glitter polish, a touch of yellow cream polish, and a smidgen of holo... now I see where I went wrong. Ok, so poor choice of colors. I should have actually looked at the skirt rather than paint by memory. Orange, yellow? Where did those come from?


The pattern was all wrong too. It should have had a more southwestern look, not the swirly spot on Jupiter. I didn't think this out, did I? (rhetorical question, don't answer that)
Big fail...but it looks nice if you don't consider what I was actually going for.


I have to try this again, wish me luck.
Ciao for now.



A Tribute To The Prince

Like millions of people around the world,  my heart is heavy with regret of losing a great icon.  Prince Rogers Nelson was in a musical genius class of his own, not to be compared to any other entertainer.  You may think I'm going overboard here,  but for me,  there will never be another like him.  Upon hearing of his death, I knew I had to honor him with a purple Princely manicure.  So, I dried my tears and got to work.  You guys know I have the artistic ability of a piece of paper,  but I pulled together every drop of skill and channeled the hidden artist in me for this manicure.  Funny, I can't write my own name legibly,  but I didn't do so bad with his symbol.

This polish was renamed in his honor.  Electric Rain, formerly known as Electric Nights dedicated to The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.

Are Vinyls Reuseable?

Hi Ladies,
I'm enjoying my new vinyls so I used them again for this manicure.  Negative space is pretty popular now, and I don't think I've done it before. I think it turned out nicely and I'll probably do it again. I've asked the question if vinyls can be reused and after a bit of quick research I found that basically they cannot. But, recently I encountered some that were advertised as reusable. I'm not sure how credible this claim is, but I'm very tempted to buy them just to see if the claim is true.  I really think they mean that it's "possible" to reuse them "if" it's been removed "gently'' and "if" it's in good enough condition to use again. I'm no expert, but in this case couldn't most companies claim that their vinyls are reusable?

If you have answers, please clue me in. Are vinyls reueable? If so, then which ones and what technique do you have to use?  If I buy some, and test their reuseability (is that a word?) you'll be the first to know how it turns out. Until then,
Ciao for now.

Pink and Purple Gradient Stamping

Hi friends,
I have a super quick pic for you today.  I'm running behind on some non-polish related things so I haven't had a lot of time to dedicate to my nails. Right now I'm wearing a blue polish. That's it, just blue.  No sparkles, no glitter, no rhinestones or stamping.  No gradient or water marble (I don't do those anyway). So it will be another "What's wrong with your nails? Are you ok?" sort of day.  I'm having a bad nail day, alright!

I hope to have more for you tomorrow.
Ciao for now.

Rhinestones Anyone?

Hi Ladies,
This is what happens when I get into the rhinestone bin.  A little overboard? Perhaps. But it was fun, and that's what matters.
Ciao for now!

Vinyl Stripes

Hi ladies!
What colors are you into right now? For me it's blue and purple.  Today's manicure is a combination of the two. I wanted to do stripes so that I could try out some vinyls I ordered. Love them! They were only stripes, nothing fancy, so I used them both vertically and horizontally.

The purple/fuchsia is a raspberry jelly, and the blue is a metallic true blue.

I really like the vinyls.  I think I'll order more. But for now, I'll use my stripes.

Till my next stripy manicure,
Ciao Bellas!

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.

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.

 

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