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Sunday, April 29, 2012
OPI A Peony Simple Nail Tips
OPI A Peony For Your Thoughts, originally uploaded by =^..^= Kiska.
Simple Beauty French Nail Manicure
Beauty Brands Manicure, originally uploaded by Edmond North Orchestra Boosters.
There's Been a Murder!
They are EVERYWHERE. They're in the trees outside my bathroom window when I shower; they hover over the dumpsters and caw; they balance on walls, wires and branches; and in a group, they're called a murder. What are they? They're crows! I've had them on my list for a while now, and finally got around to doing the design. I'll admit, it didn't turn out quite how I wanted to, but I don't think they're too bad. Ilike the crow on my middle finger the best. (Gives a whole new meaning to 'flipping the bird,' right?)
To get the gradient for the background of my nail, I used THIS tutorial from LaynieFinger's blog. :)
I used American Apparel Cotton as a base, with American Apparel The Valley and American Apparel Mount Royal sponged over it. For the crows, I used American Apparel Hassid, then topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.
Just My Type.
If you've been reading this blog for a while, or know me in person, you know that I'm a graphic designer. One of things I remember hearing more than once from one of my design professors, Linda (or was it Barb? Fellow VC-ers, help me out), was that if you could choose only one typeface for the rest of your career, it better be Helvetica.
Helvetica has gained a somewhat cult status, with apparel, documentaries, and millions of devotees. I was struggling with what nail design to do today to follow those pimple nails (really?!), and I was watching 'The Voice' (yeah, I know, I watch it to drool over Adam Levine) and saw something in the show that reminded me of Helvetica. It was then that I knew I had to add to the bevy of Helvetica-themed things, and paint on my nails the iconic name (and representation) of every designer's favorite typeface. This was actually semi-difficult, because I didn't want to mess up. That said, it's not perfect, but I tried to do it justice! :)
I used Nubar Stronghold as a base (this color applies like buttahhh, I've never used it as a base color before), with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On for the lettering. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite topcoat.
What's YOUR type(face)? Pleeeeease don't say Comic Sans. (or Papyrus)
It's My LIIIIIIIFFFFFEE!
Hey all!
So this post is less crazy nail art, and more chat. It's been a busy week! This past weekend, our friends Rose and Jason came to visit from the US, and brought us some much-needed goodies. I got 2 BIG bottles of pure acetone (a godsend!!), a set of the Sephora for OPI Bohemian Brights minis (awesome!!), and the pièce de résistance—all the fixings to make a real, genuine Starbucks Caramel Macchiato. Seriously one of the best surprises ever!! (I've had one every single day this week!) I'm talking the Starbucks Expresso Roast, the Vanilla Syrup, the caramel, even the Starbucks CUPS! All I supply is the milk! :)
They even brought a battery-powered milk frother from IKEA and an Aeropress- this awesome french press that utilizes air to force the coffee THROUGH the paper filter and into the cup. Amazing. Gifts aside, I'm glad they're here. Although this is my first time meeting them, it's been nice to have some familiar faces around, not to mention, they're superfun and hilarious at Draw Something!! (as evidenced below)
Having them around has given us the opportunity to get out and do some of the stuff that we have yet to do, as well as some stuff that we do regularly. (like ride in Autos- which was hilarious to see their reaction) Rose and I bought fabric to be made into Kurtas and Saris (or sarees, depending who you ask), I had my first tailor experience, and just walking around the city has been fun! This weekend, there are hopes to go to Mahabalipuram or Pondicherry, and also get some Mendhi (or mahendi) done. (Rose is a tattoo artist, and has half sleeves already, so I think its going to look super rad on her.) During the week, Rose and Jason went to Kerala, and got to ride and get blessed by an elephant—which is high atop Chris and I's list to do next! :-P Sunday night, after the tailor left, we all had dinner and hung out with our friend Sheba- and us girls decided to do manicures! The thing that spurred us to do it was that Rose mentioned a super sweet tutorial her brother told her had seen on tie-dyeing your nails- known to us Nail Nerds as Water Marbling. I insisted that it was easy, and we decided to do it. Sheba went first, and chose Zoya Trixie, Zoya Indigo, and American Apparel Mount Royal. Rose went next, choosing American Apparel Cotton, Finger Paints Cordur-Orange, and Finger Paints Catwalk Queen.
Here is the result:
The colors they chose ended up looking like they represented Night and Day! :) This was Sheba's first time getting nail art (she never even paints her nails), so I was really excited that she let me do it. She seemed pretty excited about it when she left, too! :D Made my night!
The next adventure happened last night.
I was just sitting down to do this simple design- a copy of the nails Effie Trinket sports at the Reaping in the Hunger Games movie.
Then I get called to the back porch by Chris... I figured he was going to show me another lizard (he loves the damn things, so do I), but when I got to the door, he posed the question 'How do you propose I kill this?'. I looked up, and THIS is what I saw...
 |
| You can SEE the fur on its legs from HERE!! (also, see the mosquito for size reference) |
Mind you, this picture does no justice, as there is nothing to judge it's scale (except the mosquito I suppose), but trust me, I'm not afraid of spiders, and I wanted to scream like a little girl. This thing was HUGE—its legspan was easily a few inches across, and you could see the fur from the step (the spider was right above our heads). We had no idea if it was poisonous, and Chris decided not to wait to find out- he didn't want it to fall on us or Homer and cause any damage. I suggested bug spray, since it had a straw that would concentrate the spray to a precise location. (I also suggested a lighter in addition to it, but that's another story–torch the sucker!!) As soon as the spray hit it, it dropped (luckily on the ground) and started running away like a crab! It was SO fast, and the hilarity of Chris running after it spraying will not soon leave my memory banks. After a minute of spraying (and about half a bottle of spray- the damn thing wouldn't DIE!), this is what it looked like- with a quarter for comparison:
Ick.
After some research, I feel confident in saying that it is just a Hunstman spider- relatively harmless. Eats geckos, skinks, cockroches, and other pests. Leaves a painful bite on humans, but not deadly. I feel a little guilty that Chris killed it, but I respect that he didn't want to take a chance this time since we don't know the spiders here yet.
So yeah, that's my some of my life recently! In the next day or so, I'll be posting a tutorial for my 'Shut Yer Pie-Hole!' nails, and a poll to to mention and vote on which tutorials you'd like to see. :)
I Painted my Nails!
So after last post's rambling, I knew I had to make up for it with some cool nail art. One of the hardest things about doing my 365-day project was having to remove a design that I reallllly liked in order to paint another one each day. In addition to that, I was not allowed to repeat a design, so I coudn't redo some of my favorites unless it was done on my toes. So because of that, I decided to paint my nails in some of my favorite designs over the last coupla years!! (I hope you don't mind!) I think I might do a series of these, just to get it out of my system. What do you think?
From left to right: La La La La La La La La La La Laaaa!, Whats the Mod-der?, Between a Rockabilly and a Hard Place, Bacon is Great!, and iNails. :)
Hope you like them!!
:-D April Fools!
You Lie Like a Rug!
When I’m uninspired, tired, or just plain lazy, I tend to turn to textiles for inspiration and ideas. In fact, this design came from a rug that I found online. I LOVED the color combination, and it looked retro to me, which I can rarely resist, so I added it to my inspiration archive, knowing that it would soon make it onto my nails. :)
It’s kind of funny to me how the designs that seem like they’d be relatively straightforward and simple, easy even, take the longest time to paint. I guess when a design is simple, you notice flaws easier, so you have to do your best to make sure it’s as neatly done as possible. Who would’ve thought that concentric circles would take so long to do?! Lol The changing colors added time too, but man! When I was painting, I was like a 6-year-old in the backseat of the car on a long road trip…is it DONNNNNEEE YETTT?! I rushed the end a bit, and I think you can kinda tell, but Homer was dancing around (he was very bouncy last night) to go outside to play, and I reaaaally wanted to go to bed. :) (After I finished watching Mean Girls for the 1,000,000th time, of course–don’t judge me!)
Anyway, now you know why the post is named so negatively, because of the inspiration, so now we must go on to the actual NAILS! :)
Where do you get your inspiration from when you're feeling uninspired?!
Bit Yellow Long Nails
Naked Nails, originally uploaded by anastaciapark.
You Don't Know Jack!
Oh, what I wouldn't do for a Sourdough Jack, or one of those grilled deli sandwiches right now, with some awesome JITB fries, and ranch dressing. Maybe a GINORMOUS Dr. Pepper or Oreo milkshake to wash it down? Yes, please. Plus, how can you not love the JITB mascot, Jack?! You know those portraits of Jack in the restaurants that have the plaque that says 'Our Founder'? Well, you can order them from the company, and yes, I bought one for Chris for his birthday a few years back. :-D It's pretty much the coolest thing ever. Chris is also drooling over the Jack halloween costume, he really wants a big Jack head, I'm pretty sure he'd wear it everywhere if he could.
I've had Jack on my list of nail art ideas for what seems like ever. I actually had to go back through my nail designs to make sure I hadn't done them yet, because I couldn't imagine that I hadn't. Well, I didn't...until now. I originally planned to make this manicure a progression of the different versions of Jack over the years, but I decided to stick with the current Jack that we all know and love.
So, who's going to send me a cheeseburger?
I used American Apparel Hassid as a base, with white acrylic paint for the head (white nail polish never seems to cover over black), shaded that with a mix of the paint and American Apparel Hassid. For the hat, I used American Apparel Manila, then shaded with Barielle Coco Bar. For the eyes, I used ALDO I'll Sea you in Ibiza, the nose is American Apparel Hassid, and the mouth is Zoya Carmen. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.
Extra ranch, please.
Is Zit Ok?
Ok, so I KNOW these are gross, and some people are going to cringe and whatnot, but I KNEW I had to do them. :-D I thought of the idea last night just as I was falling asleep, so that must mean it's a good one, right?! lol That's what I'm telling' myself.
What better use of those nail pearl things, but to make PIMPLES?! (Granted, this is only a better use if you want zits on your nails, which obviously I do.)
I used Deborah Lippmann Naked as a base (I'm sure this is what she had in mind when she created it), and then variations of a mixture containing Deborah Lippmann Naked, Nicole by OPI Redy to Runaway Love, and American Apparel Port. I used Born Pretty Pearl nail gems to create the 'pimples', then painted over them. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite topcoat.
Go ahead and say it: Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
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