NOTD: Julep Daisy and Parker Gradient

So remember my nails from yesterday with Julep Daisy?  Well I decided to do a gradient on it.  I did this before the Challenge started, I was working on perfecting my gradient for the Challenge and this one turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself.  I used Julep Parker (orange) for my second colour in the gradient.

It was hard for me to get the right lighting for this because I did it at night, after the sun had gone down.  The way I did this gradient is I painted my nails my base colour (Daisy) and then using my second colour (Parker), I did my first layer of gradient which was approximately 3/4 of the way up my nail from the tip.  Then I let it dry a touch then applied more Parker for my second layer, approximately 1/2 of the way up my nail from the tip. Finally, after letting that dry a little more again, I did my third layer of Parker, approximately 1/4 of the way up my nail from the tip.  I have also included a little diagram of the layers of Parker that I did.

I probably should have added a little more polish at the tip to make Parker slightly darker, but I think this is the best gradient I have done to date (even including the gradient for the Challenge).

So in my quest to find the perfect sponge for creating gradients, I have finally found it!  You know those yellow foamy kitchen sponges with the green scratchy pad on the one side?  That is what you need!  I know there are videos showing to paint the sponge directly with the polish and dabbing it on the nail, but I have found that way doesn't work for me, the polish dries too quickly on the sponge or gets soaked up by the sponge and won't transfer to the nail :(  So I take a small piece off the sponge (rip or cut, depends how Hulk-ish you're feeling ;) ) and hold it in a set of tweezers so as not to ruin the nails on your other hand.  I have also had a suggestion to stick the piece of sponge into a straw and hold it like a pencil/Q-tip.

I will definitely be trying gradient nails more often, I think that once I get it mastered I will be using it more often as a background/base colour to nail art :)

Have you guys mastered gradient nails?  What is your favourite colour combination for gradients?

NOTD: Julep Daisy

Hey fellow polishers!  Have you ever got a polish that you liked in the bottle or have heard lots of people rave about how great of a colour it is, then when right before you put it on you weren't 100% sure you were going to like it?  Julep Daisy is one of those colours for me.  When this colour was released from Julep, there were so many Mavens talking about how great of a colour it is and how much they love it.  So when Julep had their Beat the Heat Flash Sale I decided to get it, even though I'm not a big fan of the colour yellow.

When I did the post about my Flash Sale package, my sister modelled Daisy for me so I thought I would give it a shot myself :)

I was pleasantly surprised that I LOVED this colour!  I would describe it as school bus yellow.  It's very golden and reminds me of school buses :)  This would be a great colour to use for Back to School Nails.  This is 3 coats, so it does take a lot to build it up, and it uses a lot of polish, but I love it.  This would be a polish I wouldn't mind getting again in a Mystery Box.  I don't know how often I would wear it on its own, but because it takes so much polish to build opacity it would be nice to have a backup :)

What do you guys think of this polish colour?  Would it be something you would wear on its own or would you use it only as a base colour for nail art?

Sunny's Miracle Balm -- Lilac and Lilies

Happy Friday everybody!  Any exciting plans for this weekend?  I am probably not doing much of anything -- the latest expansion for World of Warcraft came out this past week, so that's all Tyler will be doing all weekend, lol!  That's ok though, he games, I polish and blog ;)  I will be able to spend some quality time with Owen as well, there is never enough of that ;)

I have for you today another one of Sunny's Miracle Balms.  This time I got the Lilac and Lilies.  Lilies are my favourite flower, and lilacs have the greatest scent in the world, so I knew I would love this balm.  I have another one, but couldn't resist getting this one when Sunny had free shipping in her shop :)  The first balm I got was Raspberry Magnolia Peach, which is heavenly!!!

Firstly, I love the fragile sticker on there!  "Love Me Tender (Fragile)", hehe!  :D

When I opened up the package, I noticed that I got the balm in a different container than last time.  It is now a larger white plastic container with a twist off lid.  This is better than the small metal tin with the pry-off lid which is a little tricky to get into when you've got lotion on your hands.

She has the container all sealed with plastic wrap too so you know it hasn't been "tampered with".  This balm smells amazing!  Tyler thinks that it smells "like an old lady" and doesn't like it, so I try to use it when he's not around, lol!

Here is the new container (on the left) compared to the old container (on the right).

I find that the balm in this container is not as "mushy" as the balm in the metal tin, it seems harder.  I asked Sunny if she changed her formula and she said that she hadn't.  This isn't a complaint, more of an observation.  The only reason I make note of it is because with the balm in the metal tin I find that when I use it, it is extremely oily and I can only use it at bed time, though it is extremely hydrating.  This one goes on more like a lotion and isn't very oily.  Also, with the smaller metal tin I find that my nails gouge the balm and I get a bunch under my nails which I have to pick out.  With this container, there is a larger surface so I am able to get the balm without carving into it with my nails.

I would highly recommend getting this Miracle Balm if you have dry cuticles, plus she has SO many different flavours (I call them flavours because they smell edible!) and you can't go wrong no matter what you pick!  Check out her shop here.  She also sells polish -- she is the mastermind behind 365 Days of Color polishes :D

NOTD: Julep Gunta

Hey lovely polishers!  I hope that everyone is having a wonderful day so far.  Today's my last day of work for the week, so let the weekend begin!  :D

I have for you Julep Gunta today.  You will remember that I received this in my September Julep Maven Box before the Challenge began.  I love this polish colour, I have nothing like it in my collection and it's so beautiful.  This is the polish that made me happy about receiving this box.

First I have these showing with a flash.  I painted my nails at night so I was unable to get sunlight photos.  I will be trying to find a "sunlight" light as suggested by Stephanie at Sincerely Stephanie so that I can take pictures in proper light now that the days are so much shorter! :)

And then without flash.  It looks really dark in these photos, but it is a little brighter than this in person.

I did 2 coats of Gunta, it covered great!  I will definitely be using this polish a lot!  It is a beautiful deep royal blue colour.  I think this colour will look great with stamping overtop in white or silver :)  If you want to look at it with some glitter over top, check out this post :)

What do you  guys think of Gunta?  Is this a colour you would wear?

Beauty Minions Assignment Sep 25

Whew!  We survived the Challenge and I want to say "congratulations" to all of the wonderful ladies who participated!  Everyone did such a great job with all the designs!

I want to start back into the swing of things with something a little different.  I was invited by the lovely Mary  Mich (a.k.a. dreamyMM Nails and Make Up) to join a Facebook group called Beauty Minions.  The idea behind this group is a blogger, Heather from My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream, wanted girls who love to do nail art and makeup to create designs based on her criteria every couple weeks and she would feature them on her blog.

This is my first "assignment" for this group, and it was due yesterday.  I was able to get this design done before the Challenge started, but Heather prefers that we wait to feature it on our own blogs until after she has published her blog post with all the entries for the assignment, so that worked out perfectly with the timing of the Challenge.

The criteria for this was that, because it is Heather's 2 year blog anniversary, we had to do nail or makeup designs inspired by her blog background or header.  First I will show you what I had to work with, then I will  show you the design I came up with.

Header for My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream 

Background for My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream

So I decided to go with the background option rather than the header.

I wasn't sure I could accomplish the bluebirds, so I left those out, but I did the silver vertical striping and the skull and crossbones, which was my very first attempt at one, and it's hand painted :D

The colours I used are Julep Jessica, which really is the perfect base colour for any nail art!  Then I used Jordana Pop Art Star Designer striping polish and Jordana black for the base colour and detail work on the skull and crossbones.  Then I topped it off with Essie Matte About You topcoat to take the shine out so it looks more like a computer screen ;)

I hope everyone enjoys this design.  It is something out of my personal style and comfort zone, but I really loved this!  Heather, I hope I did you proud :)  Check out what the rest of the Beauty Minions did here!  Can't wait to see what the next assignment is :D

10 Day Challenge -- Day 10 (we made it!)

Well, ladies, WE DID IT!  We have completed the 10-Day Nail Art Challenge!  Congratulations to all that were able to complete all 10 days.  It was hard work to have to change your nails every day, I know, but I'm so glad you all stuck it out with me! :D

For Day 10, the theme is "recreate your favourite".  For this, participants were able to recreate their favourite design of the other 9 days of the Challenge.  They could either re-do one of their own designs that they loved, re-do one that they wanted to do-over if they didn't like the first attempt, or they could recreate another participant's design from any of the 9 days.  Sometimes with a day like this in a Challenge, it's hard to just pick one to do :)

Let's go look at all the final entries!

Erica's Nails and More Day 10 entry (all votes for this will not count, I'm not going to give myself a prize ;) )
I decided to redo my gradient, but with my favourite colour. I used Julep Renee as my base colour and sponged on Julep Charlotte for my gradient. Then, I wanted to do some stamping as you ladies did some great stamping, and when I saw the butterfly (another of my favourite animal) I knew I had to do it. So there you have it, I wrapped up 3 in 1.. Day 1 (favourite colour), Day 2 (favourite animal) and Day 5 (gradient) all in one :D
Blog (you're here!) / Facebook

April Boulware Day 10 entry:
I redid the flowers challenge. I used Pure Ice Superstar as the base, the purple is Sinful Colors Let's Talk, the pink is Tip Top Pink Lady, and the green is Pure Ice Wild Thing.

dreamyMM Nails & Make Up Day 10 entry:
So the amazing 10 days of Erica's challenge has come to the last day. It was a great pleasure for me to participate as it was my first time ever...
My creation today "Spring Sunset Tiger" has a little bit of many days and that is because I couldn't choose just one day to recreate...
Day 1 "Favourite Colour" (Black)
Day 2 "Favourite Animal" (Tiger)

Day 3 "Favourite Season" (Spring)
Day 5 "Gradient" (Is the Technic I used for my background)
Day 6 "Polka Dots" (The centre of my flowers)
Day 7 "Flowers" (Cherry Blossom and Bonsai)
I used White Nail Polish as Base and all the nail art is made with Acrylic Paint Colours.

Blog / Facebook

Erin Fleming Day 10 entry:
When I heard recreate your favourite, I thought immediately of Partly Cloudy's fall mani with the the braided accent finger. I used A-England's St. George, Princess Sabra and Tristam.
Thanks so much for hosting us Erica!

Blog

Lustrous Lacquer Day 10 entry:
For day 10 of the challenge we got to recreate our favorite Manicure. For me it was my Seran Wrap Mani. It was the one Id done that I least wanted to remove. I loved the way the colors felt so completely Fall like and vampy. I was surprised that I liked it so much since Im not normally a dark nail color fan. For my recreation I wanted to go for the same feel but with different colors. I used a base color of Zoya Fei Fei. Then I added Milani Hot Orchid. It was looking a little too pink and shiny for me so I then added Revlon French Roast and topped the whole thing off with a coat of Sech Vite. A big thanks to Erica's Nails and More for putting this challenge together. I had a ton of fun. And Congrats to all the Ladies who completed it with me. =)
Facebook

Muffin Nails Day 10 entry:
Here it is! my design for the favorite season day really flopped, and I just had to try it again. Instead of doing trees this time, I did one tree on an island in the middle of an ocean. I know that this looks more like a summery scene, but I thought that the sunset kind of makes you think about the end of summer, when it transforms into autumn, which is my favorite part of the year. I hope you like it!
Blog / Facebook

Painted Nubbs Day 10 entry:
I redid day 3 but with a twist. I chose my second favorite holiday, Halloween, and did a water marble. I used Zoya Arizona, Tip Top Black Forest, and LA Colors Live. This is only my third time doing this.
Blog / Facebook

FingerFood Nails Day 10 entry: 
Final day and I'm really sad that its over!!! I've had so much fun with this - thanks for all the work you've put in :)
I've been wanting to do this kind of mani the whole way though as its one of my current favourites. I didn't know whether to use it to show off my fave colours at the beginning, or for the tie dye feel of summer on season day, or for the French tip variant, or for a twist on the gradient!!! So I saved it for today ;) I used Rimmel Sunshine, Revlon Siren and Sassy and Models Own Feeling Blue and Lilac Dream, and Nail Essentials Classic Pink.
Blog / Facebook

Sandra Bickel Day 10 entry:
I combined my three favorite into one terrific set of nails: flower, dots and spring time. I used Sinful Colors Innocent, Ruby Ruby and Snow me White, OPI Louvre me, Louvre Me Not.
Blog

Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Lacquer Day 10 entry:
For my Day 10 manicure, I used Amber Nolan's Day 6 polka dot manicure as inspiration! I love how classy it is and her color choices! For my manicure I used a dark grey sparkly unnamed polish from elf (2F01AS on the label) as the base and then added silver dots with a dotting tool using LA Colors Live. Thank you so much Erica for hosting this awesome challenge! It's been a lot of fun!
Blog / Facebook

See Jodi Polish Day 10 entry:
All good things must come to an end I suppose. I decided to re-try a french tip variant for my last submission as I wasnt 100% happy with my original entry. The polishes I used for this mani are L'Oréal's French Tip White (I thought it was appropriate), Julep's Daisy and Leah, and essence Walk on Air and Ultimate pink. This was my first time doing a paint drip manicure. I hope you like it!
Blog / Facebook

Sparkle and Shine Nails Day 10 entry:
I re-did yesterday's French Tip variant using the same concept I did, with different colors! My base is China Glaze Four Leaf Clover. I then used CG Lightning Bolt crackle for the tips and accent. HOWEVER, since I didn't use topcoat before I crackled, the white absorbed some of the green! I did a final topper of Zoya Maisie, because you can never go wrong with a little glitz :-D
Blog / Facebook



(Missing Amber Nolan's Day 10 entry :( )
 

No Naked Nails Day 10 entry:
I know its early, just after midnight but I seriously just finished these. Day 10 : Recreate fav.....Mine was the galaxy nails :) They are just so fun to do! I used the same colors as before I just added a matte topcoat and a few smaller stars (and a black hole) :)
Blog / Facebook





(Missing Samantha Dobbs' Day 10 entry :( ) 

Don't forget to head on over to the Facebook photo album for the Day 10 entries and vote for your favourite design(s)!  Voting starts today and is open until Friday September 28 at 11:59pm!  The owner of the design with the most likes will receive a prize :D  The winner will be announced Saturday September 29th on the Facebook page so make sure to come back and see who won!

Thanks again ladies for participating in my very first 10-Day Nail Art Challenge, I want to send you all a virtual bear-hug for making it such a success!  It was so great spending the last 10 days with you and your nails!

I will be hosting another Challenge starting in November, I hope all of you will be participating again (the timing will be changing slightly so you have a couple extra days for each design).  I will be posting all the details on Facebook and here on the blog sometime in October.  If you want to do a Challenge between now and then, make sure to come on over to SassyNails' Facebook page, she is hosting a Nail-aween Nail Art Challenge!  I will be participating in this one, so even if you don't want to participate, make sure you come back here and to the Facebook page to check out my designs for that Challenge!!

10 Day Challenge -- Day 9

Happy Monday everyone!  Wow, where has the time gone!  Can you believe that this is the LAST DAY for the Challenge?  Craziness I tell ya!

Here are all the entries for Day 9.  The theme is French tip variant.  Everyone knows what the French tip manicure is, so I thought it would be kinda cool to put a little twist on it and do French tips that are a little "our of the ordinary" or "outside the box".  I'm really impressed with what everyone came up with!

Let's take a look :D

Erica's Nails and More Day 9 entry:

I love French tips, no matter what the colour combination! For this I used Julep Lynn as my base colour (light pink). Then swiped Julep Sandra on an angle from the right side of my nail down to the centre, then swiped Julep Marisa from the left side of my nail down to the centre.

Blog (you're here!) / Facebook

April Boulware Day 9 entry:

TipTop Black Forest, thumb Zoya Whitney, pointer NYC Water St Blue, middle Zoya Sookie, ring Zoya Malia and pinky Pure Ice Wild Thing.

dreamyMM Nails & Make Up Day 9 entry:

With French Manicure I believe less is more... Am a big fan of the original plain white with semi-sheer white one, but today I made a different version because am in this Red alert mood LoL Used Revlon Matte Sued, Fire Fox No.507 and Black from Technic Nail Art Polishes.

Blog / Facebook

Erin Fleming Day 9 entry:

Ugh - total chevron nail fail. My tape wasn't as flat as I thought it was I guess. I used Enchanted Polish Ocean Potion and Awesomeness.

Blog

Lustrous Lacquer Day 9 entry:

I did this super quickly today in about 15 mnutes. Base color is Loreal Tweet Me, tips are done in Sinful Colors Pink Forever. The dots are Milani White on the Spot and the lines are a white striper from Kiss. I like how loud and fun this is.

Facebook

Muffin Nails Day 9 entry:

I was actually really stumped for this one, so I used the trick that always works: add glitter. The red is Sinful Colors Gogo Girl, and the wonderful glitter is China Glaze Electrify.

Blog / Facebook

Painted Nubbs Day 9 entry:

I had no inspiration as for what to do, so I just went with dots. But, I think it's cute and really simple. The base is Zoya Wednesday and the dots are Zoya Arizona.

Blog / Facebook

FingerFood Nails Day 9 entry:

Today was really tricky for me as I'm not a fan of French manis! Think its because I've done so many over the years!!! Anyway, this is as close as I allow myself to get ;) I used Rimmel Jet Black and Color Club Oooooo La La and Electro Candy.

Blog / Facebook

Sandra Bickel Day 9 entry:

Wet n Wild Megalast I Need A Refresh-Mint, Sinful Colors Snow Me White, Gem stickers from KISS.

Blog

Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Lacquer Day 9 entry:

My french tip variant is Orange and Blue! I used Sinful Colors Midnight Blue for the base and Zoya Myrta for the tips and dots. I'm a HUGE Florida Gators fan, and I do an Orange and Blue mani each weekend during football season, so this also served as this weekend's manicure.

Blog / Facebook

See Jodi Polish Day 9 entry:

For this french tip variant I decided to honor my Husbands love for the New England Patriots. I started with a base coat of just base coat and then sponged the tips. Blue is done with China Glaze Dorothy Who? and then along the very tip I used Cult Nails Living Water. The red is done with NYC Broadway Burgundy Frost and along the very tip is China Glaze Lubu Heels.

The white accent nail is Julep's Kate (of course) and the awesome glitter is Lacquer Conventions Mondrian. I then topped it all off with China Glaze Fairy Dust. I know this is sort if in between a gradient and a french tip variant but I wanted to do something non-traditional.

Blog / Facebook

Sparkle and Shine Nails Day 9 entry:

I had a lot of ideas for this day, and may do my redo for tomorrow and try another one :-). But for this evening I did Sinful Colors Cinderella and free-handed OPI Pink shatter tips (I LURVE the shatter tips!).

Blog / Facebook

Amber Nolan Day 9 entry:

Im really loving this simple mani! Pure Ice Jamaica Me Crazy with black & silver glitter nail art on the tips.

No Naked Nails Day 9 entry:

Hard to believe this challenge is almost over!! Heres my entry, I used WnW Club Havanah and LA Colors Energy Source (white) I actually was doing this to wear to work to support my football team, TN Vols. I am really happy with how it turned out :)

Blog / Facebook

(Missing Samantha Dobbs Day 9 entry :( )

10 Day Challenge -- Day 8

Wow, where has the last week gone!  We are at day 8 of the Challenge, and the theme for Day 8 is Galaxy nails!  I think, besides dotticures, Galaxy nail art is my favourite type of nail art.  It doesn't matter if you are beginner, intermediate or advanced, everyone can master this design!

When I did my 31 Day Challenge back in the spring, I had never heard of Galaxy nails, so I had to look it up.  When I Googled it, it took me to cutepolish's tutorial video and that is how I learned to do them :)

Let's take a trip into space!

Erica's Nails and More Day 8 entry:

I LOVE galaxy nails! They are so super easy and look fabulous every time! It doesn't matter whether you are a beginner or advance, everyone can master this nail art design! For this I used Jordana Black as my base colour. Then I sponged on L'Oréal I Will! and Mango-Get-Em, and Julep Daisy for my galaxies. Then I used NYC In a New York Minute Pier 17 around the outer edge of the galaxies to blend the colours into the black background. Topped off with Jordana Crystal Glitter to give the appearance if millions of stars :D

Blog (you're here!) / Facebook

April Boulware Day 8 entry:

For me, these were the hardest. Weird seeing as everyone else thinks that they're the easiest. I used Tip Top Black Forest, Pure Ice Superstar, WnW How I Met Your Magenta, Sally Hansen Blue Me Away, and OPI Gone Gonzo.

dreamyMM Nails & Make Up Day 8 entry:

Today wasn't a very creative day for me... But I did my best to make something and have an entry... Is funny as had loads of different idea's how to make my Galaxy nails... Any ways things never work as planned LoL... What I used? Many different colours of nail polish and a sponge...

Blog / Facebook

Erin Fleming Day 8 entry:

These were seriously so much fun to do! I think I went sponge overboard though, hehe.

I started with a base of Zoya Ibiza. I sponged China Glaze Bahamian Escape, Zoya Fei Fei and Zoya Laney. I did the 'stars' with SH White On. I then capped it off with a layer of China Glaze Fairy Dust! That's a lot of polish!

Blog

Lustrous Lacquer Day 8 entry:

This one is a day late but I still wanted to share it with you.  Day 8 is Galaxy nails.  I can't believe I waited so long to try this.  It was pretty easy considering I threw this together in about 10 minutes.  I used a no name E.L.F. polish for the base.  A black sparkley colour with #2F01AS on the label.  Sponged on some Milani White on the Spot (my go to white), L'Oréal Tweet Me, Orly Glits for highlight, Sinful Colors Pink Forever and finally Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue It.

Facebook

Muffin Nails Day 8 entry:

Galaxy nails! I found these really funny because they'd been the design I was most worried about attempting, but they were the easiest ones I've done all week! They're just unbelievably fun to paint. I used the tutorial by Cutepolish (http://tinyurl.com/3t8uklu) as a guide, and then made a few changes to suite my tastes. Overall this has been my favorite design so far and I'm going to be so upset when I have to take them off tomorrow!

Blog / Facebook

Painted Nubbs Day 8 entry:

I wanted to do something different than the traditional black background, so I went with blue/green themed. I think it's pretty good for my first try. The base is WnW Teal of Fortune, and the other colors are Zoya Song, CG Bahamian Escape, Pure Ice Wild Thing, Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet, and Pure Ice Superstar, all topped with a coat of Pure Ice Don't You Wish. *I wish my stars were a little smaller*

Blog / Facebook

FingerFood Nails Day 8 entry:

Galaxy manis are one of my favourites - I love trying different colours every time. This time I started with LA Colors Black Velvet, then added Models Own Snow White and Sun Kissed, Collection 2000 Hip Hop, Jessica Electric Teal, LA Colors Wired and Sally Hansen Twinkle Twinkle for the sparkle :)

Blog / Facebook

Sandra Bickel Day 8 entry:

Ok, I had to do this one several times as a test before I got the right tools together to help me. I am still not *completely* satisfied...would be a lot easier with dotting tools that with just a brush. I used OPI DS Fantasy, Sinful Colors Snow Me White and Let's Meet, and Sally Hansen Delightful Dawn.

Blog

Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Lacquer Day 8 entry:

These were my first galaxy nails, and though they aren't perfect, I like the technique and look forward to trying it again. I started with LA Colors Circuits, then sponged on LA Colors Energy Source, Pure Ice Crimson, Pure Ice Celestial, and Sinful Colors San Francisco. I then used a dotting tool to add the stars and finished with Spoiled Shaken Snow Globe.

Blog / Facebook

See Jodi Polish Day 8 entry:
Blog / Facebook

Sparkle and Shine Nails Day 8 entry:

This was just too much fun, and I even got to use space themed polishes! I started with a base of Spoiled The Parking Meteor Expired. Sponged on some Sally Hansen White On, then Sally Hansen HD Laser. The finishing touch was the highly appropriate Claire's Night Sky :-)

Blog / Facebook

Amber Nolan Day 8 entry:

I finally got this right! I used Hard Candy Wicked for the base. Then sponged on Pure Ice Super Star, then Hard Candy Beetle, and Sinful Colors Kissy. I love the way this mani turned out!!

No Naked Nails Day 8 entry:

I was excited about this one since I have never done galaxy nails before! It was a lot easier than I thought it would be! The trick is just barely having any polish on the sponge, gives you a lot more control over where it goes and how much goes on. I love how it turned out. I will definitely be doing this one again. I used LA Colors Circuits (black) and Energy Source (white), Revlon Temptress (pink), Sally Hansen Green With Envy, Pure Ice Busted (purple) and white striping polish.

Blog / Facebook

(Missing Samantha Dobbs entry :( )