Catch Up

So...  it's been a while.  What can I say, I keep busy!

I don't remember the polishes on these...  I know the dot flowers in the middle are from the 007 OPI collection...

Slithering...

I'm not sure why, but this reminds me of snakes.

I wanted to use more of the new Shellac colors, so I just put some together randomly...

I used Shellac Base Coat, Sugared Spice, Pretty Poison, Rock Royalty, Top Coat.

My Heart Skips A Beat

Heartbeats...  I was at work and didn't have access to the internet when I did this, so I didn't know what a real EKG looked like - I see that my person is dying/ dead.  If I do it again I'll make them have a normal heartbeat!

I used Shellac Base, Purple Purple, Silver VIP Status, Cream Puff, Gotcha, Top Coat.

He Loves Me... Not

I had to try the new Shellac black, but then it was too dark for me...  so I added color!

I used Shellac Base, Overtly Onyx, Hotski to Tchotchke, Purple Purple, Red Baroness, Top Coat.

Shellac Foil and Dots

Two manis today!

The first is Shellac Midnight Swim with two shades of blue foil.  Easy peasy, but I just had to try the new color!
The second is Shellac Midnight Swim and Hotski to Tchotchke.

Butterfly, Skull, and More Tips

Some tips inspired by magazines:

On the butterfly tip:  OPI Did It On 'Em, A Roll In The Hague, Black Onyx, Alpine Snow, Don't Know... Beets Me, Topcoat.
Biker Girl: OPI A Roll In The Hague, Need Sunglasses?, Don't Know... Beets Me, Black Onyx, Alpine Snow, Topcoat.
Pink Flower: OPI Don't Know... Beets Me, Alpine Snow, Topcoat.
Skull: OPI Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine, Black Onyx, Alpine Snow, Pink Friday, Topcoat.
Kitty: OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui, Alpine Snow, Monsooner Or Later, Black Onyx, Topcoat.
Light Pink Flower: OPI Shorts Story, My Very First Knockwurst, Black Onyx, Topcoat.

Halloween and Moustaches

I don't even remember what day I did these.  It's been so busy!

Both were client requests, and the manicure was actually done by another technician who doesn't do nail art.  She (client) had a picture on her phone that she asked me to replicate.  I changed the spider and bats, and we added the hat.
I used OPI Black Onyx, plus a little gray the client had for her toes, and CND Speedy Top Coat.

I have no idea when moustaches became so cool.  I see them on pinterest, on nails, drawn on skin.  Really, I just don't get it.  But whatever, I still charge for it!  The pedicure is with OPI Need Sunglasses? and then at the last second the client asked if I could do the 'staches.  I didn't have a reference for them, and obviously I haven't been paying enough attention to the trend, but she was very happy with them.  OPI Black Onyx and Top Coat.

Tigers

 Something exciting happened in the world of sports.  I haven't got any idea what it is, but it kept being posted on facebook, and I got requests for Tiger nails.

Top:  Essie Blanc, Mademoiselle, acrylic paint (blue and black), CND Speedy Topcoat.
Bottom:  Shellac Base Coat, Black Pool, Negligee, Top Coat, transfer foil, OPI A Roll In The Hague, Alpine Snow.

Foiled Shellac

I volunteered to be a coworker's hair model for the salon hair book, so she colored me, trimmed it and gave me a cool new style - while I was waiting for the color to process, I did my nails "edgy" to match her theme for the photo shoot.

This is Shellac Red Baroness, with black then silver transfer foil, and Shellac Millionaire.  I love it!  What do you think?

Essie Matte About You

I finally bought a bottle of Matte About You, and got to playing with it straight away.

The first two are OPI Black Onyx with Seche Vite Top Coat and Essie Matte About You drawn on.

Purple is OPI Suzi & The 7 Dusseldorfs, Seche Vite Top Coat, Essie Matte About You.
Dots:  OPI Don't Talk Bach To Me, Essie Matte About You, OPI Unfor-Greta-Bly Blue, Suzi & The 7 Dusseldorfs.
Gray is OPI Nein! Nein! Nein! Ok Fine, Seche Vite Top Coat, Essie Matte About You.

Halloween Art Take Two

I love Halloween, so I tried a bit of nail art early.  One of my favorite clients always gets a fullset of art, so I was trying to think of something to put on her next time (did spiderwebs  with spiders in black over orange last time).

I might do the purple with bats, partly because I don't know what else I would put with the eyes!

Eyes:  OPI Black Onyx, Did It On "Em, Essie Blanc, Seche Vite Top Coat.

Bat:  OPI It's My Year, Black Onyx, Essie Blanc, Seche Vite Top Coat.

Now I'm trying to decide on the best way to display them at the store; I'm getting quite a collection!

Brights!

Bright colorful nail art!

A girl I work with asked for tie-dye and that's what I came up with; I wanted to try some bright lightening style nails, and I wanted to make a puzzle - unfortunately, the red in the center blends with the orange on the right in all my photos.

Tie-Dye:  OPI Fly, Need Sunglasses?, Don't Know, Beets Me, Did It On 'Em, Seche Vite Top Coat.
Lightening: OPI Fly (blue), Don't Know, Beets Me (pink), Need Sunglasses? (yellow), Black Onyx, Orly Dazzle, Seche Vite Top Coat.
Puzzle: OPI Unfor-Greta-Bly Blue, Danke-Shiny Red, Suzi & The 7 Dusseldorfs, Deutsch You Want Me Baby?, Seche Vite Top Coat.

More Girly Art!

Had some free time, so I tried some more girly nails for the bride tomorrow - more conservative.  I started with a French, because in my experience even the wildest brides tend to get French or natural for the wedding.

The bright one is supposed to be a butterfly wing; I saw it on Pinterest but it didn't turn out quite as nice as I remember.

Butterfly:  OPI It's A Girl, Hawaiian Orchid, Black Onyx, Essie Blanc, Seche Vite Top Coat.
Wing:  OPI Pompei Purple, Black Onyx, Essie Blanc, Seche Vite Top Coat.
Poppy French:  Essie Blanc, Mademoiselle  OPI Color So Hot It Berns, Half A Cent-Cherry, Black Onyx, Seche Vite Top Coat.
Purple Flower French: Essie Blanc, Mademoiselle, OPI Honk If You Love OPI, Suzi & The 7 Dusseldorfs, Seche Vite Top Coat.
Music French:  Essie Blanc, Mademoiselle, OPI Black Onyx, Seche Vite Top Coat.

Girly Nails

First up:  a client wanted "lace" over her French manicure to match her homecoming gown.

I used OPI Black Onyx; the remainder of the service was done by another technician so I'm not sure what else was used.


I had some free time later, and was trying to think of conservative art for a bride I'm doing this weekend...  Not sure if she'll like them!

Clearly, I need to start photographing in natural light - it looks so much better that way!

Flowers:  OPI Princesses Rule, A Grape Fit, Suzi and The 7 Dusseldorfs, Seche Vite Top Coat.
Pink & Black:  OPI Pink Friday, Glitzerland (on right), Black Onyx, Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvelous (on left), Seche Vite Top Coat.

Care For Some Vino?

Wine themed nails!  These were all in a magazine I was flipping through, so I thought I'd give them a try.

There actually is a glass around the wine in the second nail, but it's in white, and I couldn't get a visible shot of it on the nude background!


For the French:  OPI, So Many Clowns So Little Time, Kyoto Pearl, Honk If You Love OPI, (glitter and rhinestones) Seche Vite Top Coat.
For the bottle: OPI Heart Throb, Honk If You Love OPI, Got The Blues For Red, Jade Is The New Red, San Tan-Tonio, Black Onyx, Essie Blanc, Seche Vite Top Coat.
For the grapes:  OPI San Tan-Tonio, Jade Is The New Red, Honk If You Love OPI, Got The Blues For Red, Seche Vite Top Coat.
For the glass:  OPI Kyoto Pearl, Jade Is The New Red, Black Onyx, Got The Blues For Red, Honk If You Love OPI, Seche Vite Top Coat.

Halloween Art

Been spending much more time doing art at work recently!  I have a couple Halloween theme nails:

For the French, which doesn't have to be Halloween at all:  OPI Shorts Story, Black Onyx, Seche Vite Top Coat.

For the web:  OPI Black Onyx, Essie Blanc, Seche Vite Top Coat.

Client Toe Nail Art

I had a lovely pedicure client this afternoon ask for art on her toenails.  I asked what she wanted, and she replied "I don't care, but it'd be cool of you could keep it in the fall theme, so black and white" [on her orange base color].  Spider web, I asked her?  "Sure!"

That is OPI Deutsch You Want Me Baby, CND Base and Top Coat, and acrylic paint.

Luckily the spa is decorated with spiders (and witches, ghosts, etc) this month, so I had a reference, or I probably would have drawn the legs out the rear segment instead of the front.  O.o

Back To School!

And now that everyone has been back to school for a few weeks, I finally did some back to school themed nails:

And for whatever reason, I associate grade school with argyle:

For the pencil:  Essie Blanc, OPI Need Sunglasses?, Dulce De Leche, It's Totally Fort Worth It, Pink Friday, Black Onyx, Seche Vite Top Coat.
Ruler French:  OPI Need Sunglasses, Black Onyx, Essie Blanc, Seche Vite Top Coat.
Bus:  OPI No Room For The Blues, Need Sunglasses?, Black Onyx, It's Totally Fort Worth It, Quarter  Of A Cent-Cherry, Essie Blanc, Seche Vite Top Coat.
Crayons: OPI Jade Is The New Black, No Room For The Blues, A Roll In The Hague, Color So Hot It Berns, Pamplona Purple, Black Onyx, Essie Blanc, Seche Vite Top Coat.
Chalkboard: OPI It's My Year, Dulce De Leche, Quarter Of A Cent-Cherry, Suzi Loves Cowboys, Jade Is The New Black, Essie Blanc, Seche Vite Top Coat.
Argyle:  OPI Ski Teal We Drop, No Room For The Blues, Jade Is The New Black, Seche Vite Top Coat.

The Proposal!

No, I'm not getting married.  But I saw some adorable nails in a magazine, and had to do my version:

Fancy date, above.  It's hard to tell, but the little red spot on her belt and over his pocket are rhinestones.  I realized later that her necklace is about as large as her fist would be, but that's the kinda thing girls are supposed to be into, right?

And the shiny ring!  With a necklace as large as hers, the ring probably got laughed at, but I like happily-ever-after, so maybe it came with a kick-ass vacation/honeymoon.

On the Guy:  OPI Black Onyx, Essie Blanc, Seche Vite Top Coat.
On the Girl:  OPI Dulce De Leche, Black Onyx, Kyoto Pearl, Seche Vite Top Coat.
For the Ring:  OPI Cha Ching Cherry, Glitzerland, Seche Vite Top Coat.

Warm and Cool Colors

Warm colored mani for Chalkboard Nails contest!

I actually did the other hand in cool colors, too.

And that one I entered over on Color Club's fb contest.  (Click to vote for me!)


Left hand:
Orly Rubberized Base Coat, OPI The "It" Color, Essie Red Nouveau and Good As Gold, Crayola Orange, Beauty Secrets Top Coat.
Right Hand:
Orly Rubberized Base Coat, Dazzle, Royal Navy, Essie Coat Azure and Bikini So Teeny, Venique Blue Suede Shoes, Beauty Secrets Top Coat.

Fun fact:  both my thumbs were repaired with acrylic - I did my left and it's lasted almost a week!  Hurray for improvement!

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