Neon and a New Nail Shape- Almond (Pros and Cons)

I've been contemplating trying this almond nail shape out for a while now. It's really hard to make the decision to file off half your free edge! Ultimately what convinced me was seeing that Liesl has been rocking this shape for a while. If it was so bad she would have switched back by now right? So, what do you think? Good choice? I know this shape isn't for everyone, but in the spirit of trying All The Things related to nail art this seems like the next big step. Read on to see my pros and cons.

Pros:

*Edgy- I like trying new things and prefer my nail art to be a little badass. Also, way less permanent than a bad hair cut.

*Less chips- My theory is that the edges chip more because they bang into things and there's now less surface area for that to happen. The theory seems to be holding up pretty well so far.

*It's more me right now- The longer I wear this shape the more I think it suits me. I like how pretty and delicate they are.

*Length- I've been wearing these for a few weeks already waiting to give them the big debut on the blog and they're already much longer than I would normally wear them. They do feel less prone to breaks or tears since those blunt corners are gone.

Cons:

*Feels like nubbins at first- My long nails have prevented my baby soft fingertips from touching anything in the world these past several years. Now the edges of my fingertips are making contact with surfaces again for the first time and it's a little tender.

*I'm afraid I'll poke my eye out- Ok, not really a huge concern, but I am having a small re-adjustment period for learning how best to touch/grab/scratch things without poking too hard.

*Hard to get the shape right at first- I could have used a little more length to start off with this shape. The longer they grow the better the shape is becoming.

I'm really enjoying rocking this shape so far. It's well suited to the way my nails like to curve and I love that it's a bit unique even when I'm just wearing a plain color. If you're thinking about trying this shape I say go for it. I'd love to hear what you think about my new shape (yeah, even if you hate it). Let me know. :)

Zelda Triforce & Heart Container Nails

Confession time: I've been hoarding these nails in my archives since last August. I don't know what I was waiting for. Time to post these already! I've had a longstanding love affair with Link so sooner or later these nails were going to happen. I played A Link to the Past many years ago on Super Nintendo and though I haven't gotten to everything in the series yet, I love everything I've played so far. I have such good memories of The Wind Waker. It had so many lovable characters (Makar and Tingle!), fun gameplay and it really took me back to simpler times. In honor of Link and Zelda here are my Triforce and Heart Container nails.

I started with two coats of Revlon, Rain Forest. The dark shimmery green just feels like the perfect color to represent the dark forests and epic adventures that Link experiences in his travels. I hand painted all the details with a tiny paint brush. The Triforce is done with Maybelline Color Show in Bold Gold. I painted the 8 bit outlines of the heart containers with black acrylic paint and the colored in the centers with red and white acrylic paint. I left the last one only half filled since there's always more adventuring to do in Hyrule.

Do you love Zelda games too? Which one was your favorite?

Dream On

I had been doing so good with my blogging schedule for a while but I've slacked off a bit again this week. I'll blame it on the heat. To make up for it I have a nice neon for summer that's cheap and easy to find. This is Dream On from Sinful Colors. Does anyone else get that Aerosmith song stuck in their head every time? 

 The picture above shows two coats alone. The formula is quite waxy and a bit thick which I think is typical of neons, but applies easily enough. It also dries to a matte finish that's slightly darker than how it appears in the bottle. Below I've added top coat which brings back the brightness. I don't even know how to describe this color. Bright raspberry maybe? It looks especially juicy with top coat.

This color is pretty eye searing in person. I love it! 

What are some of your favorite summer colors?

Cute Chevron Stamping

Hi nail friends. I've just gotten back from a trip to Orlando for work and I'm Tired! I had to be up at 4 am the first day for my flight and the three hour time difference was killer. The 8 am meeting time felt suspiciously like 5 am to me. Did I mention I'm not really a morning person? It was worth it though. The conference was the best they've put on so far and I really enjoyed getting to catch up with coworkers I only see once a year. Here's a picture of the festivities:

Ok, it wasn't exactly like this, but close. People in my company like to drink and with an open bar every night there was plenty of that going on but I never actually saw anyone riding a dolphin. My only regret is that the schedule was so packed I didn't get a chance to do anything outside the hotel. That and my flight home being delayed so I missed my connection and got to spend an extra night in Denver. 

I have a cute chevron stamping manicure to show you that's almost cheerful enough to keep me awake this afternoon. I hope you're not getting tired of stamping yet, because I'm not.

This is two coats of LA Colors, Lost Soul. It's still a bit sheer as you can see, but a little visible nail line doesn't bother me every now and then. I love how this pale grey has just a little shimmer to it. I stamped using Bundle Monster plate BM-201 and Orly, Teal Unreal. Last I used a dotting tool to make a dot on the unstamped fingers to resemble a faux stud. I worry too much about snagging the real ones and ripping them off so why not paint them on instead. This was a really quick and easy manicure. I love zig zag/chevron pattern of this stamping plate.

Toesday- Cute Tribal Toe Art

Winter seemed long this year and my toes are happy to finally come out of hiding to enjoy summer (from the shaded safety of my desk chair of course). In case feet aren't your thing here's a picture of my cat "helping" me take pictures. Scroll on to see the dreaded feet.

This look was inspired by this article but unfortunately I can only link it back to more and more Pinterest pins so I'm not sure who the original artist is. I started with two coats of Essie, Chinchillly on all my toes. On the big toes I used LA Colors, black to paint large half moons about half way up the nail. I used a small nail art brush and acrylic paint for the triangles and small lines. I went back over the triangles with Wet n Wild, Sunny Side Up leaving a small white outline around the edges. The dots were made with a small dotting tool and LA Colors in white and Spoiled, Mar-zi-panna (probably my new favorite shade of blue). I added top coat to seal it all in and that's it. I'm looking forward to showing this off with some cute sandals.

Stamping Success!

With my new Winstonia Squishy Stamper finally primed correctly I've been having a ton of fun and success with my stamping. I've done three stamping manicures in a row and I've been really happy with all of them. I had almost sworn off buying any more stamping supplies because I wasn't having a lot of fun or luck using them, but with the recent stamping awesomeness I finally pulled the trigger on an order from Mundo de Unas. I can't wait to play with my new stamping polishes when they finally arrive.

I've got on two coats of China Glaze, Queen B. I don't know what I love more, the color or the name. It's a gorgeous rich purple/blurple creme, almost opaque enough to be a one coater. I used Bundle Monster plate BM-201 and Color Club, Harp On It for the stamping.

Annnd here are the rainbows. I love holos!

Question of the day: 

If you could use only one stamping plate for the rest of your life which one would you choose?