Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge - Day 4

Day 4: Inspired by the Runway

While blue is typically my favorite color, I have to say that it didn't break my heart to come across a great outfit with which I could use a new nail polish. 

For the base color, I used Sinful Colors "Happy Ending" - which has a lovely sparkle by itself.  To add the flair, I used Sinful Colors "Call You Later".  I don't know if you'd call it a problem, but there was some slight difficulty in applying the glitter.  The consistency was more of a 'jelly' glitter than a regular polish, which made it want to come out of the bottle almost 'gloopy' (technical term, kids).  The little specks in the photo look black, but are actually dark green glitter that didn't want to cooperate with the camera.

In the meantime, check out these other amazing bloggers who are/were also taking part in the Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge

Robin, Erin, and Anna - Polished Cousins
Ashley - Follow the Yellow Polish Road
Jodi - Captivating Claws
Danielle - Rock N Polish
Elly - Polishable
Olivia - Unprofessional Nails
Kate - This Charming Kate
Bethany - A Plethora of Nails
Lizzy - The Do It Yourself Lady
Eugenia - Talon-ted
Johanna - Neues vom Kellerkind
Amanda - Nox Nails
Ashley - Smashley Sparkles
Sarah - See Sarah Swatch
Emily - The Lacquerologist
Jess - LuvMyLacquer
Tressa - O' Natur Nail
ChiChi - I'm just me...ChiChi
CR - Color Me Silly
Amanda - Berry Polished
Bonny - Over Stuffed
Taylor - REJOICE!
Jess - Nearly Natural Nails



Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge - Day 3

Day 3: Delicate and Elegant

Dotting tools: God's gift for people like me, who have 'the shakes' like a meth addict itching for their next fix. 

A few weeks ago, I entered the Toms "One for One" Giveaway.  In celebration of One Day Without Shoes, Essie teamed up with TOMS to create a polish for the occasion.  15,000 lucky winners received a bottle of Essie's "Barefoot in Blue" nail polish.  Now, I've heard conflicting stories - It'll be sold in stores, it won't be sold in stores.  I don't think Essie has released an official statement yet, but I'll keep an eye out. 

Anyway, today is day 3 of the Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge.  It was only natural that I'd want to do something with my new polish.  The dots themselves aren't so elegant, but the color adds a touch of sophistication.  I realize that the dots aren't even, even with the use of dotting tools (for real, if you're in the market for a set, I got these M.A.S.H. ones for like $5 on amazon) - but that's half the fun.  In creating an uneven design, you ensure that no one else will ever have nails exactly like yours. 

Tomorrow is Day 4....

Check out these other awesome bloggers who are/were participating in the Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge.

Robin, Erin, and Anna - Polished Cousins
Ashley - Follow the Yellow Polish Road
Jodi - Captivating Claws
Danielle - Rock N Polish
Elly - Polishable
Olivia - Unprofessional Nails
Kate - This Charming Kate
Bethany - A Plethora of Nails
Lizzy - The Do It Yourself Lady
Eugenia - Talon-ted
Johanna - Neues vom Kellerkind
Amanda - Nox Nails
Ashley - Smashley Sparkles
Sarah - See Sarah Swatch
Emily - The Lacquerologist
Jess - LuvMyLacquer
Tressa - O' Natur Nail
ChiChi - I'm just me...ChiChi
CR - Color Me Silly
Amanda - Berry Polished
Bonny - Over Stuffed
Taylor - REJOICE!
Jess - Nearly Natural Nails

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge - Day 2

Day 2: Gimme That Bling

As always, We'll do pictures first and I'll tell you about it afterwards.

The OPI Natural Nails base coat worked okay for me yesterday, and as it is my only option until at least Monday, I used it for the base today.  The black polish is Finger Nails "Black Expressionalism", white is NYC Long Wearing Enamel "French White Tip", and the glitter is Sinful Colors "Queen of Beauty".   The black was 'thick' enough that I only needed to do one coat to get the bottle color.  I normally do two coats to be on the safe side, but this polish frustrated me today.  No matter what brand I use, black polish always makes it seem like my four year old niece (who has yet to learn to color inside the lines) did my nails. 

I tried to pre-draw the white tips using a Sally Hansen nail art pen and then doing the white polish.

Step 1: Draw line where the 'white' party of my nail typically is, using nail art pen
Step 2: Paint over this using white nail polish
Step 3: Decide it looks awful and begin to rage a bit
Step 4: Give up on doing it freehand and use the scotch tape method instead

After I was certain the white polish had finally dried, I applied two coats of the Sinful Colors glitter.  I've had this bottle for quite some time and am sad that it's rapidly approaching its last use.  I'll have to swing by Walgreen's sometime to pick up another - for $1.99, it's not a big deal.  Top it all off with Seche Vite, and you end up with the final product shown above. 

Check out these other awesome bloggers who are/were participating in the GG Nail Art Challenge :)

Robin, Erin, and Anna - Polished Cousins
Ashley - Follow the Yellow Polish Road
Jodi - Captivating Claws
Danielle - Rock N Polish
Elly - Polishable
Olivia - Unprofessional Nails
Kate - This Charming Kate
Bethany - A Plethora of Nails
Lizzy - The Do It Yourself Lady
Eugenia - Talon-ted
Johanna - Neues vom Kellerkind
Amanda - Nox Nails
Ashley - Smashley Sparkles
Sarah - See Sarah Swatch
Emily - The Lacquerologist
Jess - LuvMyLacquer
Tressa - O' Natur Nail
ChiChi - I'm just me...ChiChi
CR - Color Me Silly
Amanda - Berry Polished
Bonny - Over Stuffed
Taylor - REJOICE!
Jess - Nearly Natural Nails

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge - Day 1

Day 1: Think Pink

Upon surfing through a few of the other nail polish blogs, I stumbled across the Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge.

I will post the pictures first, and tell you all about it at the end of this post - so as not to completely bore you ;)

Obvious lack of photography skill aside, I'd say day one was a success.  For once, It wasn't a complete pain to clean up the area around my nails when I was finished.

I start every manicure off with an OPI Natural Nails base coat. It has worked not-so-good for me lately, so this is it's last chance.  The last polish I used was a blue, and before that, a red.  It stained my nails so horribly, to the point where it looked like I slammed my fingers in a car door and they were all bruised up.  I refuse to let my fingernails without polish look like that any longer ;)  Since day 1 is 'Think Pink', I chose two bottles from my latest haul. Both are NYC In a New York Color Minute - the solid is Midtown and the glitter is Big City Dazzle. In reality, the glitter is meant to be a top coat, but to err on the side of caution, Seche Vite Fast Dry top coat was added afterwards.   Anytime you use multiple coats of polish, I'd suggest you also use Seche Vite.  For the longest time, I put off buying it due to the hefty price tag at my local beauty supply stores, but it's definitely worth it. 

Up tomorrow is 'Gimme that Bling'.  I'm kind of excited to see what I come up with...


Meanwhile, check out these other wonderful beauty bloggers who are/were also participating in the GG Nail Art Challenge:

Robin, Erin, and Anna - Polished Cousins
Ashley - Follow the Yellow Polish Road
Jodi - Captivating Claws
Danielle - Rock N Polish
Elly - Polishable
Olivia - Unprofessional Nails
Kate - This Charming Kate
Bethany - A Plethora of Nails
Lizzy - The Do It Yourself Lady
Eugenia - Talon-ted
Johanna - Neues vom Kellerkind
Amanda - Nox Nails
Ashley - Smashley Sparkles
Sarah - See Sarah Swatch
Emily - The Lacquerologist
Jess - LuvMyLacquer
Tressa - O' Natur Nail
ChiChi - I'm just me...ChiChi
CR - Color Me Silly
Amanda - Berry Polished
Bonny - Over Stuffed
Taylor - REJOICE!
Jess - Nearly Natural Nails


UPDATE: You really, really have to wait for each layer to dry before doing the next.  All layers need to be dry before doing Seche Vite (or whatever top coat you are using).  Every single one of nails are no longer polished less than six hours after painting them - all of the polish peeled off in one big piece :(

We have a blog....and apparently a lack of energy.....

I know, I know - I haven't posted in a ridiculously long time.  I won't make excuses this time - just didn't feel like blogging.

We have a facebook page now (we being me, my cat, and the vast collection of roughly 150 bottles of polish)! 

 It's not much right now, but I'll be adding links to contests/giveaways being ran by other bloggers, and possibly even holding a few giveaways myself.  Feel free to check it out :)

www.facebook.com/perfectnailpolish

Blog Overhaul (Yes, already)

I created this blog with the intent on showing everyone that you could create an amazing manicure at home for a low price.  I began to worry too much about creating a blog to please everybody else, and in doing so, I began to dread working on this blog.  It felt as though I were forcing out each post, and I didn't like it.

I think I will be overhauling this blog.  Each post (daily, or whenever I get around to posting) will just include some photos of the manicure from that day.  If it's a design or pattern, I'll try to post instructions on how I created it.

Hopefully, my renewed optimism towards this blog shows through and you all enjoy it as much as I do.

-Deb

Finger Paints - Avante Garde Green and Art You Wondering?

Finger Paints - Avante Garde Green and Art You Wondering?

*Although not shown, I start every manicure with my Sinful Colors base coat.  It works really well for me, and protects my nails from staining.  This can be found at your local Walgreens for $2.50.  For the top coat, I used Sally Hansen Hard as Nails.

I made my first trip to Sally Beauty Supply today.  Y'all, I've decided that I should just be poor forever.  I must've spent a good 30-45 minutes mulling over the different color choices.  With some prodding from my mom, I picked two of the polishes I'll be using for today's manicure.  The Finger Paints brand is not one I had heard of prior to this store visit.  For $5 a bottle, I was hoping it would be worth it's price.

Avante Garde Green

Pros: With the right amount, the color is a rich emerald color - one that is hard to come by in the stores. 

Cons: The color didn't distribute evenly at all, and left my nails with different streaks. 

Art You Wondering?

Pros: The glitter distributes evenly over the nail, unlike other glitters.  After a few coats, the glitter could probably be used as a color, by itself.

Cons: None - this is a great polish.

After three coats of 'Avante Garde Green'

Three coats of 'Avante Garde Green' and one coat of 'Art You Wondering?'

Final Verdict: The final product can come out looking nice and bright.  However, many people don't have the time to apply a base coat, then 3-4 layers of the actual color, then 1 layer of sparkles and finally, a layer of top coat.  I would probably purchase this product again if it was on sale, but I doubt I would pay the full $5.