Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July, US girls.  :)  

This is a manicure that I have had floating around in my head for about 3 months, and I finally had a chance to do it.  :)  I just love the way it came out.  

Here's what I used...

Thumb and index finger - BB Couture Fairy Blood

Middle finger - Revlon Royal with Konad White Special Polish

Ring finger - Nails Inc Floral Street with Konad Red Special Polish

Pinky finger - Jessica Majesty Blue with Dollish Polish It's a Me Mario

Stamping plate used was BundleMonster plate BM20.  

I hope everyone in the US has a safe and happy Fourth of July, and that everyone in the rest of the world has a safe and happy Wednesday.

Happy Father's Day!

I wanted to do a special manicure for Father's Day, but I couldn't decide on what.  This idea is one that has been floating around in my brain for several months now, and I thought Father's Day was the perfect occasion for which to make it happen.  And for any other "Good Eats" nerds out there... yes, this was inspired by Alton Brown's mixer.  :P

I think it turned out perfect.  :)

This is 2 coats of Deborah Lippmann Stormy Weather, a rich, graphite grey creme, as a base.  I then applied the flames using BundleMonster plate BM12 and Konad Special Polish in red and yellow.  To create the swirled effect in the flames, I first covered the design with the yellow stamping polish and then topped that polish with drops of the red stamping polish and used the pointed end of an orange stick to mix them.  I then scraped the polish and applied the stamp as usual.  

On my ring fingers, I wanted to create an accent nail, so rather than starting with the yellow polish, I first put down the red polish and then topped it with drops of yellow.  I then sealed in the whole thing  with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri topcoat.  

I love this look.  Even Tim, who usually couldn't care less about my manicures, said this one looked "bad ass".  I hope you love this one as much I do, and for any dads reading... I hope you have a fabulous day!

Minnie Mouse Nails

Right before I was getting ready to remove Zoya Layla, I decided to play around with stamping and nail art (this has become a common occurrence for me).  This design was created using the polka-dot stamp from BundleMonster plate BM19.  I used Konad Special Polish in white for the dots.  I then added a black french and a silver glitter, using a glitter striper to hide any unevenness in my line.  To create the black french, I first stamped a french design on my nail using BundleMonster plate B39 and Konad Special Polish in Black.  I then filled in the design of the french, making it solid, using Color Club Where's the Soiree.  It's not a traditional way to create a french, but so much easier than freehanding or using french guides.  

I really wasn't even thinking of Minnie Mouse when I came up with the design.  However, once I completed it, I looked down and that's the first thing that popped in my head.  I think this design is so cute and if I wasn't ready to remove Layla, I probably would have kept it on my nails.

X Out Inspired Nail Art Project

Recently, I received an email from Gunthy-Renker's PR regarding a nail art project they are hosting for one of their brands, X Out.  X Out is a acne medication specifically for teens, created by the founders of Proactiv.

The idea behind the project is to create an nail art look inspired by X Out's packaging and manifesto.  For every participating blogger in this project, Gunthy-Renker will donate $200 to Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center.  As soon as I read that, I was more than happy to participate.  <3

To assist with the idea process, X Out sent out a a PR image of their packaging for X Out, as well as their "manifesto"...

When I first saw the PR images, my mind immediately thought of a literal translation to take the letter "X" and words from their packaging, and put them on my  nails.  The only problem is that I kind of stink at freehand nail art and I really don't have any proper supplies for freehand art (my kids steal my brushes).  Thus, I realized I needed to think more outside of the box.

So I re-read the "manifesto" and remembered just what it was like to be a teenager.  I'm 37, which to teens may seem old, but honestly, I feel like I was just there (guess my parents really weren't as ancient as I made them out to be.  :P).  I remembered being pulled in a thousand directions, all-the-while trying to be somewhat cool and get my resume college-ready at the same time.  Now that I have a mortgage and kids and I'm 20 years out of high school, it all seems somewhat simpler than life now, but I definitely remember high school being a stressful time.  I also remember it being fun and a little (lot) crazy.

So I took all of that in to consideration and this is what I came up with...

Using the colors in X Out's packaging and "manifesto", I used Zoya Malia and Zoya Yummy to create a gradient as the base.  This is 2 coats of Malia with 2 coats of Yummy sponged over top.  I then used Konad Special Polish in black to stamp the "stars and arrows" design from BundleMonster plate BM20 over the gradient.  I then added one coat of Deborah Bring on the Bling over the stamp to add a bit of sparkle.  

I really, really loved the final product on this and it has spawned tons of other ideas in my head.  It also got me compliments from the drive-thru girl at Burger King (it makes my day when people ask to see my nails).  :)  

I hope you girls love this one as much as I do.  If you are interested in more information on X Out, please check out their website.  For more information on the Pacer's National Anti-Bullying Prevention center, please click on the link above.  

X Out packaging and manifesto images were provided by Gunthy-Renker's PR.  The links within this post are not affiliate links.

30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness - Zoya Jo

Welcome to DAY 30 (!) in my "30 Days of Blues".  I care about this cause so much, and this was such a little thing for me to do, but dang if I don't want another color on my nails.  LOL.  

For today's manicure, I went back to probably my favorite brand, Zoya, and picked an untried for me.  This is Zoya Jo...

This is 2 coats of Zoya Jo, a medium, dusty, denim blue shimmer.  I used Nfu Oh 61 and BundleMonster plate BM21 for the bottom stamped design.  I then used Konad White Special Polish and BundleMonster plate B11 for the flower.

I kind of did this out of necessity because the BundleMonster full-nail designs don't completely cover some of my wider nails.  Thus, I applied the flower as a way to mask this.  However, I really love this design.  I'd forgotten just how much I love layering stamped designs.   

Thank you again for reading.  I have appreciated all of your comments and emails.  They have meant so much to me.  I hope you have enjoyed my "30 Days of Blues".  I will be posting a recap post tonight of all 30 of my blue manicures for the month.  I think after this, I will need a week of Pink Detox.  :)

30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness - Nicole by OPI "Baby" Blue

Today is Day 28 in the "30 Days of Blues"...

This is Nicole by OPI "Baby" Blue, a light blue, as the base color.  I then topped Baby Blue with a coat of Nicole by OPI Rich in Spirit, a silvery-blue foil, on my tips.  I then stamped a design using BundleMonster plate B39 and Konad Black Special Polish.  

Sorry so short today, but I have a gazillion things to do.  Plus, it's one of those rare days where I'm just not feeling very wordy.  

Thank you so much for reading my "30 Days" posts.  Just 2 days left.  As always, you can email me at megan@apolishproblem with any suggestions, questions, or comments.