Ev'ry Heart Beats True For the PINK, White & Blue?

Happy July Fourth Weekend!  YAY!  So, of course I wanted to show off my patriotic pride with a mani showcasing the colors of our proud flag.  I started out by removing my last mani and soaking my nails in some warm soapy water for about 15 minutes, then applied some Sally Hansen Cuticle Remover. I slept with naked (gasp) nails.

The following morning, I put on one coat of Orly Rubberized Bonder... oh, and before I continue, I must tell you that my last mani lasted six days with only one chip.  I'm SOLD on Orly Rubberized Bonder!  Anyhoo... as I was saying...

Then I put on one coat of China Glaze White on White.  For the marbling bull's eye, I started with three drops of the White On White, then a drop of China Glaze Phat Santa.  Then one of WOW.  Then one of OPI's No Room For The Blues, Then WOW.  I repeated this three times, making sure I put a drop of white after each COLOR.    I finished with one coat of Seche Vite Fast Dri top Coat.  I resisted the urge to put on a a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust.  Glad I did:

My favorite nail!

Okay, so the red turned to pink.  Still, I find it quite pretty and even patriotic.  And, someone -- who, for now, shall remain nameless -- just had a baby girl last weekend,  so it all works out!  PERFECT!  

When that was dried completely (Not long with the Seche!) I used various sized dotting tools with the same colors to accent.  I really like how they turned out, this time!  One thing I have learned when adding dots;  let them dry completely before adding a top coat.  This is the one time you must be patient and wait it out.  Even Seche Vite will SMEAR the dots if they are not dry... and really, what's the point of adding a fast dry top coat if it is going to smear it?  Let the dots dry for 30 minutes, then add a regular top coat -- I use OPI Nail Envy Original Formula, then top with the Seche Vite.  

I know I was going to photograph my last mani right before I was going to remove it to show how long and how well the Orly Rubberized Bonder works.  Sorry.  I will do that with this one; promise!

Until next time, 

Thanks for reading, and stay polished.

Happy Birthday, America!

Hot for Dots!

Was at the mall over the weekend and  I passed the Dippin' Dots kiosk. Instead of longing for ice cream, I immediately thought about how I could incorporate dots onto my nails without them looking so crowded. Today, I came up with the answer:  Okay, so it's a bit crowded.  I like it!  I started with OPI Nail Envy Original Formula (Always) then two coats of OPI Strawberry Margarita (Thank you, Jennifer), immediately followed by one coat of Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat.  20 minutes later, I started dotting!  Now, I have had a really neat dotting tool set sitting on my nail shelf just gathering dust.  I had never used them before, and bought them a year ago on a whim.  I never really had an any idea when I'd use them, but I was inspired at the mall.  The set I have is by a company called Kuanglung and it's called simply, "Marbleizing 888 Spiral Tool." #s 1-5.   Alrighty, then.  Amazon.  $4.99.  Can't beat that.  Here they are:

The colors/dotting tools I used for the dots were from largest size:

China Glaze Papaya Punch - tool #5 -  large ball
China Glaze White On White - tool  #3 - larger ball
China Glaze Grape Pop - tool # 4 - smaller ball
Sally Hansen Green With Envy - tool  #2 - smaller ball
Finished with another coat of Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat.

Since I decided to dot on a whim, I did not plan.  I had nothing to dab my polish onto, so I grabbed my scotch tape and turned it onto its side.  I dabbed the polish onto that.  Worked okay.  It melted the plastic!  Live n' learn.  I'll buy some small paper plates and use them instead.

So yeah;  this was fun, and a learning experience.  If you look carefully, you'll see some what looks to be a hair on my ring finger nail.  It's actually the Grape Pop polish.  If you let the polish sit for too long, when you dip your dotting tool into it, it will 'string.'  Ah well.  I love how it turned out.  I love dots.  They remind me of my other passion; beads.  Who knows, maybe I can bead my nails!?  Anyway, have fun with color.  Maybe try to stay within a family of colors.  White base with black and greys.  Greens.  Hot colors.  Cool colors.  Complimentary colors might be fun!  Drop me a line and tell me what you think!

As always, thanks for reading!