Sunny half moons!

Today's mani is my interpretation of Pantone's "Color of the Year".  I started with a base of Zoya Jancyn, which is a soft orange creme which applies and levels like a dream and dries fast.  I did use two coats for full coverage and opacity.  I let my base thoroughly dry, then applied a coat of SV to protect it before I applied the half moons.

The half moons here feature Wet N Wild's 9 0 2 1 Orange - which is just the most gorgeous shade of orange glass fleck I've ever seen.  It's nice and smooth and just radiates sunlight :)  It might be overcast and dreary outside but my nails are full of warmth and light!

Hope you enjoy!

Day 18: Half Moons

Hello ladies!

At this point in the challenge, I am starting to feel a bit tired. Tired, uninspired....you name it. I sat down to do half moons with literally NO idea of where I wanted to go with the mani -- let me just tell you about my nightmare with half moons.

First, I wanted to do white moons with Zoya Phoebe. So I applied the white, put a coat of SV over and waited about half hours to use the reinforcement holes. Apparently it wasn't long enough because it pulled all the polish off. So, I removed it. Then I tried gold moons and attempted at freehanding the black over it. THAT didn't work either because they were so uneven (I obviously have a problem with patience). FINALLY, I was at my wit's end. I decided I'd just do a base color and wait until the next day to add the top color over the moons. And finally, success!

I started with two coats of Orly Star Spangled. Can you say LOVE?? I can! Love! It's no different than Ruby Pumps or Ruby Slippers...but I don't have either of those so I was like a kid on Christmas when I put this on. EEEE! Here's some pics of it alone. Because I'm sure you've NEVER seen a red glitter before. /sarcasm

Seriously though. Just enlarge that sucker!

I left it on overnight, and applied the reinforcement holes over top the next day. (I was so sad to cover up this beauty). I found that it is MUCH more hassle-free to wait until the polish has completely dried and cured before you put the reinforcements on. Just a little tip courtesy of your friendly nail neighbor ;)

Oh, the black is Ulta's Little Black Dress. Love!

I think this combo is so sexy and fierce. Makes me think of Dita von Teese a little. :) What do you guys think? Are you a fan of half moons?

Sexy Red Half Moons

Hello all!

Today I wanted to do something simple, but pretty at the same time. What's a sexier color than red? Umm NOTHING! And what's sexier than sparkly glitter goodness? Again...NOTHING!!

I used clear binder reinforcement circles for the half moon guides and one coat of Milani Red Sparkle. Yes, one coat! They really ARE only one coat glitter polishes. Awesome.

Short post for today, but there's not much more to say! It's sexy yet simple me thinks.

Have a good one!

-Amanda

Sally Hansen Barracuda and Deborah Lippman Across the Universe

I had been wanting this Sally Hansen polish for months - ever since I found out it was coming out with the Sally Hanson Spring 2011 line.  In the bottle it is a pale blue creme - a little lighter than OPI WWTC.   However, on the nail I found it to be a very similar color.  So it's safe to say it dries a little darker than the bottle shade.

Went on like buttah.  Sally Hansen Salon Manicure polishes are so smooth.  It's probably my fav drug store brand.  This is 3 coats of Barracuda.

I wore it alone throughout the day then decided to add a half moon/funky french accent using Deborah Lippman Across the Universe.  I'm still undecided as to whether I actually gave it more interest or ruined a nice manicure.  I guess it depends on your point of view.

Shattered Moon

This was one of those ideas that just suddenly came to me and smacked me in the head.  I wanted to try Shatter in combination with a half moon manicure.

So I started with OPI Rising Star which is a golden yellow shimmer.  As with most OPI polishes, the formula was great and the application was flawless.  It was pretty much opaque in one coat, but I used two for total coverage.  Then I taped off the half moons and applied OPI Black Shatter in a criss-cross herringbone pattern on the nail.

This is the finished mani.

Sally Hansen I Pink I Can

Ok, my boyfriend chose the nail color for today. And this is what I wore as my full mani.

I started with OPI base coat and then applied 2 coats of Sally Hansen I Pink I Can in a half moon mani. This color is as close to Pepto Bismol pink as I think you can get. I sealed it with 2 coats of Seche Vite then applied the sticker and sealed again. ta-da. Cute. And oh-so-easy.

Jesse's Girl Half Moons!

Hello! Today I have a manicure using Jesse's Girl - Glee. I know this is old news, but I just got a bunch of new polishes from when Mama went to Boston! (thanks Mama!) They don't have a Rite-Aid here, so we're limited in our Jesse's Girl polishes. I'm sure you all know this is a dupe for Catch Me In Your Net and Zoya Charla.

I've tried half moon manis time and time again using the little paper binder reinforcement circles, and they've NEVER worked for me. Even when I think I get it sealed air tight, I still get polish under the reinforcements and ruin the manicure. Mom got these plastic reinforcements that I tried instead...and they worked wonders! No more seeping through!

I then just went over the half moons with a silver striper because I thought it looked funny with the nude moon and the blunt line to the polish.

I really love this... I think it's so pretty and glamorous yet so simple! It didn't take me very long to do at all. What do you think?

Zoya Carrie Ann

This mani is not an original design. I saw it on Illamasqua's website last year and have been wanting to copy it ever since but never had the time or the resources. Today I had both.

I started out with Color Club Pretty in Platinum. This is a bone colored creme with just a little bit of shimmer. It covers like a dream and is completely opaque in 2 coats.

Then I added a half moon mani over the top of Zoya Carrie Ann. This is one of my all time favorite reds Its a gorgeous red sparkle.

Then I added the funky french tips using the Color Club again.