The first blog post in a very, VERY long time

So, there's no brief way to summarize the last - what - two and a half years?! since my last post.  So much has been going on in my life and while I've still been doing my nails about once every week or two (sometimes three!), I have not had the time or the energy to blog about it.  Some of my nicer manis have made it to my Instagram, but I've even lost momentum on that account.

Until now!  My sales job at a pipe manufacturer/distributor company has been deemed essential to maintaining infrastructure, but I have not felt safe going in.  I won't bore you with the details but the short of it is simply that I'm taking a few weeks off to protect my physical and mental health, as well as that of my boyfriend.

The last two weeks have felt a lot like my life back when I was blogging actively: I can only communicate with my friends and family via the phone & internet, I'm not working, and I have very little motivation/need to leave the house.  Luckily ALL of the reasons for this situation are VERY different from my old life, but here I am all the same.

So it was pretty much a matter of time before I spent 2-3 hours on my nails, took proper photos adjusting the white balance and everything, and actually wrote a whole blog post about it!

This manicure was a whooooole ordeal, let me tell you.  It's way different from anything I've done before because - 

- it's gel!  And multichrome powder!

I used the gel base coat and top coat by ASP, sandwiched around Chick Pick Polish Neon Blue.  Can I just interject how much I LOVE this neon blue?  It has been an amazing base for several fantastic manicures.  It's truly neon on the first coat, but it needs at least two coats as it's pretty much a jelly.

I thought ahead and did my research before attempting this mani.  First, I learned that when you're putting a powder over regular polish, the polish needs to be dry to the touch, but not completely dry - still slightly smooshable.  Second, I learned that when putting gel top coat over regular polish, the polish needs to be COMPLETELY dry - no smooshing whatsoever.  These two facts, luckily, can be stacked since you can just let the regular polish keep drying for a bit after you rub in the powder.

So the layers on my nails, from bottom to top, are: gel base - regular polish - chrome powder - gel top.  I considered layering polish - gel top - powder - more gel top, but I thought that might be one layer too many.

I got this powder a million years ago - well before I stopped blogging - and never got around to using it because I didn't have any gel polish, a lamp, or a water-based polish top coat.  The cap says it's by Born Pretty Store, but sadly I have no memory of what the color name is.  I couldn't get a photo or video of the powder itself to show off what a GORGEOUS white base with purple, blue, and pink multichrome shifts it is.  But I promise you it is all of those things!

Guys.  This powder is SO. FINE.  I'm pretty sure it will never truly be gone from the shirt I was wearing or the floor around the table.  It's probably deeply embedded in my lungs and my nail brush, too.  But it's SO PRETTY that it's DEFINITELY worth the mess and effort!

Also, back to loving on this Chick Pick neon.  It. is. N E O N.  My lamp for the gel is LED, and look how this stuff G L O W S under the lights!  I wish I could go glow-bowling with this on!!

I MEAN.  This photo hasn't been edited AT ALL.  I put my phone on the auto setting and let it choose the white balance, shutter speed, etc to capture this amazing neon glowy goodness.  (Please don't ever do this with a bottle of gel polish!  This regular polish was safe under the lights, but I wouldn't want you to partially cure your gel polish through the bottle and ruin the whole thing just for a cool photo!)

I don't think this is a perfect powder application, but I would definitely say that it was at least mostly successful!  Some of my struggles were definitely a learner's curve; it could also be because powders work better on top of gel polish rather than regular; it could also be that this powder isn't the best quality, because I'm pretty sure I remember it only being a couple of bucks when powders usually run anywhere from $12 - $25.

There is no possible way that I will ever be able to do a full blog post for every manicure of mine in the last three years, but I will look through my pictures and find some of my favorites to share here!  After all, blogging kept me sane back when I had essentially nothing else going on in my life.  I'd like to honor that by blogging at least a little while the coronavirus pandemic has me cooped up at home!

What's on your nails right now?  Have you ever used a chrome, holo chrome, multichrome, or mermaid powder yourself?  Let me know in the comments!

My Introducion to Paint it Pretty Polish

Note: these polishes were sent to me in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.  Also, there is a lot of sorcery in these nail polishes.

I haven't had the opportunity to review a thermal polish in a while, so I was super excited when Sherri of Paint it Pretty Polish (my first Canadian indie!) asked me to swatch for her!  This collection is all color-changing.  Cosmic Kisses and Reach For the Stars are thermals, while Blushing Sun is UV-reactive.

Cosmic Kisses

Cosmic Kisses is a lovely pink-purple.  When it's warm, it's a bright, rosy pink with a shimmer that's almost golden, almost holo.  My camera really couldn't capture how pretty the shimmer is.

In its cool state, Cosmic kisses is a shade of purple that I find hard to describe. Lavender-violet, I suppose?  The shimmer really shows through in the purple state, adding a gorgeous pink undertone to the purple.

Three coats of Cosmic Kisses is needed for opacity.  I actually have four coats on my middle finger and pinky, because I dinged both fingers while they were drying, but it was opaque at three coats.  Really, two coats could cut it, but I wanted the additional layer of color just to make sure that the whites of my nails weren't deceiving my eyes during the polish's transition phase.

No review of a color changing nail polish would be complete without a video, so here you go!

Reach For the Stars

Okay, my blue bias is going to show through here: this color took my breath away!  I think this is the most drastic color change in any of the thermal polishes that I own.

In its cool state, Reach For the Stars is blue with purple undertones from the shimmer.  Like Cosmic Kisses, the shimmer is almost holo.  I mostly noticed it looking holographic under my phone's flashlight, but not so much in natural light.

Except for when it's warm!  Reach For the Stars turns almost-white in heat.  It's absolutely GORGEOUS and I am so glad that I swatched this in the summer when my fingers are always warm!  When it's warm, the shimmer in Reach For the Stars stands out much more holographic than when it's cool.  At certain angles, the purple in the shimmer stands out really well, though my camera couldn't pick that up.

I couldn't help but think of Elsa with this color.  The cold state reminds me of the bottom of her dress, while the warm state reminds me of her... uh... arm cloaks?

Blushing Sun

I'll start this one off by saying that the name is perfect for this polish.  Indoors, Blushing Sun is a cheerful, sunny yellow with flakies that are just noticeable.

But take it out into the sunshine (or stick it under a UV lamp if you have one) and BAM! it becomes a bright, orange-y pink.  The flakies stay yellow, so they really stand out in the sunlight!

I am obsessed with this color.  It wasn't really possible to get a transition photo like I did with the thermals, because the UV rays change the color so quickly.  You can tell how direct the sunlight is by the color the polish turns!  In direct sunlight, it's very pink.  On a cloudy day, it's more orangey, halfway between pink and yellow.  It's also sort of in between if the sunlight is filtered through a window.  I highly enjoyed making a fist to hide my nails, then opening it and watching the color change again.

I have three coats of Blushing Sun on my nails, and as you can see, it's still fairly sheer.  I tested out a fourth coat on my thumb, but it didn't really make a difference.  If you want solid coverage, I'd recommend layering it over a white base.  Or maybe a pink or yellow base to be more playful!

I am so happy to have these magical polishes in my collection!  A big thank you to Sherri for letting me swatch these for her.  If you're a fan of thermals and/or UV-reactive polishes, you definitely need these in your collection!

Halloween costume nails

Now that it's two days before Thanksgiving, I'll share what I wore on my nails for Halloween!

Derek and I went as Bob and Linda Belcher for Halloween this year!

 

It was such an awesome costume!  Although my wig was pretty atrocious.  The picture on the bag was a cute little 50s flip, and I ended up with this tangled mass of not even slightly flipped hair.  But at least it was more accurate to Linda than my chin-length blonde-and-blue hair!

I wasn't quite sure what to do with my nails for Linda, though.  We never really see Linda's nails - in fact, the only instance of anyone's nails being drawn into question I can remember is when Louise Belcher gets those ridiculous talons on the cruise ship.  So, I had to improvise.  What would Linda Belcher wear on her nails to a Halloween party?

Perhaps... some awesome trick-or-treat water decals!

I got these decals from KBShimmer a few weeks ago.  I wasn't sure what to expect from using full-nail decals for the first time; my nails are super curvy, so laying flat things on them doesn't tend to work out very well.  But water decals are incredibly flexible, and they're also so thin that two coats of top coat completely smooths out any wrinkles!  I was very impressed.

The color is also really nicely opaque.  I was nervous for the black background over white polish, but it looks great!  I am definitely a satisfied customer with these water slide decals - and I'm really glad that I bought some hilarious kitty Christmas decals!

I want to take a moment to rave about how much I loved dressing up as Linda.  First of all, it was super cheap: I already owned the jeans, and I got the shirt and apron at a thrift store; the wig and glasses were pretty inexpensive, too!  Secondly, it was really comfortable.  I mean, my jeans are a bit snug on me, which sucked, but I got to wear long sleeves, long pants, and sneakers for Halloween!  The worst part about the costume was the wig cap and wig - they pulled at my scalp a bit and made my head hot and itchy.  But, clothing-wise, this is hands-down the most comfortable costume of my life.  And practical, too!  The apron had big pockets, big enough for all of my essentials so that I didn't need to carry a purse with me!  Big win.

But another reason I was so happy with this costume is a bit more psychological.  Linda Belcher is a Mom, and she has a Mom Bod.  Of course, I know that people of any body type can dress as any character they want.  If I had the seamstress skills, I would dress as Uma Therman's Poison Ivy in a heartbeat, even though I pretty much have the opposite body type as Uma.  But I have never felt so in-character with my jiggly bits!  It was really refreshing to not feel like my body type is an inaccuracy.  It was probably the most comfortable in my own skin I've been underneath my costume!

Bonus costume photo!  Frosting is cake skin right?  Lemme lick it!

What did you do for Halloween?  Let me know or show me in the comments, I really want to see!

Fun with Salon Perfect Halloween glitters!

Oh my gosh, you guys, I still have TWO MORE Halloween nail art posts to share with you.  I'm so sorry that I've been lagging behind my regular schedule lately!  I guess working 3 days a week has been harder on me than I thought it would.  I do absolutely love my job, but usually on my two days off I just feel like lazing around instead of doing any blog work!  Anyway, I'll probably post the next 2 Halloween manis in the same week so I can start posting some more seasonally appropriate nail art!

Last year, Salon Perfect and Nail It Magazine teamed up and gave away 100 sets of Salon Perfect nail polishes.  And I was one of the lucky 100!  I got 4 Halloween-themed glitters, a clear top coat, and green, orange, purple, and black polishes.  None of the glitters made it in to last year's Halloween challenges, but I wanted to feature them this year since I wasn't sticking to any specific challenges!

I couldn't settle on one design for these polishes, so I pretty much used all of the designs!

I was super, super happy with that purple-to-green gradient!  I almost wished I'd done it on all of my nails, but I do rather like the solid nails, too.  The larger glitters on my first 3 nails is called Witches' Brew, while the tinier glitter on my pinky is Wicked.

I'm pretty sure the Halloween glitters were limited edition last year, but Loopy Lime and A Royal Affair (the green and purple) are part of Salon Perfect's core collection.

Are you ready for this?  You're about to see my Cinderella hand!

I was too impatient to use the other glitters to wait for another full manicure, so I did a different mani on my right hand. :)  Traffic Cone, Oil Slick, and Sugar Cube (the orange, black, and white) are all core collection polishes, while the glitter, Trick or Treat, is once again limited edition from last year and no longer available.  I tried using the other glitter that I won, Spider Legs, but it had far too many black glitters for it to show up, even over this gradient!

Which of these two looks do you like better?  What did your nails don for Halloween, the most awesomest day of the year?  Let me know (or show me your nails) in the comments!

Winter is coming...

This is a sponsored post.  All opinions and thoughts are my own!

It's getting to be that time of year.  Starbucks has released their for-some-reason-controversial Holiday Cups, early birds are putting up their Christmas trees, and the weather is beginning to go from blissfully crisp to a bit chilly.  Pretty soon it will be downright cold every day!  The cold weather is absolutely brutal on the nails.  The other day, I noticed that I had deep cracks in three of my nails.  One of them, of COURSE on my left pinky which simply cannot stay long these past few months, broke off clean across.  I decided to cut all 10 nails down a bit to be on the safe side, knowing that the weather is getting harsh for my nails.

I know, they're still considered long by most people's standards. 

But I liked how much longer they were before! :(

The #1 most important line of defense for your nails this time of year, in my opinion, is keeping your nails healthy and strong.  That's where Groupon comes in!  Groupon has tons of coupon offers for dozens of companies, including several for the Vitamin Shoppe.  Keeping your body healthy and strong year-round is always important, but right now, your nails can probably use a bit of a boost.  That's why I take Biotin!  I really like the Natrol dissolvables, which are a powerful 10,000 mcg of Biotin and taste like a Smartie candy. :D  With the deals listed on Groupon, you can save a lot on all types of vitamins.  If you're not already taking a Biotin supplement (I take it year-round for maximum nail health), I highly recommend that you start taking it now!

Another great distributor that Groupon offers coupons and sales with is Overstock.com (link is to the Groupon coupons, not Overstock itself).  Did you know that overstock.com stocks nail polish and nail art tools?!  They stock Essie, Sinful Colors, striping polishes and brushes, nail care tool kits, nail wraps, UV lamps...  and right now is a GREAT time to shop because of pre-Black Friday deals.  I kinda hate the whole concept of Black Friday (can we at least NOT have it the day after we're supposed to be thankful for what we have? and why are there so many pre-sales all month long? doesn't that defeat the purpose of Black FRIDAY, which is only one day?), but I am a huge sucker for a great sale, so, yeah.  If you're looking to buy holiday gifts for the polish lover in your life, or treat yourself during this time of year, definitely check out overstock.com, and head to the Groupon coupons to see what you can save!

Do you use Groupon coupons when you shop?  What are your favorite types of coupons to shop with?  Let me know in the comments!

Save on ALL the things with Groupon!

This is a sponsored post.  All opinions and thoughts are my own!

I like to save money whenever I can.  I think most people do, really, because who wants to pay full price for anything when there's even a chance that there's a good deal out there somewhere?  But, at the same time, who wants to sit around searching for sales and deals?  Saving money is good, but time is money, so you need to save your time, too...

That's where Groupon comes in handy.  There are great deals on tons of different restaurants, activities, concerts/shows, spas, really on anything!  When Derek and I took a staycation this summer, I spent about an hour researching Indoor Activities (because we're both babies about the heat) that we could do at a discount.  And I found some great stuff!  We ended up going to an Escape the Room for half price.  Oh, and any time I need my car washed?  I check Groupon and can usually find a two-for-one deal at a nearby place!

Last year, I decided to ditch the jeans from October-April and experiment with leggings instead.  Boom, discounts on multi-packs of leggings.

One thing I would really love to do is go and get a massage.  My neck has been incredibly stiff lately, ever since I started my job with The Advocacy Project and sitting at a desk working on a laptop for 7-8 hours per day.  (Even though I'm super short AND keep my chair at the lowest position, I still have to look down at my screen.  It's bad for posture!)  There are definitely some kinks that need to be worked out!  I'm sure I'll be looking for a spa in the Health, Beauty, & Wellness Groupons area in the near future.  Not only do I know I'll be able to find a place in my area with a great deal, but I can also read reviews of the places right on Groupon without having to look on Yelp, Google, or the company's website!  It's super convenient.

(One time, Groupon e-mailed me with a deal for "Ladies' Night Out" packages that included Brazilian waxing.  I had to wonder what kind of woman thinks that getting waxed down there sounds like a good idea for a girls' night out, but hey, it's good to know that they offer waxing packages!)

What kinds of deals have you shopped for on Groupon?  Do you happen to know of a good spa in the D.C. area that frequently offers deals? ;) Let me know in the comments!

Oxi Day nail art

Halloween is right around the corner, but today is a very special day, too!  Today is known as Όχι Day, or Oxi Day in English - also spelled Ohi Day, pronounced "OH-hee."  It's Greek for "No."

Because this is a Greek holiday, I thought I would celebrate with some Greek key nail art - and take this opportunity to teach you guys about Oxi Day!

These Greek key stencils were way hard to use, and the design came out a bit sloppy looking on my nails!  Oh well.  I love Greek keys - which, in the spirit of this educational post, are known as "Meandros" in Greek ("Μαίανδρος") and have been a common motif on buildings and pottery since ancient times, most likely symbolizing infinity and unity.  (side note: if I ever gather the guts to get a tattoo, it will absolutely be a Greek key around my ankle.)

On October 28, 1940, Italian ambassador to Greece Emanuele Grazzi met with Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas.  Grazzi demanded that Metaxas allow Axis powers to occupy Greece, or face war.  Metaxas' response was, for reasons unknown to me, in French: "Alors, c'est la guerre!" which means "Then it is war!"  Italian troops that had been stationed in Albania quickly attacked the Greek border, plunging Greece into World War II.  Greek citizens gathered in the streets, shouting "Oxi," unified against the Axis powers.  

October 28 became a national holiday in Greece in 1942.  It is celebrated with parades, military grandstanding, and lots of patriotic flag-waving.

An Oxi Day parade in Canada - it's celebrated in Greek communities

worldwide!  image source

Here in the states, I'm celebrating a bit more subtly with some Greek nail art!

The Greek flag is blue and white, so I used Zoya Tallulah on top of Sally Hansen White On.  I can't remember where I got the vinyl stencils - I bought too many vinyls from too many different companies too close together, so I honestly have no idea where any of them came from!

You can learn more about Oxi Day on Wikipedia and Living in Greece.

I hope I've managed to teach you something new today!  If not, tell me when you first learned about Oxi Day in the comments!  Do any of you celebrate Oxi Day by going to a parade or a festival, or maybe just by eating Greek food every October 28?  Let me know in the comments!

And Happy Almost-Halloween!

Update: a commenter (My Mom :) ) shared this 4 and a half minute video in the comments, and it's a great watch!