HANDS, NAILS, ETC.

Okay, now the right hand. I want to do a three-color job like this:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zibuiozm95c/T4hf03QB4VI/AAAAAAAAE2U/rQ4PnOwE-Ds/s1600/color+block+mani+with+holland+collection.jpg

(From lucysstash.com, a great polish and nail art blog.)

The first base color I tried is a cheap mini yellow I bought yesterday. It might be good for art elements, but as a basecoat the coverage sucks. Tried up to 3 coats then took it all off because it was still streaky and uneven.

Second attempt: Used Princess Sabra as the basecoat. Tried to freehand the first swipe, using Essie "Blanc." Remind me never to play Operation. A mess. Took it off again.

Third attempt: Princess Sabra as the base, going to dry thoroughly and then use Scotch tape to form the swipes, instead. Updates as events warrant.

Mind you, in order to touch acetone with my LEFT hand, which is all done already, I have to wear a latex cleaning glove, so I'm stumping around my apt in old Crocs and one yellow glove, swearing at these cheap brushes and the pint of coffee I drank after breakfast.

Well, tape works great but the underlayer has to be REALLY REALLY DRY. Mine was not.

Crackle-coating the right hand is looking pretty appealing right about now....

The blurriness of this photo is obscuring the fact that I did a truly terrible job on this one. Also my colors aren't quite...right. Obviously I need more shades of nail polish to choose from.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/Colorblock.jpg

I think that turned out really cool though!! I'm jealous. I like the translucency of the red.

In nail news, I feel fully empowered to wear (my favorite) grey/blue/slate shades to work now that the freaking first lady wore them, love her

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17y6cv7zqkwikjpg/xlarge.jpg

It's Essie "Really Red" if you want to pick some up!

The internet has been going crazy for the FLOTUS' "greige" polish, eh?

It's a color my friend has long called CORPSE NAILS whenever I wear it.

I love Michele Obama. First bare arms, then no pantyhose, and now gray nail polish... she is awesome. (Well, except for the fat shaming kids for their own good, but nobody's perfect.)

What I did on Sunday.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/BlackFrench.jpg

Yeah yeah the nails look great but OMG BRACELETS.

I tried to photo them in this light but they don't come out. One is plain white, one is a twisted rope design in dark grey-green, and one is a wooden square.

<3

I wore a square wooden bangle today. :)

ooh your nails look awesome! i want to do that! how to do?

i know it's not rocket science, but i don't actually understand how french manicures work

i guess i could it up on the internet

Paint black. Either wait half a day for it to be really, REALLY dry, or use a quick-dry topcoat and wait like an hour at least.

Then apply normal Scotch tape leaving the tips free. Dab with white polish, not too thin or too thick (this is where I need practice). Pull off tape as soon as you're done with the painting; if you let the polish dry with the tape, it'll chip when you lift it up. So you only get once chance to get the tips right. Once tips are done, let dry and seal with topcoat.

I have straight-across nails but if yours curve more, Erica has suggested those large hole reinforcing grommet sticky things, from stationary stores. You can use those for half-moon manicures too, just put the sticker at the base of the nail instead of the tip.

Oh that looks GREAT! I love it!

Thx for instructions! Will try!

Scotch tape! All these years I thought everyone just had better fine motor skills than I did.

Tape works wonders when it comes to nail art!!

That's not a real French manicure, btw. That's just creative nail-painting. Real French manis involve whitening pencils and stuff.

Reversed that mani this week, white with thick black tips. Getting better at the taping.

Also have discovered why people create nail polish blogs: because you have to tell someone and no one except the internet cares. I got two new shades of polish in the mail today and can hardly stand it!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NCgSiQE2a-U/T7z3rhFUTOI/AAAAAAAANZk/mHIbOzkiL_4/s1600/I%2527m%2BNot%2BLion%2BSwatch.JPG

My goal was/is to recreate this look, more gorgeousness from chalkboardnails.com:

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m72eewOLtI1qmxbvdo1_500.jpg

Oooh! I found leopard spots to be a lot easier than I thought they'd be. Post after pics.

Last week I had an awesome flat grey color (Berlin there Done That from the OPI Germany collection) on top of which I painted black french tips. I meant to take a pic but forgot and yesterday got a gel manicure just cause I have a couple busy weeks coming up and don't want to have to think about them for a bit. It's a very nice deep wine color.

If I paint mine a solid traditional color I feel like my boss and every other aging Midtown lady. It's too much. I may have to stick with the nail art and strange shades.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/Whitefrench.jpg

Love!

the nails are super cool but your head and dress also: SUPER COOL
agl all around, incl balmstain

Haha balmstain indeed.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/Sparkle%20tip_zpsc02b627d.jpg

Got annoyed with the wear-off on the black & white polish job because the contrast makes every tiny scratch show through. Went with something v low contrast instead:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/Sparkle%20tip_zpsc02b627d.jpg

Whoah, sorry! Wasn't supposed to be the same pic 2x.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/Sparkle%202_zps109183f8.jpg

so pretty!
no half measures for you!

No, when I go crazy, I go all the way crazy.

A Tiffany-blue shade came in the mail today, will try on the weekend. :)

Wearing Butter London Chimney Sweep with Nails Inc. Electric Lane top coat. Sparkly!

And Illamasqua's Phallic (lol) on my toes.

Wow, only the best for you! I have not yet succumbed to any Illamasqua polishes but their "rubberized" finish is extremely tempting.

I should say, today's polish job is China Glaze Desert Sun, with China Glaze I'm Not Lion on the tips. Finished with two coats of SV topcoat to seal the glitter in.

I am intriguied by LLLamasqua's polishes too but have never tried any. I saw a gorgeous Nail's Inc shade on a blog earlier.

I am in love with Berlin there done that from the OPI Germany collection right now. It's the perfect shade of grey.

I keep thinking I want to buy more Illamasqua polishes but then when I'm at the store I think "these shades are so similar to ones I already have." They do last a decent amount of time though.

I like the names of the Nails inc. polishes.

Dotting tools on a slow boat from China (literally) so I used the tip of a bobby pin for this. China Glaze "For Audrey" with Essie Blanc and a crappy mini of bargain yellow.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/Dots_zps28f92695.jpg

i am really envious of all you ladies and your prettily shaped nails

I organized my polishes today. How did I get so many? Yikes. Half are those mini ones, but still.

Can't take credit for the shape of my nails, the lady at the salon does the cuticles and cleans them up for me. In between visits, I just change the polish.

The best manicurist in the world couldn't make my nails look like that

My nails are so messed up. THANKS, WORK.

ooh those dots are so fun!!

i didn't have time to paint my nails all week, but i painted them yesterday afternoon and then went to a little dinner party at a new friend's house. she was like 'omg your nails! you should be a hand model!" i told her that the brightness of the orange polish was obv doing its persuasive job.

My first attempt at leopard print! I am less than fully convinced by it, I need to look at more actual leopards to get a better feel, but it's a nicely showy option.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/Glitterleopard.jpg

The pinky especially did not turn out, I need to space that one differently in future. I think you have to experiment to know how many spots there is room for on each nail and still make them look "random."

Looks pretty good to me!

I want to use these pink and black damask print nail decals I got SO BAD but I have a client meeting on Monday and that seems like a bad idea. I can totally get away with them when it's just a normal work week, though.

I've been so tempted by the decals in the stores lately! They come in some very nice patterns.