Halloween Nail Art

Happy Halloween! The creative juices were flowing yesterday and I was able to create some over-the-top Halloween nail art. I didn't really think it would be appropriate to dress up for work today, so my costume was on my nails!

Right Hand

Thumb: OPI Chopsticking To My Story with jewel-eyed Jack-o-lantern

Index: CG Ick-a-bod-y over Zoya Shawn

Middle: Deborah Lippmann Funky Chunky

Ring: OPI Take The Stage with polka dots and jewels

Pinky: Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance

 Left Hand

Thumb: CG Zombie Zest over OPI Did It On Em

Index: CG Mummy May I?

Middle: CC Platinum Record between OPI Y'all Come Back Ya Hear?

Ring: Zoya Shawn and OPI Rising Star

Pinky: CC Platinum Record between SC Black on Black

 The Halloween Rainbow

From Left to Right:

China Glaze Mummy May I?

Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance

Deborah Lippmann Funky Chunky

Sinful Colors Black on Black

OPI Take the Stage

OPI Y'all Come Back Ya Hear?

OPI Chopsticking To My Story

OPI Rising Star

China Glaze Ick-a-bod-y

China Glaze Zombie Zest

Zoya Shawn

OPI Did It On Em

Color Club Platinum Record

What do you think? I love how the Jack-o-lantern's eyes glow red like an evil zombie pumpkin. I also love how you can see a little bit of the unique texture of Funky Chunky. I tried to mimic that effect sandwiching silver glitter between layers of sheer polish on my left middle and pinky fingers. My favorite nail though is the polka dots and gems on my right index finger. It's just so fun and I keep rubbing my nail like it's Braille. On a side note: I got to see the tomb of Louis Braille this summer in Paris! He's buried in the catacombs of the Pantheon. Fun fact!

How will you be celebrating Halloween? What will you dress up as, and more importantly, what's on your nails?

Berry Gradient

Howdy friends. It was a wonderful weekend at Lake Travis and now it's back to the daily grind. Pretty light week at the symphony, but my boyfriend's in town and this weekend I'll be busy with an extra gig. So I took advantage of my free time now in between practice sessions to do a quick mani.

I was inspired by my friend, who came to the lake house with a wonderful gradient/skittles mani in shades of coral. She used three colors and then rotated them and I thought the effect was fabulous. So much so, that I want to do the same thing.

Instead of changing hues, I wanted to play with different finishes. I chose three polishes that, in the bottle, looked like they were the same general shade of berry. I chose a creme, a subtle shimmer, and a crazy foil, and then rotated them in that order.

Left to Right: OPI Belize it or Not, Zoya Manon, Zoya Gloria 

Bottom to top: Gloria, Manon, Belize it or Not, Gloria

On the nail, the foil looks a lot lighter. The shimmer in Manon is so subtle that it gets lost and looks almost identical to Belize it or Not. I still like it though, the shades are all very flattering on my skin tone and I think the varied hues are more flattering than just a straight mani.

*I need to make a quick side-note about Belize it or Not. This is a polish I've had SINCE MIDDLE SCHOOL. That means it's ELEVEN years old and still has an absolutely beautiful application. Can we just take a second to appreciate that? Unfortunately it has OPI's older more health-hazardous formula, but seriously, eleven years old and still flows, self-evens and isn't thick! Impressive.

How was your weekend? Do you have anything special coming up this week?

Nicki Minaj Nail Art

Happy Valentines Day! OPI recently held the Nails For Life contest, where you could design a manicure inspired by one of Nicki Minaj's outfits from the past year. The contest was aimed at promoting "stand out nails" in everyday life. Now that it has ended I am allowed to publicly post my pictures. The polishes I used are OPI Teenage Dream, Color Club Platinum Record, Zoya Minka, Sally Hansen Milles Fleurs, a neon pink and neon green from Urban Outfitters, and nail decals.

Nicki Minaj Nail Art for OPI Nails For Life contest 

Nicki Minaj Nail Art, bottle pictured is OPI Teenage Dream

Nicki Minaj Nail Art for OPI Nails For Life contest

How I did each nail:

• Pinky- two coats of Urban Outfitters unnamed neon pink, one wipe of Urban Outfitters unnamed neon green on tip, nail decal on tip
• Ring- two coats of OPI Teenage Dream, diamond and pearl nail decal in center of nail
• Middle- two coats of Sally Hansen Milles Fleurs, two coats of Color Club Platinum Record on tip, nail decal just above tip
• Index- two coats of Zoya Minka, one coat Sally Hansen Milles Fleurs swiped diagonally across tip, one coat of OPI Teenage Dream atop that, diamond and pearl nail decals bordering tip

Painting on the fly, these nails took about 2 hours to create. After I did these I was so in love that I had to come up with more designs for the rest of my fingers, those took another hour or so. If you'd like to see a picture of the outfit I was inspired by, click here.

I LOVED wearing this manicure. My favorite nail was my ring finger, it reminded me how much I absolutely love Teenage Dream. 

My thoughts are that I would love to do something like this again, and it is much easier having something, a photo, as inspiration. What do you think of nail art manicures like this? What types of things would use as inspiration? I would love to read your answers in the comments section.

Zoya Ivanka

Howdy friends.  A lot of terrible things happened yesterday, and I was glad I at least had Zoya Mimi on my nails to cheer me up. (Who knew anyone would want to steal a '97 Honda Civic?  Guess I'm going car shopping this weekend.)  I'm sticking with the Sparkle collection again today, so now I have Zoya Ivanka to share with you.


Zoya Ivanka is a kelly green glitter with yellow gold flecks.  I say glitter, but when you look at the polish you don't see any pieces of glitter.  It's more just an intense all-over sparkle.  This collection is definitely aptly named.  I used two coats of Ivanka over base coat.

Zoya Ivanka, two coats in shade with flash 

See the great yellow flecks!

Zoya Ivanka, two coats in shade with flash

The formula for Ivanka is exactly the same as Mimi.  A little thin, so you'll want to apply two coats for complete opacity and go slow to avoid cuticle drag.  I got this bottle in a St. Patti's day promotion last March: $5 each for 3 Zoya greens.  Fabulous!  The other two it came with were Shawn and Suvi, which I will have to show you soon.

Stats:

• Very unique gold-tinged green
• Finish: sparkle flecks, very glittery
• Price: ordinarily $8, moderate
• Application: Pretty good.  Polish a little thin, go slowly to about cuticle drag.
• Coats needed: 2
• Dry Time: Dry to the touch in normal time.  Takes a long time to fully dry without top coat, remains in danger of smudging for up to a day.  Yikes.
• Impressions: St. Patty's Day, Shamrocks and Leprechauns, Ivanka Trump, $$.

Overall: This is a fun, unique polish, and even better for being $5!

Zoya Mimi

Howdy friends!  Today I have a polish to share with you that has a special meaning for me, Zoya Mimi.  This is the polish that I was wearing when I won my job with the San Antonio Symphony.  In addition to that special memory and the fabulous royal purple glass-flecked color, I love the name of this polsih- Mimi!  It always makes me think of the end of La Boheme, when Rodolfo is screaming the name of his girlfriend, who has just died.  Click here for that clip, sung by Pavorotti.





This polish doesn't look anything like dying sopranos though, it definitely looks like a fun purple party on your nails.  Let's check it out.  This is two coats of Zoya Mimi.

Zoya Mimi, two coats with flash

Zoya Mimi, two coats in sunlight

Stats:

• Color: Incredibly unique
• Finish: Sparkle flecks
• Price: Moderate, $8
• Application: Pretty good.  Polish is a little thin, go slowly to avoid cuticle drag
• Dry Time: Average
• Impressions: Royal purple, funky, fun.  

Overall:  Mimi has an aria in La Boheme about how whenever she goes anywhere, she is so fabulous that people can't help but stare at her.  I'd say that's a pretty accurate description of this polish.

Stay tuned for another polish from the sparkle collection, this time a fabulous green.

Zoya Minka

Howdy Y'all!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Summer (and Fall).  It's great to finally be back to you, now live and permanently from the state of Texas.  That's right, I am officially a Texan now.  But more importantly, I am moved into my apartment and have been reunited with my entire stash of nail polish.  I think they were lonely without me.

Today I have for you Minka, from Zoya's Touch collection.  This collection was released over the summer and contained three full-coverage neutrals designed to work with your skin tone.  Minka is the lightest of the three shades and I thought it would work well with my sightly olive complexion which I attribute to the Greek side of my family.  This is two coats of Zoya Minka, no top coat.  I've been on a no-top coat kick recently.  The specific finish of each polish intrigues me, I guess you could say I'm taking a test run at being a nail polish purist.  Since I'm not using top coat to even out flaws and prevent bubbling, I had to wait extra long in-between coats just to be safe.

Zoya Minka, two coats with flash 

Zoya Minka, two coats with flash

As I suspected, this color is much more flattering now that my hands are a little paler.  Usually I dont have that problem, but being in Texas keeps me a bit darker I guess.  I love that it has just a bit of sheen.  You can really see it in the bottle and then just a little bit when it's on.  It's definitely complete coverage as advertised.  Some nails were almost ok after one coat, but I did two just to make sure everything was completely even.  If you go too thick you might have a problem with streaking, but overall the polish is pretty self-leveling.

 One quick word about not using top coat- Be sure to wrap your tips!  After you've finished your last coat of color, take a quick swipe of the brush over the tip of your nail to lock in the color.  This way your manicure lasts longer.

So what do you think?  Does such a pale color appeal to you for winter?  Have you picked up anything similar?

Zoya Manon

Today I have a beautiful color to share with you.  You may remember a while ago Zoya had a facebook promotion where they were giving away your choice of any three polishes.  I chose Mimi, Pipa, and Manon and am finally getting around to swatching them!

Manon is a romantic seductive Summertime alternative to red.  It's a raspberry maroon with a strong shimmer that has a cornflower blue tint to it.  In the sunlight with top coat, this polish shimmers fantastically.  Now that I am used to Zoya polishes, I had no trouble applying it.  It dried very quickly and I'm sure I will be able to get at least 5 days without it chipping.  Here is Zoya Manon, two coats.

Zoya Manon, two coats with top coat, flash

Just as I was finishing my manicure, I received a surprise flower delivery!  As I signed for the beautiful arrangement, the delivery boy asked if it was my birthday.  I said no, I just have the world's best boyfriend :-)

Surprise flowers from the wonderful boy!

Zoya Avril and Sally Hansen Antiqued Gold Crackle

Today I have an elegant crackle manicure to share with you.  While at Walgreens I ran into the Sally Hansen new crackle collection and decided to get Antiqued Gold.  I chose to pair it with Zoya Avril, a beautiful dusty pale pink creme.  Avril takes time to get a smooth manicure.  I got away with two coats because I was putting crackle on top, but if you want it opaque on its own or have longer nails, you will need three coats.  Here is Zoya Avril on its own:

Zoya Avril, two coats with flash

After the polish was completely dry (I waited 15 minutes)  I added a coat of Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat in Antiqued Gold.

Zoya Avril with one coat Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat in Antiqued Gold

The effect is very subdued but I think it has the elegant look of ballet and Versailles and yes, antiqued gold.  This crackle didn't crack as much as the OPI Black Shatter, so I recommend using a very thin coat.

Overall I'm pleased with how this turned out.

What do you think?  What colors would you pair gold crackle with?

I won a job!

Hi everyone!  I wanted to write a quick post to let you know a few key things:

• I'm here!  Thanks to a broken computer and busy schedule I've had to put blogging on hold.  But now that Apple has corrected my water damage (note: do not keep water bottles and laptop in purse at same time) and my schedule is a little calmer, I plan to post much more frequently.
• My car hit 60,000 miles today!  The amazing thing is that it is a 1997 model.  Thank you, Grandma, for giving me your car when your lottery-winner boyfriend bought you a new one :-)
• I WON A JOB!!!!  For a classical musician, this is a huge deal!  And for a polish addict this means I will have a replenished budget.  But seriously, I am insanely excited and can't wait to start playing with my symphony.  I will definitely be buying OPI San Tan-Tonio!

Sorry there are no pictures.  Here is a mental image though:  For the first round of auditions yesterday I was wearing Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe, one coat over one coat of OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui.  Then I massacred it waiting for results so I did a new manicure that night: Zoya Mimi.  And since even I was a bit hesitant to wear such a sparkly purple in front of an audition committee, I toned it down with OPI Black Shatter.  HAWT!  Pictures soon, thanks for your patience!

Free Zoya Nail Polish

Here is exciting news from Zoya:  Because they have reached 20,000 likes on facebook, they are releasing a code redeemable for 3 free bottles!  This may be a nod to the fact that they are a 3-free brand, or it may just be the most generous new years gift any polish lover could ask for.  The code will be released today, January 3 and is redeemable at zoya.com January 4-7.

I've enjoyed browsing through Zoya's immense polish library trying to narrow down my selection.  I think what I've finally settled on are:

Mimi- this was my first ever Zoya lemming- a sparkly royal purple

Manon- I bought this spoon just because of the name (Manon Lescaut = one of my fav operas) and ended up really digging the color.  It's a sophisticated raspberry/strawberry red I think will be the perfect sultry summer shade

And Finally:

Pippa!  Perhaps the color I am most excited about.  I think bright yellow is going to be a hot ticket item this summer.  It started to gain some publicity with Chanel's L.A. Sunrise and some celebrity endorsements, and with what to me seems like a rise in nail polish culture I think the shade is about to see its heyday.

The 3 polishes will be free, all you have to cover is the $6.95 shipping cost.  But hey, with Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket that doesn't seem so outrageous for great polish.  I'm not sure if you have to "like" Zoya to get the code, but just to be safe I'd recommend doing so quick!  It hasn't been released yet, but if you're anything like me you're brimming with the uncontainable excitement otherwise reserved for the premier of Jersey Shore season 3 on Thursday...for which I may also have a special K-woww manicure up my sleeve....what a minute jersey girls don't wear sleeves...

I want to hear what colors you'll be getting!

Zoya Free Spoon Friday erm, Saturday

Greetings from Richmond!  Zoya is a brand I haven't tried yet but have heard only good things about.  They're Big 3 Free and have hundreds of gorgeous colors, making it really difficult to decide which one(s) to buy.

Well, they've made things easier on that end.  Zoya recently started selling spoons, or little plastic lacquer swatches you can place over your nail to see what a color will look like against your skin tone.  Ordinarily the spoons are $0.50 each and you get a matching credit towards your next Zoya purchase.  Today however Zoya has extended their Free Spoon Friday, offering 6 spoons of your choice, free, and with a $3.00 Zoya credit.  Oh and if that isn't enough, the spoons ship for free as well!  Just enter in the code SP6 at checkout.

This is definitely a deal too good to pass up.  What spoons will you order?

One more thing on Zoya:  If they hit 20,000 likes on Facebook by January 3, everyone will get a code for 3 free bottles.  Way to go Zoya!  You may be my new favorite brand because yes, I can be bought by freebies.