Time Warp Challenge--Day 2

Today's challenge is...

It's vintage, darling!

This time around, we are to draw inspiration from a popular look from the past.  I reflected on my childhood (late 80s & 90s) to try to think of "popular" fashions that I remember.  The problem with that is that I remember things I wore, pictures of what others wore, and things that I remember that I hated.  I actually gave this manicure 2 shots.  I first did this manicure but after the pictures I grimaced at how awful it was, so yesterday I redid it:)  My first popular fashion was going to be jellies, the plasticy, rubbery shoes I remember from childhood.  Like I said that manicure didn't make the cut, so my next inspiration came from fashion I loathed.  Here it is...

In case you have no idea what I'm channeling here, these are Zubaz.  They are zebra print pants that are made to reflect the colors of your favorite sports team.

I remember these as a kid because when I carpooled to ballet class as a tiny 7-year-old, one carpool dads wore these EVERY DAY!  He was a really nice guy, and a friend of the family, but these pants have always terrified me and practically haunted my dreams.  I know this isn't "vintage" but it does qualify as "old-school" and "throwback" so it's ok, right? These crazy pants are something that should never come back in style in my opinion, see...

Images from Squidoo, Sports Illustrated, and Who What Weddings

I must admit multicolored animal print is a fun way to spice up a manicure for game day, especially if your team has something to do with tigers, cheetahs, or jaguars.

Polishes used: Zoya Purity, Barielle Berry Blue, Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby

Do you remember Zubaz?  What popular look would you have chosen?

Summer Fun Challenge--Day 6

Lindsey at the Neverland Nail Blog is so incredibly creative.  I love her blog so very much and about 3 weeks ago she announced The Summer Fun Challenge.

Day 6: The Big Blue
I had all intentions of creating a manicure based on Finding Nemo.  Those intentions fell to the wayside based on the amount of time I had to dedicate to this manicure.  Instead I opted for a turquoise and dark cobalt gradient slathered with glitter:) Very ocean-like yet simple.

This manicure was created by painting all nails with Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away.  Next I sponged Barielle Berry Blue on the tips followed by a generous coat of Sinful Colors Nail Junkie.  There you have it!


Take a peek at the other lovelies:

Summer Fun Challenge--Day 5

Lindsey at the Neverland Nail Blog is so incredibly creative.  I love her blog so very much and about 3 weeks ago she announced The Summer Fun Challenge.

Day 5: ARE WE THERE YET?

I have been traveling quite a bit this summer so this phrase hits rather close to home.  I'm actually at the point that I'm sick of traveling & all I want is to stay at home.  Unfortunately that is not going to happen...yet.  So to celebrate this mantra what could be better than MAPS:)  First you should be impressed that I even own an atlas, even if it is an old German atlas:)  

 I'm rather directionally challenged so my husband thought it was hilarious that I painted maps on my nails.  I always have some sort of GPS in my car at all times!
This manicure began as a base of some Sally Hansen white polish.  The beige looking squiggles (mountain tops) were actually created with OPI Skull & Glossbones, but my brush was a little dirty for some reason from a crazy pigmented red and made it look a tad pink.  The green parks/forests were made with OPI Stranger Tides.  Then I squiggled Barielle Berry Blue for rivers & lakes, made dots for cities out of Sinful Colors Black on Black, and finally connected the cities with Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby roads.


I like how this turned out, especially since it was created while I had a migraine.  Yay for maps!

Take a peek at the other Are We There Yet? manicures:

Playing with Polish--Tribal

You get a BONUS post for today:)

This is what happens when I take on a challenge, I get messy and crazy!

This week Barielle is hosting a mani-pedi contest on their facebook page (something they do often).  So I figured I'd give it my best shot & enter.  I racked my brain and came up with this random tribal print.  This manicure is 2 coats of Back to Nature as a base coat.  I followed that by making stripes with Eli's Magic and other paint blobs and lines with End of the Rainbow.  I outlined and added details with Berry Blue and finished it with some Gold Digger details.

It's a bit messy and a tad crazy, but it was fun.  I entered and so far I'm one of the only entries that isn't just a solid paint job or layering.  And the down side to their facebook contests is that they're popularity contests so usually the first entry or the person with the most followers wins.  *sigh* Oh well, this was still a BLAST:)

Have you tried a tribal print manicure?

Disclosure: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration.  For more information please visit the tabs below the header.

I've Got the Blues--Barielle Berry Blue

Press Samples

Hello loves!  This week I will be featuring polishes that are my favorite color: BLUE!  Strangely enough, although blue is my favorite color, finding a blue polish I like is a bit of a problem.  Many of you are aware of my cool pale skintone which can morph a blue at times.  And to complicate things, my lovely plethora of freckles are warm toned.  Basically, I'm a picky blue polish wearer.  This week I will share my favorite blue polishes with you:)

Blue polish #1:

Barielle Berry Blue

Barielle describes this beauty as a "creamy navy blue."  This picture shows 2 coats, and it is evident that I should have used 3.  Also this blue has the consistency of a jelly.  This is important to know, as one should allow for more time between coats (which again I didn't do).

The Verdict:

I love the pigmentation of this polish.  This blue is a bright and vibrant almost cobalt shade in sunlight and turns to a navy in shadows.  This is my all time favorite color of blue (this and navy).  The only problem with this polish is...you guess it, staining:-\ This polish did NOT stain my nails because I used 2 coats of an amazing basecoat. However, if it touches your skin you will turn into a smurf.  But seriously, a bright blue squishy jelly-ish creme = must-have...don't disappoint it;)

Barielle nail polish can be purchased from their website and retails for $8.00 each.  ALSO Barielle sends out special offers often so be sure to sign up for their email list!

Disclosure: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration.  For more information please visit the tabs below the header.