Summer Fun Challenge--Days 1 & 2

Lindsey at the Neverland Nail Blog is so incredibly creative.  I love her blog so very much and about 3 weeks ago she announced a fun summer challenge.

I was immediately thrilled to participate and I actually went to work right away trying to create manicures for the 8 themes.  Unfortunately I lost my camera's USB cord so I could not upload, which meant I couldn't pre-plan the posts despite the preparation I put in:-\  Anyway...I found my camera's USB cord on Sunday.  Therefore I am a little late to the party, but I will continue to add 2 posts per week that follow the themes.  

Here's a little catching up...

Day 1: GRILL MASTER

 I took this literally.  I was not crazy about putting meat or veggies on my nails, it kind of weirded me out. I decided to create a grill on my fingernails.  I really loved this.  I used a base of Sinful Colors Black on Black then I carefully sponged Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby and Dr. Remedy Tranquil Tangerine to create flames.  This glowed, a lot!  For the grate I used Barielle Granite Glitter and a nail art brush.

Because I was too late to the party & unable to add my link, check out the other Grill Master inspired nails here or here:


Day 2: Summer Lovin'

All I could think of is Grease.  I was stuck & without ideas.  So I recalled one of my favorite summers, the summer my husband proposed.  We were at the beach (but I really didn't want to do beach nails) and there were beautiful clear skies all week.  My father-in-law was really sweet to take pictures of the whole thing from a distance (so I wouldn't know it was happening, so I wouldn't get frazzled, etc.).  So this was my inspiration.  I used Essie Barefoot in Blue for the background then I sponged Zoya Purity to make clouds (and a heart-shaped cloud too!).  The rest of the details (including polaroid style pictures & silhouettes) were created using Zoya Purity, Sinful Colors Black on Black, and  Barielle Granite Glitter.  I'm not thrilled about how this turned out, but my other attempt at a Summer Lovin' manicure was worse.

Check out the other Summer Lovin' manicures here or below.

Tangerine

It is quite evident that tangerine is taking over this year.  As it was declared the color of the year AND it is everywhere from cosmetics to clothes and accessories.  Everyone is wearing tangerine.

I must admit that I tend to shy away from oranges and yellows.  I've never found either color to be flattering on me and at times I struggle to build an outfit around one of these colors.  I have gotten much, much better at accenting with polish or accessories of a color that I am not completely comfortable wearing in large doses.  I tend to do the same thing with neons, accenting with them rather than wearing them in large quantities.

Today I decided to share a polish that I have had for a whole year and I have not yet shared with you.  When I got Dr.'s Remedy Tranquil Tangerine last summer I was excited to try this bright vibrant color.  However, my fear of oranges got the best of me as I felt very "Halloween" with it on.  

In reality, this beautiful glowing tangerine would only look like Halloween if paired with black.  In fact, Dr.'s Remedy describes it as "A bold, but wonderfully-wearable, slice of juicy delight."  I think they're spot on with that description.

The Verdict:

This glowing orange is beautiful.  The frosty golden, sun-kissed, orange shimmer creates depth and warmth to this polish.  As you can see, brush strokes are visible due to the frosted finish, however they are not glaring.  The application was very smooth and the consistency of this polish is thin but it builds up nicely.  Dr.'s Remedy Enriched polish is enriched with natural ingredients and is free of harmful chemicals.  It also contains natural treatments for nail fungus and brittle discolored nails.  It's a great healthy polish option.  Also, this orange is beautiful even if it is a tad too warm for my skin tone.  I'll have to give it another shot I guess:)

Dr.'s Remedy Enriched polishes can be purchased online from their website for $17.00 each.

Monday Manicure

Today's theme at Polish-aholics Anonymous was *Galaxy* Manicure.  This encompassed sky, space, galaxies, nebulas, etc.

And here she is:

Have you ever tried a galactic manicure before?

Playing with Polish

My husband has crazy work hours at times. Like yesterday, his birthday, he left home at 6:30am and got back at 11:30pm. The result was birthday cake for breakfast:)

It's times like these where I find myself experimenting with my polishes. Yesterday, while staring down Dr.'s Remedy Tranquil Tangerine and mustering up enough courage to swatch it, I became inspired. I'm not someone who owns much orange, personally I do not find it flattering on me. And when I see orange I think Halloween or pumpkins & changing leaves.

Halloween?

In AUGUST?

I know, you're probably annoyed with seeing mountains of candy for trick-or-treating before Labor Day. Haunted houses will be popping up and costumes will occupy commercials & storefronts.

BUT in my defense, I was bored. REALLY bored. Here is the result of playing with polish:

I'm not sure I would ever wear this for more than an accent on a finger or two, but it's fun.  The spider was the hardest part, by far.  I think I might have to try putting a web on an entire finger next, but maybe I'll wait a little longer for that.

What seasonal manicures are you looking forward to in the upcoming weeks/months?