It's My LIIIIIIIFFFFFEE!


Hey all!

So this post is less crazy nail art, and more chat. It's been a busy week! This past weekend, our friends Rose and Jason came to visit from the US, and brought us some much-needed goodies. I got 2 BIG bottles of pure acetone (a godsend!!), a set of the Sephora for OPI Bohemian Brights minis (awesome!!), and the pièce de résistance—all the fixings to make a real, genuine Starbucks Caramel Macchiato. Seriously one of the best surprises ever!! (I've had one every single day this week!) I'm talking the Starbucks Expresso Roast, the Vanilla Syrup, the caramel, even the Starbucks CUPS! All I supply is the milk! :)


They even brought a battery-powered milk frother from IKEA and an Aeropress- this awesome french press that utilizes air to force the coffee THROUGH the paper filter and into the cup. Amazing. Gifts aside, I'm glad they're here. Although this is my first time meeting them, it's been nice to have some familiar faces around, not to mention, they're superfun and hilarious at Draw Something!! (as evidenced below)



Having them around has given us the opportunity to get out and do some of the stuff that we have yet to do, as well as some stuff that we do regularly. (like ride in Autos- which was hilarious to see their reaction) Rose and I bought fabric to be made into Kurtas and Saris (or sarees, depending who you ask), I had my first tailor experience, and just walking around the city has been fun! This weekend, there are hopes to go to Mahabalipuram or Pondicherry, and also get some Mendhi (or mahendi) done. (Rose is a tattoo artist, and has half sleeves already, so I think its going to look super rad on her.) During the week, Rose and Jason went to Kerala, and got to ride and get blessed by an elephant—which is high atop Chris and I's list to do next! :-P Sunday night, after the tailor left, we all had dinner and hung out with our friend Sheba- and us girls decided to do manicures! The thing that spurred us to do it was that Rose mentioned a super sweet tutorial her brother told her had seen on tie-dyeing your nails- known to us Nail Nerds as Water Marbling. I insisted that it was easy, and we decided to do it. Sheba went first, and chose Zoya Trixie, Zoya Indigo, and American Apparel Mount Royal. Rose went next, choosing American Apparel Cotton, Finger Paints Cordur-Orange, and Finger Paints Catwalk Queen.

Here is the result:



The colors they chose ended up looking like they represented Night and Day! :) This was Sheba's first time getting nail art (she never even paints her nails), so I was really excited that she let me do it. She seemed pretty excited about it when she left, too! :D Made my night!
The next adventure happened last night.

I was just sitting down to do this simple design- a copy of the nails Effie Trinket sports at the Reaping in the Hunger Games movie.


 Then I get called to the back porch by Chris... I figured he was going to show me another lizard (he loves the damn things, so do I), but when I got to the door, he posed the question 'How do you propose I kill this?'. I looked up, and THIS is what I saw...

You can SEE the fur on its legs from HERE!! (also, see the mosquito for size reference)
Mind you, this picture does no justice, as there is nothing to judge it's scale (except the mosquito I suppose), but trust me, I'm not afraid of spiders, and I wanted to scream like a little girl. This thing was HUGE—its legspan was easily a few inches across, and you could see the fur from the step (the spider was right above our heads). We had no idea if it was poisonous, and Chris decided not to wait to find out- he didn't want it to fall on us or Homer and cause any damage. I suggested bug spray, since it had a straw that would concentrate the spray to a precise location. (I also suggested a lighter in addition to it, but that's another story–torch the sucker!!) As soon as the spray hit it, it dropped (luckily on the ground) and started running away like a crab! It was SO fast, and the hilarity of Chris running after it spraying will not soon leave my memory banks. After a minute of spraying (and about half a bottle of spray- the damn thing wouldn't DIE!), this is what it looked like- with a quarter for comparison:


Ick.

After some research, I feel confident in saying that it is just a Hunstman spider- relatively harmless. Eats geckos, skinks, cockroches, and other pests. Leaves a painful bite on humans, but not deadly.  I feel a little guilty that Chris killed it, but I respect that he didn't want to take a chance this time since we don't know the spiders here yet.
 
So yeah, that's my some of my life recently! In the next day or so, I'll be posting a tutorial for my 'Shut Yer Pie-Hole!' nails, and a poll to to mention and vote on which tutorials you'd like to see. :)

May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor


Of COURSE I had to do Hunger Games nails. Of COURSE I did. I loved this series, and I couldn't wait to see how well it was translated into movie form. First off, lets talk about casting. I felt a tad let down in this arena, not many of the actors they chose to portray the characters lived up to what I imagined when I read the books. That said, I think they did well casting Cinna. That's pretty much it. The actors they casted did well though, Stanley Tucci was incredibly creepy...that SMILE. *shudder* Elizabeth Banks was all but unrecognizable, bringing me to my next topic. Let's talk about Effie's nails. Yes. the crazy nails for each outfit. I found myself straining to see what she was going to have next rather than watching what was going on in the movie!

I dunno, the movie was good, but could have been better. There were things that were changed and left out that didn't necessarily need to be.

To add to the fun, I got to see it in an Indian theatre. For those of you that don't know (I didn't), Indian movies have an intermission halfway through the movie. Well, since The Hunger Games was an American movie, it didn't have a built-in Intermission, so they just abruptly stopped it and turned on the lights. When everyone returned, they dimmed the lights once again, then started showing commercials, and then FINALLY got back to the movie, but what?! It wasn't picked up where it was left off!!  I think we lost a few minutes in there, but what can ya do, at least I got to see it! Another fun thing about Indian theaters? Buttered popcorn uses REAL butter!!!!! (and it's cheap!) Total for 2 tickets, a small popcorn, a vanilla cream donut, a bottle of water, and a medium soda? Rs. 505. Yes, that is $10 - the price for a single ticket in an American theater.

Anyway, to the point. Here is my 'tribute' (get it?! lol) to the Hunger Games movie. I have to say, I'm pretty proud of the flaming Mockingjay pin- realistic flames are freakin' hard. lol On the index through pinky fingers, I decided to depict the part of the movie/book where she shoots the apple out of the pig's mouth to get their attention, then obviously on the thumb is the flaming Mockingjay pin from the posters.




I used American Apparel Hassid as a base, China Glaze Millennium for the arrow, shaded with a mixture of American Apparel Hassid and China Glaze Millennium. For the Apple, I used Nicole by OPI Redy to Runaway Love, CND Electric Orange, and American Apparel Port and American Apparel Hassid to shade. To highlight, there is a bit of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On mixed in, and for the yellow specks in the apple, I used CND Bicycle Yellow. For the stem, I used Barielle Coco Bar.

For the flaming mocking jay pin, I used different mixtures of Nicole by OPI Redy to Runaway Love, CND Electric Orange, CND Bicycle Yellow, a little Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On.

I topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.


There's Been a Murder!


They are EVERYWHERE. They're in the trees outside my bathroom window when I shower; they hover over the dumpsters and caw; they balance on walls, wires and branches; and in a group, they're called a murder. What are they? They're crows! I've had them on my list for a while now, and finally got around to doing the design. I'll admit, it didn't turn out quite how I wanted to, but I don't think they're too bad. Ilike the crow on my middle finger the best. (Gives a whole new meaning to 'flipping the bird,' right?) 


To get the gradient for the background of my nail, I used THIS tutorial from LaynieFinger's blog. :)


I used American Apparel Cotton as a base, with American Apparel The Valley and American Apparel Mount Royal sponged over it. For the crows, I used American Apparel Hassid, then topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.


Vote! Shut Your Pie-Hole Tutorial


A few people mentioned not seeing where to vote- they HIDE IT! lol

Hey y'all!  :)  I'm not generally a 'VOTE for me!!' kinda contest person. In fact, this is my first contest I'm entering for nail art tutorials, or actually, I think nail art in general.

Well, here's the thing... Instructables.com (a super awesome website that is full of useful tutorials of ALL kinds) is having a contest to celebrate Pi Day. The only rule? The tutorial MUST involve pie. (They never said anything about edible! ;)) I decided to do a tutorial for my Shut Yer Pie-Hole nails and try my luck. Anyway, this is where you come in... there are just under THREE days to vote on my tutorial!

So go on, check out my Shut Yer Pie-Hole tutorial contest entry, and if you dig it, then by all means, VOTE for it! :-P

Thanks!! :-D




Zoya Beach and Surf PREVIEW!


Ugh! It's collections like this that really wish that I could still get my hands on Zoya here in India (as if I don't wish that all the time already!)  Not sure what it is about this collection, but I have been lusting over it since I got the information in my email! :) I've definitely been trying to figure out how to get my hands on this collection in the no-to-distant future. :-D  Chris is going back to Vegas for a week in April, so I'm trying to convince him that they are necessary baggage to bring back for me, that's reasonable right? :-D If I had to choose, I'd split the collection down the middle of this picture and order the right side. :) Those cremes are screamin' my name, and I definitely hear them call. :-P

Dive into the latest press release (and collection) from Zoya!

-----------------------------------------

Announcing Summer 2012 nail color by Zoya Nail Polish!


BEACH and SURF dive into the color...


OFFICIAL RELEASE INFORMATION - March 17, 2012




New nail color - coming soon to a salon near you and Zoya.com!


Summer 2012 is going to be a super stylish season for nails with the latest offering of nail polish collections, Beach and Surf, from the new color of fashion, Zoya! This new splash of color, designed by the Zoya color experts, is kissed by sea and sand translating beautifully onto the nail in the famous, full-coverage Zoya formula.


Dive into the creamy shades of the Zoya Beach Collection or the shimmering sea foils of the Zoya Surf Collection. The choice is yours – this color palette is sure to be a splash!


Zoya BEACH Collection


     •  Reagan (ZP614) - deep cerise pink cream
     •  Lara (ZP14) - vivid cerise pink cream
     •  Shelby (ZP616) - soft pinky pink cream
     •  Arizona (ZP617) - soft coral orange cream
     •  Tracie (ZP618) - sea grass metallic
     •  Wednesday (ZP619) - soft aqua cream


Zoya SURF Collection


     •  Rory (ZP620) - lotus pink foil metallic
     •  Carly (ZP621) - thalia purple foil metallic
     •  Kimber (ZP622) - magenta pink foil metallic
     •  Myrta (ZP623) - coral orange foil metallic
     •  Meg (ZP624) - mermaid green foil metallic
     •  Zuza (ZP625) - aquamarine foil metallic


Zoya is the new color of fashion... 



The Zoya BEACH and SURF collection was designed and inspired by resort runways and tropical get-a-ways.


Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.


Find Zoya BEACH and SURF as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.


BEACH and SURF by Zoya Nail Polish - 12 new colors:
Available April 1, 2012 (USA)



www.zoya.com


Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl.oz. bottle (US).



Shut Yer Pie-HOLE!


Wow! It's finally here, March 14th! It's PIE day! I love pies, my favorite is definitely pumpkin pie, but lemon meringue is a very close second. I like making pies too. One time I was in a rush while making a lemon meringue pie, after I finished cooking the lemon curd, I poured it into the cooked pie crust. Then, forgetting that I had just pulled the crust out of a 400° oven, I grabbed it with bare hands to level out the filling. Needless to say, it hurt. :)  Anyway. To celebrate PIE day I dec....What?  It's PI day?!  Well, I guess that makes sense, 3.14 and all. Wait til 3/14/15, then it'll REALLY be Pi! 

Well, to celebrate Pi day, I painted PIE nails! WOO!



I used: 

Thumb: Blueberry pie 

Essie Bags to Riches as a base, shaded with a dash of H&M Rust, and a pinch of Barielle Coco Bar. For the pie filling I used Zoya Anja. I topped it off with Essie Matte About You, and used Seche Vite top coat to make the filling part shiny like real blueberry filling.

Index: Dutch Apple pie

Color Club Earthy Angel as a base, with American Apparel California Trooper, Essie Bags to Riches, H&M Rust, and Barielle Coco Bar sponged over it to make the crumb topping. Topped it off with a sponged on coat of Essie Matte About You.

Middle: Cherry pie

American Apparel Port as a base, with American Apparel California Trooper to make the lattice, and Essie Bags to Riches, H&M Rust, and Barielle Coco Bar to shade. Topped it off with a sponged on coat of Essie Matte About You, and Seche Vite top coat to make the pie filling shiny. 

Ring: Pumpkin pie

H&M Rust as a base, with Barielle Coco Bar and MAC Rich Dark Delicious sponged VERY lightly over it to make the speckles of the spices in the pie. I used white acrylic for the whipped cream, with a mixture of Lotus Herbals Pure White, ALDO Sea You in Ibiza, and American Apparel Hassid to shade it. Topped with Seche Vite top coat.

Pinky: Lemon Meringue pie

American Apparel Cotton as a base, shaded with MAC Rich Dark Delicious, Color Club Earthy Angel, and Essie Bags to Riches. Topped off with sponged Essie Matte About You.

It was like warm apple pi?


You Don't Know Jack!


Oh, what I wouldn't do for a Sourdough Jack, or one of those grilled deli sandwiches right now, with some awesome JITB fries, and ranch dressing. Maybe a GINORMOUS Dr. Pepper or Oreo milkshake to wash it down? Yes, please. Plus, how can you not love the JITB mascot, Jack?! You know those portraits of Jack in the restaurants that have the plaque that says 'Our Founder'? Well, you can order them from the company, and yes, I bought one for Chris for his birthday a few years back. :-D It's pretty much the coolest thing ever. Chris is also drooling over the Jack halloween costume, he really wants a big Jack head, I'm pretty sure he'd wear it everywhere if he could.


I've had Jack on my list of nail art ideas for what seems like ever. I actually had to go back through my nail designs to make sure I hadn't done them yet, because I couldn't imagine that I hadn't. Well, I didn't...until now. I originally planned to make this manicure a progression of the different versions of Jack over the years, but I decided to stick with the current Jack that we all know and love.

So, who's going to send me a cheeseburger?


I used American Apparel Hassid as a base, with white acrylic paint for the head (white nail polish never seems to cover over black), shaded that with a mix of the paint and American Apparel Hassid. For the hat, I used American Apparel Manila, then shaded with Barielle Coco Bar. For the eyes, I used ALDO I'll Sea you in Ibiza, the nose is American Apparel Hassid, and the mouth is Zoya Carmen. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Extra ranch, please.

Holi WOW!


Handfuls of colored powder smeared across your cheeks, thrown in your hair, rubbed on your forehead, color EVERYWHERE. Fun or nightmare?  Definitely FUN. It might have been one of the most fun experiences here in India so far! If you're all like 'What the F is she talking about?', I'll tell you. Today (if you're in the States, or yesterday, if you're on my side of the world), is/was HOLI!  Holi is the Indian festival of color, celebrating the coming of Spring! :) Hindus believe that it is saying farewell to winter, and hello to the abundance of Spring colors. I believe that it was a BLAST. It was kind of like a snowball fight with colored powder, and when you 'whitewash' someone, they're left with a face like this:


I decided to do a nail design based on my Holi experience, a colorful array of splatters covering my nails simulating the splatter of powder everywhere on skin, clothes, hair, and the floor. :-P


I have to admit, I like this hand better- I realized I liked the splatter effect over the skin AFTER I started cleaning up my left hand, so I took a pic of my right hand too. I feel like it better conveys the spirit of the celebration. :)


I used Lotus Herbals Pure White as a base, with Zoya Carmen, Essie Vermillionaire, American Apparel Manila, Nicole by OPI I'm a Belieber, Lakmé Fast & Fabulous Aqua Blast (an Indian brand), China Glaze Grape Pop, and Jesse's Girl Beach Baby . Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

A few more pictures- one of my colleagues and I, and one more after I got some more color - green, to be exact. :-P


Rusty Nail


Sorry, this isn't the Rusty Nail of the Drambuie and Scotch variety, or the kind that gives you tetanus, it's definitely the nail polish variety. :) I've always loved the look of rusty metal (unless it's on my car or a rollercoaster :)) and I've had this idea in my nail art idea notebook for a while now. I've always wanted to paint my walls with that paint that rusts, it looks rad. You paint the wall with this black primer, which had iron particles in it, then apply this solvent, and the whole wall transforms into every color of rust imaginable, it's pretty damn cool looking. I wonder how long it takes the solvent to do its job?  

Anyway, I give you rusted nails. :)



I used Zoya Loredana as a base, with sponged rust consisting of H&M Rust (meant to be!), Barielle Coco Bar, and Finger Paints Cordur-Orange.  Sponged some Essie Matte About You over the rusted bits so they would still have texture, but wouldn't be shiny. 


Just My Type.


If you've been reading this blog for a while, or know me in person, you know that I'm a graphic designer. One of things I remember hearing more than once from one of my design professors, Linda (or was it Barb?  Fellow VC-ers, help me out), was that if you could choose only one typeface for the rest of your career, it better be Helvetica. 

Helvetica has gained a somewhat cult status, with apparel, documentaries, and millions of devotees. I was struggling with what nail design to do today to follow those pimple nails (really?!), and I was watching 'The Voice' (yeah, I know, I watch it to drool over Adam Levine) and saw something in the show that reminded me of Helvetica. It was then that I knew I had to add to the bevy of Helvetica-themed things, and paint on my nails the iconic name (and representation) of every designer's favorite typeface. This was actually semi-difficult, because I didn't want to mess up. That said, it's not perfect, but I tried to do it justice! :)


I used Nubar Stronghold as a base (this color applies like buttahhh, I've never used it as a base color before), with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On for the lettering. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite topcoat.

What's YOUR type(face)?  Pleeeeease don't say Comic Sans. (or Papyrus)