Hard Candy: Mischief- Another Clearance Find!

I'm so excited! I don't know if you happened to hear me talking last Halloween, but I was absolutely in LOVE with one particular color that came out in various forms. If I remember correctly, China Glaze came out with Ick-A-Bod-Y first, and then Hard Candy's Halloween collection hit the shelves with their very similar dupe Mischief.

I absolutely loved this color, and wanted it very much. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it in my area. That's one of the problems that comes with living in an area where people love nail polish! By the time I saw the Hard Candy Halloween colors, Mischief was gone.

However, several weeks ago I was out for my evening walk and found this one lone bottle hiding in a clearance bin. My local WalMart has been renovating their store, so lots of items that apparently got lost in the back have come out into the clearance area! I didn't know what this would cost, but since money's so tight I was going to price it.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this was $1! Honey, I grabbed my change purse and started counting my pennies!! Unfortunately, once I got it home it went into my box of untrieds, where it stayed because I've been sick. No FUN!

However, I was able to swatch it finally, and decided I wanted to see it both with topcoat and without. I didn't realize topcoat would make such a difference! It really does, though, as you can see in the photos!

I also decided to swatch these on false nails because my own have been broken so badly. Seriously, my swatching hand looks pathetic. But falsies look good, yes?

Without topcoat, Mischief is bumpy and somewhat gritty, and it's got a strange, matte-ish texture. That doesn't mean it's not gorgeous, it's just not the average for polish. I kinda like that about it, honestly!

However, adding topcoat to it changes the feel of it. Instead of a somewhat flat, gritty look with subdued sparkle, the topcoat fills in all the bumps and gaps, causing this baby to glow like crazy. It is absolutely stunning with topcoat, and I chose to use Seche Vite for it's amazing ability to smooth out the bumpiest of polishes.

I love this polish so much. It really does say fall to me in a way many polishes just can't do. The deep olive green jelly base is another reason I love it- without seeming slimy or gross, the green base somehow gives the orange glitter an earthier tone. I don't quite understand it, but I absolutely love it!

Do you have this polish, or its dupe? What do you think of it? Leave me a comment letting me know if this is a polish you'd love to find hiding in a clearance bin!

Til next time!

Oh, how I love a good sale!

See my disclosure statement for more information.

It's Another Doodling Day- Experiments With Lines and Dots

 

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I'm a doodler. I doodle in my sketchbook, I doodle in my notebooks, I draw in my planner and on scrap paper. I also love setting up a set of false nails on bamboo skewers so I can doodle on them with my various polishes as the urge hits me.

I generally keep 10-20 nails on sticks at any time, so that I can hopefully get right into it whenever the urge hits me. I get annoyed if I'm hit with a creative burst and I have to spend 15 minutes prepping. This time I ended up with three nails in similar styles, and I really like them all. They're all very similar, and yet pretty darn different, too.

First, I painted some backgrounds. I wasn't going for any look in particular, so I picked three different base colors to work with: a deep blackened emerald (Hard Candy Envy, YUM!), a deep red, and a brown taupe (Milani Bare Necessity¹). I let those dry while I killed a few minutes on the internet, looking at random stuff. I decided I would use the Milani Nail Art Lacquer in White Canvas I'd been sent to see how it works.

Once they were dry enough to continue, I started with the Envy nail. I wanted to practice painting lines and experimenting with curves, so I started a basic scroll pattern. Once I got going, I really liked what was developing, so I left a diagonal section of negative space between the two bold design sections. Believe it or not, the white curls were really simple to do... it's just a matter of making a swirl, then another swirl. Add a bit of a line, etc... Once I got the basic lines down, I used some envy on the brush to clean up any booboos I made, then used my new dotting tools to fill in the few empty spots with dots. If there's any interest, I can put up an animated gif showing my process.

I really like this one, and I can see doing this in a variety of shades. The bold contrast between almost black and white really draws the eye, and the bold graphic pattern is fun and whimsical. What can I say, I'm really drawn to bold patterns!

Next, I wanted to explore a similar idea, only using geometric shapes instead of organic swirls. As you may be able to tell, I had problems with my line thickness on these. I'd switched to a different brush and I just didn't like it as much. However, wobbly lines aside, I think this is a fun pattern as well. The concentric lines are very graphic and fun, and I'll definitely revisit this as a full manicure.

I started out with the square. I painted the large partial square, then filled in the smaller one. I wanted a third smaller one, but it was just too small! I figured dots would fill in nicely, though. Then I added the partial triangle at the top left, and filled in the smaller ones. Finally, I did the partial circle at the bottom, then filled in the smaller one. I added white dots in the negative space between the shapes, and then for fun I added dots in a brighter red on top of the white negative space dots. I think I should have cleaned up my edges on this one too, though.  Again, if you want an animated gif, just ask.

Finally, I went for the taupe. My husband and I have been kicking around the idea of circuit boards as an inspiration. This is much more open than a traditional circuit board, but it still has a vibe that makes me think of them. I started with the white lines, then added a few red lines. I didn't want a crowded nail, so I then went for some dots in various sizes.

I felt like something was missing, so I pulled out some black to add to it. Much better... the black helped add a punch of contrast that really did energize the whole design. I'm not sure how I feel about this one. It has potential, but I don't think it's really where it needs to be yet. Ah well, it's a good start. Again, just ask if you want the animated process.

Some thoughts about the Milani Nail Art Lacquer: I'm actually pretty impressed with it! The brush is an odd color- both the brush and stem are a sort of yellow color, so when you wipe down the excess it looks pretty strange! Still, the brush is very nice, and the polish is very nice! Opaque and creamy, and easy to control. The brush tends to pick up a lot of polish, but that's how it goes with most nail art polishes I've used. Also, call my crazy but I think the little bottle is adorable! Plus, this one came with a set of rhinestone stickers that are just too darn cute! You'll definitely see those before long...

So there we have it, the results from my recent nail doodlings. I think I'm pretty content with them... what do you think? :D

¹ While I was unsure about the Bare It All collection from Milani, I find I'm reaching for those darker neutrals fairly often! Teddy Bare and Bare Necessity are both cool as heck!

Milani White Canvas, Hard Candy Envy, Milani Bare Necessity were
provided by the manufacturers or their PR firms for consideration.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

Hard Candy - Beetle

You may have noticed by now that I tend to be drawn to interesting polishes- duochromes, holos, things that don't look typical. I love iridescence, I love sparkle and glitter and shimmer. I am a total magpie, so when I saw Hard Candy's new polish Beetle in the display, I absolutely fell in love.

It's such a hard color to describe, for me. Depending on the angle of the light, I can see purple, magenta, green and gold in it at varying times. It's a beautiful foil polish that is absolutely stunning on the nail, and it wears like iron on me. These photos were taken 7 days after I applied the polish, and I hadn't even applied topcoat after that!

The photo to the left shows more of the variations of color that show up. I wore this the day of the impromptu polish party, and my nieces absolutely loved it. They gathered around while I was painting their nails and tried to decide how many colors they could find in it.

Then one niece asked why it was called Beetle. I loved this, because I was able to describe how beetles' wings are iridescent and reflect many colors, just like this polish. We also discussed the term "duochrome," and the roots of it- duo means two and chrome means colors.

Unfortunately, they then asked why this would be called a duochrome if more than two colors show up, and I had no answer for them. I think they forgave me for it, though. They certainly seemed happy enough with the holo polish on their own nails!

I had lots of fun wandering around my father-in-law's property looking for photo ops. He's got so many lovely flowerbeds, but almost nothing was in bloom this time of year! Of course, he did have some gorgeous pansies in the back yard that I didn't find until after I'd finished taking photos. That's ok, though... I'm happy with the shots I got.

What do you think of Beetle- is it your kind of polish, or do you tend to stick with more traditional colors?

Hard Candy Beetle was provided by the manufacturer for consideration.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

Ready for a Spring Manicure?

Whew!! What a day! I've been off wandering with my husband and our son, enjoying the wonderful weather and trying to work out some of this fibro stiffness I've been fighting with. We've been having a lot of fun looking at various home items and dreaming about our ideal house. We do this periodically, looking at furniture or appliances. Lately, though, I've been really drooling over electronics.

I wish I knew why I was so into shiny new gadgets. HD video cameras, Nikon dSLRs, home theater systems, CD changers, flat panel TVs... I could look and look and look for hours, it seems. My husband is no better. Anytime I lose him in a shop, all I have to do is wander over to the electronics department and there he is!

It's been fun. Exhausting, but fun. Still, I think I've been overdoing. It felt good to sit down and spend an hour doing nothing but painting my nails! This time I went for something springlike because I got the most gorgeous yellow polish I think I've ever seen! I've always shied away from yellow because it's seemed to hard to wear, but Hard Candy's Splendid is actually good with my skin tone! Then, when I held it next to my Essence Lime Up! I realized they were absolutely perfect together, and I was going to need to do a fun manicure using them both.


First off, before I get to that fun green & yellow mani, let me talk about Splendid first. You know how yellow is always a pain in the butt to apply? Well, this one isn't. It's creamy and opaque and almost a one coater! I was stunned at it, seriously. What you see in the main picture to the right is two coats. Gorgeous... absolutely GORGEOUS!

I also checked to see how well it stamps over both black and white. I wasn't expecting much, because yellow is traditionally a sheer color whether it's in nail polish or artist pigments. It's just really tough to get an opaque yellow! But Hard Candy have done it, as you can see. It shows up beautifully over both black and white, and is such a cheerful color! What can I say, I'm sold!

So... back to the mani. I started with a base of Splendid, then used Essence's Lime Up! to paint 1/2 of each nail on a diagonal. My ring fingers got the base green, the rest got green tips. I was going to apply some pink flower decals over this, then realized I wanted something with a bit more punch to try and pull it all together, although this is cute enough to wear as-is.

For the record, this would also be a great base for a full-nail Konad stamp. Can't you see it- stamping with Lime Up! over the yellow background, so that there's a green print over the yellow? I think it'd be adorable...

Ah well... I decided to use my silver Art Deco striper to paint a line along the join (and disguise some of my wobbly edges), then to put silver pinstripes along the green sections. I added pink flower decals from Viva la Nail for a bit more punch and decided I was happy with things. All in all it was a simple manicure that ended up looking a bit more complex than it really was!

And for once, I decided to do something I rarely do... I'm showing BOTH HANDS! See, I really do paint both hands the same, even if my right hand rarely comes out quite as well as the left. This one was pretty easy to do, though.


So even though it's actually fall and cooler weather is coming in, I needed to try something a bit brighter and sunnier. I think this fit the bill! What do you think?

Items have been provided by the manufacturers for consideration.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

Wow! Post #100! My baby's not a baby anymore!

I'm so excited, y'all! I know, it's a little thing, but this is post #100 for Layniefingers, AND I've finally reached 100 followers through GFC! How awesome is that?

I'm absolutely giddy. I had no idea people would be interested in this. I thought the market was saturated, and I would basically be keeping track of the nail designs I did for myself. I didn't think I'd be showcasing polish collections or actually having readers! So for everyone reading this, know that I think you're fabulous just for stopping by and bringing a bit of sunshine into my life. I couldn't be happier!

So, back to the bloggy goodness. I was wandering through WalMart the other night and decided to take a detour through cosmetics. Of course, the first thing I looked at was the Hard Candy section. I have some serious love for Hard Candy! I think it's the packaging. It's so cute and funky, it just screams out to come home with me! But I digress...

This time, I was surprised by a display of new goodies. An entire endcap of Hard Candy new stuff! I didn't know what to look at first, but I found myself drawn to their new temporary tattoos. Does anyone remember the uber-cute limited edition Chanel tattoos that were out just recently? They were so adorable, but there was NO WAY I could spend $75 on a box of temporary tattoos. Sorry, boys and girls, but mama's just too frugal for that one. Still, I was so, so drawn to them. The idea of temporary tattoo jewelry was too fun!

Well, now you can duplicate that look for about $70 less! Choose from blossoms and branches or hearts and crowns. You can have that Chanel look without emptying your wallet!

There's 3 sheets of tattoos with chain parts in single links, multiple straight links, or gracefully curving links, allowing you to arrange it however you like on your skin. Then there are 3 sheets of tattoo pendants, either crowns and hearts or sparrows and branches with cherry blossoms on them.

Personally, I find I'm drawn to the blossoms. I think there's a graceful flow to them that seems somehow peaceful to me. I really like them!

But if temporary tattoos aren't your thing, you can try their new nail polishes instead! Hard Candy has introduced three new shades to their permanent line up, and they are absolutely lovely!
They've also brought back a  wonderful shade from the old line, so if you missed Sky the first time around, this is a great time to go pick it up. This gorgeous pastel blue is so icy and gorgeous.

I have to admit, though...I am seriously lemming for Beetle. Look at how it seems to shimmer through different colors! I may have to break my no-buy for this one!

And as if that weren't enough, there are also three fantastic new limited edition polishes out just in time for Halloween! Mischief is a wonderful bright orange in a sheer black dark green (Thanks, Scandalous!) base. It's so sparkly that you know the inner magpie in me was crying to get out! Zombie is a luscious pink and purple, and Wicked is silver in a black base. These are so, so perfect for Halloween! They're also great for any other time of year, who am I kidding!

The best part of all is that each of these is only $5 at your local WalMart. I would suggest heading to the web page to order if your local store was out of stock, but after looking at it, it's... slightly strange. The polishes aren't listed by name! Instead, someone has described them by color- white glitter, rose glitter, red-orange. Who can tell what you're getting like that? Weird! Oh well...

I'm telling you, this no-buy gets harder by the day!

Images from the Hard Candy Facebook page.