H&M Goddess On Stage- I'm Feeling Sorta Purple

Some days I'm in the mood for something light and airy, something feminine. I want to feel delicate, and a pastel color is absolutely perfect. Let's just say today is not one of those days.

Instead, I went for a vampy purple, something that would stand out on my nails and make me feel the slightest bit ... hmm, evil? Seductive? Sassy definitely isn't the word, although it's probably related to it.  It's one of those mysterious shades that draws you in, that hints at a hidden past or a secret kept deep inside. H&M's Goddess On Stage was exactly what I was looking for.

I got this polish in a prize package from Scandalously Polished, along with about a million other polishes. This polish absolutely sang to me, calling to me. I'd used it in an earlier Konad failicure, but I wanted to wear it as a full manicure on its own. I wasn't disappointed.

Goddess on Stage is stunning. It's an almost black reddish purple that has an almost hidden shimmer. In some lights it passes for black, but in others the shimmer will catch the light in an absolutely stunning display. I wish the shimmer showed as much on the nail as it does in the bottle, but it's still very pretty.

One problem that I noticed is that I got tipwear very quickly with it. While I can usually wear most polishes for at least 2 days without noticeable tipwear, I noticed it after just half a day with Goddess on Stage. However, I'm not sure if it's the polish or the new base coat I'm using. I've recently began using Qtica Natural Nail Growth Simulator to see if I can get some length on my nails. So far, no luck... but it's only been less than a week or so. I think it might need more than that to show a difference. I'll have to try this with my usual base coat again to see if it wears better.

As I mentioned earlier, I used this polish to stamp with in an earlier manicure. It stamps really well, if somewhat faintly. Unfortunately, it only shows up well on lighter colors- on dark colors it doesn't show at all. That's not surprising, when you consider how dark a polish it is to begin with. I can't complain about it, though. It stamped beautifully on the last manicure!

Overall, this is a polish I'm glad to have added to my collection. I'm tempted to put a coat of Sally Hansen's Mist You over it, or perhaps my CND Sapphire Sparkle. I think either of those could make this look gorgeous! *jots this idea down into the notebook of planned manicures*

Tomorrow I'll show the manicure I tweeted about. Unfortunately, I tried to Konad over Goddess on Stage and kinda made an ugly look. It's a failicure, unfortunately, although the pictures make it look less of a failure than it really is. But that's for tomorrow...

Til next time!

My Favorite Manicures and Posts of 2010

Since I listed my favorite polishes of 2010 yesterday, I thought I'd look back over the year at my favorite manicures. As much as I wish every post could be the best I've ever written, I know that's just not going to happen. Overall, though, I'm pretty satisfied with how the blog has progressed. It's been a wild ride, and shows no sign of stopping soon!

Before we get started, I have to share. I learned something just now, actually... all this time I thought I'd been blogging since March. Instead, my first post was June 24! I've come a long way in 6 months! :D

Let's start with manicures. I have to include the one I was wearing for my very first post. Man, I was so nervous to post that! I'd spent days working on getting the blog to look right, to build my tag for posts and get things set up the way I wanted them. I kept fiddling and tweaking, and realized if I didn't just bite the bullet and post something I could nitpick myself into never posting at all.

So, I took a deep breath and posted this- a night sky manicure that my husband actually suggested I do. I remember using silver and my Gosh Holographic for the stars...

Not long after that, I posted my Pride of the Wild nails, a manicure that is one of my favorites, ever. It's not even anything that difficult, but I love it lots. I have a big thing for gradients... you may have noticed. :D

These spent a while on Etsy but haven't found their forever home yet. I haven't decided if I'm going to put them back up or not. I may save them as a prize for a giveaway. What do you guys think... save or sell? :D

I couldn't leave out my splattered nails. These were a fun idea that I definitely plan to revisit now that I have better tools to create the splats with. I was hoping the holographic base would show nicely under the splats, but unfortunately it was pretty overwhelmed by them. The shiny rainbowy goodness just didn't show much at all.

I also did a version of these using black as the background and a vivid rainbow of splats. I'm not quite sure which version I like better. I think I need to do a few more attempts before I make a decision! :D

Then there's the monster nails. Omg, do I even have to tell you how much I love these guys? It all started with a simple, "What if...?"

Some to think about it, lots of things I do start with "What if...?" Kind of scary, when you think about it. Now I understand why my husband sort of cringes when I say it!

These took a long time to create, but a good portion of that was me being too anxious to finish them. I was afraid I couldn't finish them and make them look as good as I hoped for. I couldn't, but I finally realized that's ok. They don't have to look exactly like what I was planning.

And finally, there's the nail art that took me forever to finish- the black lace nails, with actual lace embedded into the polish. No, I didn't use acrylic or gel to embed these. That would have made more sense, perhaps. No, I used good old nail polishes and a lot of elbow grease.

They're worth it, though. They got me noticed for something I can't talk about just yet. You'll know soon, though... as soon as I can talk about it, I totally will!

And that's my favorite manicures of 2010. Do you agree? Do you have a favorite I've done that you don't see here? If so, post a comment and tell me. I'd love to hear!

As for next year, I've got some great things planned, and even started! I can't wait to share!

Til next time...

I Made a Custom Layniefingers Keychain!

Some days I feel like I might be a weirdo... those days are few and far between. Most days I know for sure that I am! I don't know why, but ever since I was a little girl I would look at items and think about not just what they were, but what they could become. I constantly carry basic crafting supplies in my purse (scissors, glue stick, various pens and pencils, etc), and I use them often.

In other words, I'm a freak. :D

For example, my son got money for Christmas from several relatives. He wanted to buy a box of Magic the Gathering cards, planning to open them and possibly sell the rare cards and play with the rest. We all play together, and it's been a fun family activity for years now.

We took him to the local comic book shop where he bought a box. On the checkout counter was a cute box of rings and keychains, and the shop owner gave him a Justice League keychain as a thank you, I guess. Kiddo gave it to me since he wasn't interested in it, and I started looking at it, wondering if I could do something fun with it.

We went to Borders with the box of cards to open them and sort them, and maybe do a bit of browsing while we were out. I noticed that the keychain was a simple plastic one with a paper insert that could be changed out, and that's when I decided what to do. I pulled out my business cards  (I did end up printing several versions of them for fun!) and tested the various ones to see which would fit nicely. Turns out one fit perfectly, and with just a bit of cutting I transformed the Justice League keychain into something a bit more fitting for me!

Yea, I know. I'm weird. But isn't it cute? For the moment I'm using it as a zipper pull on my purse. Let's see if I get any comments about it! :D

My Top Five Polishes of 2010

It's the end of the year- the time for introspection, for tying up loose ends, for making next year's plans and for remembering the best and the worst of the year that's ending. As part of this, AnnKiins'♥ has tagged me to write about my top five polishes of 2010. Her post about the same topic was fun to read, definitely stop by if you haven't read her blog. She's a total sweetheart!

However, her tag got me to thinking for a bit. What polishes would I pick as my top five? More importantly, why would they be my top five? I was surprised that I had absolutely no problem picking five polishes off the top of my head for very good reasons. "Oh yea," I thought to myself... "This is gonna be fun!"

5. Ruby by Heaven.

This is a drugstore brand that's made by Blue Cross Cosmetics, and the line consists of quite a few colors including neutrals, pinks & reds, glitters, neons, and deep/dark colors. Best of all, they only cost $2.49 at Albertsons! (Yes, that's a grocery store. I know, but they have a pretty awesome cosmetics department!)

Why do I place it at number 5? First of all, it's sentimental to me. My husband got me this polish for mother's day this year, and I think it's uber sweet. But I also love this polish because it is such an amazing red glitter. It's incredibly dense without being gloppy, and it dries almost perfectly smooth. A coat of Seche Vite turns it into the most amazing red glitter polish ever... and I adore it!

4. Lime Up! by Essence.

I've become extremely fond of lime green over the past year, and I've bought at least four polishes hoping to find that perfect lime green. Each one turned out to be so incredibly sheer that I may as well have painted my nails with clear polish. That made me very, very sad.

However, thanks to my Twitter friends that's no longer a problem! I was told about this polish's opaque green yumminess and was immediately off on a quest to claim it as my own. Sure enough, I found that it was the green I've been dreaming of. Considering it cost a grand total of 99 cents, that made it even better! Oh, Lime Up, I love you so!

3. Dazzling by Love My Nails.

If you've read this blog for very long, you probably knew this one would show up. I use this polish often, whether for frankening or layering or just adding highlights for a bit of nail art. It's one of my all-time favorites.

Dazzling is another 99 cent wonder, only this time it's because of the shimmer inside. It's a very sheer polish that wouldn't look like much on its own. But add it on top of something else and it really shines. I have my main bottle that I'm about halfway through, as well as two backup bottles. The scary thing? I'm still tempted to go buy more as backup, I love this polish that much!!

2. Valerie by Zoya.

This was an easy choice. When I got the Zoya Flame collection, I was immediately drawn to the three glass flecked polishes. I normally wear a polish for maybe 2 days before I change my nails, and once I've worn a polish it goes into the box so I can try more of my untrieds. I have quite the pile of unworn polishes, and I feel guilty wearing something more than once before I've worked my way through them.

But Valerie? Oh yea... Valerie was an exception to the rule. I wore this one for three manicures in a row. Plus, I wore those manicures for something like five to six days each! I simply couldn't get enough of this rich, glossy purple. I'd never been a purple girl, but I definitely am now...

And finally, my number one polish of 2010...

Gosh Holographic, the most beautiful rainbow polish ever!

1. Holographic by Gosh.

This is the polish that started it all. I hadn't worn nail polish in years because it never stayed on. It would peel off in a giant chunk no matter what I did, so I couldn't be bothered trying to paint my nails to make it stay on. But somehow I found the nail polish blogosphere...

A wonderful friend of mine was kind enough to send me a packet of Gosh nail polishes from the UK. When I opened it I was absolutely astounded by the incredible beauty of Holographic. It's absolutely stunning, and photographs just cannot capture the play of light over it. I put it on, and was in love.

That single bottle of polish started my collection, my interest in nail art, the blog... everything. I owe it all to my friend and her simple gift. There really aren't words enough to thank her, so I hope she ends up seeing this post. I love ya, Tal!! *hugs*

So there you have it, my top five polishes and why I love them. This turned out to be much bigger than I expected!! Instead of tagging everyone by name, I'm going to do something meaner: If you're reading this, tell me your top five favorite polishes! Blog it or leave it in the comments, but I want to hear what polishes you love! (Or hate, for that matter... no one said it has to be your top five favorite polishes!!)

Til next time...

Laynie Wore a French Manicure!

Winter is an interesting time here in Louisiana. You never know what the weather will do, especially in the winter. The temperatures will be in the 80s one afternoon, in the 30s the next night, then back into the 70s a few days later.  Unfortunately, every time it gets really cold (and sometimes really rainy) our internet becomes really unreliable.

It's been really cold here, and really rainy. As a result, I'm currently sitting in CCs coffee with a turtle mochasippi at my side, trying to hammer out a blog post before I fall asleep. It may or may not happen. I have fear that I'll end up falling asleep with my face on the keyboard, accidentally posting a blog filled with random letters and drool.

Not that I drool when I sleep. Nooo, not me. Besides, drool doesn't travel over the internet. :D

Anyway, I did something totally out of character for me today. Nothing bad, just something I've never done. I've had a packet of Fing'rs Flirt french tip artificial nails sitting in my review box for over a month while I kicked around the idea of wearing them. It's not like I didn't have anything to post... I was really enjoying posting holiday nail art, but I think we've basically exhausted that topic for the year.

So I pulled out my review box this morning and started pulling goodies out, and I realized that hey... I felt like wearing some pretty nails! I didn't want to have to deal with filing and gluing, or damage to my nails. I didn't have a lot of energy either, so I figured what the hell, I'd try the nails. It was a learning experience, to say the least!!

I'm not sure how you're supposed to apply them using the adhesive tabs. I first tried applying the tabs to my fingertips, then pressing the nails into place onto the tabs. That failed miserably! I got three nails sort of on, then realized they felt really wobbly. I pressed lightly against the nail tip and was surprised to see the nail just flop off my finger as if it were almost unattached! I tried the other two as well, and realized that I'd totally wasted the first 10 tabs.

I'll be honest with y'all... I said a few bad words then. Just a few, but still... they were pretty rude. I packed the nails back up and had decided I'd leave them for another day when I realized that no... if I gave up now, I'd be irritated for the rest of the day. There's no way I could let a few little pieces of plastic get the best of me! I couldn't let them win!

Now, I'm almost positive that my technique is so far from right that I'm not going to tell you exactly what I did. Let's just say it involved getting the adhesive on the nail first, and then sticking the whole shebang onto my nail. I used lots of tools, too... the plastic cuticle pusher tool included in the kit, my little scissors I keep in my purse, bamboo skewers... it looked amusing, and probably kind of dangerous.

It's best if you don't think too much about just what I did. Instead, look at the pretty pictures. Aren't they pretty? We took my mom to run errands after I got the nails on and she thought they looked really natural, very feminine and delicate and pretty. I also saw my stepmother who seemed to think they looked nice.

The part that surprised me most is just how pretty I felt wearing them. The nails themselves reminded me of my mom's nails, which made me so happy. My mom always had the perfect hands, the perfect nails. Her nails are so gorgeous, the perfect shape, strong and healthy. She's had people ask her for years if they were her natural nails, and I've seen her prove it more than once by letting them see the underside of her nails. Mine have never looked as pretty as hers, so to look down and see nails that resembled hers totally made my day.

Even though I'm a serious color girl, I absolutely loved the natural, simple look of these. Ok, the sort of natural look, or the natural acrylic look... whatever! They looked really pretty, and they could have been my own with a french manicure. For whatever reason, I didn't miss having sparkles on today, I didn't want bright color or holographic polish. I was happy with a basic french manicure.

Who'd have ever believed that?

As much as I wish I could rave all night about the beauty of these babies, they aren't perfect. I don't know if it's because of how I applied them or if it's just a problem with the adhesive tabs, but if you expand the photo you can see bubbles in the adhesive. There are tiny ones and large ones, and although I'd love to blame the flash, they were visible with regular light as well. If you can't handle that, then you'll hate these.

However, I'm now really, really intrigued by these nails. I think I may end up actually using the glue to attach them, since I know how to get them off now without destroying my nails. We'll have to see. I have a feeling they'd look a lot more natural if I used a brush-on glue. We'll see.

As for the adhesive tabs, they ended up breaking down from what I assume was my body heat after the full say of wearing them. I could have stuck the nails back down for a few more hours without removing them, but I wasn't that worried about keeping them on. They came off with no problems, and although one section of splitting on one nail got lifted, it had already lifted and was just hanging on by sheer force of will. My other 9 nails have absolutely no damage.

I removed the glue residue from my nails with a cottonball and some acetone, then moisturized thoroughly. Although my nails are now deep purple (H&M Goddess On Stage, which you may see tomorrow!), I have to admit... I'm missing the french tips. I never would have imagined I'd enjoy it this much!

So talk to me- what are your thoughts on french manicures? Do you love 'em? Hate 'em? Have you never tried 'em? Are you a funky french girl, or strictly natural? I want to hear all about it!

Until next time...

Fing'rs Flirt artificial nails was provided by the manufacturer for consideration.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

After the Rain...

If you've been reading Layniefingers for long, you won't be surprised when I say I love rainbows. It's almost obsession, really. I'm fascinated by the color gradients, watching one color shift into another. It's mesmerizing, and I adore it.

Today's design was created using three colors of acrylic paint. I blended them on the nail, using generous blobs of paint and a very quick back-and-forth motion with a thin liner brush. If I had a video camera I'd show you the process, but... well, to steal a quote from my mother, "If a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his butt when he jumped." A coat of Seche Vite made the drab finish of the acrylic paints come to life and sealed them together under its glassy shine.

I  love this one. It makes me think of candy, or carnivals and fun carnival foods. What does it make you think about?

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone reading this has a wonderful Christmas holiday!