Slacking has been my middle name

I have been painting my nails, but have been either too lazy to take a pic, or didn't like it enough to brag about it.
So here is my manicure from a few days ago.

I painted my nails white, and then used a gold sharpie to doodle lace-like designs on the nails. Finish with a top coat, and there ya go! 

Pretty Little Neutral Fishnet

Just wanted a simple, pretty paint job this go'round.

So I went the lazy route and used stamp plates.

All that Jazz

I dressed in a 20's style costume tonight, for a Halloween themed show at ComedySportz. I like dressing up, and like being realistic and authentic in my approach. Now, that doesn't mean I stick to EXACTLY was what worn in the 1920's, however, what I do wear and do is based in reality.
In the 20's, nail polish/enamel was just hitting shelves, and women could now lacquer their nails. It was all the rage to paint your nails leaving the moon & tips free of polish. And Red was THE color to use.

I wanted to pay tribute to this trend, but not do exactly this, I wanted it to coordinate more with my getup. 

My outfit is black and gold, and I was wearing a headdress with Peacock feathers. 

At the same time that nail polish was becoming en vogue, makeup was also becoming more mainstream. In previous generations, only "THOSE" type of women wore makeup, but the 20's saw women boldly wearing very thick & heavy eye makeup, typically in black or grey, but also surprisingly turquoise was a popular choice. SO... because I was using Peacock feathers, and turquoise was a popular choice in the 20's, I chose to paint my moons turquoise. 

I am a big fan of Art Deco, so painted the remaining portion of my nails in black with a geometric design in gold.  

It isn't true to what was worn int he 1920's, but it takes elements of what was popular at that time and does a modern twist with it. 

Here's my makeup that went with it... heavy black and grey around the eyes, except for the inner corners, I did a thick turquoise liner. 

And of course, a red lip. 

Concession to Fall

I've been resisting, wanting to stick with the bright vibrant colors of summer. But, today felt like I should be using more fallish colors, deep brown, burgandy and subtle gold.

Natural Turquoise Nails

One of the manicures I've seen done by other bloggers that I have wanted to give a try is a natural marbled stone look. In particular, I wanted to try emulating turquoise. I couldn't decide which shade of the color I wanted to use, so I chose to do an ombre effect. When in doubt, pick all the colors!

Right hand

 

Left hand

To get the black polish to have that lacy look, I did a modified water marbling. On my pinky fingers, the turquoise is so dark it is hard to get a pic to show the black well.
While it may look like it took a long time, once the base color was fully dry, the black marbling was a very quick process. Clean up took a lot longer than the polish application. It took less than 10 minutes to do the marbling.
I really liked the effect, but wanted a little more "oomph" to it. So I decide to add a little bit of gold streaking, since turquoise often has copper streaks in the marbling.
To get streaks that are not predictable, I pulled the cotton off the end of a cotton swab, and left some of the fibers trailing.

And here is the result:

I love the addition of the little bits of gold. It is very subtle, and gives the outcome an overall more natural look. Definitely a fun look.

I think my favorite turned out to be the lightest color on my thumbs. I like the contrast. 

Spice up a favorite color to make it special

We all have a few "go to" colors that we love, that in a pinch we know look good and make us feel good. 

But sometimes, that favored friend doesn't have quite the impact you're wanting. It is good, but not stand out spectacular. It is almost perfect, but a little TOO familiar. 

Here's a simple trick to making that tried and true friend feel new and exciting again: add a sheer layer of shimmer or glitter over the top! 

I know it sounds WAY to simplistic to make much difference, but with the right topper, you can your good old standby into "Hello Hotstuff" territory. 

For mine, I am using a pretty plumy red polish with glitter, and will be using a sheer gold iridescent glitter topper. 

 Alone, this is a pretty, rich color. Has nice shimmer and sparkle to it, without being over the top. (painting done at work, so please forgive the blobs)

 It is a fun color, but nothing that will stand out and get you noticed.

 Simply adding the gold topper changes the look enough to make it interesting, and the glitter polish on top of glitter polish gives it a multidimensional effect. (below you can see the ring finger with no topper next to the ones with)

 With the two layers, you get the color of the original polish, but now there is added interest. Depending on the angle you look at my nails, you may see red glitter, or gold, or little sparks of blue, green and orange.

 Experiment with different combinations, and don't be afraid to mix glitters together.