Sunday, June 24, 2012

Some very generous offers!

This is one of the things that really pushed me toward starting a blog: the women who polish and post are so generous and supportive! 
There are so many exciting giveaways and prizes that they offer their readers and friends, and there is so much appreciation and credit shared between sites.  As artists, they are all very careful and happy to give credit to what inspires them.  As women, they are excited to give generously to others who share their passion.  I'm excited to start giving back a little bit of love!
Here are three amazing giveaways that are being hosted--drool away over these prizes!

*The Nail Junkie has a giveaway for one of her very own polishes!  Her new summer line looks amazing and the little bottle labels are way too cute!  I haven't ventured into the indie world yet, but her free shipping and gorgeous shimmers are VERY tempting...
The giveaway is open internationally and closes on June 29th!

*Fingers Polish Mania has an unbelievable giveaway open!  She is offering a new collection from Elevation, a brand that is new to me.  This is something that I have loved about reading blogs--finding new and exciting brands to try.  The colors are gorgeous and her blog is so fun to explore!  She has a knack for using stamps in really cool ways and I'm loving looking through her designs!
This runs through July 24th!

*The Nail Network has a really cool 1st birthday giveaway!  She not only has some amazing polishes that she has generously put up, but also some custom jewelry she made!  While I am pretty new to this blog, it appears that we share a deep love of glitter!  I don't need to know any more than that to know that I like this site a lot.
This runs through July 3rd!

So this is a HUGE thanks to these ladies for being so generous with the beauty!  I've got my fingers crossed (fingers that will hopefully have some new polish to try out) and hope that you stop by their pages.  Get in on the giveaway generosity but, more importantly, look at what these ladies do so well!

"May the odds be ever in your favor!"

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Diving in!

Welcome!
It is with a little trepidation that I start this blog.  I know that I am new to the world of nail art.  I am not nearly as talented as most of the girls out there who are doing this.  I am not especially artistic or creative and will never freehand art like the blogs I swoon over.
But I love nail polish!  I have always done my own nails and have loved polish since I was in junior high school.  I've loved bright, funky colors, loved glitter, loved layering and shimmer.  I like the way that polish makes me feel a little girly and a little artsy, even when I am not particularly either!  I'm at home in jeans and a tee shirt, but feel naked without some sparkle on my hands!
More than anything, this is a scrapbook of sorts for me.  I try combinations that I love, and then later forget what they were.  This way, I will have a running list of what works (and maybe doesn't!).  This will also let me support and connect with other polish-addicts out there who do awesome work--I'm excited to have a way to show some love for your art!
So here goes nothing!
I'm working two jobs and sleeping whenever I can, so my nails don't usually get more than one mani a week, but I still want to give this a go.  Here's what's going on today:
(Another reservation I have is my lack of photography skill.  My little camera cannot do what many can, and my unsteady hand cannot get pictures too sharp, so be kind and use a little imagination when looking at the pictures!)
I've been thinking about a peacock colored manicure for a while now.  I recently nabbed some of the gorgeous Zoya Surf line in their Pinterest giveaway, so Zuza is taking center stage here.
 
*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Nails (my go-to base)
*2 coats Zuza
*2 coats Icing Lemme See Your Peacock
*1 coat Healthy Hoof Lacquer (awesome top coat--shinny and thick to even out glitter)
*1 coat Seche Vite for a quick dry

I keep my nails down short because something is bound to break them working in retail.  I LOVE this glitter!  Zuza is the perfect base for it and I can't stop staring at it when I'm outside.  I'd love to put it on all 10, but chunky glitter can be such a beast to pry off, so I restrained myself to an accent nail.
Zuza covered so much better than I expected from such a shimmery blue, that I almost could have eked by with one coat. 
Lemme See Your Peacock is a beautiful mix of medium-sized hex glitters in a teal, kelly green and magenta.  It's decent coverage for one coat, but I wanted a little more sparkle so I went with two.  It lays relatively flat for a chunky glitter. 

So there it is: my first nail post!  I hope to get better at this--both the painting and the blogging.  Until then, this is a nice little record of my "me-time!"  If you enjoy it too, or feel like talking polish, well then, that's an added bonus!