Skull Whistle Pendant

In case you don't remember Michael Mueller he's the man who brought us this nifty skull pipe through the miracles of 3d printing. Now he's back with one bad ass whistle that's loud enough to wake the dead.  This skeletal screamer is gold plated brass and decorative enough to be worn as a pendant. A bit of double duty as a fabulous adornment that can also call attention to a dangerous situation.  Like the raising of the dead!  Thanks for sharing your work again, Michael!

April Nail Art Challenge - Gold & Silver

Hi all! I've got a really quick post for you all today. I've been feeling a bit under the weather and been super busy with other things so I sort of rushed tonight's mani.

I'm not overly happy with how these photographed, but I really like them in person! I know that doesn't count for much to you all though ;) My new detail brush made quick work of these spirals, and while my dominant hand looks like a toddler was scribbling on them, I am finding myself staring at the shimmering gold and silver and teal!

 

The base color is China Glaze's Kinetic Candy, the silver is Zoya's Trixie, and the gold is Essie's Good as Gold. Kinetic Candy is pretty much fabulous. Just sayin'.

Happy Polishing! :)

Golden Statuary

Here's Natasha as one of the Golden Statues for an upcoming fundraising event at the Science Museum. Very excited !

Caviar Beads

Somewhere along my path to nail polish hoarding I acquired some "Caviar Beads" for nail art. They've been sitting in my kit since I got them over two months ago and I've contemplated using them a few times but never got around to it. I finally decided to change that and just go for it the other night, so this mani is the result of that. 

The beads were surprisingly easy to work with and didn't stick out on my nail as much as I was expecting. The problem with these, however, is the fact that I'm a very tactile person. I like to touch and pick at things and little plastic balls stuck on my nail are a pickers dream. Needless to say, these only lasted about a day before I could resist the urge to pick them off. 

These are a bit of an odd look, but if you're wanting something unique and fun, an accent nail or two could be really fun :) I liked trying them out and I don't think this will be the last time I use them. 

Happy Polishing :) 

Sparkle Gradient with BL, CG and SOPI

Today's nail art challenge is Sparkles! I'm really loving this look and it's super simple to create. The base color is Butter LONDON's Royal Navy and the gradient is made with China Glaze's I Herd that and the chunky glitter is Sephora by OPI's Only Gold for Me top coat.

I'm off to dinner. Happy Polishing :) 

LAST Christmas mani! YAY!

Although I was gone for ten days and began to dream about getting to paint my nails again, when I got home Christmas eve and started thinking about what my Christmas mani would be, I was incredibly uninspired. I still wanted something festive for Christmas time and did in fact stay with a Christmasy pallet, I think I've come to realize that while I love Christmas time, I'm really burnt out on reds, golds, and silvers. I'm excited for new colors! Yay!

I'm currently at my parent's house so I apologize for the image quality, but here is what I have been sporting the last few days! :)

Happy Polishing! :)

Is it too early for a Christmas mani?

Autumn and Winter are by far my favorite time of the year. I love being able to bundle up on the couch next to the fire with my hot cocoa and a great book. Reading and nail painting are essentially tied for favorite things to do so don't make me choose! (Maybe I'll do some book reviews on here occasionally...hmm). Anyway! The past few days have finally begun to be gloomy and cold (only took to the end of November!..but that's what you get in California) and driving home after work with the sun already down and all the Christmas lights up really solidified the feeling that it is in fact winter! My favorite! 

I was feeling inspired by the time of year and landed on PRESENTS! Everyone loves to give and/or receive gifts and I've been slowly finding presents to give to friends and family so it seemed fitting. 

I used, YET AGAIN (sorry!) Sephora by OPI's Mr. Right Now because it is my all time favorite red and I am going to have to go buy more soon. My striping accents (you have no idea how many times I checked to make sure that didn't say stripping accents...) are Ulta's Concrete Evidence and a mini Sephora by OPI called Already Famous that came as part of their winter Tinsel Town Collection. 

Here's my Christmas Present-esque look all together. I ended up using striping brushes that I got off of Amazon. They can be found here. 

When I use nail brushes, I like to make sure that I'm working on a flat surface (table, desk, closed laptop with a towel over it?) and have both hands resting on the table so that I eliminate any shakiness. There are a two basic methods to ensure a straight-ish line. The first is to have the brush do the moving while your nail remains stationary. This one can be a little bit tricky if your brush hand isn't as steady. This method might work best for when your dominant hand has the brush. When you're painting your dominant hand (brush in your non-dominant hand), holding the brush stationary and moving your nail beneath the brush removes the battle of creating a straight line with your non-dominant hand. Through all of this, I make sure my hands are resting on the table to eliminate additional movement. 

 Happy Polishing :)

Essie Beyond Cozy Gradient

It's winter! And after Thanksgiving it finally feels like it! Yay! My favorite! 

Err...well it doesn't snow in my part of California, but a girl can dream, right? I am pretty envious of the those in the cold snowy weather because all I want to do is get bundled up and go play in the snow all day long!

I suppose painting my nails wintery-ish will have to suffice for now, though. So! I present, another gradient look (this time done following proper technique!). I used Ulta's Smoke Screen and Essie's Beyond Cozy for my gradient colors (with a foundation of white).

Happy Polishing.

Golden Skull Scratchboard

Shona Penny loves creating skulls in her art. She made this "Golden Skull" with a scratchboard and faux gold leaf.

I love the sharp contrast that using basis scratchboard lends itself to. Shona used this contrast well to define the details of the skull, and boarder design. The use of faux gold foil adds a metallic shimmer to the piece, and highlights the facial design. The addition of a sealer helps the overall piece to shimmer.

August Favorite: The Goddess Among Us...

I know I've been goin' heavy on the body paint posts lately, so....

For my August Favorite I'd like to feature a costume :)

Veronica wanted a sexy tunic with accessories for a photo shoot she had in mind. 

So we set out to capture The Goddess Among Us.

Paisley Yumminess ...!

I was really excited to paint this piece, clearly inspired by the wearers skirt. Tedious work, but worth it ;)

I splashed this leopard design onto Natasha for a fashion show last fall to go with her top.

Geisha shoot

Photographer/Designer Elizabeth Stoddert wanted to create a Geisha shoot so I helped accomoplish her vision. Beth and I collaborated on the make-up design which I painted and she did the hair and costuming. Coutney Elizabeth Ford, Heather Addley and I were the models.

Painted Accessories and Hair Decorations

This is Adrienne modeling some hair decorations and painted accessories I did for her dress. Keith Ramsey shot this for our 10 week photo/body paint project.