The Red Arrow

I'm pretty sure most of you don't know that one of my hobbies is archery :)  It is a hobby I picked up a few months ago thanks to a sweet groupon deal.  It's been a lot of fun, a huge stress reliever, and it's actually toning my arms a bit (always a bonus).  My "archer name" (my sister in law tells me I have to have one) is "The Red Arrow" - not to be confused with the muscle-ridden rich boy Green Arrow :P  I picked it because of my red hair, and I enjoy the color red in general.

So this Wednesday, I was *finally* able to purchase my own bow and arrows after having to use one of the academy's over-used bows!!  And (shocker), it's red!

Isn't it just puuuuuuuuuuurty? :D  I get to use it for the first time this Monday - I'm very excited!!

Last night I asked a friend what theme I should do on my nails that was quick and easy, since it was already 9pm by the time I could do my nails.  She suggested archery, since I just got my new bow.  So, I present to you, my archery nails!

I painted the bow and arrow to match mine ^_^  It is a very simple design, but I like it.  I used the Limited Edition color "Happy Primary Circumgyration" by Emerald & Ash for the background color. 

I love the shifts in this polish from a pearly super-light green to a slightly darker sea foam green.  It also has lots of silver sparkles, and an ever-so-subtle holographic effect in the sunlight.  It's a really lovely polish.

Hope you all have a fabulous Friday!  I'll be posting the next set of You-Pick-My-Art photos within the hour, so keep watch on my Facebook page!

*Note: links I provide are NOT affiliate (i.e. I do not get a kickback when you click on the link through my blog). I simply provide them for your convenience :)

Polish Post: Emerald & Ash "Cherenkov Radiation Oops" Swatches, Review, and Nail Art

Usually I am just as big a fan of Mondays as everyone else, but today, I'm actually happy it is here!  My brother in law is visiting for just under a week, and he hasn't seen his two nephews for about 2 years :D  I am looking forward to my kids spending time with their Uncle - he's a pretty fun guy!

Today, I have the Avengers Minions nail art from last Friday's You-Pick-My-Art, but first I want to share with you some swatches of the background color I used.  The polish is by Emerald & Ash and is actually an "oops" color - it pulled a little more blue than the company intended.  It is called "Cherenkov Radiation Oops" - check it out!

Outdoors

Indoors

I have never been happier for a company to "oops" as I have with this polish!  I did not expect the incredibly vibrant blue I received when I ordered it!  The deep blue has a lovely subtle scattered holo in the sunlight.  It dries a bit flat, so if you want that holo to pop and the polish to shine, just add a nice topcoat, as I have in the photos above.  I used 2 coats, though you can still make out the whites of my nails in the sun.  Three coats ought to bring the polish to full opacity.  The formula is a little on the thick side, as well, so be easy with each added layer, and make sure each is dry before adding another.  This polish wears well, and shows no signs of damage or worn tips till about day 3.

The Emerald & Ash website is showing the Cherenkov Radiation Oops is still available - could be one bottle, could be a few.  If you want this beauty, get it now!

Alright, the moment you've all been waiting for, and the art that took four and a half hours of my life yesterday (totally worth it!): The Avengers Minions - saving the world one banana at a time!

The Back Widow got cropped due to lack of space - she's not really my favorite anyway :P  I based this design around the movie poster that was released, and decided to change the Avengers "A" to an "M" for Minions :)  I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out - it was tough putting fine details into their uniforms, so I didn't focus too much on those, and focused more on the overall look of the Minions.

Which Avengers Minion is your favorite?? :D  Have a great Monday, everyone!

*Note: Links I provide are not affiliate (i.e. I do not get a kickback if you click on the links in my blog). I simply provide them for your convenience :)

Polish Post: Emerald & Ash PRE-RELEASE Summer 2014 Colors!

*PRESS RELEASE*

Happy Sunday!  Tomorrow is the most hated day of the week, so let's end your weekend on a super high note, and maybe bypass that Monday morning yuck :)

Today I'm featuring polishes from the indie company Emerald & Ash.  They have a summer lineup of some amazing polishes!  The name they have chosen for their summer collection is "Life in Color," and boy does that title suit it well.  Here is what the company has to say about it, "The 14 polishes in Life in Color were created because we absolutely love color and sometimes the colors we wanted to make just didn't fit into a collection. This was our chance to play and make things we've been thinking of for the past year, as well as allowing us to to play with different finishes we haven’t used before. Seeing as this was our chance to play with color, we decided to take this opportunity to give names to the polish that make us laugh while mixing in some that have personal meaning to us."

Once you see the other colors as they are released, and their accompanying names, you will most assuredly laugh your arse off, and probably add every color to your shopping cart - hubby doesn't need to know you splurged, right? ;)

Emerald & Ash sent me three polishes from their collection to swatch and review, along with a sample size of their cuticle oil in their scent of the month - Fresh Cut Grass. You know, normally, I do not care for the smell of fresh cut grass, mostly because the real deal makes me sneeze like nobody's business. However, this company has somehow managed to make an oil that smells like fresh cut grass without having that tangy after-scent. It smells clean, like someone gave their lawn a bath before mowing. It's incredible, and I actually really like it, and the way it makes my skin feel around my nails :) I wore the oil in each photo I took of the polishes.

The first polish I swatched is called "Bees?"

This polish is one loud and proud neon yellow that has a subtle holo shimmer in direct sunlight, and a purple shimmer indoors.  My camera was pretty much unable to capture neither the holo nor the shimmer due to the awesome power of the neon :P  You will just have to take my word on it!  In the pictures, I have 2 coats of Bees? over a coat of solid white.  I feel the white made the color stand out better, though 3 coats on its own will bring it to opacity without any sort of base color, too.  It is a thicker polish, though it did not get goopy or lumpy at all during application.  The polish is just perfect for summer!

Next up is "Sunshower" :

This color was my husband's favorite of the three :)  Sunshower is a grey crelly with a beautiful blue shimmer in the sunlight and colorful sparkles both inside and outside.  It is also a thicker polish, but again the application was smooth and easy.  Three coats brought it to full opacity for me.  This is a great polish if you're looking for a more subtle summer color :)  Very pretty!

And last, but certainly not least, is my absolute favorite of the three - "Snozzberries" :

This polish will no doubt catch any and everyone's eye!  It is a STUNNER!  Snozzberries is a blurple jelly packed full of glitters!!  There are teal square glitters with red and purple micro glitters.  In the sunlight, it is very distracting.  You might want to wear gloves if you're driving while wearing this color.  This polish is opaque at 2 coats if you apply it thickly.  I am wearing 3 coats in my photos, admittedly because I wanted even more sparkles, and I just couldn't stop myself at 2 ^_^

You can catch even more swatch previews on the Emerald & Ash Facebook Page as well as their Instagram account.  The company will be launching their summer lineup on July 10th at 9am MDT.  Mark your calendar and set the alarm on your phone!! You definitely don't want to miss this ;)