Challenge Your Nail Art: Snowmen

Alright...as soon as I saw this challenge theme, I knew exactly what I wanted to do - and it was going to be unconventional, and probably only familiar to a certain "crowd."

How many of you are familiar with the old comics of Calvin and Hobbes?  Well I am, and my hubby absolutely adores them!  My favorite of the cartoon is alllllll the awesome snow man ones, and I have made it my goal to re-create a few of them in real life, the next time I visit or live somewhere with snow ^_^

So, I decided to take one of my favorite snowman Calvin and Hobbes, and put it on my nails for this mani!!  Here is the inspiration comic:

And here is my design:

I had to cut the little dialogue lines because, to be perfectly frank, there just wasn't enough room on my nails for it :-/  But, I wanted the picture there, because it is still comical :D  I am very happy with it, and I hope for those of you that remember these, it's a little wave of pleasant nostalgia ^_^

I'll be back tomorrow with another polish post for you!  See you soon <3

An InLinkz Link-up

Polish Post: The Festive Fortification Box

A few weeks ago, Ellagee and Digital Nails put out the Limited Edition Festive Fortification box.  In this awesome box was a polish from each company, a sparkly hair tie, and some super sparkly rhinestones - all for $20 including shipping!  So, you know, of course I got one ;)  And I have swatches of the beautiful polishes for you!

We'll start with Ellagee's "Garrison of Glitz:"

Outdoors

Indoors

Garrison of Glitz is a gorgeous teal/pine green jelly packed with all sorts of green, blue, and holographic glitter shapes and sizes.  It is absolutely stunning!  Opaque in 3 thin coats, though the glitters can be a little stubborn and may need some encouragement to spread out and not cluster.  Dries to a semi-textured finish, so a generous layer of topcoat would even it out nicely and really make it sparkle and shine :)

The polish by Digital Nail is "Bastion of Bling:"

Outdoors

Indoors

Bastion of Bling is a beautiful deep berry red jelly glitter bombed with red, blue, and holographic glitters.  Opaque in 3 thin coats, this one also dries to a semi-textured finish.  I topped it (and Garrison of Glitz) with a generous layer of HK Girl Glisten and Glow topcoat to make it nice and shiny :)  The sparkle really pops on this one!!  And the red seems to deepen in color when indoors, which is pretty neat!

I have yet to use the rhinestones but they are the perfect size for nail art - not too big that it's dang near impossible not to knock one off shortly after applying, and not too small that it's hardly noticeable.  And I've always liked the hair ties that Digital Nails makes, because they don't leave a kink in my hair :D  Overall, it's a great box!!  I'm really glad I ordered one, especially since they are already sold out!

While you cannot get this duo anymore, both shops still offer a lot of fantastic polishes!!  Ellagee just released some new flakies and still have the sparkling gemstones collections available - though the shop is on vacation from December 2nd through the 18th  (orders can still be placed, but nothing will be re-stocked or shipped during this time).  Here are some links for you:

Ellagee Shop: Here

             Facebook: Here

             Instagram: Here

Digital Nails Shop: Here

                    Facebook: Here

                    Instagram: Here

I'll be back tomorrow with the next design for Challenge Your Nail Art!  See you soon <3

*NOTE: Links I provide are NOT affiliate (i.e. I get no kickback when you click on them through my blog).  I simply provide them for your convenience :)

Challenge Your Nail Art: Christmas Trees

Today is the 2nd design for Challenge Your Nail Art and the theme is Christmas Trees!!

Remember the Octopus Party Nail Lacquer/Gothic Gala Lacquers Duo I showed you yesterday?  Well I had come up with a design incorporating the polishes together, and that design was Christmas Trees!!  ^_^  Here it is:

I used "Oh Tannenbaum" for the base and "The Royal Tannenbaums" for the trees.  The stars are tiny loose glitters I received as a freebie from a Sincerely Polish order I placed a few weeks ago :D  These turned out so well, and they sparkle like nobody's business!!  Love it!

Hope you love it, too!  Check out the other beautiful Christmas Tree designs at the inlinkz below :)  See you soon <3

An InLinkz Link-up

Polish Post: Gothic Gala Lacquers/OPNL Duo

23 days till Christmas!!  You know, I never used to be one who was stoked for Christmas.  I wasn't a scrooge, but I wasn't super excited and giddy over it - until I had kids :D  Now Christmas is so much FUN!!  I love how excited my four year old got when he saw the Christmas lights on my parents' house (ours need to be put up still), and when we put the tree up in our house ^_^

I wanted to show you the limited edition "The Noble-A Tree" duo by Gothic Gala Lacquers and Octopus Party Nail Lacquer while it is still available for purchase.  It is an awesome, gorgeous duo, and perfect colors for this holiday season - and after!

Let's start with Octopus Party Nail Lacquer's "The Royal Tannenbaums:"

Outdoors

Indoors

The Royal Tannenbaums is a lovely full-coverage glitter in 3 coats.  Dries to a semi-texture, so a generous coat of topcoat will even it out nicely.  This glitter is packed with colors and holographic glitters.  It's just stunning, and really beautiful in direct sunlight!

The other polish by Gothic Gala Lacquers is "Oh Tannenbaum:"

Outdoors

Indoors

Oh Tannenbaum is a gorgeous light green holographic polish opaque in 2 coats, though I used 3 thin coats in the photos above.  Dries in under 5 minutes to a nice shiny finish.  I just love the pine green of this polish and how stunning it is indoor and outdoors!

This duo is wonderful, and the two polishes complement each other really well!  So glad to see these two amazing indie companies collaborate to come up with this gorgeous pair!

You can purchase the duo through Octopus Party Nail Lacquer's shop here.  There's only one day left for the pre-orders on this limited edition, so get while the gettin's good!

Hope you enjoyed this post ^_^  Tomorrow I'll be showing you the second design for Challenge Your Art 12 Days of Christmas challenge!  See you soon <3

*NOTE: This duo was sent to me by Gothic Gala Lacquers for swatch photos, but my opinion is 100% honest and in no way swayed.  Links I provide are NOT affiliate (i.e. I get no kickback when you click on them through my blog).  I simply provide them for your convenience :)

Challenge Your Nail Art: Snowflakes

Hello Monday!  I feel like that holiday weekend went by too quickly, don't you?

Today is the first day of the 12 days of nail challenges ahead of me in the group Challenge Your Nail Art on Facebook.  Here's my schedule for the month:

It looks pretty fun, and I'm very excited to challenge myself to do each and every one of these!!  So, for today's snowflake theme, here is my design:

One of the features I love most about snowflakes is the intricate geometric detailing in them, and I just love the fact that they are all unique - every single snowflake is one of a kind.  That's incredible!!  I wanted to capture a bit of that with this nail design.  I looked up macro images of snowflakes and painted my favorite sections from four different snowflakes.  It's amazing to think that that little tiny floating speck of snow is so detailed and intricate - and gone in a flash.  Like I said - incredible!!!

I plan to try to post regular polish swatches and reviews in between these art posts, though it will depend on how much time I have.  I do have quite a lot of awesome Christmas polishes from some fantastic polish companies, though, that you really need to see.  I'll do my best!!

See you soon <3

An InLinkz Link-up