Mommy Manicure Monday

Our camera is broken! Actually, we just can't find the charger. So, in lieu of a NOTD, I thought I would share with you some really out there nail art I came up with earlier this year. This manicure was inspired by Prince Poppycock, who is an amazingly fun character who competed on America's Got Talent over the summer. This is my version of what a proper fop should be wearing on his nails:

This was Sinful Colors "Pinky Glitter", a nail art pen, and a lot of nailglue to get the beads to stick. Obviously, I didn't actually wear this manicure. I wouldn't have been able to do anything with hands. Since a fop would never stoop to manual labor, this would be the perfect manicure!

Mommy Manicure Tuesday

Bumped this forward one day, and I feel wretched, because I'm not actually wearing it right now! Last week, the patchwork manicure was featured on Nouveau Cheap, and we were like, "Rock on, I have to try that!" Then, someone in the comments to the Nouveau Cheap post attributed the awesome look to Chloe at Chloe's Nails, who has a tutorial up there. We may actually do a tutorial with our tips and tricks, because we actually modified our process a little bit after we did mommy's nails. But for now, Mommy's patchwork manicure.

Essie "Playa del Platinum", Rimmel "Steel Grey", unnamed green pumpkin polish

Mommy Manicure Monday

Essie "Playa Del Platinum" with a little watercolor inspired flower with Essie "Geranium" and "Turquoise and Caicos".

Mommy Manicure Monday: Fake nail rescue!

I love acrylic nails, for the most part. Probably because I can't grow my real nails out for one fig. The thing I don't like is the maintenance involved. Probably because I'm too busy to carve out a block of time to get them filled or removed after I'm done with them. Also, though my natural nails won't "grow out", they do grow fast, so after just a few days I have the dreaded gap, and my polish addiction stains them yellow after a couple of my obsessive changes.

So, let's pretend you have some stained, growing out nails, but you don't have time to remove them or get them filled. Because you have a deadline that is kicking your butt, maybe. So, let's pretend your nails look like this:



This is what my nails looked like on Thursday. Not pretty, right? The CND Shellac base coat held up pretty well, but since its job is to hang onto polish, it really held on to the yellow stain left by the brighter blues and greens I prefer. It was time for a little Macguyver style rescue.

This is the part where I tell you that I'm not a professional manicurist, and this is probably not advisable. But if you need a quick-ish fix and you don't have time for a nail appointment, this is what I did:

First, I filed the top of the nail, Shellac and all, right off, paying particular attention to the ragged edges of the grow-out line. I also did some shaping, as a week of typing and lugging bags around airports had messed up the tip shape slightly.

Between steps, I used a moistened cotton ball to remove dust. It helps you see better.

After removing most of the stained bits, I went to the buffer. Be really careful doing this that you don't file the acrylic too thin or completely off or something silly like that. Once they're buffed, this is a really good time to test for lift at your nail beds. If any nails are loose, apply a few drops of nail glue under the lifting edge and wait for it to dry.

Because the above steps have left tiny scratches and nicks in the surface of your acrylic nails, use a ridge-filling base coat. Or, what I'm using: Orly "Nails For Males" matte topcoat. Two coats makes a great base coat/ridge filler, and you can find it pretty cheap at some beauty supply stores, because it's been discontinued. Pick up two, if you find it.

After that, I applied two coats of Essie "Pink Glove Service". Any translucent pink will do.

And I finished it off with a coat of Seche Vite.

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but there was a remarkable difference, and keeping the whole nail "natural" helps to disguise the grow-out line. If you're trying to stretch out your time between appointments, this has never gone wrong for me.

Mommy Manicure Monday and MORE!

This Mommy Manicure Monday is more of a guest-starring manicure. This lovely set of acrylic nails is the handiwork of Lisa, owner of L.A. Nails in Delton, MI. Lisa has been doing nails for, gosh, at least fifteen years now, and she is a pro. The best part about getting my nails done by Lisa? All the nail gossip (she has a Konad stamper! I got to look through the kit and everything!)

Now, the color you're looking at is O.P.I. "Lucky, Lucky Lavender," which is just a fantastic color on all accounts. What's really special, though, is underneath. Friends, I have exciting news. I got to experience, first hand, CND Shellac. I know, I know, settle down now. Lisa used a CND Shellac base coat between the acrylic and the polish. The end result is, I can take this polish off and still have a gorgeous French manicure beneath that is shiny and protected. And I can apply more polish over it, provided that I use only non-acetone nail polish remover.

Now, because acrylic nails and I only get along for a short time (I have an attention span like a gnat), when I remove them, I'm going to try out a full CND Shellac manicure on my natural nails. Lisa recommends a clear CND Shellac manicure for people who have a tough time growing out their natural nails, because it offers a layer of protection you can't get from regular polish, and because it is lighter and more flexible than acrylic or gel nails. Between manicures, a client can file away the tell-tale growth line and apply clear polish over the entire nail to blend, though she does warn that people wishing to grow their nails very long will need to have the Shellac completely removed and replaced at some point in the process, because the weight of the Shellac on the nail tip will cause a break. CND Shellac isn't what professionals call a "fill" product, meaning it can't be touched up for regrowth.

Another miracle product she used were "magic drops" or O.P.I. "Drip Dry" lacquer drying drops. They are amazing, and I'm dying to add some to my collection. They dry the polish to the touch almost immediately, and your nails dry hard in five minutes. This is a must have product for us, because R.E.I.T. doesn't like waiting for her polish to dry with her hands in front of the fan!

R.E.I.T. has her own opinion of this Mommy Manicure: "A hands! I want! Put hands! Want paint!"

Expect to see more nail tips from Lisa right here on this blog, as she has graciously consented to let me pass them along!

Mommy Manicure Monday

Okay, I have to share with you the most bizarre nail polish I have ever tried:



It's Orly's "Old School Orange" from their Plastix line. It's not a glossy creme, it's not matte finish. It's just... plastic looking.

Application was horrid. What you see in the picture are three coats, because no matter how carefully you apply, it's streaky as hell. Your best hope is to get the streaks lined up just right. Also, it never dries. I'm convinced of it. Seven hours after I put it on, I ended up with tons of smudges, and that beautiful cross-hatch pattern the sheets make. This is probably due to the fact that you have to just use so damned much of the stuff to reach opacity.

Now, if you do get a dreaded smudge while drying from "very wet" to "extremely tacky forever", you may feel the urge to smoosh it back into place with your tongue. RESIST THIS URGE! This stuff is not like normal nail polish, and it will leave an extremely bitter taste in your mouth if you put your fingers anywhere near your tongue for like, the first twenty-four hours after application.

With all these drawbacks, would I recommend this polish? Tip wear showed almost immediately, and it scarred and showed all kinds of dents. You can't really use a topcoat, or it will ruin the finish. But something is fun about the weird way it looks. I got so many compliments on the stuff, I'm sure I'll wear it again. And it is very cool to feel and play with in line at the bank.

Onto bloggish news: I will be in NYC later this week (no, not for fashion week), so the blog won't return until next Monday or Tuesday. You'll have to live without us for that long, LOL.

Monday Tuesday Mommy Manicure

Since Monday was a holiday, I decided to bump Mommy Manicure Monday a day. So, today I'm reviewing China Glaze "Lubu Heels".


That's my hand, a tiny bottle of brandy. Please excuse the messy job and the overall horrible condition of my cuticles.

"Lubu Heels" is a basic black creme with blood-red micro-glitter. That's three coats in the picture, with Sally Hansen Hard As Nails for a top coat. I really like the finish on this polish. It looks black, until you get it into the light, when the very subtle sparkle comes out. The best part of this polish is that it actually stayed on. China Glaze has amazing colors, but they always just sort of flake off within an hour or two on me. This one stayed put four days with minimal tip wear.

I don't know how often I'll wear this one, but I'm glad I bought it.