I Miss My Grammy.

The Results Are In...

    I was seriously surprised with the amount of entries I got- so many of you did the limit of 5!! I absolutely loved seeing everyone's interpretations of the designs from this site, and plan on updating this post with some of the entries when I'm not in a rush like I am today... :-/ (check back tomorrow probably!!)

    Ok, on to the winners, which were picked by a random number generator from all the submissions!

    Prize #1 goes to: Krista, this was the design that she submitted:



    Prize #2 goes to Susan Holak, this is the design that she submitted:



    Prize #3 goes to Bonnie Yang, this is her submission:



    So, a big fat thank you to all of you that entered the contest- your designs were charming, fun, and well-executed!! I'm so glad to have such awesome readers!!!

    And to those that entered, but didn't win, not to worry- I'll come up with another giveaway soon! :)

    -Melissa



    All the entries- alphabetically (CLICK TO ENLARGE):









It's in My Jeans...


    Day 109

    Ok, so in theory, these nails are fun and cool and shit, in practice, and let me tell you I PRACTICED, they didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. The process was to paint the nail the dark blue and when it was almost dry, press a piece of jean material onto the paint to leave an indentation that I would later paint with a lighter blue... like jeans? Not so much. lol every time I pressed the jean into the paint, it smeared, and I'd have to repaint the nail and start the process over. ARGH! :-P Anyway, I wasn't about to give up... and finally managed to get all 10 nails done, and mind you, they're not perfect, but I tried...thats what counts, right?!



    I used Charlotte Russe nail polish in Rocker as a base, with the jeans pressed into it, and Essie Sag Harbor brushed with dry brush against the grooves from the jean. For the copper rivets, I used Urban Vibe nail polish in Charged from Wet Seal, for the seams, I used China Glaze Liquid Leather, and Diamond Cosmetics #319 Lemon Yellow Zest
    for the stitching. For the Levi's tag, I used China Glaze Salsa with China Glaze White on White for the lettering.

    Hope you like? :-P

Crimi-Nails.


    Day 108

    Something tells me I need to lay off the NCIS marathons... and CSI... and Criminal Minds... and... well you get the idea. I'm a crime show junkie. Today's nails are my simplest yet I think, but they're definitely one of my favorites. :-P



    I used Sally Hansen All the White Stuff as a base, with a mix of Zoya Dakota, Zoya Angelina, and China Glaze Salsa to get a blood color.

    All I did to get this look is dab my fingertip in the red paints, blot on paper til I saw clear prints, then press my fingertip on the white nail. :-P Easy crime scene. :-D

Below the Waves Their Voice is Song, Above the Waves It Sounds So Wrong!

All Systems Go!


    Day 106

    Another Apple-inspired mani today- this one is for you old school Mac enthusiasts! (Yes, I know that it's the Finder icon, too, but it was originally the MAC OS logo... 8.1 baby!!) Yay for iPad!! :)



    I used Essie Sag Harbor as a base, which I got on clearance at Ulta for $3, and I'm loving it, I think it'll get used lots in the future, it's just such a pretty color!!! For the other half of the logo, I used China Glaze Secret Peri-wink-le, for the black lines, I used China Glaze Liquid Leather and for the dark blue lines, I used American Apparel Mount Royal, which is a perfect darker version of China Glaze Secret Peri-wink-le. :-P I topped it off with two coats of Seche Vite top coat to get that new computer shine? :-P

    Are you excited about the new iPad? Awesometacular.

American Apparel Polish UPDATE FROM AMERICAN APPAREL REP!!


    This letter was received in response to my email to Nichole Williams of American Apparel setting the record straight:

    "The reason for the recall is because after receiving a few reports of bottles breaking, we made the internal decision to do a voluntary recall of the bottles on both a retail and public level.

    We chose this small US manufacturer to produce our nail polish because we support their business model and have a fondness for family who runs it. However, one of the realities of all manufacturing is first-run glitches. We worked all last week with the manufacturer to make the improvements necessary for the second run. Another reason we sought out a US-based company is so we would be able make changes and now, we can investigate what went wrong as quickly as possible. We still believe in the factory we're working with and the new polish will be in stores within the next two weeks.

    We will offer an exchange of two new bottles or a $10 giftcard for anyone who brings in a unit from the original run or a receipt."


    Hope this clears up any questions or concerns you've had!

iNails

What Are You HUP...TO...3...4?


    Day 104

    Happy Monday, everyone!!! Today's nails were a request a while back from reader Melissa T-S. She told me that her 25 year old son is 5th generation army, and she would LOVE to see camouflage nails... so, Melissa... and your son, I hope you see these!! :) (and like them!! :-P)



    I used Sally Hansen Trendy Creme as a base. (this color is amazing- the most perfect avocado color- best of all- I got it at the Dollar Tree! :-P) For the rest of the camo colors, I mixed Zoya Envy with Sally Hansen Trendy Creme for the olive color, since Envy was too dark, used Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme for the brown, and China Glaze Liquid Leather for the black. I topped it all off with two coats of Essie Matte About You to make it matte and awesome. :-P

    I really love these nails... and they're totally my dedication to all the troops working their asses off everywhere to make our world, our country, and our people safe. (and for their predecessors, who made it possible to live in a country where one can do something as frivolous as painting her nails every day and blogging about it)...

    THANK YOU!!!

May I Have This Dance?


    Day 103

    So I went to American Apparel today, hoping to nab Hassim, one of the few of their polishes that I haven't bought yet, only to find that they've been sent back to the company!! Rumor has is that they're revising certain aspects of the polish/packaging. I was surprised to hear this, because honestly, I love the polishes- most of them are nearly opaque in one coat, making them divine for Konading, and for freehand nail art as well! Anyway, while I was there, I chatted with the sales associates that were working, a lovely young lady, and a nice guy whose names I didn't ask for because I'm sometimes socially inept, and don't think about that sort of thing. Anyway, they know who they are- yay Miracle Mile American Apparel store! :) Anyway, that story was told to set me up for the explanation of the inspiration for my nails today, the guy suggested that I do dance-themed nails, since he was a dancer. I'm not sure this is what he was thinking of, since he mentioned ballet shoes, etc, but this is what immediately popped into my head for some reason... I was inspired!! :-) So, dear American Apparel lad, these are for you, I even used AA polish! :-P



    I used American Apparel Cotton as a base, with China Glaze Liquid Leather for the dance steps and directions. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

I Hear It's Hot Down Under


    Day 102

    :-D So for years (since my first trip to vegas before I moved here in 2005, to be exact), I've had a love affair with the best thing to come out of Australia besides Heath Ledger, Australian male revue... the Thunder From Down Under! Don't get me wrong, I'm not usually big on the typical male stripper type, but something about the trifecta of ass, abs, and accent gets me every time. :-P Honestly, I think it's the accent most of all. Aussie accents never fail to make me swoon. These guys are always a fun show to watch, with backflips, stripping, dancing, and lots of grins, they definitely know how to make a gal feel special when you talk to 'em too. Today's nails are dedicated to those hunks from down under, even those that keep their clothes on for a living, though they aren't NEARLY as fun. ;) So next time you're in Vegas, send me an email, and we'll ALL go see some bare Aussie skin, it's definitely worth the cost of admission!! :-D

    The nails:



    I used Ultra Pro in Blue Blaze as a base, with American Apparel Cotton for the stars, etc, and China Glaze Salsa for the red. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

    A pic of me, Matty (left), and Dave (right). :-P Pardon my goofy hair, I have a bad habit of tucking it behind my big ol' ears.



    Some pictures from the PG-13 show at the expo:




Electric Leopard


    Day 101

    So for today, since it's still doom & gloom here in Las Vegas (we've gotten more rain -1.69" this week than we did ALL LAST YEAR!!!!), I wanted to do something über-bright and fun, so I dug out a design I did before I started the blog- apparently August 7th.. :-P August 7th. I like this design, and the brightness of the hot pink doesn't even begin to show in the photo, it's positively retina-searing. (which, in my book, is a good thing)



    I used Sally Girl Way Cool as a base, with China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise and China Glaze Liquid Leather for the spots and tips. :-P Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat. :-)

    Bonus picture:

    Snow-capped mountains, not really what you think of when you think of the Las Vegas Strip, eh?



Brace Yourself!


    Day 100

    Ok, so I got this comment on my personal Facebook page from a friend in my hometown in Michigan. It was from, Julie, the woman who used to cut my hair when I was still living at home, and gave me some of the most super awesome prom do's that NO ONE else had... She commented on a post of mine with some fabulous nail ideas, and one of them was one I just couldn't resist- teeth with braces!!! I'd been toying around with the idea of teeth for a while, but couldn't really think of what would make them 'pop', so to speak, so her comment about the braces hit the nail on the head. Even better, the show Ugly Betty, which I love, airs on Wednesday nights, so I thought it was the perfect design to do for today!! ( I even painted them WHILE watching Ugly Betty!! :-P) Not gonna lie, I love them, even though they creep me out a bit. It makes me kinda laugh because my nail shape really looks like a tooth shape. *shudder* :-P

    Man, that one tooth is way out of line... perhaps thats why braces were needed. ;)



    Just the 'incisors'




    I used American Apparel Cotton as a base, and couldn't have ever come up with a more perfect tooth color, even though this particular American Apparel polish takes 4 coats to be opaque, I happen to love it, and it's become my go-to white/off-white. For the gums, I used a mix of American Apparel Palm Springs and China Glaze Salsa to get the 'gummy' color. For the braces, I used China Glaze Millennium, and mixed it with China Glaze Liquid Leather to shade. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat, because every smile should shine!! :-P

    Dentists/Dental Hygienists, are my 'gums' healthy, or should I floss more? ;)

    Thanks, Julie!!!! :)

HELL YES! 1000 Followers, Kiddies!!

    You know what that means? ANOTHER GIVEAWAYYYYYY!!!!

    I want to thank all of you kick-ass people that read this crazy blog of mine, and send your fabulous ideas, and leave your comments that truly brighten my day (more than you know!), you people officially rock.

    So, in thanks, it's time for a giveaway!!

    Prizes may change in the next few days (but only to get bigger and better!!)


    Prize #1:


    Essie Mint Candy Apple
    American Apparel Peacock
    Essie Plumski
    OPI Avojuice 1 oz. Berry Merry Rose Juicie
    2 Essie Naturally Clean Vitamin-Enriched Manicure Revitalizer tablets (which smell amazing)

    UPDATE: ADDED to Prize #1:



    Jennifer of the Konaddict blog was so generous and donated the Konad F Set to the prize pot!! How awesome is that?!?!! Make sure you check out her fun blog- she does the most awesome Konadicures- and explains how she did them!! http://Konaddict.blogspot.com. Make sure to enter HER contest too, she is giving away a Konad Ruby Kit!!! Hurry over, her contest ends February 14!

    Prize #2:



    Essie Big Bag Theory
    Piggy Polish Peep Toes
    Ulta LE Noel
    OPI Avojuice 1 oz. Caramel Cream Juicie
    2 Essie Naturally Clean Vitamin-Enriched Manicure Revitalizer tablets

    Prize #3:



    Essie Wrapped in Rubies
    Ulta LE Noel
    OPI Avojuice 1 oz. Berry Merry Rose Juicie
    2 Essie Naturally Clean Vitamin-Enriched Manicure Revitalizer tablets

    Thank you Ulta for having sales, so I could get cool stuff! :-P


    CONTEST ENTRY RULES:

    To enter this contest, all you have to do is select your favorite Daily Nail Manicure, and recreate it! (with or without your own twist) This is NOT based on skill, I just want to see everyone's interpretations, since I get so many awesome emails that I'm inspiring you to do new ideas!! Every entry I receive will be eligible for the drawing, in which the winners will be selected at random from all the submissions received.

    This is your time to shine, and I'll post the winners recreations when the contest is over... and I may periodically post some as I get them!! :)

    Email submissions to: thedailynailcontest@gmail.com by midnight Pacific Time January 29, 2010!

    Please make sure your photo is 500x375 pixels. thanks! :)

    I'm so excited to see your entries!!!

    I'll allow multiple entries for this one, up to 5.

    Get painting!!! :)

Screw Silver Linings... I Want Hot Pink.


    Day 99

    or Orange, or Yellow, Green, Turquoise.... you get the idea.

    :-P As some of you readers know, the west coast is getting blasted with some rain, storms, even tornadoes!!! (I feel like I'm in Michigan again!!) Here in Las Vegas, it's been doom and gloom for a few days now, and is showing no signs of letting up. One of the main roads on my way home last night was even flooded. Also, unlike the midwest, north, northeast, east, or south (virtually everywhere but here), drivers here don't experience rain often, and therefore, have NO IDEA HOW TO DRIVE IN IT. (most don't have any idea how to drive when it's dry either though, so it's a moot point, tbh.) Anyway...since it's been gloomy lately, I wanted to show the gloom, but show the bright side poking out, so I did matte black nails with super bright tips.



    I used OPI for Sephora What's a Tire Jack? Matte as a base, with OPI La-Pazitively Hot Matte for the thumb, Pumped-Up Pumpkin for the index finger, even though it totally looks red, Zoya Pippa for the middle finger, OPI Gargantuan Green Grape Matte with OPI Green-wich Village over top of it for the ring finger, and Zoya Yummy for the pinky. Topped all TIPS off with a coat of Seche Vite top coat, but left the main portion of the nail matte.

    These nails remind me of something, and I can't seem to put my finger (no pun intended) on it.

    Help!! Do they remind you of anything? It's seriously bugging me. lol

Follow the Leader


    Day 98

    9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...NAILS! I decided to do film leader nails today because I love the way film leaders look, even though they are fairly bland, they have an interesting aesthetic to them, and plus, I've recently jumped into everything movie/film related, so they just seemed to 'fit'.

    left hand:



    right hand:



    I used Orly Mirror, Mirror as a base, then mixed it with American Apparel Cotton to get the lighter grey of the rotating clock arm part, I also used American Apparel Cottonfor the white circles, and then used OPI for Sephora What's a Tire Jack? Matte for the black lines, and for the numbers. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat to get that high-gloss gleam!

Racy Lacy


    Day 97

    Guten tag, people! :-P

    I decided for today's nails, I would jump on the lace nail bandwagon, and give it a whirl. Let me tell you, it's HARD. It's also VERY uncomfortable, because the edges are really rough. This would probably work best on artificial nails, were you could get the fit a lot better and all that jazz. I dunno, from a foot or more away they look kinda rad, but they're definitely not for up close viewing... at least not mine, anyway. It took forever though, so I decided to post it :-P



    I used American Apparel Palm Springs as a base for all nails except the ring finger, where I used China Glaze Salsa. The lace was just some cheap lace edging I got at Wal-mart. Topped it off with 3 or so coats of Seche Vite top coat... I dunno, I lost count.

    I dunno, all in all, not my favorite, but they can't all be winners. :-D

Psssst-Your Zipper's Undone!


    Day 96

    For today's nails I wanted to make it look like the black polish (or red) was unzipping to bare skin. I did the red zippered nail as a tribute to the late, great MJ.



    I used Urban Outfitters Matte Nude 3 as a base, with OPI for Sephora What's a Tire Jack? Matte for the black, and China Glaze Salsa for the red, and China Glaze Millennium for the zipper. Topped off the black and red with Seche Vite top coat to give it a patent leather look, but left the nude color matte, like skin. :-)


    Zip it...zip it good.

I've Got a lot of Time on My Hands...

Greased Lightning...McQueen? Nails!

Greased Lightning...McQueen?



    Hey all, today's nail post will be this evening, I was up til 4 am makin' this bad boy, and his accompanying cupcakes for a 5 year old's birthday!! :) It is my very first 'sculpted' cake, meaning I carved the shaped from a 3-layer rectangle shaped cake. I'm super pleased with how it turned out! :) Just thought I'd let y'all know so I didn't leave you hangin'. :-P At least now you have something to look at in the meantime, right? :)





    the cupcakes:

OHHH, Who Lives in a Pineapple, Under the Sea?

Urban Decay Meets Hautelook!

    Hey all you nail fiends- if you're a makeup junkie too, like myself, you'll be happy to hear that for the next day, give or take a few hours, depending on when you read this, Hautelook, a website devoted to selling designer goods for much lower prices, is doing a sale of Urban Decay cosmetics!! There are liquid eyeliners, eyeshadows, lip, eye, and brow pencils, lipglosses, and a few other things, including the Big Buddha Brush, which is usually $36, but is now $9. Everything is priced at $10 or under, with most being under $5, the pencils are super low at $3.50. So, here's your chance to load up on some pretty stuff!! :) Just thought I'd give the heads up!! :)

    The website:

    Hautelook

    UPDATE: reader JP remembered what I forgot! Use code HL2010 for $10 off a $25 purchase! (before shipping)

    Thanks JP!!

5-Star Nails


    Day 92

    Get it? One star on each nail = 5 stars (per hand, of course ;)) I'm such a dork.

    I just got AMOUR Rain Glitter in the mail yesterday, and it's so pretty and sparkly, I HAD to use it!! :)



    blurred so you can get an idea of the sparkle-factor, which doesn't even come close to actual bling....



    To achieve the look of the stars, I used AMOUR Rain Glitter Polish as a base, ONLY 2 COATS was this sparkly!! I topped the glitter with one coat of Seche Vite top coat to make the glitter less bumpy. Next, I used star stickers- like the gold stars that teachers use, which I bought at the dollar store, I stuck them in whatever direction I felt like on the nail after the glitter was dry, and then painted over them with two coats of OPI for Sephora What's a Tire Jack? Matte, making sure in between coats that the stars stickers were staying stuck to the nail. While the matte was still a little wet, I pulled off the stickers, and c'est voila! sparkly party 5-star nails! :-D

    I'm pretty much diggin' the texture that the glitter underneath the matte gives...almost like an eggshell finish!! :)

Murdered Out


    Day 91

    Ok, so for those wondering WTF?! my title means, it means black on black- sometimes flat black, and is almost always used to refer to a car- black paint, black tint, black rims, black emblems, etc. I'm a dork, I know. I did it last night, but woke up and it was completely messed up, so I waited til after work so I could do it again before I posted it, so sorry for the delay, but nothing but the best for y'all! :)



    I used OPI for Sephora What's a Tire Jack? Matte as a base, with Zoya Pinta applied with Konad Plate m65, with the moons masked off with dot labels. For the moon, I just used Seche Vite top coat to freehand the curve.

Thank You For Not Smoking


    Day 90

    Guten Tag, folks! :-P Today's nails are for a very good friend of mine who recently decided to...get this... QUIT SMOKING. Congrats to him on dropping the habit, however cranky he may be. :-P *JK* He's in a lovely mood, all the time...every second, yes, that's it. I tried water marbling a pale blue over a dark color in hopes that it'd look like wisps of smoke, which it SORT of does, but not as well as I had hoped. While I think that smoking is an icky habit (minus old dudes smoking pipes- those are ok because they smell amazing), I think that cigarette smoke is quite possibly one of the prettiest things ever, how it twists and turns and has that lovely bluish silver hue. Pretty. *sigh*



    yes... that's Nicorette, I managed to pry some from his hands long enough to take the picture. ;)

    I used American Apparel Passport Blue as a base, with Diamond Cosmetics Giddy water marbled on the four fingers, China Glaze White on White for the cigarette, Sally Hanson Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in 06 Sun Kissed for the filter end, and China Glaze Salsa over China Glaze White on White for the Ø sign. ;) It turned out ok, just not how I was hoping, but what can ya do about it at 12:30 a.m.?

    YAY FOR QUITTING SMOKING!!! :) (Too many people I love have been affected by smoking, and the hell it causes) :(

Facebook!!

    The Daily Nail is on facebook now, feel free to friend me up! :-P

    The Daily Nail

    LMK if that doesn't work! :)

Let's Draw (with) Straws!


    Day 89

    Hey everyone! Today's nails are to show that you can find inspiration and tools everywhere around you- even at your local fast food restaurant or in your drawers! I decided to try using everyday drinking straws to create patterns on my nails, so here you go!



    I used American Apparel Passport Blue as a base, with China Glaze TMI, China Glaze L8R G8R, and China Glaze DV8 'stamped' on with straws. :) I think it gives an interesting effect, not always circles, sometimes lopsided circles, etc, but I like it!! :) I topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

    Also, try to find the hidden face, I noticed it after I took the picture! :-P

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