I'm Gassy


    Or Gas MASKY at least. :-D Chris, the 'lovely dude' (<--he liked being called that the other day on the blog) who I speak of on occasion here on the blog, turns a whopping 40 years old today. Seriously ancient. (just him, this doesn't apply to any other 40+ year olds) In honor of his getting older, I decided to paint the logo that he paints on EVERYYYYYTHING, his gas mask. :-D


    I used OPI Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow as a base, with L.A Colors Striper in White (I didn't use the brush, just the polish). Topped everything off with Essie Matte About You.

    On another note, my silicone nub finally fell off my f key, so now I have to press really hard. lol

Making a Splash


    Since yesterday's nails were so, well...GREY, I thought today I'd make some colorful ones!! I tried a technique of using a crumpled paper towel to apply the colors other than the base color. I I think (if you squint) it looks sort of like the shadow on the bottom of a pool of the ripples on the surface of the water. Perfect for a day like today, which was absolutely gorgeous. (uncharacteristic for a Vegas summer- it never even hit 90°!)


    I used Essie Turquoise & Caicos as a base, with Essie Mint Candy Apple, Essie Bone Chilling White, and Orly Bailamos sponged over it. I also used Orly Bailamos for the 'moon', then edged it with aqua colored crystals. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

    Tonight was the last night of bowling league *sad face*, but here is a picture of my team- we took 10th place (out of 18). GO TEAM (Our name was 'I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter') Gotta love that not just one, but TWO of my other bowling buddies chose ME to give bunny ears. What kind of crap is that?! :-P

    Team 'I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter' (Alicia, Bill, Joanna, and Me)


Grey Matters


    Recently, I was putting polishes away in my Helmer cabinets, and noticed how many greys I have. I don't know, there is something about greys that I really love, and today, I thought that I'd do a monochromatic nail design utilizing a few of them.


    I used butter LONDON Billy No Mates as a base, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the white stripe, Orly Mirror, Mirror for the miedium grey stripe, Essence Pointbreak for the darker grey stripe, and American Apparel Hassid for the thin black stripe. I topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

    I was recently asked if I ever use a base coat, and the answer to that is YES! I always have. I guess I just never list it because it changes between a few. I have used Nubar, Essie, Seche, Seche Ridge-filling, Seche Natural, Barielle, and I think that might be it. Since I don't wear polish long enough to worry about chipping and tip wear, I don't feel right recommending a basecoat that might or might not be good, because I don't fully test their limits. I feel OK with mentioning the Seche Vite top coat because it makes my project possible, if I didn't have it, I would 99% of the time post pictures of lumpy smudged and dented nails. :-D Hope this answers any questions or concerns. :) If not, let me know, I'd be happy to answer you!

    And the cross-stitch project I was working on a couple of weeks ago, I finally got back around to finishing the stitching. :) I got the pattern from Skull-a-Day–Day 258, it was designed by Noah Scalin.



Oh, How Fon-dant!


    Today was my friend Gelly's baby shower, and somehow, yet again, I managed to get everything done on time. I think that I thrive on last minute pressure, since it seems to be the only time I can really focus on a project and get things done. As I mentioned yesterday, I made the cake for the shower, and also my gift for her, which I finished at 1:07 p.m. today. (I had to be to the party at 3, which was 45 min away, in North Vegas, and I still hadn't gotten ready yet!) The cake was a hit, as was the gift (a hand-crocheted baby afghan in the colors she wanted for her nursery), plus I had fun eating and hanging out with the girls. Plus, as it happens, I am a master of baby shower games, which I find funny, since I know nothing of babies. (They come from the stork, right?) Today's nail design was based on the cake that I did for the shower, incorporating the multi-colored dots of the bottom tier, and the graphic flowers of the top tier.

    The inspiration:


    The nails:


    I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud as a base, with OPI Parlez Vous OPI? for the purple, Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Spring Green for the green, and Milani Teddy Bare for the brown. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

    The afghan that I made as a gift:


    Completely off-topic, but I need a new laptop (mine is 7 years old), or at the very least, a new keyboard for mine, as mine is missing the 'f' key, which makes it difficult to type, since there is just the silicone nub that goes under the key for me to press. One day. :-D

    I'm off to clean up Hurricane Buttercream/Fondant in my kitchen, and Tropical Storm Yarn in my living room. Perhaps tomorrow I'll get to the sewing table/area.

Surfer Stripe


    Today has been craaaaaazy. I've spent the entire day trying to finish my gift for my friend Gelly's baby shower tomorrow. (I've been working on the darn thing for 2 weeks), I'll post the picture tomorrow just in case she reads this post, I don't want to ruin the surprise! I've also been baking the cake for the shower tomorrow, and after I post this, I'm off to make some buttercream, and get the decoration party started. :-D I'm SO exhausted, I was up 'til 5 am working on the gift last night, and I've been goin' all day! lol I need a nap! Anyway, to the nails. A while back, I told you all about a brand called Island Girl, and did a post with their color changing polishes. Well, today I decided to use some of their regular polishes to make a design.




    I used Essence The World's Coolest from the Surferama collection as a base, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud on the tip end. Over Essence The World's Coolest, I used Island Girl Island Volcano (a glitter polish with iridescent glitter, and iridescent mylar flakes suspended in a sheer aqua base), and then I used Island Girl Hawaiian Magic to paint the stripes. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Concentric Centric


    Today's nail design is simpler than the last two days of designs, but I still really like it. The other day, I used my ULTA rewards to get Essie Sew Psyched and Essie Little Brown Dress, and I really wanted to use them. I also picked up Essence The World's Coolest from the Surfer Babe collection, and wanted to use THAT too, and thought it was an interesting combination with the sage and the brown, so I went with it.


    I used Essie Sew Psyched as a base for all fingers except the ring finger, where I used essence The World's Coolest. For the design, I used Essie Little Brown Dress, then topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

What a Bunch of Nerds!

Urban Decay Sale at Hautelook!! :)


    Woot! Urban Decay Cosmetics sale at Hautelook today!! The last few have been AWESOME, so I'm excited!! The sale starts at 8 am PST, so get on there early, so stuff isn't sold out!! :)

    Urban Decay Sale at Hautelook

I Know You Are, But What am I?!

Lovely Lotus


    So, as a request from Chris, the lovely dude who brought me nail polishes back from India, today's nail art utilizes 2 of the Indian polishes!! :-D I wanted to do something abstract and decorative, and this is what I came up with. I think it's kind of a different twist on a moonicure.


    I used Lotus Herbals Luscious Berry as a base, with Lotus Herbals Orchid Pearl for the design. I used Essie Matte About You over the tips to make them a tad more matte than the 'moon'.

Stila Cosmetics Sale on Hautelook!


    Hey all, just wanted to let you know that there is a Stila Cosmetics sale on Hautelook!

    There is lots of good stuff, eyeshadow palettes, lipglosses, you name it!! WOO!!

    Check it out!! Stila sale at Hautelook!

    *goes over to Hautelook.com to go shopping* :-D

Bullseye!


    I was watching TV today and though I don't recall what show/movie it was in, I remember seeing a dartboard, and I thought to myself, "Self, that would make a fun nail design!". So there you have it, dartboard nails! Who here wants to challenge me to a game of Cricket?!


    I used American Apparel California Trooper as a base, with Nubar Forest for the green sections, Nubar Sexy Red for the red sections, American Apparel Hassid for the black sections, and China Glaze Millennium as the metal separating the sections. No room for the numbers, sorry. :-D Last, I topped everything off with a coat of Essie Matte About You.

    Weird thing is, I play better darts when I'm drinking than when I'm sober. What's up with that?!

Tip the Scales


    Today when I sat down to do my nails, I had NO idea what I was going to do. (like most days) This is what happened, I think it kind of looks like very graphic fish scales. :-D


    I used Essie Sag Harbor as a base, with NOX Twilight Talon for the 'scales'. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

    Tonight was AWESOMEEEEEEEEEE. I was lucky enough to get tickets to 2 concerts. Not one, TWO! :-P (FREE) I got to go to Cyndi Lauper at the House of Blues, and Michael Franti and Spearhead at Mandalay Bay Beach. Cyndi Lauper was INCREDIBLE. She sang a ton of blues songs, and then sang her well-known hits. (and you bet your ass I wore my MAC Viva Glam Cyndi. :-D) Michael Franti was also really amazing, I love how his music is so happy and uplifting, he's definitely a gifted artist! :-D

    This is me after tonight (no, not red, smeary, and round-faced...HAPPY! Don't mind the zillions of freckles...I'm cursed)

Tangled Talons


    When I was younger I would often doodle the same thing. I would draw a series of dots to comprised the outside of a circle, then I would connect those dots with lines, lots and lots of lines. Today's manicure is my interpretation of those doodles so many years ago. It kind of looks like tangled string to me a bit. :)


    I used butter LONDON Billy No Mates as a base, with Essie Matte About You on top of it, then I used American Apparel Hassid and CND Anchor Blue to paint the line art.

The Results Are In!


    After what seems like a zillion hours or counting and deliberating, I've got the contest results. One person in the competition was unfortunately disqualified to do two reasons, one being that she doctored her nail design in Photoshop (or other photo manipulation program), which was the main reason, but to add insult to injury, she was 'buying' votes by offering extra entries to her giveaway. I have to say that next time I will actually OPEN the photos before posting them next time, because the photo manipulating was quite obvious. Sorry to that entrant, but you should have known better.

    This was TOTALLY not in the spirit of the blog or the contest, and to say I'm disappointed and irritated is a serious understatement. Giveaways on blogs (especially with this many entries) are a HUGE undertaking, and the time and money spent getting them up and running is considerable. The next giveaway will not utilize ANY voting by peers of entrants/readers due to the experience of this contest.

    Sorry to be a party pooper with all that. On to the results!

    The only votes that were counted (as stated in a later post) were votes from registered Google or OpenID accounts.

    The winners!

    First and second place are divided by just 2 VOTES!!

    First place goes to....

    THIFA!!


    Second place goes to...

    LINDSEY!!


    Third Place goes to...

    NALUMA!!


    Thank you all for the great entries!!

    Winners, please email me your mailing information to thedailynail@gmail.com!!


NOX Twilight Nail Polish Review


    Check out the Daily Nail: Reviews site, I just posted swatches and review for 6 of the 12 polishes in the NOX Twilight nail polish collection!

    For those of you who haven't visited that site, my reviews are based on how well a polish applies, how unique the color is, and how well it works for Konad and other nail art. :)

'Daily' Grind

Let's Go Disco!


    In today's mail, I got some killer new polishes from the Twilight Beauty polish line. I'll be posting more about them on the Daily Nail: Reviews site tomorrow or the next day. They're really great polishes, honestly I was a tad surprised. For today's manicure, I used one of the polishes from the line, Nox Twilight Disco Darling, which is a holographic glitter polish.


    and the obligatory blurred sparkle shot:


    I used Nox Twilight Disco Darling as a base, with China Glaze DV8 sponged on the tips of the blue nails, and China Glaze TMI for the ring finger. I used Konad Plate m64 to apply American Apparel Hassid, then topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

    Ok, I'm off to bed, spent 4 hours at the taping of a 3-D commercial for Cirque du Soleil The Beatles LOVE tonight, then about 20 minutes in the Mirage parking ramp going absolutely nowhere because the cars weren't moving, with no air conditioning on in my car because the needle was below empty on the fuel gauge. :) I finally made it home though. :-D (obviously) On the bright side? I met a couple cool new people, and it was fun chatting and laughing with them while we all waited for the stage to be set, then performed, then reset, re-filmed, taken down, set with new stage etc... lol

I am the Last Barman Poet


    I am the last barman poet.
    I see America drinking
    the fabulous cocktails I make,
    Americans getting stinky
    on something I stir or shake.

    The Sex on the Beach,
    the schnapps made from peach,
    the Velvet Hammer,
    the Alabama Slammer!

    I make things with juice and froth,
    the Pink Squirrel,
    the three-toed sloth.

    I make drinks so sweet and snazzy,
    the Iced Tea, the Kamikaze,
    the Orgasm, the Death Spasm,
    the Singapore Sling,
    the Ding-a-ling.

    America, you've just been devoted
    to every flavor I've got.
    But if you want to get loaded,
    why don't you just order a shot?!

    Bar is OPEN.

    -Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise- Cocktail, 1988)

    I LOVE this movie, and I think it's part to blame for my stint as a bartender (which I miss). Anyway, I saw it on TV today, and of course I stopped everything I was doing to be sucked into the horrible mess that is Cocktail. (such a sweet, sweet mess) Seriously, who can resist godawful lines like 'Champagne, perfume going in, sewage coming out'? It's a movie that you hate to love, or love to hate. :-D Today's nails are dedicated to this gem of a movie, specifically the poem he recites in the 'Cell Block' scene. I had that stupid poem memorized at one point, and no, I'm not ashamed to admit it. ;) I did the Cocktail logo, an Alabama Slammer, a Velvet Hammer, a Sex on the Beach, and a shot (of Jack). 


    I used:

    Thumb: Cocktail sign

    Eyeko Indigo Polish for Sultry Nails as a base, with Essie Foot Loose for the logo.

    Index: Alabama Slammer

    Revlon Mad About Mango as a base, then mixed with American Apparel Summer Peach for the froth. Zoya Jancyn for the orange, and CND Electric Orange for the orange peel, then China Glaze Salsa for the cherry. Mixed Revlon Mad About Mango with American Apparel Pinto and American Apparel Summer Peach for the ice cube highlights and shadows, then used American Apparel Hassid for the background.

    Middle: Velvet Hammer

    American Apparel California Trooper as a base, with Essie Mink Muffs sponged over it. Essie Sag Harbor for the shape of the glass, and American Apparel Hassid for the background.

    Ring: Sex on the Beach

    Zoya Jancyn as a base, with a mixture of Zoya Jancyn and China Glaze Salsa sponged over it. For the orange, I used Zoya Jancyn, CND Electric Orange for the peel, and American Apparel Summer Peach for the pith. Again for the cherry, I used China Glaze Salsa, then I used American Apparel Hassid for the background.

    Pinky: Shot of Jack Daniels

    Mixture of American Apparel Manila and American Apparel Pinto for the liquor, then outlined the glass with Essie Sag Harbor. Background color was American Apparel Hassid.

    Topped everything with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat

    Coughlin's Law: Beer is for breakfast, 'round here, drink or be gone.



    Disclosure: Eyeko Indigo Polish was sent to me for consideration by the manufacturer.

Contest Voting


    Ok, due to the abnormally large number of ANONYMOUS votes, which could be the same person over and over, I am amending the voting to ONLY count votes from a non-anonymous source, meaning they have to be from a GoogleID account, or whatever you use to legitimately follow blogs on blogger.

    Sorry to be a party pooper, but it's gotta be fair. If you want your friends to vote for you, they have to use their account, NOT anonymous, because I will NOT count them if they don't.

    Thanks,

    Melissa

In the Weeds


    Tonight is the season premiere of Weeds!! I came across this show after a recommendation from a friend and was instantly hooked. So hooked, in fact, that I watched the entire first 5 seasons in less than a week. :-D It's horrible, but oh so good! :) Favorite character is Andy, with Nancy being a close second, I love her dry remarks. In honor of tonight, I did a Weeds manicure!  Guess what else today is?!  My sister's BIRTHDAY!!  I would love it if everyone wished her a super happy birthday!!! :)


    I used L.A. Girl Army Green as a base, with Nubar Forest for the logo and with Bundle Monster plate BM07. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

    Another fun thing today is that I got to meet Keri B., one of the MAC Sr. Artists! :) She was in Las Vegas teaching an airbrush class, so I met up with her after she was done! She was super nice, and it was fun to meet another twitter friend!! :) I think we need to all do a Nail tweetup... in Vegas? lol :-D

    Keri and I:
    Photo courtesy of Keri B.
    My eyeballs of the day: 


    I used MAC Chrome Yellow, MAC Orange pigment, and MAC Basic Red pigment with MAC blacktrack to line. 

    and lastly, my 'niece' Mira, and my 'nephew' Yukon, he is barking because he wants the frisbee! :)

    Photo courtesy of Stacey Osburn



If She Doesn't Scare You...

There's No Place Like Home!--->the VOTE!

    Ok, there are a LOT of entries- in the 40-50 range, but I'm letting YOU guys pick who wins!! All you have to do is comment with whose design you like the best!! :)



    Andrea Camarena- Places that significant family events happened: Disneyland, Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood, the beach, and the state of California.


    Annette Borg- Her childhood home, her dog, the local personality 'The T-shirt lady' who wears only a t-shirt and flip flops, a cigarette butt for the local smoking ban, and the path she's traveled from northern to southern California.



    Areshu- Her mother's food (from thumb- pinky: hamburger with tomato, eggplant, mac and cheese, strawberry, and blueberries)


    Art of Nail


    Ashlee- because her father was a police officer




    Ashley Rautenstrauch- the silhouette of Buffalo, her hometown, the the Buffalo Sabres game chant


    Becky-  bad/cloudy weather


    BoonDY- Her mother's favorite flowers, Sunflowers




    Cherie_Jayla- drawing funny faces on paper in her kitchen to make her two year old laugh




    Jackie L- her family, (l to r; her sister, her, her dad, and her mom)




    Coresdaju- her room, so she did the wallpaper pattern




    Courtney - Philidelphia Flyers logo




    Debbie- all the Philidelphia teams, plus the LOVE park statue



    dr4g0nf1y- sitting on the lawn looking at her mother's flowers




    Duyen- home means the world to her, with Miami beach, the blue driveway that greets everyone to her home, sleeping in her bed, and her dog who greets her when she gets home.




    Gabriella


    Isadora- home for her is wearing her Haviaianas! :)




    Amoeba- memories of eating fresh fruit while sitting on the porch with her parents




    jmlopez95- watching Sesame Street when she was younger and carefree




    Kim S- (thumb-pinky: the Wizard of oz, spending time with loved ones, being happy at home, her dog, and picking strawberries with her mom. 




    Kathryn- rooting for the home team- the Seattle Mariners




    ladyninja333- the mountains of New Mexico, the eternal question: red chilies or green chilies? and the NM state flag.




    Larissa [pinck]- marine life near her home




    Lauren- Home is where the heart is.




    Lindsey- home makes her think of milk and cookies!  (yum!)



    Lunuland- JERSEY SHORE! GTL - (t-p: laundry, I<3 NJ, tanning, GTL, and barbells)



    Megan S- home makes her think of LOVE. :)



    MaRyya- Looking at her father's flower garden




    Meg- the beach because her family goes there in the summer



    Memerrill007- the ditch that used to run through the property when she was younger, and the times she spent enjoying its bounty



    MJ- her bedroom (t-p: the glow in the dark stars on her white ceiling, a pillow on her bed, sleeping in her bed, her bedspread/comforter, and her pink iPod that she always listens to in her room)



    naluma- music, family, her cat leo, love, and dreams of motherhood



    Nicole M.- (t-p: Georgia peach logo, her son's baby footprint, lace from her wedding dress, high school class colors and class of '07, and love)



    ocjbeachbum21- wizard of oz



    Phoebe- rural area



    Pretty- Bay area  rainbow, Golden Gate bridge and fog. 



    princess_bernadette- the unique yellow buses around her house that let her know she's home



    shinylittlestar- the rug that her parents bought her



    Simply Rins- the colors represent her family, yellow- dog, blue- dad, green- mom, red- her, and pink-her sister.



    Soffio di Dea- the scenery near her home



    Sonoma Bento - wind country with the vineyards and grapes!!



    Swaafie- love, the country roads near her house, her parents' house, and the garden of daisies



    Teresia- beach/water theme, because she spent most of her childhood in the water during her summers by the sea, and feels at home in the water no matter where she is



    Tara F- the rich, bold colors of her dad's house that make her think of home, classy and classic.



    Thifa- the Brazilian flag, and a beach scene.



    Thriszha- a hot air balloon event that she went to with her family 


    That's all folks!!  Voting ends Wed, August 18, at 11:59 PST
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