Happy New Year!

What a crazy year. Seriously, ups, downs, middles, late nights, early mornings, great people. I truly have loads to be thankful for as this year comes to a close. I have wonderful friends and loved ones, I'm employed, and I've become friends with all of YOU! You all have been such a huge part of making this year what it has been, and for that, I'm eternally grateful! You helped me reached my goal of 365 days, and helped me make the decision to keep going. You've understood and been patient when there are days (or multiple days) since I got the second job where I really just don't have the time to create a nail design and post it. You've emailed me ideas, you've offered both praise and criticism, and most of all, you've changed my life.

As we embark upon this new year ahead of us, I will do my best to continue to make this blog a place for inspiration and laughs, and make it a place you still like to visit.

My blog resolution is to make more time to respond to emails and posts (I DO read them all!!) and make sure I get swatching and reviews done in a timely manner.

And, now to the nails...




I used Orly Luxe as a base, with Color Club Sultry Diva over it. For the New Year Baby and Old Man Time, I used American Apparel Mannequin for the skin, American Apparel Hassid to outline, and MAC Vestral White for the white on the robes, sashes, and diaper. For Old Man Time's beard, I added a touch of American Apparel Hassid to the white to paint the beard, and for the scythe I used American Apparel Raccoon for the handle, and China Glaze Millennium for the blade. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite.

So... Happy New Year! May 2011 be the best so far, but not the best to come.

It's a TWO-fer!

Hey all!! Two things for you today…

I know I've been kinda M.I.A. lately, I promise I'll be back! Been working from 8 am - 11 pm every day, which means i don't usually get home till 11:45-midnight. After this week and the holidays are over, my life should be ever so slightly less chaotic, so I'll be back to posting more regularly!






Also, there is a CROWN Brush sale on Hautelook today! I have a couple of their brushes that I purchased at the International Beauty Show this year, and I love them! :)

The sale includes several different types of brush sets, travel, professional, synthetic, non-synthetic, as well as a few different eyeshadow and lip palettes!

It's a great way to start a brush collection if you're starting out!

Check out the sale HERE!

Merry Christmas!!

So today is Christmas! CHRISTMAS! The time where families can get together and eat and just enjoy each other. I was lucky enough to get to spend this Christmas with my family, and though I leave in the morning, I miss them and the dogs already. On the bright side, though my trip was extremely short, I got to go to Yesterdog, which is amaaaaazing. The picture for today's nails is a iPhone pic, which will be replaced by a real picture when I'm actually at MY computer and have access to my files, etc.

I hope all of you had a great day, whether you celebrate Christmas or not...and for those of you that DO celebrate Christmas- MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! :-D

Clarification

Just to clarify about the twitter-only contests:

I'm not stopping normal giveaways here on the blog, I'm just adding a few SMALL twitter only giveaways. It might be a single polish, a cosmetic bag, or something like that. It's just a way to engage my loyal twitter followers as well as those here on the blog.

Sorry for the confusion.

Sweet Tweets!

Hey all! Are you on Twitter? I am! I wanted to give you all a heads up that I'm going to start doing twitter-only giveaways soon! (I'll announce it on twitter when I decided to start doing it! :))

Follow me at twitter.com/DailyNail and say hi! :)

ChristmaSnails!

So I sat the other day, pondering what sort of Christmas themed nails I could do that hadn't been done yet, and said out loud 'What kind of Christmas nails should I do?" to which Chris replied, "There's your answer!" Me: "huh?!" Chris: "Christmas Snails!" ...and thus, a nail design was born! :) Hope it makes you chuckle! :)




I used American Apparel Echo Park as a base, with Zoya Shawn and BB Couture Poison Ivy for the greens, with each color mixed with American Apparel Hassid to shade. For the gold, I used China Glaze 2030 from Khrome Collection, for the red, I used ORLY Candy Cane Lane, and for the burgundy, I used American Apparel Port. For the string of lights, I used Zoya Envy, with American Apparel Manila, ORLY Candy Cane Lane, and American Apparel Cameo Blue for the lights. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

HOLY CRAP!

Urban Decay is on Hautelook today and everything is TWO FREAKIN' DOLLARS!! $2! Brushes, pigments, eyeshadows, eye pencils, masrcaras, everything!!!

Check out the sale HERE!!

Loco Incoco!

Rather than posting nothing for the day, since I had zero time to get nails done (every spare minute this weekend has been spent being elf-like or working. Christmas is exhausting!), I thought I'd post a new product that Incoco sent me to check out and review. I'm sure that you all know Incoco for the solid color, glitter, or french tip nail appliques, but now they have a NEW product out, and seriously, I gasped when I opened the box. They're patterned. Yeah, like Minx, but REAL NAIL POLISH!!! I have to say, too, I'm actually reaaaaally impressed with these, they're much easier to apply than the solid color ones. (they hide imperfections in the nail better as well) The patterns they sent are rad, I chose to show this one today because the colors kinda make me think of Christmas! :) I really love these, they're easy to use and look great– they only took 5 minutes to apply!

I know that these aren't technically one of my nail designs, but I wanted y'all to have something to see, plus, this introduces you to a brand spankin' new item that I'm sure you'll dig!





I used Incoco Nail Appliqués, not sure of the design name, there was no label.

Back to elfing.

Pa Rum Pa Pum Pum

Trying to do Christmas manicures from until Christmas day, hope that's cool with y'all! :) Today's is based on the song 'Little Drummer Boy'. I am completely enamored with the Milani 1-coat glitters right now, so I apologize for overusing them! :-D I thought that Red Sparkle would be PERFECT for the drum body!! The gold polish over it shows you what the texture of that polish is like though... very bumpy!







I used Milani Red Sparkle as a base, with China Glaze 2030 from Khrome Collection for the gold, mixed with American Apparel Hassid to shade. For the holly, I used BB Couture Poison Ivy for the leaves, and ORLY Candy Cane Lane for the berries. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Rat-a-tat-tat on your dum-dum-drum. (Can't get that damn song out of my head!)

Take a Bough

Christmastime is upon us, and with a mere 7 days left, many of us are hustling around trying to finish up last minute gift shopping, attend parties, and finish up last-minute holiday decorating. Today's nail design was inspired by the cold winter days spent as a kid with my family picking out the 'perfect' tree. You know, the one that wasn't too tall or too short, too skinny or fat, and heaven forbid it be lopsided! Years have passed and my parents have since switched to artificial, and I've switched to none, unless you count the 2 foot tall one that resides on my desk at work. However, I'll always have fond memories of tree hunting, whether it was at the store or a Christmas tree farm, so this design makes me feel fuzzy on the inside. ;) Hope it evokes fond memories of Christmases past for you too!





I used FingerPaints Winter Wishes from the FingerPaints Winter Dreams collection as a base, LOVE this color- super sparkly champagne color that would also be perfection for New Years! For the tree boughs, I used American Apparel Raccoon for the branch and base for the cones, then Zoya Dea to highlight the cones. For the needles, I started with OPI Here Today, Aragon tomorrow, then used Zoya Envy, then Zoya Shawn, then BB Couture Poison Ivy, then Zoya Envy again to separate some of the needles. Everything was random, but I layered the colors like I did to add depth. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Needle little Christmas?

Sorry, my Darlings...

My sincerest apologies for the lack of posting yesterday and today.

Last night, I fell asleep shortly after I got home and took a shower. I got into bed to get warm, and ending up zonking out until this morning. Lights on, TV on, everything left on downstairs.... Yeah. COMA.

Anyway, that brings us to today. Today I worked my full-time job from 8a-5p, then hauled my butt to my second part-time job to work from 5:30p-11:30p. What this means to you is that there won't be any nails until tomorrow, since I won't even get home before midnight.

I hope that you'll forgive me, and come back to the blog! :) (2 days isn't TOO bad in the scheme of things, right??!)

Anyway. I DOUBLE pinky-swear that I'll have nails up tomorrow. Scouts honor. (I totally made it to Brownie status...wait...that's only the first level of Girl Scout isn't it? Whatever, I sold the cookies.)

2-day old nail design hugs to you all,

-M

Perplexed

Ok, so I finally get it. I finally get all the hoopla and drool over Chanel Paradoxal. When Paradoxal came out, I sat back watching, thinking WHAT is so special about it? Well now I have an idea. If Paradoxal is anything like its proclaimed dupe, Revlon Perplex, then I'd have been one of the drooling girls, too! Pictures don't really show all of the awesomeness of this polish! Today I did a basic design, because I was more interested in showing off the base polish!!




I used Revlon Perplex as a base, with China Glaze Millennium applied with a dotting tool. Topped it off with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

So I know that Christmas is coming up, and everyone is either A) Broke, or B) Looking for gifts, so I'll end this post with a short note letting you know that tomorrow there will be new stuff for sale on the Sale page! :) (A BNIB PH8 Watch, BNWT bebe Sport/PH8 Necklace, BNWT bebe Sport/PH8 jacket, some Body Shop stuff, some older LE MAC items, and a few other things!) Keep an eye out!! :)

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

OK, so it's not really cold out, at least not here in Vegas. Rumor has it that it is frigid in the midwest though... and that's what inspired the nail design today! So, the bullions that I used yesterday survived ALL day, they didn't bug me at all! Because of that, I thought I'd try 'em out today, because I thought they'd be PERFECT for this design!

Guess what today is?! (Besides December 13th) It's my MOM's BIRTHDAY!!! :) Happy Birthday Mom! You're an awesome mom, you put up with Stace and I, with all our projects and harebrained ideas. You always back us up when we decide to do something, even if you don't agree with it. You're amazing, and I wish I could be there to celebrate with you! Thank you for supporting me with this project, too...I know it seemed silly at first, but I loved hearing that you and dad checked it every day! I hope that your birthday was great! I love you! :)







I used Milani Red Sparkle as a base for all nails except the ring finger, where I used Milani Silver Dazzle. For the snowflakes, I used MAC Vestral White, with bullions in certain spots. Topped off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Time for some much-needed beauty sleep!

LORAC Sale at Hautelook!

LORAC Sale at Hautelook today!

There is tons of stuff- eye shadows, palettes, mascara, eyeshadow liner pencils, cream eye liners, cocktails, lip polishes (I actually LOVE these- and to top it off- they look like a nail polish bottle!), lip glosses, and lipsticks.

There are some really good prices- like the lip polishes are $3!!!

Awesome.

Check out the sale HERE!

Anchors Away!

A couple of weeks ago, when I was preparing for the Beauty Bar Las Vegas event, I decided that not everyone shared my hatred of things stuck to my nail, so I bought some nail art bullions. No one decided to get any nail art utilizing them, so I decided that I'd give the bullion nail art another go, to see if I could stand it. Today's design is a nautical/sailor theme, and I did the anchor in silver bullions. I like the look of it, although I think I'd prefer them to be gold, but we'll see how long the design lasts before I ultimately pick it off. :-D




I used MAC Vestral White as a base, with ULTA Moody Blue for the tips, and ORLY Candy Cane Lane for the anchors. Applied the bullions when the first coat of Seche Vite top coat was still wet, then topped it all off with another coat of Seche Vite top coat.

How Naughtycal.

Polka Party!

Newly nubby nails need a goofy design. This is where the polka dots come in! I'm torn about whether I like my nails this length, so I wanted to do a fun and colorful design to help ease into the shorter length.

Today was a great day- other than waking up at 5 am to get to training on time this morning! Had a blast in training- my new coworkers are going to be fun, got free breakfast from Max Brenner, then I got to check out the new H&M store in the Forum Shops here in Vegas after work- it's supposedly the largest H&M in the US. They had all the new Lanvin for H&M stuff, which was super cute, but at $200 a dress, a tad out of my price range. The shoes were cute too, and I totally wanted one of the purses, but I ended up only getting two of the lipsticks, love the packaging!! The best part about going there today was that it was opening day, so they had a TON of opening day sales, I got a couple of shirts, dresses, and jeans for only $10 each! Rumor had it that they handed out scratch-off cards to the first 1,000 people, and they were worth $10-$1000!! Unfortunately, I didn't get to go there until about 4, so I missed out. :-/ Still fun to shop in there though- it is HUGE HUGE HUGE, and glitter and sparkle and stuff everywhere, plus, a ladies lounge, and awesome stuff on all three floors!

Ok, enough about H&M... to the nails! :)




I used American Apparel Raccoon as a base, with American Apparel Cameo Blue for the blue dots, American Apparel MacArthur Park for the chartreuse dots, American Apparel Echo Park for the shimmery cream dots, and Essie Foot Loose for the pink dots. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

The Lanvin <3 H&M lippies, I tested 'em out after I took this photo, and they're actually really nice- creamy and pigmented!  Too bad there are only 4 colors!  (Red and Hot Pink <---? not hot pink at all, sort of more pinky nude, are shown below, then there is Burgundy and Rose, which is really more of a Barbie pink)  I'm tempted to get the Burgundy, which is really rather dark, but I might be able to pull it off.








WOO!

Givin' You the Boots

The rodeo is in town!! (here in Vegas, anyway) In honor of the men (and women) wearin' cowboy hats, Wranglers, and leather cowboy boots, I did the design that you can find on the top/toe of a cowboy boot! I really need to get a new nail art brush, mine is making it really hard to get decent lines... ARGH!

My apologies for the broken thumbnail, it tore off today, and I didn't get a chance to shorten the rest of them! :(




I used OPI Ginger Bells as a base, with a layer of Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Classy Frost over it. After that dried, I took a cototn pad with acetone and wiped off small parts to give the nail a look like scuffed, worn leather. For the stitching, I used American Apparel Raccoon. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Y'all come back now, y'hear?! ;)

Spiked!

Tonight's nail design is super simple, I didn't have very much time tonight after work (got home at 11:10 pm!), but I wanted to have something new up for y'all! :-D My hours worked total is now 42 hours in the past 3 days. *yawn*




I used American Apparel Mannequin as a base, with American Apparel Cocoa for the brown, and Orly Luxe for the gold. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Ok, this chica is going to bed.

FREE SPOON FRIDAY!!

Are there colors from Zoya that you are 99% sure you'll love, but just can't bring yourself to spend that hard-earned money until you're positive? Well that's where tomorrow's FREE SPOON FRIDAY!! comes in! ;)


welcome to



FREE ZOYA COLOR SPOON FRIDAY



6 FREE ZOYA COLOR SPOONS*



FRIDAY ONLY
(12/10/2010 - Expires 11:59 EST).


Here's how it works...
First pick any 6 colors you would like to try on... Add the matching Zoya Color Spoon to your shopping cart on zoya.com. Add SP6 as your code. Process order. Zoya will ship them to you for FREE! Plus you will automatically earn a $3 Zoya Color Spoon credit code for use on a future zoya.com purchase. Feel free to order more at the regular price if you would like (shipping is always free on Zoya Color Spoons).





Zoya Color Spoons allow you try on nail color before you make a color commitment. Now you can see exactly how a color will look on you before you buy it.



SEE IT . TRY IT . BUY IT


To learn more about Zoya Color Spoons and how easy they make it to find the perfect nail polish color see the video here.

* Valid Friday, December 10, 2010 only. Offer expires on 12/10/10 (11:59 EST). Code SP6 valid only on Zoya.com only. Continental US only. Consumer orders only. Limit six free Zoya Color Spoons. Limit one per customer. Standard S/H applies for all additional non-spoon items. This offer and Zoya Color Spoon Credit Code not valid in conjunction with other discounts, promotions or offers.

Make Like a Tree

Whew. Day two of 14 hour work days is done. I've worked 28 hours in the last 2 days. That's a lot, in case you were wondering. :-D I learned a lot of great stuff today, and my trainer is awesome though, so I'm stoked.

Yesterday's glitter manicure was surprisingly easy to remove, I used the cotton ball/tin foil technique, and it softened it enough that it mostly came off in one thick sheet. Today's manicure utilizes one of the new American Apparel polishes, I bought the rest of the collection after work yesterday. (I had a Groupon for $50 worth of American Apparel for $25! :)) I totally dig this color, it reminds me of split pea soup, and is very nearly a one-coater!




I used American Apparel MacArthur Park as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the leaf lines. Topped it all off with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Bedtime.

ButterLONDON Sale at Hautelook!

I'm a fairly recent ButterLONDON convert, actually my first polishes from them were purchased during a sale at Hautelook.com! Today they're having another sale!! There isn't a huge selection, but the polishes are only $5, vs $14! That's a great deal in anyone's book. :-D

I might just pick up another Minger. I love that color!

They also have some roller scents on sale!


Check it out!

All That Glitters Isn't Gold...

It's Gems, too! Sorry today's manicure is a quickie, I worked both jobs today- it was my first day of training at the new job!! 14 hrs of work+ bathing = not much time to do pretty nails.

However, I had these new polishes that I grabbed from Milani's latest and greatest (not officially set to release until Feb, but a few CVS stores have done a pre-release. These polishes are amaaaaaazing. Most of them (not the FX) are one-coat glitters (yes, you read that right!!)

This manicure is SOOOO reflective, but also SUPER thick, since I layered about 90 coats of the gold to get full coverage. :-P







I used Milani Gold FX as a base, with Milani Gems FX sponged on the tips. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Stila Sale at Hautelook!!

Hey all! There is a Stila Cosmetics sale at Hautelook!

Also- because today is their 3-year anniversary, shipping is only $3!!!! (awesometastical!)

On sale are a few sets, some Barbie stuff, the Makeup Player, bronzer, lipglazes, lipglosses, mascaras, eyeshadows, eyeshadow duos, and brow powder.

Check it out!! :)

Pitter Splatter

I'm back! Sorry for the brief hiatus, I was sick all weekend. I even left my friend's wedding earlier than I wanted to and went and slept on the floor at the airport because I felt so rotten. Guess that's what I get for overdoing it. (work, blog, projects, etc) After sleeping all day yesterday and most of today as well, I'm feeling marginally better. Hating the hacking and sinus pressure, but I'll live.

Anyway, enough whining, moaning, and talk of lung butter. On to the nails!! ;-D Most of the colors I used in today's nail design are part of the new release of 12 colors by American Apparel (review to come in a few days), these colors are every bit as awesome as their previous releases. They even included a shimmer polish!




I used American Apparel California Trooper as a base, with American Apparel Raccoon for the dark brown, American Apparel Port for the wine color, American Apparel Trenchcoat for the yellowed khaki color, American Apparel Makeup for the pinky tan color, and BB Couture Kelly's Green for the avocado color (totally in love with this color!!). Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Disclosure: Several of the colors used in today's post were sent to me by the manufacturer for review.

I've Got Chills, They're Multiplyin'

Ok, I don't have either. I have a sore throat, but that's neither here nor there. Tomorrow I set out for the airport at 4:30 am. That's right, A. M. Ugh. I'm flying to San Francisco for one of my close friend's wedding. I fly into San Francisco at 6:30 a.m., then arrive back in Las Vegas around midnight. I'm going to be deaddddd. ANYWAY. The wedding tomorrow is my friend Jordan's. He and I go way back to my days as a educational software designer...he was my programmer! :) During our time working together, we developed a friendship, and he is one of the awesomest, nicest, most generous, caring people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, and I couldn't be happier for him. (his bride is a lucky gal!) One thing Jordan is not, however, is an awesome Dr. Mario player. (I corner the market on that) He and I have had battle upon battle, and I always win. (he blames it on the game and tells people that he beat me so badly I was in tears <----I let him have his lies out of pity) In honor of his wedding tomorrow (and since I won't be able to paint or post new nails tomorrow), I did Dr. Mario nails. On the thumb is Dr. Mario, on the index, middle, and ring fingers are the viruses and pills, and on the pinky is the purple and black checkerboard in the background, behind the bottle (? is it a pill bottle? a test tube?)




 I used American Apparel Hassid as a base, with American Apparel Manila for the yellow, Essie Foot Loose for the pink, Zoya Yummy for the blue, Barielle Grape Escape for the purple, Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the white, a mix of Barielle Choco Bar, American Apparel Cotton and Essie Vermillionaire for his hair, a mix of American Apparel Cotton and American Apparel Palm Springs for the skin tone. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Raising the Bar

So, as you probably read, a few posts back, I did a nail art event at Beauty Bar last night! In honor of the night, I did Beauty Bar nails! The walls in Beauty Bar are painted with glitter, so I did stripes of all colors of glitter on all the nails, then added the Beauty Bar silhouette logo on my thumb! (I'll add pictures of the event tomorrow when I have more time)  I broke the middle finger nail, so I just chopped them all off. The middle one is soooo short, it hurts. :(




I used CND Green Scene as a base for the green, ALDO See You in Ibiza for the blue base, Orly Shine as a base for the silver, Orly Luxe for the gold base, Essie Foot Loose for the hot pink base, Essie Vermillionaire for the orange base, and Barielle Grape Escape for the purple base. For the glitters, I used Color Club Object of Envy for the green, Nubar Green Silver Glitter for the other half of the thumb. For the gold, I used Color Club Sultry Diva, the purple, Nubar Violet Sparkle, for the red, I used Milani Melt Down, for the blue, OPI Absolutely Alice, silver on the middle finger is NOX Twilight Disco Darling, Zoya Astra for the pink, OPI Extra-va-vaganza! for the orange, then Amour Rain Glitter for the pinky. For the logo, I used American Apparel Hassid. I then topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Sorry for the quick post tonight- I've been going out of my mind busy lately!

ZOYA wants 20,000 Fans!

We like our fans, well actually, we LOVE our fans.

We are a small, independent cosmetics company that understands and values the importance of each and every one of our customers. Zoya views our fans as ambassadors of our products. Your dedication and feedback via our social media outlets has helped shape us into the successful company we are today. We continue to grow with your input and support. During this holiday season we would like to show you our appreciation with an incredible offer to start off the new year.

Please, allow us to share our wonderful nail polish and treatment products with your like-minded friends! We are hoping for 20,000 "Likes" on facebook by January 3, 2011, and if we get them, we will provide a code for 3 free bottles* of Zoya Nail Polish to all fans and followers in the Continental US. Yes, we love our international followers too but due to international regulations and restrictions we can only offer this promotion domestically at this time.

“Like” ZOYA on facebook and make 2011 a year of nail polished perfection.


Here's what you need to do...

Not already following ZOYA on facebook?

Do you love nail polish? Then you should follow Zoya for daily updates, promotions and fun on facebook! Simply go to www.facebook.com/zoyanailpolish and press "Like"! With over 300 colors and treatments to choose from, there is always something for you and your fellow nail polish lovers to talk about. While you are at it, make sure to spread the word about Zoya to all of your friends.


Already following ZOYA on facebook?

You "Like" us - we LOVE you! You already know about the great giveaways and promotions we do! Don't keep Zoya to yourself! Spread the word! To help reach the 20,000 tell 4 friends (or more!) to like Zoya!


On January 3, 2011

...or sooner, when we hit the magic number of 20,000, Zoya will release the 3 FREE BOTTLES of Zoya Nail Polish code on facebook.