Hi Goddesses
Ugh Monday and back at work BUT behold possibly the best nail art I have ever done!
This nail art makes me insanely happy. It's bold, it's bright, it's cheerful. It's easy to do, it's happy, and I've already done 3 variations lol.
Today's prompt is dotting tools, which I use a LOT. I didn't want to do ANOTHER dotticure, and as I looked through my Pinterest, I remembered how much I love the big flowers that Alice at One Nail To Rule Them All does - so some inspiration is definitely owed to THIS photo.
I just want to give a shout out here to my base colour - Barry M Gelly Coconut. It's become my staple for nail art bases. Is it as good as OPI My Vampire Is Buff? Well, it's AS good, but cheaper, so I am really chuffed us UK girls now have a great and affordable version!
To the colours -
- red - OPI Fashion A Bow
- pink - NOPI Pink. Seriously
- orange - OPI Hot & Spicy
- magenta - Pahlish Petropolis
- purple - Different Dimension Pulsar
- green - Sally Hansen Grass Slipper
After I'd done this mani (and cursed the minor streaking from the matte top coat), I decided I didn't really like the index and pinkie fingers, but with hindsight, I really do. I also find the purple a little toooo dark ... but you live and you learn!
I just adore this mani. It's not often I'll stand up and say I'm proud of what I've done, but today, I am suuuuuuuper happy and proud :)
Hi Goddesses
As you know, I suffer with depression, and one of the things I have learnt over the years is that wearing certain nail polish colours can help me feel a little brighter. It's nice to look down at something bright and happy, even if that's not how I feel inside.
So today's prompt is dedicated to those colours, and usually I will go for bright pinks or oranges. As you know, I hate yellow, but if you're gonna splodge, yellow helps.
Polishes used -
- w7 Lemon Sorbet
- Girly Bits Our Lips Are Sealed (pink)
- Girly Bits King of The Lab (orange)
- Girly Bits No Such Thing As a Purple Problem
I then used the smiley faces from Cheeky Jumbo Plate 4 and this great "Keep Calm and Polish On" stamp from BM-619. Cos that's what we do right, keep calm AND polish on.
I'm sad to say I don't like this as much as I expected to. For me, the colours don't meld as much as I wanted, and I think I should have chosen a lighter purple. Still, love the sentiment.
Hi Goddesses
And welcome to a new Crumpet feature for 2015 - Crumpet's Journal.
This should appeal to all of you who like this blog for its writing and for my opinions. It's NOT a weekly round-up or highlights and disappointments post, but it IS a rambly journal style entry that will take you into the chaotic mind of the blogging Crumpet. A thoughtscape, if you will.
If it helps, think of it as a companion piece to The Secret Diary of a Polishaholic, which WILL be returning soon - I just need to get January out of the way first.
I am aiming to post on Sundays, cos that's a good rambling time for me.
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Thursday January 1st
It's 2015 and I am awake before midday. This is definitely a good sign! I'll probably nap later tho ...
Just checked my blog stats, and December had a 50% increase in page views, making it a 50k month - this only happens to me now in December - you do like those end of year posts haha. It took a lot of work though - I did 86 posts in December. A LOT of work. (Also, a FIFTH of my entire year's output came in that one month lol).
Today is a different day, a calmer day. For the first time in a month, there is nothing scheduled - eeeeeeeeeeek! AND today is the start of the 2015 31 Day Challenge - I have currently done 19 manis for it, so I feel quite comfortable. Not that I have yet edited today's photos. Or written the post. Hmmmm.
There will definitely be less content in January, and a calmer pace throughout the year. January's schedule is -
- 31DC2015
- Digital Dozen - we're doing crapping fairy tales and I haven't started yet
- reviews
Ah yes, my review pile. It's been largely ignored in December as the goal was to do all those end of year posts, so here's what's sat there right now -
- Nail Art Idiot Guide by Emily from The Lacquerologist - this will be posting today - hurrah!
- stamping plates from MoYou Nails - er, stalled a little here, one more mani to do
- 10 stamping plates from Born Pretty - 10!!! 10!! I have done one mani though
- nail art stencils from smART nails - 8 of those suckers too
- about half a dozen Literary Lacquer polishes - I've been picking these off one by one, and some of them are in the 31DC. Crumpet smart.
- and, my bete noir - Above The Curve, who kindly sent me about 20 polishes 2 months ago. I have been appallingly slack at doing anything with these. I have managed to use 5 by now in nail art, but a lot of them are really dark colours or chrome-y type polishes, which has made it hard to just "use them as I go along". I am going to have to have a weekend of just GETTING ON WITH IT
So, what's the plan for today? Well, to be lazy. Baby Crumpet and I started watching How To Get Away With Murder last night and we raced through 7 episodes. We have 2 left, and we'll be racing through them today.
Mani-wise, I'd like to get another 2 to 3 31DC manis done, and also possibly schedule 3 posts. Tomorrow or Saturday I really need to start thinking about DD, and whilst Beth has given me some great ideas, it's a theme where I know my lack of skill is going to make it haaaaaaaaaaaaard. Waaaah!
Friday January 2nd
Not much is going to happen today lol. I am schleeeeeepy and it feels like a curl up on the sofa day with Boo. Having done 22 31DC manis in the last week, I think I've hit a mini wall, so a rest may help inspiration to return. Oh and yes, I broke a nail yesterday, right down to the quick, so if I rest, it will grow back quicker, yes?
FINALLY got nail mail today too - feels like I've been waiting for-everrrr for my Octopus Party Nail Lacquers to come. Really impressed with this one though, and look at that Lilypad too!
Oh and today is my 2000th blog post! Wow, that seems an excessive amount, doesn't it? That's a lot of hours that have gone into this blog. Of course, half of those 2000 posts are shit, and done in my first year of blogging. I wonder how many posts I'd have if I only kept the ones I liked?
Saturday January 3rd
Yeh not much is happening. I am blaming it on my nail break. It makes my ring finger look like a doughnut, so I'd rather not use that hand. Plus, this makes a very good reason for not starting the very evil Digit-al Dozen theme. Procrastination mastery!
I HAVE been using my non-dominant hand to use those nail stencils, which makes me a good girl :) Ooooh and look at what came through the post today - Arcane Lacquer!!!
My main activity today has been buying more nail art supplies. I am obsessed (too strong a word?) with trying to get my brush work and my line work right, so I've bought some MORE brushes, cos apparently those liner brushes I always throw away are really useful, as well as some other bits and pieces I'll show you when they arrive.
Beth and I have run out of episodes of How To Get Away With Murder, so she's starting Grey's Anatomy from the beginning now. She's been watching the latest series with me, and it's interesting to see her now at the beginning, confused as to why some of the characters know nothing, and why half the characters she loves aren't even in it yet. Oh Beth, so many tears and good times to come!
Hi Goddesses
Well, this one did not go well!
Man, I had a total nightmare with this. I've wanted to try this for yonks, and I can't remember the last time something frustrated me so much. It ranks up there with watermarbling and Konad the Barbarian, but I've tried it again since I did this one, WITH IMPROVEMENTS, so I can help you understand how NOT to go wrong lol.
Firstly, on base, the utterly divine Halley's Comet from Different Dimension. I wish I'd tried this earlier, because it would have made my faves of 2014 list. A lovely dusty lilac with gold shimmer.
For my top polish I chose Powder Perfect Peeling Wallpaper because ... yep, because it was sitting on the desk and looked like it would match Halley's Comet well. Also, it was a creme, which I figured would be the best polish type.
Quick recap for those of you who don't know, you drop your polish in some water a few times, let it spread out, and then spray it. So I had been told you could spray it with hand sanitiser, hairspray or perfume. I bought hairspray especially!!!
And it didn't work. First time, I was too close to the water, and it bombed half of it up into the air, and half of it to the bottom of the cup. After I tried it a FEW more times without success, I watched a couple of tutorials on YouTube and switched to perfume.
The only perfume I was willing to waste was a sample vial of Jo Malone which was ok, but not wowser. This spread the polish MUCH better. However, I was not prepared that both I and the nail room would smell like tarts for the rest of the evening. If you use perfume, it's gonna smell! Well, at least it smelt nice .... but it also reminded my why it would not be a good idea to use this method to get rid of any unwanted perfume. Phewey!
So here you have it. It really is not perfect, but my next version, which you'll see in a couple of weeks, is much better, thanks to the use of ACETONE.
Oh and finally - here's me using the Masking Fluid I showed you in my Discoveries post - pictured before I dunked my fingers. You just peeeeeeeeel it off. Lifesaver.
