Kiwis Make Me Cheerful

So this morning I was eating kiwis for breakfast, because I love them, and when I looked at them they made me want to redo my nails, which have been suffering with a failed nail art experiment. A few coats later and an awkward attempt with a dotting tool, ta-da!

Now I have cheerful little kiwis on my nails, and every time I look at them it makes me happy. I really like kiwis. 

Colors used: New York Colors in High Line Green, Sinful Colors Call You Later (glitter!), Julep in Annette, and Sinful Colors in Black on Black

DIY Chain and Seed Bead Drop Earrings

The other day I was rooting through my jewelry supplies when I came upon a few links of gold curb chain, saved after some project, and decided to make something with them.  I ended up with this pair of earrings:

I absolutely love the way gold looks with royal blue, and they were pretty simple, so I made a second pair and decided to make a little DIY with them. They're a little different because I didn't have any more gold earwires, but I'm still pretty pleased with the way these turned out.

Steps after the break!

A Fading Pink, the Color of Wild Roses

A Stephen King quote might be a little dark for this light of a mani, but I just reread Hearts in Atlantis and the line kinda stuck with me. I used this tutorial from Beautylish, substituting my dotting tools for a brush.

I really, really like this. Sure, my roses turned out a little more...abstract than I maybe would have liked, but it worked! I used (from the base coat up): Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Lovely Lilac, Julep in Georgia, Julep in Mischa, and NYC Colors in High Line Green. 

Yay America!

So this past 4th, I was lazy and didn't go through the effort of a patriotic manicure, so I finally took my Julep America for a test drive, on top of an old NYC Glossies red and Sinful Colors All About You, and just did a simple accent nail for Olympic spirit and all. I was planning on going a little fancier, but my dad and I are going fishing tomorrow and it feels a little bit like a waste, considering how rough it's going to be on my nails, you know?

I'm also trying out a new top coat this week-the two I had were failing me and I had heard a lot of good things about inm Out The Door, so when I saw a Sally's yesterday I popped in and came out with the biggest bottle of polish I've ever owned. 

LOOK AT THAT SUCKER. I think it was a little less than $11 for 2.5 oz, and almost $6 for .5, so I decided, what the hell, and went for the big bottle. In just the day I've been using it I'm pleased. It has a super thin formula, so I did end up using my Sally Hansen on my glitter nails. I'm interested to see how well it holds up-so far only one nail is chipped, and that's only because that nail decided it wanted to peel. It is also extremely quick drying like it promises, which is defs a plus in my book.

DIY Gold and Turquoise Handpiece

I've been seeing these bracelets around for months, but had never really wanted one until I stumbled on a few gold and turquoise ones on Wanelo...but I still didn't want to actually BUY something I could make on my own.

And when I found a wrap bracelet I made a few weeks back, sitting neglected in my crafting stuff, it sparked an idea. Look after the break for materials and steps!

She looked like someone had just set her favorite city on fire.

I'm currently on a Kelly Link kick, and the title is lifted from her story The Hortlak, about zombies and convenience stores, unrequited love and pajamas. Just read the first paragraph. That line almost, kind of, relates to what my nails look like right now:

The red and gold is a little fire-y, don't you think? The base is Julep in Mischa and my favorite Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Golden-I. The triangles were done with Scotch tape and I really like the minimalist accent they add. In sunlight, my nails look like they're foil, not just shiny like they are in the picture.

I'm A Little Drunk On You, And High On Summertime

I know Luke Bryan might be talking about summer love in Drunk On You, but his lyrics describe how I felt about this manicure to a T. I was infatuated for the entire week my nails looked like this, not just because they were AMAZING but also because they didn't chip. At all. I only took it off because the gap between my nail bed and the polish had reached an unacceptable width.

The prettiest.

I'm not sure whether the longevity was due to the base coat (Julep in Georgia) or the top coat, which I am still SO EXCITED ABOUT. Ludurana is a Brazilian brand that I could only find online, and only on two sites at that. I bought Flash from Ninja Polish, who also has a great selection of other hard-to-find polishes. It's a flakie with orange, green, and blue, but it definitely takes its color from the base coat-my nails gave off an orange, peachy reflection that didn't photograph nearly as well as I had hoped it would...regardless, I'm OBSESSED.

love. in a bottle.