Liebster Award(s)

I don’t normally do the whole “award” thing because 1) I usually forget and push it off, and 2) I don’t know who I would tag. Plus, I don’t want anyone to feel bad about not being chosen.

I did, however, decide to do the Liebster award because I think it may help you all get to know me a little better. I’ve been meaning to do a whole “About Me” post, but I haven’t finished it, and it just felt awkward…

This award was given to me by Gypsy Moon and Purple Wolf Nails

Okay! Enough talking! Let’s get to it!

How it works:
1. Each person tagged must post 11 things about themselves.
2. They must also answer the 11 questions the 'tagger' has set for them.
3. They must create 11 more questions to ask bloggers they have decided to tag.
4. They must then choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers and tag them in their post.
5. These bloggers chosen must be told they were nominated.
6. There are no tag backs.

11 Facts About Me: 
1. I always feel like I’m going to be judged based on my age.
2. I want to own my own nail salon.
3. I believe in random acts of kindness.
4. I have a bit of an obsession with Australia :)
5. Only my immediate family knows I have a blog.
6. I keep a journal, but haven’t written in it lately; I guess I’m too busy and don’t want to take the time. Also, I don’t write about the stereotypical topics that one would assume one who keeps a journal would write about (drama, boys, etc.). Instead I write about my perspective on things relating to the world. Sometimes I draw and write poems.
7. I speak my mind, because if I don’t I will regret it.
8. I listen to music unpopular, and unheard of.
9. I don’t mind being alone.
10. I want to change the world for the better.
11. I believe there are a lot of bloggers blogging for the wrong reason.

11 Questions from Gypsy Moon: 
1. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy? Tickets to Australia :)
2. If you could meet any one person (from history or currently alive), who would it be? There are too many people! One person who I think is well known enough for you all to recognize is Karl Pilkington.
3. What book are you currently reading? There are quite a few that I’ve started to read, and haven’t picked them back up yet. On that, I just finished is Jimmy Fallon’s Thank You Letters 2. Yes, I am aware that it isn’t what most people would consider a real book, but I enjoy his thank you letters.
4. The last thing that made you really laugh out loud? I did giggle a little bit when I was writing  some of the 11 facts about me- I was wondering what most of you would think, so I deleted some, and kept some. The ones I deleted were facts that I knew nobody cared about, and the others were ones that made me look like a complete pessimist.
5. Describe yourself in three words. unusual, honest, thoughtful (not as in nice-thoughtful; more like full of deep thought. But for the record, I like to think that I am nice :) haha.)
6. What is something fun you are going to do today? Paint my nails!
7. Favourite book/movie when you were a child? Movie- Sillyville.
8. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Australia….. everything comes back to Australia!
9. Have you ever won a trophy? I won an art award when I was in elementary school. Other than that, I don’t usually win anything. Too much comparison, if you ask me.
10. Do you touch-type? Yes.
11. Are you a morning person or a night owl? I’m a night owl. I hate having to wake up.

Questions from Purple Wolf Nails:
1. Why did you start blogging? Blogging was one of my New Year’s resolutions because I always wondered what it would be like to blog. I thought that, hopefully, someone would be interested in my nails. I also thought it would be cool to belong to a community of people, sharing the same interest.
2. Which famous people would you invite to a dinner party (dead or alive) and why? I think it would be pretty awesome if Ben Burnley, Ricky Gervais, and Karl Pilkington would come to my dinner party. Of course, I would invite many more, but that is just to name a few. Ben Burnley- helped me get through a lot. Ricky Gervais- super funny and honest. Karl Pilkington- makes me laugh, and I kind of like his way of thinking! Sometimes, after listening to a podcast with him, or watching videos of him, I think like him… which is quite scary!
3. What is your favourite scene from a film? I love the scene of The Proposal when Sandra Bullock dances around the fire with Betty White, “chanting” Get Low.
4. Did you watch any of the Olympics. If so, which was the best bit for you? I didn’t watch them very much- only when walking past the television, would I glance at it!
5. What do you like to do most when you are not blogging? Think. I think a lot. (The other day my aunt told me I spend too much time thinking, and my response was she spends too much time farming in a virtual world! I don’t believe you can think too much.)
6. What's the first thing you would do if you won the lottery? Wow! First I woke up a muli-millionaire, and now I won the lottery?! Well, since I already have tickets to Australia, I guess I would buy tickets to Wales :)
7. If you could be anyone else for a day who would you be? I’m so happy with myself, and my mindset, that I wouldn’t want to be anyone else. However, if I would love to be someone whom people listen to.
8. What is the last movie that you saw at the cinema? I hardly ever go the the theatres! I usually just rent movies. I think the last time I went to see a movie, I went to see Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Yeah, that was ages ago!
9. Are you a morning person or a night owl? I’m a night owl. I wish I was a morning person, though…
10. What do you have that is of great value to you but of no value to anyone else? Opinions. I love having my own opinions.
11. How far away from your birthplace do you live now? Pretty close!

My Questions:
1. What are some of your nail polish lemmings?
2. What makes you different?
3. Would you want to know when you were going to die?
4. Are you a people person, or do you like to be alone?
5. Besides nails, what are some of your interests?
6. What is one thing that you would change about the world (don’t say world hunger, or world peace; while those would be terrific answers, we are not running for Miss Universe. Think of something a little more close and personal).
7. What kind of finish do you like (shimmer, glitter, crème, etc.)?
8. Why do you blog?
9. What is one thing you would like to do before you die?
10. If you had unlimited and free access to one brand of nail polish, what would it be?
11. What is one bad thing that happened to you, that you are now thankful for?

I nominate every single one of you who want to do this! Let me know if you do decide to do it!

Was anyone intrigued by my take on this? Even after doing this, I still feel like none of you actually learned too much about me :( Here, I’ll tell you one more thing: my name is Abby.

 Have a great day, and thank you to those of you who actually read this!

Duochrome Grass

I can’t think of any way to describe these nails. I think they look like unkempt grass… or something…

Anyway, I wanted to wear Rare and Radiant this month because it, as you all know, is a dupe for Chanel – Peridot, and since the birthstone for August is peridot, I wanted to wear it before the month was over. I also added a peridot colored rhinestone to look extra coordinated.

I liked China Glaze – Rare and Radiant by itself, but thought it would look fun with China Glaze – Unpredictable. The result wasn’t what I was hoping for, but it’s not horrible.

How do you add art to duochromes? I find it hard sometimes…

Feather Nails (Featuring China Glaze–No Plain Jane)

I’ve been wanting to try feather nails for a while, and just now decided to give it a go. I used China Glaze – No Plain Jane and yellow polka dot feathers. I’m not sure why, but I really like the combination of yellow and purple. Did you know they’re opposite colors? Yep, just like black and white! Maybe that’s why I like it- I like opposites.

My feathers were from Michael’s craft store. They came in a variety bag- different colors, along with different prints (polka dot, stripes, and a print that reminded me little bit of leopard).

Applying the feathers was actually a lot more annoying than I thought it would be. I only have nail scissors, so that is what I used to cut the feathers. I think it would be a lot cleaner and crisper if I had cuticle nippers.

What do you think of feather nails? Would you try it?

Birthday Cupcake Nails 2012

Yep, I went for the ever-so-popular cupcake nails for my birthday, today. I added “2012” to the title because you never know- I might try to pull off more cupcake nails in the future!

For my non-ring fingers, I used Sally Hansen – Mellow Yellow, and then added one coat of Revlon – Stunning on top of that. I used NYC – Peaches ‘N Cream for the base on my ring fingers. The cherry was made with a large, red half pearl. The pearl caused a bit of bleeding, so I guess my icing is now cherry flavored :) If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Delicate Diamond Dot Nails

I had this idea for a few days, and finally decided to try it. I’m not sure where the idea came from, but I know I’ve seen this pattern before…

I was happy with just this, but decided to add a bit of glitter after a few days:

They look better in person- you can’t see the random little bubbles.

I used a pastel purple Cosmetic Arts polish for the base, and added dots to look like diamonds in e.l.f. – Lilac. I used Sally Hansen – Disco Ball on my ring fingers and thumbs.

Do you like it better with the glitter or without? I like it with glitter :) This isn’t my favorite glitter because it doesn’t look good with a lot of colors, but I think it looks great with pastel purple (it would probably look good with any pastel, actually).

Tie Dye Nail Art

In my town, there is this tie dye magician. Seriously, he doesn’t do just the ordinary tie dye- he makes masterpieces! I just bought a shirt off of him, and instantly knew I wanted my nails to match it.

Before I go onto more pictures of my nails, check out my inspiration:

 

I wanted my colors to blend together, so I diluted them with nail polish remover. Then, I used a detail brush to paint the little spots. I started with the black and went outwards from there. The smaller black dots were made with a pushpin needle.

I used a blue L.A. Colors for the rest of my nails. My bottle doesn’t have a number or name, but I think it is either Static Electricity or Shock.

This was the first time I ever timed myself when doing my nails. It turns out that it took me 20 minutes just to do one accent nail. I don’t think that’s too long for such beauty, but then I look and my ring finger, and think “That’s a long time for just one nail! It’s a good thing I only did two!” What do you think? Is that a long time?

New York Color–Peach Sparkle

I should have posted these pictures earlier because Peach Sparkle is a limited edition polish- So, I hope if you want it you will be able to get it!

Peach Sparkle looked pretty sheer in the bottle, so I put it over Savvy – Mango.

In order to see the shimmer, you basically have to be in the right light, at the right angle. However, I think it looks pretty even when it isn’t in the right light or the right angle.

It is supposed to be a dupe for Nars – Orgasm. I didn’t know that when I picked it up. I just bought it because I thought it was pretty, but knowing that is is a dupe for a pricey polish is just (peach) icing on the (mango) cake!

I also took a picture of the bottles together so you can see how similar they are.

While I used Peach Sparkle with Mango, I believe it is a buildable polish if you don’t have a polish very similar :)

China Glaze–Deviantly Daring

As I have mentioned before, I can usually shrug off a new collection, convincing myself I don’t need it. I somewhat did need this one, though- I only have two duochromes, and both are grey/green/purple.

So, yesterday I went out to Sally’s because that was the release date for the China Glaze Bohemian collection. I arrived 15 minutes after they opened, and was shocked to see that a lot of the collection was missing. I did manage to get 5 of the 6, though. Actually, most of them were the last ones, too! It’s just disappointing that I couldn’t get the entire collection at once… I guess I’ll just have to keep going back to see I can complete my family of Bohemians. Anyway, I tell you this because I was wondering if any of you were aware that Sally’s puts out collections before the release date. Oh, well! I’m still happy because before I left my house, I checked my email, and found a beautiful $10 off a $20 purchase coupon for Sally’s waiting to be printed! Plus, I used my Sally’s card and a 15% off coupon.

Okay, enough talking! Today I will be showing you China Glaze – Deviantly Daring. It isn’t a duochrome, but is still gorgeous.

 

 

Direct sunlight makes it sparkle!

My neighbor complimented my nails yesterday when she saw me. She was telling me how much stuff she got from CVS for less than $3, so I had to tell her that I used coupons for my nail polish too, coming to the conclusion that we are both savvy shoppers :)

NYC–Mint Breeze with L.A. Colors Art Deco–Teal Glitter

I am a bit of a teal, turquoise, and mint color junkie. I picked up Mint Breeze a week or so ago even though I knew I didn’t need it. Let’s be honest- most of us don’t need any more polish of any kind, but it sure is an addiction. I’d say a pretty cheap addiction, too… Well, for the most part; buying every single collection and Chanel polishes proves to not be as wallet friendly.

Anyway, I had no clue as to what I wanted to paint on my nails once I applied Mint Breeze. I then thought that I had an unused glitter striper that would match it pretty nicely.

I also thought about what I wanted on my accent nails, and decided on hearts from Kleancolor – Twinkly Love. I placed them individually onto my nails. Perhaps you picked up on the scratches on the hearts? I guess I picked them up with too much force with my toothpick (behold my strong hand versus the wimpy hearts! haha).

Did any of you pick up on the cracks on my nails? I blame the top coat I was trying.

Guest Post at Tips and Topcoat!

This is just a quick post to tell you that I have a guest post over at Tips and Topcoat. It was my first guest post, so please go easy one me :) She actually published it last night, but I was a bit slow getting to my computer!

I chose to do nautical stars on my nails

You can see my post here :)