Tentacle Nails and My (Somewhat) Matching Scarf!

As I mentioned in my previous post, yesterday, I like tentacles. I’m not quite sure why, but there is just something about them that attracts me. I made a tentacle scarf, to express my love for them, so it inspired my nails.



I used two coats of New York Color- Mint Breeze for my base, and for the tentacles, I used Finger Paints – Scenery Greenery and Orly – Decoded for the dots.
Now, for my inspirational scarf:

It took me a while to make, but I was able to finish the <6 feet grey part while watching a Lord of the Rings marathon. It took me a few days to complete the entire scarf. Those few days consisted of me drinking a lot of tea, watching a lot of movies, and listening to a lot of podcasts, all while sitting in the corner of my couch.
This is the mug my friend made for me. It says “Abby G,” but my first, middle, and last name does not have a G in it. She calls me Abby G because she’s disappointed she can’t call me Abigail, considering my real name is just Abby. So, there’s a new fun fact for you about me :)
The scarf was inspired by this scarf I came across while looking for a pattern. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a pattern, so I made my own. I wrote it down, though, and may post it on Ravelry, if I get around to it.
The print in earthy blue is just me talking about my scarf, so if you don’t care, you can just skip down to the black print :)
I brought forth my inner 3 year old when I finished my scarf, and went about for a few days acting like I was stuck to everything I touched.
-SPOILER ALERT FOR THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN- When Peter first gets his powers in the movie, he can’t type because he tore the keys from his keyboard, leading him to mistype. Well, I had the same problem; I tried to type with my tentacles on. It didn’t work out so well, but I’ll admit that I didn’t tear the keys off of my keyboard. -SPOILER ALERT FOR CLASH OF THE TITANS- Okay, well it’s not much of a spoiler, but when the Kraken was called forth, I shouted “My part’s coming up!”

I texted someone, saying “I like tentacles. I have some. Sometimes I’m an octopus, but when I feel threatened, I turn into the kraken.” The response I got back was, “Seems legit.”
Before I bid you farewell I’d like to ask something of you; as some of you may know, I wish to start a non-nail related blog, but don’t think I want to use Blogger for it. I plan on just posting my random thoughts and pictures on it. I’m trying to do some social media shopping, but don’t know which way to go. Twitter or Tumblr? I’m thinking Tumblr, but I’d like your input if you have any :) (I’m not a fan of social media. I have a Facebook from a few years ago, but never use it.)
Happy New Year, everyone!

Blog Reminiscing

It’s coming to be my one year “blogiversary” and I’ve been looking back on posts I’ve made throughout the past 12 months. I’ve come to the conclusion that within that time period, I haven’t let any of you know much about me. I mean, there was this tag post, but even then, I kept a lot of myself to myself. So, as one of my new year’s resolutions, I’m going to try to let you all know a bit more about me in this post, and in posts to come (hopefully).
First off, as some of you may know my name is Abby. I like to write, but don’t write about much else other than nails on this blog. I think it is because I’m afraid my random thoughts may offend some, and I don’t think many get my sense of humor (which is a bummer, ‘cos I’m hilarious!- in my own mind :) ). I’ve thought of starting a new blog where I could just write and post about whatever I wish, but that hasn’t happened yet- that’s actually what’s been on my mind for a while, so there is a small potential that it may happen.
ANYWAY…. here are some random facts about me:

• I honestly think everybody has something beautiful about them.
• I like tentacles.
• I like gears.
• (you may or may not know this, but) I like nail polish.
• I like words that start with “A”- amazing, awesome, awful, assassin, asshole, etc.. …Except afghan. Too granny for me.
• I don’t like the “ :p ” face- it makes me sad.
• I love album artwork.
• I am an up front person, but (as far as I know) I haven’t crossed the line with anyone… yet.
• I like to make things.
• I’d like to own a pair of tall strappy boots and kick in a door.
• I love getting snail mail and random texts/emails… but mostly snail mail!! Oh, and notes. I like reading physical objects that can’t be deleted. I think it’s because you can draw in them, and I find it to be more personal :)
• I always have hand sanitizer with me.
• I’m afraid that one day there aren’t going to be anymore physical CDs or albums :(
• I make a lot of faces.
• I don’t take compliments well- aside from nails- I get enough of them, and can easily accept them :)  If someone tells me something nice about myself, I don’t usually know if they’re trying to be nice, or actually mean it.
• I like making new friends.
• I’m not a fan of labels. Human labels/groups that is. Not sticky labels. I happen to think Mr. Yuck labels are a great idea.

I found that way to easy to write! So easy that that second blog may happen! I could have kept going, but figured nobody wants to stay and read it all day. If you made it this far I congratulate you (well, obviously you made it this far- how else would you be reading this?), but I’m not done quite yet!
Seeing as the title is “Blog Reminiscing”, I should reminisce, right?
Here are some of my favourite posts from the past year:
Tie Dye Nail Art
Seether Nails
Easy Madagascar Inspired Nails
Egypt Inspired Nails

Brandi Strickland Inspired Nails
Guest Post at cats-n-nails (go to Natalia’s blog to check it out!)
Edgar Allan Poe Nails
Thor Nail Art

Well, that’s it for this post! Thanks for reading… or just skipping to the pictures. But, if you did actually read all of it, let me know in the comments; I’d like to thank and congratulate you!

Doctor Who Inspired Nails

My friend and I decided to have a Doctor Who day, so I needed some matching nails, right? I’ll take any excuse for themed nails.

 

I decided to go for the logo on my ring fingers, and for the rest of my nails I made the 4th Doctor’s scarf (which is a pretty sick scarf, if you ask me!). I tried to make it as if it was hanging there freely, so that’s why it doesn’t look like the perfect french tip.

For my french base, I used OPI – So Many Clowns… So Little Time, and a combination of polishes for the scarf. As for my ring finger- I first applied Finger Paints – Gallery Glam, followed by one coat of Sally Hansen – Laser. I then painted the logo on with a metallic silver polish. I placed a rhinestone on top to represent the light, then made it even better by putting some glow-in-the-dark polish on top of the rhinestone.

Hope you enjoyed!

V For Vendetta Nails

As a part of my Christmas present from my friend, I was lent two of of her favourite movies, of which she thought I would enjoy. One movie was V For Vendetta, and the other was The Avengers. I must add that she must really love me because The Avengers is one of her most prized possessions, and for her to let me borrow it shocks me.
Anyway, onto the nails… I have never watched V For Vendetta, but I knew I wanted some matching nails for when I did watch it. I went in blindly, due to not entirely knowing what it was about. I googled images of the movie, and went from there.
I apologize for the not so beautiful quality of the photos, and the misfit nail (it broke yesterday out of nowhere. Merry Christmas to me  -_- )

I painted all of my nails black. For my ring finger, I painted V’s  symbol, and on my index finger, I painted V’s mask.

Since I could only find two decent quality pictures, I am going to leave you with a picture of Ziggy. He decided to bury his Christmas present in the snow.

Thanks for reading!

Sparkly Dotted Christmas Tree

These nails were inspired by a few pictures I’ve seen floating around. I was originally going to create a more detailed design, but had a lot on my plate this weekend, so I went for the easy, but oh-so-cute dotted design.

I painted my ring fingers white, and made french tips on the rest. I used Nina Ultra Pro – Leaf Me Alone, e.l.f. – Neon Green, Essie – Sew Psyched, and Finger Paints – Scenery Greenery, and Go Van Gogh! for the green dots. I painted one coat of China Glaze – Fairy Dust on each nail. I used a gold star spangle to top off my tree.

Thanks for reading!

Step by Step Daisy Nails

I’ve received a request on a tutorial for my daisy nails, which you can see here and here. I’ve used white for this tutorial, but you can use any colour you wish. If the colours you want to use are too sheer, then you can just make a white daisy, and go over it with the polish of your choice.

1. Paint your nails your base polish of choice
2. Using a striper or detail brush, make one line

3. Once you have made your single line, keep making them all the way around to create a circle shape

4. To finish off your daisy design, make a small dot in the center with a yellow polish

Done! Easy enough, right?

Let me know if any of you have anymore ideas or requests!

Have a great day!

Santa Belly Accent Nail Art

The nails I have for you today are actually from last year. Just the simple Santa costume and belt nails. I’m not sure who, specifically, I drew the inspiration from, but I am sure everyone loves them! In fact, I love them so much I may recreate them this year; I have a Christmas party to attend this coming Saturday, and I know the nails I have on now won’t last, so I’ll be painting them with limited time, which makes this the perfect mani for the job!

Although, these nails are from last year, I could probably tell you most, if not all, of the polishes used in this design. Of course, that would mean I would have to go read labels and come back to tell you, so if you do want to know specifically, let me know, but I’m not going to waste my time if you don’t want to know :)

On a side note: one of my favourite things about Christmas/Christmas trees is the ornaments! You can draw so much inspiration from them, and they make excellent props for photos as well!

Thanks for reading!

Buddy the Elf and Mr. Narwhal Nail Art

Last week I asked someone what I should paint on my nails next week, and she said Buddy the elf. I uneasily nodded, because I’m not used to painting faces, and it is easily one of my weaknesses (but I am still pretty proud of my Poe nails). Well, the weekend came and with the help of Google Images, I found some pictures I could go off of.

I painted Buddy and Mr. Narwhal on index and ring fingers, and for the rest I went for a yellow and green colour combination, inspired by Buddy’s attire.

I used China Glaze – Kinetic Candy for Buddy’s background colour, a white polish for Mr. Narwhal’s background, and Sally Hansen – Mellow Yellow for the rest of my nails. I’m not going to bother listing the nail polish used for the characters, but if you’d like to know just ask! I used green striping tape for my non-character nails.

For those of you who use striping tape, I have a question: how do you keep it on? This is my first time using it, and it didn’t want to stay on. The shiny film on top of the sticker part has peeled off of all but one of my nails. I always use top coat, too. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!

Thanks for reading :)

Guest Post at Lawless Lacquer

This is just a quick (belated) post to let you know that I did a guest post for the lovely Lynn at Lawless Lacquer, featuring some snow inspired nails.

Click here to check it out!

Rudolph Christmas Nails

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to paint on my nails yesterday, concerning holiday nails. There aren’t that many unique options, but there are so many twists and takes, so I decided to go for a simple Rudolph accent nail, with (my very first) falling glitter gradient.

I first applied two coats of Revlon – Emerald City, which is a matte polish, but my shiny topcoat was being selfish, so you can’t see it as it’s genuine matte self. Next, I made Rudolph’s head with NYC – Park Ave. I used Revlon – Hot For Chocolate to make the deep brown antlers. To finish it off, I just added two black dots for the eyes, and a red dot for the nose.

On the other nails, I just created a falling glitter gradient with Nicole By OPI – Orna-Ment For Each Other, but I decided that wasn’t enough, so I then put Julie G – My Private Palace on top to give it a glowing gold effect.

What nails do you like to paint around the holdays? Santa? Candy Canes?

Traditional Leopard with an Accent Nail

Along with many others, animal print is one of my go-to nail designs. These are actually the nails I had for Thanksgiving. We were sitting at my grandma’s table, and I turned to my brother and asked, “Aren’t my nails sexy?” He just looked at them for a while and asked, “Why is one blue?” My response was simply because it is fun. No further questions were asked. I think it was because he thought they were pretty sexy, too :)

Anyway…. here are my “sexy” nails

I used L'Oréal – Park Ave Luncheon for my base (It is quite possibly my favourite nude polish I own! It’s hard for me to match polishes to my skin, but Park Ave Luncheon is gorgeous!). For my brown spots, I used China Glaze – Mahogany Magic, and for my teal spots I used a random no-name polish that was given to me. I used Wet n Wild – Black Crème for outlining the spots.

 

Have you found the perfect nude polish?

Thor Nail Art

I like nerdy things, if anyone couldn’t tell from previous posts. I couldn’t decide what character to paint on my nails- there are so many good ones! I ultimately went with Thor, but there were quite a few runner ups! I actually ended up painted two on my friend’s nails, so no hurt feeling!

Well, I guess there was some hurt feelings; some of my nails didn’t meet my expectations. First of all, believe it or not, the helmet was rather hard and confusing, and I wish I would have filled it in better. Second, the hammer looks a little to cartoon-y for me (plus I bumped it while wet).

As most of you have probably noted, I typically only do my nails once a week, so I probably won’t be posting tomorrow. With that said, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which means we should all take time to be thankful for what we have, right?

Well, sort of. What I am not appreciative of is being lied to; Thanksgiving is a lie.

Other than that, I really want to thank all of you. I love finding wonderful comments on my blog, new readers, and making new virtual friends. I truly don’t know what the internet would be like if there weren’t nice people here (but lets admit it- there are a bunch of rude people, too :( ). I’m just glad I’ve met some of the nice people! Thank you!

Nerds Nail Art

I don’t typically enjoy candy, aside from chocolate, but Nerds is a whole different story! I love Nerds! I enjoy all flavors, but had only the strawberry and grape flavor, so I modeled my nails after them :)

Ready for picture overload?

I had to have someone take pictures of my right hand and both hands together for me. I’d like to be able to take more pictures of both hands, but hate asking for assistance from others. If anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know!

For my pink base I used Revlon – Sweet Tart (what a perfect name for Wonka inspired nails!). On the pink I put random spots of a nameless pink mini Funky Fingers polish to create a Nerd pattern. For my purple base I used LA Colors – Tropical Breeze. On top of that, I used NYC – Lavender Cupcake for my purple Nerd pattern. To add more dimension, I used a white Stripe Rite striper to highlight the Nerds.

As for the Nerd characters, I used black acrylic paint to create an outline. I then filled in the black with either pink or purple polish (the base colors), still leaving a black outline. I made white dots to create the eyes, then separated the toes and such with a black Stripe Rite striper. I finally finished them by using either my nameless Funky Fingers polish, or Lavender Cupcake to add highlights (and a tongue to the pink Nerd).

I am extremely happy with these Nerds nails. I think this was a perfect 100th post (yes, this is my 100th post :) ). And you? What do you think?

Movember Mustache Nails 2012

I’ve never fallen into the whole “mustache phase” where everyone obsessed over mustaches, but I decided to go for mustache nails for the sake of Movember. I love doing nails that have a purpose behind them.

I wanted something somewhat subtle, yet not nude nor pink, so I decided on e.l.f. – Blue Mist. I believe I needed 3 or 4 coats. Then, (although since the sun was hiding today, so you can’t really tell) I added one coat of Sinful Colors – You Just Wait. You Just Wait makes Blue Mist look amazing, and like a whole new polish!

The day after I painted my nails I went shopping and found this:

The color match is incredible! I couldn’t NOT buy it! It made for some excellent pictures :)

Do you know any guy growing a moustache out this month? Will you be painting one on your nails?