The PokeNail Challenge #7: Electric

Oh my gawsh, I'm actually going to post on this!

My favourite electric Pokemon is Pikachu. In fourth grade I bought this Pikachu stuffed toy. I carried it everywhere. It would sit in my desk at school and I would smile at it, I'd carry it around during breaks. It was an amazing friend.

The point is that I lurve my squeaky-chu!

That being said, we all need to grow up some day, in some ways. To represent that, I choose Raichu.

I started on yesterday's base of Rainbow Honey Bitty Love Bot. I tried to stick to polish for this. I used China Glaze Harvest Moon, Joe Fresh Mocha, Essence Wanna Be Your Sunshine, and Essence Black is Back and Ulta Snow White. I used sharpie for the tail and the glitter is a combination of Golden Rose 151 and China Glaze Electrify. Behold!

Well and there you have it. There might even be more like this soon, I certainly have the time to catch up =3

Swatch: Rainbow Honey Bitty Love Bot

Hi! My last mani lasted another week. I apologize for my absence <3 I'm feeling a little leery about doing my nails since I hate removing polish and usually wait for it to chip off. I know for an interview I should remove and snip them down... and then I remember I probably won't get called back anyway. PITY PARY :D

So on a happier note, I defs splurged on the Robot collection from Rainbow Honey. I wasn't really sure about it because why would I buy metallics? They're so... normal. Like, I could find them in a cheapie brand right?

Probably, but I just put on Bitty Love Bot, the feature of this operation and it applied like BUTTER. And it was opaque in one coat (but of course I did two). It even looks amazing in the bottle (and I do like these bottles! even though they're smaller than before and I don't get a cute little box for it and cost kind of a lot for less..). Bitty is a cool silvered green, not streaky but did bubble a little. The next one I try, I won't shake the bottle mebbe. Dried in like an instant though.

The first two photos are colour accurate and the ones after... not so much.

But shiny!

Are you a fan of metallics and foils? (On that note, can somebody tell me the difference? =3)

NCC: Stamping #2

My second attempt was a MUCH greater success =3 I am so proud!

I began with Rainbow Honey Ivy's Kiss. Over top, I chose RA-115 and stamped using Billie silver.

 Because I'm terrible at placement and this stamp was a single image one instead of a whole-nail pattern, I streaked the bottom on an angle to create a sort of frenched look.

 And then I matted it! My camera seemed to prefer this =P

Took a page from one of my favourite bloggers, Let Them Have Polish.

Swatch: Rainbow Honey Ivy's Kiss

Phew, it's been a while. I certainly have time to paint my nails now, but my last design lasted for a whole week. Apparently that black light polish is an amazing topcoat. Who knew?

Anyway, this week I have a colour I splurged on called Ivy's Kiss. It's a green jelly base with lots of glitter. The glitter is in golds and other colours I'm sure but the jelly just kinda washes it all green so I'm not sure there was a point =P It looks nice regardless.

I think this is three coats.

My camera did not like this colour AT ALL. It is MUCH closer to China Glaze Running in Circles.

What do you think of greens?

Swatch: Rainbow Honey XOXO and WarPaint Black Light

Now, beginning from yesterday's nails, I did as I always do with imperfect design execution: GLITTER.

I went out this night, with these nails and the intent was to match them to a certain dress. You'll observe the fabric below <3

I think it worked very well! The colours are there anyway =3

Since I was going out, I wanted to make some use of this black light topcoat I've had for a while. It actually hued everything a slight purple! There's an ultraviolet colouration to its edges in the bottle but I didn't think it would translate. The photo below shows the difference - Black Light polish on my thumb only. It was more noticeable in person of course. Sigh, cameras.

If you compare to yesterday, you can definitely see that these are lavender, and Joe Cement is not. It looks really nice though! Actually matches my dress pretty well.

What do you think? Do you guys have effect topcoats you like?

NCC May Stamping: IT WORKED.

This will be a two part post. The first is just to squee over stamping that worked even though it looks terrible.

The second part will show the dress I was trying to match =3

First though, let's show the stamping! I started with Joe Cement and Essie Pure Pearlfection.

 And then I stamped using RA-108 and Essence Black is Back.

VICTORY.

Now leave me to my shame and go look at everyone else =P

Cuba 2013 #3: The beach of course!

Oh that beautiful freaking beach!

This was literally behind the resort (we were at Brisas del Caribe, by the way). So gorgeous <3

SO NAILS. Starting with that Julep Claire/Rainbow Honey Bubblebeam combination from yesterday, I frenched some white using acrylic paint. I made it quite thick because reasons ;D

Had enough of that? Good. Now some Zoya Godiva, because nothing else looks like sand like this one does, and now you know the reasons from previous :3

I ended up getting a couple good pics huh? Maybe. What do you think? Beachy enough? It's definitely a little thick on the tips but it seems to be drying down nicely.


Is anybody out there in a nice enough locale to have been to the beach yet?

Swatch: Rainbow Honey Bubblebeam

Phew! Sorry for the time between posts! I've been really stressed out lately and haven't felt much like doing anything. My stomach is still really unhappy about Cuba (I should probably go to a doctor) and I'm petrified of starting the job hunt because I'm afraid everyone will reject me and I'll have to resort to retail again. So of course the logical thing is to sit at home and hide in my blankets, obvs. To be fair, I started drafting up a cover letter today. I've lost my knack for it but it'll come back I'm sure. I just have to DO it.

Anyway, nails! I got my nail mail from Rainbow Honey this week (they're getting faster!) including two LE polishes that I splurged on full size (ugh, I'm never going to get through this whole thing), one of which is Bubblebeam! It's Pokemon inspired so I lusted like the sad fangirl that I am.

Enough of my blathering; I did two coats over Julep Claire.

Ugh, look at how beautifully bright that is!

If you want, check out Rainbow Honey on Facebook and their website! Tell 'em I sent you!

Cuba 2013 #2: Pirates!

(I warn you now, it's gonna be a long post.)

One of the things about the island is that the wildlife is fantastic especially considering tropics + island vs Canadian "temperate rainforest". We don't have neat little lizards and fantastic birds! The best thing I've seen flying around BC is a raven and that thing looks dangerous.

With that omen, I want to talk about a bird Branden and I saw when we were speeding around the ocean on our Catamaran tour. Ours was called the Antares and us and 60 people met a dolphin and snorkeled before being deposited on a white sand beach for lobster lunch and an hour in the blue.

Some scenery:

It was gorgeous, and none of these even includes that white sand beach. Anyway, we saw these birds soaring over the ocean, usually near shore but also between the islands we were going by (nearly open sea).

They had fantastically long wings that looked like seagulls we were used to but they were black as night. Their tails also forked when they were balancing to hover in the air. I never saw them on water, and only at a distance in the air. Anyway, I eventually managed to find them late one night online.

Source

The wings are longer than they look! Anybody know what it is?

Apparently it's the Magnificent Frigatebird! Fregata magnificens. They are considered pirates because they steal their meals from other birds along with skimming the surface for whatever floats near the surface.

I made my tribute in acrylic paint and this is my first time doing a design that spans all my nails. Positioning is HARD! I have a new appreciation for anyone who can pull this type of nail art off. I painted over Orly Viridian Vinyl and Glitzology My Viking Boyfriend.

I had so much trouble identifiying the Frigatebird because all the photos are of its fantastic mating display. They have an inflatable pouch on their neck that turns BRIGHT RED.

Image source: Wikipedia

Look at that sexy thang! For the record, I only saw them in flight, at sea.

I noticed the birds because I have a friend who loves them! I noticed these particular birds because they were incredibly graceful in the air, and their elongated wings and long forked tails were extremely aesthetically pleasing (I like long and skinny - you may have noticed by my boyfriend but it's also in cheetahs, greyhounds and thoroughbreds - things built for speed!).

Do you guys notice wildlife when you travel? What kind?


PS: Shoutouts to my daddy! It's his birthday <3