I Can Haz Gumdrops?

On my fingertips, that is. ;)

I couldn't bear to wear that awful polish any longer and got busy and changed my mani. I haven't worn Orly Gumdrop, yet so I decided to take it for a spin. I like. :D

Gumdrop is a pastel green blue creme. It applies very nicely and is opaque in two coats. It was a little streaky in a couple of spots but I think that was due more to my application, not the polish. Any draggy spots smoothed to nothing with a nice topping of good old Seche.

This colour reminds me of China Glaze For Audrey. I don't know how close they really are. Maybe I will do a side by side, before I do a new paint job. Swatch them together.

Picture taken indoors in natural light not flash. Seche... Sooo shiny. :D

With flash. The flash really picks up the white base of these pastel cremes.

In other news of the day... I am having a good day. I am on track and in control and happy to be that way. Staying on an even keel continues to get a little easier and I have to think about it less and less. I know that this is no guarantee that every day will be the same but for right now it is good and I'll take it and be grateful.

I have come to accept that this is how I will have to eat for the rest of my life. I will have to keep my calories at a certain level while the weight is coming off and then at a certain level to keep it that way. I will always have to be mindful of what I am putting in my mouth and why and I will most likely have to track my food in one way or another, for always. And I am perfectly okay with that.

I get that I will never be able to eat like a "normal person"; whatever that means. If that means pounding double cheeseburgers and chocolate milkshakes whenever I want, then no. I will never be able to eat like a normal person. But I will be able to eat like a normal person. For my "normal". Whatever that normal is going to look like. Right now, in this moment my normal looks like it does, right now. As I change, so will my normal. And, when that day comes that I get to transition to maintenance, I will have a normal for that, too. It should be interesting to see how this all develops over time. :D

I kind of get a tickle out of knowing that my normal will not look like anyone else's normal. I am unique, I am different and special and I will have to have my own personal, fabulous normal. Custom designed just for me. :D :D :D

I wonder when I am going to be ready to get on the scale, again? The thought has begun flitting, oh so briefly through my brain, lately. Perhaps, one day soon, that little flitting thought will become action. I'll just let it happen when it happens. :D

Another Day in Paradise

Uh, you do hear the sarcasm in my fingers, don't you?

My day is going well. I am on track. In fact, I am way low. My calories are sitting in the 600's right now. I just haven't been all that hungry, today. And my gallbladder and pancreas are bugging me. I am tired of the discomfort and am looking forward to getting something done about it. I just need to hang in there and get more weight off. Surgery is safer when one weighs less. And I would like to be as far below 300 as possible, if things hold out that long. And yes, part of my reluctance is my attitude about being fat and asking for medical help. lol

Anyhoo. I need to be sure to get a good, nourishing dinner and I will have plenty of calories left that I can indulge in a Skinny Cow for dessert, maybe.

Today was kill my French manicure day. Normally, French manis die fast and quiet on me. I chip the heck out of the white tips and it looks like crap. This time, a little minor touching up and the thing was ready to go on and on. lol I did it in because I was tired of it.

First, before cleaning off my polish, I swatched Orly Lemonade. Pretty, pretty polish. Lemonade looks like sunshine and happiness in a little glass bottle. It is a soft, medium yellow creme. Application was not too bad, for a yellow. I have read a lot of complaints about yellow polishes and expected this one to be a real battle. I did have to apply three coats to get it smooth and opaque and top coat did improve it further. But, with a little care, Orly Lemonade is fairly easy to apply and is easy to clean up, too. I liked it when I swatched it and I will definitely be wearing it as a full mani. :D

Orly Lemonade, three coats with top coat. Indoors, in natural light through my window. No flash.

With flash. It is like having sunshine on my fingertips. :D

Am I the only one who thinks that the Orly Sweet collection polishes are like milk paints?

Maybe I'm koo-koo. lol

I did a mani today with Sinful Colors What's Your Name? It is black with teal blue shimmer/glitter. It's pretty. Not as exciting as say, Lubu Heels, but still a great looking polish. It applied very nicely. Two coats to smooth opacity. I was feeling very good about my application and applying Seche to my right hand when I somehow did a Doctor Destructo on my ring finger nail on my left hand. Dented that bad boy right down to the surface of my nail. I considered taking the whole thing off, as I knew that there was no way I could just clean off that one nail. More skilled polish divas could have done it with their eyes closed and one hand tied behind their backs.

Not I.

So, I licked a finger and smoothed the damage the best I could, and started to repair it. I applied a full coat of colour to the nail. Then I dropped a drop in the crater, smoothed it and let it sit a minute. Then did the same thing, again. A thick coat of Seche and you could hardly tell that minutes before the polish had a huge hole in it.

I took the usual pics, then thought about what to do about the flawed nail. Should I leave it? Change my polish? Uh, hello! You have decals! Nail art decals! :D Perfect cover for the spot. So I applied them and top coat over and Poof! Gone. :D I can live with it for a few days, now. :D

Sinful Colors What's Your Name? Indoors, in natural light through my window. No flash. Look at that teal shimmer just dying to burst free.

Outdoors in direct sun. I was trying to catch the sparkle and scintillation. Epic fail. This stuff dances in sunlight.

After adding decals to cover the covered crater. I like those decals but I am thinking that they don't really go all that well with this polish. Maybe I should have put some clear jelly "rhinestones" over the purple flower centres. The clear might have been better. *shrugs* I need to go shopping for more decals. :D

My nail post for today. :D

I didn't chip my polish when, earlier I tried with the aid of a circular saw to transform my big, hulking oak monstrosity of an entertainment centre into a stand for the flat screen. Epic fail. I got the initial cuts made, Husband and Son lifted the top off and the whole thing fell to pieces. We are borrowing Son's TV stand until we can afford a new one.

A good idea that just didn't work out. Not a big loss, really . We hated the big old ugly thing. And now, my living room looks and feels bigger and brighter. :D

Ick. I have fine sawdust on me. And I itch. I might have to take another shower. lol

A Couple of Manis and a Really Pretty Day and Stuff

Hi everyone. I hope that you are all well.

I am feeling a bit better. My migraine has calmed a bit and I am doing better, today. I am planning to get out for my walk in a little bit. I am just waiting for the sun to go down, I'll take off around a quarter to seven.

I am on track. I am doing better calorie wise than yesterday. Thursdays are always a bit high for me. Not drastically so, I don't go off the rails or anything. I just don't keep it as low as I like.

I have noticed that my binge impulses are coming on less and less often. Will I ever be completely free of them? I don't think so. I think, to a certain extent, things like that become hard wired and can't be completely shut off after they do. I know that I have ot, even now be vigilant about my occasional impulse to smoke. I quit smoking sixteen years ago and I am happy that I did and I have no desire to ever return to that pattern of behaviour. But, I do admit, that when things get rough or I need to calm down, I think, briefly and longingly of having a cigarette. Just one, to get me over the hump. Yeah... Not going to happen. Ever. But I do have the thoughts, now and again.

Hard wired.

I haven't given in to a binge impulse in a while, now. I don't like to count days... It makes me feel pressure and then I want to alleviate that pressure by binging. lol How effed up is that? lol But even tho I am not giving in, I know that if I do, it could cause me to spin severely out of control. And I don't want to go there. I am hoping that as time goes by and controlling the urge becomes easier, something I just do, rather than have to fight, I won't have the feeling that I will go off the rails. I am trying very hard to learn to trust myself.

I don't want this to be a fight. I don't want to have to white knuckle it and works so. damned. hard. in the future.

Does that make any sense?

Okay, so... Nails. I haven't posted a couple of mani pics so here they are. :D

This was my mani for the last few days. Orly Snowcone topped with China Glaze Fairy Dust. This mani was a lot prettier in person than it photographed. Snowcone is a beautiful Summer sky blue and Fairy Dust is a magical silver holographic glitter. You can see the holo in the pic of the bottle. :D

I am currently rocking a French. Sally Hansen White On for the tips and OPI Hearts and Tarts for the pink. This is my all time favourite sheer pink. It is very soft and natural looking and has the barest hint of opalescence in the right light. I love, love, love this polish. If I have to do a fast one coater to get out the door in a rush, I reach for this one. I wore it while rehabing my nails after I destroyed them and I love it for a French. My little heart will break if OPI ever discontinues this colour. Methinks I need a backup bottle. :D

I like this manicure but, boy! What a pain in the ass it was to apply and to get dry. Frenches always are. One big reason why I so rarely do my own. I did this mani this morning and it is still a tad dentable. And it won't last long, either. My French always chips madly and fast. *sigh* So much work for such a short life. lol

Forgot to mention what a gorgeous day it is, didn't I? Well it is. In the seventies, a breeze to keep one comfortable and brilliantly sunny. The birdies are chirping like crazy and keeping my cat endlessly entertained. :D

Just a Quickie

I don't have a lot of time right now... Husband is off and bogarting the TV. lol I just have a couple of minutes to say Hi! I hope that everyone is having a great day and post my latest mani really quick. Oh yeah and I am nicely on track and everything is well. :D

I did a new mani, Sinful Colors Mint Apple. I am a little late to the mint party... No surprise as I am never in the thick of a trend. I like to think about things and by the time I get into them, everyone is moving on to the newest and better while I am raving and getting all breathless over what is now "Soooo five minutes ago!" lolol

This is pretty nice polish. A little bit of a pain to work with. I needed three coats for opacity and it wanted to drag and bubble a bit, SO I kind of had to work with it a bit. But I like the colour a lot. A mid toned mint green with subtle shimmer. I am wearing it alone but I think that topping it with a glitter... Say China Glaze Fairy Dust could be really pretty. Nothing like a little holo to make a girl happy. :D

So, what do you think... Like? Not like? Couldn't care less? lolol

Okay, I must run. I hope to be back on later or catch some time, tomorrow.

Love and hugs!

Current Mani

Okay, 'nuff self absorbed whining. Thank you for listening. *hugs*

Now for the fun stuff. Today's nails. My red and gold mani chipped badly so I decided not to try to repair it and changed it. I decided to do a combination again. China Glaze Frostbite (which is fast becoming my favourite blue, right behind For Audrey :D) topped with Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Hidden Treasure. Hidden Treasure is a slightly opalescent jelly packed with flakies. No glitter. I applied one coat with a little extra here and there to cover a few bald spots.

Two coats China Glaze Frostbite. This polish always photographs lighter than it really is.

Frostbite topped with Hidden Treasure. The flakies didn't photograph really well. There are plenty of flakies in this polish. They are a kind of duo chrome copper-rose that shifts to green and blue, blurple, even a bit of pink, depending on the light and angle.

Another shot. All pictures were taken indoors in light coming in through my window without flash. It was an overcast day.

My very stained nails. This time when I wore Sinful Colors Go-Go Girl, it really stained my nails. The photograph washes out the stain somewhat. They are pretty bad. I was really dismayed when I took off my polish and my nails were so stained. And I used two coats of base coat, too. *sigh* Hopefully it will fade. I could probably whiten my nails a bit with a little toothpaste or peroxide, if I feel I need to. :)

Oh my gosh! I just showed my nekkid nails on teh interwebz!!! lol

Current Mani: Red and Gold Scintillation

Hi everyone. :D

I have a new mani to show, today. My black and flakie mani was chipping so I decided to change it out. I chose a combination of Sinful Colors Go-Go Girl and China Glaze Golden Enchantment. Woo hoo! Talk about sparkle plenty. The Sinful is a pretty red that I have worn and shown, before. Golden Enchantment is a clear jelly packed with micro glitter that in the shade looks like gold dust sprinkled over my nails. Then the sun hits it and it just goes crazy. Dancing, scintillating light and colour. Firing gold, red, yellow, pink, orange. Golly, I love this polish. :D

Pictures:

Sinful Colors Go-Go Girl. Three coats. If I were wearing this alone, I would have to have applied a fourth coat.

Topped with two coats of China Glaze Golden Enchantment. This is sooo pretty. :D Now I have to get Fairy Dust. Golden Enchantment's silver sister.

More Sparkly goodness. :D

Can you see all of the colours? As usual, this stuff is really hard to photograph in a manner that does it justice.

Obligatory annoying blurry pic to show the sparkle a little better.

I like this and I will definitely do it, again. I really want to try Golden Enchantment on other colours. Like blue. And pink. An green and... And... :D

Mani of the Moment: Black Opals

Today was time to do a fresh manicure. The decals on my nails were a pain, they were wearing off and my nails were looking bedraggled so off with the old and on with the new. I decided to do a two layer mani, using China Glaze Liquid Leather and Sinful Colors Green Ocean.

I bought Green Ocean a few weeks ago at Walgreen's. I saw it swatched in a blog and thought that it would make a nice substitute for Nfu-Oh flakies that are just not in my budget, right now. The Sinful has a mix of glitter and flakes in a slightly green clear base. It is really pretty in the bottle and on the nails, too. I love the colour shifts, from green to blurple to blue, depending on the light and the angle at which it is viewed.

I started with two coats of China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base. I did two coats, as I wasn't sure if the black polish will stain or not. Then I did three coats of Liquid Leather. It is thin, but it builds to a deep, true black. I love how easy this polish was to control. I did a surprisingly neat polish job and clean up was fast and easy. :D

China Glaze Liquid Leather. In light coming in through my window, no flash. Look how shiny! :D I like this polish and will be wearing it on it's own, too.

With three coats of Sinful Colors Green Ocean. I think I went a little overboard with the stuff but I was entranced by it and had to put on more, more, more. :D

My kitteh, Marley helped me model my manicure. Or, should I say, he tolerated me using his pretty orange coat as a backdrop for my nails. lol You can click the kitteh for a larger pic. :) (Please forgive the dried out skin... I was waiting for my polish to dry enough to moisturise my hands.)

I like this look a lot. It is enchanting and a little mesmerizing. I have a hard time keeping my peepers off my nails. I think that they look like black opals. :D

Mani Fail, Moocharrific Pets and Strawberries Forever

Husband went to pick up Son from work yesterday and while there picked up a lovely large container of strawberries. Only three dollars and a ton of lovely, flavourful berries. That are already almost gone! lol We all like strawberries in this house. Yes, I am behaving... Watching my portions and counting the calories. But I am really enjoying them. :D

We got them at Fry's. If you have a Fry's or other Kroger family grocery store nearby, they probably have the same deal going. :D

Om nom nom nom. :D

My pets, both of them are consummate moochers. Marley, being a wild kitty when he first became a member of the family had no concept of what "mooch" meant.

He learned fast.

He took his big Sister's example and learned the techniques for scoring maximum goodies for minimal effort. Both of the animals will come running and park themselves in their positions when they hear any activity in the kitchen. If the can opener runs, no matter where he is in the house, Marley comes running, meowing and weaving around your ankles, convinced that there is tuna in the offing. (Sometimes there is.)

When you sit down to eat, you can look up and see a little orange head with green eyes and a large black and grey head with brown eyes in your direct eye line, looking hungry, desperate and just begging you to "Drop it! Drop it! Drop it!"

Husband came home from work during his lunch break and made himself a sandwich. I had to laugh at the site of the animals, watching him so intently, just hoping against hope to bag a goodie.

Okay... Bugs in the align feature again. Oh well.

To continue, I decided to have a little fun with the old nails, today. My For Audrey mani was getting a little careworn so I decided to do a French of sorts. I figured that since I was ready for a polish change, it was time to have a little fun.

I grabbed my French tip guide tapes and applied them on all of my nails. These tapes are great. Easy to use. But they have insane sticky and unless the polish or base is completely dry and cured, they will pull polish off your nails. As I found out one night when I tried to do a traditional French. lol

With tapes applied. :D You can see the tip wear on my thumb nail. I have to say, I am impressed with this polish. It is one of the longest lasting colours in my collection, so far. :D

After I applied the tapes, I painted on two coats of China Glaze Liquid Leather. Then I removed the tapes and applied a coat of Seche. Ruh-Roh! I made some smudges of black down in the blue fields. Not sure how I managed that trick, but I did.

Left hand. (Before clean up, of course.)

Right hand. Smudgety-smudge. I also smudged black into the blue on my right thumb. Maybe I applied Seche too soon and that cause some of it. The smudge on my ring finger was an effort to clean up a little over-paint spot. Ha! That really worked well. Not! lol

What to do about the smudges???

I know!

Decals!

Everything is better with nail art! :D

After decals and a coat of Out The Door. These decals are crap. I am convinced of it. I applied top coat and the decals on both ring fingers lifted and bubbled up and I had to smoosh them down. So they ended up wrinkled and shrunk down from their original position. Waaahhh! This shot was taken with flash.

And in natural light coming in through my window. No flash. You can really see where it is mucked up on my ring finger nail. Blech! Stupid decals, anyway. I think that they are pretty but I hate the way that they react to top coat.

A little while ago, I was peeling potatoes and kind of sliced the top coat on my left bird finger with my peeler. After I got the potatoes chopped and into a saucepan (Husband and Son are clamoring for mashed potatoes to go with their chicken for dinner, tonight) I decided that a nice coat of Seche would fix up that nail very nicely. Applied a coat and; crappity doo dah!!! The decal on my left bird finger also bubbled up. I pressed and flattened it back down and smoothed out the fingerprints so that most of the nail is glossy but the area over the decal looks a bit dull and the decal looks mooshed. And now, bits of stuff are trying to stick up on my right ring finger from that decal bubble misadventure earlier.

*sigh*

I can't decide whether or not to keep the mani for a bit and see how well it wears or just clean it off and start over. I'll leave it in place overnight. I don't feel like doing my nails under a very dim light at night. My poor old eyes have trouble doing that, any more, so I avoid it, if at all possible. lol

I need an Ott Light. Seriously. It would be lovely for doing my nails, reading and knitting.

Part of this bore-fest with pictures is by way of distraction. There is a can of fat free Pringles in the pantry that is whispering my name and mocking me.

I am resisting. tho I wonder if a good dose of Olestra couldn't hurt me, right now.

You girls probably know where I am going with this.

Yep. I'm a bit stopped up. Phillips Soft Gels are helping. But... Bleargh! I hate getting constipated. It sucks. It is uncomfortable and can be a mess, too. Yeah, you know what I am talking about. :P

Why don't you ever see a constipated man? I swear. Whenever I get plugged up and uncomfortable, I see the men in this house staying on schedule and having no problem, day in, day out. Never a problem. And I resent them and I hate them and I want to hurt them.

Bad.

But instead, I take my stupid stool softeners and glug water until I feel as if my back teeth are floating and I hope for relief.

Stupid men.

I guess I had better go in and turn on the burner under the potatoes.

It's getting hot in here. The oven is on, baking boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it is warm outside and the sun is beginning to set and it is pounding on the wall and window behind me, further warming the air in here. Time to fire up my ceiling fan. :D

Okay. Get off your lazy ass, Erika.

Dude, this entry is like really long. If you got through all of it, I salute you!

It's a Beautiful Day and a Blue Mani of Happiness

It is a lovely, sunny mountain Spring day. (Yes, we have mountains in Arizona... ;) :D) I am rolling with a good day, so far. I had breakfast and haven't really felt an overwhelming need for lunch, yet. I'll go ahead and have it, in a bit but I am not in any rush.

It is So. Frakkin'. Weird. That I am not obsessing and worried about when I am next going to eat. I usually can't think of anything else. It feels so freeing. Yet strange. And a part of me is reveling in it while the other part is shaking in my boots, fearing that it will just evaporate away and leave me, shaking, mourning it's passing.

I really need it to not leave me because I like it.

A lot. :D

New mani day, today. I chose China Glaze For Audrey. So pretty. I love this colour as much as I have known I would. It has been on my lemming list for a while, now and I am so happy to have it, now. And the second I hear rumblings that it will be discontinued, I will have to obtain at least one back up bottle. I am thinking two or three, as I think that this shade would be nice for marbling (which I have yet to try) and maybe mixing, too. But right now, I am just enjoying it on it's own.

My only regret is that I only did two coats. I really think that this is a three coater and I will most likely add a third, later. I need dry nails, right now as I have laundry to finish and wet nails and folding and fluffing don't exactly go well together. :D

This polish is a bit of a chameleon. In natural light it is a true, light slightly greyed Tiffany blue. In fluorescent light and dim light it shows it's green roots and looks a bit more greyed, as well. In fact, in some light, it reminds me of Sleeping Beauty Turquoise. This polish applied very easily, tho it was a bit thin and streaky on the first coat. The second really smoothed it out, tho. A coat of Seche really put it over the top and put a major shine on the whole show. Clean up was easy, too. No staining or other obnoxious BS.

Pictures. :D

In natural light through my living room window, no flash. Look how blue. :D Sorry about the bubble on my ring finger. *blush*

With flash, you can see some of the green and grey in this colour. And these pics don't show that it is a tad thin, in spots. I really should have done three coats. :D And, I went a little overboard on clean up on my middle finger. That gap is a bit... lol

I love, love, love this polish. If you want to try a light blue cream that is a little more sophisticated, a bit more "grown up" in feel, this one may be right up your alley.

Mani of the Day ~~ China Glaze Watermelon Rind

Dreaming of Summer, I am. And what says Summer more than... Watermelon! Lovely, sweet, cold, crisp, juicy watermelon. Mmmmm... I can almost taste it as I type this!

Can't you? :D

I like this polish. I wasn't sure if I would, at first. When I got it applied and the Seche on, I sat and let it dry a bit before I did my clean up and debated as to whether or not I would bother or just take it off. I decided to keep it on and I am so glad that I did. This colour has grown on me. The more I wore it, the more I started to really like it. Then I walked outside and looked at it in direct sun. And... Kapow! This polish just exploded. Shimmering, sparkling, dancing light up and down my nails. It is magical in bright light.

China Glaze Watermelon Rind is a cool, blue based green jelly packed to the rafters with silver shimmer. It applies nicely, as long as you don't have too much polish on the brush. It will flow, if you don't keep an eye on it. And, if you don't have mad polishing skillz, like I don't have mad polishing skillz, be prepared for a little clean up. But do not fear... Clean up is actually pretty easy. I made a bit of a mess and got done with my clean up in just a few minutes. :D

This polish is pretty sheer. I needed four coats to opaque. I still had quite a bit of that oh so annoying VNL after just three. Four took it over the top. I applied over my beloved China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat and topped it with Seche.

Indoors. With flash. In front of a window. This polish tends to photograph a bit dark. It is closer to a true emerald, in person.

Here is a terrific example of how this polish looks and photographs different shades. This is the same polish. On my nail, it is definitely green and in the bottle, it looks teal. lol

Outside in direct sun. I tried and tried to get the scintillation and shimmer that this enamel throws but it just isn't possible with my poor old camera. It really did try. *heart* This stiff is magic, in the sun.

This is a good look at how you can definitely get the true bottle colour on your nails. :D

Indoors, with flash, not in front of a window. Look how dark and sparkly it looks in this picture. I would like to find a polish that really is this colour. Maybe Emerald Sparkle?

Hmmm...

China Glaze Golden Enchantment

What pretty, pretty stuff! I had to do a quick repair job on a chip on my right middle finger polish, last night. So, I decided to go ahead and top my mani with a coat of China Glaze Golden Enchantment.

So. Pretty. Clear jelly packed with micro glitter. Micro glitter that fires every colour of the rainbow whenever light hits it. Micro glitter that just dances and flashes and makes me so. Happy.

These pics were taken at night with flash. Sadly, my camera batteries are deader than a doornail and I need to go buy more, so no sunshine pictures. Just imagine the sparkle you see in the flash magnified. A lot. And you will get how this looks in the sun. :D

I think that this is definitely an over another colour type of glitter. I couldn't imagine that it would be possible to apply enough to wear it alone and get it opaque. I rather like it as a one coater, myself. :D

Piccies. Sorry, they are a little out of order and I don't feel like re doing this post to put them in order so... Please enjoy the random. :D

Super up close sparkle. Whoo hoo! I shouldn't be allowed to play with photographs. ;) lol

Orly Enchanted Forest with a coat of China Glaze Golden Enchantment. How enchanting. *Boo! Hiss! Dodging tomatoes.*

A nice, blurry shot to show the sparkle and colours. :D

One last blur-fest. Ooooo! The colours... Cool, man. Peace!

Sinful Nails :D

So... After yesterday's Pure Ice horror story, I ended up doing my nails with Sinful Colors Gogo Girl. I picked it up at the drug store for less then two clams. :D :D It is a pretty red jelly that looks either cool or warm, depending on the lighting. I applied three coats, I really should have done four as I still have some VNL but after the beating my nails and I took, yesterday, after three coats, I had had enough fun. I was done. lol

This polish was a bit of a pain to apply; it wanted to be draggy, streaky and it has a thing for bubbling. Tho the bubbles were easy to get rid of. I had my doubts about the final finish of my nails. Then I slicked on a nice, thick coat of Seche and when it dried my nails had a perfect, smooth, glossy finish. This polish dries a little slow, even with Seche. If you use it, be prepared to be careful for a while.

*shrug* Nail polish is weird stuff. :D

I like this polish. I like the colour and the way it looks. I will definitely wear this one again and again. Tho I will be sure to do four coats, next time. VNL kind of annoys me, unless I am doing a French.

Photo taken indoors. With flash. Glossy, shiny goodness. :D

Outdoors. No flash on a cloudy day. See how different lighting skews the tones of this red? :)

Sorry about my dried out cuticles and fingers in these pics. My mani was still a little too tacky to apply lotion and I had badly abused my poor digits with acetone, earlier.

Okay, I need to finish my coffee and get some brekkie. My tummy is a growling. Have a good day, anyone who wanders by. :D

Insanity

Indeed. I didn't have a very good day, today. It wasn't a total bingetastic blowout but it wasn't pretty. I made some bad choices and ended up downing a bit more than 2000 calories for the day. Bleargh! Why the hell do I do this to myself? What is my damage? Maybe one of these days I will figure it out. I'll let you know if I do.

Today was a pretty day. It was a bit hazy but the sun was warm. It got up to about 72 degrees. the wind was chill coming in through my windows but it was refreshing. I figure that by early next month it should be safe to get flowers in the ground. I can't wait to grow them, this year. I didn't get to, last year and I really missed it. It is so lovely to sit outside on a warm Summer evening and admire bright, colourful blooms and their sweet fragrance.

We went out yesterday so that I could pop into Sally's to pick up a few things. I went in for base and top coat and some French tip guides. I came out with base coat... Two bottles. I just had to get and try Orly ridge filler as I have a few ridged nails and a bottle of my fave China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base. I also got a bottle of Seche. While I was there, I found Out the Door top coat. I decided to pick it up and give it a shot, too. And I finally bought a bottle of polish thinner. Goopy polish drives me batty. Now I can deal with it. :D

As I was sifting around, I found the clearance table and snapped up a bottle of Orly Enchanted Forest. It was marked down to $3.99. It was on my want list so I was happy to get a bargain. :D I Also got a couple of hair accessories that were buy one, get one free. They didn't have any French guides so I went to Walgreen's to see if they had any. They didn't. But I ended up getting an eyeliner, a brow gel, a couple of bottles of Sinful Colors polish and some cute nail art decals. Third stop was CVS where I finally found my guides. I went out for three little items and ended up blowing far more money than I intended. I feel guilty. But I also have to admit that I kind of enjoyed myself. It was a nice treat, doing a little shopping that way.

When we got home, we had dinner then I did a fresh manicure. I decided to use Enchanted Forest. It is a pretty, warm deep green. It isn't blackened or vampy. It is clearly green. It is a nice, opaque cream that only took two coats. It was a tad goopy, I suspect it had been sitting a while but it still applied okay. I topped with Out the Door then applied a couple of those cute decals. I used Seche to top the nails I put the decals on.

I am not mad about Orly ridge filler base. It didn't really fill and smooth any more than China Glaze base. And it was kind of a pain in the brisket to apply. Out the Door was also not all that impressive. It dries a lot more slowly than Seche and doesn't have the lovely glossy shine that Seche does. I'll use up the Orly base and Out the Door over time and I won't be re purchasing them. Orly Enchanted Forest. Taken indoors with flash, early this morning. Before a bunch of housework. It still looks as good, this evening. :D This is two coats over Orly ridge filler base and topped with Out the Door top coat. I like the little decals. They were fun and easy to use. :D They are so cute and affordable, I will definitely buy and use more of them. :D

Why is it I always have a pile of housework to do when I have just done my nails? lol I had a busy morning, scrubbed the bathroom, swept, vacuumed, polished furniture. My house is tidy and clean and everything shines. I can take an easy day tomorrow and do a few things I want to get done.

Tomorrow is Tuesday. V returns. Finally! It's been a long time. :D

AaaaaaachOOOOOOOO!!!

Bleargh! It's that oh-so-loverly time of the year, again.

Allergy season.

:P

Ah, the sneezing, the sniffing, the watery eyes that burn and the clogged up throat. Spring has sprung. lol I bitch about my allergy symptoms and I like to feel sorry for myself and mope around about them a bit. I am lucky, tho. My symptoms aren't as bad as many sufferers. They are annoying and can be a bit of a pain in my considerable ass but I don't have them so bad that they interfere with my life, send me to the doctor in misery and require my taking a ton of medication just to function.

Could be worse. :D

I got out, yesterday and did a little running around, went to Sally's and Walgreen's and CVS. Spent too much money on stuff and had a blast doing it. I don't know how I managed it... I went to get base and top coat and French tip guides and ended up buying them and some decorative decals, several polishes, cotton rounds... You know how it goes. :P Sometimes it is just fun to cut loose a little and do something one absolutely shouldn't. Even if it isn't a major bank breaking splurge.

Oh yeah, I also got brow gel and an eyeliner. I am out of control. lol

Happily, tho... I am in control with my eating and how I am feeling. I had a very good day, yesterday. Calories were a tad low again but I still got enough nourishment. I didn't get shaky or light headed or feel hungry or anything so it was all good. 1005.

Brekkie this morning was two cups of coffee and oatmeal and diced pears. Iz'e stuffed. :D

I have green nails.

Piccies later. :D

Eep! Time's a Flying

I don't have a huge amount of time to natter, right now. I slept late, (indulgent and felt soooo good) had a leisurely brekkie of oatmeal, an orange and coffee. My day is off to a good start and I feel good, today. Head is a bit bad of course but that is normal for me. lol I am even keeled and calm. And grateful for it. I had a good eating day, yesterday. Calories landed at 1140. A little under my target but no worries, I figure that the days I come in a little low help to balance the days I come in a little high.

I have to do a fast nail job. My mani is chipping all over the joint. This polish is a beauty but not much of a comer where it regards being long lasting. Blech. I'll not wear this one as often, knowing this. Oh, well.

I have other stuff to talk about but no time right now. I have to get my nails done and get in the shower. I have places to go and a few things to do.

Later. :D

Almost Forgot!

Da Nailz!

How could I forget the reason a girl lives? lol

Yesterday, I finally got rid of The Ugly Manicure of Doom. Boy, was removing that mess a project. Seriously. It took me half an hour and a pile of cotton rounds ten feet high and gallon of acetone (regular remover wasn't even touching that rock hard mess) or so it felt, to get six nails cleaned off. I was so frustrated and tired of it that I was ready to throw something.

Then I remembered reading on one of the polish blogs I haunt about a technique for removing a hard mani. I made four small squares of foil and soaked four cotton rounds in acetone, pressed the cotton to my nails ans wrapped them tightly in the foil. I wore my "robo fingers" for a few minutes, then using some downward pressure, I slipped them off my fingers. And, *insert angel choir here* the polish slid right off my nails, no effort needed. I was able to use a cotton round a little remover to finish cleaning up and it was just effortless.

From now on, when I do glitter or another hard to remove mani, that will be my method of removal. :D

Robo Fingers. Please forgive my dried out old hag hands. I was playing in acetone and wasn't too worried about lotioning up, at that moment. lol

Fresh, new polish. This is my usual base (China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat) with two coats of OPI Friar, Friar Pants on Fire. A beautiful, warm mid tone red-orange with plenty of gold micro shimmer. Sooo pretty. Topped with Seche. This photo was taken indoors, in sun coming in through my window, no flash. This is the best shot I got and the closest to this truly lovely polish.

Outdoors, in direct sun. I was trying to capture the way this colour fires in the sun but it just came out looking like an orange creme. For some reason, this polish looks like something almost otherworldly in person when in direct sun, the colour comes to life and the micro shimmer sets it on fire. But when I tried to photograph it, it just fell flat. *sigh*

Indoors, with flash. Same problem. It just doesn't photograph well, at all. Especially in strong light. You would think it would be just the opposite.

This was two coats. I should have really done three. Tho it isn't visible in the pictures, I still have a bit of VNL. This polish is a bit thin and flowy and it flowed all over my cuticles. lol I had a lot of clean up to do and this colour doesn't like to be cleaned up. It took me a while. But, I think that the beauty pay off is worth a little extra effort. I don't mind putting in a little overtime for nails that look like this. :D :D Besides, it is a time to just be still, pamper myself and be indulgent. Every girl needs a little of that, now and then. :D

Manicure of Evil Ugly

Sometimes something is done that is just deeply, terribly wrong at a very basic level. This manicure is one of those things. lolol

Spring has sprung and I wanted to celebrate with something bright and pink and fun. As I spun my little carousel that holds my polishes, my eyes landed on my bottle of China Glaze Pink Voltage. A bright pink neon creme. I bought this polish last year and tried to wear it once. It was an unmitigated disaster and I can clearly remember angrily wiping this polish off with remover soaked cotton rounds and swearing that I would never open that bottle of enamel, again.

Pain diminishes over time. It is like that gorgeous but excruciating pair of shoes that you just had to have and wore for half an hour before kicking them off and swearing that you will never put them on, again. Then, a year later, you think, they couldn't have really been that bad. And they are soooo pretty! So, like an idiot, you put the shoes on and within half an hour, they are flying across the room as you violently kick them off.

That is what this polish is like. So bright and pretty in the bottle. So heinous on the nails. Three coats carefully applied resulted in VNL, uneven, streaking and a bald spot or two. It dried dull. Not matte. Not semi matte. Just... Dull. Blech! Yuk! Ew! As I looked at my freshly painted nails, I knew I had made a mistake. I was about to remove it. Then I realised it was dry to touch. That is the one redeeming factor of this horror show of a polish. It dries quickly. So I thought, well, maybe a little glitter will help.

Bwahahahaha!!!! I can hear the evil being inhabiting that bottle of neon pink polish laughing at me as I grab a bottle of Pure Ice Once Again. A sheer light aqua jelly with glitter. I began applying the glitter. And things just kinda went from bad to worse. Three coats were needed for even somewhat even coverage. The aqua slightly toned down the ugly of the base colour. But didn't do anything to improve or redeem it.

Pure Ice Once Again isn't my favourite glitter polish. It might be nicer over a prettier base colour.

Maybe.

I didn't bother refining clean up or with Seche. This mani isn't long for this world. It is coming off tomorrow. I'd do it tonight but I am over mucking with it, right now. God, grant me the strength not to peel. I haven't peeled polish is a long time. And I don't want to start now. lol

Want to see the Manicure of Evil Ugly? Surprisingly, this photographed prettier than it is in person. Usually it is the other way around. So, if you look at the photos and think, "What is she bitching about? It isn't that bad." Think of just how ugly a polish job can be and jack it up about 300%. And you will know what this one looks like. lolol

First pic is outside in sun going behind clouds. No flash. My skin looks dry and tight because it is. I hadn't applied any lotion or oil before taking pictures.

This is Pink Voltage alone. Taken indoors, with flash. It actually looks not horrible in the photograph. Don't let the photograph fool you. The index finger and thumb are closer to the actual colour than the other fingers.

My new Spring wreath. I was making my bed, this morning and remembered my storage container in my closet with some flowers and stuff in it. I hauled out an old grapevine wreath form I had, some random silk flowers and my dykes for cutting stems and got to work. A few minutes later, I had this. I took it downstairs and hung it on the front door. (I photographed it hanging on a kitchen cabinet.) It is white "silk" lilacs, daisies, a big daffodil and a few ivy leaves.

Hopefully, the stupid birds will not build a nest in it, this year. I don't want this one ruined. lol