Toggle to the Bottom

Jk, this post is really about the beautiful essie color Togggle to the Top. I've just been having a rough week, hence the silly title.

Took a bunch of pics in different lighting but none quite capture the gorgeous deep burgundy shimmer/glitter in this color. I later added a little silver star decal on my ring finger, for funsises. 

So here's the picture party... Woo!

One more in natural light: 

In the dark with flash:

Two in incandescent light at night:

Thanks for reading, or rather looking mostly. Love ya'll -Mix

Chinese New Year Theme!

Hey all!

The awesome folks at r/polishgauntet have a monthly theme calendar that always inspires me!

This weeks theme was Chineses New Year! I haven't traditionally celebrated, I researched a little and was definitely overwhelmed with the prescence of red and yellow around the holiday.

I'm currently at a time of new beginnings, therefore I had to keep the many simple and interview ready.

So I used a lovely gold base of Essie Good as Gold and topped with Sinful Colors Guilded. 

Love how they turned out and think the color works nicely with my skin tone. 

Thanks for reading!

Love, Mix

Edit: added more pictures!

I was parked when I took this!

Love car lighting

Not soperfect macro:

 

Cookies and Cream Manicure

I've had my eye on this manicure for a while. My obsession with ice cream made me especially drawn to these nails. I may have paused mid manicure to go get a gallon of Turkey Hill Cookies and Cream ice cream (for source material!).

So when I saw the February themes on r/polishgauntlet included "Ice Cream Treats" I was properly inspired. I looked up a tutorial by Chalkboard Nails (http://www.chalkboardnails.com/2012/06/cookies-and-cream-jelly-sandwich.html?m=1) and got to work.

I adjusted the colors based on what I had in my collection. I used a base of Sinful Colors Snow Me White. Then one coat of Nubar Black Polka Dot. Followed by one coat of OPI Bubble Bath, for that squishy, translucent jelly effect. Finally, another coat of Nubar Black Polka Dot, sealed with OTD top coat.

              (Diffused natural light)

                   (At night in CFL)

I'm very pleased with the results! Good enough to eat! I actually own Black Tie Optional but opted for the more subtle Nubar after throughly studying (read: eating) my source material! And I'm glad I did.

Show me your ice cream/yummy food inspired manis or even better, bust out an ice cream mani for the theme contest! Thanks for reading! <3

House Purse Mania

Time to show off my new "house purse", created and sold by my good friend Suzi.  She made these awesome little purses to carry around the house, to hold your essentials!  My friends and I love this concept! I use my house purse to transport my phone and dozens of polish bottles upstairs/downstairs.

My house purse came "fully loaded" for a nail art lover. Polish, stripers, files, buffers, and my cuticle butter! Check it out!

So of course I did a manicure to match the awesome hot pink/blue bananda house purse I received.

Stamping, glitter and gels! Very pleased with this mix and match manicure.

The pink is Na-no Way-Fuse Gelnamel. The teal and glitter are China Glaze-Custom Kicks and Jordana-Celestia, respectively. The white is Spoiled-Snow Me White.

Thanks for reading! If anyone is interested in owning a house purse, let me know/comment and I can pass you along to Suzi for more info!

Last Minute Fourth of July Manicure

Better late than never!

I very nearly ran out of time on these! I already knew I wanted a simple design, because the colors are a bit loud. So this post is all about gorgeous, saturated colors.

Happy Birthday America!

   I chose one picture with the flash and one without, so you can get the full effect of these awesome colors/glitters.The red is Sally Hansen Gel Polish in Red My Lips, gel is the only polish that lasts at my job!

   Next is Essie Aruba Blue under OPI Get Your Number, a gorgeous liquid sand. I used gel topcoat on the accent nails as well to help them last. Finally, the white is Sinful Colors Snow Me White topped with Essie Set in Stones (so sparkly).

   The bottle in the photo is this awesome patriotic glitter topper I found at Walmart,  but was too chicken to use! Maybe next year, sigh! Its awesome, unique, and only $2 so I wanted to share! Save Me a Spot by Salon Perfect.

   Stay tuned for a post including my friend's handmade 'house purse' and matching manicure!

Homemade cuticle butter

I'm introducing my very own Prickly Pear homemade cuticle butter!

Made by hand with organic coconut oil, grapefruit extract, peppermint essential oil, and vitamin E, this cuticle butter is awesome. 

Each screw cap container comes with a custom handmade nail polish stone. You can choose a color if you decide to order. Or you can DIY!

The stones in the picture are made with Salon Perfect Kaboom over China Gpaze Custom Kicks, CG Fairy Dust over Cover Girl Pink-finity, Essie Tart Deco, and Essie Full Steam Ahead. They're held on with Gorilla Glue! 

Use the button on the right side of the full web page to order. $4 total including tax and shipping!

Hello world!

This is my first ever blog post! I've been posting nail pics for a few years but never organized a formal blog!

So welcome lovelies, thanks for visiting!

My first post includes the gorgeous and inexpensive I Need a Refresh-mint by wet n wild. I painted all my nails with 2 coats of INRM, the formula is very highly pigmented, but slightly streaky so be gentle.

After they dried (like 2-3 hrs!) I put striping tape down 3-5 per nail. Painted over with Secret Admirer, a sparkly/shimmery dark grey. Quickly lifted the tape while the polish was still wet.

Let dry briefly then sealed with 2 thin coats of Out the Door top coat.

Love it! Got a few compliments! <3