Sunday, November 24, 2013

Update 11/24/13

Hey Guys!
As usual I'm really sorry that I have been slacking in the blog department.  Things have just been a little on the crazy side here.  I thought I would just update you on whats been up with me.  I did finish the September nail art challenge, I just never got around to posting the blog posts.  In the last few weeks i've been really busy with playing concerts and doing school work.  There has been some drama amongst my friend group, but that is only to be expected of  any college student.  My college football team is going to the playoffs which is really exciting! Unfortunately the band will not be playing.  The upside is that I will get to spend more time with my family over Thanksgiving break.  I have not been home since August and won't get to go home until December, but it will be good to get to see my family for a bit.  I have three more weeks left in the semester, so hopefully I will be able to paint my nails more often and put up some more blog posts soon!
Hope y'all are having a great semester!
~ Mary Elizabeth
Pumpkin patch with Maggie

Jazz night with Maggie, Hannah, and Bee

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

September Nail Art Day 3: School!

Hey Everyone!
I apologize for this look being so late, but I've had a pretty busy weekend and haven't had time to write a post.  Anyway, the theme for day three is school colors.  My school's colors are red, white and blue, but I decided to substitute white for silver just so I could use a little glitter.  Cuz who doesn't like a little glitter, right? :)




For a base color I used Sally Hansen Complete Salon in Navy Baby.  I thought about using red as a base, but I think the navy is a little more classy.  Then I used Zoya Sarah to add a red stripe on the side.  The silver stripe was added with my Kiss silver glitter polish.  This is one of my favorite ways to do my nails lately, and I think it does my school's colors justice.  I hope y'all enjoyed, and stay tuned for more (day 4's design will be a little late too)!  Have a terrific Tuesday, and bow wow bulldogs!!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

September Nail Art Day 2: Gold and Teal

Hey everybody!
Today I am posting the first of my September nail art designs!  Today's theme is gold and teal. These colors represent childhood and ovarian cancer awareness, for which September is the month.  Not gonna lie, this ended up reminding me of perry the platypus.  Here's what I came up with!



I started with a base color of OPI Fly.  This is a little darker teal than I was hoping for, but it works.  Then I used OPI Goldeneye as a gradient.  I'm really excited that this worked! I was a little bit skeptical as to whether this would work or not, so I'm glad to have discovered a new technique. 
I hope y'all enjoyed, and be sure to stop back on Saturday for school colors day!  Have a fabulous rest of your week!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Monday, September 2, 2013

September Nail Art!

Hey Guys!
First off, Happy Labor Day!  I apologize that I haven't blogged in a while, but I've been getting settled back into the routine of school and my new room and roommate.  So far it's been a really good year! Anyway, today I wanted to let y'all know about my plan for painting my nails in September.  I found this on Instagram and decided it would be a great idea to keep me on track!
This is the basic chart of when I will be posting.  Now I know you're probably thinking, "Wait a sec, today is the 2nd; where's the camo?"  The answer to that question boils down to wearability.  Not only is camo really difficult and a little above my skill level, but I really would never wear camo in real life.  I do in fact have to go to class and band and things like that, so i'd like to enjoy what's on my nails :) Anyway, that's my plan for the month, and I will try to stay consistent.  I will also be posting pictures on my instagram, so be sure to follow me at @theatre_geek1712.  Also, be sure to follow @californails, the creater!  I hope y'all enjoy this, and i hope you will join me! If you do decide to join in, be sure to leave a comment and use the hashtag #nailartsep.  I hope y'all have a great week!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Living on the Edge

Hey y'all!
So today's post is an edgy half moon mani.  I was trying to think of something fun to do with my nails that didn't require freehand.  I really enjoyed doing this, and I hope y'all enjoy it as well!



For the base color I used OPI Suzi and the Seven Dusseldorfs.  This is a beautiful warm purple shade.  It takes two or three coats to get it solid (I used two for this), but it is definitely worth it!  Next I placed two pieces of scotch tape on each nail in order to make a V.  I painted the space it left with Sinful Colors Black  on Black.  This only took one coat.  Then I used my Kiss gold glitter to outline the V shapes to clean up any messes made and give a gold pop. 
I hope y'all enjoyed this, and I hope you'll give it a shot!  I've got several posts planned, so keep your eyes peeled!  Have a terrific Tuesday!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Striping Tape Fun!

Hey Everyone!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I got a new job so i've been a little busy.  Also, my job requires me to open Pandora bracelets all day which takes a toll on my nails.  However I have been painting my nails, so I have some posts coming up soon! Anyway, today's post is more playing with my striping tape :) I'm really having fun coming up with designs using this tape.  Hope you enjoy!



So the base color I used is Zoya Jem.  I hadn't used this one in a while, so I thought it would be a fun color to use.  I applied one coat of Out the Door fast dry top coat and waited about 10 minutes for it to fully dry (mainly because I didn't decide to do the gold until later).  Then I placed small pieces of striping tape diagonally along my ring finger nail and painted over them with OPI Glitzerland.  If you've been reading my blog posts for a while then you will know that Glitzerland is one of my favorite and most used polishes.  It's not one that I use all over my nails that often, but I use it all the time for details and designs.  I think these colors go really well together.  I know they're not very summery, but I was just feeling purple and gold.
I hope y'all enjoyed this, and if you're looking for striping tape you can find it pretty cheap on amazon.com.
Also, how would y'all feel about me doing some more personal posts/videos such as tags? Let me know in the comments below.  I think in the next few days I might show y'all my nail polish collection.  It's not huge, but I think it might be fun for y'all to see how I organize my polish and stuff.  Anyway, have a fabulous day!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Spring Trend Tribal

Good morning lovlies!
This week I got an exciting package in the mail: my first roll of striping tape! So I decided to break it in by creating this tribal design.  Hope y'all enjoy!




I started off with two coats of China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint on.  This is a really pretty, shimmery mint color.  The I placed two small pieces of striping tape on my nail, one just above the tip and the other diagonally from the top of the first.  I then painted a coat of China Glaze Mimosas Before Manis.  These two colors are so in this season! Next I used my black Kiss nail art polish to outline the tape lines, create the zigzag, draw stripes, and add polka dots.  I used my Francesca's gold nail art polish to make the gold line along the top and used my gold Kiss glitter to fill in the black stripes.  I had a lot of fun making this design!
I hope y'all enjoyed this look, and have a wonderful Wednesday!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Mod Mint

Hey Everyone!
I am super excited about today's post!  This is a design I found on pinterest, and I thought it would be fun.  It takes a while to do, but it was totally worth it!  Enjoy!




The base color I used is Julie G Gelato in Venice.  I love the formula of this polish! It is a little thick, but it goes on quite smoothly.  For the white on my middle finger and pinky, I used OPI Alpine Snow, which I desprately need a back up of.  I used a thin nail art brush to draw diagonal lines across those two nails.  I then used the normal polish brush to fill in the top two triangles.  I let that dry and then used my Kiss nail art polish in black to create the other diagonal lines.  This creates an argyle effect.  For the other three fingers I used the same base color and used OPI Berlin There, Done That on one third of  each nail.  I used my silver Kiss nail art polish to add the almost plaid look to the nails.  As you can see, the design isn't perfect, but it was really fun to do and looks super cute :)
I hope y'all enjoyed, and have a terrific Tuesday!
~ Mary Elizabeth
"Your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light on my path" Psalm 119:105

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Blue Skies and Sunshine

Hey guys!
Today's post is a really fun yet classy summer mani that I think looks like the gorgeous blue skies outside my window! It is a reverse glitter fade that glistens beautifully in the summer sunlight.  Hope y'all enjoy!


For the base color I used Essie Bikini So Teeny.  I did a review on this color and one other from that collection about this time last year, so feel free to go check it out here.  I love this blue because it is not as intense as some of the other blues I own.  The glitter is my standard glitter fade go to, OPI Glitter-ally the Best Silver Ever.  This makes a great combo that looks very classy.  It is so simple and so perfect for summer, a day at the beach, or any other day :) Hope y'all enjoyed, and have a fabulous weekend!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Thursday, May 23, 2013

My First Indie Polishes!

Hey everyone!
I finally bought my first indie polishes!  My roommate introduced me to these, and I am so excited! I bought two polishes from LynBDesigns on Etsy.  The main reason I bought these is because they are Princess Bride themed.  The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies of all time.  That is one of those movies that I never get tired of.  Anyway, the colors are absolutely gorgeous, and the names simply make me giddy :)  Hope you Enjoy!
 Here's what the bottles themselves look like.  How cute!  The collection is called Dweam Wiffin a Dweam, which is pretty much the best name ever.

 The first polish is called The Spaniard.  It is a sheer sliver with large particles of white glitter.  This is a beautiful color that would look gorgeous on top of other colors.  For the photos I used two coats, but I think it would take three to get a really solid color.  I think this is really pretty, but the formula took a little more effort to work with than I usually like.  Still totally worth it though!



 Now this is the polish that I was the most excited for.  This one is called It's Inconceivable.  It is a glitter polish with lots of blue, purple, red, and silver glitter.  Again, I used two coats for these photos.  This one really only needs two coats to be solid.  I can't wait to try this out over some other polishes!  I am absolutely satisfied with the way this one turned out, and I can't wait to see what all I can do with it.
I hope y'all enjoyed this, and I hope to be getting some more indies soon to review.  I am glad to say that I will be doing lots of posts this summer, so I hope you will return soon to see what i've got for you :) Have a tremendous Thursday!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

First Try: Feather Freehand

Hello lovelies!
Today's post is another installment of my ongoing first try series.  I saw a design similar to this on pinterest and thought I would give it a shot.  I tried this feather design on two different nail looks.  The polishes I used are all Kiss nail art polishes in black, white, and silver glitter.  This is how it turned out!

 The first time I tried the feather on was a french manicure I was already sporting.  I used OPI Barre My Soul as the base color.  For the french I used OPI Alpine Snow.  I topped it off with OPI Happy Anniversery.  This added a slight shimmer and kinda cleaned up the edges of the french and places that I didn't get as crisp of a line as I would like.  This feather was my first attempt, and it didn't turn out quite as clean as I had planned.  But hey, not bad for the first shot!


This second look is a little more simple.  I used Pretty Please Preppy Pink as my base color.  The picture shows this as a much paler pink than it really is.  I was able to get a much prettier feather this time.  I feel like this looks really classy and spring appropriate.  
I hope y'all enjoyed this post, and I hope that this inspires you to try new things out yourself!  Have a lovely day!
~ Mary Elizabeth Curl
 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

Monday, May 20, 2013

I feel summer comin' on...

Hey everybody!
I hope y'all had a great weekend!  So I just started summer vacation, so I thought I'd post a look that I did using one of the most summery things i could think of: NEON!  Hope you enjoy!



So to start off I used China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise.  This is a neon turquoise color with some slight shimmer.  It is not what most people generally think of when they think neon (it's not just eye searing), but it is still very vibrant.  I topped that with Sephora by OPI Not Your Average Turquoise.  I love this turquoise glitter!  The only problem I have with it is that I kinda had to fish for the bigger pieces of glitter, but that is pretty common for polishes like this.  I used my Francesca's nail art pen in gold to add the half moons at the top of the nail.  I finished off with a coat of top coat.
I hope y'all enjoyed this look!  I expect to get a good amount of posts in now that I am off for summer break, so keep your eyes peeled!  Have a terrific Tuesday!
~ Mary Elizabeth