Hare Polish Anemone Gardens

I am quite ashamed to admit today is the first day I've even looked at my own blog in almost a month and a half.  NOT good!  My browser didn't even remember the URL anymore!  Although that has more to do with the fact my laptop got wiped clean and restored than the lack of viewing.  Yes, that is part of the reason I've been MIA for so long... all of a sudden, I could not get past the login/startup screen and kept receiving an error message about my profile not being able to load.  Thankfully, my brother's friend is a whiz with all things computer related, so he took a look at it and determined there was a couple errors in the hard drive (whatever that means!) and also thankfully, it didn't have a virus.  So he recommended a total wipe.  Oy.  I was a bit nervous, what with having all my precious photos stored on my laptop alone, but he double-backed them up and everything seems to be back in order. :)  Thank you, Adam!!! (I bought him a giant bottle of Captain and a 2 liter of Diet Coke as a thank you, since guys seem to most appreciate something they can eat or drink and I wasn't about to cook for him)

Aside from that, I've actually had a real live social life for a change!  It is SO strange to go from hardly ever hanging out with friends to almost always having something to do. :)  Here's a photo of my two awesome new buddies:

Annette & Janette

Together, we make the 3 Amigas! :) hehe

Hehe! Can you tell they're sisters?  No, not twins, they're actually 7 yrs apart, and you're really not going to believe this: we were celebrating Annette's 51st birthday this day! :O  I know, right?! She looks maybe 40!  Which means Janette looks about 29-30. They really are such sweet, incredible ladies and I'm incredibly blessed  to know them.  OH and did I mention they invited me to go to Mexico with them in February?!?!?!  The countdown is at 7 weeks, 2 days. Yes, we really are doing a countdown, you can check it out here if you wanna be excited with me. ;)

So anyways, that's another aspect to my absence!

But since this is primarily a polish blog, I suppose you'd like to see one, huh?  This is one of the last polishes I wore before my nails became all different lengths and I cut them down to nubs.  I give you another fabulous Hare Polish creation: Anemone Gardens!!!

Lookit that amazing jelly & glitter goodness!! L♥VE.

From the second I saw her swatches of it, I knew I was going to buy it at the announced release.  And I did.

Anemone Gardens always makes me think of Nemo desperately trying to pronounce "anemone."  hehehe he's soooo cute!  I hope you all know what I'm referring to, but if not, here's the clip:

Most of the photos I've seen of AG make it look like a cool-toned purple/fuchsia when IRL, it's a much warmer fuchsia almost magenta, more like the color of the circle glitters.  I suppose it has an element of neon to it, hence the issue with capturing the color correctly.  Neons don't play nice!

I love the "glowing blue shimmer" you can clearly see here!  Some reviews said it wasn't very noticeable, but to me it sure is.  Nikole's polishes are so interesting and usually have a lot going on - in a good way.  Some indies I've seen & used to love have taken it to the extreme and there is just too much "stuff" on the nail, in my opinion.  Hare has a wonderful balance.

The other nice thing about Hare Polish is despite having good-sized glitters, they are pretty darn smooth when dry, and this was no exception!  I used two coats over the two coats of OPI's Care to Danse? that I happened to have on when this arrived. :)  

I believe I used one coat of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure topcoat, but I can't be sure... oops!  I guess that's what you get for doing a post 2 months after a mani! :P
Okay, I have to include this pic... Previously, I'd only ordered Hare Polish on Llarowe, but this time I purchased directly from her Etsy store as AG was a brand-new release.  Look at the other adorable bunnies she uses to personalize her packages!

I especially love the "Hare Mail" pun. hehe! :D

And of course, the adorable bunny on the bottle... baby. ;)

I really don't know what else to say about this polish: if you love purple toned polish, circle glitter, high-quality polish, fun color combos, and adorable packaging; this is the polish for you!!  I was just perusing Hare's Etsy shop, and there are some new holiday collections that look mighty interesting as well.  Oh dear. Credit card, prepare to be charged!

SURPRIIIIIISE!!!! :D

Well, I most definitely was NOT expecting to do this post tonight, but I guess that would be the nature of a surprise!  hehehe

Claudia mentioned last weekend that she was sending me a little something...umm this is not  a little something!! This is a WHOLE lotta awesome!  Stunning silver foil bubble mailer, black & purple crinkle packing, CANDY (including some extra special Mexican hard candy :D ), sample packages of body wash and straightening balm (goodness knows I can use that!), a super sweet card in my favorite: a vellum envelope, and what ever  could there be in the mystery black tissue tootsie roll?!?

Well let's find out, shall we?!  "Aaaand 'err we GO:"

I seriously cannot even BELIEVE this nail mail...and I am fairly certain my jaw was on the floor and my eyes were bugging out of their sockets. O_O 

All I can say is THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Claudia!  :D :D :D  I am now the very proud and extremely excited owner of Nfu-Oh 61, one of the classic and most stunning silver linear holos ever made!!!!!!!  This is my first Nfu-Oh and I must say I love the sexy little bottle with its corset bodice cap and the viney flowers on the bottle as well.  So purty!  Just like its contents - and the person who sent it to me. :D

Claudia is the lovely lady behind idreamofpolish31, which has undergone some changes since I last paid a visit, and I must say it is looking superb!  Cherry blossoms and coral are two things that make me smile, and her swatches and nails are both top-notch.  I've always envied those of you that have those beautiful long nail beds! ;)

I highly recommend that you dream of polish with her from time to time. :) ...you won't regret it!  Especially if you get to know her and her incredible personality. ♥  I've thoroughly enjoyed all our hours chatting on Facebook, especially since she & I are both bilingual in Spanish and English, so we frequently shift back & forth between the two. Such FUN! hehe

So many fun details! There's even chevron tape on the polish wrapper!!

And here is a fitting sneak-peek to my next post: butter LONDON Posh Bird with an accent of Victoriana.  I purchased Posh Bird from Claudia about a month ago, and thus began our Facebook chats!  :D  I was SO glad to finally find one of my most desired butters at far less than MSRP! ♥

Nighty night, dears!!!!  Happy Friday!  Be sure to show your blogger buddies some love. ♥ :)

Holo back, girl!!

Ahhhahaha!! :D  A strange title, I know, but there's a story behind it.  I wish I could find the email thread or the Facebook message & copy it verbatim; alas, I've searched to avail! :(  I know it had something to do with this:

I sent it to Liesl & Essie, and somewhere in the ensuing discussion of this hilarious sticker, Liesl said something about being a holo back girl, or I guess that makes me a holo back girl - oh YES, that's what it was! Liesl said she'd  bring holos  back, so "I guess that makes me a holo back girl." :D hahaha!  (And yes, I'm listening to "Sexy Back" right now ;) But ON TO THE HOLO!

My friends, I give you Born Pretty Store's holo #12!!!!! Isn't it just AMAZING?! :D  This is a super saturated dark green leaning teal linear (obviously) holo. :)  I was debating long & hard over which one to get when I placed my order, and this one seemed to be the most unique shade from the many blog posts I perused.  Upon actually getting it on my nails, I would have to agree.  I've never seen such a shade as a strong linear holo!  Well, maybe there are some indie brands that have done it, but no other "mainstreamers."

HOLY HOLO FLASH!!! :D hehe  Yeah, I maybe shoulda adjusted the brightness here, but JUST LOOKIT THAT FULL RAINBOW!  Ahh holos make me so happy. ♥  ...as do many other things & especially people in my life, but on my nails, nothing quite compares to a stunning holo, IMO. 

This was two coats over OPI Nail Envy.  The formula was super easy to apply & drying time was quick to average.  If I recall correctly, I only put topcoat on my pointer to try & get rid of a sheet mark, and as you can see, the other nails are just as shiny without a topcoat. :D

Ah yes, the size: my one & only complaint about this polish!  I do not know why I am categorically awful at paying attention to bottle sizes, so just like when I ordered my Jade Delirio Rosa & thought I was getting a good deal, I made the same "mistake" here.  The super macro shot makes it look huge, but wow is a 6 mL bottle tiny ! :O  So I will have to use this one sparingly. I paid $5.59, which when you work it out, a full-size Dance Legend or Enchanted would've been about the same price!  Oh well, I'm glad I have holo #12 in my life, despite the technically hefty price tag. :)  What really blows my mind is that their holos were "marked down" from $12.88!  Now THAT is outrageous for 6 mL!

*blue holo center* ;D

As far as wear time, I probably shouldn't be too critical because as you may recall, I didn't use topcoat on all my nails. Which was most likely why I only got about a day and a half of wear before some serious chippage took place. :-/ Lesson learned, ladies! Always use topcoat (unless it's a texture! haha), even if the polish is uber glossy on its own.  I seem to forget that a topcoat's purpose is not only to lend the glossy finish, but to PROTECT & serve - like a policeman/woman. ;)

As I'm sure you have seen, Born Pretty Store Holo Polish #12 is quite the looker, sultry & shifting from a medium, brighter teal in the sun (aka a daylight bulb + flash), to a rich forest green teal, to very dark "blackened" teal. :D  I regrettably didn't think to take pics of what it looks like in the shade or our nasty fluorescent bulbs at work, so I guess a word picture will have to suffice!  It's a rather flat (yet still interesting!) forest green with holo particles appearing as microscopic silver flecks.  Reminds me of a pine tree with frost on it:

**All credit for this image goes to shirley - behind the lens

I felt it appropriate to include this imagery as we got our first honest-to-goodness snowfall here yesterday, and although only vestiges remain (thanks to this morning's sun), I'm sure it won't be long before this area looks just like the above photo. :)  If only shoveling & frozen nose hairs didn't have to come along with it!!

Another thing that made yesterday special was spending the majority of the day (& night!) with two very special new friends of mine, Janette & Annette (yes, they're sisters).  While I was sleeping in, they were hard at work, putting in overtime in the warehouse for the company where the three of us work.  They finished at noon & invited me to lunch at our local Chinese buffet, which was tasty & as always, replete with laughter. :)  

Annette: "Where did you get a knife?!  I've always said they should really give us knives, and here we've been stuffing whole chunks of broccoli in our mouths for years!"  

Me: "Uhh, back there... in the silverware tray at the end of the buffet bar?"
Maybe you had to be there, and it'd help if you knew these two, but trust me  - it was hilarious! :D

After lunch, sadly, Janette had to head home to play hostess to their hunting party - it was deer hunting season opener this weekend - but Annette & I headed over to the craft fair that allows the ladies that don't go hunting to have some fun doing what we do best (shopping) while the guys are out freezing their butts off all day.  I think we got the better deal. ;)

Then later, Annette invited me & my Kali puppy over to her house for a wine & movie night!  Lots more laughter and stories shared, sitting cozily nestled in front of a fireplace, sipping homemade apple cider (after my wine-ometer had maxed out - at 1 glass!), in the beautiful home of a dear, sweet friend. ♥  These are the moments that make it a wonderful life. :)  

Find them or make them happen, recognize & treasure them!

Above the Curve Wisteria

I must say Above the Curve was not an indie brand I'd ever heard of before, but I spotted Wisteria on a Pinterest polish sale board, and was desperately hoping it could be mine!  As I feared, someone else had already expressed interest, BUT the polish fairies were kind to me because I guess that person never got back to the seller, so it became mine!! :D

Although not a strong linear holo, you can definitely see it, especially in the sun, and the dusty dark cool purple crelly base is very sexy. YUMMM.

Another really awesome thing about this polish?  This is WITHOUT TOPCOAT.  Yup, you heard me right! I don't know how it's possible, but this is one glossy polish! :)  And two easy, breezy coats to boot.  If I remember correctly, I did have some bald spots in the first coat, but the second made for absolute perfection.  Wow, I really don't know what else to say about this polish! LOL  So how about once again, I let the photos do the talking?  I'm sure my frequent readers are tired of listening to me ramble anyways! :P

Darn you, fuzz!!! :P  *focus on the Spectraflair...focus on the SF... ;)

I do apologize for the whited out fingers in the flash shots... I figured I had to use them though because they more accurately depict the true base color of Wisteria. :)

And alas, I cannot find the original Spanish wisteria photo I wanted to use in this post. :(  It was from my study abroad time there in '07 and I cannot figure out where I stored those photos - which is rather worrisome!  So I guess I have to settle for this one:

This is from my trip to Spain last year...definitely a lovely GIANT wisteria vine, but the one I had in mind included some very good closeups of those exquisite blossoms. :)

A SWEET fall treat!

After waiting for what seemed like eons - in reality, about 3 1/2 weeks - I FINALLY got my shipment from the Born Pretty Store on Friday. :D  YAY!  Because of their low, low prices (hmm kinda like another store we all know!) I purchased all sorts of goodies: 4 different packs of water decals, a set of dotting tools, a bracelet, a BPS holo, a 4-pack of BGirl crelly glitter polishes, and what I shall show you here today; Sweet Color S080!  What a great name, huh?! :P  Darn those Asian polish brands and their propensity for using numbers instead of names.
And I owe that haul to Wendy from Wendy's Delights, whose post about S080 made me immediately head over to BPS and throw it in my cart. :P

Mmm!  Isn't this positively delicious?!  Just because I want to, I've decided I'm going to call this polish Sweet Pumpkin Spice, because IT NEEDS A NAME.  And I ♥ Starbucks' PSL, which this makes me think of, however since there are at least a few polishes officially named Pumpkin Spice, I'm adding "Sweet" to my moniker.  Betcha can't guess where I got that ! LOL  I know, I know, I'm just SO  creative!

I used Tea Beauty Cherry Blossom (yes, it does smell fruity!) on my accent nail because I *thought* it would make a good base for these water decals as it matches one of the flower petals exactly... however I did not realize the decals are actually translucent, so alas you can barely see the true colors. And the small details were lost completely.  :(  Guess I need to put them over a light color!  However, the glittery center is still pretty nifty as you can see. 

Despite the misleading packaging, they are  in fact water decals not stickers, although I had a minor freak out during my initial perusal of the goods! ALL of the water decals I got are labeled as "stickers." -_-

Sorry about the flash, by the way.  I couldn't get a good pic of the colors otherwise.  Stupid "yellow" kitchen lights!

Aren't they super pretty?!  I can't wait to try them over ChG Light as Air, for example. :D  Application was very simple: soak in warm water for 10 seconds, carefully slide it off the paper backing, and lay on your polished nail! VOILA.  Then throw on a topcoat. :)  I actually cut one design in half because my nail beds are pretty small.  My plan was to do that all along to make 'em last longer too.  I believe this pack was only $2.86 though?  

Side note: I only say "make 'em last" because I don't really plan on ordering from BPS again due to the extended time in transit and I'm a bit wary now that my roommate reminded me of the VERY high incidence of credit card fraud in Singapore.  Not saying they're  guilty of it, but working in international sales, we do see a lot of fraudulent activity related to Singapore.  Anyhoo, back to the mani!

I love this copper because it's so dark and sexy, and in some lights it looks more golden & others, more of a true warm copper.  For some reason I could not capture the warmer side of this polish. Grrr.

Application was flawless, 2 coats is all you need and really if you're in a hurry, one would  suffice!  I did actually do 3 by the time I took these photos because I had some tiny nicks & sheet marks so I needed to get rid of those post haste!  Other than that, there was no reason for a 3rd coat.  Also, IMO, topcoat is not necessary, but I do have Sally Hansen Salon Manicure/Ultra-Wear top coat on here.  Probably because I put it over the decal & just kept going! :P

Inside, under a lamp using my "daylight" bulb... for some reason Cherry Blossom kept photographing more orangey than the lovely pinky red that it is (emphasis on the pink)!  This polish is special to me because I got it at the Walgreens down the street from my best friend's former home in Chicago when we were there in June to get the house ready for renters. :)  I wish that I'd gotten the minty one too.  It was a VERY pale bluish mint creme, and the formula on this one is so nice, it's giving me some serious regrets right now!  The scent is pleasantly fruity, and obvious if you get your nails within 5 inches of your nose, but with topcoat, I can barely smell it.  Yup, just checked again!

Oh btw, the fun floral cap design was one of the main reasons I wanted one of these polishes - yes, I'm a semi-sucker for packaging.  Hence why I put tape around the cap...I'd heard the design rubs off kinda easily & I wasn't about to take any chances!! 

Today I had the idea of mattifying Sweet Pumpkin Spice as I figured it would up the cozy fallish factor of the polish - YUP I dare say it did. ;)  Honestly, I don't really *get* the need for the suede polishes or whatever, because all you need to do is add matte TC to a shimmer polish like this one for the same effect.  Or that's my personal opinion anyways!  I'm also partial to the money saving element of my method... this is NYC Matte Me Crazy for which I paid $1.72 and I can use it on anything my heart desires. ;) lol

My final assessment on this mani: I LOVE this rich copper for fall, the water decals are super fun and don't sink into the base color like stickers always do, and Cherry Blossom is a perfect creme. ALL good things; BUT Sweet Pumpkin Spice (aka S080) has already chipped.  Badly. :(  So it's coming off after only about a day and a half.  Don't be sad!  I loved it while it lasted and am VERY excited to try out the BPS holo I got!!! :D  I might have to try it with Orly Bonder next time instead of over Seche Rebuild.  That could've very well had something to do with it.  I will let you know! 

As a parting shot, I wanted to show what else I was up to today: wearing false eyelashes for the very first time! :D  I kinda love 'em!  This could be the start of another fun beauty addiction. ;)

Again, stupid "yellowy" incandescent bulbs! -_-

Goodnight lovelies!!!  I hope your work week gets off to a good start!

HITS Mari Moon Super Cute!! - and it IS

Long spans of time between posts unfortunately seems to have become the norm rather than the exception for me. :-/  I do not like feeling like blogging is a chore, but lets admit it, we all have that feeling sometimes!  So I guess I just have to push through it and DO a post whether I'm all "in the mood" for it or not. :P  I think I'm gonna do something sliiightly  different and let the pictures doing the talking for the most part - because they speak volumes about this polish!

Nail polish acne! Naacne?  Eeeeew. :(

I used one coat of Super Cute over two coats of Color Club Revvvolution because I figured some holo on holo action can't hurt!  And Revvvolution is a good charcoal color so that helps intensify the color shift because not only is Super Cute a linear holo, it is also stunning multichrome as I'm sure you can see. :)  There are flashes of turquoisey teal, cool violet, warm violet, and a medium/pale blue.

The accent nail is Hare Polish Neon Palm from their late summer collection, I believe?  I LOVE Neon Palm and I think it goes beautifully with Super Cute. :)  Both are Llarowe purchases; Super Cute from my very first order and Neon Palm from my most recent. 

I do apologize for the bubbles & the nubs. :-/  This is a bit of a flashback post to before my lovely friend Abby gave me her OPI Nail Envy to try & the bubbles...well, there's no good excuse for them!  What can I say?  I couldn't wait to get this beauty on my nails!!  :P  Aaaand I probably needed to go to bed. 

Outside, with a setting sun :)
This is Neon Palm over nothing - I accidentally put Revvvolution under it on the other hand.

Good night all!  And to all a good night!  (I must be feeling a bit Christmas-y) lol :P

Neon nailsies and a bit o' life!

Hello and Happy Saturday evening to you all!  Since I was off work on Friday and going out of town, I decided to do a "funky" mani with neons (love 'em but I feel weird wearing them to work) and attempt a technique I've never tried before but recently saw in a tutorial video on YouTube.  It did NOT turn out like I envisioned because I could not find a small enough brush. :(  But it was still kinda cool, and I enjoyed it for a couple days. :)

First of all, can I say that as much as I love the neon mint color of ChG's Highlight of My Summer, the formula is HORRENDOUS!  :O  It gets sooo streaky, and yet, giant ridges build up in other places and it's just a royal pain in the butt to get decent coverage.  I think this is three coats.  Dry time was decent at least.  The accent nails are a polish I've showed you before; Maybelline Pretty in Polka.  I love their jelly/black & white glitter polishes! Drops of Jade is also in my stash. ;) 

As you might have guessed, the technique is one-stroke brush flowers, but mine did not really turn out.  I stupidly got the white and the pink (NYC French White Tip & Sinful Colors 24/7) reversed for the first two.  I'm not even going to try to describe it, so if you want to see how the pros do it, watch this awesome video!

So, since I only have & only wanted  to show you one photo of that mess, on to "life!"

Last weekend my little brother and I made the long-ish (6 hr) trek to New Ulm, MN to visit our mom's sisters and their "kids."  We're actually all around the same age...my brother and I both have cousins there that are the same age as us, and one that is smack dab in between us. :)  It was a really nice weekend and it felt good to finally reconnect with them.  It'd been YEARS since my brother saw that side of the family, and about 2 years since I'd been to New Ulm for a visit.  Plus it was nice to have someone to share the boring drive with - other than when he was driving like a boy and ruining my gas mileage!

Clockwise from R:  Jane (my aunt), Hannah (her daughter), me, Morgan (my brother)

Here's us having a sushi FEAST at a pretty spectacular place in Mankato. :)  Thankfully, we all enjoy sushi and so I thought lunch in the big city was in order!  Hannah had heard of this new place from a couple friends and they happened to have a $15.99/person all you can eat sushi lunch special.  I don't know how the 4 of us managed to eat only 3 rounds of 3 rolls...plus the most amazing crab rangoons as an appetizer - they were seriously to DIE for - like Turkish delight or something! lol
Somehow the sushi was very filling and totally delicious.  Mmmm.  Darn, now I want sushi!  :P

It was Oktoberfest while we were there - New Ulm is a very  German town, complete with a Glockenspiel & it's home to Schell's Brewery, so Saturday afternoon we walked around downtown and happened to catch the petting zoo as they were packing up...

Now that's not something you see in MN every day!  He was really cool... as we walked up, he kept saying: "Hello," and "I love you."  At least I think  that's what he was saying!  There was also a kangaroo, some other kind of big bird, a llama, a dromedary camel, and a couple other things I can't recall.  Hannah's 2-yr-old daughter was there before us with her dad, and she called her mom & kept repeating: "camel!" :D  It was pretty cute.  She knows a lot of animals for being only 2!

Now, on to TODAY!

I almost wan't going to include this, but since my friend's costume & my shirt kinda go (color-wise) with the mani I showed you, I figured meh why not!  Plus, I'm pretty excited that I did my first-ever 5k run/walk today!!! :D  Let me tell you, if someone said to high-school me (who about died every time we had to do laps for gym class) that in 10 years I'd be running a 5k of my own free will, I would have literally rolled on the floor laughing.  But, wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles; here I am...

Here's me and my lovely friend, Janette, who convinced me to do this with her!  So up until 8 days ago, I'd never really run a day in my life, other than when absolutely necessary. :P hehe

I have no idea what our exact times were (the timing device they were using kept freezing because it was so cold) but I'm guesstimating it was around 45 minutes?  And we walked a lot of it.  But I'm pretty proud of us!  It was surprisingly not nearly as bad as I thought and all my mental freaking out and worrying about being the last ones to finish was for naught.  We'll probably do another one in Fargo in May. :D

Oh, this guy greeted me this morning when I was about to sit down by my mirror to get ready.  I'll spare you the big photo!  Needless to say I got ready in the bathroom instead.

ISH.  I HATE spiders!  When my roommate got home, I had her kill it. :P  I'll usually kill them, but I was already on edge with nerves about the run. 

Have you ever accomplished something you never thought you'd do?  If so, I'd love to hear about it!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed this post even though it wasn't all about polish. ;)

I concur: Alcatraz...Rocks!

Good evening!  Brr, it's gettin' cold in here, so put on lots more clothes! :P  ...yet another frigid fall evening here in Minnesota...  I really hope that perhaps some of you are lucky enough to live in places that aren't the closest thing to another ice age! ;)
Okay, it's not quite that  bad at the moment, but come January I can assure you I'll be yelling on a daily basis (as I clean a mountain of snow off my car for the millionth time): "Why on earth do I live here?!?!"

So I think that besides the ever-plummeting temperature (and the fact that I watched The Day After Tomorrow  over the weekend), this mani has me thinking about snow and ice.  See what I mean?

I hate winter, but I LOVE this!! :D  I do have to admit however, that I got the idea from Polished Elegance.  Her post confirmed that I needed Alcatraz...Rocks.  It really is a gorgeous texture polish with soooo many pretty sparkles!  Here's AR "naked":

The base has more purple in it than is showing up here, for some odd reason.  I used two coats, no base and of course, no top coat.  Although I really did want to try some over this polish because I've seen a lot of people show the other side of a texture polish once it's transformed by a glossy top coat. :)  

Compared to my Zoya & Julie G textures (and even OPI Jinx), I must say AR did not wear quite as well (4 days vs. 7 or so) before I got some noticeable tip wear and a couple decent sized chips.  Maybe next time I'll use some Orly Bonder under it.

Dry time was average, maybe 7ish minutes for it to get completely textured.  GAH those sparkles get me every time!  They're by no means holo, but oh so purty!

After wearing nakey AR for a couple days, I knew I had to try the stamping thang over it, so I busted out my Pure Ice Silver Mercedes and Bundle Monster plate 214.  Although I really like the full-size image that Polished Elegance used, this design is one of my favorites from the set I have, and it's got a similar aesthetic.  

Several of my blogger buddies have insisted lately that they could never do stamping, so I also wanted to add this to show how pretty and easy it is!  Seriously took me 10 minutes, start to finish to do both hands.  I wish I could say I have a tutorial video to show you the process, but I have never tried making one and wasn't about to start at 12:30 in the morning!  So you'll hafta settle for watching this one; the video that sparked my addiction to all things nail related. ;)  For reals!

Oy, speaking of 12:30 am, it's nearly that time again so I really need to get to bed before my under-eye craters get any deeper & darker - if that's possible! :-/  For everyone's sake, I sure hope not! :P

I leave you with a parting shot:

Have fun, be merry, and stamp like your life depends on it!!