Hiatus-being real with myself

I am exhausted all the time.  I find it hard to be creative with my nails every week.  I feel like I'm letting people down when I don't provide a new manicure each week.  I beat myself up for it, and consequently end up not being creative even more.  So much pressure gives people all sorts of problems and issues.

So I am going to take a break for a while.  I need to take a step back, find my inner peace, find my flow, and that creative streak might return.  I will keep the blog up, as new people might find my info useful here.  I will keep an eye on things to be sure that things are still good around here, no spam in the comments.

If I find the time to do more than a french manicure, I'll post it here.  It just won't be every week.

Until later my friends,

Chess

Hidden Gems

This week, after the time change, I feel a little more like myself.  I'm not sure if it was the extra hour of sleep, that my husband was away for a few days, or things slowing down a little at work.  I managed to get more done this week and feel more accomplished, if not more rested.

For the full moon this week, I decided to do a more celestial manicure.  I started with two coats of  L'Oreal Hidden Gems.  In the bottle it looks like a beautiful blue that shifts to purple, with small silver glitter.  Like most duochrome polishes, it doesn't shift as well on the nail as it does in the bottle.  I was surprised to find that it is actually a sand textured polish as well.

Then I stamped on the moon image using plate Mash-32 and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Silver Sweep.  I loved the look so much that I didn't bother putting on a top coat to smooth it all out.

Until later,

Chess

Nice Caboose!

I'm glad this week is over.  It has been a long week.  It definitely felt like I was burning the candle at both ends.  Too many projects and events, and what felt like no time to do them.  Tonight I am relaxing at home, cuddling with my dogs, and watching some TV.

This week I wanted to do something for Halloween.  I started with two coats of China Glaze Nice Caboose!  It is a great berry red color.  Perfect for fall or winter.  On top of that, I stamped the different images using Konad special polish in black and plates BM13 and Mash-38.  However, the spider image from Mash-38 isn't in the image here, as it is on my thumb.

I love this one.  The color is fabulous and the image is rather subtle.  You don't notice it until you are really close.

I already have an idea for this next mani.  Check back later to see what I come up with.

Until later,

Chess

Trying to keep up

Lately I have been rather busy at work and working on a few projects.  I have also been feeling so overwhelmed and tired, that I have only managed to paint my nails with single colors.  I am providing three swatches for you today.

The first one is China Glaze History of the World.  This one is from The Giver collection.  It is a fabulous grey blue, though the picture makes it look more purple.  I would highly recommend this one if you can get your hands on it.

The second is ORLY Darkest Shadow.  I think this one is from their Halloween collection.  It is a black polish with red glitter mixed in.  The glitter has a slight duochrome to it as well, making it look more coppery. It's a great color for Halloween.

The final one is China Glaze Well Trained.  It is a great teal color, perfect for fall.  I would have loved to have stamped a silver feather on this one, but didn't have time.  For whatever reason, I am completely obsessed with feathers right now.

I hope you find these useful.

Until later,

Chess

Wild Wisteria

This week has had some ups and downs.  However, I'm confident that my new project is headed in the right direction.  I'm really excited about it, and it feels like it is changing my life.  Maybe all I've needed was a good project.

I did this manicure a while back, and it is one of my favorites.  I used a couple coats of ORLY Wild Wisteria.  This is a fabulous purple polish!

 I used plate BM-419 to stamp the feather image.
At first I tried the Kleancolor polishes Metallic Aqua  and Metallic Green first for the image, but it didn't show up well.  So I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Silver Sweep, then the two Kleancolor polishes on top. Of course, I used the Diamond Dry top coat on top. I think this may be my favorite look so far.

Until later,

Chess

Expresso

I have been on vacation all week. It has been fabulous to not have to do anything.  I spent the week with my husband, as well, and it was nice to spend so much time with him. We did a little work around the house, worked on our Christmas presents for some people, had a fabulous dinner for our anniversary, played a lot of WoW, helped his family with a couple issues, slept a lot, and stayed up late.  I have jury duty Monday, so while I won't necessarily return to work, I will be spending the day bored out of my mind.  I'll just have to take a good book.

Due to my lack of motivation, I didn't any blogging, and didn't do a manicure this week. Sometimes you just need to take a break from everything.

 I am working on getting caught up on this and am starting off with a swatch.  I picked up this color a while ago, but it turned out a little different when it dried.  I used two coats of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Expresso for this picture.  It has a pink tint but turned out closer to a brick red than I prefer.  It is not one of my favorite colors. Like usual, the formula is good.  It is thick enough to not require a lot of coats and it dries quickly without being streaky.

Until later,

Chess

Strap On Your Moonboots and Sci-Fly By

It was nice that this last week was shortened due to the holiday.  This last Sunday was the last yoga in the park for the year.  Then Monday my husband helped me take some pictures for my yoga business.  It was a nice, relaxing day, and I'm grateful to have had the extra day away from work.

This week I decided to go with more of my holographic polish.  After the last experiment didn't work quite as well, I decided to try a different technique.  The gradient by sponge didn't really show the holographic effect well. 

I started with three coats of China Glaze Sci-Fly By on all my fingers but the ring finger.  This polish is thinner than most so it requires more coats. Then I used three coats of China Glaze Strap On Your Moonboots on my ring finger. Then I used Strap On Your Moonboots for the tip on my index finger and Sci-Fly By for the tip on my ring finger.

This method really shows the holographic effect.  I love how it turned out!  What do you think?

Until later,

Chess

Friends Forever, Right?

This past weekend I went to see The Giver with my husband.  I had picked up some China Glaze polish the day before from The Giver collection.  I bought a white with a pink tint and a blue.  I decided to wear one of those this week.  Since it is still summer, I decided to go with the lighter one.

I used three coats of China Glaze Friends Forever, Right?  It is a white with pink tint to it.  It was very difficult to work with.  It really did not want to behave.  For my last coat I ended up adding a little nail polish thinner to make it easier to use.  Even still, it wanted to streak some.

Once it dried, I stamped on the image using plate RA-119 and Konad special polish in black.  Then I topped it of with the Diamond Dry.

Overall, I would not recommend this color.  There isn't anything special about it and the formula is irritating.

Until later,

Chess

Penny Talk on Mauve

This week has been decent. The weather has been nice and I was able to walk to work a couple of days. I spent an evening with my mom for her birthday.  I was able to Skype my sister last night so we got caught up on events some. My belly dance troupe is performing tomorrow evening and I am excited about that.

This week I was lacking inspiration so I went to pinterest to find something to do.  I decided to replicate this look. I started with two coats of Sinful Colors Mauve.  It is a greyish purple and the formula is decent. Then I painted on the tips using Essie Penny Talk.  This one is a thicker formula and it tends to dry quickly. Consequently, it is more difficult to work with. After it all dried, I topped it off with China Glaze matte top coat.

I forgot how much I like the look of matte polish, especially over a metallic polish.

What do you think?  Do you like the matte polish?

Until later,
Chess

Rock-On Red

After my fabulous week of dance, I needed a few days to recuperate.  I once again didn't feel terribly creative so my manicure is a little more basic.  Some times you just need to throw some glitter on it and be done.

I started with two coats of ORLY Rock-On Red.  This one is a bright pinkish-red.  The formula is great.  It's not too thick or too thin.  Then I used a coat of OPI Which is Witch? for the glitter top coat.  I had to strategically place the larger round pieces to make it more even, rather than clumped together.

A simple mani, but still colorful and bright.

Until later,

Chess

Artistic Expression

This week I am writing you from St. Louis.  I am at a fabulous belly dance event.  I pre-planned all of this so that I could just publish it on the road.

I started off with two coats of NYC Tudor City Teal.  It is a dusty green crelly, a little more opaque than a jelly.  After that, I sponged on the gradient using Tudor City Teal and OPI Eurso Euro.  Eurso Euro is bright blue cream.  The two colors together are absolutely perfect and give my nails an artistry touch.

Finally, I stamped on the white hearts using Vivid Lacquer plate VL001.  I think this is my favorite plate so far.  I topped it all off with the usual Diamond Dri.
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I hope you like this one as much as I do.

Until later,

Chess

Purple Butterfly Wings

This weekend I was busy vending at an event, trying to sell some things that I no longer need.  I spent a fair amount of time getting everything together, and most of the day yesterday sitting at the table.  It didn't really net me much.  Consequently, I am just now getting this post up.

I started off with two coats of China Glaze Spontaneous.  Then I placed one coat of ORLY Purple Poodle on top.  Purple Poodle was too thin to use alone.  It is a great fushia-purple with blue glitter.

Once all that dried, I used plate BM-424 and konad special polish in black to stamp the butterfly wing image. I then placed the white dots using a white polish toward the tips with an improvised dotting tool (a straight pin shoved into the eraser on a pencil).

I absolutely love the color and the way that this one turned out!  I hope you like it too!!

Until later,

Chess

Wait N' Sea

This week has been extremely taxing for me.  I got sick and took Monday off.  I worked hard to make up some of that time the rest of the week.  I had a meeting with a friend's husband who works with small businesses a lot.  We brainstormed for a couple of hours on ways to get my business name out there, so I can bring in more clients.  I'm exhausted and overwhelmed by this process.  I'm just hoping that something starts rolling soon.

This week I found a little of my creativity again.  I started with two coats of China Glaze Wait N' Sea.  It's a fabulous teal-blue.  Once again, the picture does not do the color justice.  Once that dried, I stamped on the leopard print image using Konad plate m57 and Konad special polish in black.

I decided to not use top coat this time and see how the special polish lasted without it. I'm quite surprised with the durability of this special polish.  It only started to wear away a little, much like any other color I suspect.

I like the way the special polish has a somewhat matte finish to it.  The contrast is awesome.  I hope you love it as much as I do.

Until later,

Chess

X-Ta-Sea and Liquid Crystal

I've mentioned lately that I have been really busy and feeling overwhelmed.  I'm trying to determine how to back off from some things so I can focus on what I love.  I want to get back to my manicures and blogging them each week.  I  have lost my creativity, I think mostly due to being overworked and overdrawn.  Hopefully I can figure something out so I can get back to my usual routine some.

This week I have a couple more for you.  The first is another swatch.  I loved the color so much and didn't know what else to do with it.  It is three coats of China Glaze X-Ta-Sea from the most recent summer collection. The color is a fabulous plum purple.  One of my friends liked it so much I lent it to her.  I would highly recommend this color to anyone who loves purples.

The second manicure is fairly simple, but also more than just a swatch.  I really wanted to do something with white polish, and decided to do white on every nail with a glitter accent nail.  The white is three coats of Sinful Snow Me White.  Then my ring finger has two coats of China Glaze Liquid Crystal. The glitter is a blue base with hints of pink to it, though the pink didn't really show up well in the photo.

I hope you like these.  Do you have any suggestions for future manis?

Until later,

Chess

Seas the Day and Hang-Ten Toes

I have been a little overwhelmed lately with life lately.  Nothing too major, just stretched a little thin with work, yoga, belly dance and trying to spend time with friends and family.

This week I have a couple swatches for you. I decided I wanted to use some brighter colors now that it is summer.  The first one is three coats of China Glaze Seas the Day.  This one is a great red for summer.  It is a bright neon like color without being to bright.  Unfortunately, my camera could not pick up the exact color, and does not do it justice.

The second one is three coats of China Glaze Hang-Ten Toes.  This one is a neon pink.  It is very bright, perfect for summer. It dries with a satin finish, rather than a complete matte or gloss.  Over the week, it buffed to a more gloss finish.

I really loved wearing Seas the Day.  I would definitely recommend this color to anyone, as I think it would look good on everyone.  Hang-Ten Toes didn't do quite as much for me.

Until later,

Chess

Pink Pineapple and Gilded Rose

I know it has been a little while since I posted my last mani.  I had pictures but I just haven't had the chance to write something up and get it posted.

We have been practicing our music for performances that are coming up, and we were thrown into one coming up Saturday unexpectedly.  I'm very excited about it, but that means I need to get my coin bra done much more quickly than I had anticipated.  I also have been trying to do more yoga at home, practicing for myself and for my students.

This time I used three coats of Revlon Pink Pineapple.  I didn't particularly like the formula.  It had a tendency to leave a bald patch in the same area when I tried to cover it up better.

I then strategically painted about half of each nail with Maybelline Color Show Gilded Rose.  I love the color and the glitter in this one.  It, also, wasn't that difficult to remove, which is a huge plus!

I think the next time if I do something like this, I will paint the other half with the base color again to try to even the line out a little more.

I hope you like this one as much as I do!

Until later,

Chess

In Prompt Blue

This past weekend I had my belly dance sisters over to work on coin bras and other costuming items.  We had a great time and we managed to get a fair amount accomplished.

Sunday was Father's Day and we spent the whole day with our families.  My husband's aunt passed away the night before, so that was difficult to deal with as well.  My husband didn't know her very well, but obviously his father was hurting.

Needless to say, it was a long weekend.

My most recent mani was one I tried to a while ago, but had significant difficulties with.  I tried using a white nail art pen, but it washed away before I could get a top coat over it.  This time I started with white tips in ORLY Pointe Blanche.  Once that dried, I added the blue layer on the tips using Sally Hansen Insta-Dri In Prompt Blue.

I love the differentiation between the two colors.  For a different take on the french manicure, I received a lot of complements on it.

I hope you like it as well!

Until later,

Chess

My Address is "Hollywood"

It was another busy week.  After our performance this past Saturday, we were still rehearsing for our upcoming performance tomorrow.  Also, work has been long and tedious, with the option for more overtime, which I decided to take.  I bought two skirts Saturday, so it will be nice to have the little bit of extra income.

My troupe and I decided that we needed one set of skirts that were similar so we could remain cohesive without having to borrow skirts from other people.  I really wanted a purple skirt and found that the vendor had a fabulous light blue one as well.  I knew I would regret not getting the light blue one later, so I purchased it.  Now we have four different colors between the four of us.

Consequently, I didn't do anything special once again for my mani.  It is just another swatch.  However, this color is absolutely fabulous.  I would recommend this color to anyone, but I am truly partial to this salmon-pink color.

I used two coats of OPI My Address is "Hollywood" and that was the perfect amount of polish.  OPI tends to be really good at making their formula thick enough that you can use just two coats, without making it so thick that it becomes goopy.  It is a salmon-pink color with a slight shimmer.  It has more of a cream texture to it than a foil texture, so it didn't leave streaks.

Overall, the color is great, but I wasn't as fond of the staying power.  It flaked off my thumb nail some, which is highly unusual and didn't last on my big toes as much as my nail polish normally does.  I would still use it again, though, as I absolutely love this color.

Until later,

Chess

Grey-t To Be Here

This week was another swatch week, and the light from the sun, or lack-there-of, made it difficult to get decent pictures.  My last post mentioned how busy my Memorial Day weekend was.  We still have audits flowing out the door and I worked a little extra this week. Consequently, not much effort went into my mani this week.  Some weeks you just have to back off on some things.

With the warmer weather and wanting to wear lighter and brighter colors, I decided to go with Essence Grey-t To Be Here.  I used two coats, though I would have liked to have used three coats.  I really didn't have the time for it.  This polish is different from others.  In some light it looks more grey, and in others it looks like a pastel purple.  It has a pink shimmer, so maybe that is what pushes it to the purple side in some light.

I really love the color, and thought it would be a great polish to use a matte top coat on.  Maybe in the future I can figure out a way to make that happen.

Until later,

Chess

The Skinny on Fashion Playground

I wasn't able to make time last week to be able to write all this out for you all.  I worked a lot of overtime at work.  I had a lot of rehearsal for my belly dance performances.

Then this weekend I went to territory days for a while with my steampunk friends.  My father-in-law was admitted to the hospital and we spent a fair amount of time there.  We spent some of Memorial Day with my parents.

This week I was inspired by an email I received from Sally Hansen.  I don't have a picture to provide, however.  I started with three coats of Essie Fashion Playground. The polish was very thin and required the third coat.  Then I placed a coat of Ulta The Skinny on the tips of my nails except the ring finger.  That one I used a circular price sticker to cover the half moon at the base of the nail and painted on The Skinny.

I really liked the two colors together.  I love the contrast.  What do you think?

Until later,

Chess