I scream! You scream! We all scream for ice cream!

... I used to say, back when I could also skip in double ropes. (I can barely single skip with a single rope now. Oh, the halcyon days of youthful coordination.)

No tutorial for these, because the only real process was "screw around with acrylic paints in the general shape of ice cream". From left to right, we have mint chocolate chip, a banana split, some kind of berry sunday, and a peanut chocolate parfait that looks poop-ish because using dark brown tricks my camera into thinking things are solid black!

But the BASE of this manicure, which you can regrettably see little of, is another of the custom Tryst Lacquers I ordered -- Confection (aptly). It's a very pale nude/peach with super-pale green satin hex, purple micro holo, and tiny iridescent glitter. It's lovely and I'm sure you'll be seeing it again. It also applied like a dream in 3 thin coats.

The cups are made with polish, in a page I've taken from @glitterfingers' cupcake manis. From left to right: Jinx, Lil Miss Sunshine, Mermaid's Dream, another (!) custom Tryst Lacquer which is called Calypso and which you'll see more of soon.

Polishes used:

Tryst Lacquers - Confection (custom), Calypso (custom)

OPI - Jinx

CrowsToes - Lil Miss Sunshine

Deborah Lippmann - Mermaid's Dream

Nail Pattern Boldness - Glitter A-Peel (base coat)

la couleur couture - 2013 (top coat)

acrylic paint
detail brush
fine-nibbed pen with watered-down acrylic paint for the outlines

I think I'll be doing a watermarble next, because I bought a GOSH polish today that is SUPERB -- if only my photos will end up doing it justice!

xo,

J.

SIMPLE(R) SUNDAY: Paisley Print

This is technically Monday! But I'm still awake, so it's still Sunday as far as I'm concerned.

For this look, I began with a base of Play Me, sponged some Lil Miss Sunshine on the upper halves, and then did the paisleys using a small dotting tool, Honey Dew, and 1977. They are pretty messy little paisleys, I must say. But I wanted to keep it relatively quick in honour of Simple(r) Sunday.

Cleaning up Lil Miss Sunshine was unbearable, because it's a glass fleck/foil finish. So I apologize for the subpar clean-up job!!

This photo is all wonky in terms of skin tone, but it shows the shimmer in Play Me (and Lil Miss Sunshine) much more accurately than the two photos above. I recommend clicking it to zoom in:

I'm thinking that I'm going to tackle a contest entry tomorrow, so hopefully it'll turn out in reality as it is in my head! :)

Polishes used:

Contrary Polish - Play Me

CrowsToes - Lil Miss Sunshine

piCture pOlish - Honey Dew

la couleur couture - 1977

Duri - Rejuvacote (base coat)

Seche Vite (top coat)

small dotting tool

wedge sponge

J.

Swatch Saturday: Skittle Manicure of Colour-Shifting Wonder

That has to be the worst title of all time. These polishes, though, are amazing.

For this mani, I painted my thumb, index, and pinkie in Anna Maria. I then painted my middle and ring fingers in Merope. Lastly, I did two coats of Shift Happens on my index and middle fingers. Merope just naturally looks blue and pink-purple simultaneously; it is the most genuinely duo-chromatic polish I own and have ever come across. Anna Maria is deep beautiful shimmery teal and it applies like a dream. Shift Happens is a Clarins 230 dupe and shifts from green to red (and you can see both at the same time on occasion, particularly if you layer it over green, blue, or purple).

Sorry for tip wear; took these photos after 2 days! SO MUCH LOVE

Words cannot express how much I liked this look. It's so striking in spite of being so simple.

Polishes used:
Contrary Polish - Anna Maria
CrowsToes - Merope
Girly Bits - Shift Happens
Duri - Rejuvacote (base coat)
INM - Out the Door (top coat)

These swatches are a nice break from intense nail art. :) This was a good idea, it lets me show off some of the beauties in my collection without cluttering them up!


J.