HPB Presents: Neon Illusion

Purchased By Shelby Lou

Hey guys, I have been having a rough month. Last week I almost ended up in the ER with the worst back pain and muscle spasm of my life. Then Sunday I left work (at a hospital) only to rush to another hospital where my husband was in the ER. We are both fine, just need some appropriate follow-up, but still. Ugh. Anyway, at least these nails make me happy! This month's prompt with the Hobby Polish Bloggers is "neon." I saw a similar look to this one from The Internet and had to do it. Of course now I can't find the original inspiration, d'oh! If you have an idea of who it might have been, leave me a comment.

I started with a base of OPI Angel With A Lead Foot and stamped an image from MoYou London Illusion 09 with Rica Blackout. My stamping isn't perfect (that dreaded word!) but I really like how it worked out.

Shelby Lou Nails
Hobby Polish Bloggers: Neon
Neon Illusion

After safely topcoating everything, I added a layer of Lush Lacquer (now Polish Me Silly) Clowning Around. This polish is such a classic translucent neon glitter; yum. This bottle is a couple (maybe even three?!) years old and I've got no bleeding, fading, or curling issues. Now that is a quality glitter, my friends.

Shelby Lou Nails
Hobby Polish Bloggers: Neon
Neon Illusion

I hope you check out some of the other amazing neon looks from HPB this month! Have you loved your cuticles today?

An InLinkz Link-up

The Lacquer Ring: Under The Sea

Purchased By Shelby Lou

Today is another fun and exciting prompt for The Lacquer Ring which is "Under The Sea." I had some ideas planned out..... but then I came home on Wednesday (why yes, I do like to wait until the last minute\) and my OPI Color Paints had arrived! Of course I needed to play with them immediately. I went with the blue and greens and decided to sandwich some stamping for the ultimate deep-sea look. So here is my first go nail arting with these fantastical jelly nail paints!

Shelby Lou Nails
The Lacquer Ring: Under The Sea
OPI Color Paints: Indigo Motif, Turquoise Aesthetic, & Landscape Artist
MoYou London Sailor 05 & Rica Whiteout
INM Northern Lights
(lightbox)

For this mani I started with a base of OPI This Gown Needs A Crown. Using little 1/4 chunks of torn make-up sponge held with tweezers, I dabbled on two layers of OPI Indigo Motif, OPI Turquoise Asthetic, and OPI Lanscape Artist. Over that layer I stamped an image from MoYou London Sailor 05 (I love this plate!) with Rica Whiteout and my Creative Shop Stamper. I dabbled on a third and fourth layer of the same OPI colors. And then I may or may not have topped everything off with INM Northern Lights.

Shelby Lou Nails
The Lacquer Ring: Under The Sea
OPI Color Paints: Indigo Motif, Turquoise Aesthetic, & Landscape Artist
MoYou London Sailor 05 & Rica Whiteout
INM Northern Lights
(with flash)

I love this look so hard. It's got this motion to it like currents in the sea and it's all chaotic and murky but bright--just how I imagine being under the sea would be. I can't even get over how amazing the OPI Color Paints are. I just whipped this up having never used them before. I can see a lot of people at all stages of nail art abilities having fun and being successful with them. So if you have been on the fence (like I was) just give in. I can't wait to play some more with them!

You can check out a macro of this mani on my instagram here!

Check out the other deep-sea inspired manis from the other ladies in The Lacquer Ring! Have you loved your cuticles today?

An InLinkz Link-up

The Lacquer Ring: Metals

Purchased By Shelby Lou

I don't know what in the world is going on lately, but work has been crazy for me all week. I haven't had time for lunch in three days. I've done a lot of good work and it's been very rewarding... it's just SO much. You feel me? I love my job and feel very lucky to be doing something I love, I just want to distribute the volume haha.

Shelby Lou Nails
The Lacquer Ring: Metals
OPI My Dogsled Is A Hybrid & KBShimmer Pansy-Monium
Ruffian Nail Lacquer Rosary & MoYou London Fashionista 07
(with flash)

Today's mani inspiration for The Lacquer Ring is metals. I have had this cute little bottle of Ruffian Nail Lacquer in Rosary, a lovely rose gold metallic which was gifted to me by one of my BFFs, which has been begging to be stamped. My friend is a nail muggle or I think she would have kept this little gem! Make sure you check out the bottles, perfectly mid-sized and adorable. I want about 10 bottles of this so I never run out.

Shelby Lou Nails 
The Lacquer Ring: Metals
OPI My Dogsled Is A Hybrid & KBShimmer Pansy-Monium
Ruffian Nail Lacquer Rosary & MoYou London Fashionista 07
(without flash)

I chose an image from one of my favorite stamping plates, MoYou London Fashionista 07, and stamped Rosary over a gradient of OPI My Dogsled Is A Hybrid and KBShimmer Pansy-Monium. I started with a base of the MDIAH and Pansy on top, which covered really well in a few layers.

Shelby Lou Nails 
The Lacquer Ring: Metals
OPI My Dogsled Is A Hybrid & KBShimmer Pansy-Monium
Ruffian Nail Lacquer Rosary & MoYou London Fashionista 07
(with flash)

I am so happy to have joined The Lacquer Ring. I feel those creative juices flowing with the prompts! I am so in love with this color combination and I got so many compliments at work--The nurses all know to check out my nails hehe. A few who are getting married this year want me to do their nails, I don't know if I could handle the pressure though! And I've only ever done someone else's nails like twice. Anyone else feel like they can't do someone else's nails?

Have you loved your cuticles today?

An InLinkz Link-up

Stamping Saturday: Independence Day Nails

Purchased By Shelby Lou 

Happy Independence Day to all my fellow US readers out there! I absolutely love patriotic manis and nail polishes, so for today I knew I just needed to go over the top and do a skittle mani.

Index (and thumb, not shown): Pretty & Polished Wham Bam Thank Ya Sam
Middle: SquareHue Times Square with Painted Polish Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit of Holo
Ring: Essie Butler Please stamped with Vivid Lacquer 002 and Pure Ice Silver Star
Pinky: What's Your Point-settia? stamped with MoYou London Pro XL 01 and Rica Whiteout, along with silver stud accents

Shelby Lou Nails
Stamping Saturday
Independence Day Mani

Shelby Lou Nails
Stamping Saturday
Independence Day Mani

Tonight my husband and I are going to try and check out some local fireworks! We both have to work Sunday so I hope the ones we plan on going to don't go too late. What are your fun plans for the Fourth of July this year?

***Bonus Stamping Saturday Mani*** 

Earlier this week I shared Hare Polish I'm Your National Anthem. I popped off the studs and stamped it with Vivid Lacquer 015 and a Sinful Colors gold metallic polish. I wish I had done that in the first place, I love how the firework stamp looks over the flakes so much! Check out my Hump Day HARE post from earlier this week to see more of this gorgeous Hare Polish, too.

Shelby Lou Nails
Hare Polish I'm Your National Anthem
Vivid Lacquer 015 & Sinful Colors Gold Medal

Have you loved your cuticles today?

An InLinkz Link-up

Renaissance Cosmetics: Prototype 19 Glitter Gradient

Purchased By Shelby Lou

I had a rare day off mid-week yesterday with the hubbs and it was also gorgeous out! Obviously, blogging was put dead last on the priority list. We really value our good weather in Buffalo because we get so little of it. We went up the "The River" and sat in the sun on the rocks. The water was cold af I didn't care! It was 80 and sunny. I even got a slight tan, woo! I'm still more reflective than not though. Anyway.

Here is a lovely little mani I wore some time last week. I used a Prototype, Prototype 19 to be exact, from Renaissance Cosmetics. I started with three coats of OPI You're So Vain-illa (a yellow-toned nude that I find surprisingly flattering!). Then I just used the bottle brush to layer on some shimmery goodness.

Shelby Lou Nails
Renaissance Cosmetics Prototype 19
over OPI You're So Vain-illa
without flash

Prototype 19 is an aqua, turquoise, caramel, gold, and brown topper in all sizes and finishes. And so much shimmah! Perfect formula which makes gradient-ing nice and easy. I absolutely love this color--why you no make, Meghan?! I remember a Nicole by OPI from a couple years ago that came out in a similar color palette, and I really liked the colors but there was nothing really special about the polish. This, my friends, is proof to me that indies will always do it better. I can't remember the last time I bought mainstream.

Shelby Lou Nails
Renaissance Cosmetics Prototype 19
over OPI You're So Vain-illa
with flash

RenCos has really well-planned restocks and gorgeous collections full of delicate shimmers in glorious colors. Check them out, maybe you can pick up a prototype or two at the next restock!

Shelby Lou Nails
Renaissance Cosmetics Prototype 19
over OPI You're So Vain-illa
with flash

Products:
Renaissance Cosmetics

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Happy Memorial Day

Purchased By Shelby Lou 

I hope everyone is enjoying a day off and some time with loved ones today! Somehow I have a day off and my husband doesn't haha.  Memorial Day is a day to honor those who died while serving in the US military. There are several veterans and current service members in my family, including my brother, and I take their sacrifice very seriously. While thankfully no one has died in service close to me, I honor those who have and whose names I will never know. Thank you to all the service men and women out there!

I haven't done some "real" nail art in awhile and really wanted to try some horizontal gradient-ing in patriotic colors. My base colors are OPI Angel With A Leadfoot (white), China Glaze Man Hunt (blue), and OPI What's Your Point-settia? (red). Man Hunt is apparently one of my favorite blues since it's 1/3 gone. And I'm also happy I broke down and bought the Gwen Holiday Collection (because: Gwen Stefani) so I had plenty of reds to choose just the right shade.

Shelby Lou Nails

Memorial Day

Featuring Gridlock Lacquer The Rockpile

I got a bit of a false start on my gradient since I originally thought I wouldn't need a colored base--hey it's been awhile. After a couple passes I decided to do a couple strokes on either side of my nail with the brush, then did my sponging over the top of that when it was dry for more vibrant color. I was dreading cleaning up the red and blue but it wasn't too bad with my handy liquid latex as a barrier!

Shelby Lou Nails

Memorial Day

Featuring Gridlock Lacquer The Rockpile

Over the top of my gradient I did a coat of Gridlock Lacquer The Rockpile. I bought this one at the recent Mix Your Own event I went to with Gridlock Lacquer. I love patriotic polishes so of course I needed this one. The formula was great! Really nice spread and literally like 3 dabs randomly across my nails. My only complaint is I didn't get any of the medium satin white glitters on my nails. However, not a deal breaker and I still am happy with this purchase. There are iridescent microglitters within the red white and blue mix which I love. I am really pleased with how this turned out!

Products:
Gridlock Lacquer

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Firecracker Lacquer: Titties & Dragons

Purchased By Shelby Lou

Hi guys! Last Wednesday was my birthday and I decided to take an impromptu break from blogging (but not nails, never nails!). I used to feel bad about doing that, but I need to in order to keep myself from burning out.

Today I have a mani featuring Firecracker Lacquer Titties & Dragons from the collection entitled Everyone I Love Is Dead. If you haven't guessed, it is inspired by Game of Thrones! While I haven't watched the show (too graphic) I am a fan of the books. This collection got me all excited so I'm re-reading the books again. Which is awesome and upsetting. Because I know what happens and I'm dreading it or trying to pretend it will be different when I read it again...

Anyway, here is my manicure inspired by Titties & Dragons. Can we just take a moment to revel in this name alone? I can't even haha! Titties & Dragons is a gray creme with gold, purple, and black glitters. I love how dainty and subtle they are. I got good coverage in two thick-ish coats.

Shelby Lou Nails
Firecracker Lacquer: Titties & Dragons

For the stamping accents I used images from Messy Mansion MM21 and stamped them in Rica Blackout. I made a decal by coloring in a few of the scales using OPI Tomorrow Never Dies and Oy, Another Polish Joke! I added some mini black rectangle studs to complete the look.

Shelby Lou Nails
Firecracker Lacquer: Titties & Dragons

I think Daenerys would rock this mani. Her character is so badass! Bravo, George RR Martin. Although if you kill her I might have to burn all your books...

Products:
Firecracker Lacquer

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Rainbow Tie-Dye Nails

Purchased By Shelby Lou 

I hope everyone who celebrates had a lovely Easter yesterday! I spent it at my grandma's with a bunch of my crazy family. We enjoyed another edition of Old Home-Movies featuring my confirmation party when I was 13 (ugh) and my brother shoving my cousin off of a water fountain because she wouldn't let him get his own drink of water (circa age 10 for him?). I missed my brother since he lives out-of-state now but you know I will be bringing up this little long-lost gem the next time we talk teehee.

I did some extra-fun nails for Easter that I am calling Rainbow Tie-Dye Nails. I believe I first saw something like this from IG@madamluck some time ago, and then I saw a version done by my other nail buddy IG@joyrserio not too long ago which finally motivated me to try it! They remind me of multicolored Easter eggs and were a big hit!

Shelby Lou Nails
Rainbow Tie-Dye Nails
Featuring OPI Sheer Tints

I realized that I somehow do not own a full-coverage silver glitter (how is that possible?!) so I kind of made my own silver base. I started with two coats of OPI This Gown Needs A Crown, topped with a thin coat of China Glaze Glistening Snow. For the chunky glitters I used one coat each of KBShimmer Ice Queen and I Love Nail Polish Silver Spoons.

Shelby Lou Nails
Rainbow Tie-Dye Nails
Featuring OPI Sheer Tints

For the tie dye I used my OPI Sheer Tints mini set which includes I'm Never Amberrassed, Be Magentale with Me, Don't Violet Me Down, and I Can Teal You Like Me. I blobbed on the colors one by one and overlapped them randomly.

Shelby Lou Nails
Rainbow Tie-Dye Nails
Featuring OPI Sheer Tints

I think I do need to get myself a full-coverage glitter because this is very thick on my nails with all the layers. I used Pretty & Polished's Swift Sparkle Topcoat and I am really impressed with how well it dried all those polishes. I went right to bed after my TC and I woke up with absolutely no dents or smooshes!

Shelby Lou Nails
Rainbow Tie-Dye Nails
Featuring OPI Sheer Tints

I highly recommend this type of mani to everyone. I think you really can't go wrong and it was so easy to do with a really big payoff. My birthday is Wednesday and I was hoping to do some cupcake nail art... I don't know if I can bear to take this off though!

Shelby Lou Nails
Rainbow Tie-Dye Nails
Featuring OPI Sheer Tints

Have you loved your cuticles today?

My Favorite Nudes Comparison

Purchased By Shelby Lou 
Press Samples--Some of the Zoyas

Remember me freaking out about having to renew my social work license unexpectedly this month? Well I also just found out I need to renew my driver's license next month. Birthdays used to be fun! Now they are going to be full of boring adult chores and expenditures, like license renewal and doctor appointments. I am bitter, friends.

Anyways, today's post is about nudes! I used to think they were useless, but now I practically hoard them. My favorite combinations are neon and nude, nude and glitter, holo stamping over nude... (say this to yourself in Bubba's voice from Forrest Gump. You'll like it, I promise). Top photos in this post were taken without flash and bottom photos taken with flash. I am also impressed with myself because I only messed up numbering one set of photos, teehee.

Shelby Lou Nails
Mah nudes!
Without Flash

1. Color Club Silver Lake
2. OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls
3. OPI Angel With A Lead Foot
4. KBShimmer Eyes White Open

5. Polish My Life Birthday Suit
6. OPI My Vampire Is Buff
7. Polish My Life Nude Lace
8. You're So Vain-illa

9. Zoya Chantal
10. OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons
11. Zoya Taylor

12. Zoya Rue
13. Polish My Life Mauve Rose
14. OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around
15. OPI My Very First Knockwurst

Shelby Lou Nails
Nudes--With Flash

I am pleased to find I didn't have any dupes in my carefully curated collection. How many of these do you own? I think the most iconic ones everyone should own are OPI My Vampire Is Buff, My Boyfriend Scales Walls, and My Very First Knockwurst. The Zoyas all have great formulas and their Naturel line has a great variety of darker tones if you are not fair like me. My new favorites are my indie nudes from Polish My Life! What are you favorite nudes or some others I might need to check out? I am eyeing OPI Do You Take Lei Away this year, I'm waiting for an Ulta coupon to come my way...

Have you loved your cuticles today?

HPBloggers Presents: St. Patrick's Day Dotticure

Purchased By Shelby Lou

I am getting a holiday mani up before the holiday, go me! I love green polishes and my new edition of OPI Damone Roberts 1968 was begging to be worn last week. This was recently re-released and I almost missed out. Luckily my nail gal @joyrserio somehow knew I would be a failure and picked up an extra for me. You have to help your girls out in this life!

Shelby Lou Nails
St. Patrick's Day Dotticure
OPI Damone Roberts 1968
Rica Whiteout, & Love Angeline Decal

For this festive mani I started with a base of OPI Damone Roberts 1968. I suck at dotticures and apparently I can't stamp them either... I used a tiny dot image from MoYou London but my dots didn't stamp too well. So I took a small dotting tool and redid all of them with Rica Whiteout. At first I thought I was clearly being anal-retentive, but it ended up being a genius guide to do perfectly-spaced dots! I will be trying that again. I also stuck on a Love, Angeline shamrock that I picked up last year and never used. I wish it stood out more, but I still like it.

Shelby Lou Nails
St. Patrick's Day Dotticure
OPI Damone Roberts 1968
Rica Whiteout, & Love Angeline Decal

No, I'm not Irish. At least not a lot. But any excuse to wear green! Make sure you check out some of the other lovely manis from the Hobby Polish Bloggers.

Have you loved your cuticles today?

An InLinkz Link-up

KBShimmer Holly Back Girl

Purchased By Shelby Lou 

Super-duper quick post today, ladies! Christmas has been so busy for me. My little brother is visiting from out of town and I've been seeing him every second I can. So here is the mani I've been wearing for this festive week!

Shelby Lou Nails
KBShimmer Holly Back Girl
Accent done with Nail Vinyls Chevron
OPI Cinnamon Sweet with KBShimmer I Only Have Ice For You

I started with three thin coats of KBShimmer Holly Back Girl, aka my new holy-grail Christmas polish. It's the jelly that makes this so wonderful!

Shelby Lou Nails
KBShimmer Holly Back Girl

The glitters are so perfectly dainty. Love love love. It applies easily; I didn't have to do any dabbing or placement, just use a light touch.

Shelby Lou Nails
KBShimmer Holly Back Girl
Accent done with Nail Vinyls Chevron
OPI Cinnamon Sweet with KBShimmer I Only Have Ice For You

I enjoy the Christmas season so much that I actually continue to celebrate it for the 12 days after Christmas too... which is actually how it is supposed to work, not the 12 days before (so there, I'm still listening to Christmas music!). I have no excuse for starting this nonsense in November though haha! Did anyone else get Holly Back Girl? If you love Christmas and white jellies, this is a complete MUST HAVE. #sorrynotsorry

Products:
KBShimmer
Nail Vinyls

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Hump Day HARE: Reverie In Rubellite

Purchased By Shelby Lou

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, that time for Americans to reflect on what they have and are grateful for while they gather and feast with family and friends. Unfortunately there is this horrifying trend of stores now being open AT DINNERTIME for Thanksgiving. My husband has to be at work at 5pm. So now I am officially doing nothing for Thanksgiving, except for maybe my nails, and celebrating Saturday instead. I don't even have words to describe how disgusted I am. I'm as good an American consumer as the next, but really? There is now officially nothing sacred. One day. One day a year for people to count on to be able to be with their families. I understand some types of people must be available (I've worked many a holiday as an essential mental health service provider and am volunteering that morning) but that is a voluntary sacrifice. Retail is just not that important. I beg everyone to please stay home on Thanksgiving and made it an unprofitable day for big business! Okay, #endrant.

Here is my HARE mani of the week and what will also be my Thanksgiving mani: Hare Polish Reverie In Rubellite. The base is a pink-leaning violet-ish red jelly with orange metallic glitters and shimmer. I wanted this color to be really deep and intense so I layered it over OPI Kiss Me--Or Elf! (Yeah, I kept saying I wasn't going to buy any of the OPI Gwen Holiday shades but then Ulta had a 2 for $16 sale... and I bought 6).

Hump Day HARE
Hare Polish - Reverie In Rubellite
Shown over OPI Kiss Me--Or Elf!

I have the newer formulation of RIR and it is a glorious jelly. I didn't do any dabbing for this glitter, just slapped it right on. I added a lil gold rectangle stud and two coats of KBShimmer Clearly On Top. I could get lost in this polish! The orange glitter just does it for me, I haven't seen anything else quite like it.

To all the Americans out there, have a wonderful holiday and please celebrate it at home with family and friends if you can. Happy Thanksgiving!

Products:
HARE polish

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Guest Post from The Polish Playground

There is still time to enter my 1st Blogiversary Giveaway but it's winding down! 

I am busy obtaining my new car today, but I do have a guest post is from Lisa at The Polish Playground! There are a few things I love about her. The first is her nail shape. She proves you don't have to have long square nails to have pretty nails, let alone be a blogger! In my opinion she is always rockin' it with some pretty nail art, from the simple to more intricate. Lisa is also a huge supporter of the nail and blogging community. She always has a kind word for everyone and is so encouraging, and I am a fan of people who build others up. I am so pleased to have her here today, let's see what she has!

~~~~~~~~~~

Hello everyone! I'm Lisa from The Polish Playground and I'm so honored to be doing a guest post for Shelby Lou today. I've been a reader of hers for a while and was so excited when she asked me to guest post for her. To celebrate her blog anniversary, I decided to create a manicure with a fun accent nail to it. She is like the queen of accent nails so I wanted to do one to honor her.

The Polish Playground at Shelby Lou Nails
OPI I'm Suzi & I'm a Chocoholic, Nostalgic Nail Lacquer Sloth, China Glaze Prism
Bow from Born Pretty Store

I used OPI I'm Suzi & I'm a Chocoholic and Nostaglic Nail Lacquer Sloth on all the nails except the ring. For the ring, I used China Glaze Prism. I created the accent nail using striping tape. I applied OPI I'm Suzi & I'm a Chocoholic on top and then peeled the tape off when the polish was still wet. I also applied a bow stud from Born Pretty Store. Finished with Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat.

The Polish Playground at Shelby Lou Nails
OPI I'm Suzi & I'm a Chocoholic, Nostalgic Nail Lacquer Sloth, China Glaze Prism
Bow from Born Pretty Store

Thank you again to Shelby Lou for having me guest post today on your blog! Happy blog anniversary to you and I hope everyone has a great day. If you want to follow me on my other social media sites, check me out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Polish Playground at Shelby Lou Nails
OPI I'm Suzi & I'm a Chocoholic, Nostalgic Nail Lacquer Sloth, China Glaze Prism
Bow from Born Pretty Store

~~~~~~~~~~

Queen of accent nails? I'll take it! Thank you so much for posting for me today,Lisa, this is such a great fall mani and the accent is amazing. Make sure you follow The Polish Playground for more beautiful manis and inspiration for your own nail art, you'll be glad you did!

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Guest Post from Will Paint Nails For Food

If you haven't entered my First Blogiversary Celebration Giveaway yet, make sure you check that link!

Today's guest post for my 1st blogiversary celebration is brought to you by Will Paint Nails For Food. I have been a fan of Meghan's art for quite some time. Admiring Meghan's nails, to me, is like going to a fine art museum, looking at the beautiful works of art and knowing full well you ain't gonna be paintin' the Mona Lisa any time soon! Meghan actually kind of helped me break in to blogging. She had a "From The Readers" series last year and I submitted a skittle mani (see it here! And I fangirled for like a week haha). The photo is crap and the angle makes my hand look really fat, but hey, it was a start, so thank you, Meghan!

~~~~~~~~~~

Hi everyone! My name is Meghan and I have a blog called Will Paint Nails for Food. I do both nail art and swatches, and if I had to say what my focus is, it would be freehand nail art. I was very excited when Shelby invited me to do a guest post. I've known her even before she started her blog, and she's one of the very few people in the blogosphere that I've actually met personally! And she's incredibly nice and talented! So thank you Shelby for having me here.

Falling Leaves
Will Paint Nails For Food for Shelby Lou Nails

It's been getting chillier here in Toronto, and I haven't done any fall nail art yet, so that was the motivation behind this design. I wanted to keep things simple, therefore, I decided to have a plain background, with some falling leaves that were outlined for detail. I also wanted to keep the focus on the leaves and the shimmery polishes I used to paint them. 

Falling Leaves
Will Paint Nails For Food for Shelby Lou Nails

I started with a base of OPI My Vampire is Buff. If you follow my blog, you know I'm kind of obsessed with this polish. Unfortunately this particular bottle was not my friend, because it took 4 coats to get full coverage. I painted the leaves in with Renaissance Cosmetics Portland, Runnymede, and Spadina, and Zoya Beatrix. The outlines were done with Van Dyck Brown acrylic paint and a fine detail brush. It's a really good colour for when you want dark lines or shadows, but don't want to use black. I topped it off with KBShimmer Clearly On Top and Cult Nails Wax That.

Falling Leaves
Will Paint Nails For Food for Shelby Lou Nails

I really like the simplicity of this design, but I kept questioning whether I should add more to it. In the end I decided to keep things as is. What do you think? Do you like it as is, or should I have added more details or a background?

Falling Leaves
Will Paint Nails For Food for Shelby Lou Nails

Thanks again Shelby for having me here! And congrats on your first year of blogging!

Falling Leaves
Will Paint Nails For Food for Shelby Lou Nails

~~~~~~~~~~

These leaves are perfect and I love them so hard, Meghan! Or should I say, Dr. Meghan--yup, she now has her PhD and we must call her Dr. It was so lovely to meet up with her earlier this year and talk about polish and life, and she is as nice as her nails. If you haven't been following Will Paint Nails For Food... well what are you waiting for??

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Guest Post from The Dalai Lama's Nails

I meant to have this posted Monday, however wine trips are not conducive to blogging--but check out my nails from Saturday on instagram!

Make sure you enter my First Blogiversary Celebration Giveaway if you haven't already. It ends November 2nd, tell a friend!

Today I have a guest post from The Dalai Lama's Nails! I have to say I feel a special affinity to this blog name. My birthday is April 8th and this is also the accepted birthday of the Buddha. And so, my high school World History teacher (who was totally awesome) dubbed me "The Shelby Lama." It almost became my blog name. When it came time to ask for guest posts I knew I had to ask this amazing lady, and I almost fell off my chair when she had the time to accept. Hannah is one of the bloggers I go to for amazing freehand nail art and today she does not disappoint!

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Hi there everybody! My name is Hannah, and I blog over at The Dalai Lama's Nails. I am so honored that Ms. Shelby Lou asked me to guest post for exciting blogiversary! A blogiversary is a very exciting thing (I'm approaching a blogiversary, myself!). I've absolutely loved getting to know Shelby, and her nails are divine. I thought I would honor her blog by recreating some of her nail art that I really love. Shelby did some really cool nude and neon zebra stripes a while back that I adore. I'm not much of a stamper, preferring generally to freehand. This is my take - freehand nude and neon zebra stripes!

I began by applying two coats of OPI My Vampire is Buff, which is one of my favorite nude shades for nail art. Then I used a small detail brush and OPI A Definite Moust-Have to create the zebra stripes. I top coated with KBShimmer Clearly on Top.

A big thanks to Shelby Lou for having me as a guest post today! If you want to check out my work, you can head on over to The Dalai Lama's Nails. 

~~~~~~~~~~

So I am totally in love with these nails! I am a stamper myself, but these freehand neon stripes over the best nude ever... *drool*. Teach me your secrets, Hannah! If you are not following her already, you are welcome. The Dalai Lama's Nails is also about to celebrate three years of nail blogging which is quite an achievement! Thank you so much, Hannah, for doing today's post for me and making them so perfect :-)

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Hump Day HARE: The Monster

Purchased By Shelby Lou

It's that time of the week again for some HARE! Typing up this post for Wednesday is actually making me feel more optimistic about the week... since it's almost half over haha. I'm covering for a person that is on vacation this week so I'm all out of my element and out of whack. Apparently I adore routines. I actually ended up having to leave work an hour and a half late on a Monday to make sure someone got a necessary piece of medical equipment and that another person was going to be getting a much needed mental health eval. Don't get me wrong, I really like my job, but man, that was one rough Monday! Oh did I mention I'm already working overtime on Saturday?

Make sure you enter my First Blogiversary Celebration Giveaway going on now! The prize packs include two Pahlish Bespokes and Hare Polish For the Love of Lisa. And again, thank you for hanging out and chatting about polish with me :-)

Today's Hump Day HARE is The Monster. I happen to have the newer reformulated version, but it is still a weird (in a good way) gray-green jelly with matte black microglitter, green shimmer, and I think I see some silver or gunmetal glimmers as well. I own nothing like it! It is very sheer so I decided to layer two coats over two coats of OPI Mermaid's Tears. Mermaid's Tears brightens the color up and intensifies it.

Hare Polish - The Monster
Shown over OPI Mermaid's Tears

I decided to try out OPI Black Spotted over The Monster because I can never leave well enough alone. This is actually a mani fail that might kinda work? I put on too much Black Spotted (I'm out of practice with it) and then I tried to wipe it off a little but the pinky had dried too much already... then I just slapped some triangles on because studs make everything better! Maybe. I don't know, it covers up too much of my beloved HARE but it does look kind of cool and Halloween-y. So there we are.

Hare Polish - The Monster
With OPI Black Spotted

What Halloween HARE do you want to see next week--Bio-Exorcist, Heffalumps, or Dead Man's Bones?

Products:
Hare Polish

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Things I'm Loving: Hand & Cuticle Moisture

Purchased By Shelby Lou

Hey all! I can't believe my vacation is almost over, Monday is going to be rough. I got a lot of house projects taken care of and switched over my decor to fall. Fall is by far my favorite season and I love that I can leave all the decorations up for three months (September 1st to November 30th, baby!). I also love that everything for breakfast now has a pumpkin option (Starbucks PSL--I'm looking at you). I met up with some nail friends and old friends over my break and spent some quality time with my husband and my kitties. I also read some frivolous magazines that had piled up. All in all a wonderful vacation! Oh yeah, but I did forget about blog stuffs... oops. Okay, I'll make up for that now.

Things I'm Loving! Hand & Cuticle Care Products

Today I want to share the hand and cuticle products I am using and loving right now. I like to try new stuff and am always looking for the next best thing. But the products I'm using right now... I don't know if it's possible to get better!

Stock image from Amazon.

For general moisture I have been using OPI Avojuice. I recently got a couple bottles on clearance at Ulta, score! Avojuice is that wonderful soak-right-in-without-feeling-greasy lotion you've been searching for, perfect for summer. The fragrances are nice, not overpowering. I can be sensitive to floral fragrances but I actually have two florals and they don't bother me at all--I love them! I also like to use this while swatching or taking photos because it replenishes moisture on my hands and cuticles without looking greasy.

Click here to see the Starter/Refill Kit for Bliss Kiss!
Image from Nail Care HQ Website.

Generally for my cuticles I use Bliss Kiss Pure Nail Oil. I can't rave enough about this oil, it is life changing. I really urge you to visit Ana's website at Nail Care HQ to read testimonials for yourself. I don't know what the secret of this oil is, it is not only moisturizing but also healing. I do need to note though: I gave my mom an unscented pen to try and she ended up being allergic to one of the ingredients (we are guessing there may be chamomile in it based on her past reactions). If you have any allergies you might want to contact Ana first. She is a lovely person and always willing to help!

Cosmetic Sanctuary did a great review on
365 Days of Color, check it out!

For fragrance treats and intensive treatments I go to 365 Days Of Color. 365DOC has an insane number of fragrances (check out her detailed spreadsheet here) but my favorite is Lavender, it is seriously the best lavender scent ever. Once a week I take off my polish and slather on Sunny's Hand Cream for the night covered with cotton gloves. I can have crusty mummy hands at night and in the morning my hands are soft and plump like a fat happy baby's. I keep Sunny's Miracle Balm at work. It's a little greasy if you overuse it but it is not sticky at all. I recommend trying a sampler pack, you can choose all different fragrances for each product, too! There is also a fall exclusive box coming out mid-month, make sure you follow 365DOC for a heads-up about the release.

LUSH Lemony Flutter, Handy Gurugu, and Ultrabalm

Lastly, LUSH Cosmetics. Oh Lush, where have you been all my life? I had always heard about Lemony Flutter, but took awhile to finally pull the trigger and buy it. When I finally went in to a store this big guy with a crazy beard and curly mustache massaged Lemony Flutter into my cuticles and I was sold. You need so little and can see your cuticles just soaking up the magic. I also picked up Handy Gurugu which is a lovely hand lotion, it soaks right in! All of Lush's products are nicely concentrated and are to be used sparingly, I seriously don't know if I can get through that whole tub of Lemony Flutter in a year. When I compare Lush to other similar products and factor in the amount you need to achieve the same result (and better!) these are very fairly priced products. I am excited to see how Lemony Flutter gets me through the winter. I have also added this into my cotton-glove routine with great results.

Oh and that guy who demonstrated Lemony Flutter to me? I was highly amused to find out that he had also made my tub of Lemony Flutter--Thanks, Corey, it works great!

Lush Lemony Flutter made by Corey!

You can check out my Pinterest board, The Arsenal, to see what other stuff I am using right now on my nails.

Products:
OPI Avojuice
Bliss Kiss Pure Nail Oil
365 Days Of Color
LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics

Have you loved your cuticles today? What products are you loving or want to try right now?