Through the Wormhole

White on black lace tips

2012-05-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Simple junk. My nails broke right before I had to go to a wedding last saturday, so I went ahead and put acrylics on myself. Not a fan of acrylics, but they did the job and I thought they looked pretty nice. These are black tips with white lace inlaid in the acrylic. A little subtle for me. I loved the shape.. though I couldn't do anything since they were so long, haha.

Ugh.. I got in a terrible accident on thursday, the day after I put these on. It was really, really bad.. lucky I'm alive bad. I have some nasty bruises, and of course, I hurt my hand. It's getting better, but it hurts if I use too much pressure so I can't grasp things properly. It's been rough since I can't do nails, which, you know.. main source of income. It's been getting better, so hopefully by the end of this week I'll be able to work properly again. You never really appreciate your thumb until you can't use it, you know..

The Avengers/Loki inspired nails..

2012-05-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

Hey guys.. I saw The Avengers and just couldn't help myself. I loved Thor when I saw that(mainly Loki), and the Avengers just.. omg. So good. SO GOOD. I just want to hold Loki and cuddle his evil and identity issues away.

I did these on some fakies since my nails were too short for what I was picturing. I'm really sorry the pictures are so bad, they look a LOT better in person. Oh well.. who cares, it involves Loki, haha.

Okay, I'm done. I swear.

Simple swallow and rose.. also, yay diploma!

2012-05-08T16:16:00.002-07:00

In light of that terrible theft page actually being deleted, I decided to post. I'm still not going to update as often as I used to, most likely.. especially when I start working. Anyways. I had Cinderella by Sinful Colors on for a few days and it was getting a little chippy, so I did a little bit of nail art to cover the worst of it. Nothin' fancy.

Polishes:
Cinderella, Sinful Colors
Acrylic paint

I also picked up this bad boy today, and registered to take the state boards. I feel accomplished.. which is rare, haha.

Oh, look.. more thievery.

2012-05-07T17:54:00.001-07:00

A reader of mine was kind enough to alert me that yet another Facebook page has been stealing photos from bloggers, nail artists and swatchers. While I'm sadly used to having my work stolen and not credited, I CANNOT STAND when people deliberately cut out my watermarks, and have the NERVE to replace them with their own. WHY is this considered okay? Why even do this? It takes more time to edit the photos than to simply take the photo and link back to the source!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Indievolutions/212137828883061

The link to the Facebook page, in case anyone wants to pass it around. I know there's dozens and dozens of pages and sites like this, but I'm getting so sick of it. Honestly, one of the reasons I don't post much anymore is because of theft and editing of my images. My nails may not be amazing, but they're mine, and I put time and effort into them. I expect people to respect that, but no one on the internet respects anything since it's "LOL just the internet!". I'm done wasting my time and effort on this. The beauty blog world has gotten increasingly vicious, and it's just not worth it anymore to me. I'm not saying I'm going to delete my blog, but I'm getting to that point.

I'm sorry to all the wonderful, supportive people that follow me, but I probably won't post much unless it's something I truly want to share. When a hobby or a passion starts to make a person feel shitty, it's time to take a break.

Gradient experimentation

2012-04-30T13:55:00.002-07:00

Hey guys! Two simple gradient experiments from this weekend.. the top one was done by layering the polish in stripes on a makeup sponge, while the bottom was done using a brush and diluting the darker color with clear polish to create a gradual gradient(the Madeline Poole technique, I believe). Both give different results, as you can see. The brush technique is more subtle. The makeup sponge technique needed more blending and layering to make it as bright as I wanted it. I like them both! I topped the blue with Zoya Maisie and it looks even better, thought my camera doesn't show it well.

I got lots of compliments on both. I did my mother's nails as well with a triple blue gradient as she said she had people stopping here everywhere to look at her nails, haha.

I'm also happy to announce that this week is my last week of school.. my final exam is today, then I have 3 practicals this week. Thursday, I'm all done and will be certified! After that it's just a matter of passing the state boards and getting my license. Exciting stuff. I want to thank everyone for being so patient and sticking around through my schooling.. I know I haven't updated much at all. You guys are great for all the support and encouragement I've received.

Red rose nails.. rawr.

2012-04-16T19:00:00.002-07:00

Hey guys! Tonight was my school's fashion show.. the theme was Grimm's Fairytales. One of students was doing Rose Red for a model, and asked me to do the nails for it. It was really fun! It was neat to play around with extreme length and acrylic sculpting.. they're just fake nails that I extended with long tips, blended, painted, then sculpted over with acrylic for the roses. That ring is one of my polish rings I made, too.

We didn't place, but it was still fun. They seemed to be a hit at the show with everyone who saw them. Can't wait to play around more!

Purple flower.. aka I suck at sculpting.

2012-04-12T23:55:00.000-07:00

Hey guys.. nothing too fancy tonight. I've been super busy since I'm graduating soon. I still have these stupid acrylics on so I was just screwing around with sculpting.. I definitely need to work on it more.

I'm doing some nails for my school's fashion show monday, so hopefully I'll get some good shots of those. I went a little crazy on them, lol. I promise I'll try and post more when I'm not so stressed out!

Blue and white china design, take.. 3?

2012-03-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! First off, sorry for not being around much.. having a lot of drama at school. :/ Wish I could go into it but I can't. Second.. I don't know why this picture uploaded like that, because it sure as hell wasn't saved that way but I can't fix it! Edit: HA I FIXED IT.

Anyway.. yet another blue/white china design. I do these a lot. This one is slightly messy and quick because I was tired. I still love the bright, clean combo of colors though.

This is probably going to be my last nail art for awhile.. I had to get acrylics put on by another student. :( I hate them. They're so thick and weird and blargh. I want my poor natural nails back. They're coming off as soon as a graduate in a few weeks.

Madeline Poole inspired nails

2012-03-09T13:03:00.002-08:00

Hey guys! Something simple today. I've been in love with the framed nail look ever since I saw it on Madeline Poole's blog. I've done it a few times already and I always love it. It's very mod. I just wish I could get my lines looking as clean as hers.. lol.

Polishes:

Essie, Lilacism

OPI, DS Mystery

My nails are in such a shitty state right now, especially my cuticles, so I apologize for that. School has been hard on them. Hopefully I can nurse them back to health, but I'm not holding my breath.

Black/neutral tribal-y design

2012-03-01T23:25:00.002-08:00

Hi guys! Just something simple for this weekend.. I haven't had a whole lot of time to do nail art. It always gets wrecked at school anyway, so there's not a point to doing my nails much, lol. I'm sorry I haven't been updating much, but I've been busy.

Colors:
Essie, Sand Tropez
Milani, Black Magic

School's been going pretty good.. I started acrylics this week! Already did two full sets and a fill. I'm not half bad at them, apparently. I'm going to learn gels really soon, I think.. I'm getting shoved right in the deep end, haha. Wish me luck! If I stay on schedule I should graduate mid/end of April. So close.. almost too close..

Louboutin inspired nails

2012-02-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! Firstly, I'm happy to announce I didn't have to get fake nails put on yet.. whew. It's coming soon, though. Ick. I've been enjoying my natural nails while I still can.

Anyway.. I've been obsessed with the jewel-encrusted Louboutin's ever since I saw them years ago. They are stunning. I thought I'd try to translate them onto nails, but it didn't turn out too great.. bah. I didn't have the right color rhinestones, I'm running out of them. They aren't horrible, but they aren't ideal. I'm still gonna wear them just because I'm lazy. The undersides of my free edge are painted red, too, which is why they look dirty in the pictures, lol.

Polishes used:
Revlon, Royal

I'm a sad, sad nail blogger..

2012-02-01T00:38:00.000-08:00

No art tonight, guys. Sorry. This is just going to be a little post about me being sad and ridiculous

I love my nails. A lot. I used to bite them notoriously in high school; down to the nubs, until they bled, even. I finally managed to stop the habit after much struggling, and I was so, so happy when I managed to grow out my nails. They were so pretty, and strong, and beautiful! I think my nails are arguable my best feature and I always get compliments on them from everyone. Tomorrow, however.. I have to get gel nails put on. :( I snapped a bunch of my nails, which made me sad because my anniversary is soon and I wanted them to look nice. My teacher suggested having one of the other students put gel tips on all my broken nails, and, well.. sigh. I hate fake nails, but I have to have them done eventually for school, so I decided to bite the bullet and agree to the gels.

This may sound kind of pathetic, but I'm seriously sad over this. Really, really sad. Verge of tears sad. I love my natural nails and feel like they're part of.. well, part of my identity, now. Having fake nails just isn't going to be the same for me. They won't feel like my nails or look like my nails that I'm used to and attached to.. it's seriously bumming me out. I know they're just nails and I'm being dumb, but I can't help it. Saying goodbye to my healthy, pretty natural nails is gonna be hard. Getting them back into shape when I'm done with school is going to be even harder.. I shudder to think about it. Sigh.

Anyway.. sorry for the sad little rant there, I'm just super mopey about this, lol. School's been going well, I've passed all my tests so far. I take clients one day a week now, and I got my student discount, which is awesome. I also snagged a bottle of OPI DS Magic, China Glaze Gothic Lolita, and China Glaze Aquadelic, and I can't wait to try those out. I'm going to try some nail art this week after getting the gels, so we'll see how that works out!

Pink elephants

2012-01-20T02:49:00.000-08:00

I'm not a huge fan of these.. I whipped them out super quick in a rush for the weekend, but I ended up not liking the placement, and the plain-ness. I added some rainbow glitter, but even then.. blargh. I took these off after the pics. The elephants are kinda cute, though. I will probably redo this with a different placement/pattern style when I'm not so tired/rushed.

Polish used:
Sinful Colors, Black on Black
Milani, Gems FX
Acrylic paints

I'm wearing plain polish instead.. Essie's Lilacism with Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure over it, one of my favorite combos. Looks like an opal! I needed a break from dark colors, I think.

School's going well.. I've learned regular mani's/pedi's plus spa mani's/pedi's so far, and I got a 95 on my horrible anatomy test tonight. I'm going to start working on the floor taking client's soon.. scary, lol.

Well, as always, thanks for reading, guys! See ya next time.

Bright little owls

2012-01-12T23:41:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! Tonight's nails were inspired by the always flawless and awesome SuPa Nails whom I've always envied. Seriously, so much jealousy. I wish I was half that good with designs.

Anway.. I love owls so much. Barn owls are my favorite animal. It's been a while since I've done an owl design, so I thought heck, why not. I was going to do them all my fingers, but I got lazy and my back started hurting soooo.. just two, lol.

Polishes:
Sinful Colors, Black on Black
Acrylic paints

Peacock-y pattern

2012-01-03T23:52:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I'm still alive, don't worry. Been busy with school and such.. it's pretty cool so far. Lots of practicing and stuff to learn, but I'm enjoying it! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday.

I haven't really had time or the energy to do my nails, but I decided to try something relatively simple for tonight. I wanted to practice patterns.. this is modified from a fabric pattern I found online. I thought it looked kinda peacock-y. Not bad considering I haven't been doing much nail art.

Colors:
Sally Hansen, Fairy Teal / Mint Sprint
Nicole by OPI, My Lifesaver / Loyalty to Royalty
China Glaze, Classic Camel

Big day ahead..

2011-12-11T19:58:00.001-08:00

Well, tomorrow is my first day of nail tech school! I'm super nervous but kind of excited. I really hope I do well and don't screw of too badly. I always had issues when it came to schooling(I'm lazy and I have a super short attention span), but I'm hoping I've gotten over it by now. Especially since I'm going for a subject matter I enjoy and am curious about.

Anyway.. my posting will probably be sporadic and not as often, at least until I get used to my school schedule. I'm sure it'll suck up a lot of my creative time. Just thought I'd give everyone a heads up in case people start thinking I've abandoned my blog or I've disappeared or something. Wish me luck! :)

Christmas sweater mani

2011-12-07T00:54:00.001-08:00

Hey guys! Kinda sloppy mani for tonight.. I really need to invest in some new brushes and practice more. Though I'm sure I'll get all the practice I'll need when I start school next week.. eek.

Anyway, I've been seeing some christmas sweater/nordic inspired manis floating around, so I decided to give it a shot. The only thing I like are the little deer, honestly. Let's just chalk this up to a learning experience about how much I suck at and hate patterns, haha.

Colors:
Sinful Colors, Black on Black, Snow Me White
Pure Ice, French Kiss
China Glaze, Phat Santa
Zoya, Trixie, Ivanka
Nicole by OPI, My Lifesaver
Sally Hansen, Blue Me Away, Going Green
Barielle, Elle's Spell
Orly, little mini bottle of champagne foil that I can't recall the name of

I picked my first Nails Inc polishes at Sephora the other day.. Fitzroy and Connaught Square. They're both super sparkly! They eat topcoat like crazy, though. I also picked up SOPI's Don't Be Eggnogious(omg that name, jesus OPI), which is super pretty. It's nice to have a layering glitter in such a cool coppery color. Looks great over teal and turquoise.

I also just discovered that I somehow got nail polish in my hair.. does this happen to anyone else? It's not even long!

Off off off with your head!

2011-11-30T00:12:00.001-08:00

Another mani inspired by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.. like this a lot better than the last one! Isn't the skull cute? I snagged him from our jewelry making supplies, he was the only one in there that didn't have a matching bead. These will either be used in a photoshoot or made available for sale if anyone's interested.

Polish:
Zoya, Trixie
China Glaze, Phat Santa
Loose red glitter, rhinestones, beads

Candy cane tips

2011-11-28T20:26:00.001-08:00

Hey guys! Hope those who celebrate it had a nice thanksgiving. I had a pretty exhausting weekend so I didn't do much with my nails, but I decided to give something simple a shot tonight. I've been really into bare nails with a designed tip for some reason.. go figure. Anyway, this is a little sloppy because I kept coughing and making my lines wobbly, but it's not too bad I guess. Definitely something I'm considering for Christmastime!

Polish:
Sinful Colors, Snow Me White
Sally Hansen, Polar Bare / Gilty Pleasure
China Glaze, Phat Santa
Red loose glitter

I start school pretty soon.. December 12th.. eek! I'm super nervous, but I hope it all goes well.

Until next time.. thanks for reading, guys! :)

Nail polish rings!

2011-11-18T11:06:00.001-08:00

Hi guys! No nails this time, though they're currently looking lovely with Zoya's Trixie.

I got bored the other night and rooted around my mom's jewelery and crafting supplies, where I found some glass cabochons. I remember seeing nail polish jewelry on etsy before, and I thought hey, I could do that. It was so easy! I just picked a color, painted the back, sealed it, and attached it to a ring base with a super strong epoxy. These are test rings to see how well they wear, but I might make some more when I order different settings.. I just had these lying around so it's what I used(I love huge rings lol). The red is Barielle's Elle's Spell, which I think looks stunning.. it's so deep and catches the light wonderfully. The aqua is the new version of Sinful's Nail Junkie, which also catches the light beautifully.

What do you think.. keep experimenting with different settings and colors?

Snowflake half-moons

2011-11-15T00:03:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! I'm still suffering from a miserable cold.. ugh. It just won't go away no matter what I do. Super annoying. Anyone else been sick lately? Tis the season.

Anyway.. I decided to get some practice in for the wintery season ahead, and decided on some bare half-moons with a snowflake design. I had to freehand the moons since I'm out of stickers, so they look a little off.. circles have never been my friend.

Colors:
Sinful Colors, Snow Me White
Pure Ice, French Kiss
Orly, Halley's Comet
Sally Hansen, Gilty Pleasure

I snagged Revlon's Facets of Fuchsia and Sinful's newer version of Nail Junkie last week, too.. I'm in love with both! I need to think of something fun to do with them.

Ming vase design, take two..

2011-11-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

I've done a ming dynasty vase mani before, and I think that one turned out better than this one. To be fair, I have a pretty nasty cold right now so being a perfectionist was not on my mind tonight, lol. Anyway.. just the combo of the bright blue with the white is appealing enough for me, so I'm not too upset with how it turned out. I could've done a better job not coughing every five seconds, though.. ugh.

Colors:
Sinful Colors, Snow Me White
Pure Ice, French Kiss
Sally Hansen, Polar Bare

Nyquil time for me.. see ya next time!

Brainssss..

2011-10-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I hope everyone had a great halloween weekend and has a great halloween tomorrow. My town held this zombie apocalypse thing that was pretty awesome.. my mom and I got to go around scaring people and getting our pictures taken. As you'll see, I was Little Dead Riding hood. ;)

I also did my boyfriend's makeup.. he was a redshirt from Star Trek who had a little accident with the dilithium chamber, haha.

My friend had a neat plague doctor mask.. this was well after I'd been scaring people for a while. I was a very cold zombie!

Andddd this would be my mother.. haha. You can see where I get it from, clearly.

I did all my own makeup and appliances, and costume destruction, which was a pain but fun when it was all done! I think I've gotten a lot better at makeup. My nails were done in blood splatters to match, but I didn't get a pic and they're all chipped now! Oh well. I had fun. :)

Glittery candy corn, turquoise crackle

2011-10-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! Just some simple stuff today. Decided to go with the ever popular candy corn mani.. I also added some loose glitter to give it a little sparkle. I wanted to be festive for pumpkin picking this weekend! :) Also, can I just mention how much I LOVE candy corn? Omg, so delicious. My boyfriend thinks I'm crazy because I can go through a whole bag in like a day.. don't even get me started on those mellowcreme pumpkins.

Also, here's some pics of my previous simple mani. This is just China Glaze Crushed Candy over OPI DS Glow. I thought it was pretty and nice for the fall weather.

I applied for financial aid for nail school this week, too! The school was really nice and so were the people there. Hopefully I'll be starting up in December!

Well, I hope you all have a great weekend! See you next time.

Heads will roll..

2011-10-13T22:53:00.001-07:00

Hello guys.. got some glitter bombing for you today, haha.

I kinda based this mani around the Yeah Yeah Yeahs video for "Heads Will Roll", which is awesome. I got a box of nail art supplies today and wanted to try them out. I used Zoya Luna as a base, then did the blood with China Glaze Phat Santa. While it was still wet, I dusted red micro glitter over it. It's super sparkly in real life, the pictures do it no justice. This was my first time using loose glitter to do anything, it was kind of a pain, but it looks cool. I got the studs in my order and threw some on too. It's hard to tell, but I made Luna matte, so the red really pops against it. All in all, I'm kinda.. eh about this mani. I don't really like it, honestly. However, I'm way too tired to redo it, so I'm stuck with it for a while, lol.

Now, to attempt and get all this loose glitter off everything I own..