Monday, April 29, 2013

Disney Challenge: Tangled

Hey everyone! Sorry for dropping off the face of the Earth. My slight cold turned into a full blown cold and has me still sniffling, sneezing, and coughing. In an effort not to fall behind in the Disney Challenge, I've decided to skip The Lion King and simply come back to it at the end of this challenge. I've also decided to keep today's mani for Tangled very simple.



Like I said, I kept today's nails very simple. One of my favorite parts of the Tangled movie was when Rapunzel finally saw the lanterns in person. The absolute awe and amazement on her face is priceless. So I tried to recreate what she saw. I used Revlon Enchanted, Rimmel I Lilac You, Petites Color Fever Periwinkle and China Glaze First Mate for the night sky background. Then I used a very small piece of sponge to dab on some of the flakies from Essie Shine of the Times. I think these flakies create the perfect lanterns!!


For those of you who haven't seen the movie, this is the scene I attempted to recreate. :)



Up next in the Disney Challenge: 101 Dalmatians! I already have this one sketched up. :)

Up next on the blog is another mani for the Time Periods Challenge. This one Imperial China. I'm stumped on this one. :(

Goodbye April. Hello May!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Time Periods Challenge: Medieval

Hey everyone! I was so excited about this post and now I'm blah. I woke up this morning with the start of a cold. I'm known for my colds. I had a cold every single holiday as a child and wasn't much better as an adult. I thought I was getting over having such a low immune system since I've been cold-free for a while. I'm hoping it's just a 24-hour cold and it will fade quickly.

Keep your fingers crossed for me and enjoy my Time Periods Challenge nail art for Medieval.


Time Periods nail art Challenge Medieval Dragon scales eye flame fire breathing saran wrap Spellbound Nails shimmer neon green teal blue red yellow orange Sally Hansen Savvy NYC New York Color China Glaze Adventure Red-y freehand hand drawn

I thought long and hard on what to do for medieval. Medieval torture was all I was coming up with until I remembered the myths and legends of fire-breathing beasts started in medieval times. DRAGONS!! How could I forget dragons?? I am so in love with this design.


Time Periods nail art Challenge Medieval Dragon scales eye flame fire breathing saran wrap Spellbound Nails shimmer neon green teal blue red yellow orange Sally Hansen Savvy NYC New York Color China Glaze Adventure Red-y freehand hand drawn

Looking at the finished nail can you believe I started with this? Two coats of Savvy Totally Teal. It's such a gorgeous color of blue that has a gleam of green when the light hits.


Time Periods nail art Challenge Medieval Dragon scales eye flame fire breathing saran wrap Spellbound Nails shimmer neon green teal blue red yellow orange Sally Hansen Savvy NYC New York Color China Glaze Adventure Red-y freehand hand drawn

It proved to be the perfect base. I used some saran wrap to dab on L.A. Colors Mint, an awesome neon green, and some Chameleon Fandango and Chameleon Mist. They're both really sheer but have an amazing amount of sparkly glitter to them.


Time Periods nail art Challenge Medieval Dragon scales eye flame fire breathing saran wrap Spellbound Nails shimmer neon green teal blue red yellow orange Sally Hansen Savvy NYC New York Color China Glaze Adventure Red-y freehand hand drawn

I used Petites Night and a nail art brush to draw the scales, skipping my middle finger.


Time Periods nail art Challenge Medieval Dragon scales eye flame fire breathing saran wrap Spellbound Nails shimmer neon green teal blue red yellow orange Sally Hansen Savvy NYC New York Color China Glaze Adventure Red-y freehand hand drawn

I drew the eye on this finger first and then drew in the scales around it. I used L.A. Colors Mint for the eye itself.


Time Periods nail art Challenge Medieval Dragon scales eye flame fire breathing saran wrap Spellbound Nails shimmer neon green teal blue red yellow orange Sally Hansen Savvy NYC New York Color China Glaze Adventure Red-y freehand hand drawn

You can't have a dragon without showcasing their fire-breathing ability. So for the thumb, I painted it with two coats of Sally Hansen Lightening and then used saran wrap to create the flame effect with NYC Spring Street and China Glaze Adventure Red-y.



Up next in this challenge: Imperial China!

Up next on the blog will be the Disney Challenge: The Lion King!!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Disney Challenge: Bambi

Welcome to another Disney Challenge post. We've hit the mid-way point in the movie inspired portion of this challenge. Another 5 manis and it will be time to start the princesses.

Bambi Disney Challenge movie nails nail art flowers freehand hand drawn butterfly watercolor effect character nails Spellbound Nails Lacquer

Today's mani is Bambi inspired. Bambi is my mom's Fox and the Hound. She refuses to watch this movie, so I've probably only watched it once or twice. I went with a pure green background using my watercolor effect. Then I created flowers along the tips of my nails and finally drew in Bambi's nose with a butterfly resting on it.


I seem to slowly but surely be falling behind in these challenges. I am really starting to hate the rush to finish a mani the day it's supposed to be posted!

Up next in this challenge: The Lion King

Up next: Medieval for the Time Periods Challenge.

Until next time!

The One Fund Boston Charity

Many of you will remember my posts about Swagbucks.

For those who didn't get a chance to see them, Swagbucks is where I get all my gift cards. Swagbucks is such an easy site to get them from! Do a few things daily such as voting in a daily poll, looking through a list of offers (no purchase needed), watch a few videos, or play a few games and each of these things will give you a few Swag Bucks. In essence, Swag Bucks are like dollars that you can then 'buy' gift cards with. The big bucks tend to roll in when you qualify and takes surveys or (where I get most of mine) make your default search engine the Swagbucks search engine. A few times a day one of my searches will win me some Swag Bucks, usually about 7 or maybe 20 Swag Bucks but I have won 50 and MORE from just my usual searches.

A $5 Amazon gift card is only 450 Swag Bucks, so I get a few of these a month and still have points left over. Right this second, I have over $60 in my Amazon account just from these free gift cards!! It may not seem like a lot, but I'm always making purchases. Since the beginning of the year, I've received about $200+ in gift cards.

But I would give up every single gift card I could get with my Bucks just to donate them to a good cause!!!




For those of you who, like me, are looking for ways to help those in Boston affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15, 2013 this post is for you.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino have announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, Inc. The One Fund Boston will act as a central fund to receive much needed financial support.

All the Swag Bucks you donate this month will be turned into a cash donation, given directly to The One Fund Boston foundation. Every Swag Buck you donate is greatly appreciated and will go directly to the cause.

Every Swag Buck donated equals $0.01, so donating 1,000 Swag Bucks is equivalent to donating ten dollars. To donate by check or credit card, or for more information on the One Fund Boston foundation and how you can help, please visit onefundboston.org.

If you don't have a Swagbucks account, just signing up will give you some Bucks to donate. There are also all those tasks I mentioned above that will get you even more with only a few minutes of your time every day! When I first signed up, I was amazed at how quickly my Swag Bucks added up, especially after trying other sites that claimed the same but where my points never seemed to add up. With this site, you'll likely have enough Swag Bucks to make a much larger donation than you could do with your own money!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Disney Challenge: Beauty and the Beast

I'm almost embarrassed about this one, but here it is. My Beauty and the Beast mani for the Disney Challenge.


Disney nail art Challenge Beauty and the Beast yellow Sally Hansen Lightening music notes white rose magic magical wilting Princess nails Spellbound

Nothing went right with this design. I realized quickly that I need new yellow polish because the Sally Hansen Lightening was insanely hard to work with! Then I knocked over TWO bottles of polish, one of them almost ending up in  my lap (while I was wearing my favorite pants). My nail art brush is in major need of a good clean ... or maybe I just need a new brush. Yikes!

So yeah, a bit embarrassed about this mani. I used yellow to match Belle's infamous dress, drew random music notes across my nails, and then finished with the magical wilting rose.



Up next: Bambi. Thankfully, I think I have an idea for this one!

A small update on my polish. I am working like a crazy person for a huge release of new polish and a restock of old. :)

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Time Periods: Ancient Rome

We're off to Ancient Rome with this post for the Time Periods Challenge.

Time Periods nail art Challenge Ancient Rome Spellbound Nails Lacquer red gold white skirt pteruges soldier

There were two things I thought of when I saw Ancient Rome — gladiators and Roman soldiers. I finally decided on Roman soldiers. I did my best at creating pteruges on my nails. I had to search long and hard to find out the proper name for this piece of clothing/armor. Pteruges were the decorative skirts made of leather or fabric strips that were worn around Roman and Greek soldier's waists. Some of them had metal studs and such on them to give additional protection.


Next up for the Time Periods Challenge: Medieval.

Coming tomorrow: Beauty and the Beast for the Disney Challenge ... if I can get them done in time. I was finally right on time for my posts, and then I spent a day making new nail polish instead of doing my nails, so now I'm behind again. At least you'll have some really gorgeous new nail polish from me to look forward to.

*A reminder. The Grin & Bear It Giveaway is ending tomorrow. So get your entries in!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Influenster Sugar 'N' Spice VoxBox

*All products were sent to me for testing purposes, completely complimentary, from Influenster. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was going through old posts the other day and realized I never got around to doing a blog post on the Sugar and Spice VoxBox I received from Influenster! How did I forget something this important you ask?? Well, I got my VoxBox very early, one of the first or second shipments likely, and (knowing how much I hate VoxBox spoilers myself) I held off in an attempt not to spoil anyone else. Then I guess I just forgot completely that I never actually posted. But it's here now!!


Have I mentioned that I adore picmonkey.com?? The things that can be done with pictures, the awesome way it creates collages is so much easier than trying to do everything myself.

Here is my box. I love the new boxes Influenster is using. They're so much prettier than the plain brown box I got for the Holiday VoxBox. You can see that it's from Influenster right away. The box is emblazened with Influenster from every side, which just ramps up the excitement. I was immediately giddy and wondering what's inside. The questions you take to qualify for the VoxBox do give you some idea but Influenster always throws in some awesome surprises!!


The first thing you see when you open the box is the Influenster Sugar 'N Spice VoxBox 2013 card. It explains the box and the opposite side tells you what's inside. I never look at this because I love the surprise.

I won't say too much about the products in this post because each one will have its own in-depth post.


The first thing under the VoxBox card is a handful of coupons. Save $2.00 on the purchase of any Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel product. The main retailers listed are Kroger, Rite Aid, Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS. You can find Dickinson products elsewhere as well, so be sure to look the next time your out.


I received Dickinson's Oil Controlling Towelettes. Though they say they are oil free, non-drying, and good for all skin types I was anxious and very hesitant about using these. I have some of the worst combination skin. It's odd, my skin is usually fairly normal. A dry patch here or a bit of extra oil, but then I use the wrong thing and BAM! My skin practically drips with oil or peels from dryness or breaks out horribly! However, I wouldn't be a very good blogger if I wasn't willing to take some risks so I used one. I'll have a full post on this product shortly, but I will say I was impressed. It didn't cause any kind of breakout whether from oil, dryness, or acne. It did exactly what it says it does in addition to soothing my skin.


Next in the box was the package of Nectresse Natural No Calorie Sweetener. It's 100% natural, made from monk fruit. I don't use much sweetener, certainly not in my coffee or tea. But ...


Nectresse included an awesome recipe book. Not only does this recipe book come with yummy recipes like apricot fig cinnamon rolls, cinnamon hot chocolate, pumpkin walnut pancakes, and mixed berry yogurt parfait, but it explains everything you need to or could want to know about the sweetener and the monk fruit as well as gives a conversion chart so you know you're always getting just the right amount of sweetness compared to sugar.


Once the Dickinson's and the Nectresse are removed this just rolled right to me. It's Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer. Turn the lid to the left and it clicks open, revealing a spray nozzle. Press down on the top and you get a continuous spray of soft, non-greasy moisturizer that leaves your skin moisturized in seconds so you can spray and go.


This yummy little beauty was packaged carefully in bubble wrap. I thought this was really sweet of Influenster! These are belVita Breakfast Biscuits. You get four in a pack like this; this one is cinnamon and brown sugar, and they make a nutritious and energy sustainable breakfast. I found eating one of these packages in the morning filled me right up and left me full even through lunch! They have such a wonderful texture to them too. They're filled with whole grains that give them just the right amount of crunch, and the cinnamon and brown sugar isn't too sweet!


Last but not least is the Colgate Optic White trio. I really couldn't be happier with this. I already use the toothpaste but only knew in passing that they had a mouthwash, never mind a toothbrush!  The 360 Optic White toothbrush complete with whitening cups and polishing bristles, Optic White toothpaste in Sparkling Mint said to make your teeth whiter in one week, and the Optic White alcohol free mouthwash, also in Sparkling Fresh Mint. I've been using this trio since I got the VoxBox, and I have noticed a difference! It's odd how all three together do what just the toothpaste couldn't. I certainly won't be doing any toothpaste commercials, but I feel less self-conscious smiling in public.

So, you've seen what's in the box. Stick around for the reviews. They're coming soon. For real this time; no more forgetting! :)

Which reviews are you most looking forward to? What products from the Influenster Sugar 'N Spice VoxBox do you most what to see in use??

*All products were sent to me for testing purposes, completely complimentary, from Influenster. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Disney Challenge: The Little Mermaid

Welcome to The Little Mermaid post of the Disney Challenge. I've done character nails so far, so I decided to try something different. Instead of more character nails I did an underwater scene.

Disney Challenge The Little Mermaid nails nail art Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer underwater water sea ocean coral seaweed ProfessionalDQ bubbles sand freehand sponging Sinful Colors Cinderella

I actually did these nails once before, about two years ago, for an underwater themed birthday party. I followed a YouTube video tutorial by ProfessionalDQ then but couldn't find it again this time. So, I took some liberties and did a little bit of my own thing.

I started with a base of two coats of Sinful Colors Cinderella (wrong princess, but the perfect color for water). Then I used a tiny piece of makeup sponge and a pair of tweezers to dab on Savvy Totally Teal, Petites Color Fever Figi, and the one that created most of the awesome shimmer  you see (the mostly sheer but ultra shimmery) Scherer Chameleon Mist. I want to try a nail with just these blues. They are so stunning and shimmery together!

I let the blue dry before dabbing 'sand' using Sally Hansen Lightening and very lightly dabbing on Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty, Funky Fingers Platinum Record, and Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold to add some depth and graininess.

I didn't have the exact shade I wanted for the seaweed so I added some white to China Glaze Holly-Day, lightening it until it was what I wanted. The white of the bubbles is LA Colors Energy Source, the red seaweed/coral is Wet n Wild I Read a Good Book, the orange coral is Wet n Wild Club Havana and then I added a bit of shadow by mixing Club Havana with China Glaze Desert Sun. The starfish are created with Revlon Enchanting.

I think that's it. I used a ton of colors to create this but it was actually much easier than I thought. It dried quickly too though that might have something to do with my Seche Vite top coat and the way I fought my instincts and kept my coats extra thin.

Disney Challenge The Little Mermaid nails nail art Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer underwater water sea ocean coral seaweed ProfessionalDQ bubbles sand freehand sponging Sinful Colors Cinderella

Next up in this challenge: Beauty and the Beast.

Until then look forward to the next era in the Time Periods Challenge: Ancient Rome coming Wednesday.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Grin & Bear It GIVEAWAY

Welcome to the Grin & Bear It Giveaway.

Please read the rules fully and completely before entering!

The Prize
Recently, some staticky glitter had three polishes from a recent batch of Grin & Bear It turn out too blue. Instead of throwing these polishes out I've decided to host a giveaway for them. Grin & Bear It is from my recent Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland inspired collection, Down the Rabbit Hole, and was inspired by the Cheshire Cat. As stated, these polishes are not an exact match to those being sold in my Etsy Shop. The difference isn't all that noticeable unless you put them both side by side, but it would have felt dishonest selling them as Grin & Bear It.





You can see in the picture above (sorry, my original tester bottle has been sitting unshaken for a while) that the prize polishes have a lot more of the dark blue hex glitter than the original Grin & Bear It. That doesn't mean this polish isn't completely usable or that it won't make a wonderful addition to your collection. :)

The Rules
See the Rafflecopter Terms and Conditions for full rules. A rundown: giveaway starts 12:00 am EST April 15th and ends 12:00 am EST April 19th. All entries must be submitted using the Rafflecopter app; attempts to enter using the comments (except those asked for by the Rafflecopter app), or some other way, will not be counted. There will be 3 winners; each winner will win ONE full-sized bottle of Grin & Bear It (shown above). Giveaway is open to US residents only as I can't ship nail polish international. Winners will be chosen at random by Rafflecopter. A winning email will be sent to each winner's submitted email address, and winners will have 24 hours to reply before a new winner is chosen.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Disney Challenge: The Fox and The Hound

I think this is probably the only Disney movie I don't like. Well, okay, it's not that I don't like it, it's just that I can't watch it because it sends me to the safety of my bed sobbing!! It's a horrible, horrible movie, lol!!

Disney nail art Challenge The Fox and The Hound Tod Copper footprints dog character nails Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer watercolor saran wrap stickers freehand hand-painted

I looked for inspiration everywhere, and finally decided to do like everyone else who has tried to find inspiration in The Fox and The Hound — do their faces.


Disney nail art Challenge The Fox and The Hound Tod Copper footprints dog character nails Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer watercolor saran wrap stickers freehand hand-painted

I started with an almost watercolor background. This is two coats of white that I used saran wrap to dab blue, mint, purple, pink, and yellow over. I loved the old Disney books as a kid; when the images in the books weren't digitally created. Kind of like how it is with the old movies too! This watercolor effect reminds of those, and I love it for this challenge!!


Disney nail art Challenge The Fox and The Hound Tod Copper footprints dog character nails Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer watercolor saran wrap stickers freehand hand-painted

It might have also had something to do with this scene. These are screencaps from the movie that I turned into a collage. See the awesome watercolor effect of the background and the water? You just don't get that with movies now!!


Disney nail art Challenge The Fox and The Hound Tod Copper footprints dog character nails Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer watercolor saran wrap stickers freehand hand-painted

Before starting these nails, I used my morning to create nail art stickers for Tod and Copper. Their faces are all hand-painted, but creating stickers allows me much more freedom since I don't have to keep my hand turned to point of breaking thus allowing for a more precise image.

To create nail art stickers you use a Ziploc bag and put a layer of clear polish down slightly larger than your nail. Let it dry completely! And then you just draw your design over the clear polish and again let it dry completely!! If the image isn't completely dry it will stick to the Ziploc bag and tear, ruining your image.


Disney nail art Challenge The Fox and The Hound Tod Copper footprints dog character nails Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer watercolor saran wrap stickers freehand hand-painted

I thought it was missing something. The sadness of The Fox and The Hound maybe. So I added footprints going in opposite directions. There's so much meaning behind that, but it all boils down to the separation of Tod and Copper. It shows them going in opposite directions, leaving their friendship behind.


Disney nail art Challenge The Fox and The Hound Tod Copper footprints dog character nails Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer watercolor saran wrap stickers freehand hand-painted

Next up: The Little Mermaid. :)

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Time Periods Challenge: Ancient Greece

Ever feel like there is so much to do and not enough time to do it? I feel like that a lot lately. It's the reason for all the late night posts. I just can't seem to get ahead, but I am really grateful not to be behind! I would feel 100 times worse if I was behind. So, today's post is another Time Periods Challenge mani. We're on Ancient Greece now.

Time Periods Ancient Greece Greek wave ocean Poseidon Spellbound Nails nail art challenge mani manicure polish sea god mosaic sequins glequins blue Sephora by OPI Read My Palm Revlon Waterfall

I decided on a Greek wave mosaic. Like the Greek fret, the ocean-like wave pattern was very common. Another common feature in Ancient Greek art was the pebble mosaics. It was something the Greeks pretty much perfected.

I used a base of Revlon Waterfall and then created the waves with Sephora by OPI Read My Palm. Once the waves were completed I started layering blue/green sequins over them, using clear polish to attach them when my base color dried. This is a design that will take a while as each sequin has to be added one at a time so that they touch or even overlap a little.

With thing heating up around here there are a few things I forgot.

Things I forgot over winter:
  • The heat causes my polish to bubble as it dries
  • The heat slows dry time, meaning I can't get away with rushing to add a second coat.
  • A fan too close while I'm doing my nails causes the polish to dry out quickly on the brush turning it thick and tacky.
  • The heat sometimes causes my fingers to swell, which means I'm not as dexterous as I need to be for both painting my nails and for taking pictures ... especially for taking pictures.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Disney Challenge: The Jungle Book

Another mani for the Disney Challenge being hosted by Rambles of a Polish Addict. I'm extra excited about this mani. I was utterly stumped — not because it's anything truly stunning, but because I had not a clue what I was going to do for The Jungle Book. Finally, I decided.

Disney nail art challenge The Jungle Book Mowgli Baloo leaves saran wrap freehand Spellbound Nails Lacquer Polish China Glaze

I hate the ending of The Jungle Book and am only slightly appeased by The Jungle Book 2. In my memory, this is how Mowgli and Baloo will stay. They will forever be together, dancing and happy, best friends until the end ... and no human village or girl will ever come between their friendship, lol.


Next up in this challenge: The Fox and the Hound. Even at 27 years old, I still sob like a little baby get teary at this movie.

Until then, check out the other awesome artists taking part in this challenge.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Autism Awareness Charity Fundraiser Auction - AACFA

I am going to forgo my usual blogs to love post and give you only one blog to love this week.

Autism Awareness Charity Fundraiser Auction AACFA The Nail Files By Lynda Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer nail polish Schrader Foundation Creations by Lynda Delush Polish NailNation

The Nail Files By Lynda will be hosting an auction for Autism awareness month. All proceeds will be donated to the Schrader Autism Foundation (and the link to Schrader Facebook Page). 

I will be donating a custom made nail polish for this auction ... and if I have time, I may do something else crafty.

Donations are still needed though. It's not just polish, so if you're crafty or just have something handmade you want to donate for the auction please see this post and get in contact with Lynda. She is a wonderful woman, so don't be scared to message her!! This fundraiser, this cause, needs all the help it can get, and that help has to come from people like me and you — as well as these other lovely contributors: Creations by Lynda, Delush Polish, and NailNation.

This is for a really great cause, so even if you have nothing to donate at least take a moment to look at the post and share it!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Disney Challenge: Alice in Wonderland

I am so excited! I saw a post about this challenge last month, and I immediately knew I wanted in! I love, love, love Disney!! What could possibly be better for a Disney lover than a Disney Challenge?

Disney Challenge Alice in Wonderland nails nailart nail art Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer

This challenge is being hosted by Rambles of a Polish Addict and you can see the details here. If you don't have a blog you can post on her Facebook Page. Posts go up twice a week. With the way things are lately, here's hoping I can keep up!!


Disney Challenge Alice in Wonderland animated Tim Burton movie pocket watch White Rabbit Checkerboard lace Queen of Hearts Heart glitter Mad Hatter hat freehand hand painted Cheshire Cat stripes purple pink blue red black green

Here are my Alice in Wonderland nails. I have had this design forever!! I have filled sketchbooks with nail art designs and this was one of my very first nail ideas, way before I even thought of starting this blog. I'm actually really glad I didn't try it before, because I think I finally have the skill to do this design some justice.


Disney Challenge Alice in Wonderland animated Tim Burton movie pocket watch White Rabbit Checkerboard lace Queen of Hearts Heart glitter Mad Hatter hat freehand hand painted Cheshire Cat stripes purple pink blue red black green

Here is a close-up of the thumb. I really love this! I started with two coats of white and then drew lines up and down and then side to side, filling them in to create the checkerboard pattern. Then I created a half circle for the pocket watch, filling it in with white and adding the gold beads around the outside. Last was the numbers and the one clock hand shown. I wish I had some thin chain; I think that would have looked wonderful coiled around in the open space beside the clock.


Disney Challenge Alice in Wonderland animated Tim Burton movie pocket watch White Rabbit Checkerboard lace Queen of Hearts Heart glitter Mad Hatter hat freehand hand painted Cheshire Cat stripes purple pink blue red black green

Here is a little bit of a closer look at the other nails. I've done a bit of a combination between the animated Alice and the Tim Burton Alice with these designs. The index nail is a bit of a combo between Alice and the tea party tablecloth with lace overlay. Not bad for a bit of quick freehand lace. The middle finger is the Queen of Hearts of course. The heart in the center is actually one of the heart glitters that I put in my polish. The ring is the Mad Hatter's top hat taken from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. And since there was so much surprise over the Cheshire Cat inspired polish in my upcoming Down the Rabbit Hole collection I decided to do the original Cheshire Cat for my pinky nail.

Seriously? Between this challenge and the fact that Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland was on television last night I think it's fate's way of telling me to hurry up and release Down the Rabbit Hole. So I have moved up the release from later in the week to Monday, April 8th! Who's excited???

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Time Periods Challenge: Ancient Mayan

Late night post!! I'm sorry for the lack of actual nail posts lately. I just really haven't been feeling very inspired. It might have something to do with this. I had absolutely no idea what to do for Ancient Mayan in the Time Periods Challenge. I'm not a history buff. I have a few eras I like, but I mostly look to the future. I know nothing about the Mayan culture. If there wasn't the recent hubbub about the end of the world thanks to the Mayan Calender I likely wouldn't know anything about Maya at all. I searched and searched all week and finally found something last night. It feels a bit like a cop out but ...

Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer Polish Time Periods Challenge Ancient Mayan Maya Jaguar gods demi-gods protectors animal print China Glaze On Safari Kalahari Kiss Desert Sun sponge sponged gradient

Mayans worshiped many jaguar gods, demi-gods, and protectors. As I said, I know nothing about Mayan culture, but I found this really interesting. Why? Because I love big cats!! They should totally be worshiped! I actually looked into colleges with programs that would let me work with these beauties, but found nothing that would let me do exactly what I wanted. I even looked into volunteering at big cat rescues, but there were sadly none near enough.

So, if you haven't figured it out yet, my nails are jaguar print. I really try to stay away from most animal prints. They've been done a hundred thousand times before by nearly every blogger under the sun. There's really nothing new that can be done with these prints. But I really did enjoy doing these nails ... twice since the first attempt was a messy disaster!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Down The Rabbit Hole Collection - COMING SOON

Travel 'Down The Rabbit Hole' with my new Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland inspired collection. This collection is scheduled for release in my Etsy Shop next week.

Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer Polish Alice in Wonderland Impossible Things Mad Hatter Madness is Catching Cheshire Cat Chessur Grin & Bear It Red Queen of Hearts red black white Off With Their Heads White Queen Frosty sheer gold micro glitter shimmer Alice Kingsleigh frost Tarrant Hightopp dot dots Iracebeth of Crims Mirana of Marmoreal Tim Burton 2010 Indie

Since this collection was inspired by the Tim Burton movie Alice in Wonderland things may not look exactly like you expect. When I released a few sneak peeks of these polishes on my Facebook Page there were a few unexpected surprises.

Promotional Photo



Impossible Things is a frosty Alice-blue polish. Be like Alice and imagine six impossible things before breakfast with this polish. Opaque in three coats, Impossible Things works great alone or as a base for the glitters of this collection.

Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer Polish Alice in Wonderland Impossible Things Mad Hatter Madness is Catching Cheshire Cat Chessur Grin & Bear It Red Queen of Hearts red black white Off With Their Heads White Queen Frosty sheer gold micro glitter shimmer Alice Kingsleigh frost Tarrant Hightopp dot dots Iracebeth of Crims Mirana of Marmoreal Tim Burton 2010 Indie


Promotional Photo




Madness is Catching contains nine glitters in a clear base. It is a chaotic mix that just seems to work, not unlike the Mad Hatter himself.

Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer Polish Alice in Wonderland Impossible Things Mad Hatter Madness is Catching Cheshire Cat Chessur Grin & Bear It Red Queen of Hearts red black white Off With Their Heads White Queen Frosty sheer gold micro glitter shimmer Alice Kingsleigh frost Tarrant Hightopp dot dots Iracebeth of Crims Mirana of Marmoreal Tim Burton 2010 Indie

Promotional Photo

Grin & Bear It is likely the most unexpected of the collection. The Cheshire Cat of Tim Burton is a far cry from the purple striped cat of the original Alice in Wonderland. Grin & Bear It is a deep and mysterious, slightly creepy mix of black, gunmetal, teal, and turquoise glitter.


Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer Polish Alice in Wonderland Impossible Things Mad Hatter Madness is Catching Cheshire Cat Chessur Grin & Bear It Red Queen of Hearts red black white Off With Their Heads White Queen Frosty sheer gold micro glitter shimmer Alice Kingsleigh frost Tarrant Hightopp dot dots Iracebeth of Crims Mirana of Marmoreal Tim Burton 2010 Indie


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Off With Their Heads is an enthralling polish of red, black, and white. Filled with enough red and black hearts to keep the Queen of Hearts herself happy.

Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer Polish Alice in Wonderland Impossible Things Mad Hatter Madness is Catching Cheshire Cat Chessur Grin & Bear It Red Queen of Hearts red black white Off With Their Heads White Queen Frosty sheer gold micro glitter shimmer Alice Kingsleigh frost Tarrant Hightopp dot dots Iracebeth of Crims Mirana of Marmoreal Tim Burton 2010 Indie


Promotional Photo



Frosty Elegance is the hidden beauty of this collection in my opinion. A frosty, sheer white base holds a sprinkling of lightly holographic gold micro-glitter. This is a polish that is perfect for any occasion, giving your nails a frosty finish and adds a little sparkle to any outfit.

Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer Polish Alice in Wonderland Impossible Things Mad Hatter Madness is Catching Cheshire Cat Chessur Grin & Bear It Red Queen of Hearts red black white Off With Their Heads White Queen Frosty sheer gold micro glitter shimmer Alice Kingsleigh frost Tarrant Hightopp dot dots Iracebeth of Crims Mirana of Marmoreal Tim Burton 2010 Indie


If you want to share the release of this collection you can link to this post, my Etsy Shop, or just use the image below. Whatever you use, I would really be honored if you'd share it in some small way. :)

Spellbound Nails Nail Lacquer Polish Alice in Wonderland Impossible Things Mad Hatter Madness is Catching Cheshire Cat Chessur Grin & Bear It Red Queen of Hearts red black white Off With Their Heads White Queen Frosty sheer gold micro glitter shimmer Alice Kingsleigh frost Tarrant Hightopp dot dots Iracebeth of Crims Mirana of Marmoreal Tim Burton 2010 Indie

What do you think of Down The Rabbit Hole?? Do you have a favorite? I would love to know.

*The St. Patrick's Day Duo will be retired with the release of this collection. I will also be taking the Candy Coated Collection down for a bit of reworking. They will be re-released at a later date, but they will likely be a little bit different.