"Positive Energy" and CHI Silk Infusion

This red and silver mani was inspired by my favorite leave-in/detangler CHI Silk Infusion.

I use a little each time after I wash or cowash my hair. I still use regular moisturizers after my hair dries, but the Silk Infusion on damp hair instantly melts my tangles and makes it easier to comb through my new growth. I get my hair straightened (relaxed) about every 10-12 weeks, so the new growth coming in is super curly by week 8. I don't use heat very often on my hair because I’m trying to avoid breakage or damage, but CHI Silk Infusion is also a great heat protectant.

This is my hair after my last relaxer in May. I only flat iron it every few months, but I'm getting it done this week!

Sooo, anyway… (I could talk about hair forever!) this is Nicole by OPI “Positive Energy” Matte stamped with Konad and Bundle Monster Plates. I used Konad special polish in red. On the nails with full plate designs, I added a holographic glitter top coat, and silver studs to the nails with the flower design.

"Towel Boy Toy" and Hello Hydration

I since this blog is also about my hair, I though I would incorporate my posts about nail polish with my hair styles/regimen/products etc…

The first thing I could think of is one of my favorite conditioners; Herbal Essences “Hello Hydration.” I use this for co-washing a few times a week. For the record, co-washing is basically using conditioner to “wash” your hair instead of shampoo. Since African American hair needs lots of moisture, it’s less stripping to my hair to use conditioner on the days I don't shampoo and deep condition.

So my nails match the bottle! This is China Glaze “Towel Boy Toy” topped with 2 coats of Finger Paints “Sapphire Shimmer.”

"Peach Burst" and "Aztec Gold" Foils

I’m not going to give up on these foils! This is Sally Hansen “Blush Rush” with “Peach Burst” foil. No topcoat over the foil in these 3 pics.

with flash

no flash

with flash

This is Orly “Solid Gold” with topcoat because it’s matte, and “Aztec Gold” foil.

no flash

with flash

My only issue with these foils is that they always wrinkle a lot after I apply top coat. The “Peach Burst” was the worst ;) I didn’t use one in the pics, but right after I showered, the foil multicolored effect was GONE! SO I definitely need some kind of sealant. Any suggestions?

Color Club “Ms. Socialite"

This is Color Club “Ms. Socialite", the dark purple from the “Rebel Debutante” collection. When it started showing top wear I tried to apply foil again. Not sure how I feel about this look, hmm. I love the different foils though, just need to keep practicing the application.

with flash

"Sunny Side Up" and Earrings of the Day

This is Wet and Wild "Sunny Side Up" I forgot I had this polish until I got these earrings last week for $3.99. They're practically the same color!

The ring finger and thumb have a flame/flower (I don't know) design stamped from the bundle monster plates in gold. Then I added a gold stud and tiny gold bullion beads on either side of the stud.

I haven't worn orange in forever!

Color Club "Coastal Creme" with flower foil

This is 2 coats of Color Club “Coastal Crème” and my 2nd attempt at foil nail art. (the 1st was not worthy of pics!) I still need lots of practice obviously, but it's alot easier than I thought. Thanks to Enamel girl, whose post inspired me!

http://enamelgirl.blogspot.com/2010/07/romantic-floral-mani.html

The foil was purchased at http://www.dollarnailart.com/cat_pages/foils.html and was only a dollar. They have an huge selection to choose from, and I can't wait to try the other ones I got!

OPI "Catch Me In Your Net"

I don't usually get excited and buy whole collections, but recently I've been anticipating getting OPI's "Catch Me in Your Net" from their Summer Flutter collection. It's the only one I don't think I have a dupe for; and with good reason. It's kinda hard to describe (bluish-green shimmer) I love it!

It matches one of my bracelets!

I'll try to get pics outside in the morning; the shimmer is just insane :)

No Name "Blurple" Polish

For Purple Week on LHCF:

This is a "no name" dark purple creme/jelly that I found in the mall yesterday. I'm in LOVE with it because it's super shiny and opaque in one coat, but I used two out of habit! It was just so hard to photograph.

This is how it looks in real life.

But my camera kept making it look blue...

This polish is purple, but it really wants to be blue for some reason. Classic "blurple!"

Funky French

Above are some of my new favorite earrings, very colorful and very cheap ;) They match my mani. "Funky French" was this weeks theme on LHCF. I might try a more conventional french mani soon. I also got these gold studs from dollarnailart.com (Thanks Enamel Girl!!!)

Lemonade and Lightening NOTD

This is Orly "Lemonade" (light yellow) and Sally Hansen "Lightening" (dark yellow). I used painters tape to make the diagonal effect and a lace konad stamp in white on a few fingers.

Someone at work said they look like "pills!"

4th of July NOTD

This was my mani for the 4th of July. This is Essie "Jag u are" (red) and OPI matte "Alpine Snow" on the ring finger. I stamped 2 different star designs with blue and red and added a blue star rhinestone.

Overall the look was very easy to do. I wish I could say the same about my day at work on the 4th :) 14hours...blah. It was fun to have a mini BBQ/picnic/potluck in the break room (complete with 2 George Foreman grills!) I really enjoy our weekend team. We even had ice cream and watermelon for the patients, and flags in the nurse's station.

BTW, this pic was taken after 14 hours of work. I think they held up pretty well!

OPI "We'll Always Have Paris" Suede NOTD

This is a purple suede, so it dries matte. I put a design from the BM plates in gold and added a top coat so it can shine.

Later I painted another coat over 3 nails to make it more "work appropriate." Still cute I think.

BTW, I have some new earrings to post soon!

Soft Plaid NOTD

I found this CND cool site from http://www.lacquerized.com/ (love her blog by the way) with lots of nail art designs and ideas.

http://www.cnd.com/Style/Nail-Style-Gallery/Default.aspx

This plaid nail was my inspiration. Obviously it did not translate as well as I wanted to my own nails, but I gave it a try.

The colors I used:

The finished product.

With flash

As you can see, this is why I prefer stamps and Konad, because my hand is sooo unsteady. This design was fun to try though, and it does look pretty cool from a distance. If it try it again, I might just use shades of pink. Oh well :)