NOTDs... past and present

Hello my friends! I am very sorry that I haven't been around in months. Nothing has really gotten my juices flowing enough to bother you all with it. Suffice to say I've had a lot going on: going back to school for nursing, dealing with housing crises of friends, broken NOTD camera and of course, Macy's. I've still been painting the nails, just not taking pics as often as before, and not spending much time on nail art. Well, I'm starting to get inspired again, so we'll see what happens. This post is gonna be a photo dump of some of the manis I have managed to capture on film in the last couple months. These pics are using my Iphone 4, so please bear with me (or bare with me ;p )

I'm gonna say this NOTD was maybe American Apparel Peacock... not positive. All that really matters is that that is Lilacquer Lycanthrope on top, and what a beauty she is. Green bronze shift to blue. So sexy. And for fun I topped it with a franken of mine that's just multi-iridescent squares in clear.

I'm pretty sure this is Hits Artsy, even though at this angle the flash almost makes it look like SH Turquoise Opal. Always gonna be a top 20 polish. Soooo sexy. 

And Zoya Aurora! How I love Zoyas holographic polishes. Just the right amount of fire to keep it gorgeous, but not too much to overwhelm the base color. Aurora makes me start singing the opening theme to Disney's Sleeping Beauty "Hail to the Princess Aurora!" Yum.

Aaaand a not-so-successful dotticure using Zoya Storm. Storm was okay, but not nearly as pretty as my favorite of the collection, Blaze. Not enough sparkle for me. So of course I went overboard and sparkled that shit up. I think I used Jade Mystic Gold and Urban Outfitters Green Holo for the dots. Got tipwear super-fast on this one, but wear time was pretty good for Aurora and Blaze.

If you like old, sorta gramma-y nail polishes, I suggest hitting up your local Dollar Tree! I found some ooold two packs of Almay nail polishes, mostly pinks and mauves and frosts but some had a really cool hidden shimmer. This light beige-y color is called Dusk and it has a pretty coppery pink shimmer. Of course I bedazzled it with Essie Shine of the Times and an accent of Layla Mermaid's Spell.

And that's the end of today's nail journey. I hope to be back soon with more pics of my nail exploits, but my new nursing classes must take priority! Thanks for reading :)

Cover Band Sticks n Stones + Zoya Zuza & Orly Preamp art

Gonna keep this post short because it's midnight and I've gotta work early tomorrow. But I wanted to show you my last two manis because I loved both so much that I didn't want to take them off!

Zoya Zuza is a goooorgeous addition to the Zoya line. Zuza is hard to describe. It's kind of foily, kinda glass flecky. But it's crazy gorgeous and crazy pigmented. So pigmented that it stained my nails green! Poop. The formula was also super thick, but the color was so pretty that I got past it.

And overtop I had to choose between my Lynnderella Connect the Dots or Coverband's Sticks and Stones. I chose S&S because of the few specks of iridescent glitter in it that I love so much. And I don't want to dwell on the Lynn drama, I love some of her polishes and I will leave it at that.

Here is Zuza at two coats plus one coat of Sticks and Stones w/ Cult Nails Wicked Fast topcoat. Rach recommended I use their topcoat with Zoyas and it seemed to work well! Previously Zoyas neeever dried on me. Go Rach!

And here is an updated mani (current mani), using Orly Preamp (WHICH I LOVE SO MUCH) with a stamping in Color Club Wild at Heart and then flakies from the Finger Paints Collection - Twisted.

I loves it soooo much! Props to Orly for this gorgeous Fall color that is so un-Fall to me but perfect for Summer!