BOO... it's Halloween 2013

It's almost that time for witches and goblins, tricks and treats, and as promised here is my Halloween manicure.

 

My Left Hand

 

 

My Right Hand

My Thumbs

(my thumbs aren't really 2 different sizes, it's just the angle my son took the picture at)







 

I decided to go with 10 different designs just to have some fun.  Some of the designs were ones I had done in the past, others were variations of designs I saw online.  Although I don't know whose designs exactly I used for reference, I want to give thanks to everyone who posts their nail art in blogs, on Facebook, and on Pinterest.

 

I did polish and paint everything over the SensatioNail gel polish, Chiffon Pink, that I still had on my nails from last week's October BCA manicure.  Once I took off the designs with some non acetone polish remover, the gel polish was still in very good shape (it had only been on a week and I usually get 2 to 3 out of it), so I polished my new base colors right over that.  I did write down my designs and color choices on paper first.  I wanted to make sure I varied my base color choices and I wanted to make sure I planned the easier designs for my right hand as I am right handed and of course, have to paint the right hand with my left.  I used dotting tools, striping polish, and a small paint brush to paint my designs.  I'm happy with how they came out.  Everyone at work loved them.  A coworker wanted me to give her a Halloween manicure for her trip to Vegas.  Here is how hers turned out:

 

She loved them and couldn't wait to show her friends and family.  She's already thinking of future designs I can do for her for the upcoming holidays.  I look forward to sharing those and my own with you.





My October BCA Manicure

It's already October and almost time to think of a cool Halloween manicure. However, October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I usually try to do some kind of pink themed manicure to honor the women I know who have been through the ordeal of dealing with breast cancer.  This is what I came up with for 2013:

Left Hand

 

 

 Right Hand

The pale pink base coat is SensatioNail gel Pink Chiffon. I like using the gel polishes as base coats because I find they give my nail a little more strength, especially since I am on a bowling league and I wouldn't want to break any nails!

I also decided to paint a different design on each nail just to have some fun. The color blocks on both thumbs was done with some striping tape that I removed after I had painted in the blocks. The other designs were done with either a dotting tool or striping polish. I used a variety of pinks for the designs, I just went through my polish stash and looked for bright pinks that would stand out on my nails.

I've had this on my nails for the week but with the end of October coming up, it's just about time for a Halloween manicure.  Please check back soon!

Sensationail is Sensational!

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post. I've been testing my Sensationail
Gel manicure so I could take some pictures that demonstrate it's durability. Because it has lasted so long, I've had the same manicure for 3 weeks and didn't really have anything new to post.

I've been using Sensationail Gel polish for almost 2 years now. I don't use it exclusively because I have plenty of regular nail polish that I still like to wear (and buy). However, when I do wear it, I enjoy the shine, the quick dry time, the length of time it lasts, and the comments I get on how great it looks.

The Sensationail system is very easy to use. The starter kit contains everything you need to do ten complete gel manicures. I had purchased the raspberry wine starter kit and what a beautiful color that is. I have since expanded my collection as you can see here.









The preparation of your nails is pretty easy and the instructions are clear. It only takes about a half hour to complete the manicure once you are familiar with the procedures. The results are great.  This is how my manicure looked the first day. The color shown is Ride the Wave.

 

This is day 14.  My Sensationail manicure still looks great. No chips, no breaking, and fortunately not too much growth.  I've only shown my left hand but the right hand looked just as good.

And this is after Day 20. Still no chips on my left hand although the nail growth is more noticeable.  I used some Maybelline Color Show Clearly Spotted on my ring finger because I wanted to see how it looked. I love how it looks and will definitely use it again. I have to admit that the pointer finger on my right hand did chip pretty badly so I removed the gel polish and just repolished it with a Polish Addict color - Blurred Lines to tide me over until I took off the rest of the gel which I did on Day 21.

 

 

I use the foil wrap method to remove my gel polish, I find it works the best. I soak a small piece of a cotton pad with acetone, place it on the nail, and then wrap the nail in aluminum foil. I keep it wrapped for about 15 minutes and then I'm able to scrape the polish off pretty easily with a removal tool made by Sensationail.

If you are looking for a gel polish system, I highly recommend Sensationail by Nailene. The system is easy to use, the polish looks great and lasts a long time, and they have been expanding their color line.

Feel free to ask me any questions and I will answer to the best of my knowledge.  Thanks!