Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Z is for...

Yeah... about that whole posting more Christmas nail art. I didn't get to it. I friggen hate retail this time of year because it keeps me from doing things I want! But enough complaints. I'm here with a really quick post: THE LAST LETTER OF MY ABC CHALLENGE!


Thursday, December 12, 2013

Y is For...

It's been such a busy past few weeks what with the holidays, shopping, working, decorating, planning, wrapping, sorting... and working. I've hardly had time to paint my nails at all. I even went to work for 4 days with no nail polish on. At all. Which is extremely rare for me. But I'm back, at the tail end of 2 consecutive days off with one of my last ABC Challenge designs.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

X is For..

It's finally Turkey Day here in the U.S.. It feels like this month has just flown by. Wasn't it just Halloween and it's already the end of November with only 26 days until Christmas?... O.O That's a scary thought.


Thursday, November 21, 2013

Autumnal Arrow Tribal

Sneaking away from the family to make a really quick update. XD I feel like a spy or something.

Friday, November 15, 2013

W is For...

I'm sure you're sick of hearing it. I'm sorry this post is a week late. Work and such got in the way... but excuses don't buy you squat, lol. Let's just get onto the design, right?

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween everyone! ^_^ I can't believe it's already October 31. Where the heck did the time go? I feel like Summer just ended and here we are closing in on the middle of fall. Wow.

Enough of this sentimental crap! I'm sure you're sick of hearing it. I bet you want to get onto my design, huh? Well, just a little comment before we get started. The other day at work I accidentally bashed my finger with a frozen chicken. Yeah, it sounds like a joke but it actually happened and it did a little damage on my ring finger. Hence, I've edited them a little to take out my boo-boo. Hope you can look beyond the edits and enjoy the design!


Monday, October 28, 2013

V is For...

Surprise everyone! I have another entry for you today. I wanted to finish up my ABC Challenge letter for the month, so I have the letter 'V' for you today.


Friday, October 25, 2013

U is for...

Hey everyone! I'm back (a day late) with another ABC Challenge entry! And this one is semi-Halloween themed.

But first, while I'm talking about the letter 'U', This morning I went to the grand opening of an Ulta store! The store is in a very tempting location for me: 15 minutes from my house. Literally, it is in the same parking lot as my work. The Grand Opening events were a little intimidating to say the least. Walking into such a crowded and  loud store wrecked havoc on my nerves, but I made it through and even got a *FREE* $5 off coupo just for walking in the door! So I purchased my very first bottle of OPI Nail Envy. I'm so excited to try this stuff out. My nails have been peeling like a mother for the past 6 months and everything I try doesn't seem to do much of anything. So here's hoping this does exactly what everyone says it does. 

Okay... ONTO THE DESIGN!!!


Thursday, October 17, 2013

Skeletons!

Have you ever had one of those days where everything you do seems to be wrong? Yeah... that was work today. I guess my mind is working a little slow today. Maybe it's this cold I'm currently fighting. *sniffles* At least I have tomorrow off so that I can recuperate. And I can work on some nail art for you all. XD


Thursday, October 3, 2013

Halloween Spiders!

As promised, I have my very first 2013 Halloween design for you! This is my favorite time of the year for nail art. I wait all year for it and I can't believe it's here already. But I'm so excited to share some of the designs I've been planning all year to do. So let's get the season started with some icky spiders!


Monday, September 30, 2013

T is For...

HEELLLOOO everybody! Here I am with another surprise update. :)  Aren't you excited? And with today being the last day of September I thought I'd squeeze in my last ABC Challenge letter for the month. So here we have the letter 'T'!


Thursday, September 26, 2013

Summer Water Marble...

I bet you thought I wouldn't post today. XD Well, I finally got off my lazy butt and posted on a Thursday! Yay!!!!


Saturday, September 21, 2013

S is For...

I already have a post for you! I've spent the last 2 hours editing all the photos I have saved on my laptop from the past few weeks.. so I have a TON to show you. But for now, let me continue my ABC Challenge.


I'm Back!

Uhg. I can't even tell you how embarrassed I am. Has it really been 3 weeks since my last update!? Wow, I've fallen way behind here. And I'm really, REALLY sorry. I can barely keep my head up. I'm ashamed ofmyself.

What have I been up to? Let me tell you...
  • Work has been taking up a lot of my time. I'm still trying to find a balance between my nail art and working... but I think I've finally got it under control.
  • I've been a little under the weather. Yeah, I caught that summer stomach flu everyone has been trying to avoid. That's what I get for working with the public, I guess. I'm still a little... icky, but feeling SO much better than a few days ago.
  • Like the spazz I am, I spilled a glass of water almost directly into my laptop keyboard. >_< I left it to dry for a few days, hoping that it will dry out by itself and not leave me with any problems. But I was wrong. Now half the keys don't work, I get random white screens, and the battery no longer works. So right now I'm typing on a external keyboard plugged into my laptop with a USB. So I've come to the conclusion that I need to put this boy down to pasture. A new computer is in my future, but probably not for a month. I need to save some money and find a good deal! Any good computer websites you can point me towards?

With my list of excuses before you, I'm here to say that I am back! My favorite nail art season (October through December) is nearly here and I have a bunch of ideas I want to show you. ^_^  Plus, I have at least 5 designs from the past weeks that I really want to show you. So expect a huge surge of posts here. And please forgive me! LOL

~Samantha Rae

Friday, August 30, 2013

R is For...

Working 7 days in a row can really make you blank out. I didn't realize until really early this morning that I forgot to post here yesterday! Yikes. Is that really 2 ABC Challenge posts in a row that I've done this? Sorry everyone!


Thursday, August 22, 2013

Mani for my first day of work!

Hey everyone! What a week I've had. Getting adjusted at my new job, learning the ropes, and working hard sure has made me tired. But I'm having fun and enjoying myself so that's all that matters, right?


Friday, August 16, 2013

Q is For...

Sorry guys. Yesterday completely ran away from me. It wasn't until I woke up this morning that realized I forgot to post! Complete bonehead move on my part. Sorry! But at least I have another installation of my ABC challenge for you all. ^_^


Thursday, August 8, 2013

Pink and Gold Studs

Today, I have a special manicure to share with you. :) It's the manicure I was wearing when I was offered my job a few weeks ago. Plus, it's my first mani with my new nail obsession: metallic studs. Unfortunately, I used all the studs I have on this design! So I'm out until I receive my new ones in the mail. And they're taking their sweet time getting here, lol.


Tuesday, July 30, 2013

P is For...

Posting a few days early to squeeze in my last letter for July. XD I can't believe July is already practically over. Where the heck did the time go?! I know I keep saying that... but it's true!


Thursday, July 25, 2013

Watermelon Nails!

Hey everyone! I hope you're having a fantastic Thrusday! Mine is going pretty well. I have nothing to complain about which is always a good thing in my opinion. Plus, I have some good news. I got a job yesterday! ^_^ I am so excited to get to work and make some money so I can buy more nail polish! So in case I disappear from time to time, I will be back. I just need to get into the groove of juggling work with my free time and nail art. Thanks for your patience.

With all that said, I'm working on setting up a posting schedule. I'm planning on at least posting one day a week, more depending on my workload and whether or not I have something awesome to show you. Any ideas on what day(s) of the week would be best? Should I stick with posting on Thursdays or should I do something like "Mani Mondays"? Slap a comment on this post giving me your ideas.

Anyways, lets get onto the design, shall we? ;)

Thursday, July 18, 2013

O is for...

Feeling a little bit yucky today so I think I'll make this a relatively quick post. Is that alright with you guys? I have another installment of my ABC Challenge for you. ^_^



Thursday, July 11, 2013

N is for...

Another installation of my ABC Challenge here for you! One of my three letter for this month... DONE! I'm officially over half way done with my quest. Feels good to have half the alphabet under my belt... but the tough letters are still to come. I still have no idea what I'm going to do for Q, X, Y, and Z, lol. But those letters are still a while off.


Thursday, July 4, 2013

My 4th of July Nails...

Happy Independence Day, my fellow Americans! 

I know, I know. My last few posts have been nothing but red, white and blue nails... and I promise to put down the patriotic polishes and step away, lol. I've been giving you a lot of the same sort of designs recently, and I apologize for that. I've been stuck in a very comfortable groove with those colors and I'm sure you'r all getting tired of it by now. I'm sorry! New stuff coming this month, I promise, including 3 installations of my ABC Challenge. I hope you're looking forwards to that just as much as I am!

So! Onto the nails...


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Bloglovin' + Bundle Monster Holiday Plate Set...

I heard somewhere that Google Friend Connect is kicking the bucket along with Google Reader. Just to be safe, I thought I'd jump on the Bloglovin' bandwagon.  Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

Also, I got a surprise in the mail yesterday. Well, not entirely a surprise because I did buy them... but I didn't know they'd shipped yet! I got my Bundle Monster Holiday Plate Set!!! YAY! I've already started using them, and boy are they fantastic. The quality is much better than last years horrible set. Maybe it was just the one that I received, but almost half of them didn't work all that well. But these plates are great! I can't wait to show you what I've been working on. But until then, you'll just have to wait!

I hope you're having a good week!
~Samantha Rae

Sunday, June 30, 2013

L is For...

Uhg. It's not very fun to paint your nails during a heat wave. For some reason, when it's over 90 degree heat the last thing I want to do is sit in my room and paint my nails. I get so hot and sticky... and the paint takes forever to dry. But I did it for you anyways! I really want to keep on top of this challenge and not fall behind. So here you have the letter "L". 


Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Swatch and Review: Kleancolor Matte Glitters

A few weeks ago I was searching the internet for some of my usual polish "wants". For a while now I've been on the look out for some reasonably priced matte glitter polishes. I'm cheap (and not afraid to say it) and the thought of paying $10 for a single bottle of polish is out of the question and mind-boggling to me. So when I spotted a set of matte polishes by Kleancolor on eBay for $9.99 plus shipping, I decided to jump on them! 



There are 6 polishes in this collection, each with a different mix of matte glitters. The collection contains: Everyday Is My Birthday, Score High Spend Low, I Do Romeo, Beyond Space & Time, Decades Of Bond, and Yogurt Raisins. I'm not sure when this collection came out or even what it was called... But I can tell you each bottle contains .15 ml/0.5 fl. oz of product!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

American Flag for the 4th of July!

I've been a bad blogger. A full week without a post? Shame on me. And to be honest, I don't even have a good excuse. With nothing to say, and the heat really knocking out any want to paint my nails, I've just been neglecting my blog and DA page. So let me just say I'm sorry for the lack of writing this week. Sorry!

 The past few weeks I've been on a red kick. I don't even know why, either. Something about red, with lots of red glitter, has really been tickling my fancy. And with the 4th of July right around the corner, I really, REALLY wanted to pull out my red, white and blue polishes. So I did!


Sunday, June 9, 2013

M is For...

You may have noticed that I skipped a letter. I have a perfectly good reason for this, I assure you. I have a lot going on this month (events and even a trip!) and my letters for this month go perfectly with what I wanted to paint on my nails. My only problem was that the "M" event is happening before the "L" trip. So I decided to make this one exception and switch the letters. :)


Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Swatch & Review: Color Club- Beyond


Color Club Beyond is a dark grey, almost black, linear holographic nail polish. It was released in 2013 as part of Color Clubs Holo Hues 2013 Spring Holographic Collection.

Friday, May 31, 2013

Summer Neon

It's already that time of year again. The weather forecast this weekend in Southern California is in the 90's. Summer is un-officially upon us! So do you know what that means? NEONS!


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Swatch & Review: Essie- Mesmerize

With the 4th of July right around the corner, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite patriotic-colored polishes. And since I already shared one of my favorite reds (OPI- Thrill of Brazil) here comes one of my favorite blues! 


Essie- Mesmerize is a beautiful deep, yet somehow bright blue creme released in Essie's 2009 Spring Collection. I've seen some describe it as a Royal or Cobalt Blue. And I definitely agree!

Sunday, May 26, 2013

K is For...

I lost all internet, TV and phone this weekend because of an AT&T outage. Yikes, It's disconcerting how much I rely on those every day. But with some extra time on my hands, I decided to do another installment on my ABC Challenge!


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

ABC Challenge Recap...

 Okay, okay. I decided to do a little recap you all on my ABC Challenge. I know some of you aren't following me on DeviantART, so you may not know what the heck I'm talking about or why it's taking me so long to get it done with. But let me explain!

One of my new years resolutions was to do more nail art. In an attempt to keep me going and inspired, I decided to take on a challenge. Thus, I opted for the ABC Challenge: one manicure for each letter of the alphabet in alphabetical order. I didn't want to rush through it so I decided to take it slow; around 2-3 letters a month. Plus, I'm determined to keep my letters interesting.

And there you go! The following are the manicures I've completed from January to April. I'll be linking them to their DA pages, so if you're interested in anything in particular, just click on the image to be jumped to it's page. :)


Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Request: American Airlines

Yet another request from Ani. If you want to see her other requests, check them out here and here! :) This time she asked me to do a manicure based on the American Airlines logo!


Thursday, May 16, 2013

J is For...

WAAAYY back in January I started an ABC challenge on my DeviantART page. I've been on schedule (yes, I'm intentionally going this slow), doing 2-3 designs a month while working through the alphabet. I decided to start posting the updates of that series/challege here as well! Let me know if you want me to post A-I on here as well. You know, because all the letters have to represent. XD

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Swatch & Review: OPI- The Thrill Of Brazil


 

 The Thrill of Brazil by OPI is a standard red nail polish. It was originally released in 2002 as part of the South American Collection. Not exactly the most creative color, but don't let that deceive you! It is a fantastic polish and a staple for everyone's collection.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Request: Delta Airline

Yet another request from Ani. If you want to see her other request, check it out here! :) This time she asked me to do a manicure based on the Delta Airlines logo!


Thursday, May 9, 2013

Request: Blue to Red Gradient

As you may know, I have a gallery on DeviantART where I have a rather large gallery of my past (and current) work. If you want to check it out, you can either click here or on the tab above marked "DeviantART". I'm still posting there as well as writing on my blog so both sites will intertwine and coincide with each other. 

Pretty much what I'm getting at is that a follower on my DeviantART page had a request for me. Yay! My first request!!! She wishes to remain anonymous so I'll just refer to her as Ani.


Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Swatch & Review: Essie- Your Hut or Mine



Essie- Your Hut or Mine is a dusty pink coral with beautiful shimmer. It was release last summer as part of the 2011 Fair Game Resort Collection.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Dress Inspiration: Teal and B&W Stripes

Today's post was inspired by a dress I got from Target. I love LOVE this tank dress. Everything about it I love: the color, design, fit, pattern... everything. So, naturally, I was inspired to recreate it on my nails!


Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Swatch & Review: China Glaze- Make An Entrance


My first official post on my blog. *YAY* It's been a long time coming. And here I have a new series, Swatch & Review. In this series I will share swatches and my opinions on the polishes I have in my collection. Today I have one of my favorites for you!


China Glaze- Make An Entrance was originally from the Creme Couture Collection in 2004 and is currently part of China Glaze's permanent collection. I got this polish from the China Glaze Ombre Set: Sweet Sensations, released this Spring. The set included 4 pink polishes: ranging from soft to dark. I purchased this set from Sally Beauty Supplies in March. I believe they are still available online and in stores if you're interested in picking them up. :)

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Hello and Welcome to my Nail Art Blog!

Nothing much on here yet but I'm working on it. I hope to have aa post out mid-week; around May 1st. The official opening of my blog!

I'm planning on having a lot of different nail-related things posted here. Nail Art, Hauls, Swatches, Nail Polish Hits and Misses, cuticle and nail health related items as well as continuing the ABC Challenge I started on my other gallery! It's gonna be so much fun and I can't wait.

Until then, please check out my older gallery on deviantArt (Cowboy-Slightly). :) If you like what you see, please come back and subscribe. Thank you for coming and I hope to see you soon!

~Samantha Rae