Saturday, November 28, 2015

40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Cartoons!

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Happy Saturday! Not only am I a day late posting my cartoon nails, I'm also a great big ol' CHEATER!  Because of Thanksgiving, because I'm Queen Procrastinator Extraordinaire, because I'm forgetful and lastly, because I have a migraine today, I didn't create a new nail art look for this week.

Instead, I'm going to show you 17 of the many "cartoonish" nails I've done in the past. You can head over to my Nail Art Pinterest Board for more manis and for links to the original blog posts. But first, check these out and all the great manis in the links below from the rest of our Crumpet's Crew!



Minion-Nail-Art-cartoon


More after the jump!


Wednesday, November 25, 2015

My Thankfulness Bubble

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It's that time of year again, it seems. Thankfulness. Loads of "what are you thankful for" posts on Facebook. Everyone sharing Thanksgiving memes and being "kind" to one another. Or at least putting forth the semblance of being kind.





I usually just ignore. "The holidays" aren't my favorite and all of the sugary-sweet posts just make me feel cynical. Sure, I know some of the people well enough to know whether their hearts are behind these things and whether, in some cases, they're absolutely NOT. Maybe they don't know another way to express it?

So what IS it that really irritates me and makes me feel totally cynical? Insincerity is part of it I think. Mainly though I think it's more wondering where this attitude of thankfulness is for the rest of the year. Sure, it is great to be thankful and I don't want people to stop posting what they want to post. But for crying out loud, don't just post a meme - SHOW IT! Show some action to go with it. Show a general, overall attitude of thankfulness every day.

So what am I thankful for? So many things. But rather than list a bunch of things, which I'll likely do anyway, please just tell me you see my daily attitude of thankfulness. Because it's there. Every single day I am thankful. 

There's this thing that happens to me (and I'm hoping it's not just me and yet another indication that I'm crazy) when my mind gets so flooded with thought that all of the individual things just sort of come together into a big ball of jumbled thought-bubble. It forms and floats around and if you were to pop it, a million thoughts would fall out that would take forever to sort through. So I guess I'm saying that I have a "thankfulness bubble."





My Thankfulness Bubble is packed full all the time. Packed with small things like the smell of freshly cut grass and the saltiness of bacon all the way to big things like my best friend and the love of a good dog. There are a myriad of things in between like my eyesight and the fact that I have two healthy legs to carry me and a God I love and believe in. From the smell of coffee all the way to the men and women in the military who risk their lives for freedom. From every heartache I've ever experienced and learned from to the technology that keeps me connected to the people I love. Thankful to be HOME. For the the beautiful full moon tonight. And thankful that the wind doesn't blow at 50 mph here all the time.

Wait. What was that? I'm thankful for heartache? Absolutely without a doubt I am SO thankful for every bit of pain and heartache. Why? Because it taught me. It made me stronger. And without it, I wouldn't be able to experience or appreciate the joys in life. I wouldn't be me.

For more of my thoughts of that see my post here: Thank Goodness for Quilted Toilet Paper

So I will go enjoy Thanksgiving with friends and family tomorrow. I'm thankful for that because I haven't always had it. There have been quite a few Thanksgiving days spent alone.  Which makes me all the more thankful now.

But rest assured that I find thankfulness every single day. In everything. Life's just much better that way.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and Happy Every Day too. Today, tomorrow and always!





Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. 
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. 
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. 
~ Melody Beattie



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Crowstoes: Holographic Principle Collection - Swatches and Review & Black Friday Details!

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*These products are Cruelty Free 


I'm baaaaaack! I know I'm inundating you with posts today but Black Friday, yo! This time I have a new Crowstoes Collection for you! And it was inspired by an episode of The Big Bang Theory.

Crowstoes Nail Color
Holographic Principle Collection




Pahlish Confectioner's Castle Duo for Black Friday 2015 - Swatches and Review

Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 


Pahlish Confectioner's Castle Duo
for Black Friday 2015





Pahlish: Black Friday Bespokes 2015 - Swatches and Review (and a FREE Polish!)

Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 


I don't know about everyone else, but you couldn't DRAG ME from the safety of my house on Black Friday. But stop shopping? LOL not even. On-line bay-bee!

I have the Black Friday Bespokes from Pahlish for you today! AND a special LE FREE POLISH for any orders over $50 called Little Rebel Droid!





Monday, November 23, 2015

Nail of the Day: CbL Her Red Hair - A Nailland Hungary Exclusive

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*This product is Cruelty Free 


Happy Monday! Today I have a very quick Nail of the Day for you...Colors by Llarowe Her Red Hair, a Nailland Hungary Exclusive.




More swatches after the jump!


Saturday, November 21, 2015

Scofflaw Nail Varnish: Limited Edition Holiday Duo 2015 - Swatches and Review

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Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 

Happy Saturday!

Today marks the first day it's honestly going to be COLD here so it's a great day to show you the new Scofflaw Nail Varnish Duo for the 2015 holiday season!


Scofflaw Nail Varnish
Holiday Duo 2015




Wednesday, November 18, 2015

A Box Indied Reloaded: December 2015 - Swatches and Review

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*These products are Cruelty Free 

A Box Indied: Reloaded!
December 2015

Hi everyone! Are you ready for the re-launch of the A Box Indied??? Me too! As you may know, things have changed up a bit. They have more things in store for future boxes but the main change is that it's no longer a subscription service.

Every month, on the 1st and 2nd, there will be an open pre-order. Once the pre-order is closed, everyone works to get all orders shipped out over the following week to 2 weeks. So by the 15th of each month all orders will have been dispatched to their new homes.

Swatches for the next box will be available on or before the 23rd of the month prior.

More details about the packaging are forthcoming.

For now, though, I do have swatches of all 5 of the polishes in the first new box!

Meet me after the jump for swatches and review!





Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Colors by Llarowe: Winter 2015 Collection - Swatches and Review

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Hey everyone! I'm going to keep the chatter to a minimum and head right into this one because there are 12 new shades in the Colors by Llarowe Winter 2015 Collection. *holds nose and dives head first*

Colors by Llarowe
Winter 2015 Collection




Swatches after the jump...


Press Release: Girly Bits HOCUS POCUS Collection Special Pricing Ending SOON!

Press Release



Time is running out for you to save when you purchase the entire Hocus Pocus collection.
Get the entire collection NOW for $84
After Thursday, November 19th the collection will return to the regular price of $91CAD *POOF* just like that!
Swatches courtesy of Cosmetic Sanctuary
Happy Shopping!
Pam
Founder/Creator
www.girlybitscosmetics.com
Girly Bits Cosmetics is a Canadian company that has been handcrafting quality nail polish since 2011 in a dazzling array of colours and finishes. As a brand dedicated to providing cruelty free, on-trend and unique products, Girly Bits Cosmetics is well known for outstanding customer service, charitable donations and custom nail polishes dedicated to lost loved ones. Available at 6 on-line retailers around the globe, and a growing number of brick and mortar stores, you can be sure to easily find the season’s hottest new shades, as well as timeless customer favourites.

To see my post/swatches of the HOCUS POCUS Collection, click here!



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Monday, November 16, 2015

Girly Bits: Holiday Magic Collection - Swatches and Review (and some nail art)

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I'm back with a new Holiday Collection from Girly Bits!

Girly Bits
Holiday Magic Collection






Holiday Magic

From Girly Bits: This collection consists of 9 classic holiday colours with Girly Bits flair. I am excited to have collaborated with Megan Edwards to bring you a stunning collection of sparkly goodness for the holiday. Megan is a spokesperson for Girly Bits as well as a model and is immersed in the fashion and entertainment scene in Vancouver, Canada. She is currently with Virgin Radio, as well as a panelist on CTV news: Fame Factor.

Catch me after the jump for swatches!

Friday, November 13, 2015

The Digit-al Dozen: Inspired by Pinterest - Abstract Floral and Plaid

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Another Digital Dozen week comes to an end *sadness* - so of course I have my final mani and a "fail" for you.

Once I stopped thinking about looking for manicures on Pinterest and just looked for other things that inspired me, I wasn't "stuck" anymore! So I ended up with 3 manis for today but my favorite one I'm saving for Christmas!

This was inspired by a Vasilj Godzh photograph.




I used KBShimmer Eclipse (sent for review) and white acrylic paint.

And this was my inspiration...




As for the "fail" well it's not really a total fail. It was actually really pretty at arm's length and I wore it for a few days. The problem was twofold though. When you crop for the closeup, it looks messy and I just couldn't stop adding lines! Unfortunately it's not like getting dressed and looking in the mirror one last time and then taking one thing off before leaving.  LOL!





I used Zoya Dove and Salon Perfect Sugar Cube (both purchased by me) and black acrylic paint.

This was my inspiration photo...



Such a cute dress!




Be sure to check the links below for all the other great Pinterest-inspired manis!


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40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Your Job

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Hi everyone! Happy Friday the 13th! Today I have some job-related nail art for you to tie in with Crumpet's Nail Tarts 40 Great Nail Art Ideas JOB prompt!

Y'all this was hard for some reason and you'd think since I now work for Colors by Llarowe it would have been a no-brainer for me. Nope - I'm backwards. The hardest prompts seem easy and this one stumped me LOL! I'm just happy I don't work as an escrow officer at a title company anymore.

So this is what I came up with...




I used a white base for the index and pinkie and did a spray marble using CbL Plum Perfect, Ice Ice Baby and Fairy Dust from the upcoming Winter 2015 collection (launching for pre-order November 23rd!) Then my attempt at the logo and a paint brush with paint swipes.


Please be sure to check the links below for MORE THAN 40 other great nail art ideas with the Your Job prompt.






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Thursday, November 12, 2015

The Digit-al Dozen: Inspired by Pinterest: Jonqal Pattern

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Hi everyone! Day 4 brings more black and white pattern. I don't know why I'm so drawn to it lately. This is a jonqal pattern (sort of a slanted checkered flag)...




Of course it looked perfect at arm's length and the zoom in and crop for the "close-up" shows all of the little mistakes LOL! But that's okay - you can definitely tell it's freehanded.

I used a base of Salon Perfect Sugar Cube and black acrylic paint.

This was the pin/inspiration...




Be sure to check the other pinterest-inspired manis in the link below!










If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

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Wednesday, November 11, 2015

THE DIGIT-AL DOZEN: Inspired by Pinterest: Black and White Swirl

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The Digit-al Dozen
Inspired by Pinterest


Today I have a mani that was inspired by a pin of a Brian Wu photograph. Abstract black and white swirls.




Not sure why I'm so into black and white lately! My entire week is black and white for some reason. I saw a pin of a black and white swirl photograph by Brian Vu and thought it was cool.

I used KBShimmer Eclipse for the black (press sample) and Salon Perfect Sugar Cube for the white...and a toothpick.

Obviously such a random design can't be "copied" but it did inspire me.




Be sure and check the links below for the other pinterest-inspired manis from the DD gang today!












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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

The Digit-al Dozen: Inspired by Pinterest - Escher

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Day 2 of The Digit-al Dozen Inspired by Pinterest  


I was inspired by M. C. Escher, a Dutch graphic artist!




For this one I used Salon Perfect Sugar Cube for the white and Zoya Dove on the tips (both purchased by me) and the black is acrylic paint. Honestly? I think I had a bit too much coffee that day!

Here is the inspiration photo...





Be sure to check the links below for all of the other pinterest-inspired Digital Dozen manis!













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Crème à la Mode Quarterly Box: Winter 2015 - Swatches and Review

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*These products are Cruelty Free 


Crème à la Mode Box - Winter 2015

The Crème à la Mode Box is a quarterly box and this is the 2nd one! You can see the first Box here. And as you may know or at least have guessed - the creme lover in me is doing a snoopy dance.




This box launches for PRE-ORDER starting November 15th at 9 am and the pre-order goes through November 21st. Boxes are expected to start shipping to fill all pre-orders by December 1, 2015.

These boxes will retail for the low price of $26 plus shipping, so in the US the total will come to under $30. ($26 is $6.50 each!) After the boxes are shipped, they will offer the polishes at full price in their respective shops, as well.

The makers in the Crème à la Mode Box are:
Literary Lacquers
Octopus Party Nail Lacquer
Digital Nails
Indigo Bananas


Swatches and review after the jump!


Monday, November 9, 2015

The Digit-al Dozen: Inspired by Pinterest - Surrealist Umbrella/City Scape

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Hi everyone! It's time for another Digit-al Dozen week of nail art - this time inspired by Pinterest! I purposely did not look for any nail art or manicure-related pins, just images that inspired me.

This surrealist art really inspired me - it's by RGegen Noviara and of course it doesn't translate quite as well on the nail as on canvas (or on a t-shirt.) 



The super shiny black creme is KBShimmer Eclipse (sent to me for review) and the grey is Zoya Dove (purchased by me).

This was the pin that inspired me...




Be sure to check the links below for all of the other pinterest-inspired Digital Dozen manis!











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Sunday, November 8, 2015

Pahlish: Chasing Northern Lights - Exclusive for The Holo Hookup Box

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*This product is Cruelty Free 

Happy Sunday!

Today I have a polish from Pahlish to show you. This is an exclusive polish for The Holo Hookup Box that Pahlish is guesting in for December and it's called Chasing Northern Lights.

There are lots of photos, so meet me after the jump...





Saturday, November 7, 2015

Pahlish: The Hidden Door Collection - Swatches and Review

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Pahlish has a new collection launching tomorrow and I have swatches! It's called the Hidden Door Collection and there are 4 new holos.

Pahlish
The Hidden Door Collection



Full swatches and review after the jump...


Friday, November 6, 2015

Pahlish Forbidden Forest Duo for November 2015: Swatches and Review

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Pahlish November 2015 Duo
The Forbidden Forest Duo


Happy Friday! Today I have a Harry Potter-inspired duo from Pahlish to show you that launches this Sunday, Nov. 8th.




Meet me after the jump for full swatches and review!


Thursday, November 5, 2015

Paint Box Polish: The Knight Bus Collection - Swatches and Review

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Paint Box Polish
The Knight Bus Collection

Happy Thursday! Today I have a brand new Harry Potter inspired collection from Paint Box Polish to show you called The Knight Bus Collection.



Meet me after the jump for full swatches and review!