RAWR - Halloween 2012

Hey guys! I got a hold of some pics from Halloween that my uncle took. I felt so crappy for most of October, but thankfully I felt up to venturing out on Halloween.

If you couldn't guess from my Halloween nails, I dressed up as Catwoman, inspired by Eartha Kitt's costume from the 1960's Batman. Yea, I spent a lot of time in bed watching TV and I caught an episode of it and really liked her costume, more than some of the more modern Catwomans.

Yea I know she didn't have a tail, but my ears came with a tail and I wanted to use it. :]

I had fun with makeup and falsies too.

I used:
Prestige Liquid Eyeliner - Popstar
Prestige Liquid Eyeliner - Fame
M.A.C - Retrospeck Eyeshadow
M.A.C - Blacktrack Fluidline
Jesse's Girl - Starshine Eye Dust
Salon Perfect Perfectly Diva Lashes - Enchanting (fitting name right?)

For my lips:
Wet N' Wild MegaLast Lipstick - Think Pink
Wet N' Wild MegaLast Lipstick - Dollhouse Pink
Love & Beauty Shine Lipgloss - Light Pink (there's no name on it lol)

As for my plans that night? My cousin got back in town so her and my other cousin and I just walked around the neighborhood. We went trick or treating at a few houses cause we wanted to send the candy back to her brother and sisters but overall we didn't get much candy haha.

Halloween Claws

Hey guys! Today I'm gonna show you all the nails I rocked for Halloween. I cut them into claws, or stilettos as most people know them. :]

My aunt made delicious cupcakes and put these spider rings on top of them. Believe me when I say yummy, they were yummy. Orange creamsicle with buttercream frosting. One of the spiders made it's way into my nail photos. Honestly these are cute spiders, not your typical plastic Halloween spider ring, amiright?

I used:
Salon Perfect - Glow Pink
Wet N' Wild Wild Shine - Black Creme

You know what's really funny about this? These peeled off in perfect sheets. It was like I had used the Essence Peel Off base coat or the glue dupe but nope! Glow Pink is a glow-in-the-dark polish, and I used several coats of that as my base so I'm not sure if that's it or what. It was pretty neat though.

Anyone wanna guess what I went as for Halloween? The claws are a hint!

O.P.I. - Brand New Skates AKA My First O.P.I.

Hey guys! Hope you all had a good holiday this week! Some of yall might have noticed a trend in polish brands on here... most of my polishes are drugstore brands. I own two China Glazes and they're the only salon polishes I have.

Up until a few months ago. I can finally say I'm the proud owner of an O.P.I. and I love it.

Look, see! Holo flecks!

I was at Target looking at polish and noticed they have O.P.I. now. I picked up a pretty pink and I was surprised to see it was Sparrow Me The Drama from The Pirates Of The Carribean collection.

On a whim I started picking up bottles to look at the names and see if there were any I've seen on blogs and guess what? Most were LE polishes from old collections! Behind a few bottles I found Brand New Skates and I thought I'd seen it online before. 8 bucks or not, I decided to splurge. It's from their 2008 holiday collection called Holiday In Toyland.

I won't bore you with swatches cause it's a 4 year old polish, HTF, and there's already a million swatches out there I'm sure. :] But I'll post a couple manis I did using it so you can see how it looks layered.

First up, here's my right hand that I never posted when I did my Gumby nails. I did my ring finger to look like the red and green checkerboard at the beginning of each Gumby episode but I didn't feel like finishing it. I layered Brand New Skates over the white that I had on my other nails.

This next one was the first manicure I did after I was sick. I had the idea in my head and couldn't wait to try it, especially since my nails were naked and had time to grow out. Then I broke a corner off one. I decided to round them out. I've only ever done this shape once before, I tried to copy some girl's nails that I saw in the video for Kirko Bangz - Drank In My Cup. This was also my first try at freehand leopard print using a dotting tool.

The grey is a Love & Beauty polish and the black is my trusty Wet N' Wild Black Creme.

I'm glad I picked this up when I got the chance. It's a bit sheer, but it's gorgeous on it's own and it's awesome for layering.

Subtle Mint Gradient

Hey guys! It's been a minute, I know. My "cold" turned out to be an infection and I was on two kinds of antibiotics before I started feeling better, the second of which made me feel sicker than I had felt before!

I pulled this one from the vault. I did these a few weeks ago to match my outfit. Only thing was it just wouldn't photograph well enough to show off the gradient, but when I put my nails in front of something it showed up a little. So you get bits and pieces of my shirt and jeans.

I used:
Wet N' Wild Mega Last - I Need A Refresh-Mint
Sinful Colors - Cinderella

Super subtle right? Here's an Instagram collage with my outfit. My cuz was out of town so no proper OOTD pics.

I've got some good posts coming up, including my first O.P.I. (really I didn't own any till now) and my Halloween nails and costume. As soon as I get the pics, I'll post them. Until then check out my Instagram, I toss up some quickies on there before I do full posts.

LDTTWC - Day 8: Let's Do The Time Warp Again!

Hey guys! Today is the final day of the Let's Do The Time Warp Challenge, Day 8: Let's Do The Time Warp Again! Before we get into the details, I wanna thank Lindsey of Neverland Nail Blog for hosting such an awesome creative challenge and Nail Art Canada for sponsoring it. This was my first challenge and it was a lot of fun!

I couldn't decide on just 1 manicure that I wanted to recreate. I just wanted to do something with poodles, I kinda forgot about the 50's when I chose my Day 1 inspiration and so many ladies did a great job with it. Here's a list of the manicures that I took inspiration from for this:
Lindsey of Neverland Nail Blog - Day 1
Erin of Hand-y Feats and Other Treats - Day 2
Heather of Peace, Love & Polish - Day 2
Nicole of Nicole Gets Nailed - Day 2
TrendyTips1116 of Polished - Day 2
Rose127 of Nail Polish Creations - Day 2

The saddle shoes on Hand-y Feats and Other Treats and Polished were so cute. I like how Nicole did polka dots in hers. I just got my first dotting tool so I really wanted to include polka dots in this.

Like I said at the top, I had a lot of fun doing this, and I met a lot of awesome talented nail bloggers. This community is really a nice one and I'm glad I decided to do the challenge.

Sally Hansen Lustre Shine - Lava Swatch

Good morning lovelies! I'm postponing the last day of Halloween Week until I get better pictures of the costume I wanted to post. Instead I've got swatches of the new Sally Hansen Lustre Shine - Lava. You might remember I used Lava as the base for my Day 7 manicure for the Let's Do The Time Warp challenge.

Lava is just beautiful. It's so shiny and it has that "glow from within" quality to it. At first glance it's orange but it shifts to pink and brown depending on the light. I'm happy that this looks as good on the nails as it does in the bottle.

This first pic was taken indoors with flash, you can see the brown real good here:

This next one was outdoors, it came out a lil dark but check out the duochrome shine on my middle finger:

Then this was out in the sunlight, it looks different again:

Here's a quick lil review: I liked it. It's sheer but not too sheer, two coats covered pretty well. I could've used a 3rd but I'm already getting that feelin like I gotta hoard this lol. I like that it's sheer cause it makes for a good layering polish.

Hopefully this collection isn't limited edition, it doesn't say so on the display. I grabbed Lava cause it was the last bottle and I didn't wanna regret not getting it. I think this is the perfect Fall polish. I hope these stick around cause I wanna try out some of the other colors!

This was a good polish week for me. Along with this I got a Kiss Nail Striper kit AND I also got my very first dotting tool cause Rite Aid had the L.A. Girl Polka Dot Nail Art Collection kits. I'm so excited to use it, I plan on using it for my LDTTWC Day 8 manicure. I hope to do that this weekend, I just haven't been feeling up to it. I'm using a bunch of lovely manis as inspiration and I really wanna do them justice!

Have any of you bought any of the Lustre Shines?

Halloween Week Day 4 - Playboy Bunny

Welcome to Day 4 of Halloween Week!

This was a last minute costume. How do you know you have a last minute costume? When you're at the store the day before Halloween and they're starting to clear out the Halloween stuff to put out Christmas stuff, YOU'RE LAST MINUTE STATUS.

I planned on going as a mummy but it didn't look good so I returned the costume and the selection was bare. I ended up buying a set of bunny ears that came with a tail and a bow tie... which reminded me to a Playboy Bunny and I knew I had this shirt so I picked up the petticoat for the bottom and voila!

You might notice a wheelchair in these pictures. That was a prop, I had it for Hef. ;] Nah I actually had it for a relative that fell that day and still wanted to go out trick or treating. In the end she didn't need it and we put food on it when we walked home from a party lol.

This was back in 2010 and another that I don't totally remember what I used for makeup. We can probably say M.A.C - Retrospeck was the highlight, and I think I used a shiny pink loose shadow from Hot Topic. On my nails I had a glow in the dark polish from Walmart, it came in a set with lipstick.
I also forgot to do close up pics that night. I remember I got sick with the flu the day after my uncle's birthday party that I posted about here and I was still getting over it that night. I'm sick as I type this so blah I needa arm myself with vitamin C in October don't I?

Hopefully I'll start feeling better soon so I can start doing some more Halloween nails!

Halloween Week Day 3 - Nails, Nails, Nails

Welcome to Day 3 of Halloween Week!

Today I'm rounding up some of the Halloween nails I've posted.
First up, I found these in my old pics folder. I did these on October 1st 2009 and wanted something that reminded me to Fall. Here's some vintage Miss DeVious DiVa for y'all.

I used Sally Hansen - Mink & Diamonds
Konad plate m63
Konad black special polish
I had discovered Konad that year and kinda went nuts getting plates lol.

These actually aren't as bad as I thought they'd be when I found them. The only thing that kinda makes me laugh is that all the nails I took pics of back then had a foil background haha.

These were done last year, and the full post for them is HERE.

And here's my more recent Slaughterhouse nails, which are perfect for Halloween. Better yet, don't clean them up after you do the splatter. You can find the original post (with pics after clean up) HERE.
I feel like I gotta say again Slaughterhouse is my favorite hip hop group. I actually hate actual slaughterhouses, but slaughtering lyrically is ok with me!

I'm not posting a lot of nail art this week, but I LOVE Halloween so I'm sure throughout October I'm gonna post more. If I did a Halloween-appropriate mani in August, you can bet I'ma do some in October!

Halloween Week Day 2: Black & Orange Witch

Welcome to Day 2 of Halloween Week! I promised yall yesterday that today's look would focus on the makeup and nails and I'm coming through!

This one's from Halloween 2009. I had just started my blog and went ALL OUT on my costume cause I was gonna totally post lots of pics and IT WAS GONNA ROCK. So yea, *checks date* what up 2012. Better late than never right?

I got the top petticoat and the hat from Claire's. The black shirt is a real shirt that I already owned.

When I said I went ALL OUT, I did so on my makeup too. Check it out:

I don't really remember what I used on my eyes but I think it involved M.A.C - Melon pigment and probably M.A.C - Retrospeck because it's my favorite and maybe even M.A.C - Fab & Flashy.

The spiderweb was done with M.A.C - Blacktrack Fluidline
Lips was an orange lipstick from Walmart's Halloween stuff with Hard Candy Plexi Gloss - Diamond on top. 

Here's a close up of my nails:

I did these with an orange nail polish from Walmart's Halloween stuff and a black nail art brush and pen thing from Forever 21.

I like that this was cutesy and girly but not super skanky haha. That's kind of what I look for in costumes!

LDTTWC - Day 7: You're Timeless To Me!

Hey guys! Can you believe this is the last week of the Let's Do The Time Warp Challenge? 4 weeks have flown by fast! Today is Day 7: You're Timeless To Me!

This manicure was influenced by 3 things:
1.) Barbershop quartets.
2.) The fact my allergies that I mentioned in my last post ended up being a cold that I still have.
3.) Me finding Sally Hansen Lustre Shine - Lava at Walmart.

I picked barbershop quartets as my inspiration since today's theme is something that was popular both then and now, and many guys in barbershop quartets had mustaches. Mustaches are SO in right now.

To be honest with you tho, I am so over white and red after my recent nails, ha! So instead of the usual barbershop quartet colors, I used something different. I picked Sally Hansen Lustre Shine - Lava as my base. Truth be told I was so excited about finding it that I reallllllly wanted to try it right away.

DUDE. It is so gorgeous. I will post swatches of it on it's own.

Here are today's nails:

I've got a bow on my thumb, then a bowtie, stripes, the infamous stache, and zig zags. I was thinking of the stitching on a vintage looking floral dress I had when I was a kid when I did that.

Here's a close up of my thumb:

It's super simple cause I just didn't feel up to doing some real hardcore nail art, but with a base color with so much dimension, simple is better.

If it makes it up, tomorrow's Halloween Week post will have some fancy pants makeup and nail art, so stayed tuned for that.

That's about it, there's one more day left in this challenge!

Halloween Week Day 1: 1920's Flapper

Welcome to Day 1 of Halloween Week!

Let's kick things off with the only packaged costume that I'll be posting this week: a 1920's flapper. I wore this last year, because I actually had a flapper costume laying around that hadn't been opened.

Now you're sittin there like "why does this chick just have costumes lying around?" and the answer is because my cousin and I were gonna do a routine with the Charleston at a big family party that never went through. So yes, I have not one but TWO of these lying around, and I've got a set of purple beaded necklaces and gloves. Anyone wanna do the Charleston with me?

Yea, the black canvas shoes aren't authentically 1920's, but I walked to a party that night and didn't have black flats so they were necessary.

That is me gettin my Mae West on. Why don'tcha come up and see me sometime? I'll teach you the Charleston.

This is what I remember from my makeup:
Smokey Eyes
M.A.C - Blacktrack Fluidline
M.A.C - Carbon eyeshadow
M.A.C - Retrospeck eyeshadow as highlight

Lips
a combo of all the reds I own & a tiny bit of M.A.C - Kittenish lipstick
Love & Beauty - Cherry lipgloss

Needless to say, I didn't do any nail art haha. I did paint my nails pink though!

That's about it. What did you guys dress up as last year? I think I'm gonna do something vintage again this year.

HALLOWEEN WEEK!

Special announcement here at the blog today: next week, the first week of October, will be Halloween Week!

Awesome huh? Yea those are real pumpkins I carved for a party we had a few years ago.

Halloween is my favorite holiday and over the years I've gone to different parties and gotten all dressed up. My jewelry box has lots of unique accessories that I've collected to wear when I perform so I like to put together costumes.
I've got so many pics of different costumes I've worn, and some cool makeup and nail art to go along with them, I figure I might as well post them. It's been quiet on the fashion post front these last few months, so I'll do a week of it. I've never done a theme week either, so I'm excited to do my first one. :]

LDTTWC - Day 6: They Sure Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To!

Hey! We're already up to Day 6: "They Sure Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To!" of The Let's Do The Time Warp Challenge and today's theme is a design inspired by a classic toy or game. This is another one that I KNEW what I was gonna do on the first day that I read about the challenge!

GUMBY!

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Now halfway through this, I completely just wanted to stop. Long story short I'm either catching cold or having allergies and I'm annoyed on top of it. Thus, I only did my left hand and didn't finish my right. Isn't that image above cute though? It kinda puts me in a better mood.

I know some of you might be saying "Brigitte, the nostalgic movie theme day was last week!" but if y'all didn't have a rubber Gumby as a kid, you were a deprived child! Ok not really, but rubber Gumby and Pokey toys have been around since forever and TO THIS DAY I still see them in novelty stores.

I've got Gumby on my thumb, his pony Pokey, The Blockheads, Prickle, and Goo.

Here's a better pic of my thumb:

I used a bunch of different polishes for this, so if you wanna know anything, just ask!

Here's a pic with all the characters in it. It's actually a Google logo from last year, put up on Gumby creator Art Clokey's 90th birthday:

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My cousin and I used to LOVE Gumby and we had a tape of a whole bunch of episodes when we were kids. And you know what? They still show Gumby real early on Saturday mornings on the METV channel. It's funny watching them again.

Well that's about it, I'm off to go get some zZzZz. See you guys next post!

LDTTWC - Day 5: "We Can Do It!"

Dang man, are we really over the halfway point of this challenge already? Today is Day 5: "We Can Do It!" and this theme's nails are inspired by an influential woman in history.

I decided to continue with my nostalgic comedy route and go with Lucille Ball. As far as female comedians go, she paved the way for many. When it comes to physical comedy? She's the best hands down.

I was inspired by some nails I saw on Instagram, a design where the ring finger had a top lip painted on it and the thumb had the bottom lip. I don't know now who did it cause I saw it on my follower's activity tab and when I went back to look for it, it wasn't there anymore. But let's be real: it's Instagram, it was probably a repost anyways!

So I went with that and then did eyes and hair, red of course. CLEARLY this is meant to be a cartoony interpretation of Lucille Ball. ;]

I used:
Santee - Light Nude
Love & Beauty - Red
L.A. Colors Art Deco Striper -Red
L.A. Colors Art Deco Striper - Black
L.A. Colors Art Deco Striper - White
Wet N' Wild Wild Shine - Black Creme
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri - Mango Motion

I was going to pair the faces with some old fashioned half moons but I decided to add a lil sumptin sumptin by painting inside the hole reinforcement sticker.

Anyone got any recommendations for a good nail polish thinner? I think I'm gonna go get the Orly one, but I'm gonna be honest, it's the only brand of thinner that I've seen in stores. Any good recs or tips would be appreciated!

Thirteen Questions Tag

Hey guys! I'm still rockin my Three Stooges nails. They're too cute to take off, and the new top coat I used seems to really be keeping them from chipping. I didn't want to go days without a new post, so I did the Thirteen Questions Tag that G. posted over at Nouveau Cheap. Since I've got a couple new followers, and I really never know what to write in About Me and profile sections, maybe this will let people know a lil more.

Thirteen Questions Tag 

LDTTWC - Day 4: Lights, Camera, Action!

Hey guys! Look who's got her Let's Do The Time Warp Challenge post ready to go already? Yup, me! Today is Day 4: Lights, Camera, Action!

My earliness is probably due to the fact I knew from the day this challenge was announced what nostalgic movie I wanted to turn into a manicure: The Three Stooges.

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I got into The Three Stooges last year when I found the Antenna TV channel. Part of the appeal to me is I love the 30's and 40's and sometimes I just like looking at what the women are wearing. Don't get me wrong, I love the Stooges themselves too, and Curly is my favorite, but I love how people dressed back then.

I based my design off an image from a Three Stooges cartoon I found on Google. I'm not even gonna front, I did this using the plastic bag DIY polish strips method.

Here we've got Larry, Moe, and Curly. The other nails are inspired by the action signs that directors use. I promise you that white thing in my pinky is a reflection from my flash.

Here we've got their name and the mask that comes on at the end of each movie (short? bit? episode? Insert whatever you wanna call them here).

Here's the cartoon picture:

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I really think the cartoon is cute, I love how Moe looks happy and friendly and not like he's gonna hit someone like he does in the live-action Stooges.

Of course, I used the picture as inspiration and did my own kind of take on them. Messing around with the bag and strips, plus streaky top coat really could be fodder for a Three Stooges episode. There were a few times while doing this that I wanted to face palm and make a bunch of noises, nyuk nyuk nyuk.