'Cause they're Blue's clues... Blue's clues......

Happy Halloween!

Today me and my friends dressed as characters from "Blue's Clue's." I had a lot of fun making the costume even if it wasn't super perfect and I thought it looked really cute. Plus, it was also an excuse to wear sweats at work so I think it's a win all the way around!

I was Magenta, before she got her glasses.

Matt helped me cut and sew both the ears and tail. I think it's too stinking cute!

From left to right:

Me, Robert as Steve and Joede as Blue

Our office is so luxurious...

Of course my nails were done and I did a special mani just for this costume.

Base is China Glaze Flying Dragon, three coats

The paw print is China Glaze Heli-Yum

I love Flying Dragon but damn, it is such a beyotch for me. It's hard to apply and so streaky. It's just a really hard love affair with this moody bish. However, I do love how my paw prints came out. I used a reinforcement to get a nice circle and my dotting tool for the toes.

That does it for me. I'm going to my mom's for a yummy fried chicken dinner. I'm excited to see what my parents have dressed their dog in this year!

Hope everyone has a great time tonight!

The snow in my hand...

Good day!
I was browsing through Rite-Aid the other day while looking for things to finish my Halloween costume and I stumbled across the display of Snowman polishes. I love these little holiday polishes, the bottles are just too cute! I wasn't super excited by the selection available but I couldn't walk away. Story of my life, right?

Unnamed Snowman red glitter

Three coats on ring and pinkie, no base coat

One coat over one coat of unnamed Sally Hansen red creme mini

This is a very translucent red jelly base with both red glitter and holo glitter. Three coats was fairly opaque with a small bit of VNL. It dried really quickly albeit matte. I did a quick and dirty layer over a red creme which was really pretty. It really amped up the red and the holo was very nice. 

For the complaints, the brush is all wonky and bent and there are no ballz in the bottle. Thus, the holo glitter settled to the bottom of the bottle. I got as much as I did because I spent a great deal of time turning the bottle in my hands to try and mix things up. The "hat" tends to get in the way when applying too because the brim is wavy and it's not very comfortable to hold. However, I can always decant this into an empty bottle with better brush and pick up some ballz to throw in. Ain't no thing, yo.

Have you seen these little cuties? Any plans to pick them up?

That does it for today. I'm still working on finishing my costume in time for Sunday. I hope to post pics as soon as it's to my liking. It should be cute!
Thanks for coming by and have a lovely day!

New York State of Mind

Good morning! Today I'm bringing a long untried and unswatched for you. And, if you're interested...a little explanation as to what's going on. You can find that after the pics.
Anyhoo..I bring you Sally Hansen Midnight in NY.

Three coats over ridge filler, no top coat

Geez, what a disappointment this was. It could've been amazing. Who wouldn't want a black creme with micro holo glitter? Sadly, the glitter gets lost with each coat. That said, this applies beautifully. I know some have issues with the ginormous, wide brush but I love it. I have no complaints with the dry time either.

I'm still glad to have this because I can always use a black in my stash and this will be great for layering. However, I may use some of this in a franken so I can have a black creme with holo glitter. 

So...moving on to the personal.

I've been having an *ahem* lady problem. I went to the doctor last week and got some encouraging news but now I'm in a wait and watch mode. If things don't happen in about a month and a half, I have big problems and have to go back to the doctor. I was seriously freaked out because all I could think about were the what ifs. Some of those what ifs could be devastating both health wise and financially. 

So...yeah. Thus I was a hermit and not at all interested in anything. Matt was concerned with my stress levels so I've been looking at how to better manage my stress. The Duck game definitely helped and working on my Halloween costume is also keeping me even-keeled. I'm also planning a weekend to Portland to spend some quality time with Matt before the craziness of the holiday season. Things are looking up but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still a little apprehensive. 

And that's my story. I'll keep y'all posted when I know more.

Thanks as ever for coming by and have a lovely day!

Wait 'til you see my "O" (PIC HEAVY)

Good day!

I apologize for my prolonged absence. I have some heavy shit going on but I wanted to bring you something on a much lighter note. Last Thursday, I went to Autzen Stadium to see my beloved Oregon Ducks take on UCLA. I love, love going to Duck games!
This game was nationally televised and it was yet another sell out. The Ducks were seriously victorious with a 60-13 win. That brings a lot of complaint about the BCS rankings vs. the AP/Coaches' polls but we won't go into that. However, Oregon is #1. Don't believe the hype about Auburn, yo.

(SCROLL DOWN IF YOU JUST WANT TO SEE THE MANI.)

Let's go to the pics!

Inside the Moshofsky Center in search of good noms.

Mighty Oregon!

Inside the stadium watching the warmups.

The Ducks setting up for yet another touchdown!

It was a yellow-out at Autzen!

 

The Oregon marching band performs "Mighty Oregon."

I even took (crappy)video of when the team came out on the field. That's right, our mascot comes roaring out on the back of a Harley!



You may be asking yourself, where are the nails?? I didn't forget, yo. I did it up!

Base is Color Club Almost Famous

Sponge is Sally Hansen Going Green

Dots are China Glaze Emerald Sparkle

Fauxnad is Orly Wandering Vine

Me and Matt had a great time at the game and we had to be sure to take some pics of our smiling faces:

You have no idea how DUCKed out I was. I am ridiculous.

I think my husband is devastatingly handsome...

When we got home and got ready for bed, we were a little silly so we decided to DUCK out Gus.

So, here he is wearing Matt's undershirt:

He doesn't look happy here but I think he may have liked it.

So there ya have it. We had an a amazing time and it we took lots and lots of pics. It was definitely hard to choose. Thank you for coming by and taking a look. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Private party, time to get naughty

Good morning!

Today I'm bringing you another sponged nail look. It's partly a challenge from Matt and inspired by the music of Sean Paul. (Matt and I have been listening to lots of dancehall and reggae lately. I'm still the metal girl, don't worry!)
Anyway...Matt requested that I try to recreate this:

The ocean in Cancun

So I did this:

 Left and right hands

Colors used:

Wet n' Wild Nocturnal

Hard Candy Frenzy

China Glaze Towel Boy Toy

Orly Green with Envy

Art Club striper in White

All pics without top coat

Breaking it down here:

I sponged Nocturnal at the bottom. Then I used Frenzy above that. It blended more on the left than the right. of (I'm a right-y, sorry.) I barely hit every nail with a touch of Green with Envy then used Towel Boy Toy over it all. I mimicked the foam by using a stripe of white at the tip and then sponging it.

I was super excited with how it all turned out. But I really knew it was awesome when I showed Matt. He thinks it's spot on!

He was so excited about it that he took a picture with his phone and posted it to Facebook. 

Of course, I have that pic for you:

Right hand with top coat applied

This was really fun to do. It was a good way to distract myself from some of my stress.

It's back to work today for me. Hope you all have a glorious weekend and remember that Lambchop loves you. I haven't bee good about commenting but I do look at what you've done and think of you all. I promise, I have a good reason for being a hermit and I will tell you as soon as I can. In the meantime, please enjoy one of my favorite Sean Paul songs. This makes me dance every time I hear it.

Another star has fallen without sound...

Good morning!

Today I'm bringing you another sponged look. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Base is one coat Zoya Harley

One coat OPI Brand New Skates

Sponged with Orly Halley's Comet and Galaxy Girl

Final layer of Cover Girl City Lights

I accidentally ended up with a gradient! I wasn't trying to achieve that but it certainly was a happy confluence of events. What I did was a thin coat of Harley which I then topped with one thin coat of Brand New Skates.

Originally I was just going to layer BNS over Harley and call it good. I soon realized it was going to take way too long to dry. I decided to sponge instead and turned to two of the beauties from the Cosmix FX collection.

I was blown away with how cool this turned out. I still needed just a snotch more sparkle so I applied a thin layer of City Lights. Perfection! Sadly, my pics are from the end of my work day thus, a spot on my index finger got damaged. Bummer.

Have you had a happy accident recently? What new nail art techniques have you tried?

That will do it for me today. I'm getting to the end of my week and I'm ready to curl up on the couch and be lazy!

Return of the Quack

Good day!

Today I have two different Duck Day manis to show you. I took pics of one but simply did not have the time to post them. Let's move on then...

Base is Sally Hansen Lightening

Green stripes are China Glaze Four Leaf Clover

"O" is the very last of my Nubar Nail Art Pen in Green Frost

Flakies are from the Claire's mini collex

This one was really cute until I screwed it up. I sponged the stripes and had wanted to highlight the yellow with a flakie. This did not work well at all. I applied the flakie much too thickly. Bleargh. Oh well. I will definitely try this again but I think I learned my lesson.

Let's go to the next look:

Base is three coats China Glaze Recycle

Tips are China Glaze Emerald Sparkle

Half-moons are Sally Hansen Lightening

I've been trying to predict exactly which unis the Ducks will wear without success. They have 80 different combinations with green, grey, yellow, black and white. I though for sure they'd bust out the grey so I went with that on my mani.

I do love how this turned out and it was super simple. I used French tip guides and reinforcements for the half-moons. What was surprising was how just how well it held up during the day. I was processing shoes and that's always tough on nails.

I like to think my spirit has been  helping since the Ducks are still undefeated. It sure has been an exciting season so far and now we are #2!! (Suck it, Alabama!) As such, I want to leave with you with this season's newest sensation. Remember last year when I posted "I Love My Ducks?"

Those boys are back and still bringing the awesome sauce.
Enjoy and happy 10.10.10!

Let them inherit this fire now, Lest they will forget that we were ever here

Good morning.

Today I'm bringing you greens to raise awareness of  National Depression Screening Day.
Depression screening and treatment is something very near and dear to my heart. My husband suffers from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and his sister suffered from major depressive disorder.

In July 2005, my sister-in-law, J, took her own life. She had sought some treatment for her depression and had taken anti-depressants for a time. However, her mind was simply made up. One devastating act has had repercussions we still feel today.

I share this because depression does not have to end like this. And it is more important now than ever given the recent exposure of LGBT teens who have committed suicide. LGBT youth are at the highest risk of attempting suicide. In my home state of Oregon, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death.
As a survivor of suicide, I can tell you how devastating it is for families and loved ones left behind. It is why I am so passionate about early screening and treatment. There is help and there is hope.

Orly Green With Envy

Sally Hansen Honeydew

L.A. Splash Ocean's Fairy

Lambchop Original Franken, Bermuda

Orly Wandering Vine

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Going Green

 China Glaze Four Leaf Clover

Color Club Twiggie

Zoya Envy

This was really hard for me to write. I'm fairly open about my life but this was so personal and still so painful. But I felt it important. I hope you will also be inspired to reach out to anyone you might know who is battling depression and give them support. 

Before I go, I'd like to share some links to resources that may be of help.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline  - A great resource that can help point you to local resources to help anyone who may be suicidal.

National Institute of Mental Health Depression Page - Full of information about symptoms and treatment with links to local services

The Trevor Project - Dedicated to helping at risk LGBT youth.

Thank you for coming by and taking the time to read this. I hope you will all be well. Much love.

Candy and Brandywine

Good day!

Today I'm bringing some nail art I sported the past couple of days.

Left hand:

Base is L.A. Girl Matte White

Sponge art is China Glaze Grape Pop

L.A. Colors Radiation

and Nina Ultra Pro Grin and Berry It

I painted three coats of Matte White the night before and the next day I did the sponging. I used reinforcements and sponged Grape Pop over them. It came out pretty cool but I wanted to add more color so I did Radiation and Grin and Berry It. I didn't use enough of the purple to really take advantage of the reinforcement and so the design was way too subtle. Adding the other colors really softened the whole thing.

It looks great but let me show you what happens when you use enough polish.

Right Hand 

Same colors as above plus Shaky Hand Syndrome!

Taken the next day so mind the chip tip.

Yeah. That is so much better. I got a lot of compliments on this and many people commented that the left really looked tie-dyed. Which I guess is so perfect for Eugene. We have lots of aging hippies! You know me, it was no big deal to be rolling with two entirely different looks on my hands. 

I wasn't finished with this before removing it. Since I used a matte base, I wanted to see what this looked like completely matte.

Same as ever with one coat of China Glaze Matte Magic

It's a tad subtle but it gave it a very stone like texture. Overall, this was a fun mani. I am really loving sponging. It makes for great textures and it dries super fast. I've found it easier to sponge with reinforcements than trying to paint over them so this gives me another fun element.

Next up is what I wore yesterday.

Base is three coats Tip Toe Crushed Grapes

Stripes are L.A. Girl Addict

This was a simple look I achieved with blue painter's tape. Crushed Grapes dries ridiculously fast so it was such a good choice for a morning mani. In regular light, the stripes are really subdued but in sun, it glows!

This was a fun look to do and gave me something else to do with the five million rolls of painter's tape I own since Matt hasn't yet decided if he wants me to re-paint the living room.

(I love painting walls almost as much as I love painting nails. I know I'm weird.)

That will do it for now. It's my weekend and I'm ready to relax!

Have a lovely day and have fun polishing!

Her perfume smells like burning leaves

Good morning!

Today I'm bringing you my first ever MAC polish that I picked up on my anniversary date. We went to the outlet in Woodburn and I hit up the Cosmetics Company Store.What a great resource for a tightwad like me! They had lots of product from (recently) past collections and at prices that are more in line with my budget.
I had fun perusing everything but I was super excited to find the one item I truly liked from the Style Black collection.
I speak, of course, of Baby Goth Girl.

Three coats, no base or top

I was really pleased with this. I was a bit hesitant because I've often heard horror stories about application with MAC polishes but this applied nicely. My only application complaint was a bit of drag at the tips. However, I chalk that up to shaky hands. I have to stop trying to apply nail polish before breakfast!

Same as above, indoor light

This is a deep, nearly black, vampy wine. The flakies are golden but really subtle on the nail. There's a snotch of reddish-purple glitter that helps keep this from being flat and overly dark. 

It was exciting for me to be able to pick this up and avoid the hassle of trolling ebay. It was hard to keep from buying lots and lots more but I had a budget and I needed to buy some work clothes!

So was it worth it to buy at the outlet? For this, yes because the color was limited edition. However, two hours to drive is not so hot. The price wasn't bad either. I saved almost five dollars on this as opposed to buying it at full price at release. 

I'm sure I will buy more MAC products and I may even visit my local counter again. (Even though I really do not like the people there.)

Have you been to the Cosmetics Company Store?  What are your thoughts on outlet shopping for beauty products?

That will do it for me today. Thank you for coming by!