my new shoes, this summer, so far

birthday manicure

so after getting my nail foils in the mail yesterday, i couldn't wait to try them out.

first i had to remove the red/gold EBT mani and getting that glitter off is a bitch! took forever...

so i figured i'd do a black tip (Orly Black Vinyl) and use this foil that is a bluish bronzed mix called, Blue Mottled Gold.

that didn't work out so well. i didn't take any pictures because i was so frustrated at this point. i got the adhesive on there evenly, but getting the foil to stick was not happening.

so i took it off and started over. no polish and a different foil. this one looks like an oil slick on water and it's called, of course, Oil Slick.

the process of applying the foil correctly and taking it off takes practice and patience. i have no patience, so it will take a lot of applications before i get the hang of it. all in all, the look didn't come out too bad. from a distance, they look even and shiny. it's only upon close inspection that you see that some of them are not even, patchy and lumpy.

final product:

i think i'm going to add a couple coats of Northern Lights to bring out the WOW! factor of the colors.

Red and Gold Bands

here is my EBT-Awards inspired manicure (you can blame my homey, Odara, from http://www.gimmethatglow.com for the color combination):

here's what i used:

1) Gelous Advanced Nail Gel Coat

2) Milani Nail Art in Art of Gold

3) Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Red Carpet

4) Bruccu Nail Hardener in Clear

the Gelous base coat is nice and thick. it dries a slight bit tacky so it grips the polish as you apply it. i only had to use 2 coats of the Red Carpet. it has a fair amount of sparkle to it and it paired well with the Gold of Milani. i only had to use one coat for the gold though. i had to use the Brucci because of a mixup with my Seche Vite order. it worked fine. nothing spectacular.

i was a bit lazy though and only did the left hand. i'll do the right tomorrow.

evidence of my madness...

my glitters, holographics and nail treatments

my opaques, brights and solids...

the collection amassed in 1 week...

new addictions...

confession: i have an addictive personality.

i take that to mean that i pick up habits easily and those habits turn into addictions. in turn, some of these addictions have lasted years while others fizzle out in days/weeks/months. throughout the years, i have been addicted to sex, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, shopping (clothes and the like), shoes and now, makeup (specifically nail polish). there are other things (like specific people), but the ones i listed were the most significant.

over the past week, i have become the proud owner of 26 bottles of nail polish. in addition, i have bought countless nail art supplies over eBay. friends and family have all asked jokingly, "are you planning on opening a salon?" and i just laugh.

it started with me getting my nails gone every few weeks, over the past year. time and time again, i go this route to help my nails grow so my midget hands aren't as apparent at first glance. as the tips and crystal powder helped my soft and brittle nails grow, i began to allow my nail technician to experiment with polish colors and designs. now that fever of experimentation has spread to me.

i saw some designs on the internet about nail stamping (the art of using a steel plate, etched with designs) to add pizazz to bland nails and i just had to order one off eBay (waiting on it to come from China). then, i read somewhere about nail foils (which mimic the Minx nail system) and i decided to try it out also. i bought some off eBay, again (waiting for them to come from Britain). i thought, "why pay Karen to add designs to my nails when i can attempt to do it myself and i might actually be good at it."

somewhere in between, i got obsessed with nail polish. i saw bottles everywhere. next think i know, i'm the proud owner of a Sally Beauty Supply Discount Card and 26 bottles of nail polish. they all didn't come from Sally's though. i bought some at CVS, Rite Aid, the dollar store that was on my way to Taco Bell, Claire's, Forever 21 and Fashion to Figure (the new "big girl" store) in the mall near my house.

i haven't gotten the stuff i ordered yet, but when i do... i will be a polishing fiend. trying out something new excites me. eventually i want to soak off my tips and do the whole process over, myself. it's a new undertaking for me, but it's giving me a happy-go-lucky feeling.

"You Put A Move On My Heart"

it's no secret that i love music. good music...

if you are acquainted with me, you know i always have the TV tuned to Music Choice or i'm listening to my iPod or even last.fm and Pandora.

the amazing thing to me about music, is that it takes you places. you drift back to the moment in time when "that particular song" first hit your ears. you remember how it made you feel, listening to the song over and over again. you recall people, places and things associated with "that song".

i have those moments every day. my musical range is eclectic, ranging from Classic R&B/Soul from the 1960s and on, Hip-Hop, Alternative, Punk, Rock and Country. so whenever and wherever GOOD music is playing, i'm grooving along, maybe even singing and dancing... to the beat and the memories in my head.

Tamia's introduction into the mainstream music world came courtesy of Quincy Jones' Q's Jook Joint Compilation. the same album that saw Brandy and Heavy D remake Michael Jackson's iconic "Rock With You", saw the appearance of a young lady from Ontario, Canada. Tamia Hill, née Washington, sang her heart out on, "You Put A Move On My Heart". she wormed her way into my heart with her song about true love and how with it in your corner, nothing is impossible and just how amazing "her love" was.

i was only 14; barely a freshman in high school but i was well on my way down the road when it came to my relationship with music. my dad played his records every Saturday and Sunday and i grew up learning the lyrics to classics. this song... it hit me hard. to me, this song was EVERYTHING i wanted my first love to be like. it was the kind of love that inspired epics: Antony and Cleopatra, Helen of Troy and Paris, Romeo and Juliet... and it made me want to fall headlong into love with anyone. there was no one in particular at that time, but lyrics such as:

"time after time, when i'm feelin low

something inside of me lets me know

it's alright, loves on my side

when the world... seems a lonely place

i've got a dream that won't leave a trace

of the blues

i just think of you..."

made me want to love someone just as much. that was 15 years ago and every time this song comes on... i take a second to envision that perfect love that awaits me in time. i get misty-eyed, imagining how it would feel to love someone so much that your heart feels like it's going to burst. additionally, the thought of love being the definitive factor in overcoming anything, makes me smile.

over the years, i have encountered love. whether it was an affair of my own or those around me... somehow this song has always been at the foreground of my mind. not to say that it made me look down on my romantic partners if they didn't measure up to statements like "...hold me, love me passionately blind, love me 'til the end of time...", but it did make me aware of the possibilities that a particular relationship was not headed in the right direction or giving me "...the warmest glow, heat in the passion that, heaven knows..."

here's to Rod Temperton (writer), Quincy Jones (producer) and Tamia (singer) for executing one of the finest love songs in my time.