Untried Polish Challenge-Three Colors

Going back to the Three Colors of untried polishes, then I will be back on track with Jo at Just Add Polish. Even though skipping around is allowed, I feel like going along.

I changed my initial plans on this mani completely, I initially planned on using the Zang Toi Trio from Zoya, but I got inspired and did this:

I used my usual OPI Matte Nail Envy and then dotted on some pansies with Orly Royal Velvet. That is the PERFECT pansy color, blue and purple and rich and deep. SO love this color!
That's one color.
Next, I added some black stems with my striper and then picked up my fan brush. I first used OPI Nein, Nein, Nein, Okay Fine!, brushed as a grassy French, and then Julep Piper over, to lighten the grass.
That's two and three colors.
I went back and used my yellow striper for the centers .
A quick coat of  SV , hoping and praying that it wouldn't smudge, and there we go!

The thumb only got the grass, not really sold on that.
One more shot, in my car, afternoon light rather than morning:

This is a far more Spring-y mani than anything I would have come up with using the Zang Toi Trio, gorgeous colors though they are.

Take a bit to check out the other blogger's creativity.

Masha at Lost In Lacquer
Raine at Lacquer Lily

Amy at Fancy Side

Amanda at Designer Nail Accents

Sam at Polished Art

Jo at Just Add Polish

Patricia at Polished and Glittered

Blueberry Pie at Blueberry Nails

Kristina at Lacquer Fetish

Until Friday!
Adios!
~~Lizajane

Untried Polish Challenge-Neutral

 

Today I am going out of order, skipping over the Three Colors and jumping to Neutral. My eyes needed a break after the silver crackle.

I tossed on two coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure "Commander in Chic" and despite directions contrary, I put a coat of Seche Vite on top. It could have handled a third coat-you can see above that it is a bit sheer in places on both the ring finger and the pinkie.

You can see some tip wear, but most of what you see is the peelies in my nails.

I had some professional education to do today, and wanted subdued.
This is a nice milk chocolate brown, with purple tones. It def. is not grey-the tables today were black and grey and this was far from matching.

Masha at Lost In Lacquer
Raine at Lacquer Lily

Amy at Fancy Side

Amanda at Designer Nail Accents

Sam at Polished Art

Jo at Just Add Polish

Patricia at Polished and Glittered

Blueberry Pie at Blueberry Nails

Kristina at Lacquer Fetish

 So what do the others have up today? Take a look.

Adios!

~~Lizajane

Tri-Polish Challenge-April 2013, Fourth Manicure

Arrgh! Competing Challenges!
It's getting late and I still have to get out and bike-I am also doing 30 Days Of Biking, and enjoying it tremendously, however, tonight it conflicts.

But nail polish!

Last mani using pink, orange, and turquoise.
Not my design, I am shamelessly copying from someone else. Unfortunately, I can't locate where I got the idea from. I have a feeling that it is another Tart, so if it is, please comment so I can credit you.

ETA: Found it! Copied from Polished Elegance! Thanks, Lisa-Mari!

This replicated the design pretty much although in different colors than the original.

Pointer-all Orange

Middleman-Vertical tape stripes and Charla gradiented over

Ring finger-angled designs in tape

Pinky-Horizontal taping

This next one shows the gradient better.

So that's it for April 2013! Another fun month. May is Blue, Gray, and Red. Yay, all colors that I have multiples of, time to get choosing!

Check out the final installment of  April's Nail Tart Challengers.

Adios!
~~Lizajane

Untried Polish Challenge-Two Colors

 

Jo at Just Add Polish's UPC, installment number two. So far, I am doing these in order, so today is Two Colors.

I chose two Julep polishes-Janel and Glenda.

Glenda is a crackle, which, I know, is SO last year. But conveniently, that is when I got this. She is my only crackle, and I kinda felt it was a hole in my collection, so I didn't cancel the Julep box when it came up. (Whoa, that sounds like I am serious about this.)

I am old enough to remember when crackle came out for wall paint and craft paint. So I remember some of the tips from then.

So I applied the crackle in different directions-outer fingers are angled outward, vertically on my ring finger and horizontally on middleman. You can also tell that middleman had a MUCH lighter coat on it, the cracks are near invisible. Thicker cracks come from thicker coats of polish.

Janel was pretty cool. Because I knew I was putting the crack on top, I planned on only one coat. But even if I hadn't, I think it could have been enough.

I finally figured out why Julep polishes sit in my Melmer-the long brushes collect too much polish and it drips. If only I could remember to clean that up, I am sure I would use them more, the formula is pretty much always good.

Pop over to Just Add Polish and follow the links that Jo put up to the others participating.
Watch us clear out those untried polishes before your very eyes!

Adios!
~~Lizajane

eta: How about I copy the links for you here?

Jonochi at Just Add Polish
Raine at Lacquer Lily

Amy at Fancy Side

Amanda at Designer Nail Accents

Sam at Polished Art

Masha at Lost In Lacquer

Patricia at Polished and Glittered

Tri-Polish Challenge-April 2013-Third Manicure

Welcome, Tarts and Others with Hearts!
Can you believe that this seventh installment of the Tri-Polish Challenge is already here?

For this one I tried my first freehand stripe mani! (Those who know me in real life know that I LOVE new things! Definitely a process knitter!)

I put down a base color coat of the Salon Perfect (I think the name is Light My Fire, but don't quote me on that) and then knowing that Disco Biscuit is a bit sheer, I put down two wider stripes of white (free color!), topping them with the pink.
Next, two stripes of Charla, and then I ended up with the outside stripes in black (another free color!).

I was OK with how it turned out, but I a) have to improve my freehand skills, b) use a smaller brush, c) clean up better, and d) relax! It's art, not science! (And even the science I do at work involves a certain amount of flexibility, chill Liza!)


Now that I have done this once, I can totally see doing it again, but probably in a single color family or on a white background.


Thanks for looking today, and don't forget to check out the other manis shared by Tarts-see the Inlinkz below.



Adios!
~~Lizajane

Another Challenge?

Good evening, lovely readers!
I stumbled across another challenge today, designed by Jonochi at Just Add Polish .

 Nineteen untrieds? Oh, yeah, I could handle that. The only one I might have an issue with is the one that was a gift. I have received only four and just last week used the last untried. Do you think I can borrow one that was a gift to my granddaughter from my Goddaughter?

For today I am using OPI Can't Find My Czechbook for the One Color day.
This went on very nicely, two coats gave good coverage.

I am so glad that the weather and sun cooperated for an outdoor shot. I haven't invested the time nor money in making a light box.
This is a very nice light turquoise, it matched my sweater very nicely today for church. Almost like I had planned it!

I will be back on Tuesday with my third manicure for the Tri-Polish challenge.
Adios!
~~Lizajane

Tri-Polish Challenge-April 2013-Second manicure

Hey there!
Just a super quickie today-my tummy isn't doing well, probably because I have been skimping on sleep this week.

Used just two of the colors for this one, a subtle in real life gradient of the orange and pink.

I liked this one a lot, wore it for two days, maybe three.
Why do I rarely do gradients? I love them.

Oh, yeah. The clean up.

Check out the other manicures, they always are so creative!

Time to head to bed and try to catch up.

Adios!
~~Lizajane

TriPolish Challenge-April 2013

Back for another month of the Tri-Polish Challenge. It is so fun! Thanks, Debbie Crumpet!

April's colors are Pink, Orange and Turquoise (not blue).  We get to choose whatever polish we want to represent those colors, and we use them in four manicures-we must use all three in at least one mani, and can use only two in the others. We also have free use of white, black, gold, silver, and glitter topcoats.

I learned my lesson last month and snapped a pic of my polish choices right away.  Pink is butterLondon Disco Biscuit, turquoise is Zoya Charla, and the orange is Salon Perfect's dupe for ChinaGlaze Riveting.

I finally did a cloud mani! Used all three, so THAT is out of the way!

As I did these manis I was amazed at how different the colors looked layer over each other. That orange looks much more brown layered over the turquoise.

Take a look at the other participants, they always look so good, and the variety of manis with such tight guidelines is amazing!

Adios!
~~Lizajane

Try It On Tuesday-My Only Kleancolor

Just a quickie here today.
I was bored with my current mani-Contrary Polish's Ain't No Sunshine, but I was planning on just taking it off after I was done reading my blogs. Sheila's post at Pointless Cafe caught my eye and I knew what I wanted to do.
I grabbed my Kleancolor Afternoon Picnic and tossed a quick coat on. At least, that was my plan. But the glitters needed a good bit of manipulation, so quick, it wasn't.
But once I got that on, I put on a coat of Gelous, then a coat of Seche Vite, and then finally a coat of NYC Matte Me Crazy.

I liked it, quite a bit.
But unfortunately it was not meant to be. By the time the last topcoat had turned matte, there was some significant lifting and I knew it had to go. I got it off right away, scraping with an orange stick, and then followed up with some acetone to take care of the residue.

Now, I am sitting with just a coat of Nailtiques 2 and matte Nail Envy, and I think that will be it, I work early tomorrow morning, and my bed is sounding more and more appealing.

Have a great week!
Adios!
~~Lizajane