Black and White and Red All Over

Happy Friday! I'm here with another installment of The Crumpet's Golden Oldie Thursday challenge. And just like last week, my Thursday night was booked and I keep forgetting to schedule posts. I had good reason, though! My best friend is getting married in August and I'm the Maid of Honor :D We went dress shopping last night, for the first time and she just looked gorgeous :')

I did have a mani done for this week's prompt, which was dots. And coincedentally, it was in the wedding color scheme. I must just have it on the brain lol.

Let's get to it!!

For this dotticure, I started with two easy-peasy coats Wet N Wild Wild Shine Black Creme, which went on so easy. It's also my go-to for black stamping. I did an accent of three coats LA Colors Energy Source, which is your typical white. It took three coats to even out the streakiness. I top coated with Color Club 0-60 Fast Dry top coat. Once that dried, I got out my dotting tools in assorted sizes and OPI Danke-Shiny Red and did my pattern. I lovelovelove this polish. It came out as part of the 2012 Germany collection. It's a bright red that has that lit from within effect, thanks to a shot of shimmer. You'll definitely see this on the blog again as a full mani but I knew it would be great for this dotticure.

I liked keeping it simple with just a pop of color. Black, white, and red is so classic and lends itself to so many puns (as in my subject line).

Be sure to check out what the other Nail Tarts did for this week and have a great weekend!!

xo, ali

A Cure for the Winter Doldrums

Happy Tuesday! I hope you are all staying warm. It was a balmy 3 degrees, here in Buffalo, today.

Just a quick swatch post for you guys. I did a swatch-a-thon on Saturday afternoon and I thought I'd share one of the polishes I swatched. They are nothing brand new but parts of my stash that needed some TLC.

China Glaze Snap My Dragon-two coats, no top coat.

Shade

Natural Light 

Snap My Dragon is a polish that you've seen on the blog, as part of a GOT challenge here. It came out as part of China Glaze's Spring 2013 Avant Garden collection. It's a gorgeous, vibrant pink-toned red with warm pink shimmer throughout. The shimmer give it a lot of personality and I love how bright this is. It's absolutely perfect for days like the ones I've been going through, with all the gray and cloudy skies. This is definitely a polish that will put a smile on your face.

This swatch is shown without base or top coat and two coats of polish. There is slight visible VNL so if that bugs you, you'd be safe to put another coat on.

Sadly, this is the only polish I snagged from the Avant Garden collection but I think I've seen it still in stock at some of my local beauty supply stores. Maybe I'll pick up a few more.

I'll be back on Thursday with another mani for the GOT challenge. See you then!

xo, ali

GOT(F?): BLUE!

Good evening, polished pretties!

I'm sharing another challenge mani with you from The Crumpet's Golden Oldie Thursday challenge. It's on Friday for me this week because I was on a really bad date last night. Oh, the woes of being single. I should really start a separate blog for my online dating horror stories.

Let's get on with it!

I was digging through my stash, looking for an old blue that I could use and I landed on something that I haven't used since I first got it, about two years ago.

Sadly, I only have one shot of it for you guys tonight because Picasa isn't syncing right :(

This is from Forever 21's Love and Beauty cosmetics line. Usually they're terrible at naming their polishes but this one was called Imperial Blue. And I think imperial is the right way to describe this. A gorgeous, deep royal blue jelly filled with a duochrome glass fleck that flashes purple and blue. Can you believe this polish cost a little under $3?!

However, it chipped the very next day :\

What do you think? What's your favorite cheap polish?

Be sure to check out what my fellow lacquer lovers did for their blue nails!!

xo, ali

Tahitian Squares

Happy Tuesday!

I hope all of you are doing well, this evening. I'm refreshed and relaxed after a three-day weekend. Over this weekend the nail-blogging community just exploded into a lovefest. I don't know who started #sharethelove but it was amazing. That is why I love this community so much. We are all so supportive of each other. I'm proud to be part of this community! #sharethelove also led to me starting up a Facebook page for the blog. If you haven't already, go ahead and visit Ali's Dancing Phalanges on Facebook and give it a like!!

Tonight I'm sharing a really cool polish and some simple nail art, so let's get to it!

I really loved this mani so it's kind of photo-heavy. You've been warned :x

I started with two coats of Wet N Wild Megalast in Tahitian Pearl.

I believe this is one of the Dollar General-exclusive colors and it's definitely unique.

I mean, it dries matte. I was not expecting that!

Plus, it's LOADED with shimmer that really stands out once you top coat it, which I love.

The next day, I decided to spice it up a little bit and got out my Scotch tape. I taped off squares in different corners of each nail and applied one generous coate of Wet N Wild Wild Shine Black Creme.

Here's my thumb, for once!

I loved this and wore it for two more days before taking it off. All the polishes wore wonderfully, with only minor tipwear.

My Zoya order finally came in so I'm off to play. I'll be back on Thursday with some winter blues for the Crumpet's GOT challenge, week three!

xo, ali.

GOT Challenge: Stripes

Gooooood evening loves! I hope that you are all doing well, tonight. I'm back with another installment of The Crumpet's Golden Oldie Thursday polish challenge! The theme this week was Stripes and I used it to branch out my nail art into something that I've never tried before and I think it turned out pretty good. Let's take a look at the process!

I started with three coats of Sally Hansen CSM in Mousseline, which is a light and airy ecru. I love the name of this polish because of my slight obsession with Marie Antoinette. Mousseline was the nickname given to her oldest daughter, Marie Thérèse.

[source]

*ahem* I've put my inner history nerd back into her cage.

This was such a good palate cleanser after the neon/holo mani I was sporting last week. It would also be a great base for lots of different glitter toppers.

Mousseline was sandwiched between Orly Nail Armor and NYC Grand Central Station.

I let this dry overnight and after my Saturday morning coffee, I got to work.

On all nails, except my ring finger on each hand, I put three pieces of striping tape and painted over them with one thick coat of China Glaze Snap My Dragon from last spring's Avant Garden collection. This was one of my favorite polishes that came out last year. It's such a gorgeous, saturated pinky red, shot through with pink shimmer.

On my ring fingers, I took a large dotting tool and dotted Snap My Dragon around. Then, I mixed Mousseline with Snap MY Dragon, and using a tiny detail brush, added some highlights. For the leaves, I used Avon Nailwear Pro+ in Garden Green, which is a leafy green with a silvery-blue shimmer.

I used the Nailasaurus' tutorial to make my little roses and, while they didn't turn out as perfect as hers are, I still think I hit the mark pretty well with these!

Have you been trying any new nail art techniques? I'd love to hear about it! And be sure to check out what the other lovely ladies have done for this week's theme!

xo, ali

The Crumpet's GOT challenge!

Good evening!

Tonight, I have a post that I'm really excited about. I'm participating in The Crumpet's Golden Oldie Challenge.

Basically the rules for this challenge are that the polish has to be at least a year old.

Easy-peasy.

Debbie is an amazing nail blogger. She always has great swatches, great stamping, and great nail art. I love reading her blog and I check it every day to see what she's posted.

This is the first challenge that I've decided to particpate in. I like that it's once a week and that it will force me to use some of my older polishes.

Today's prompt is Pink! Pink is one of my favorite colors and I know that I have tons and tons of different pinks in my stash but there was one that I really wanted to showcase tonight. And that's my first Essie polish!

For today's mani, I did three coats of Essie Pink Parka and an accent of two coats Color Club Harp On It.

Pink Parka came out as part of the Fall 2009 collection. I picked it up as part of a Halloween costume, last minute. I was a "scene kid."

It's a neon so there are some usuals that come along with it--streaky and dries matte. It took three coats to even it out and it's topped with NYC Grand Central Station to give it some shine.

I'm really looking forward to participating in this challenge and seeing what all the other talented ladies will come up with!

xo, ali

Suzi and Dorien-A Blizzard Adventure

Hey, hey! I'm coming to you, live from my living room, as I begin my second straight day of being stuck indoors. The Blizzard of 2014 is "over"in the Buffalo area and now we start digging out. The driving bans are lifted and the expressways and thruways are open but the roads are a MESS. And I'm the worst winter driver.

I took this opportunity to do something creative with my nails, because I had a great block of time.

I started with two coats of OPI Suzi and the Seven Dusseldorfs on my thumb, index, middle, and pinky and two coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Dorien Gray.

Suzi and the Seven Dusseldorfs is from the Germany collection that was released in Fall 2012. She's a gooooorgeous red-toned purple shimmer that covered well in two coats. 

Dorien Gray is a milky cement gray that I picked up in a CSM five-pack from Big Lots, last year. This covered decently in two coats but if I were wearing this as a regular manicure, I'd definitely use three coats to cover up any patchiness. I figured since I'd be stamping over, it would be okay.

I did all the base work in the afternoon and topped it with NYC Grand Central Station. Then I did what you should do on a snow day--take a nap! 

Later in the evening, I got out my stamping plates and picked BM-410 from the 2013 Create Your Own collection and stamped using Suzi and the Seven Dusseldorfs

(I don't know what is with the coloring on this one...)

I can't tell if these are fish bones or arrows but I really like this pattern. Suzi stamped so well! I was really happy with how the design came out. Of course, the awesome quality of the BM plates contributed to this, as well.

I top coated with OPI top coat, and, using a dot of top coat and a dotting tool, placed a rhinestone at the base. The rhinestones are from Bundle Monster as well and I think that it added a little something extra to the mani.

I'm really proud of this manicure and my nubbins are coming along, quite nicely, I think.

Did you get snowed in? Or are you guys popsicles? How are you staying warm?

I'll be wrapped up on my couch with 

Tim Riggins--hubba hubba!

[source]

xo, ali

Baby, You're My Better Half

Well, hello! I know I've been a stranger but things have been NUTS over here at Casa de Phalanges. It feels like this weekend is the first chance I've had to breathe since the last time we got together.

Over the past two weeks, I've helped to put on a bridal shower for my older sister, celebrated Christmas, went to multiple family parties, and rang in the new year with my best friend. I'll share some quick snaps from all that at the end of the post.

Tonight, I'm going to share with you an Essie mini that I picked up just before Christmas. 

This is My Better Half from the Summer 2013 Bridal Collection that came out.

This is a sweet and simple pink-toned lavender that is shot through with a pearly purple shimmer. It applied really smoothly and I believe this is three coats with Orly Nail Armor base coat and Beauty Plus top coat. 

It was just a very simple, girly manicure and a great palate cleanser, as I wore this after the nail art I shared in my last post.

And before I go, I wanted to share a few peeks at the bridal shower I helped put on!

The shower theme was...

[source]

which is one of my all-time favorite movies.

So of course, I had to do my nails to match

What else could I use, other than China Glaze For Audrey? I did a Tiffany box as an accent nail using pearly white from my Migi Nail Art pen set.

(my phone case matched too..hee hee)

This is my younger sister, Ashley (upper left), myself, and our older sister, Aimee.

The bridal party girls!

It was such a fun shower and the food was delicious. It was great to honor my sister and spend time with family that I don't get to see that often!

What did you girls do to celebrate the holidays? Get any polish goodies for Christmas?

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and celebrated a happy New Year!!

xo, ali