The left hand got special treatment – designs inspired from the actual posters:

(Skyline, Red Forest, Insignia Destruction, Lava) I just did a Galaxy on my right, with Enterprise Thumb.

Whatever, it actually didn’t take too long to do them, and they’re only for tonight.

Stay tuned for better, more awesome, amazing nails this weekend (maybe).

And it was SUPER EASY (especially since I cheated just an eensy weensy bit on the roses);

To start, I knew it was going to be impossible for me to do such detailed work on my right hand, so I decided to use the Make-Your-Own-Decal method from my Toronto Leafs Nails for the roses. Also, knowing how badly I nearly screwed up the stripes last time, I opted to use scotch tape (which I cut down smaller with an Exacto Knife), and was PATIENT for the stripes. I added the dots last, because they were easiest.

The main colours used here are NYX, ‘Matte Pink’ and L’Oreal, ‘Not a Cloud in Sight’ along with Wet ‘N Wild White. Here’s the step-by-step;

I’ll be honest, at first I was underwhelmed. Perhaps I had just gotten used to glitter & sparkles. But as the day went on, I couldn’t stop looking at them, I love the design so much. It’s been four days, and I’m still sporting this mani – with no plans to take it off until it starts chipping (which thankfully hasn’t happened yet).

I think what I’m most proud of about this Manicure is that when I went to the Nail Salon across the street from my house to get a pedicure (Listen, I’m literally 9 months pregnant, and simply couldn’t reach to clip , so I thought I’d treat myself!) the lady who worked there complimented me! *At the Nail Salon* Hooray for me.

I’m super happy with the way my Pedicure turned out – I’d never gotten one before, and was more looking forward to the mechanical aspects (clipping & pumice, etc) than the polish. Decided on something that’s nothing like anything I own – a Gold & Holo glitter from Color Club called Gingerbread:

I had bought a set of loose glitters from the Dollar Store a while back, and figured I’d try something with those. What I came up with was a sparkly rainbow gradient;

and this is how I did it:

First, got all my colors, tools and glitters together. I’ve been meaning to use more Base Coats to try and stop putting colour directly on my nails as they’re starting to stain – so I first put a layer of Sally Hansen Crystal Beading, which is a very nice pearlecent blue/purple leaning holo… but whatever, it was getting completely covered up by my base gradients anyways.

You can probably skip this next step if you want a more translucent glitter look. I wanted to have a colour base to use as a guide, and so I did a quick and sloppy coat of sheer glittery base gradients, I simply used a Q-tip to apply each.

Colours: Sally Hansen; Purple “All Aglow“, Pink “Sparkling Rose“, Orange “Moonlit Dance“, Yellow “Lite“, Green “Hi-Def” & Blue Maybelline Color Show, “Denim Dash“, mixed with clear to make it more sheer.

Next up it was time to add the glitter. I simply mixed the glitter with a clear coat (Wet N’ Wild Wild Shine, coz it was $1), and used a Q-Tip to apply to my nail. Doing the gradient parts was super easy, using the colours as a guide, and the sandy texture mixed easily and well.

It ended up a gritty sparkly mess but looked much better after cleanup and some top coats. I cleaned the edges, and added two coats of Sally Hansen “Urban Chic” (my most favorite rainbow/holo/glitter polish), before finishing with my favorite (cheap) top coat, which really smoothed everything out!

Trying to capture the Sparkliness was mega difficult, so here are three sets of photos under different lighting conditions.

Indoor

Sunlight

It was pretty easy, and ended up looking pretty spectacular, I’ll very likely do this again a few times this summer!

My mother found a post on Facebook with some really quite awesome neon Tie-Dye style water marbled nails, and basically challenged me to try it myself.

I’ve watched about a million youtube tutorials on the subject – but the one that resonated most with me was this one by Crankerella via Reddit, (Her nails are Ridonkulous!). I loved the shot-glass idea!

So here I am with all my supplies, my mix of colours, and my first pattern:

The first few nails turned out okay, I was getting better at controlling the pattern and polish, but by the time I finished both hands there were clearly “GOOD” nails and “BAD” Nails:

Never being one to give up mid-project (I think my Tape Misadventure proved that one), I simply re-did the nails I disliked (over and over till I got it right). Here is the result for both hands, pre-cleanup, and a peek at the mess I made during the whole process:

In the end, I was only semi-pleased with the result. Some of the nails are the classic Butterfly/Flower water marble look, and some just look more Tie-Dye or swirly. I’d like to have the whole set match, but honestly, the more I keep them on, the more I like them a lot. It may even be worth it to try again, sometime!

(Also, yes, my thumbs have a holo sparkle top-coat (Sally Hansen, Urban Chic) because I couldn’t decide if I wanted to use it on all of them or not, it looks good, but I like it as an accent nail – the colours don’t really need any help themselves!)

In honour of The Leafs first playoff game tonight, I decided to Fan-Up my nails. It was very nearly a disaster (as you’ll see in the step-by-step below), but overall they turned out Not Bad. Lets just say, they look great from a distance!

Perhaps my near-distaster was due to trying out two new techniques at the same time. First, I’d give Taping a whirl (and decided to try it both ways), and also try for home-made Decals; so I wouldn’t have to paint the actual Leaf on my nails directly, in at attempt to avoid messiness. Surprisingly the Decals worked out well, the taping however… did not…

Next up was the actual taping. As you can see I decided to try both ways, both by using the tape as a border for the Blue (Sally Hansen, Blue My Mind) on White, and to cover the stripes for White on Blue. Clearly, it didn’t quite work. I probably didn’t wait long enough between coats. I probably should have used a top coat between the colours, or maybe the type of tape I was using was wrong…but…wow…what a mess!

I really could have started over, but I’d already come so far, and would have had to wait so long for another set of nails to dry, instead, I just did some manual clean-up with my tiny nail art brush… it took a few goings-over, but I got it looking pretty decent. I also knew that a properly applied top-coat would help wonders.

Here’s the progress, and finished product (pre top-coat);

Still quite messy, but what are ya going to do?

Now it was time to focus on the Thumbs. I’d previously seen someone do something called ‘Dry Marble’, where they painted a plastic bag however they wanted, and then peeled it off to basically make their own homemade decals. I thought this would be a great idea for the leaf detail (and also ended up using it for the “GO LEAFS” text, but didn’t photograph it), as I could make a few Leafs and choose my favorite.

Here’s how it went down – Clear Coat, Paint, Clear Coat – drying completly between coats!

It worked like a Freaking Charm! And was so easy to apply (base or clearcoat, stick it on, remove access with Nail Polish Remover). I will ABSOLUTELY be using this technique again!

So, all in all, disaster avoided – but if I wanna use Tape again, I have to learn to be more patient (or use a quicker drying polish). Although I love the far-away Glamour Shot at the top of this post (CN Tower and all), I’m also willing to show the up-close results… which are ONLY OKAY.

I was super excited about the launch of the OPI Bond Girls Liquid Sand shades, and even more delighted when my top three shades were included in the mini set, Vesper, Pussy Galore and Solitaire. Funnily enough, I wasn’t particularly interested in trying Jinx until I got to see it in person – and hooboy is it pretty!

The Liquid Sands go on as wet and smooth as any other glitter polish. It’s only after a few minutes, and it starts to try that you notice the texture. After two coats, you get this depth of sparkle that is just outstanding. At first, I did a simple French/Chevron design, with glossy white tips. After a few days, the white started to chip, so I covered it up using Solitaire. I still don’t know which I like better – the contrast, or the matching textures.

Which do you like better? (Click for Larger Photos)

via @Ahlicake on Instagram

All in all, I’m super impressed with the OPI shades so far, and am very much looking forward to the Zoya Pixie Dust Summer Shades!!!

(But, just for the record, I do not care for the China Glaze Texture line at all! Looks too ‘crusty’)

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At this point I couldn’t imagine myself getting any bigger, but Baby Carrot still has some growing to do before they enter the world. One of my most favorite hobbies is watching my belly bounce and wriggle, which is both very amusing, and quite horrifying.

This post really isn’t about me though. It’s about my Husband and how:

I think Eddie is having a Hard Time with The Pregnancy
(Well, to be fair, I pretty much just mean the last month or so of The Pregnancy)

He seems to have started suffering from, what I can only assume is,
Body Dismorphic Disorder By Proxy.
(It’s totally a real thing!)

The further along I am, the more he grieves at the loss of Medium Size Chantelle

Don’t get me wrong, he knows I’m not getting fat.
He knows that I’ve actually only gained an appropriate, normal amount of weight.
He knows that I’ve made the effort to stay healthy & active.
It’s not about that, really.

It really comes down to me being a Kiwi Bird.

Sometime in the last 8 months Eddie came across this picture;

That image has stick with him, to the point of distraction.
He can’t not think about it when he sees my belly.

If it weren’t for the fact that he can feel and see* the baby moving around in me, he’d probably be convinced that I’m growing an Egg.

*I can understand how this fact of the process is terrifying for most people.
As a Pregnant Lady, I am lucky enough to be dosed with the exact right kind of hormones for me to think that a writhing-under-my-skin bump/lump is Adooorable, but for most it’s pretty disgusting, I get that.

This is a photo that I took this morning. I think I just look like a typical pregnant lady. Messy Hair, striped shirt, weird butt-out posture. But then it dawned on me…

Eddie is right, I am a Kiwi Bird!

I really don’t want to give birth to an Egg!

This is just a quick update because I did two of my most favorite designs ever recently, and I wanted to share the process for the more complicated one.

The first was actually quite easy – my Jurassic Park nails:

Here’s the Quickie rundown of how I managed these beauts (click photos for larger pics);
(Note: For each layer, except the glitters, I used a Q-Tip for blending)

Step 1
Bottom coat is Sally Hansen Blazing Blue (which is really dark & has glitter, so is perfect for this design!)

Step 3
I added a layer of Salley Hansen Holographic Glitter called ‘Urban Chic’, I don’t know if it makes a big difference, but I wanted to layer the glitters so that it would give it more depth. Maybe it worked?

 

Step 4
Here you just add a few colours, Green (China Glaze, ‘I’m with the Lifeguard‘), Blue (Kleancolor, ‘Neon Aqua‘) and Purple (Kleancolor, ‘Neon Amethyst‘) and blend them on/around eachother and the white:

Step 5
Next you just go around the edges with Black, or your original base. (I used an Unlabelled Glitter/Black that I had).

 
*Note* Being honest, I would have done Steps 5 & 6 in reverse, doing the glitter coat first, then touching up with the edges. Apparition made everything quite cloudy and I did go over a few parts again with the Glitter Black I had to help with depth.

Finally I simply added a clear coat, which really smooths things together and makes the glitters “POP”! Leaving me with the fancy-pants nails you see above.

As for my left hand, I thought I’d add a little extra detail…

If you really want to see all my previous nail designs, here’s my Flickr Album.
Or, read the previous entry about my fancy fingernails!

I’ve not had a proper Birthday Party since I was about 10 years old, and didn’t have a Bachelorette/Wedding Shower, or anything like that before I got married. My wedding had three guests. However, I really wanted a Baby Shower though, something about the attention, for baby was acceptable.

I was also opinionated on the fact that I didn’t want to be the one organizing the whole thing, knowing I would stress over the littlest details. I had Angelina (and her amazing father, who is the #1 best Party Host of all-time) step up to the plate – and Boy-o-wow did they deliver! Amazing decorations, food, and games!

My wonderful hosts – Mrs. Purpura Earley & Father, Captain P!

Firstly, I was so happy and grateful to every single person who came out – just by doing so they made me feel loved and special (which, sappy, I know, but it’s true). It was the most random mix of people! From family, friends and co-workers, and nearly everyone didn’t know the other two thirds of the group – I was the only one who knew everyone! That made me feel very special.

I also got to see Ingrid, my ‘Big Sister‘, who was one of the most influential, inspirational, motivational and supporting forces in my young life, that I simply wouldn’t be who I am today without her. I hadn’t seen her in nearly a decade!

And the generosity! My word! Every single person was amazing at picking out gifts for me and Baby Carrot! I am so grateful to everyone, and was brought nearly to tears a few times from a few of the more sentimental/personal gifts. There were a few hilarious highlights – including Nipple-Guard-Turned-Tassled-Pasties, and a Rilakkuma Tissue Box (which matches exactly with the Nursery theme – an impressive feat when your theme revolves around a Japanese Bear!).

A Few Photos

Some of the lovley decorations, perfect for the theme – Baby Carrot!
All the gifts, organized in the (unfinished) Nursery!		Grandma Bennett (my mom) & all the treats!

It was a lovely party in honour of my not-yet-arrived little one, and fills my heart with happiness, joy, and antipation for Carrot’s arrival in about 10 weeks!