Thursday, November 8, 2012

Swatch & Review: Wicked Polish Gangrene & Pinkeye

Swatch & review of indie brand Wicked Polish "Gangrene" & "Pinkeye" from the Pestilence Collection!
I thought the name of the collection was very creative and I loved all 5 of the colors, 
but limited myself to only buying 2.
 -"Gangrene" is a milky white base with neon green & neon yellow hexes, and small yellow flecks.
 -"Pinkeye" is a gorgeous light bubblegum pink base with pink, white and silver hexes.

For the swatches I used 3 coats of each polish over a white base:
 "Gangrene" indoors, with flash.
  "Gangrene" in sunlight
 "Pinkeye" indoors, with flash.
"Pinkeye" in sunlight.
The bottles with their cute heart labels.
 
  I've never been so happy to say I have Gangrene and Pinkeye.
 Rylee is such a sweetheart, she even sent a hand-written thank you note and some yummy candies :) 

If you'd like to purchase the Pestilence Collection, you can visit Wicked Polish on Etsy!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Tutorial Tuesday: "Liquid Sand"

This week's tutorial is for the newest upcoming nail texture trend called "Liquid Sand".
About 2 weeks ago Opi's Facebook page announced their new Mariah Carey x Opi collection called "Liquid Sand" to be released in January.
 image via

I've found a way to get the look before it even hits stores!!

 How To Choose Colors For This Design:
Any color will work, but if you want the texture to be more noticeable, try to choose a lighter color.

Suggested Materials:
ANY brand is fine, listed below are the ones used for this particular mani
- Salt! Sounds weird but it works.  I used some fine grain Sea Salt from the supermarket
- Base coat - Seche Clear
- Top coat - Seche Vite
- Clear polish of any brand, as long as it is NOT a fast-drying topcoat - Sally Hansen Diamond Strength "Flawless"
- Nail color - L'Oreal "Butterfly Kisses"
- A clean, small paintbrush or cotton swabs, for cleaning the cuticles afterwards (optional)
- Nail polish remover (optional)

Before You Begin Painting Your Design:
These steps are optional, but definitely recommended!
- Put down some paper towels in your work area, in case of any spills.
- Be sure to remove any old nail polish.
- Gently file nails into desired shape and remove any ridges with a buffer.
- Push back cuticles with a cuticle pusher or orange wood stick and trim if desired.
- Apply a base coat to protect from potential staining from color polish; wait for it to dry completely.
 Step 1:
Before you begin polishing, pour the sea salt into a clean bowl and keep it near by!

 Step 2:
Apply 2 coats of your nail color and allow to dry.

Step 3:
Apply a fairly thick coat of clear polish to one  nail.
*Do not use fast dry topcoat, you want the nail polish to remain wet for now.*
*Make sure you do this step one nail at a time*
Press your finger down firmly into the sea salt.
Make sure you have a decent amount stuck to your finger.

Step 4:
While the clear coat is still wet, quickly place the sea salt on your entire nail.
Use a firm, patting motion while applying the sea salt.
Apply as many layers as you can, until the salt begins to look dry.

 Step 5:
All of your nails should be covered, and your nails will look a little dry or dull.
Make sure to shake off any excess salt.
Once your clear polish seems to be dry, you can gently brush off any large clumps on the edges of your nail.

 Step 6:
Evenly apply your favorite top coat.
Make sure the top coat is covering all of salt, so that it's "sealed" onto your nail.

 Step 7:
This final step is completely optional, but it will really help to achieve a neat & clean looking mani.
You can use either a small paintbrush or cotton swab, dip it in nail polish remover, and use it to remove any excess polish on your cuticles and skin.
Be careful not to use too much remover, otherwise you will risk ruining your mani.
 Here's the final product!
If you have sealed the salt correctly and you're not too hard on your nails,
this mani will hold up for at least 4 or 5 days!
I tested it out and it was able to withstand being submerged in water such as hand washing, dishes, bathing, etc.

*Disclaimer: This texture can be a little rough so be careful!!  Especially while picking your nose ;) * 

For all past Tutorials click here

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Sunday Social!

Oh my gosh I've been so busy getting things ready to start school, that I nearly forgot about Sunday Social!  I usually type it out a week in advance, but my brain is fried right now!

Sunday Social is a fun & simple way to help your readers get to know you a little better.
You can link up with your blog at ashleyscarnivalride or acompletewasteofmakeup and join in on the fun! :)
1.  What is currently on your wish list?
Um.. a solitaire heart cut diamond on a white gold band? hehe

2. Share a new iPhone or Droid app you discovered that we all need:
 I don't download many apps but I recently downloaded DecoPic.
It's a kawaii picture editor, so there are tons of cute little kawaii stickers and stamps you can add to your pictures! 

3.  What is a new Fall TV show that you have added to your DVR?
I don't have DVR because it's freakin expensive! 
I would have to say I am pretty excited for Food Network's new season of The Next Iron Chef.
  
4.   Share your social media links for us to follow you on.  Which is your favorite and why?
I don't use Twitter because some loser took over my account and started posting vulgar things.
I would definitely have to say Instagram and Pinterest are my favorite.
You can find so many cute & creative things on there!
-Pinterest
-Instagram: @BadLuckBarbie
-Facebook

5.  What is a TV show, movie or song that you could listen to over and over and never get tired of?
-TV show I would have to say Food Network's Chopped, or Diners Drive-in's and Dives. 
-Movie.. there are so many but definitely Nightmare Before Christmas, Rocky Horror Picture Show & Anchorman are some of my faves.
-Songs is a hard pick for me, I will literally have the same CD in my car for at least a year.. but my most recent music obsession would have to be Pantera or Lamb of God (I'm sure you weren't expecting that one!)

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Theme: Super Kawaii!

Here are some more kawaii nails :)

 
I entered these into an instagram contest.
It's a Hello Kitty sushi, cupcake, burger, ice cream and swirly rainbow lollipop!!
I love them so much, I'll be sad when it's time to take it off!
Here is a close up of the "sushi" nail!
I stuck sea salt grains to the wet topcoat to make it look like rice texture!

Friday, November 2, 2012

No Fashion Friday This Week :( Food Friday instead?

Due to Hurricane Sandy, Cassi @ The Granny Treatment - the other half of Fashion Fridays - still has no electricity.
Since she was not able to post this week, so I'm going to skip Fashion Friday this week!

Maybe this week will be Food Friday since I did a lot of cooking recently haha.
My boyfriend is half Filipino, and one of his favorite Filipino dishes is sinigang.
I found a few recipes online and tweaked them to the way his mom makes it!
It's a sour soup with pork and veggies.
I used taro, string beans, chinese eggplant, and water spinach and served it with sweet rice.

Since there was so much rice left over, I decided to use that to make desert called ginataang mais.
Very simple recipe, I just estimated the amounts.
I used coconut milk, sweet rice and sweet corn.
If you are a fan of rice pudding, you might like this since the texture is very similar :)

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Haul: Nail Mail!

Today I received a ton of glitter in a pretty pink bubble package!
I also got a bunch of empty glass polish bottles.
Just waiting on suspension base...
In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm going to be giving a shot at making my own polish :)
(Once I get into the groove of going back to school of course haha)
Super excited.
It's like a fabulous science laboratory!

Think Outside the Blog: Thursday Blog Hop

Just came across something very neat via Sab @ The Eclectic Grab Bag, it's a blog hop (I think it's similar to a link up) for all of us misfits out there :)
What is Think Outside the Blog? 
It's a blog hop for the misfits. The punks. The tattooed mamas. The colorful ones. The people who don't fit in. The ones among us who aren't cookie cutter. We may not always be PG-13. But we have a voice and a lot to say.
The Hosts

Visit any of the host's pages to find out how to link up your blog!

Hope to meet some new misfits!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Back to School!

Very excited to announce that I have enrolled in nail tech school today!!
I'm really looking forward to improving and advancing my technique, and being able to start a new career in only 10 weeks :)
I start on Monday!
 Here is a nail timeline that I was actually chosen to participate in on Instagram.
I figured I would post it here as well, to show my progress :)
 #1- May 2011, my first real attempt at nail art on my natural nails. 
#2- About 6 or 7 months ago. My natural nails are really weak and
broke so I got acrylics put back on, but decided to give another shot at doing my own nail art. 
#3- One of my biggest challenges still, gradient nails. 
#4- About 3 months ago I learned how to do acrylic layovers & tips.  This is a recent mani that I'm proud of.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Sunday Social

Sunday Social is a fun & simple way to help your readers get to know you a little better.
You can link up with your blog at ashleyscarnivalride or acompletewasteofmakeup and join in on the fun! :)

This week is all about Halloween!  YAY!

1.  What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid?
I think I was 7 years old.  I can vividly remember my mom's friend making me a Cleopatra costume out of felt and sequins and I think it had some sort of headpiece.
I don't think anyone really knew what I was supposed to be which is understandable because honestly... how many 7 year olds even know who Cleopatra is?  But I thought it was totally awesome!

2.  If you could go back and dress up as anything what would it be?
Two or three years ago I bought a bunch of stuff to make a Jem costume because I absolutely loved that show as a kid, and I have pink hair so that was a no brainer!  
I never got around to sewing it, but I really wish I did!

3.   Favorite costume as an adult?
 Definitely would have to be my dead Marie Antoinette costume from 2 years ago!!
She was executed by guillotine so of course I tried to make it look like my head was cut off :)
 Me, my sister on the left, and another Marie Antoinette we met at a bar!

4.  Favorite Halloween candy?
I always hated candy corn as a kid but now it's grown on me and I find it to be oddly addictive.

5.  Favorite Halloween memory?
I don't really have just 1 favorite memory.  
Halloween is my favorite holiday and I've partied almost every year with my sister & our friends. 

6.  What's your favorite scary movie?
I would have to say The Blair Witch Project because it was the first movie where the audience wasn't sure if it was real or not, but all of the trailers suggested it was real footage.  
It was filmed from a first person point of view, which made it seem even more authentic.
We were pretty young when it came out so of course it genuinely scared the crap out of us ...until we found out it was fake!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Versatile Blogger Award

I was given the Versatile Blogger Award by the lovely Lara over at Rocketraptor.blogspot.fi
She has an awesome & interesting blog, you should give it a read!  
Thank you so much Lara!
Here are the rules:
-If you are nominated, you've been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.
  -Thank the person who gave you this award. 
  -Include a link to their blog. 
  -Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you've recently discovered or follow regularly.
-Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award with a link to their blog. 
  -Finally, tell the 7 things about yourself.
 
I'm still a noob in the blogosphere and many of my recently discovered blogger friends have already received the award, so my list is kind of short!
I would like to give the Versatile Blogger award to the following blogs:
* I hope to see you each pay it forward and give the award to other bloggers! *

7 Things About Me:
1.  I just started getting heavily into nail art about 6 months ago & started this blog 5 weeks ago.
2.  I worked as a tattoo artist for about 1 year, but I like body piercing better & have been doing it for almost 10 years.
3.  I didn't learn how to ride a regular bicycle until I was 14.
4.  I met my boyfriend on World of Warcraft (for real! :X)
5. The first movie I ever saw in the theaters was The Little Mermaid.
6.  When I was in high school I really wanted to be a Spanish teacher, but I saw a few of my older friends struggling to find teaching jobs.
7.  I reallllyyyy want a Scottish Fold!  I had a cat for the first 20 years of my life.. but as I've gotten older, for some reason I have become terribly allergic to them!! :(