Have yourself a minion little Christmas

Christmas is finally here! I read somewhere last night that as we get older, that our wish list gets smaller, and the things we really want cannot be bought. It got me thinking as to what these things may be…perhaps, snuggling a little longer under the covers on a blistery cold morning, getting goosebumps from a song’s melody (i.e. Carol of the Bells), reading a book that you can’t put down until it’s finished, listening to your grandma’s anecdotes of her childhood, getting a new recipe right on the first try, feeling the sun’s warmth on your neck on a chilly day, hearing strangers speaking in French and coyly understanding their conversation,  waking up from a beautiful dream and smiling as it still lingers in your mind…the list can be endless. Ultimately, underlined at the end of every list is being happy. And I like the holiday season because it reminds us to do that, to take a step back and reflect on where we are, how we are, who we are, and more importantly, who we are with…our loved ones. 

As my family gets ready for a hearty dinner together, the minion manicure seem even more so appropriate. I will be my aunt’s minion today in helping her cook and bake for tonight. I’m trying a recipe for gingerbread cake today (and I hope I get it right on the first try!). 2014 is only a week away, and with this gastronomically inspired winter break,  it comes as no surprise that eating healthy will be at the top of the resolutions list. I am definitely in a holi-daze. 

 

My designs this week are all freehand. I am pretty content with how the minions turned out. They are always so despicably cheerful. I also tried doing an indoor winter scene, below, with a fireplace on my pinky, a christmas tree on the ring finger, and two snowy windows with wreaths. My thumb had a mistletoe with hanging ornaments. I wanted to do a third christmasy design for today, but I don’t want to get rid of the minions yet!

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”  

Hope you have a warm and lovely Christmas full of merriment and love and that little bit more!

These Simple Lines

 

Stripes and dots can never fail. I attended a sweet sixteen this weekend, and we were encouraged to wear blue, black, and/or silver as part of the dress code for the event. I wanted to play with the nail tape I finally got in the mail. Originally, I planned to do a neutral palette on my nails, but the design kind of failed, a nail fail, indeed (see below). I switched to Zoya’s Natty navy blue, and kept the design simple with a tape line to divide the nail. It was my first time experimenting with the nail tape, so it still took a while to do, despite the plain design. I like the clean look that tape gives with the nails. I added tiny white dots using Zoya’s Purity.  I wanted to add a stamp on top, but I ended up maintaining simplicity and calmness of the design. The photo on the right is me all ready for the night! 🙂 It turned out to be s super fun night with my family and friends. It’s been one reunion after another since coming home! I am surprised that it is already the halfway mark of winter break!!! I have not been as productive as I would like to be (academically), but it’s been amazing seeing everyone, eating mom’s cooking, and enjoying the holiday merriment! Happy Holidays! Christmas is less than 2 days away!

 

 

When the colors like each other

Ever have that nagging feeling in the back of your mind for a while? And that nag does not actually leave until you address it. So for the past few days, the last thoughts before I go to sleep every night have stemmed from the need to do something with these new nail polishes sitting on my mom’s dresser. Every time I have walked past them, a little part of me got stung with this burning desire to use them. The colors are beautifully mellow: salmon and baby blue with hints of glitter. What to do? Should I use them separately? Should I use them together? How could I maintain a holiday theme? I have never felt like this before (Ok, I lie, I have), but the point is that the idea to use these two colors have been marinating in mind for a while, and I am quite happy with the result. I got to use another color (the navy blue) that I hadn’t used for a while, and the design involved both the ombre and stamping technique. And I was even more excited that it took less than 30 minutes, and I didn’t mess up even once 🙂 The colors all liked each other.

White base, Zoya’s Purity

Blue, Sinful Colors’ Cinderella

Salmon/Pink, Sinful Colors’ Island Coral

Navy Blue, Zoya’s Natty

This design takes a break from the holiday theme, and makes me want to go to the beach, and live in a paradise.  But staycationing at home is blissful enough. It’s a taste of summer in the middle of winter!

Cozy up!

It feels so great to be back home in NJ! One of my favorite places at home is the fireplace. For the past couple of nights, I have been able to curl up next to it with a book (been trying to play catch up with my summer list!) with a hot cup of chai! With the cold weather and snow, the warmth of a cozy sweater is eternal, and ever so refreshing. I try to recapture a sweater pattern on to my nails, using my favorite colors. The pink is Essie’s Muchi Muchi, and the red is Zoya’s Rekha, and the white is Zoya’s purity. I finally found a paintbrush that I have affinity with to draw freehand the little designs. The design in the middle gave me a little trouble, and it is still off-center, but I had to accept defeat in trying to fix it. I am satisfied with the other four. Being on winter break, there may or not be a deluge of nail art with more time relax, even though I am supposed to keep reading and working. I can take reading breaks with less guilt now 🙂 Stay warm!

PS: I got to try a different snowflake stamp on my friend last night, with Zoya’s Rock (my other most favorite color aside from Muchi Muchi!)

Putting the MAN in manicure…

As finals week came to end, a few of my closest girl friends got together to have a holiday nail extravaganza before we all headed out of Chicago for winter break. Any time we get together becomes the perfect excuse to have yummy food, wine, and merriment. There is something magical about this part of the year, when unexpected happenings just give us all the reasons to smile. With our final papers handed in as Chicago got its first real snowfall of the season over the weekend, holiday cheer was in the air, along with the smell of acetone. I was in heaven…because instead of just having my own 10 nails to paint, I got to experiment on 55 nails (one of my friends only did only 5, will explain below)!!! We went with a holiday theme for the most part. My friends picked out their color combinations, as I stamped and dotted the design. Needless to say, I was in my happy place!

My friend however, stole the thunder last night, as he put the man in manicure.  He was bold enough to allow us to experiment the different stamps on his one hand. He did take it off at the end of the night, but what was more hilarious was, another friend upstairs,  upon learning what was happening left his work to bring beer and join the madness. As Ceci captured the experience in the photos below, the process of painting his nails was probably the craziest experience. I could hardly hold brushes properly while laughing. #youknowyouarearealmanwhen… I guess it does take a lot of confidence and audacity to try it!

All in all, it turned out to be a festive and fun night! We got to try out many different designs as the possibilities were endless in the nail extravaganza!

Happy holidays from us all!

Tis the Season!

I finally get a chance to breathe this week. It was probably the most intense week of the quarter (also the last). Classes are officially over. All except one assignment is done. There is such a nerdy sense of satisfaction that comes from checking little boxes in your planner as you get through the work. Amidst this craziness, my nails suffered (a little bit). I did these nails Monday night, and have been wearing them all week (probably the longest I have gone without changing them) haha. I like the intricate design of the stamp I used. The green is Essie’s “Incognito”, the white is Zoya’s “Purity”, and the gold is Sally Hansen’s “Coin Flip.” I am still learning how to be efficient with the stamping tools, so it took me a little while to get the design transferred. It still left little random spaces on my nails because the shape of the entire design was weird. I filled these spaces with little dots of white, accented with gold. I think it makes it look a little festive! Speaking of festive, the university has been getting into the holiday spirits with christmas lights all over campus. The quads look exceptionally gorgeous in the evenings! On a spirited note, I am 10 pages of work and less than 5 days away from being home 🙂

Hope you are getting into the holiday spirit as I am!

These Relaxed Lines

Hey hey hey, I officially cannot step out of the building without gloves, hat, and a giant jacket. It’s been below freezing at all times, and second week in a row that it snowed walking to the evening lecture. But a fun way to beat Mondays and the cold? Chipotle and Carrie Bradshaw and nails, of course. I had been experimenting with stamping tools all weekend (with one fail after another). The stamps multiply the potential of nail designs exponentially, and me being happy, free, confused, and not-so-lonely all at the same time (lol) required an extra couple of days to decide on this design. Actually, it was the relaxed, swirly lines on the side of the Chipotle bag that helped me finally pick a stamp. I thought stamps would be easy to use (as a shortcut for some patterns), but I was proved wrong. The process is rather easy, but time consuming from all the transferring and cleaning up. Still worth it though. I just need a bit more practice, and it is a really good way to maintain the quality of the design on the right hand, a possible solution to lack of ambidexterity 🙂 Also, with Thanksgiving this week, I guess it sticks to the holiday theme as being inspired by food (lol) and being relaxed, (or trying to, even if you are writing the final papers) I also love the warm fall colors. Hopefully, a turkey will make an appearance by the end of the week with a more interesting story! Till then, happy travels and good eats!

Nail Design & Colors: Relaxed Lines

Orange, *unnamed* MaxFactor Glossfinity 2080B

Purple, O.P.I. Who’s spinning tonight?

Gold, Sally Hansen 465 Coin Flip

Stamp plate m69

Have a good Thanksgiving week! Remember to relax!