Summer Stripes

For the last post of our blog birthday week, I finally plucked up the nerve to retry a failicure from last summer.  Borrowing Nichole's Red Cloud mani warmed me back up to free-handing, so this seemed like the perfect time to try again.  I think it turned out ok...

neons go a little nuts for the camera

It's not perfect, but Zeus said it's his favorite of anything I've done in a while even though he really liked my Boho Triangles too.  I used the same polishes as last year, Essie Shake Your $$ Maker and Bouncer, It's Me and Maybelline Midnight Swim and Urban Utopia, all over a nude base.  The whole thing started with a sloppy swatch of these four the day I bought them.

Someone (multiple someones?) on Nail Board told me I should do a mani like that.  A few weeks later, I tried.  I failed so damn hard.

Blah.  So much went wrong that it's not even worth explaining.  The hellishness of this is a big part of the reason I free-handed instead of taping this time.  It's not as crisp as it would be if I taped it (and didn't fail everywhere), but it's good enough for now.  I had to change it around a bit, since my nails are much longer than they were last May.

I can see myself re-redoing it eventually.  Hello, future me reading this!  Use tape next time, but start the night before, ok?

Really though... I do like it.  It looks better in person without macro and without the photographic hassles of neons.  This last one is a bit more true-to-life and less radioactive looking.

It has been SUCH a great week around here!  I'm sad to see it end...though one part of it goes on for the rest of the month.  If you haven't entered the Never Go Topless giveaway yet, go check it out!  Thanks again to everyone who wished us a happy blog birthday and thanks for all of the love!