I'm still alive!

Semi-naked and partially squared

Things have been crazy around here lately. We finally have a surgery date scheduled for my little girl, which has been a long time coming. She's growing so fast and has me on my toes 100% of the time. I have been painting my nails, but I haven't had the time to photograph them. They're growing out really well, which is really exciting for me, since I haven't had long nails since I was in junior high school. I started the process of squaring them last night (WOO!), so soon they'll be exactly the way I want them.

I really appreciate all of you readers (90?! Wow.) sticking around even though I've made myself scarce. I hope to be able to get a few minutes here and there soon to make some polish posts.

I am still amassing some fantastic things for my planned 100 follower giveaway. I've got some polish and I want to pick up some goodies from Born Pretty. What kind of things would you guys like to see included in this giveaway? We've still got a little bit to go before we reach that milestone, but I think we will eventually get there! Thanks for reading. :)

Wet n Wild - Sparked

It's a glitter bomb today! I used two coats of Sparked under two coats of Seche Vite, though another coat was probably a good idea as you can still see my nail beds beneath the glitter. I don't mind, though. I love this polish, but I got a big chip on my thumb about 6 hours after I put it on.

Photos are clickable!






The light was horrible when I shot these. Sorry! The color in real life is a very pretty dusty pink. Oh, and the weirdness going on on the skin near the base of my nails is badly-applied Seche, not mutated cuticle. I was in a hurry. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hi, everyone. I'm just writing a quick post today to let you all know that I am still here. I haven't abandoned the blog, though it might seem that way since I haven't updated in almost 2 weeks! My little girl has learned to crawl and climb, and is now cutting three teeth (in addition to her first one that erupted just the other day). I have had my hands full, and my husband has had a crazy work schedule. I just haven't had the time or energy to do my nails.

HOWEVER! Today and tomorrow are free days for me. My family is going out for a special lunch for the holiday, and if we get back in time I will be doing my nails. There will absolutely be a nail-related post tomorrow, and I'm hoping to get back to posting regularly again.

Thanks for sticking with me! I appreciate each and every one of you that reads my blog. I'm already planning a 100 followers giveaway, so eventually I'm hoping to be able to bring that to you.

Have a great Valentine's Day, to those of you who celebrate. :)

Gradient mani: Take 2!

I think gradients are a new obsession of mine. I don't think I'm going to be able to stop doing them until I figure out how to do it really really well. I got paint all over my cuticles. Bah.

Photos are clickable.







This one isn't clickable. It was my 365 photo for my personal blog yesterday, and I thought I'd include it.



Yellow: L.A. Colors Live
Orange: Confetti Papa-razzi
Red: All Heart

What kind of brush is the best for cleanup? I've never cleaned up my nails and the way I post them is the way I paint them, but I'd like to start making things look a little cleaner.

My first gradient attempt

I think this came out pretty good for a first try! I've always liked the look of gradient manis, and I figured today was as good a day as any to attempt one. Before I try this again I'm going to pick up some Seche Vite to level the bumpiness that the sponging left on the nail.

Photos are clickable.









Light purple: Confetti Purple Pizzazz
Darker purple: CQ Mystical
Black: NYC 119A

I think my camera is dying. It won't focus on anything and it's driving me crazy. :(

CQ - Seashell and Blog Spotlight

CQ and I have a rocky history. I've found their formulas to be hit-or-miss, and when they miss boy do they miss. Seashell falls somewhere between "fabulous" and "meh". It took 5 (yes, 5) coats to reach semi-opacity (there is still some VNL), which I suppose is the not unheard of with colors like this, but unless a polish is made of rainbows and sunshine I'm not going to apply more than 3 coats. I don't have the time nor the patience.



While the formula wasn't anything amazing, the color worked pretty well for my skin tone. I haven't bought a nude polish since the lobster-hands fiasco of '98. I was surprised to see that Seashell actually looks half-way decent on me. I'd like to find a nude that both works on me and has a nice formula, though.



I have seen a lot of other nail bloggers spotlighting new blogs, and I really like the idea. If any of you have a nail or beauty blog and would like for me to feature it in a future spotlight post, email the link to dancingphalangesblog @ gmail.com with the subject "Blog Spotlight".

I told you guys yesterday about my sister-in-law's new nail blog. It's called Felix Phalanx (which basically means "Happy Finger"). I've known Colleen for about 8 years now. She's ridiculously smart and attentive, and I'm sure her blog is really going to be something special. I hope you guys all take a minute to head over to Felix Phalanx. Once Colleen starts posting regularly, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.