Red, Blue and...Glitter?

Sorry for the late posts. I've done quite a few nails since I last spoke with you all. I decided I wanted to do Fourth of July nails! Originally I was going to make them look like the American flag, but I settled for some deep red and blue.

The little star I added really made it look nice. Even my father (who can't understand why I like to paint my nails) liked them. They lasted...a day. The stars dropped off and then the red polish sort of peeled off.

The colors I used were OPI's The Spy Who Loved Me from the Skyfall collection. The blue is OPI's Yoga-ta Get This Blue. The top glitter is Ice Ice Baby from Confetti. I love how pretty it came out. 

Orange you glad I didn't say purple?

BAD JOKE. Sorry! Anyway, this is a nail polish I found on sale at CVS. Orly's Cherry Bomb is advertised as red. It is totally not red. It is a bright orange. It's pretty, but it wasn't what I expected. I added OPI's Goldeneye on top to make it really shine. And then...decals...because who doesn't love decals?

Five minutes later, this manicure was promptly ruined by the dog. 

Don't trust that innocent little face!

Of course I haven't done purple yet...<<...>>...

Okay, okay...I admit it. I am a sucker for purple polishes. It's a wonder my entire collection of polish isn't purple. I found this polish at CVS and fell in love. It's called Polar Purple by Sally Hansen. I was skeptical about how this worked, but I figured I'd give it a try. Let me tell you that this is a really fun polish.

Isn't that the coolest? The magnet is really very nice and easy to use. The instructions are on the bottle, so read before attempting. It doesn't dry as quickly as some polishes, so give it ample time. Also, be prepared for a hefty price. 9 bucks isn't something I'd call cheap for polish.
One more thing about it that I love...it comes off super easy. Seriously. it comes off so smooth. All in all, I'd recommend this as a polish for a weekend wedding or something. Don't expect it to look nice long term.
I promised pictures of Moony, so here he is!

Someday, I will do nails inspired by him. He's a really awesome little fish. His tail is all torn up from fin rot, but that's going away. He's growing new fin now. 

Grey isn't always just grey...

I know this is called The Nail Rainbow, but that doesn't mean I can't have fun with a pretty blue grey! I originally HATED these kinds of polishes because they were so dark, but I really took a shine to a few special ones. Here is the first in the series!

This polish series is called 'Moon Candy' by Revlon. This particular one is called Milky Way. It has a very spacey look to it, but it can be a little rough looking. The first coat is dark, so you usually only need one coat. The second coat is this beautiful shattered glitter that sometimes does not translate well unless you gloop it on. (I know gloop isn't a word, but it is an excellent sound effect).

You better appreciate this last picture. I spent a lot of time getting the right angle. Next week I will be posing with my new betta. I have already picked out a name before the fish. Pathetic I know.

How to get a red polish without bleeding...

This week, I went to a professional salon to have my nails done. Before I show you my lovely nails, I have to tell you a little story that needs to be told. Before I found my current salon, I went to many different places to get my nails done. Most nail salons in Nebraska are run by people of Asian descent. This is not meant to be a racist article at all and I have nothing against Asian people. However, since most salon workers do not speak English fluently, they don't speak to you. They would rather work in silence than struggle to be understood. I completely understand. Most Americans would rather talk on their phones while their nails are done and ignore the workers completely. Not me. I like to talk and joke with the people I'm with.

Anyway, at one particular salon, I wanted to get my nails done and was offered a 'spa manicure' package. I was escorted to a long granite counter top and an older Vietnamese woman came to sit across from me. In halting English, she told me what she was going to do. I nodded and smiled, but she didn't smile back. The first thing she did was take a clipper and get the gunk out form under and beside my nails. She was not gentle and I ended up bleeding in places. Still, this was my first manicure, so I thought this was what happened. She then took orange slices and rubbed the juice all over my hands and new cuts. It was, to say the least, painful. I told her it hurt and she replied 'That okay, not bad pain'. At this point, I was starting to wonder what else she was going to do to me. She took huge hot stones and began pushing them against my skin. So, at the end of the day, I had a sticky, raw feeling all over my arms and my nails were swelling and red. Needless to say, I never went back.

My current nail place is Beauty First. It's a chain salon in Nebraska, but the staff are friendly, warm and altogether amazing. My usual salon lady is named Danielle and she is great at her job. She did the wonderful nails I am about to show you.

The red is called 'Sarah' by Zoya. Zoya is amazing. It has a large array of shimmery colors. I never have to add shimmer to the colors. The little white decal was from a decal kit she had. It has no brand or name. Also, she didn't have to make me bleed to get that gorgeous red color. Here is the right hand.

The decals do not match because I didn't want them to. Don't ask me why. I don't know.

First nails are PURPLE of course.

Well, here are my nails! I wanted to do a purple based nail because...well...I love purple. Both polishes are Nicole by OPI. It's a cheaper version of OPI usually running about $5.99 to $6.99. Normal OPI is $8.00 and while nice, is much too expensive for polish addicts like me. When putting on nail polish, always apply a base coat. Mine is called Sally Hansen Double Duty. It's very nice and it dries quickly. Then I apply two coats of my first color. This one is Back In My Gloria Days.... It's amazing how vivid it is. The top layer is Heavenly Angel. I love how iridescent it looks. Then apply one more coat of the Sally Hansen Double Duty. This seals the nail and usually lasts about one and a half weeks.

I'll list the polishes again:
Heavenly Angel by Nicole by OPI
Back In My Gloria Days...by Nicole by OPI
Double Duty by Sally Hansen

Hello! Welcome to The Nail Rainbow!

I was inspired to create this blog by my friend Kat. Her blog is here. She does some of the most amazing nail art and often creates her art with themes. She is amazing and you need to watch her now.

My nail art focuses in simple designs with mind blowing colors. I love color. While some polishes in my collection are expensive, I also know some beautiful colors for cheap prices. I will give the brand and price of the nail polishes so you can do the same designs at home!

New designs will be posted each week, starting tomorrow. I will not only post my own work, but the work done by the ladies of Beauty First! Of course, I will credit them.

Be ready for some awesome nail art!