Get Nailed: Easter Edition

I wanted to go with pretty pastels for Easter but with the usual Easter bunny and egg nail art.

For my fingers I OPI's Nicole Polish in I Love Salmon and Ciaté's Pepperminty. First, I was sure to use a good base coat so the creamy color came out even. (This also prevents it from dying your nails!) Then, I used a long thin nail art brush to make the mint chevron on my ring fingers only. The look was finished by adding a silver triangle stud inside and an emerald green crystal on the tip.

I used the same color scheme on my toes but instead of matchy matchy nail art I used the same brush to paint a green leaf-scape and added a sprinkling of the same green crystals on my big toes.

For both I completed my work with a shiny quick dry top coat.

My nails are ready.

Spring it on!

Kisses,

K

(All images created and owned by Krista Carson.)

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Get Nailed

I've been really under the weather lately... (Boo being sick!)

And for some reason whenever I'm sick I really like to paint my nails. Maybe it's all the sitting still but I just feel like I finally have enough time to.

Full disclosure, I'm pretty good at painting them rather fast so I really think it's just having enough time to let them dry.

(Excuse the stubbed big toe and fingertip callouses please. I'm clumsy and play guitar and ukelele.)

I always start with Sally Hansen's Miracle Cure as a base coat. It hardens your nails and always keeps mine from getting polish stains too so I like it better than a regular base coat.

Then I used OPI's Rinse Charming, a liquid silver color. Followed by two coats of a Del Sol UV color changing silvery/ gold glitter topcoat. Next I added OPI's crackle topcoat in white.

Lastly I added a gold pyramid stud (purchased in a set from Five Below) and another layer of Miracle Cure as a topcoat.

The Del Sol polish I used will change color to a pinkish red in the sun and I'd love to show you but... ironically enough we haven't had enough sun down here in the Sunshine State lately...

So as soon as the skies change their disposition, I'll share.

Kisses,

K

(Images created and owned by Krista Carson.)

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Ciaté Mini Mani Month: Week One

My awesome husband knew how much I wanted this last year and this year. So for this year he made it happen and was sweet enough to give it to me early so I could really enjoy it.

I was pretty excited when I opened the box.

It's meant to function as a really fun and girly advent calendar with you opening a new surprise each day! I couldn't wait to get started!

More photos and details after the jump!

Get Nailed

This time around I was looking to create a Thanksgiving worthy festively fun fall feel (aaah alliteration!) so I went with an oxblood base then added some flair. I used Chanel Vamp polish, Ciaté sparkly foil sheets, and generic triangle shaped nail studs on my ring fingers that I purchased from a Five Below (its like a dollar store type of chain near my in-laws.)

I was pretty happy with the results, so I did my toes too.

What color are you wearing for Thanksgiving?

Kisses,

K

(Photo created and owned by Krista Carson.)

 

 

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Get Nailed; Griege

Last week I went for a lovely gray mani.

I used Sally Hansen quick dry in Slick Slate.

And then because I enjoyed having the little hearts on my ring fingers so much this last time I brought it back! (I stuck with the Revlon oxblood Forbidden shade again too.) The color contrast in the pics isn't very good but it's definitely better in person.

It feels Autumnal to me without being typical.

Would you wear gray polish?

Kisses,

K

P.S., Sorry about the blurr in these photos. I only have an iPhone so on days when my hands are shaky (I have a health disorder and this is one of its effects.) this is what I end up with... Che sera sera...

(Photos created and owned by Krista Carson.)

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Get Nailed: Fall Love

I wanted to keep my nails simple and clean but add just a touch of pizazz. So I used an autumnal oxblood hued polish to add little hearts to my ring fingers.

I used a toothpick to draw it on and I didn't bother to make it perfect. I just wanted to do a cute quick pick me up. I think I'll try a more traditional bright cherry red color for the heart next time but I like this look. :)

Kisses,

K

Details: Oxblood polish by Rimmel, antique blue diamond ring, hand hammered fine silver ring by me. :)

(Photo by Krista Carson.)

 

 

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Get Nailed

My Nail Secret...

 

Even when short rounded nails are the current trend every woman still wants to have the possibility of longer, stronger, healthier nails. I get a lot of compliments and questions on my nails when I'm out... and since we all want our hands to look well manicured I decided I'd share my secret.

 

 

Sally Hansen's Miracle Cure.

 

It keeps my nails healthy and strong and can be easily found in most pharmacy type stores beauty sections.

 

I work with my hands daily: cooking, cleaning, jewelry making, knitting, guitar and ukelele playing, paper craft, painting... (You name it and if it involves making I'm trying it.) and it can be super rough on them. Bleach, chemicals, hammering, twisting, and torching metal. These things do not generally make for pretty hands. :/

 

But I find if I put a little love back into them I get a lotta love back. So I try to moisturize my hands every night before bed, keep my nails trimmed (or grow them out occasionally), gently filed, buffed*, and I do fairly well. But for almost a decade** now my go to has always been Sally Hansen's Miracle Cure.

 

It just works better than anything else I've ever tried. It keeps nails strong and pretty. I wear it as a base coat, a topcoat, and alone.

 

It's the best. Try it, it works wonders. (And it dries super super fast too.) Bonne polishing ladies!

 

Kisses,

K

 

(Photos by Krista Carson.)

*I just do this at home with any affordable nail buffer that I pick up in any random beauty section.

**I may be dating myself with this one but it's true.

 

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"I'll Tell You a Tale of the Bottomless Blue..."

 

"... And it's hey to starboard, heave-ho. Look out, lad, a mermaid be waiting for you in mysterious fathoms below..."

So... While at Disney World the other day (I have a Florida resident pass now!) I may have stumbled upon the most "galore"-ious of "who's its and whats it's."

 

Man-made...

 

 

Seagull named and Mermaid approved...

 

 

Why it's a Dinglehopper of my very own!

 

 

My age you ask? Hasn't anyone ever told you that age is just a number?

And yes, my hair looks fabulous.

 

 

Kisses,

 

K

(Little Mermaid sign and painting copyright Disney, All photos taken by Krista Carson. Giant seashell from my Mom's house, Nail-polish Essie's "There's No Place Like Chrome.")

 

 

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Ch ch ch Changes

So I'm pretty sure I fell off the edge of the internets... Beware there be dragons here...

 

My electronic paraphernalia has been prone to fits of disfunctionality on the regular making it über hard to post and life has been nuts.

 

Amongst the many changes:

My cousin who should have turned 30 first, died this year right before his birthday.

 

I flew to FL for my youngest brother's wedding to both participate and assist in its execution. He is only 24 ya'll. Crazy love, crazy stress, crazy fun!

 

Flew back to Seattle for my hubs graduation. My husband finally finished his Anesthesia residency program after four years!

 

I turned 30! on July 2! (Eeep!)

 

We said goodbye to all our friends and moved from Seattle back to... FL! For my husbands new job in.... da da da dA! Tiny Tavares, FL. Culture shock much? I think yes.

 

We are currently still homeless (i.e. crashing with my parents an hour away in Orlando) while trying to find suitable living up in the middle of nowhere. Are we fussy? But of course. Where's my Staples easy button?

 

My parents then moved right after we moved to FL, while we're crashing with them. Their new house is awesome but totally in a stressful state of moving disarray. (Plus, didn't we just do the moving truck and boxes thing a couple weeks ago? Yes, yes we did...)

 

Also, my parents household currently consists of: my parents, my ill elderly Grandmother, my youngest brother, his wife, my husband, me,and their dog. I'm pretty sure at this point in their life that list should be significantly shorter. But it's not and they're super awesome for allowing all the crazy!

 

(Suitcase life is grand and all but I want all my sh** back out of storage!)

 

Also, being car-less in Chicago and Seattle was easy. In FL? Not so much...

 

Positive stuff, they rented out our old place for August so we got August rent $ back!

 

We're going to be insured and making dolla dolla bills again (we had nada for the month of July b/c no one worked for the month of July. There was just oodles of medical boards studying going on.)

 

And... We have a three day weekend coming up so we're heading down to the Vinoy in St. Pete to kick off our shoes and relax couple style. So I did my nails in an attempt to pretty it up again and hold on to the last bit o' summer.

 

So... That's the gist. Got it all? It's been one heck of a crazy, crappy, and sometimes awesome year... I'm looking forward to things settling again. I'll be posting re-cap stuff with photos as able and hopefully some new new stuff soon too.

 

In the meantime, here's a pic of my awesomely silver fingertips on my Mom's summery nautical pillow. I'm wearing Essie's "There's No Place Like Chrome."

Sometimes it's the little things, right?

Kisses,

K

(Photos still by me b/c no one else would want to take a pic of my nails, duh... Ha! Pillow from a previous season by Pottery Barn, Nail-polish Essie's "There's No Place Like Chrome.")

 

 

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Get Nailed; Easter Edition

So my nails were looking rough and with Easter this coming Sunday (I know, Easter this soon?!? In March?!?) it was time for something fresh and fun. So I broke out the glitter polish and got to it.

I used Essie's Mint CandyApple on my toes and OPI's Sweetheart on my fingers. Then I covered both with OPI's When Monkeys Can Fly (Wizard of Oz themed) chunky gold and clear iridescent glitter and their Copper glitter polishes.

 

The glitter didn't photograph too well here (to be honest I could of tried harder to get a better shot too...) but it looks somehow polished and fun at the same time in person.

However, the gold didn't go as well the mint as I would of like but it still looked pretty (the scar on my toe is from accident with an exercise bike as a kid requiring stitches). I thought gold definitely went well the pale pink on my nails though, super cute! And I am so not a gold person, like ever, usually but I lurve this polish... Surprising for me but true.

Kisses,

K

(All images created and owned by Krista Carson, please ask permission prior to use.)

Posted with love, please credit when re-posting.

Get Nailed

I know it's only January but with my 2nd Wedding Anniversary coming up on the 23rd and Valentine's not too far after... I have love fever... So I decided to do a fun love inspired mani! I used an OPI rose gold glitter to create a twist on the French manicure and added heart shaped nail crystals I picked up at the drugstore. I covered it all with a clear topcoat and voilà. Easy peasy!

Are you in the mood for love yet this year?

Kisses,

K

(Image created and owned by Krista Carson, please ask permission prior to use)

 

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Get Nailed

When I got my reminder from SpaceWeather.com about the Perseid Meteor Shower peaking this past weekend I was psyched!!! (Nerd alert, I know) I love sky watching and couldn't wait to see some shooting stars and make some wishes! When I realized that the ambient light and cloudy skies where I'm at in Seattle wouldn't allow for good viewing (even if I got my butt out of bed in the pre-dawn hours, the best viewing time) I was bummed...

So I decided to make my own meteor shower instead. I give you:

Perseid Meteor Shower Nails

With this design, even though I missed the sky show, I can still have two handfuls of wishes with me at all times!

Do you bundle up and watch meteor showers or just take the wish-pportunity when you happen upon it?

I used two blues, a glitter nail polish, and nail crystals to create a look I'm quite happy with. My Perseus constellation proportions, done in the crystals, are a little wonky but it's just a quick first go, so.... Eh... I'll get it right next time. Thoughts? Would you want to see a DIY of this?

Kisses,

K

(Image by and property of Krista Cason, please ask permission and credit when using)

Get Nailed

Neon Yellow Designs:

While I haven't found the right shade of neon yellow to rock yet this summer, I did find a great neon yellow nail art polish to fill the void in the meantime.

I actually scooped it up as a great deal (my Mom hates when I use the word cheap, "Use deal," she says... "It sounds so much nicer.") at the Five Below in the Chicago Burbs. Everything there is "five and below." My MIL actually introduced it as a nicer dollar store. I agree, and can we talk about the polish selection?!?

Anyway... I liked it so well I even thought about picking up a few and trying to use the teeny tiny nail art brush to cover my nails completely but sensibility prevailed... And I ended up with this:

I tried to do a tribal/ organically free hand nail art design on each nail while keeping the polish beneath a neutral pink. (Excuse my travel ragged cuticles please.)

It's surprisingly more subtle in person than I thought it'd be but it's still super fun and summery! Thoughts? Do you do your own nail art? (Not so big secret: I've been obsessed with doing my own since middle school.)

Kisses,

K

(Images property of Krista Carson)

 

Get Nailed

 

I've been wanting to try neon yellow polish for a while now... I find the bold choice fresh and inspiring! This pic just makes me want to find a good version even more! Any suggestions?

Kisses,

K

(Image via Pinterest)

Get Nailed

I have always loved (understatement!) painting my nails since I was a kid! So I couldn't be happier with all the fantastic nail art trends and colors out there right now, kid in a candy store much?

But sometimes you need a palette cleanser, so to speak, but still want in on all the cool summer fun out there color wise... The answer:

Essie's Blanc on my fingers and...

China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy on my toes!

Summer, here I come!

Kisses,

K