Turquoise Gemstone Manicure

I posted a photo of my first ever foil manicure on the Silly Bee's Chickadees Facebook page and got such a great response, that I thought I'd share the super easy tutorial with you! I love the turquoise stone, it's just so earthy and natural with beautiful flecks and veins. The gemstone comes in several colors and variations.  Some has veins with minerals that look like gold.  That variety is the inspiration for this mani.  Enjoy!

 
You'll need Silly Bee's Chickadees Always Azure, Gold holo foil, foil glue and a clear top coat.

First, I started with two coats of Always Azure, which is full of gold and copper glitter and compliments the gold foil nicely.  Make sure you let the polish dry completely before you move on.

1. Take your foil glue and wipe off most of the glue from the brush. We don't want giant splotches of foil on the nail-- it should look jagged like the cracks in a rock.

2. Dab the glue onto the nail like you are stippling. Don't brush it across. You may not even see the glue at this point and that's ok. Foil just needs the tiniest bit of glue to stick.

3. Allow the glue a minute or two to dry. The glue should be clear by this time. Then, press the foil, shiny side up, onto the nail.

4. Gently lift the foil.  If bits of foil stay behind, that's ok. The texture of the polish makes the foil look crackle-y and natural.

5. If the foil doesn't look perfect, that's perfect!  (hee hee) Turquoise stones aren't perfect and that's what makes them beautiful. Do one or two more spots and you're done!

6. Add a clear top coat to seal the foil. If you don't, it will rub off.  That's it!

Doesn't it look like a turquoise stone?  I love it.  Thanks for following along!

Cutest Things Since Shirley Temple!

Introducing Silly Bee's Chickadees collectors' cards! I just love these little things! They're itty bitty-- half the size of a business card. The first set of three cards features the first set of Fruit Basket Cocktails: Bananamelon Thump, Orange You a Honeydew and Bring Us a Figgy Mango.


Each of the cards has a picture of the three bottles with their super cute labels. The other side has a macro shot of one of the polishes with a couple words from the phrase, "You Were Born to Sparkle". Are they cute or what?  I know what you're thinking, "These are the cutest things since Shirley Temple!  How do I get my hands on these little sweeties?"  Well, you can purchase the set in my etsy store for only 50 cents, or purchase some polish and I'll throw one in each order!


So, what can you do with these cuties? A dozen different things! In fact, I have one for you right now. What's that sticking out of that book? Why, it's a Silly Bee's collectors' card bookmark! And all you need to make it is a set of cards, packing tape and scissors!


First, pull out a length of packing tape and gently lay each card on the tape end to end. Then, cut another piece of tape and lay it over the cards working from one side to the other to avoid air bubbles. Trim the bookmark out and that's it-- easy peasy laminating without a machine! If you like, you can punch one end and tie a tassel or ribbon on to make it extra fancy.


Happy collecting- and reading!

Ready For Our Closeup!

Seriously, these are super duper closeups! Dulcie, the awesome chickadee behind the popular nail blog ohthreeohfour.com, published a blog review of Orange you a Honeydew Smoothie and Melly's Mix and took these fabulous photos that I just had to share with you.   Click on the link to see more pics!




Aren't her hands beautiful?! I love seeing how nail bloggers wear my polish and the different combinations they come up with. They're so creative! If you are into nail polish, you must jump over to her blog and subscribe. She really does have some of the best manicure photos out there and she reviews tons of indie polishes that you probably have never heard of! Thank you Dulcie, for the awesome review! 

Nail Wraps Now on Etsy!

Chickadees!  It's time for a shameless plug.  My nail wraps are now available on etsy!  There is a limited quantity and when they are gone, they're gone.  So, head on over to Silly Bee's Chickadees and check them out.  These are the designs in store:

Silly Bee's Frankies- Iona's Beehive

 
It's Silly Bee's Frankies time! This time, I have created a frankenpolish in honor of my absolute favorite movie of my Jr. High career, Pretty in Pink, and more specifically Annie Pott's character, Iona (who really steals the show)!



I made this one solely with Sally Girl minis which you can get at Sally Beauty Supply so it should be super easy for you to replicate. First, I started with about 4 parts 812005, a clear polish with pink glitter called In Love, and 4 parts 812021, a sheer pink. Then, I added 1 part 812112, a rose/raspberry holographic polish, to add a little shimmery magic.





I love this polish.  It’s feminine, it’s dainty, and it’s inspired by the beauteous polka dot prom dress that Molly Ringwald massacres into what I can only describe as a bogus shame. Without further ado...

Presenting Iona’s Beehive

Iona's Beehive Formula

OPI Designer De Better

The second polish from The Muppets collection by OPI that I want to share with you is Designer De Better.  OPI calls it a metallic bronze, but it's more like pewter with tiny pink micro glitter in it.  Like Warm & Fozzie, it's a bit thin, so in order to get full coverage you'll need two or three coats.  I like that it's not a pure silver foil.  In fact it really looks like silver leaf and it's very pretty in sunlight.



click to enlarge 
Again, I used Essie's Matte About You on top to change it up.  It's a little difficult to see the difference in the photo but trust me, it's amazing in person.  With the matte top coat, Designer De Better has a dull satiny finish.  I actually think I prefer it this way!




So, there you go!  Two easy ways to wear OPI's Designer De Better.  Just one more reason I'm Matte About You, Essie.

OPI Warm & Fozzie

You know how I won the entire OPI Muppet Collection of polishes?  Well, it took a bunch of votes from my chickadees to help me win.  So, I thought it would only be fair to share with you some ideas on how you can wear OPI's cutest new polishes.  Not nail art, just different ways of layering that can give you a variety of looks.

The first polish is Warm & Fozzie.  Don't you love the name?  It's a beautiful brown with copper, gold and pinkish micro glitter-- almost like a gritty foil.  It really is a chameleon.  It can look totally different inside, outside, at night, basically in all kinds of light.  It's a bit thin, so it took three coats to be truly opaque.



click to enlarge I love layering matte top coat on my glittery nail polishes.  It gives them a suede-looking finish which is really pretty.  Layering Essie's Matte About You over Fozzie makes it look like tarnished bronze with a slight patina.  Very elegant.


So, grab a bottle of matte top coat (OPI has a version, too) and layer away!

I Won! I Won!

I finally won the last week of the OPI Muppet Madness contest! The final character was Animal and I knew I had to pull out all the stops in order to have a fighting chance. And it worked!



So, I decided to do the entire Dr. Teeth and Electric Mayhem band. It wasn't easy, but I pulled out my magnifying glasses, my acrylics and my paint brush with only three hairs left, and got to work.

I was so excited when my prize pack arrived! I got the entire line of OPI Muppets collection polishes, four tickets to see The Muppets and the movie soundtrack.

I'll be sharing some tutorials in the next few months, so keep an eye out. Thanks to everyone who voted for my Muppet manis over the last five weeks. It's been a blast!



P.S. The Electric Mayhem background polish is French Quarter for Your Thoughts.

Movin' Right Along

The fourth week of the OPI Mani Madness contest featured Kermit. Did you know Kermit is 56 years old?  He was created with an old coat and two halves of a ping pong ball.  When Kermit turned 50, he toured the globe and visited Kermit, Texas, where he crowned the Kermit High School Homecoming Queen and was the Grand Marshal of the homecoming parade!



The thing that fascinates me about Kermit is how Jim Henson was able to express so many emotions, from exasperated to thrilled, with the simplest of all the Muppets. That's where I got my inspiration for the Kermie manicure.  I also think the relationship between Kermit and his nephew, Robin, is so precious. I always loved to see them hang out and sing together! So, I had to include him, too.



P.S. Kermie's background color is Wet n Wild Rain Check.

Gonzo the Great!

The third character in the OPI Mani Madness Contest was Gonzo the Great! He has played many characters over the years: daredevil, photographer, Charles Dickens, guitarist... He's pretty kooky and I still don't understand the attraction to Camilla. But, so goes the world of the Muppets!



If you were a Muppet kid like me, you know that at the beginning of the Muppet Show, Gonzo would pop out of the "O" in the Muppet Show sign and try to play the last note of the theme song. Usually, some crazy, wacky thing came out of the trumpet instead, like smoke or a balloon.



So, that's where I got my inspiration. This is Gonzo blowing love notes to his girlfriend, Camilla the chicken. I think it's pretty cute and I was pretty impressed with how good Gonzo came out. My manis are getting better and better!



P.S. Gonzo's nail color is Houston We Have a Purple from the OPI Texas collection.

Wocka Wocka!

Last week's character in the OPI Mani Madness contest was Fozzie Bear.  There's something just so admirable about Fozzie.  No matter how hard he gets ragged on, he keeps joking.  He's a pretty brave bear if you think about it!




The winning design, "Fozzie Gets Heckled" was created by Michelle M.  Isn't it awesome?  Hers was the best entry by far!  I love how she was able to capture the texture of Fozzie's fur with her acrylic technique.  And Statler and Waldorf are SPOT ON!  You must check out the post about the mani over on her blog. Her step-by-step shots are very cool and she makes it look so easy!



This was my entry for the week.  I think my favorite part of Fozzie visually is his floppy polka-dot bow, so that's where I got my inspiration. Plus, I love brown and pink, so I really enjoyed doing this design. The silly thing is, every time I look at the "wocka wocka" nails, I think of Wonderbread. hee hee




P.S. Fozzie's nail color is San-tan-tonio from the OPI Texas collection.

Muppets Mani Madness!

Yes, I entered ANOTHER contest. A nail art contest. And while I don't actually do nail art, I thought the prize was pretty cool and there aren't a whole bunch of people who enter these things. So, I gave it a shot.


OPI is having a contest based on the Muppets collection and there are five chances to win. Each week, they'll highlight one Muppet--the first week was Miss Piggy--and challenge everyone to create a design inspired by that character. The prize is the entire Muppet collection.  The winners are chosen by popular vote, which is a bummer because it's only on facebook so you have to give the app access to your profile and not a lot of people want to do that.

I'm not even going to campaign for votes for the first three weeks.   I'm waiting for the real nail artists to win their prizes first and hope I'll have a better chance toward the end! After looking at the other designs, I can tell I'm going to have to up my game.


Anyhoo, until then I'm practicing my skillz. This was my Piggy-inspired entry. Très elegant, no?  I'll be posting my designs in the coming weeks, so come back, check them out, and I'll let you know when it's safe to vote!

The Most Sensational Inspirational Celebrational Muppetational!

So, I can't tell you how excited I am to see the Muppets on the scene! They were my all-time favorite children's characters ever. I loved the Muppets so much that I got my hands on everything I could-- board games, coloring books, figurines, puppets, lunch boxes, tennis shoes. And I never missed an episode, or movie, or Muppet Babies cartoon.

Jim Henson was my idol. In fact, my dream was to be part of his Creature Shop. The first time I ever saved my money to purchase anything, it was for a Miss Piggy puppet complete with purple satin gown and gloves. I used to drive my parents crazy by forcing them to sit through puppet shows that I performed from scrunching down in the bathtub!



Anyhoo, as excited as I am to see the newest movie, I am thrilled that the nail geniuses at OPI have introduced a Muppet line of polishes! Score! My sister and I checked them out this week and I went home with a bottle of Warm and Fozzie. It's perfect for fall. Warm and sparkly with hints of pink flecks in it. Once I wore it for a few days, I decided to try a matte top coat on it and I LOVE it!  It's like a copper suede and my new go-to for November.

I'm thinking of going back to pick up Pepe's Purple Passion.  After seeing some swatches online, it looks much prettier than it does in the bottle and it's unlike any polishes I already have.


Most of the glitters were too chunky for my taste, but they are perfectly in time for holiday parties.  I might break down and get Fresh Frog of Bel Air, because, hello!  Kermit!  Did you know there is a city in Texas named Kermit? Wocka Wocka.  Fer real, look it up!

Girls are Girls After All!

Do you waste valuable time waiting for nail polish to dry?  Do you like to look ridiculous?  I thought so!  Have I got a product for you... the Nail Protection Clip by Dahoo.  No, this not an SNL spoof.  This is fer real, chickadees. Read on.



From Dahoo (lost in translation):

"Do you like to match your nail paint color with your wardrobe often? Then that requires more patience than sheer labor, as it`s easy to paint your nails. It is way more difficult to keep the paint on intact without smearing or smudging it. Most women can`t manage that part with the busy schedules and bad time management. But girls are girls after all and all they need is a solution for their problem! The nail varnish protection clip is a plastic clip holding on to your finger as a protective cover that avoids your wet nail polish from smearing.

Smart DIY nail art tool, no messiness anymore. Special transparent lifting-cap design – you can see your painted nails clearly at anytime. Achieve perfect artificial nails and no worry smudge. Split jacket, use your fingers are still nimble nature, you can phone, reading books, playing on the computer, etc."

Wait a minute, you mean instead of sitting down and waiting for my nails to dry I can be sitting down waiting for my nails to dry while wearing mutant hair clips on my fingers?  And just in case I want to make sure my nails haven't fallen off, I can lift the cover to check on them?  Unbelievable! It's the bad time management cure I've been searching for!

Too bad I didn't invent them-- I'd be a millionaire, fer sure.
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Silly Bee's Frankies- Babe Ruthless

It's Silly Bee's Frankies time! After creating my first franken polish, I decided it would be fun to give my frankies movie-inspired names. So, I chose Whip It, the roller derby extravaganza directed by Drew Barrymore as inspiration for my latest creation-- a gritty, glittery avocado green...




First, I started with 1 part Sally Hansen Diamonds and added very fine lime glitter. I found that it's best to mix glitter in a clear polish first before adding any other polishes. Then, I put about 4 parts Sinful Colors Show Me the Way and added 1 part OPI San Tan-tonio to give it a dirty tone. I wish you could see the shimmer in the photo below, it appears flat on my nails in the picture, but it's actually really dimensional. The Diamonds show off light pink, turquoise and yellow shimmer along with the lime glitter.




I'm pleased how it turned out. It perfectly accents the Hurl Scout's super cute unis. It's gravel-y, it's toxic, it's named after Ellen Page's Oink Joint waitress turned derby doll character. Without further ado...


Presenting Babe Ruthless




Babe Ruthless Formula



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