Life and all the things in-between aka An update!

Hello lovelies!

It's been a while I know... Dom & I have had an onslaught of crazy life-itis it seems! Here's my update though :)

Since I saw most of you last (on the regular) I was working through a deployment and all that it entails. Well my husband since came home then deployed again. Haha the life of being government property eh? I feel bad for him being gone so much but I know that he enjoys his job, so that makes it easier I'm sure. But back to the update...

When I was preparing for his previous homecoming I looked like this...

More after the jump!

Drip Mani Tutorial with Cult Nails!

Hey there :) Happy Halloween Eve!

Dom & I have been participants in the Go Pink Wednesdays campaign to bring awareness to Breast Cancer through pink manicures on wednesdays during the month of October. It's been a great experience and I've loved coming up with pink themed manicures; however, it's also my favorite time of year! Once I started thinking about how I could incorporate the two, pink BCA & Halloween, I knew I had something I could really enjoy! Well my favorite pink/halloween-ish manicure was my Pink Drip Mani. It seemed several of you really loved it as well so here we are... a tutorial!

Let me preface this tutorial with a few things though...

What you DON'T need:

• Doubt
• Nail art abilities
• Skill/talent
• any special tools

Never doubt yourself... I am no more talented than you and if I can do it, so can you! Nail art is just that, art. Art is subjective and in the eye of the beholder. Never feel like it is an achieveable skill, it is always within you, just believe. Again, no special skills or talent is necessary for this look and many others, just a little patience would help! Lastly, in my opinion there is no real need for any special nail art tools. Do they make life easier? Yes! But truly they are not necessary as long as you look around and get inventive with the tools available to you. 

What you DO need:

• Two polish colors- preferrably two that are very different
• General items like acetone/polish remover, cotton balls, paper towel
• A round tipped item to make dots
• ball point pen
• toothpick 
• pencil eraser 
• bobby pin
• or if you have a set- Dotting Tool
• A thin brush or item to draw a line with
• toothpick
• orange stick/cuticle pusher
• pencil
• or if you have one- a brush or nail art striper
• A picture or some sort of visual idea of what you'd like your drips to look like
• Base/Top Coat

I tried to include as many pictures as possible to cover how you, our lovely reader, might learn best from the tutorial. Below are singular photos. As a side note I had some technical difficulties like my camera battery was acting up, the daylight was fading fast and a demanding toddler LOL... so some of these photos aren't the best quality and some clean up in the final shot was a little lacking, so please forgive me :)


STEP 1

Start with a base color, fully base/top coated and dry. I chose my favorite green, Cult Nails - Deal With It from the summer release, CoCo's Collection. This green is slightly sheer and I am a crazy person with VNL (visible nail line) so I did 3 thin coats in this photo. This polish is a dream to work with, builds nicely and clean up is a breeze. As a side note... this is the perfect Halloween type green. I just love it! Plus the beautiful shimmer is just too much!!

STEP 2

On your base place anywhere from 1 to 3 dots on each nail at varying levels with your contrasting other color. For this mani I chose Cult Nails - Nevermore. I like to refer to Nevermore as the best black ever. It is seriously shiny, beautiful in ONE coat and quick drying. If you never buy another Cult Nails polish- buy Nevermore... I promise you won't be disappointed!!

This step takes a smidge of consideration. The part that makes the drip look so interesting is how different each one looks. I also try to be aware of where my previous dots were so I don't accidentally repeat a dot pattern.

STEP 3

This step is pretty simple in the fact that all you need to do is draw a line from your dot to the edge of your nail. The line does not need to be thick and works better if it isn't as thick as the dot. Don't worry about how thick or clumpy the paint looks... it'll smooth out with top coat.

STEP 4

Ok... first I apologize I did not take a separate step 4 photograph as I got distracted and before I knew it was almost done and onto step 5 before I remembered! SO SORRY! :(

So this step is the one that looks the hardest but is really the easiest in my opinion. What you're ultimately doing is connecting the lines. I do this by drawing a curved line from one line to the next. Almost curved lines like a spider web? Don't go too far down since you'll want room to do the final detail work. That way if you decide to make the tip of your nail look like it has been dipped more then it's just adding.... ****REMEMBER**** less is more in this particular look... the artistry is in the details so work in small amounts. You'll want to keep those lines as curved as possible to achieve that true drip look.

STEP 5

In this step you are simply finishing up the edges, filling in the empty spots where you have curved lines and putting on your final touches. This is the part where you want to really look at your drips and consider how you want them to look and what sort of nuances do you want to show. In the steps 3/4/5 I added partial drip lumps on my middle finger and a couple of separate drips on the pinky & middle fingers. You'll want to go on the sides of your nails lightly with your tool so the drips have the appearance of continuing off your nails. This is the messy and unfortunate part. You'll get paint on your fingers and into the edge/crack of your nail. This is where a good clean up regimen will be needed. The black looks lumpy and clumpy but I promise it all levels out with a good top coat. (side note: the clean up brush I use is a concealer brush made by e.l.f.  and $1, available at Target)

FINISHED!

Clean up the edges of your nails and top coat!

3 thin coats of Cult Nails - Deal With It, drips in Cult Nails - Nevermore
base coat Duri - Rejuvacote & top coat of Seche Vite

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial and it helps you achieve your desired drip mani :) Let me know if you need any assistance or if there is a step that isn't clear :) Be sure to post your drip manis to the fan page on facebook!

xo & Happy Halloween,

Go Pink Wednesday and Supporting Your Loved One Tips!

So we've covered the statistical data that supports how important it is to stay on top of your breast health as well as a tutorial on Self Breast Examinations. Today we have some great tips on how to be the best supportive person to your loved one during and after their diagnosis and treatment. The statistics are real; 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer, because odds are you'll either be the patient or the support system.

When tragedy strikes someone near and dear to us it can be difficult to not get swallowed up in our own grief. After all, it is human nature to be self centered. There is no recrimination in the facts of humanity, just honesty, and when something so horrific strikes a loved one we go through a grieving process too. However, there will be personal time for that. The most important thing you can be is a supportive loved one. But before you bound off to play Dr. Oz or even Dr. Phil there are some really great resources on how to be the best supportive YOU to your loved one.

These tips on how to be a supportive person for someone fighting Breast Cancer are according to SheKnows.com:

LISTEN AND BE PRESENT: It is important to be a good listener. Someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer is afraid, angry and uncertain. Listening to these fears and being present with them, even in silence, can be a source of great strength for the person fighting cancer. Allowing them to express their anger and fears also demonstrates that you will be there to support them through it all, rather than abandoning them when times get tough.

BE A FACT FINDER, NOT AN ADVICE GIVER: The initial diagnosis of breast cancer can lead to shock and anxiety. It is helpful to support the individual by gathering facts about dealing with the disease, treatment options, and community resources, such as support groups. However, helping your loved ones find information is different from giving them advice about choosing their treatment or plan of care. Listen to them as they talk about their options and be helpful by finding more information as they desire, but don't give out unsolicited advice.

BE SUPPORTIVE OF YOUR LOVED ONE'S DECISION: A myriad of decisions must be made by your loved one in relation to the treatment process. Your loved one will not make these decisions lightly and it is important to be supportive of their decision, even if it is not the road you would have chosen.

LAUGH: Remember the old adage "laughter is the best medicine"? Don't be afraid to laugh and have fun. Living with cancer and supporting someone with cancer can be stressful, and learning to laugh together can help get you through the tough times that you will face.

ACKNOWLEDGE THE GRIEVING PROCESS: The diagnosis of breast cancer for a woman attacks her very femininity and many of the treatment options continue in this attack. It is normal to go through a grieving process related to the feeling of this loss of femininity. Be supportive by listening to her anger, fear, and uncertainty and don't be afraid to hug her and touch her.

GATHER A SUPPORT NETWORK: A variety of support groups are available to individuals living with breast cancer, as well as for individuals supporting a loved one with breast cancer. This is one of those times where you can't do everything alone. Ensure that you have a positive group of supporters surrounding and uplifting you as you care for your loved one and don't take on more than you can realistically do. Joining a support group is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of strength which will be invaluable to you and your loved ones throughout this difficult time.

HAVE SOME FUN: Go do something fun! It is vital to focus on more than just the disease, because your loved one is so much more than a diagnosis. It is important to do something fun – plan a girl's night chick-flick movie marathon (or horror flick marathon if that is more to your liking), or, pending your loved one's energy level, go out to the park, go to a game, take a walk, or go out to dinner. It is OK to laugh and have fun

BE YOURSELF: It can be challenging to know what to do or say when supporting someone living with breast cancer, but it is important to be yourself. Being genuine shows your loved one how much you truly care about him or her as an individual, not a disease. A warrior has strength and is prepared to fight through the challenges. Living with breast cancer requires the strength, steadfastness, and determination of a warrior; yet it cannot be done alone; it requires an equally strong and driven group of warriors who will support their loved ones through the highs and lows -- never giving up and never letting go.

Two other great resources we found for more tips on how to be a great support system for your loved one are:

HealthyWomen.org: This is a great and quick resource for some Dos and Don'ts for your role as your loved one's support system.
Caring.com: A really great resource for 7 more tips to be the best and most supportive person to your loved one.
I really liked all three resources and they're all very real and honest in the best and honest way to support someone. Please take a look at all the resources, it could mean saving a life!

As always, to show our love and support here are our Go Pink Wednesday for Breast Cancer Awareness manicures!

For this weeks mani Dom wanted to do something a bit different and unexpected. She recently stopped by JoAnn's Fabrics and grabbed an A La Mode brand flocking set. The process is not as hard as it seemed. A bit of wet polish and some flocking powder is all you need to achieve this look. Dom was really excited to do this mani! Even though it is a messy mani to do, it really allows an infinite amount of creative ideas as well as just plain fun! We hope you like it!

Rimmel London Posh Pink, W'n'W Tickled Pink, Sinful Colors Snow Me White & Flocking Powder

This mani is flocking awesome!!!  ;)

Continuing with a little nail art in support of Go Pink Wednesday and the upcoming Halloween holiday, E's mani is a fun and funky shredded tape mani! She used MAC - Ice Cream Cake as a lovely pink base, Cult Nails - Nevermore for the accent nail and shredded tips with a dash of Pretty and Polished - Punk'd Up Betty on the accent nail. Tape manis are easy to do and can really take an aging mani through another week of awesomeness! A tutorial on E's methods can be found HERE. This was a lot of fun and we hope you love it!

"Pre taping" MAC - Ice Cream Cake
Cult Nails - Nevermore and
Pretty & Polished - Punk'd Up Betty as accent nails

"Post taping" MAC - Ice Cream Cake
Cult Nails - Nevermore and
Pretty & Polished - Punk'd Up Betty as accent nails and shredding

xo,

and

Polka dot dreams with Cult Nails Feel Me Up

In the three months that I've even bothered to keep track of my lemmings I am already feeling like I'll never acquire them all. But! I will say this... I have always heard good things about Cult Nails and after my first visit to their webpage I knew I needed to join the Cult! 

My chance was finally here when Cult Nails had a replay of the $5 sale that was originally a promotion/thank you from them reaching five thousand Facebook fans a little while back. Congrats again! What an accomplishment and endorsement of your product, wow!! 

I saw that they were going to include colors that sold out the first time and while some of the Cult Nails colors that I've been lusting after are either discontinued or haven't made it back into stock, I still had plenty of lovelies to choose from! 

I must say that originally Feel Me Up wasn't on my list to buy. I mean, I am always in search of my perfect yellow and I've been wrong before so I figured eh, maybe another day. But then a day or two before the sale I happened to be on my Instagram scrolling through the feed when I saw MartaWarmuz's Instagram picture of her mani with Feel Me Up. I knew instantly that I needed this yellow... and that it might just be THE ONE! 

Let me just say... I was NOT disappointed with my last minute addition! The formula is amazing, it cleans up easily, dries quickly and does so with a beautiful ultra shiny gloss finish.

Now, for those of you that are yellow enthusiasts you know they are usually streaky or require 4 million coats... NOT THIS BABY!! As you can see in my photo I did three coats. Honestly, it was fine in 2, but the 2nd coat for me had a couple tiny spots of bleh and that was most likely due to my crappy painting skills. So yeah, a 2 coat opaque yellow... I'm dreaming right? Somebody smack me, quick!

While I loved, loved, loooooved this yellow, I had horrible insomnia and was convinced that maybe I should do something on it... ya know since I wasn't doing anything else. The problem with a beautiful polish is that sometimes the beauty alone makes it nearly impossible to choose something that will accompany it in such a way that they don't compete. 

L to R: Julep - Anne, piCture pOlish - Abyss, Revlon - Passionate Pink, Cult Nails - Feel Me Up
baby food jar lid palette and MASH dotting tools

I sat contemplating for at least half an hour. I pulled out nearly a dozen different polishes for at least a dozen different ideas. I just couldn't get the feeling of rightness until I looked at my dotting tools... BAM! Epiphany... random polka dots!

I hope you enjoyed my bright and cheery insomnia driven polka dot mani! 

xo,

Has insomnia driven any of you to do something crazy? I know this isn't my first time...