Welcome plus the pictures I've taken so far...

Hi future readers/followers! My name is Amanda and I'm pretty much obsessed with nail polish and make up. I've bought way too many products in the last few months, so I figured I should do something with them. Hence, this blog.

When I post pictures of my manicures, I'll try to post links to the specific products I used (all of which were purchased by me with my own money) from the store from which I purchased them. For example, if I buy something from a brick-and-mortar Sally Beauty Supply or SallyBeauty.com, I will post a link to the product on the Sally Beauty site. Sometimes this won't be possible, or I won't remember where I got something, but I'll try my best. In the cases where I can't remember/find the link for the correct store/whatever, I'll try to at least find a link.

Let's start with the manicure I did to go with my Halloween costume, which was a DEVO girl. You know, like Whip It. Google it.

 I used Orly Goth on my index, middle and pinkie fingers. On my ring finger, I have a base of China Glaze Platinum Silver with a blue energy dome painted with China Glaze Frostbite, which stunk to high Heaven, using a nail art brush I bought in a multi-pack.

 I was quite proud of this manicure, as it was the first actual "nail art" I had ever attempted to do freehand. Plus, it was DEVO-themed and therefore awesome.

On an unrelated note, this was the view from the stairs right next to my room the night I did that manicure. Beautiful, huh?  Sorry about the slight blur, I'm really bad at taking pictures.

Next, I'll show you a almost-French that turned out pretty ugly, if you ask me. I was trying to do a sponge gradient, I think, but it did not work out the way I planned.

I used China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise (Neon) as the base with Orly La Playa (which I can't find a link to, but I saw it in Ulta yesterday on clearance for 2.99) sponged on the tips.  I really like these colors together, but I sponged on a little too much for it to be a French manicure. This was before I got nail guide stickers, haha.

For the next mani, I tried to use those metallic star stickers you can find in every school supply aisle in every store in America as a stencil. It turned out goopy and gross looking in real life. In my defense, however, it was two in the morning when I finished this, so I probably was not in my right mind. (Sorry about the blurry cell phone picture)

I used Orly Lunar Eclipse (which I bought at Sally Beauty, but is not listed on their site any longer) as the base, with too many coats of China Glaze White on White on top of the stickers. Yeah. It did not work and I believe I took this off the next morning.

Now, for one of my cleanest manis, I present my first successful French manicure. The normal nude and white combo is a little boring for my taste, as I tend to go for loud colors and wild glitters, but the combo of these two colors was good enough for me.

This was OPI Princesses Rule! (which I got at Ulta) with Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro in Burgundy Flirt for the tips. I used those nifty Nailene Perfect Tips French Polish Guides that I finally found at WalMart after searching for them for a few weeks. They are SO easy to use, even for me, and I can barely paint my nails without getting polish all over my fingers.

I'm going to end this post with a picture of some nail art I did on my toes. I've noticed that some people have a strong aversion to feet pictures, so I figured I should leave this one to the end. 

I used Orly Rock-On Red as the base, then sponged on China Glaze White on White, followed by Ulta Envy. I then "seeded" the watermelon with Maybelline Express Finish Onyx Rush, which is the best black pretty much ever. It applies like a dream and dries quickly. 

With that, I bid you adieu.