Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 15 - Chinese New Year

Hey y'all!

Today is a remarkable day for me.  It is the conclusion of my first ever nail art challenge!  Oddly, it isn't the first one I've ended, but it is the end of the first one I started.  Confused?  S'okay, no worries.  Today's theme is Chinese New Year, so here's my digits!  My fingers, not my phone number.  Sorry.

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 14 - Australia Day

Hey y'all!

Well, I'm a day late and a dollar short, and I apologize.  Yesterday a migraine took me out of commission and I couldn't stand to look at the computer screen, so posting was out of the question.  This of course means I'm backed up on 2 challenge posts, since I don't want to double-post to catch up, so yesterday's post is today, and today's post is tomorrow.  Make sense?  Nah, not for me either.  Anyway... Llama Nail's penultimate holiday challenge theme is Australia Day, which is celebrated on January 26.

via City of Greater Geraldton

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 13 - Martin Luther King Day

Hey y'all!

Today's is just going to be a quick post to put up my challenge mani for this week's theme: MLK Day.  Normally I would talk about the significance of the holiday, but frankly I'm running short on time to get the books I'm editing finished, so uhm... Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights pioneer who was cut down far too early, and his activism towards racial equality still stands as a testament to what the power of love can do when it flourishes instead of hatred.

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 12 - Child's Day

Hey y'all!

Today's theme for the Llama Nails challenge was pretty vague - Child's Day.  I tried looking up the term on the interwebz and got hella confused because usually it's celebrated in June or November, depending on what part of the world you're located.  In any event, rather than having another Christmas Toys fail on my nails, I decided I would take a slightly easier free-handed paint session, and decided to go with the UNICEF flag.

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 11 - New Year's Day Tabula Rasa

Hey y'all!

First off, let me wish one and all a happy new year.  2014 came in with a distinctly "whomp whomp" in the Faff house last night.  We opened a bottle of bubbly, but between the two of us didn't manage to drink it all.  The remaining glass wound up going into the slowcooker with my black-eyed peas (called black-eyed beans in the UK).

Typical new year food in most southern states should include black-eyed peas (symbolizing wealth because they look a bit like coins to some people, and prosperity because they swell when cooked), collard greens or another green vegetable (symbolizing money), cornbread (symbolizing gold), and a pork product (because pigs are meant to symbolizing progress and embracing challenges because they root forwards in the dirt).  Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any cornmeal here in my part of the UK, so there won't be any cornbread on my plate this year but I reckon that's okay because making cornbread from scratch is a bit of a pain anyway.  I'll have to remember to buy some packets of cornbread mix next time I visit home and squirrel them away in the cupboard for January 1, 2015.  Anyway... followers on my Instagram may have already seen I've got my black-eyed peas in the slowcooker today with bacon lardons, onions, and chopped tomatoes, and I'll have some steamed broccoli on my plate as well since I never really liked collard greens (or any other of the "greens" for that matter).  Mr. Faff thinks my dinner stinks.  He just doesn't know good southern food, and he's a picker eater anyway.

For today's manicure theme, I did something a little bit different.  I originally intended this manicure to be a New Year's Eve mani rather than a New Year's Day, but after getting into the look, I decided it actually made more sense as a Jan 1 manicure.  I made a geometric pattern on all of my nails and my accent nail is a tabula rasa.  For me, this represents maintaining beauty and sparkle throughout the year while keeping a blank slate for writing my own destiny.

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 10: Christmas

Hey y'all!

First off, let me wish all of you a Merry Christmas!  I'm going to keep today's post relatively faff-free, but picture-heavy, because I kind of love this manicure for the Llama Nails challenge: Christmas.
 

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 9: Winter

Hey y'all!

Hard to believe Christmas is only a week away, isn't it?  Here in southwestern England, the weather has been quite mild for what I expected midway through December.  We've had a few nights of drizzling rain filled with teeny little tufts of micro snowflakes, which hubby says they call sleet.  After some research, it turns out that once again, this is another word that has completely different meanings in the UK vs US.  Back home, sleet is rain with actual ice in it, not to be confused with hail, which is bigger.  Apparently here, they call them "ice pellets".  It's true, we really are two countries divided by a common language.  In any event, the winter is here, but I expect it to get much worse before it gets better.

This week's theme for the Llama Nails challenge is, in fact, Winter.  I wanted to capture some traditional wintery images, even if we haven't really experienced much of it where I live.

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 8: Kwanzaa

Hey y'all!

So, this has been an interesting week so far.  I had a ginormous fail on my first attempt at today's challenge theme (pic at the bottom of the post), I received a great prize I won in a giveaway (and posted about it yesterday), picked a winner for my giveaway, and almost adopted another dog who wandered into our garden yesterday.  He's back home where he belongs now, but since he didn't have tags, I was sorely tempted to convince Hubby to let me keep him, because he really is very sweet and I feel bad because I have listened to him whine and cry outside pretty much since the neighbors got him earlier this summer.  However, he has a little buddy who did not follow him through the fence, so I feel better at least knowing he's not just a little dog living outside by himself.

I'm also in the process of working with an independent rep in the US to get some content that I'm fairly sure will be the first UK introduction to this cosmetic line.  The line is planning on expanding into the UK in 2014 and I'm psyched to be on the front lines of it.  Samples should be coming to me soon, and I'll have some reviews and swatches for you when that happens.  Exciting!

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 7: Hanukkah

Hey y'all!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving break.  Here in jolly ol' England, business was much the same as usual:  chilly weather punctuated with days of "nice" weather.  By nice, of course, I simply mean I wasn't freezing my ovaries off.  It's officially December now, which brings with it a new nail art challenge and continuation of the existing challenge I've been working on for Llama Nails.  Doing two challenges at once will be interesting, and by interesting I mean "oh god, oh god, we're all gonna die."  The new challenge comes from the FB group Crumpet's Nail Tarts which is spearheaded by Debbie of The Crumpet, and is a really large group of nail enthusiasts.  The challenge is winter/Christmas themed and will only last for the month of December.  My first challenge nails will be posted tomorrow.  I'm really looking forward to this theme as I have some great ideas for it.

Today, however, I continue on the path of the Holiday themed manis with this week's entry: Hanukkah.

Llama Nail Holiday Challenge week 6: Thanksgiving

Hey y'all!

This has been a fairly exciting week for me.  I got a lot of things accomplished, including registering with the doctor, who in turn gets me registered with the NHS, so in essence, I have health care again! Yippee!  Also, I completed construction of my new light box!  Yippee again!  I also managed to do my first actual successful water marble design!  Yippee f'reals!  Also got some shopping done including a few new nail polishes, and I got some nail art done.  All in all, I'd say this week's one to mark in the black.

This week's theme in the LN challenge was Thanksgiving.  This of course is kind of a tough one for me this year, as I won't be home to spent the long weekend with family.  Although, the last few years I've been on obligatory puppy-sitting duty so that Mom could go spend the holiday with the rest of the fam.  This was okay with me, because it meant I could order pizza and watch all the crap television I wanted without guilt.  However, I do of course still struggle with a bit of homesickness here and there, and nothing drives that home like knowing people back home are enjoying a 4-day weekend while Britain carries on.  Because that's what they do:  carry on.

I wanted this mani to incorporate the feel of Thanksgiving in colors and have a touch of "back home" without being cliche or too out-there, so I opted for this:

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 5: Native Americans

Hey y'all!

OMG this past week has been super hectic for me!  After all the hoopla with the elf event and getting the giveaway ready, I still had to finish editing a manuscript that I received while we were on vacation!  Now that's turned in, I feel like I can pay attention to some other things, like building a light box, putting together my jewelry organizer, and oh, I dunno, maybe doing some nail art.

I knew I had to do at least two manis this week, one for the LNHC and one for Doctor Who.  The 50th Anniversary is coming up this Saturday with the premiere of Day of the Doctor, so I've stocked the kitchen for a Who-feast:  fish fingers and custard, Jammie Dodgers, and Jelly Babies.  Hubby swears he will not eat fish fingers with custard, so I guess that leaves more custard for me!  The hardest part will be keeping him out of the sweets before Saturday.

Moving on... so this week's LNHC theme is Native Americans.  I struggled for a bit to come up with something that would be appropriate to the theme without being crude or too intricate for my fat fingers to paint.  Ultimately I was looking at my autumn colors and decided that maize (aka: "Indian Corn") might be fun and relatively simple to recreate.  In addition, I did a lot of web searching to find tribal images, and remembered that my mom once told me that I have about a drop of Seminole blood in my veins, which is kind of hard to believe since I'm fair skinned, fair-eyed, and have naturally wavy auburn hair, but if mom says it, it must be true, so off I went in search of Seminole designs, and a mani was born.  Here's my final design.

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 4: Veterans Day

Hey y'all!

I came to a bit of a conflict with this week's theme.  Being a 'merkin, of course Veterans Day is nothing new to me.  It's a day of remembrance for all those who served in the armed forces, marked on November 11 since 1947, when WWII veteran Raymond Weeks led the first national commemoration of all those who served our country under President Dwight D Eisenhower.  Prior to 1947, November 11 had been reflected as Armistice Day, having been proclaimed in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson.  Armistice Day was, at that time, a day of remembrance of those who died in WWI, celebrated on the anniversary of the end of the first World War, marked by the signing of the Armistice Treaty between the Allied nations and Germany on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.  While Armistice Day is still celebrated in many parts of the world, both it and Veterans Day are also celebrated at the same time as Remembrance Day, or Poppy Day, in Commonwealth countries.  The day has been officially known as Veterans Day in the US since 1954.  Confused yet?  Don't be.  November 11 has come to be known world-round as a day of remembrance for all veterans, both living and dead, who served their countries in times of conflict.

Remembrance Day is traditionally associated with the red poppy flower, which covered the graves of fallen soldiers on the fields of the second battle of Ypres, in the Flanders region of Belgium.  The poem, In Flanders Fields was written by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in honor of his fallen friend and the other soldiers who died on that battleground.  Since its first publication in 1915.

So, what's a trans-Atlantic replant to do on 11/11?  Well I had to incorporate both, didn't I?

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 3: Diwali

Hey y'all!

This week the Llama Nails Challenge theme was Diwali.  I had no idea what Diwali was, so I had to turn to the little magic box to provide answers.

Diwali, also called Divali and Deepavali is the Hindu "Festival of Lights" that runs for 5 days, usually between mid-October and mid-November.  From Wikipedia:

"Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil.  These lamps are kept on during the night and one's house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome.  Firecrackers are burst because it is believed that it drives away evil spirits.  During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends."

It is also celebrated by Sihks and Jains, though for different origins.  Over the course of my research, I learned that Diwali's spiritual significance is that it marks the triumph of one's inner light (higher awareness) over ignorance in order to bring about joy and peace.  This resonates with me because I have been on my own path towards this kind of joy and peace for a few years now.  The more I learn about Hinduism, the more it seems that I should learn, because though it is a very complicated religion, it seems more of a philosophy and way of life that closely aligns with some of my own personal beliefs.

One of the most iconic images of Diwali is that of the ghee lamp called a diya.  It was from this image that I derived the inspiration for today's challenge mani.

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge week 2: Halloween

Hey y'all,

Quick post to put up my Halloween mani.  This week's theme was Halloween, and I struggled a bit before I finally decided on something that I liked but wasn't too cliche.

Last month I picked up a couple of W7 crackle polishes at Poundland or somewhere similar (Americans: think Dollar Store) and hadn't really had a chance to use them yet, but one of them is a lovely cranberry purple and I thought it would make a nice Halloweeny hue.

To start, I put down a base color of elf Cranberry on my pinky, middle, and index fingers, and Maybelline Onyx Black on my ring and thumb.  Then I splotched on dabs and smears of Collections Scorched over all the nails, making sure I left some base color exposed.  I used Rimmel Black Graffiti over the pinky, middle, and index, and the W7 Crimson Crackle on the ring and thumb.

The effect was sort of wood-grainy, but in a dark and kind of vampy way.  I finished off the look by adding eyeballs with Fright Night Glow-in-the-Dark Claw Polish and added pupils with the Black Onyx. 

Llama Nails Holiday Challenge - Oktoberfest, plus some fantastic news!

Hey y'all!

I just got the best email and I'm so excited I have to share.   I just received my VIP invitation to the grand opening event of the European e.l.f. Cosmetics Store, which opened a couple of weeks ago in Cardiff!  I've been totally psyched about this store opening since I first heard the announcement just after I moved to England.  Cardiff is a little over an hour away, and I cannot WAIT to see the store!  I haven't really posted about it yet, but I'm a huge e.l.f. fan and about 90% of my cosmetics are e.l.f. brand.  In fact, part of my Texas haul was a huge e.l.f. order with a ginormous freebie inside, and I will be doing a post about that as well.

So the event is smart dress and I'm pretty sure I already know what I'm going to wear, but now I have to decide how to do hair, nails, and of course MAKEUP.  Squee!  Looking forward to rubbing elbows with some other beauty bloggers and maybe doing some networking while I'm there, as well.  I'm also sure Hubby will be bored to tears with me in yet another cosmetics shop, since he about had his fill of that while we were on vacation.

Either way... that's all I have to say about that.  Let's move on to some nails, shall we?

About a month ago, I joined a group on Facebook for nail bloggers called Llama Nails.  From what I can tell, this is a VERY talented group of girls and I'm very excited and happy to have been able to join them.  Like many other blogger groups, they do challenges, and I'm going to start my first challenge today.  Technically, I'm a week late, but since I was in Texas, I think I'm allowed.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to post week 2's challenge entry.  Anyway... here's the challenge schedule: