Bless the Invention of Fingerless Gloves

Winter is a comin'!  Temperatures are dropping by the second.  Ok, fine...it never really gets that cold here -- but it sure feels like it to this warm-blooded California girl.  So what do I do when I've got a bangin' manicure to show off but need to keep warm?  Wear fingerless gloves, of course!  My nickname for this particular style of gloves is "hobo gloves" because they remind me of what bums wear in the movies. LOL. 

On Satruday I studied nail disorders and diseases...informative, but gross.  I also had a couple of hours to practice manicures.  I did not take pictures of all of my work (doh!)  but I did take a snapshot of my own nails.  This is done with a SpaRitual polish and a Konad plate.  I am calling it my "Bare Fishnets" look.

The Inspiration

You Have Been Warned Acrylics: I'm Going to Master YOU!

I had my first experience with acrylic nails in school last night.  Dipping, dabbing and dotting polymers and monomers was not as easy as I thought!  You have to have the perfect liquid to powder ratio to create a pliable ball of "goo" (for lack of a better word!) to apply on the nail.  Only once the chemical reaction between the liquid monomer and the powder polymer resembles the "skin of an orange," as my instructor describes it, on the tip of your brush, will it be ready to sculpt on to the nail and not give you a lumpy or drippy mess. 

Luckily, we are working with odorless acrylics so it was not the nauseating, head-spinning experience I had anticipated.  Pretty soon we'll be on to gel nails and I'm super stoked about those because they last forever and they look extremly natural.

My first set of acrylic nails was not very pretty.  But my second set wasn't so bad!  With practice, I'll be a champ. 

Beauty School...NOT a Drop Out!

It's official.  I've signed my paperwork, gone to orientation and attended my first day of manicurist school last week.  I'm going legit people.  It's quite a comittment, but I'm game.  I have night and weekend classes on top of my more than full-time work schedule.   Wowsers...when am I going to get a chance to eat and sleep? 

If I can stick to the school's schedule, I will graduate in 5 months.  Woo hoo.  It'll be nice to have another credential under my belt.  Check back to hear about my progress and adventures in BEAUTY SCHOOL!

Let's Go Giants, Let's Go!

Most people that know me would definitely NOT classify me as a sports fan.  In fact, I'm more along the lines of your stereotypical girly girl that whines when the TV is tuned into any type of sports for more than five minutes.  But  my hometown baseball team has taken it all the way to the World Series...so it's a different story for me now.  I have San Francisco pride...and the Giants are kicking ASS for my city!

What better way to rep my newly found Giants love and support them by doing a team color manicure?  Plus, it doubled as a Halloween manicure! 

Vegas Baby!

It's official:  my Vegas cherry has been popped!  I don't know why I waited so long to visit Sin City - I only live an hour flight away.  Hmmm...maybe I would have gotten in too much trouble had I went in my early 20's :) 

Anyhoo, October 15 was my birthday!  I got a Superfly suite at the Pallazo and shacked up with my boyfriend for a week of sun, fun and tons of rum.  (Ok, that didn't really rhyme, and it was Patron - but you get the point!) 

The nails had to be glam for such a glitzy town.  I went with Sally Hansen Chrome gold, heavily sprinked with gold micro glitter and stamped with black Konad stars.  I put two top coats of Seche Vite to act as my armor against the climate of harsh partying.  It lasted for a full seven days without chipping!