Flakes on My Nails, Flakes in the Sky, Winter Jam, and Ocean Trawl

I'm dedicated. So dedicated that, despite being out on the ocean this week working, I still wanted to write a new post. 

Even if my manicure experienced some wear before I could photograph it.

Even if my hands and cuticles are super dry due to long exposure to the cold over the past few days. 

Even if two of my nails on my photo hand broke (doh!). 

Because I figured, a crappy manicure is better than no manicure at all, right? 

I guess you will be the judge of that. 

So this weekend/upcoming week has been pretty busy for me. From Friday until this upcoming Friday, I've been scheduled to work Ocean Trawl. 

"What's Ocean Trawl?" Well, I'm glad I narrate this blog to pretend like you asked. 

Five times a year, I go out on this research vessel (that's "boat" to you and me) to collect data on what kind of fishes are swimming around off the coast of New Jersey. We computer generate about 30 or so random locations along the coast called "stations". 

On the way to Cape Mayyyyy

Once we get to a particular station, we drop this huge net in the water, drag it around for about twenty minutes, and then bring it up on deck and empty it out on this big table. 

Then begins what is the most tedious games of One of These Things is Not Like the Other. We have to sort everything into bushels or buckets by species. Sometimes, this takes 5 minutes. Sometimes, this takes an hour or more. 

It's basically exactly like this. (I'm only partly joking)

Once everything is sorted, we weigh the bushels and record that data. Then, we measure individuals of each species and record that data before releasing everything back into the water. 

I also get to dress incredibly sexy. 

The information we gather helps us see what is abundant during different times of the year, what fish are steadily decreasing in population, and more. It's basically like a census of the sea, if you will. And once the January survey is over, I go back to collecting unemployment and applying for jobs in my pajamas while eating cookies for breakfast until April. 

Thanks, Obama

It's pretty interesting stuff, but also incredibly tedious and physically/mentally demanding. Physical labor aside, the days are anywhere from 12-18 hours, and since I just got promoted to hourly biologist, that means I have to work every trawl day, back to back.

Which is why I was so excited that a little snow flurry cancelled two days of trawl (conveniently enough, Saturday and Sunday!) and I was able to go to Radio 1045's Winter Jam in Philadelphia to see MSMR, New Politcs, Switchfoot, and twenty one pilots. 

And to bare witness to this guy in a Chewbacca jacket. 

I highly recommend you see New Politics and twenty one pilots if you ever get the chance. From climbing on the stage tent to playing drums on top of the crowd both were spectacular entertainers. 

Drumming. On the audience. 

And while I was in Philly, I took a little time to do a quick manicure inspired by workinggirlnails (go check out her IG!) called the Opal Maniure. I figured it would be pretty enough to blog about, but low maintenance enough for ocean trawl. I'm not going to be that upset when this chips out at sea, because it didn't take me hours to do. 

The technique involves layering flakie/glitter nail polishes on top of one another and then finishing it off with a sheer pink shade. It is a truly beautiful look that has sparkle and depth that my phone camera just can't capture. 

Polishes used

My favorite flakie polish of all time is Essie's "Shine of the Times". Basic bitches are paying $12+ for this hard to find, coveted shade. I found mine in a clearance bin at my local beauty supply for $2.50. And why wouldn't I grab it?! Look at that rainbow of colors!

Here's just a few more macro shots of my thumb to show the different colors that reflect throughout this manicure.

I promise that next week I'll have a neater, nicer manicure to post. But for now, I will resume my horizontal position cuddling my tube of Dramamine. 

Distressed Nails, Unemployment, and Inspiration

Hey everybody! This past week has been strange, terrible, and wonderful all at once. 

The strange: On Wednesday, I went into work only to be sent home around noon...

The terrible: ...due to the fact that we have hour restrictions at my job (900 for the year), and I need my remaining 180 to work an ocean trawl survey this upcoming week. Obviously that means I am currently an unemployed homeowner who needs to find a job for income. But it also means that...

The wonderful: ...it allows me to focus more on my nail hobby, and this weekend I had my two first official "clients"!

Some of you may be familiar with the fact that this past summer, my husband and I bought a house together. We have some spare rooms and, as we have no children, I turned one into a "salon" of sorts; just someplace I could store my nail polish and paint my nails without continuing to ruin our coffee table 😣

I painted the room, and those chevrons, myself... Ladies. 

Brand spankin' new salon table (thanks, Mom!)

My humble collection, so far. 

Orange closet door to match the chair, because, attention to detail. 

Coffee table damages (sorry, honey)

My friends have been asking me to paint their nails for them for some time now, and I figured now would be the best time to start. I had so much fun doing it! I should have taken pictures of their manis to post, but, maybe next time. 

In the whirlwind weekend, I did find time to paint my own nails as well. I found a great tutorial from Chalkboard Nails for a Distressed Mani (check out her IG and blog if you get a chance; great stuff! chalkboardnails.com). 

I think it is important to recognize where we draw our inspiration from. I'm trying to learn to come up with my own designs and ideas using natural inspiration around me, but as of now I am inspired by the work of other nail artists I find on Instagram. 

Chalkboard Nails explains it better in her tutorial, but basically this look was achieved by layering swipes of different colored polishes for a distressed/watercolor look. I think her color scheme was a little better, but I don't think mine is too shabby! 

Colors used L to R: OPI in Alpine Snow, Do My Back, Please?, Can't Find My Czechbook, You're Such a Budda-Pest! and Sinful Colors in Black on Black. 

Wish me luck on the job hunt, and come see me if you'd like your nails done!

Hand-Painted Dahlia Nails

I couldn't think of a clever post title this week 😖 sorry!

So yesterday my husband's friend Bob invited us over to his house to watch the Flyers game, but I had already been planning on watching the Golden Globes so I didn't want to go... Until Bob offered up his second TV in his man cave :P I spent a peaceful evening tainting his mancave with my femininity by sipping on wine, watching the awards show, and painting my nails. Ha! 

The weather in NJ has been pretty erratic lately. One day we are deep into a "polar vortex" (ie normal winter weather) and the next it's 55 degrees and sunny. I guess I've had spring on the mind lately, with its more consistent beautiful weather, because this week's manicure is very bright and spring-y!

Dahlias are my favorite ever flowers. I love the shape of the petals and the variety of the colors they come in. So I found a fun dahlia-type pattern and (tried to) replicate it. 

Here was the inspiration 

(Via google image)

After attempting this design on my left ring finger, I decided I didn't have the patience to do it again on my right hand. Often, my left hand has more going on design wise for two reasons: it is the hand most often featured in my nail photos, and I am right handed, so I can paint more intricate designs on my left hand. 

Instead of doing this dahlia design on my other ring finger, I did a hand painted brush stroke flower design instead and I love the way it turned out. I even did the design on my thumb nails. I think I actually prefer my right hand this week! What do you guys think? 

And here's some shots of my right hand...

Colors used for this manicure: OPI "My Vampire is Buff", Ulta "Eye-Popping Poppy", Hayley Williams for MAC in "Riot Gear", and Zoya in "Darcy". 

All I Wanna Get is a Little Bit Closer...

Hey everybody! So today my final two Amazon orders from Christmas came in the mail, so I obviously had to try them both out right away. The first was a macro lens for my iPhone. The second was a pack of four nail stud wheels from Wistonia. 

First, let me go into some depth about this macro lens. I did a lot of research on lenses before I decided on this one, called the Easy-Macro. 

The premise is pretty simple, and actually kind of brilliant. Take a mini magnifying glass, slap it on a rubber band, and vóila! Instant macro lens. There are a few benefits to this rubber band style lens... 

One is that it can stretch to fit any model and size of cell phone or camera, with or without a case, so you don't have to pop your case on and off every time you want to snap a super detailed photo.

Another benefit is that the card it comes on also doubles as storage for the lens. Just stretch it back around the card and pop it in your pocket, wallet, wherever. Convenient, right? 

Lastly, this little gem only cost me $15. 

There are a ton of macro lenses for iPhones/Androids on the market ranging anywhere from $3 to $70 or more, but this had fantastic reviews, and the price was right. So far, it works great for what I'm using it for. 

Right about now you may be wondering why anyone would want/need a macro lens to begin with. The simple answer is this: incredible detail. Exhibit A:

I know, right? 

Here's a few other photos I snapped today while testing it out:

My new betta fish, Luna

My engagement ring

A close up of Zoya's "Dream" from last week's manicure

The downside is also the incredible detail.  It means that any jagged cuticle, any missed spot of clean up, any little ding in the lacquer, is now in the spotlight 👀 I guess that just means I have to get better at what I do! 

Now for the part you likely came here for: this week's manicure.

 As I previously stated, I got a ton of nail studs in the mail today so I figured I would play around with them. I also realized that crazy hand painted nail designs are not everybody's bag, so this simplistic mani is for you traditionalists out there who enjoy cleaner desins (and, let's be honest, I didn't want my hand-painting scrutinized under that macro lens yet!).

 For this manicure, I used China Glaze's "For Audrey" topped with "Fairy Dust" by the same brand. I then took those pretty little silver almond studs and placed them at the base of the nail. A little top coat, a little clean up, and BOOM! Super chic design that still has tons of sparkle and flair to it. 

 

What do you folks prefer? Simple, clean manicures, or crazy detailed works of art?

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram (astoldbyadri) and Twitter (@astoldbyadri)!

My Nails Can Predict the Weather...

...It's like I have a 5th sense.

So last night I decided to attempt my first ever snowflake nails, which is funny because tonight there's supposed to be this huge "snow storm". I use that term loosely, since, living in Buffalo for the first half of my life, I wouldn't call 3-6 inches a cause for a state of emergency, but I have a long weekend now, so I'm not complaining!

 Anyway, the snowflake design is something I've been wanting to try for about a year, but last year I got so caught up in Christmas nail art I never got the chance. I recently went to Ulta and purchased Zoya's "Dream", and I knew that it would be the perfect base color for the snowflakes. The shade just screams winter evening.

Side note: Zoya is quickly becoming my favorite commercial nail polish brand. Let me drop some knowledge bombs on you and explain why. First, their products are vegan friendly and 5-free (meaning they are free of the 5 harshest chemicals normally used to make nail polish). Secondly, their polishes are amazing quality. Out of the brands I own, Zoya always goes on smooth and lasts the longest, even when my hands take a beating. Finally, their customer service and loyalty to their customers is AWESOME.

For instance, if you follow @zoyanailpolish on twitter, every Tuesday they host a game they call "Tune Tuesday". They ask a question about a song, usually using the lyrics as a clue, and the answer is the name of a Zoya polish (ex. "This Zoya Polish is a show girl with yellow feathers in her hair" answer: Lola). If you guess correctly, you have the chance to be one of 3 winners per round (there are usually 4 rounds a day). For your prize you get the polish from that round as well as one of your choice, FREE! Plus, they have incredible promotions, especially during their flash promos around the holidays. I honestly cannot speak highly enough of this company. BUT I DIGRESS.

Here is "Dream" on it's own:

Still waiting on my macro lens to ship, so hang in there for more detailed photos. 

After using 2 coats of Dream, I used Kiss silver striper and OPI in "Alpine Snow" and my Wistonia nail art brushes to paint on some snowflakes. 

L to R: Zoya "Dream", Kiss Silver Striper, OPI "Alpine Snow"

Finally, I placed some clear rhinestones at the center of each snowflake for a little extra sparkle. You'll soon learn that I have a very hard time doing a manicure with no glitter or sparkle. 

Here is the end result!

It was a tedious process but I like the result! I only did my left hand (or as I like to call it, my "photo hand") last night, so tomorrow I'm going to use my day off to jazz up my right hand and wear this manicure for a while. 

I hope everybody who has snow coming their way stays safe out there and enjoys their day off of school/work! 

What Is "Blogging"?

Hi hello blogger-verse. I have arrived.

Ha, just kidding, sort of. So my name is Adrianna but most people call me Adri for short. I'm 23 years old, born in Buffalo NY but living in NJ. Obviously I'm a Harry Potter nut, as proven by this blog name. I started becoming obsessed with nail trends almost 2 years ago (2 years?!?) when I stumbled upon a blog called Chloe's Nails. I was hooked. Those designs! That nail length! Those polish colors! I wanted in.

 So I started spending all my free money on nail polishes. I joined Instagram and followed the nail community. I followed @justricarda @jnicicles @annatnails @maggiemooie and drooled over their designs and swatches. I came up with designs of my own. I started inundating my poor friends' Facebook walls and IG feeds with photos of my shitty manicures until over time, they actually got better. Friends started asking me if I would do their nails. Strangers would compliment my designs. People kept throwing around the phrase "you should start a nail blog!". But I convinced myself that I wasn't good enough yet, or that I wouldn't be noticed, or that I would go into it with all this gusto and fail miserably and look like a fool.

But you know what? It's 2014. I'm still not a phenomenal nail artist, at least in my mind. I'm mediocre, compared to the likes of some of my favorite ladies in the nail art community. There is no difference between my feelings on creating a blog a year ago than today except for one thing: I grew a set of balls and just did it. So what if I only get 5 followers (Hi Mom!)? So what if my stuff sucks? I have to believe that if you blog it, they will follow and that practice makes perfect. Everybody started from something. And my something is right here, right now.

My intention with this blog right now is to post weekly with manicures, tutorials, swatches and/or product reviews. I have no idea what I'm doing yet, so as I go along this blog may evolve and I hope it does. Evolution = growth. So I hope you will bear with me through the learning process.  Hopefully I can inspire you, educate you, and maybe even make you laugh a little.

Look for my first manicure post later today! And if you'd like, please check out my previous work on my Instagram @astoldbyadri