Thursday, July 2, 2015

Update and A New Shape

Hello Loves.  When I last posted, I mentioned that this week is summer break and I would get caught up on blogging.  Yeah, turns out I'm a liar.  I've been working my butt off, but I haven't written a single blog post.  Sorry about that.  See...what had happened was...

I completely reorganized my nail area, including downsizing my light box.  Then I promptly destroyed said organized nail area while working on a few projects.  Then, on a whim, I decided I needed to sculpt a full set of gel nails on myself.  I mean, heck, why not, right?  
Scullpted Gel Nails with Crystal Accents

It's a completely new shape for me, but I kind of love it.  They feel so...fancy!  lol  I sculpted them with Tuff Enuff Nails Poly Gel in clear and then added some soak off gel polish to finish them off.  They ended up a little thicker than I like...I forgot to account for the added thickness from the gel polish.  The polish is Madam Glam Navy Blue with Cuccio Roller Skate on top.  The shift is awesome!  The accent nail is Madam Glam Shimmer White with a few added crystals for that extra glamorous effect.  I haven't worn makeup all week, but my nails are fabulous!
Scullpted Gel Nails with Crystal Accents

I don't know how long I'll keep them this shape.  Honestly, typing is difficult with this length and I can't easily unlatch my kid's car seat.  Bless his heart, there have been two times so far that I thought he was stuck for good.  If I keep up these almonds, I might have to replace his seat with one that has an easier latch button!  What do you think?  Stick with the almonds?  Or go back to square?  Either way, they're here to stay for a few weeks at least.

Ok, so onto the rest of the update.  I've been working on some designs for the Tuff Enuff Nails booth at the Nail Tech Event of the Smokies next weekend (July 12th).  I'm super excited to be attending and even more excited that I will be doing nail art demos with Poly Polish along side Brenda at her booth.  And maybe a little nervous, but what the heck.  If you're attending the show, please stop by and say hi!  Here are a few of the designs I put together for people to check out while browsing by.  All of the art is done with TEN Poly Polish mixed with acrylic paint (Poly Polish is a hard gel that turns any polish, pigment, or even paint into hard gel polish).  I'm really loving this product.  It has the artistic flexibility of acrylic paint but cures so there's no risk of the paint causing issues like it can with gel. 
Art with TENS Poly Polish mixed with Acrylic Paint

I have a lot more to do before the event, and I've been focused on that this week.  Plus I noticed that my galleries hadn't been updated since March!  Shame on me!  I'm working on that too.  The nail art gallery is up to date now (minus this entry) and the swatch galleries are half way there.  I'm hoping to have that done before the end of the weekend.

Oh, and I finally have business cards!  Or I will by the end of next week.  This is something I've been putting off for a while because I'm really horrible at designing stuff like that.  So I broke down and hired a designer to do it for me.  Aren't they adorable?  Yes, I blurred out my phone number.  Nothing personal...but this is the internet.  I get enough telemarketing calls without putting my number out there for the world to see.  lol  I also added a black frame since the white card blends into my white space in my background.
Manic Talons Business Card
Manic Talons Business Card

Finally, let's talk about school.  I'm down to about 40 hours (give or take a few) and 45 services before I can graduate.  Of course, this may be a bit ambitious, but I'm going to try my best to knock it out next week.  To do so, I'll pretty much be camping out at the school from 9 am to 9 pm and begging every student I see to let me give her (or him) a manicure or pedicure.  Its going to be a crazy week on top of getting ready to travel for the show.  So, I'm not even going to pretend that I'll get many posts up.  I have two that I'm working on right now (not including this one) and hope to have those up over the next week, but I'm not going to promise anything.  I guess you could say I'm putting my blog on semi-vacation mode.  Which is kind of funny to even say since I clearly did that a few weeks ago without mentioning it.

Whew.  My brain is running a thousand miles an hour right now and my nails can't keep up.  I'll still be around on Facebook and Instagram and will be sure to share updates from the show next weekend, so stay tuned for those!  After the show, I'll go back to my regular posting schedule.  Oh, and I have new plates to show you as well as a new Bundle Monster Speed Gel collection, but those will be after the show.  Again, if you're planning to be at the Nail Tech Event of the Smokies, stop by and see me at the Tuff Enuff Nails booth!

It's storming here and the lightening is pretty bad, so I'm going to wrap this up before I lose power again. :)

~Michelle

9 comments:

  1. Can't WAIT to get together in Gatlinburg !

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  2. A fun experiment but back to square please! Lyn

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  3. Love the new shape! But I've always been a fan of anything rounded or pointed and not squared off. You're right, it makes them look extra fancy. :)

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  4. I prefer the square look on you, but then again I'm not a fan of almond and seem to prefer square or square with slightly rounded edges (is that oval?). I love your designs for the upcoming nail event!

    I've had this question for a while, and seeing your gems on this post, figure you're a great person to ask: Do the gems get in your way and/or snag on things?

    Also, please don't let your blog updates stress you out. We know you have a more than full plate right now and I/we aren't going anywhere. From one Michelle to another, all the best! ♥

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    1. Nope, they don't snag or get in the way at all. These are ss12 and smaller so they are fairly low to the nail. My wedding ring gets in the way more. I also secured them by adding a layer of gel around the edges so they don't have anything to snag. Larger pieces do snag some though. Like bows...I end up popping those off on my jean pockets every time.

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    2. Nope, they don't snag or get in the way at all. These are ss12 and smaller so they are fairly low to the nail. My wedding ring gets in the way more. I also secured them by adding a layer of gel around the edges so they don't have anything to snag. Larger pieces do snag some though. Like bows...I end up popping those off on my jean pockets every time.

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  5. Thanks so much for your speedy answer Michelle, have a great week!

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  6. " I haven't worn makeup all week, but my nails are fabulous!"
    This is pretty much my motto! :)
    It's kind of funny that just as I am finally learning to accept the squared look on me, you go and change to almond! Now, I have a hard time seeing the almond shape as anything but old-fashioned since all I see now-a-days is square. I still prefer oval on myself, but the "squoval" does seem to wear a little better. Hmmm... just my random thoughts - lol!
    Enjoy your summer!

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