caviar for cheapskates

you can tell that i'm running out of topics to discuss when i start waxing poetic about things like nail art.

seriously, i feel rather blogstipated lately.  i'm still posting, and it looks like you're still reading, so i guess it's not for nothing.  but it seems like my posts are getting super lame-o.  oh, well.

aaaaanyway, i can't even remember who it was that pointed me in the direction of these newfangled manicures.  caviar manis, they're called.  there are even kits made especially for these cool-looking 3D nails...to the tune of $25.  yikes.

but i was intrigued.  and so i turned to my dear friend google for some assistance.  the very first link that popped up was exactly what i needed.  $4 on microbeads at michaels that i could even use a coupon to buy?  excellent.  and between the teen and me, we have enough colors of nail polish to last a busy salon for quite a while.  for serious.

so i read and re-read that tutorial a few times before taking the plunge and giving it a shot.  really, all you have to do is brush on a base coat, then a layer of whatever color nail polish you want.  let it dry, and then apply a fairly thick second coat of color.  wait a few seconds to let the polish get tacky (the good kind of tacky), then pour the microbeads over it.  press them into the polish, apply a top coat, and voila:

please forgive the uber dry and icky cuticles.  my hands are forever in need of moisturizing, and i even did a little retouching in that photo.  how sad.

now, you may be thinking "dude, those are kinda cool...but SO not practical.  especially for you."  and you'd be right.  i enjoyed one evening of fun 3D nails (and i confess, i spent a good amount of time admiring my handiwork - see what i did there), and then the next morning as i was doing the bean's braids, half of my beads popped right off.  damn.

so i thought maybe i'd give it another try.  and armed with another michaels coupon, i picked up a martha stewart microbead set that gave me a whole rainbow of possibilities for super cheap.  i decided to simplify it a bit and use the caviar mani for my accent nail, and ended up with this:

maybe it was the somewhat blah shade of polish i went with, but i didn't really love this.  or perhaps it's because caviar nails apparently require an all-or-nothing approach.  in any case, i've decided not to repeat the process again until i need my hands to look pretty for just one day.  just regular everyday life really isn't enough to warrant fun nails that leave little droppings behind everywhere i go.

my friend ssinca shared another fun nail art idea with me awhile ago that i tried out.  i can't even find the original site she sent me now, but i thought it turned out okay despite the rather goopy white nail polish.  kinda looks like i sat at my desk and used some liquid paper to paint my nails.

good gracious.  i've really got to do something about those dry ass cuticles.

and this concludes my super deep post for the day.  you're welcome.