Christmas Town

Sing it with me, friends, you know all the words!  Ooooooohhhhhhh, it’s the MOST com-pet-i-tive tiiiiimmmmmme of the yeeeeaar!  There will be nail artists freaking and skill levels peaking and so many teeeeaaarrrrrs, it’s the MOST com-pet-i-tive TIME OF THE YEAR!

So I’m not sure what it is – something in the frozen-over water, I suppose – but nothing brings out the competitive spirit in a nail artist like the winter holidays.  T’was a time not that long ago that you could enter multiple nail art contests during every holiday of the year, from Halloween to Easter, but I only now see them pop up around Christmas.  Like we don’t have enough on our plates platters at this time of year!  Also, how very festive – “Hello, happy holidays, fellow nail artists!  BUT SERIOUSLY, I WILL BURY YOU WITH NOTHING BUT A CUTICLE PUSHER IF YOU DENY ME MY GLORY.”

I kid, of course. 🙂  These contests are always super fun and very inspiring – I love seeing what the far, far bigger guns than I bring to the festive table every year.  It also gives me an excuse to bust out my own big guns, like this incredibly detailed design I recently did featuring Sandy Claws’ Christmas Town from The Nightmare Before Christmas.  And holy cats, did this manicure take FOREVER!  So fussy.  Like, at one point I time traveled into the future just to make sure that it WAS eventually going to end, such was my incredulity at the (many) passing hours.

Anyhow, this manicure is my entry towards Nail Polish Canada’s fourth annual Holiday Nail Art Challenge! Should you like it (or maybe even love it) and should you like me (or maybe even love me – hi, Mom and Dad!) you can vote for my entry here.  As always, thank you for your kindness and support, dear friends – I appreciate it greatly.

The Snowflake Sweater

After a season’s absence from the “competitive” nail art arena (like League of Legends, just with more acetone), Nail Polish Canada is back and once again playing host to this year’s Holiday Nail Art Challenge.  The first year I participated I did an icy snowflake pond manicure; this year I’m returning to form with this delicate snowflake design over a holographic, knit-type pattern.  It’s pretty, seasonally appropriate and, best of all, non-denominational – whatever your chosen flavour of holiday, you’ll look fly and festive in this cozy snowflake sweater.

Should you feel so inclined to vote for my contest creation, you can do so here, although there’s already quite a few entries that are way better than mine, so maybe vote for them instead?  It always irks me when these things – judged in stages, one of which is a simple tally of votes as opposed to an objective assessment of the actual nail art – come down to a popularity contest as opposed to the work itself.  But if this simple sweater nail art really moves you, well, hey, who am I to say anything but thank you for your support?  Enjoy all the wonderful entries, and best of luck to this year’s participants. 🙂

 

 

Christmas Ham

This manicure, the head-on collision of some of my favourite design elements (pigs, hams and glitter, pffft, of course), represents my third and final entry in Nail Polish Canada’s Holiday Nail Art Challenge. This week’s theme was holiday memories, and because some of my favourite holiday memories involve moments shared around the dinner table, I thought I’d highlight, well, festive food. Or, you know, a festive food, namely the ham in its pre-and-post-cooked states. Yes, I’m kind of sick that way.

Here I dressed my becoming-signature piggies in some Santa caps, laid down a bit of homemade glitter over top of a gradient on my ring finger (called Hawaiian Ham, appropriately enough) and whipped up a glazed holiday ham over on my thumb. It’s like the circle of life. Quick, someone ring up Elton John – what that Lion King song needs are more references to pigs and smoked pork products!

So if you think my swine are fine and you’d like to vote for my festive fingertip piggies, please do so! The pigs and I thank you for your support. 😉

http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/2013-holiday-nail-art-challenge-week-3-holiday-memories/

Deconstructed Gingerbread

These nails, inspired by everyone’s favourite holiday time non-edible edible, are my entry in the second week of Nail Polish Canada’s Holiday Nail Art Challenge.

This week’s theme is holiday decorations. I waffled for a bit on whether a gingerbread house design would qualify as a decoration before finally deciding that yes, gingerbread houses most definitely fall into the category of decoration. Let’s put it this way: Do you stuff it in your mouth or dust it once a week before throwing it in the trash two days after Christmas? My thoughts precisely! 😉

As with nearly all of my work, these nails are freehanded, with some gingerbread house design elements over top of a little brown-on-brown sponging work for that slightly crumbly cookie look. Add a touch of holographic glitter here and there and bingo, gingerbread house nails!

If you like these nails and would like to vote for them (and me, the girl attached to them!) please stop by the below link and make your voice heard by voting for Finger Candy! Or check out some of the other great entries, or maybe try your hand at a design or two yourself. The more the (pun intended) merrier!

http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/2013-holiday-nail-art-challenge-week-2-decorations/

The Polish Games: Beyond Lacquerdome

The Polish Games: Beyond Lacquerdome

It’s time to limber up your paws and stretch your claws, fellow bloggers and nail art enthusiasts, because it’s contest time!  Time to take up arms (dotting tools and detail brushes) and lay hellish waste to the lacquered landscape, leaving naught behind but the bitter tears of our vanquished foes.  Or, you know, something.

Actually, no, I’m sure it’ll all be very civilized.  Sponsored by the polish-lovin’ folks over at Nail Polish Canada, the Holiday Nail Art Challenge covers three weeks and three themed designs.  This week’s challenge theme is snow.  

Please do stop by the link above and vote for my little creation, if you’d be so kind (Ice Storm by Finger Candy.)  Or if you’d like to vote for someone else’s amazing nail art, you can do that, too, but be warned: I’ll cry and then you’ll be sad.  Or grab your weapons and come up with an entry of your own, and then we’ll all be just *that* much closer to the above-referenced gladiator-style showdown.  See you in the ring!

Ice Storm

These nails are a nod to this evening’s forecasted weather, which calls for snow, ice and various snow ‘n’ ice-related activities. Sounds like a good time to stay in, cozy up by the televised log and do my nails!

These nails also represent my first ever entry in a nail art contest! Sponsored by the fine folks over at http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/, purveyors of all my favourite lacquered goodies, the Holiday Nail Art Challenge covers three weeks and three themed designs. This week’s theme is snow , which is appropriate since, you know, hey look, there’s lots of it from which to draw inspiration RIGHT outside my window. And gathering on my balcony. And piling up along my windowsills…

This design is a bit of a modified pond manicure, in which I layered opaque snowflake designs between multiple coats of sheer polish. I fancy it looks a bit like tiny flakes flash frozen in ice.

For this manicure I used Essie’s super sheer Adore-a-Ball over OPI’s No Room for the Blues, with just a few glittery accents in OPI’s (Liquid Sand) Get Your Number, THE perfect sea blue glitter. Icy fun for the whole family!