The Evil Red

That’s a bit of a play on words (when is it not?) but also how I feel about this polish, one of those looks-can-be-deceiving troublemakers that simply does not play well with others. This is You’ve Got Red On You, a Shaun of the Dead-themed lacquer from Dollish Polish’s recently released Cult Movie Classics Collection. I want to love this polish SO MUCH, because I’m nothing if not a devoted Shaun of the Dead fan (not to mention a lover of glittery red nailstuffs) but it’s being needlessly cavalier with my affections. Formula-wise, it’s problematic, gooping up thickly on the brush and spreading out on my nails about as well as pie filling. Amazingly enough, neither one of those is a total deal breaker with me (high gloss topcoats eradicate nearly all nail sins; these nails are sporting one thick coat of Seche Vite to even out the bumpies) but in combination with its appearance on the nail – dark at my tips, light at my cuticles and lacking in any true visual depth – I’m unsold. Except for that part where I bought it, so actually, that would make it really rather sold! A miss, and a waste of a perfectly droll Shaun of the Dead quote.

There might also be a small lesson in here on why you shouldn’t buy polishes based on their cutesie names, but since I’m currently eyeing up a lime green holo that goes by the moniker Holiday Road, that’s obviously a lesson I’ve yet to learn! Um, do as I say, not as I do, friends? 😉

Favourites of 2014

Personal struggles aside (2014 shall hereafter always be known as The No Good, Very Bad, Super Stupid, So Relentlessly-Difficult-it-Practically-Burns Year), 2014 was a pretty fabulous year for nail art. Here, of course, I’m talking about the hundreds of amazing designs I’ve encountered over the past 365 days (the creativity displayed by the larger nail art community is simply staggering), but also my own work, which has seen an appreciable boost in quality, particularly in recent months. I’m wicked proud of about, say, 87 percent of the nail art designs I did this year – the other 13 percent being of the “Whuuuu?” variety – and I’ve really enjoyed the super rewarding experience of watching my technique improve with each and every lacquered brushstroke.

And so on that horn-blowin’ note, I thought I’d share this collage of my nine favourite designs from the past year in the hopes that you also think I’m as cool as I clearly think I am! 😉 But to bring it down all serious styles for a second, really, my most sincere thank you to everyone who has popped by to visit my little lacquered-up corner of the Intersky this year. Your interest, support and kind comments have spurred me on to what I think are bigger and better things, and I look forward to continuing to bore you with endless stories about Disney World, my cats and “the good old days” in 2015. Happy New Year!

If you are interested in checking out the original posts for these manis, please click the links below.

1. How’s That For a Slice of Fried Gold?! – Shaun of the Dead-inspired nails.

2. Diet Coke – nails honouring a friend’s fun aspartame addiction.

3. 999 Happy Haunts – my favourite design of the year, inspired by the damask-style wallpaper that lines the halls of Disney’s Haunted Mansion.

4. Zombie Kitty – Hello Kitty goes walking with the dead in these fun Halloween nails.

5. A Personal Choice – a sweet, creamy-looking gradient topped with my favourite homemade polish, Hawaiian Ham.

6. You Can’t Close the Beaches! – let’s just say the Mayor of Amity really should have closed the beaches.

7. Coral Reef – a super pretty mani featuring every colour and shape of the underwater universe I could squeeze onto my nails!

8. This Split is Bananas – tiny little banana splits with sprinkles! Plus I got to make a B-A-N-A-N-A-S joke.

9. Brrrraaaaaaiiiiinnnnnsssss – pastel zombie nails for the softer side of Halloween.

How’s That For a Slice of Fried Gold?!: A Then and Now Post

I’m one of those people who can watch the same 20 movies over and over (and over) again. Number of views of my core comfort movies, those flicks I turn to when I’m feeling bummy or just in need of something familiar, can easily be counted in triple digits. A number of my friends are the same way. A girlfriend of mine used to put Fight Club on in the background while she was cleaning or tending to busy work, which makes my Beetlejuice-and-a-bath look downright normal (I kid; there’s no TV in my bathroom. It seems like that set-up is just asking for trouble.) 😉

All that to say I’ve seen – or listened to, or simply absorbed through celluloid osmosis – Shaun of the Dead, a beloved movie and assuredly my favourite zombie flick, A LOT. So when I was looking for some zombie movie inspiration to satisfy a Halloween challenge I’m participating in on Instagram, I thought I’d turn to Shaun and the gang and their quirky adventures (“quirky adventures” being a charming euphemism for “being torn limb from limb…with British humour.”) That I did a very similar design last year (see below) is simply an added bonus, because I love going back over old manicures to see how much my technique has improved. Noting an appreciable difference in the quality of my nail art is a great motivator, and keeps me continually reaching and stretching beyond my comfort level (that being primarily cartoon pigs wearing hats.) But a person’s got to grow, even if their taste in movies never does. 🙂

You’ve Got Red On You

Bits and blood-covered blobs inspired by another film favourite and the first installment in the Cornetto Trilogy, 2004’s zom-rom-com Shaun of the Dead. Every finger got a little something different, from Shaun’s work tie/warrior headband to Ed’s truly awful “I Got Wood” t-shirt, and (nearly) all of it spattered in red glitter “blood.” How’s that for a slice of fried gold?!