Where have I been?

Hey there!  I'm not really sure where to start here but I wanted to pop in and give you guys an update on where I've been and why I've disappeared.  Really, there wasn't a specific reason for me abandoning my blog for the better part of the last year and I honestly didn't mean to.  Time just got away from me....time flies when you're having fun, I guess.  It's been so long that, as I'm typing this, I'm having to figure out how to use Blogger again.  But I want to come back if you guys will have me!  

Staying Positive during COVID-19 Times...

Hey there!  I truly come back to this space to say I hope all of you out there are safe and healthy and happy during these stressful times.  I knew I'd been absent from the nail world but I didn't realize it had been two full months.  Since this virus popped up, I've definitely had my fair share of stress.  But I'll admit most of it is self-inflicted.  I have mostly been paralyzed with anxiety watching and reading the news 24/7.  Now I know that's soooooo unhealthy for me so I'm trying to reduce my media diet to mostly just Alberta's chief medical officer's daily update.  She's incredible and calming.  Overall Alberta isn't doing terribly (*knock on wood*) but we are definitely in shut down.  I have to go to work at the university every couple of weeks but mostly I've been at home.  Part of the anxiety I'm feeling is likely because my sister is an ER nurse and a single mom so I'm just hoping that she can come out of this with her, my niece and my parents' (who have been watching my niece most of the time) uninfected.  I'm also worried for myself since I know that it'll be tough on me if I get it because I have garbage lungs (I've had asthma my whole life and then I smoked for ages, so dumb of me).  

I would've thought that if I was forced inside for weeks on end that I would've jumped at the chance to do my nails all the time but I've been neglecting them as much as I have this blog.  But hopefully I'm out of my dark place now and will be appearing here more regularly.  Last night I started cropping my backlog of photos and I must apologize to the companies that sent me stuff that I ended up late on.  But today is a mani I did just for me.  I couldn't sleep and my sister was on night shift so I texted her and asked her her favourite colors and she said "charcoal grey and blue".  This is what I came up with...

Maniology January 2020 Heartbreaker Mani X Me Box

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Hey there!  Since today is Valentine's Day, it is more than appropriate that I get a blog post up about last month's Maniology Mani X Me box seeing as it's theme was Heartbreaker.  I normally try to get these done while the box is still available but I normally only get a few days before the month switches over on the 23rd so it wasn't possible this time around.  I received February's box today if I can find some time to play with it this weekend I'll definitely get a look at it posted next week.  Even if January's box is gone, hopefully someone can find some inspiration with the looks I've create with it.  In case you're unaware, the Mani X Me box is a monthly subscription box (though it can also be purchased on a month to month basis) with 2 exclusive Maniology stamping plates, 2 polishes and an extra.  This month's "extra" was so helpful that I hope they start selling them on their own because I'd definitely buy some.  If you're interested in the box and want to try it out, using the code COPY10 will give you $5 off your first one.  Now let's take a look...

The Digit-al Dozen does Cocktails: Bomb Pop Drink

Hey there!  Today brings us to the last day of The Digit-al Dozen's Cocktails week.  For today's nails, I did a mani based on a drink I'm 99% sure I've seen on the menu at Boston Pizza but I might have made that up (I've been known to do that before).  But when I googled I was assured it was a real thing...and learned that these are apparently called "bomb pops".  My dad eats these popsicles A LOT but we always just call them "3 color popsicles".  They fit in perfectly with the trend I've followed this week of doing layered drinks as an excuse to do some fun gradients.

The Digit-al Dozen does Cocktails - Blue Hawaiian

Hey there!  We're almost at the end of The Digit-al Dozen's Cocktails week.  This idea came from one of my labmates.  I asked him for some colourful cocktail ideas and he said a Blue Hawaiian.  So we googled and he said it should look layered since the pineapple juice goes in first and I jumped at the chance to do another bright gradient.  He also taught me that I've been saying "blue curaçao" wrong my entire life.  I already forget the proper way of saying it and I'll probably go back to my very anglicized pronunciation but it was still good to hear that correct way...one more benefit to working with such a diverse group of folks like I do.

Maniology M114 Forkin' Love Ya Stamping Plate

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Hey there!  Hope no one is tired of me posting more than once a day this week.  I mentioned that I had some catching up to do and it was time to get my butt in gear and I meant it!  Speaking of butts, the plate I'm looking at today is a bit on the naughty side (but only if your mind leans that way, as mine tends to do sometimes).  Technically the Maniology M114 (Forkin' Love Ya) plate is all about food but take a look at it and see if that's all you see.  My sister was over one night and I passed it to her to ask what I should do with it.  She looked at it for a minute and then very slowly said "this is the funniest plate ever" and even asked me to quote her.  She wasn't wrong.  This plate is forkin' hilarious with all it's foodie innuendo.  There is one Happy Valentine's Day image but other than that this plate isn't limited to Valentine's Day at all.  After all, we do eat all year round...  As with any regular-priced Maniology item, you can use the discount code COPY10 to save yourself 10% on this plate!

The Digit-al Dozen does Cocktails - Mojitos

Hey there!  Today's Digit-al Dozen cocktail mani is a pretty simple one, to go with a relatively simple drink - the mojito.  The main components (other than rum) are lime and mint so I picked a stamping plate that has a lime/lemon images and leaves.  I'll just pretend that the leaves are mint leaves...deal?

Hit The Bottle To Love Or Not To Love Stamping Plate

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Hey there!  I'm back with even more Hit The Bottle nail art today but this post is focusing on a stamping plate instead of only polish, specifically the To Love Or Not To Love plate.  I've been following/internet friends with Michelle for years and I love that she's designing stamping plates now.  She's super creative so her images so far have been great.  I previously purchased Go With The Flow so I expected the etching to be just as good with this plate and it was.  It has a great mix of Valentine's and anti-Valentine's images so it should have something for everyone.  I've done 4 manis with it and liked every one of them (though I kinda messed up the last one).

The Digit-al Dozen does Cocktails - Old Fashioned

Hey there!  My second Digit-al Dozen cocktail mani is actually the only cocktail I've managed to think of on my own, without googling - the Old Fashioned.  And that's because my bestie Greg orders these pretty regularly.  The best part is, he always lets me eat the cherry (I have a bizarre love of maraschino cherries).  Sticking with the theme this week, these were done with entirely Hit The Bottle polishes.

Maniology M117 Stamping Plate and Galentine Stamping Polish

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Hey there!  Tonight I'm having a look at a couple of Maniology's Galentine's stamping products that I believe are new this year.  There is a BFF stamping plate (M117) and an absolutely gorgeous stamping polish called Galentine.  Maniology has come out with some great Valentine's Day plates this year (or, in this case, Galentine's).  I love how this plate celebrates friendship.  We don't all need dudes in our lives.  Our girls can be enough!  I tried to get my sister to do matching nails with me for today's post but she thought her nails were too short.  I might still have to convince her to do twinsies with me sometime though.  I don't think we've ever done that and I would really like to.  If you also have a bestie you share your love of nails with, you should definitely grab this plate.  It certainly isn't one that is only limited to February!  If you're interested, don't forget the discount code COPY10 to save yourself 10%.

The Digit-al Dozen does Cocktails - Sex On The Beach

Hey there!  It's been quite awhile since I've had a Digit-al Dozen post to share so I'm excited we're back at it.  Our group has shrunk quite a bit but hopefully it'll keep going.  If anyone out there has a nail art blog, feel free to email me if you'd like to join us!  This month we're doing Cocktails.  As someone whose adult beverages consist entirely of beer, this one is a bit challenging.  I haven't done all my manis ahead of time so if you know of any cocktails that would translate into nail art, I'd love to hear them!  I've been googling a lot of images of cocktails and they're definitely making me miss summer so I'm starting out with the most summer-y drink possible....sex on the beach.  Hopefully the name of this post doesn't turn this blog into some sort of adult content by google standards!

UberChic Beauty Love and Marriage 05

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Hey there!  I'm here today with my first Valentine's Day manis of the year.  UberChic Beauty's Love & Marriage plates have always been amongst my favourites (though I still adore the collections the most) and she's back this year with the 5th member of the Love and Marriage family.  I like this one so much that I've already done 4 manis with it.  Well, actually I've done 5 but one was garbage.  But let's take a look at the 4 that I liked and we'll never speak of the fifth one again...

Maniology M113 - Lunar New Year: Year of the Rat

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Hey there!  Today for my "catch-up" post I have a look at Maniology's M113 Year Of The Rat stamping plate.  While the Lunar New Year isn't a huge deal for me, I work with a lot of people from China so it's great to be able to show them these types of designs at this time of year.  I also happen to work with rodents so I jumped at the opportunity to get this plate.  I know I could use this plate year round with all the cute little rats on it.  If you're also interested in it, use the discount code COPY10 to save yourself 10% on any regular priced Maniology item.  I know it works since I just used it myself since my bottle of blue Mani Mask is almost empty and it's not a staple item for me.

UberChic Beauty 2020: Limited Edition

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Hey there!  And Happy New Year!  Yes, I recognize we're less than 24 hours away from February but it's my first blog post of 2020 so it needs to be said.  And, because I disappeared, I still have some manis to post that are long overdue...beginning with the New Year's nails I did with UberChic Beauty's Limited Edition 2020 plate.  I really didn't do many New Year's nails this year so I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't get these posted earlier.  They were easily my favourites.  This plate definitely focuses on 2020 but it also has some stunning general New Year images so you can still grab it (and it's on sale)!