Weekly Water Marble 5/31/12

I can't believe it's Thursday already!!  This week is flying by so fast!!  Here is a water marble I did with Orly's Feel the Vibe Collection.  I really like how my Orly Splatter turned out, so I decided to try to water marble with them.. (it wasn't so easy)..

Orly Feel the Vibe Water Marble:

I started with two coats of a white creme and after that dried, I marbled with all four of the neons that are a part of Orly's Feel the Vibe Collection.  These neon polishes are a bit more difficult to marble with because the formula is so sheer.  The polish wouldn't "drip" in to the water, so I had to dab the brush in each time to build my bulls-eye.   You can tell these polishes are sheer because you can see the white base (especially on my thumbnail).  Although this was a pretty difficult marble, I'm still pleased with the final result. :)  

**Have you entered Jodi and Destany's Super Awesome Fantastic Giveaway yet??  Hurry and enter.. time is running out!!**

Aphrodite Lacquers Ambrosia

It's Wednesday, although it seems like Tuesday to me... long weekends really screw with me .. lol!  It's also PINK WEDNESDAY!!  Yay!!  Pinks are my favorite!! (Although  I have been on a blue-kick lately).  Today's post is all about Aphrodite Lacquers AMBROSIA and it's gorgeous!!

Aphrodite Lacquers Ambrosia:

Rebecca at Aphrodite Lacquers describes Ambrosia as: "A light pink jelly polish with fuchsia glitter, light pink holo glitter, and tiny silver glitter/shimmer."  Pictured above is three coats of Ambrosia followed by Cult Nail Wicked Fast topcoat.  I absolutely love everything about this polish!!  Application was a breeze and Ambrosia has just the right amount of glitter for my liking!!  Two thumbs up!!  :)

**You're in luck!!  Ambrosia IS in stock now here on Etsy for $8!**

Memorial Day Marble

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!!  I wanted to sneak a quick post in today even though I've been busy with family over the holiday weekend.  Here is a water marble I did in honor of Memorial Day..

Memorial Day Marble:

A pretty patriotic marble in honor of all our service men and women!!  For this marble, I started with two coats of OPI Alpine Snow.  After that was completely dry, I used OPI Alpine Snow, OPI No Room For the Blues, OPI Dating A Royal, and NOPI Kourt is Red-y For a Pedi for the marble.  I was going for a "star" pattern with the pointy edges, but it just turned out kinda random... but I like it.  All the colors used in this marble were really easy to work with and spread so easily in the water!  I'm pretty sure OPIs are my favorite for marbles!!

Say HI to Dugan.  He was helping me with yard work earlier in the week.  Not today though... it's way too hot!!  

**Don't forget to enter Jodi and Destany's Super Awesome Fantastic Giveaway!!  There are some great prizes to be won!!**

Black and White Circles

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Everyone!!  I have a quick mani to share with you today.  The weekly theme in one of my polish groups on facebook was "black and white" and this is what I came up with..

Black and White Circles:

This mani was quite simple and turned out cooler than I expected.  I used Wet n Wild Black Creme and Wet n Wild French White Creme... I started by painting my index and ring fingers black and my middle and pinkie fingers white.  After the base colors completely dried, I poured a bit of each polish on wax paper, dipped a drinking straw in the polishes and dabbed the straw on to my nails (white over black, black over white).  It turned out really retro, cute and fun!! :)

**I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.  Don't forget to enter Jodi and Destany's Super Awesome Fantastic Giveaway!!**

A Great Gradient Friday..

The long weekend is almost here!!  Yay!!  I have a gradient mani to show you today.  Gradients are popping up everywhere so that same group of ladies from my past group posts and I decided to do out next group post all about gradients!!  :)  I've only done a few, and although they're quite easy (I used this tutorial by The Nailasaurus), this one didn't really turn out quite like I wanted, but this week has been hectic, so I decided to just go with it..

Group Gradient:

Oooh, pink and red..my favorite combo! :)  I started with a base of Orly Basket Case, then sponged on the gradient using Basket Case, Deborah Lippmann It's Raining Men, and China Glaze City Siren.  I've seen many gals use holos for their gradients and I love them.. I will definitely try that next time!!

**Happy Memorial Day Weekend to my American Readers!!**

Weekly Water Marble 5/24/12

It's time for another water marble!!  I thought I'd be sick of doing these by now, but NOT A CHANCE!!  I still love coming up with new ideas each week.  My hard work is paying off...On Tuesday, one of my marbles was featured here on makeup.com!!!  Pretty cool!  :)  Anyway, I really love the way this week's marble turned out.  I've been planting all kinds of flowers this past week and the inspiration for this marble came from a flower pot I have sitting on my picnic table..

Summer flowers marble:

For this marble, I started with a base of OPI Alpine Snow and for the actual marble I used all OPIs-- Alpine Snow, Need Sunglasses?, Girls Just Want to Play, and Funky Dunkey.  I'm really pleased with this one.  I had to re-do my middle finger because the darker colors bled in to the white a little too much and I did end up with one big water bubble on my middle finger, but all-in-all, this water marble was a success. :)

Enjoy your Thursday!!  :)

**Have you entered Jodi and Destany's Super Awesome Fantastic Giveaway yet?  Hurry and enter.. there are 6 awesome prizes to be won!**

Ylin Mood..Color Changing Nail Polish #6

Happy Wednesday Everyone.  Today I have an interesting color changing polish to share with you.  This a a new brand to me.  It's called Ylin Mood..Color Changing Polish.  The one I am reviewing is just called "#6" and it's a red to pink polish.

Ylin Mood..#6:

To be honest, at first I didn't think this polish even "worked."  You have to apply four coats and the color-change didn't happen for a few hours.  Maybe the polish has to be totally dry before it begins to change.  With that being said, this polish is pretty cool.  When I was cold, the polish was more red, and  when I was warmer (while in the shower or out in the sun), the polish was very light pink.  I took the above pictures right after I washed my hands with warm water.  Obviously, the polish was cooler/darker closer to my nail line.

**You can purchase this polish and other cool nail art supplies at Born Pretty.  You will save 5% by using code ZR5X31!!  Free shipping too!!:

**This product was provided for an honest review**

Nailventurous Burst of Blue

Happy Tuesday!!  Yes,  I have yet ANOTHER blue polish to share with you today.  It's another Indie and it's called Burst of Blue by Nailventurous Lacquers..

Burst of Blue over OPI What's with the Cattitude?:

Super Freaking Gorgeous!!!  Amy at Nailventurous is a genius polish maker!!!  I love her creations so much and Burst of Blue is no exception!!  Burst of Blue has a bunch of different glitters-- blue, ultra fine black, white shredded, medium white hex, shredded holo and shredded black-- all in a clear base.  Perfect formula, perfect amount of each glitter.. just plain ole perfect! LOL!!  I love Burst of Blue over What's with the Cattitude?!!

**Pay close attention to Nailventurous on Etsy .... as soon as Amy opens shop, her polishes sell out in like two seconds.  Try to snag one because they're totally worth it! **

**Also--Don't forget to enter Jodi and Destany's Super Awesome Fantastic Giveaway!!  There are SIX cool prizes to be won!!**

Jodi and Destany's Super Awesome Fantastic Giveaway!!

Hi all! Have we got a lovely giveaway for you! Captivating Claws reached (and has now surpassed) 1000 followers, and we have joined together to celebrate this milestone! Jodi, fromCaptivating Claws, and Destany, from Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom, have teamed up for a great giveaway with six winners! Yes, six! So what is up for grabs?

• 1st winner will receive: one set of OPI Spider-Man Minis, including Into the Night, Number One Nemesis, Just Spotted the Lizard and Your Web or Mine?
• 2nd winner will receive: one set of Orly Feel the Vibe Collection minis, including Beach Cruiser, Melt Your Popscicle, Glowstick, and Skinny Dip
• 3rd winner will receive: one set of OPI Barefoot Beauties, including Coconut Melon mini Avojuice lotion, Expert Touch Lacquer Remover, Toe Separators and full sized bottles of Natural Nail Base Coat and OPI Top Coat
• 4th winner will receive: one set of five polishes from the Color Club Take Wing collection
• 5th winner will receive: one Wet n Wild summer bucket, featuring six Fast Dry polishes, top coat and nail art supplies
• 6th winner will receive: one bottle of Floam!!

How do you enter? Please let the Rafflecopter widget below load. You MUST be a GFC follower of both Captivating Claws and Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom to qualify. You also must provide a valid e-mail address (for contacting the winner).  This giveaway is open internationally and you must be 18  to enter.

This giveaway will close June 4, 12:01 a.m. PLEASE check the time remaining on the Rafflecopter widget for exact amount of time left to enter!





a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Weekend Water Marble

Happy Sunday Everyone!!  It's a hot one here.  It's barely 10am and it's 80 degrees.. that's hot for Ohio!!  It's a good day to paint my nails and relax!

**Also, I'm so excited!!  I hit 1000 followers yesterday and I (and a good friend) have an awesome giveaway planned!!-- Stay tuned!!**

I did a quick marble the other day and I really liked how it turned out.  Take a look..

Weekend Water Marble:

direct sunlight

For this marble, I started with a base coat of OPI Alpine Snow.  For the actual marble I used all China Glaze Polishes: Fuchsia Fanatic, Gaga For Green, and Mahogany Magic.  I really like how my thumb, index and pinkie turned out.  I'm still struggling with the darn bubbles on the middle and ring fingers.. ahhh!

**Enjoy the day!  Oh, if you get a sec, would you mind liking my entry for Rainbow Honey's Nail Art Contest?  Thank You! :)**

Zoya Sooki and f4polish Chunky Cow

Yay!!  The weekend's here and I have one of my favorite reds to share with you along with another black and white indie polish...  Take a look at Zoya Sooki and f4polish Chunky Cow..

Up first is Zoya Sooki alone:

Gah.. I really need to wear reds more often.  Sooki is gorgeous!!  Zoya describes her as a cool cherry red cream.  Sooki is the perfect red for my skin tone.  I love her.  She is definitely my "go to" red!!  Pictured above is two coats.

f4polish Chunky Cow over Zoya Sooki:

Ok, so this black and white has way too much black for my liking.  I only used one coat in the above pictures.  Chunky Cow has fine black glitter, with holographic glitter and small white hex glitter.  I'd like this one if it had about half the fine black glitter.  It's just a tad overwhelming.  The formula of Chunky Cow and f4's customer service was awesome and I'll definitely purchase another polish from them.

**You can purchase Chunky Cow and other polishes from f4 polish here at their Etsy shop.**

**You can purchase Zoya Sooki here at zoya.com**

Enjoy your weekend!!  It's gonna be a beautiful one here in Northeast Ohio!!

Weekly Water Marble & my entry for Rainbow Honey's Nail Art Contest

So, I'm killing two birds with one stone in this post. I'll be showing you my weekly water marble which is also my entry for Rainbow Honey's Nail Art Contest.  The winner of this contest will receive a full size set of The Equestria  Collection which is Rainbow Honey's newest nail polish line..  The inspiration for this contest  is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

My entry was inspired by Rainbow Dash :) 

Here is the water marble/ free-hand mani I created:

For this mani, I started with a base of  OPI What's with the Cattitude (2 thick coats) on my thumb and ring finger.  On my index, middle and pinkie fingers, I started with a base of China Glaze White on White.  I marbled over the three fingers with the White on White base.  For the marble, I used:

China Glaze Hey Sailor

OPI In My Back Pocket

OPI Need Sunglasses?

China Glaze Tree Hugger

OPI Fly and

OPI Dating a Royal

I used the same colors for the rainbows over What's With the Cattitude on the thumb and ring finger except the white for the clouds is Konad Special Nail Polish.

This mani was so much fun!!  I'm not the greatest free-hand artist, but I'm improving!! :)

Now I need YOUR help..

**Please like Rainbow Honey here on their facebook page.**

**Please vote for me by liking my picture.**

**You can also vote by picking me (Captivating Claws) on this form**

Thanks for your votes Everyone!!  I'd love to win this awesome collection!!

Copycat Mani..the one with Destany's watermelon nails

I have a fun post to share with you today.  I'm in a few polish groups on facebook and in one, we did a "copycat" theme.  I chose to try to re-create this cute watermelon mani from Destany at Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom.

Destany's Watermelon Nails:

Aren't they yummy??  I fell in love with them when she posted them and as soon as I found out we were doing a "copycat" theme, I knew I would give this mani an attempt..

Jodi's Watermelon Nails:

I wish I had OPI's Guy Meets Gal-veston to use as my "watermelon" color like Destany did.  Instead, I used two coats of Essie Watermelon (original, right?? lol).  For the "seeds", I used one coat of WnW Tangled in my Web, and for the "rind", I used one coat of Zoya Holly, then Zoya Meg for the squiggles. :)

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!

All That Glitters.. Cha Cha Twist

Hi Everyone!  Today I have another pretty blue indie glitter to share with you.  I really have been on a "blue kick" lately.  I purchased this one a while ago, but just got around to wearing it the other day.  It's called Cha Cha Twist by All That Glitters..

Cha Cha Twist:

This is two coats of Cha Cha Twist over OPI Into the Night,, followed by a coat of gelous, then a coat of China Glaze Fast Forward.  This polish is gorgeous and I think topping it over Into the Night was a perfect combo!!  Kirsten at All That Glitters describes this has having a clear base, but the base in my polish was definitely blue.  Cha Cha Twist has aqua, blue, black and red glitters of various shapes and sizes.  I think this one goes in my top 10 (maybe top 5) favorite indies.  I really do need to make a list.  LOL..

***You can purchase Cha Cha Twist at All That Glitters on Etsy for $8.  I ordered a few more from this store last week and I can't wait to get my hands on them!!  :)***

OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls & Into the Night

Happy Monday Everyone!  Today I have two more colors from OPI's The Amazing Spiderman Collection..

My Boyfriend Scales Walls:

My Boyfriend Scales Walls is a white creme with just a hint of grey.  The formula is perfect.  I used two coats for full opacity in the pictures above.  I like MBSW.  I use whites often when I water marble, so this one was a pleasant surprise.  (I kinda like it on it's own, too).

Into the Night:

Ok, so I love the color of Into the Night, but I do NOT like the formula!  Just by looking at the bottle, I thought the formula would be close to a one-coater because it's such a deep metallic midnight blue, BUT the formula was way too sheer for me.  I used three coats, but you can still see a bald spot on my middle finger, so I should have added another.  Into the Night is a beautiful color, though, and I like it with my skintone.

I like both of the above colors, along with Just Spotted the Lizard from the Amazing Spiderman Collection.  The rest of the colors are just kinda "meh" for me.  I'm still furious they didn't release a "True Spiderman Red"... lol ;)

Enjoy the Week!!

Splatterday!!!

Happy Weekend Everyone!!  Today I have a "splatter mani" to share with you.  It's another group-post I participated in with a bunch of fun gals from a facebook group.  This is only my second attempt at a splatter and I really like it. (You can see my Electrop Splatter here.)  I just got my hands on the new Orly Neons, so I decided to use them for this splatter..

Orly Feel the Vibe Splatter:

It's funky, right??  Kinda retro?? It was fun.  I didn't even make that big of a mess.  I started with two coats of Orly White Out.  After that was completely dry, I cut two straws in half and used each of the four small straws to dip in to each polish.  You just dip the tip of the straw in to the polish, hold it about four or five inches from your finger and make a quick "blow."  I used Orly Beach Cruiser, Melt Your Popsicle, Glowstick, and Skinny Dip-- all from the new neon "Feel the Vibe" Collection.

Check out the other awesome splatters below...