3 Years Have Passed! Where Have I Been?

No way! I cannot believe I am making this post right now. I have spent the last several years trying to log into this blog but have been unsuccessful, obviously. I managed to forget the email account associated with this blog and the password, and never thought I would have access to it ever again. I even created a new blog in an attempt to start over, but I never posted on it. I just couldn't find it in me to give up on this one.

Tonight I just so happened to stumble across a document on my computer that randomly had an email address on it. I recognized the email address but knew I hadn't used it in a long time. I decided to try using it and a random password in the log in section of Blogger and it worked! Here I am! I am so excited and so grateful, I can seriously cry right now.

So much has happened the last 3 years since my last post and it's something I need to post about.  I have wanted to document my journey from these last 3 years, but since I was unable to log into my blog, I never really did. Not even in a personal journal. I talked to close friends and family here and there but I still feel like I harbored my true feelings and emotions. I never wrote my feelings down or got everything out which has always been very therapeutic for me in the past. The thoughts and emotions I felt over the last few years just kind of festered and although I feel I have healed, sometimes I still feel a little part of me hasn't and this may be the route I need to take heal completely. And, who knows, maybe someone out there will stumble across these next couple of posts, who may be in the same position I was in a few years ago, feeling hopeless and scared, and maybe they will find my story helpful. Whatever the case, I need to do this for me. You're welcome to read along if you'd like. :)

-Amanda

Disney's Minnie Mouse Nails!

Last weekend my friend's daughter celebrated her 3rd birthday. Being that she was turning three and is completely obsessed with Minnie Mouse it only made sense to have a Minnie Mouse birthday party! Everything was Minnie Mouse; her birthday cake, the decorations and food. Heck, even Minnie Mouse herself showed up for the festivities. It was important to me that I also show up to this birthday bonanza matching the Minnie Mouse theme and what better way to do so than with Minnie Mouse nails!

 

My friend and her husband did such an incredible job with this birthday party, that I wanted to include a few pictures in here as well! I hope you all enjoyed these nails. If you give them a try, I'd love to see them! Thanks so much for reading and I will talk to you all real soon!

How awesome is this cake?! I was in awe of all the little details that went into it. Check out her beach towel. It's rippled just as if you would lay out your beach towel on the sand at the beach! I was totally into this cake if you can't tell. So cool!

 Minnie Mouse pizzas! Cool, right?! It's hard to tell in this picture but they created Minnie's bows with pizza crust!

 

 A Minnie Mouse party wouldn't be a Minnie Mouse party without the Minnie herself.

 

 Thanks so much for reading and I will talk to you all real soon!

-Amanda

DIY 3D VELVET/SWEATER NAILS!

The skies are truly the limit when it comes to nail art and in my eyes, the more creative the better. I thought I had seen it all with the caviar nails but I was mistaken. There truly are no boundaries when it comes to mixing creativity with nail art and today I prove this with, VELVET NAILs! That's right. Little sweaters for our nail beds to keep them warm for the upcoming fall and winter! Cute right?!

 

Here's my video showing you exactly how I did this manicure. So messy but so fun!

 

 Now, I know this nail art is not for everybody but I am smitten with it! I think this is absolutely adorable and I had to recreate it the moment I read about it in Vogue magazine! Who comes up with this stuff? It's insane.

 

 Although cute, this manicure does not last long at all. After a full day of wear and tear this manicure was ready to retire. I think it's perfect if you're going to a concert, or party or something where you only need this for one night. I actually am planning on wearing a deep red velvet nail to my husband's work's Christmas party. I love when my nails make a statement and I think this would do just that!

 

The removal of this manicure is easy too. I thought it would be hell like glitters are to remove but it was simple and the dye from the flocking powder didn't stain either, which I expected it to do. So, I'm curious to know what you guys think? Is this a manicure that you'd rock or are you going to pass on it? 

As usual, you can watch the video on how I did these velvet nails! I will talk to you all next time!

-Amanda

ACID WASH NAILS!

Growing up I spent much of my time during summer break with my aunt. My dad worked long hours so my aunt would babysit my sister and I. I loved hanging out with my aunt. I have the fondest memories of swimming in her pool for hours or going to the local bowling alley and bowling. We were always doing something fun. One memory that sticks out the most though is scavaging through her closet with her. She had the most shoes I've ever seen anyone have before. All of them organized and stacked in labeled shoe boxes. And a closet packed to the gills with clothes. I was in awe. That is, until I feasted my eyes on the left side of her closet. ACID WASH. Lot's of it too! I remember thinking to myself, "Oh, this is so not okay. Who wears this stuff? We are NOT in the 80s anymore aunt Karen."

I didn't know then, that in 15+ years this trend would make a full circle.

While walking around the mall a week or so ago, I decided to check in at Forever21 and guess I what I saw?! Acid Wash EVERYTHING! Shorts, pants, jackets... in an ARRAY of colors too! I felt like a little girl again, back in my aunt closet. No joke. I couldn't help but laugh. Isn't it funny how trends work? 

I've never been big on the acid wash trend.. not then, not now. I just don't think I could pull it off. It makes too much of a statement for me to wear pants or shorts in this design. But, what I do like and can pull off are these acid wash nails. These I love.

 

 

 These nails were so fun to create and wear and the color options are endless. As usual, I'll post the tutorial on this manicure at the bottom of this post. I hope you all enjoyed this manicure and I'll see you all next time!

-Amanda

SUNFLOWER NAILS!

Hey guys!  I have another nail design I want to share. This one is (so far) my favorite manicure I have done. It's nearing the end of summer (boohoo!) and I wanted to do something that would lift my spirits a bit and a sunflower nail design was the answer. I got the inspiration from a pin on Pinterest that linked back to an incredible nail blogger by the name of TheNailNerd. And holy shit... is she fabulous! 

I wanted to veer away from my usual water marble manicure, and practice on my freehand. Drawing has never a strong suit for me and I figure with practice I'll get better. It was nice to jump out of my comfort zone and try something different so I'll be taking a break from the marbling for the time being.

 

A funny thing happened to me while I was out in public wearing this manicure. I happen to be shopping at a beauty supply store at my local mall and as I was getting ready to make my purchase (I bought ChG 'Towel Boy Toy and ChG 'Fast Track'. I am wearing TBT at the moment and it is stunning.) and the cashier asked to see my nails and asked if I did them myself. I told her yes and she asked if she could take a picture. Of course she could! I was so flattered. She is now following me on Instagram and that just totally made my day. Not to mention, she let me have an OPI mini polish for FREE too! What an awesome experience that was.

 Here is my YT video on how I did these nails! Enjoy!

 

Until next time!

-Amanda

Polish Used:

ChG 'Electric Beat'

Color Club 'Almost Famous'

Sinful 'Nirvana'

Black & White acrylic paints.

LOTS OF MANICURES FROM THE LAST MONTH OR SO!

Hey everyone! I wanted to share with you some manicures I have done on myself in the last month or so. If you follow me on Instagram (MoDiddie) then chances are you've seen these already. They range from normal swatch manicures to water marbles! I hope you enjoy!

 ChG 'Pool Party' & FP 'Iconic Orange'

 

 FP 'Iconic Orange' & FP 'Inkblot Blue'

 

 PI 'Heart Breaker' over Sinful 'Rain Storm'

 

 I used the colors from CC's 'Poptastic Collection

ChG 'Swing Baby' & 'Four Leaf Clover & acrylic paint

 

 Orly 'Terracotta' and loose glitter pieces.

 

 ChG 'Ride The Wave'.

 

 Sally Hansen 'Mint Sorbet' & rhinestones.

 FP 'Artistic Sapphire'

 ChG 'Happy Go Lucky', 'Shooting Star' & 'Designer Satin'

ChG 'Make Some Noise' & 'Shooting Star'

 

Essie 'Nice is Nice' & OPI 'Rainbow Connection'

 

 Sinful 'Amethyst', 'Savage', 'Innocent' & Essie 'Nice is Nice'

 

 ChG 'Sea Spray' & OPI 'Crown Me Already'

 

 Color Club 'Pucci-licious' & ChG 'Luxe and Lush'

 

 PI 'French Kiss', Sinful 'Snow Me White' & NOPI 'Sealed With A Kris'

 

 FP 'Silkscreen Green' & ChG 'Blue Years Eve'

 

I hope you guys liked these nails I did. To get more up to date manicure pictures and videos, check out my Instagram (MoDiddie) and my YouTube channel. See you guys next time!

-Amanda

4TH OF JULY AMERICAN FLAG WATER MARBLE NAILS! + INSTAGRAM!

Hi guys! I feel like I am so behind on my blog. Like, I'll scroll through pictures on my computer of recent manicures I've worn and realize that there's like five that I haven't posted on my blog! I think Instagram is partially to blame. Raise your hand if you've become an Instagram addict! *raises BOTH hands*. As I've stated before, I basically change my manicure daily.. sometimes like today, I'll change them twice in one day. It's become easier for me to grab my phone, take a picture and upload it straight to Instagram than to grab my camera, take a picuture, upload it to my computer, resize, watermark.. blah blah blah. I guess what I am saying is, if you want to see EVERY manicure I am wearing, stalk my Instagram (search MoDiddie). I still will be posting here, but I hate feeling stressed that not EVERY SINGLE manicure I've worn and taken a picture of is on my blog. I'll just post my favorite manicures here on my blog.

Like this one. Ha, like that sweet transition? :D Because the 4th of July is this week (Wednesday), I thought, "What better way to start the week than with this patriotic American flag manicure?!" I posted this tutorial on YouTube (the video will be posted at the bottom of this page) a couple days ago and I have recieved so much positive feedback on it. I know not everyone on here follows my YouTube so I wanted to share this manicure with my blog friends as well! So here they are! 

 

I just LOVE these! I wore these out and about and people literally stopped me. One lady actually just grabbed my arm! HAHA! They look like they could be semi difficult to do, but honestly they're really simple. If you want to see exactly how I did them, check out the video below. :D

If you guys try this design out, I'd love to see your rendition of it. Happy Independance Day to my fellow American followers! I hope you guys enjoy this nail art design and I will catch you guys later!

-Amanda