Birthday Cake Inspired Mani

Hello Lacquer Luvers! I would love to send out a huge hug to you all for your sweet birthday wishes yesterday. It made me smile to read all of your lovely comments and I love that I got to share something special from my day with you. I am still so shocked and amazed at the Bettina Birthday Cake my husband got me for my birthday yesterday. So much so that I wanted to translate the custom color, which he created and appropriately named Birthday Girl, to my nails (well try to, at least).

Above is a piece of fondant from the cake (which cracked as I lifted it, oops!). It is a bit more purple than what my camera shows. I love that he gave the color some flair by adding iridescent glitter/sparkles to it. I took the picture half in the sun, half in the shade in an attempt to show you guys how it glistens. Isn't it pretty?! He told me that he took my bottle of Bettina Grape when he met with the designer. When she asked if that was the color he wanted the cake to be he said he wanted it to be a little more purple since Grape is a blue based and he wanted it to be more of my favorite color.

I began my manicure with a base of Essie Grow Faster followed by two coats of Bettina Grape. I layered a coat of an unnamed color by L.A. Colors. It is a clear base full of iridescent glitter. Once that dried, I stamped on the large heart design using Konad Special Stamping Polish in white and Red Angel image plate RA-110. Next I used plate M66 from BornPrettyStore to stamp on the word "love" and the random hearts. I decided on this design for the accent finger to symbolize how much I loved the cake! This manicure was topped off with a coat of Good To Go by Essie.

I seriously love this mani! Although my base color isn't the same as the custom color he created, it's pretty close. What do you all think of this manicure? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing my next post with you, xo!

~Jessica

Girly-Girl Nail Art Challenge Day 6

Hello Lacquer Luvers! Welcome to Day 6 of the Girly-Girl Nail Art Challenge. This challenge was created by Lindsey of Neverland Nail Blog & has been so much fun! I can't believe next week it will be over but it really has been great getting to come up with these manicures for you all and seeing the awesome creations of the other ladies taking part in this challenge.

The theme for Day 6 of the challenge is - "Who Inspires you? Show some love to your favorite female role model by creating gorgeous nails in their honor." Honestly, I thought of famous role models like Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Maria Shriver to name a few who I could honor with a manicure. I thought and thought and felt that there was someone who influenced me personally so much more than any other person, famous or not. That person is my son's teacher, Mrs. Fils-Aime.

For those of you who don't know, my son Tyus, has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and we have been so fortunate to be able to get aid through the city and put him in schools that have helped him overcome so many obstacles. My family is ever-so-grateful that there are teachers like Ms. Fils-Aime who are so dedicated to helping children with special needs. It takes someone with a big heart and tons of patience to do what she does and we are sincerely appreciative of her daily efforts to improve the lives of the children in her classroom.

I began my manicure today with a base of Essie Grow Faster. Next I applied two coats of Bettina Matte on my pinky, one coat of OPI Samoan Sand on my ring finger, two coats of Bettina Peppermint on my ring finger, and two coats of ORLY Lucky Duck on my index finger.

Then I took my Kiss Nail Art stripers in blue and  red to create the look of notebook paper on my pinky finger. I used Scotch tape and E.L.F. Chocolate to create a desk and my red nail art striper and plate M66 from BornPrettyStore to put a apple on the desk for my ring finger. I used Scotch tape and Sally Hansen Blue It for the Autism puzzle pieces, which represent the ambiguity and mystery around the causes and understanding of Autism. I used my Kiss Nail Art striper in yellow to create a math problem on a chalkboard, something that Tyus is currently learning at school. My manicure was topped off with a coat of Essie Good To Go topcoat.

L-R Kiss Nail Art Stripers in blue, yellow, red, SHXW Blue It, Bettina Peppermint, OPI Samoan Sand, Bettina Matte, ORLY Lucky Duck, E.L.F. Chocolate

I feel that even though this may not be my "prettiest" manicure, it is most certainly the most meaningful one I have ever created. I would like to say that this manicure is not only a dedication to Ms. Fils-Aime, but it's also in honor of the many teachers who work with special needs children daily. You are so very special and influential to the lives of our children. Thank you for helping them to improve academically and nurturing our children with love. You are our hero's and I hope that this manicure shows how much of a role model and influence you are on us. To see more role model inspired manicures, check out these blog posts of the other girls participating in this challenge:

Lindsey of Neverland Nail Blog

Ashley of Follow The Yellow Polish Road

Stephanie of A Little Polish

Kelly of Polish Enthusiast

Jodi of Captivating Claws

Danielle of Rock N Polish

Elly of Polishable

Olivia of Unprofessional Nails

Kate of This Charming Kate

Bethany of  A Plethora Of Nails

Lizzy of The Do It Yourself Lady

Eugenia of Talon-ted

Johanna of Neues vom Kellerkind

Amanda of Nox Nails

Ashley of Smashley Sparkles

Sarah of See Sarah Swatch

Emily of The Lacquerologist

Tressa of O' Natur Nail

I would love to hear who inspires you all so please let me know in the comments below luvs. As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing my next post with you, xo!

~Jessica