Friday, April 4, 2014

Happy Birthday Heather - An Epic Tribute to an Epic Friend

I have to say a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of the best ladies I've met in the nail community, Heather of Peace Love and Polish!! I have a enormous post today to honor her!

I've admired Heather's blog and nail art skills for years. It wasn't until recently (maybe about a year) that we really started talking outside of social media. This chick has quickly become my best nail friend though, and I knew I had to do something extreme and extra special for her big day! What better way than through nail art?!


I have redone 43 of my favorite manicures from Heather to say "Happy Birthday" in a way only a fellow polish addict can! I've listed them below, with each "mani" being a clickable link to her original version. I redid Heather's:
  1. vertical neon studs mani.
  2. blue and peach skittle mani with roses and a bow.
  3. Valentine's Day doodles mani.
  4. vintage cherries mani.
  5. Valentine's Day argyle mani.
  6. Valentine's Day half gradient mani.
  7. purple holo French mani.
  8. football print mani.
  9. monochrome mint flowers mani.
  10. jelly beans mani.
  11. star strip mani.
  12. Holiday funky French mani.
  13. "I'm thankful for..." collab mani/Cartoony Landscape.
  14. checkered "love" mani.
  15. rainbow galaxies mani.
  16. pink French with bow mani.
  17. pink zebra print mani.
  18. rainbow disco ball mani.
  19. Fall argyle mani.
  20. galaxy mani.
  21. sprinkles mani.
  22. tape measure mani.
  23. piano mani.
  24. blue camo mani.
  25. ice cream print mani.
  26. anchor print mani.
  27. dinosaur mani.
  28. tie-dye mani.
  29. suspenders and bow ties mani.
  30. unique giraffe print mani.
  31. rose French mani.
  32. desert dotticure mani.
  33. primary splatter mani.
  34. neon color block mani.
  35. American flag French mani.
  36. neon Fuzzy Coat mani.
  37. cool dots mani.
  38. bee mani.
  39. pink lemonade mani.
  40. scalloped tips mani.
  41. cotton candy nails - I combined this mani and this mani.
  42. peppermint swirl mani.
  43. half gradient dotticure mani.
Now are you ready to see all of my 43 versions of these manicures up close?! Here goes....

#1 Vertical Neon Studs - for this mani, I used studs from Born Pretty Store and Wet'n'Wild's Black  Creme matted.

#2 Blue and Peach Skittles w/ Roses and a Bow - the only polish I used for this one was the white - Revlon Spirit, everything else was paint.

#3 Valentine's Day Doodles - I did my version of this mani with mostly acrylic paints, plus Zoya Pippa and NYC Red Velvet Rope; with Zoya Jacqueline as my base.

#4 Cherries - the red is Zoya Sooki, the green is Color Club Twiggie.

#5 Valentine's Day Argyle - I started with Revlon Spirit, and did my argyle diamonds with NYC Times Square Tangerine and OPI That's Hot! Pink.

#6 Valentine's Day Half Gradient - I switched my version of this mani up quite a bit with different accents, and used Color Club Nail-robi and Tribe and True for my gradients (both gifted to me by Heather, so it is only appropriate that they be used in this post). :)

#7 Purple French - the only polishes I used in this one were China Glaze Grape Pop and Born Pretty Store holo #9.

#8 Football Print - I started with Barielle Money Talks, dry-brushed on China Glaze Paper Chasing, then added a layer of Orly Mermaid Tale, and finished it off with a couple coats of Fairy Dust. The footballs are done with China Glaze Mahogany Magic and Zoya Jacqueline.

#9 Mint Flowers - this mani uses Zoya Avery (nude), China Glaze Kinetic Candy (lighter aqua), Aquadelic, and Fairy Dust.

#10 Jelly Beans - a few of the polishes I used for this design are different than what Heather's original recipe called for. I used NYC Red Velvet Rope, Zoya Sweet, Arizona, Pippa, Josie, and Breezi, and China Glaze Spontaneous; with Revlon Spirit as my white base. Instead of red and orange accent nails, I did gradients on my pinky and ring finger using the jelly bean colors.

#11 Star Strip - I used star rhinestones instead of glitters in my version of this mani, and put them on Zoya Raven.

#12 Holiday French - my version uses China Glaze Holly-Day, Mingle with Kringle, and Zoya Carmen.

#13 Cartoony Landscape/Thankful Collab Mani - Zoya Rocky is my blue sky. The grass is China Glaze Tree Hugger dotted with Def Defying. Everything else is either acrylic paint or a polish I've used in other manis here (there are just too many to list individually).

#14 Checkered "Love" - I went a little darker with my version of this mani and used OPI... Eurso Euro for the blue, and white acrylic paint, with Zoya Trixie dividing my ring nail.

#15 Rainbow Galaxies - Zoya Raven is my black base, with galaxies in Rocky (blue index), Perrie (purple middle), Josie (green ring), and Sweet (pink pinky); all topped with China Glaze Fairy Dust.

#16 Pink French - my tips are Barielle Take Me Shopping topped with China Glaze Techno.

#17 Pink Zebra - my base is Color Club Yum Gum (which smells so sweet and yummy!) topped with China Glaze Make a Spectacle.

#18 Disco Balls - the sparkle is Zoya Cosmo over Trixie, with dots in Color Club Electro Candy (pink), Tangerine Scream (orange), What a Shock! (green), and Pure Energy (blue).

#19 Fall Argyle - Revlon Spirit is my white base, everything else is acrylic paint.

#20 Galaxy - China Glaze Shower Together is the blue I used for my galaxy, and Barielle Sexy Mood is the purple, topped with China Glaze Fairy Dust.

#21 Sprinkles - Zoya Dita and Rocky are my base colors, with various acrylic paints as the sprinkles.

#22 Tape Measure - this mani uses black paint and Zoya Darcy. Super simple and super cute!

#23 Piano - I used Revlon Spirit for my white base, and did the keys with black acrylic paint.

#24 Blue Camo - I used all Zoya's for this: Rocky, Skylar, Natty, and Breezi.

#25 Ice Cream - I did my version of this mani a bit different than Heather did hers and gave my ice cream cones colors that are more classic of the treat, and only did the print on two nails.

#26 Anchors - for my version of this design, I used L.A. Colors Lost Soul (grey), Minnie Mouse polish MB0123SD blue, and Zoya Sooki.

#27 Dinosaurs - I used all acrylic paints for these cute, prehistoric creatures.

#28 Tie-Dye - My tie-dye mani uses all neon acrylic paints over white polish.

#29 Suspenders and Bow Ties - I used Revlon Spirit as my base and again acrylic paint for everything else.

#30 Giraffe Print - I used China Glaze Grape Pop and Zoya Dita for this one.

#31 Rose Tips - I used Color Club Safari Sunset as my base, with China Glaze Sweet Hook, Zoya Elodie, and Rimmel Sunny Days roses, details with black paint, and Color Club Tribe and True leaves.

#32 Desert Dotticure - my base for this one is Julep Princess Grace. My dots are: OPI That's Hot! Pink, NYC Times Square Tangerine, and China Glaze Aquadelic.

#33 Primary Splatter - splatter colors: China Glaze Shower Together, Color Club Rebel Debutante, Zoya Darcy, and Sooki.

#34 Neon Colorblock - I used Zoya Ali (pink), Julep Daisy (yellow), Broadway Mystery Pumpkin (orange), and Sour Apple (green).

#35 American Flag French - I used Zoya Sooki, Song, and Revlon Spirit.

#36 Neon Fuzzy - The pink base is a no-name Sally Girl mini, with Sally Hansen Wool Knot on top.

#37 Cool Dots - this is another all Zoya mani: Raven, Perrie, and Rocky.

#38 Bee Mani - Zoya Rocky is the background and Darcy is the bee.

#39 Pink Lemonade - for this mani, I used Zoya Pippa and China Glaze Under the Boardwalk for my base, with Zoya Darcy, Sweet, and NYC white dots.

#40 Scalloped Tips - I used China Glaze White on White for my base, and Lemon Fizz (yellow), Dance Baby (pink), Color Club Twiggie (green), Zoya Rocky (blue), and Perrie (purple) for the colored tips.

#41 Cotton Candy - my cotton candy mani consists of Revlon Pink Lingerie, OPI Can't Find My Czechbook, and Polish Me Silly (previously Lush Lacquer) Mr. Bubbles.

#42 Peppermint Swirl - I used Zoya Chyna for my red in this mani.

#43 Half Gradient Dotticure - my base is Revlon Spirit. I used blue and peach acrylic paints for the gradient and dots.

I'm actually horrible about procrastinating, and didn't start on this massive project until the end of February! I was originally only going to do a dozen or two manis, but I just kept tacking on more and more because she has done so many that I love and I couldn't narrow it down! I was also terrified that I'd never be able to get them all done, but alas, here they are!!

Plus, it was unbelievably difficult to do a mani, love how it turned out, and NOT immediately text Heather "look, I did your ______ mani, I love them so much!!!" because we pretty much text each other every mani we do and I loved how so many of them turned out! =P

So finally, thank you Heather for all the amazing designs and for being such a huge inspiration! Your nail art is absolutely amazing! Enjoy your day to the fullest, you deserve it. Happy Birthday!!