BEAUTIFY: Ninja Turtle nails... but not how you're thinking.

I know I said I learned my lesson about being lazy in the last post, but I was lying.  (From laziness comes... something something, mother of invention... blah blah nachos...)

When my polish starts to chip and I don't feel like busting out the remover or completely redoing them, I'll just paint the tips with some glitter. (Inspired by this style.)  If the polish hasn't peeled off too much, this usually makes them look fresh again with only minimal work.

I had been having reservations about this flat green color all week, and I'm sure my husband will never help me pick a polish color again after my incessant ranting about how I thought this color made my fingers look like stubby ninja turtle hands.

Michelangelo thinks I'm being a dick.

Adding some drippy-looking navy polish with a layer of blue and purple glitter seems to have tricked me into liking it, for now.

It's not a terrible shade of green, really.  But it IS the exact hue that smothered every inch of colorable space in my high school, including my graduation gown, which incited a four-year-long hatred of all things green.  I thought that teenage angst was long gone, but apparently some things don't just disappear like that pair of JNCOs hidden in the depths of your closet for waaaaay longer than you care to admit.

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BEAUTIFY: Evil Eyes and Awkward Yoga Poses

I've been fascinated by evil eyes for quite some time now; I have a nice collection hanging around my apartment and they flesh out the majority of the bracelet designs I make in my shop.  So it seemed fitting that I added them to my nail designs.

Originally inspired by this design, I took her idea and ran with it to the only place my brain seems to understand:  MORE GLITTER, MORE BLING.  I probably should have used the hole reinforcement stickers technique to get better/straighter painted moons, but... whatever.  Somehow it seemed easier to just paint a big messy half circle across the top of my entire damn finger than to get out the stickers?!?  I know, it doesn't make sense, especially when you consider that I had to spend all that time putting those glitter pieces on "just so".

Lesson learned:  stop being lazy, it usually creates more work for later.

I'll admit it was kind of strange catching these eyes looking at me all week, but I didn't mind too much until that awkward moment during my yoga practice where I close with a linga mudra (see figure #12) and it turned into an uncomfortable staring contest between me and my thumbs...

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READ: APD Union: DOJ Report Hard to Hear

The DOJ says:
 “A disconnect exists between officers and residents about the perception of overly aggressive conduct by officers. We observed that many officers were dismissive of community concerns."

“Officers have a duty to intervene to prevent other officers from using excessive force.”

(Read the rest here...)

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BEAUTIFY: Illumi-Nerdy

You never know where the Illuminati will exert their influence next.

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BEAUTIFY: Plastic bag! Plastic bag!

I was originally trying out the technique I read about here, but I was either too impatient or not applying the polish thick enough on the baggie to be able to peel it off!  So instead, I just cut the bag into shapes I liked and stuck them on my nails, polish side down.  (I already had a base coat applied which helped them stick better.)  After applying all the shapes I wanted, I swiped some top coat over them.  Once dry, I took my fine point black permanent marker and drew the accent lines and dots.  The top coat kind of smudged the ink, but I found if I was able to only go over an area once it helped prevent this.  The designs reminded me of Joan Miro art, but my husband said it reminded him of Saved By the Bell...

Wah wah.

Making up pretty new nail art is a nice distraction from the news...  I'm still weirded out by all that's been going on around town with the APD protests this past week.  It's so strange to see cops in riot gear right in my own backyard.  This city is still pretty new to me, and though it has its faults (um, worst drivers EVER!), I love more and more about it every day.  The people here seem so much more involved in their community than any other place I've lived.  It's awesome.  I can't wait to explore more and get involved with things myself!

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READ: Albuquerque Protest Turns Ugly

The Albuquerque Police Department are being investigated by the FBI after a YouTube video went up last week, showing APD shooting a homeless man who was camping, after what was reported as a standoff that lasted for hours.
This is the 22nd police shooting since 2010, and outrage has poured out over the incident, sparking the interest of the national media and even Anonymous, which led to protests against police violence all over the city Sunday night.
APD has said that the deadly use of force was warranted in this instance, because the suspect, James Boyd, had a history of mental illness and was armed with multiple knives.

(Read the rest of the story here...)

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READ: Mazes, Monsters, Charlatans, Satan and Suicide: A Short History of the Satanic Panic

One of my favorite pieces of Satanic Panic-era propaganda has to be Jack  Chick’s “Dark Dungeons” religious tract. One of hundreds of such tracts created by evangelist Chick, “Dark Dungeons” is the story of two young women led astray by the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. One of them, Marcie, commits suicide after her thief character “Black Leaf” dies and the other, Debbie, is initiated into witchcraft after her cleric character Elfstar advances to eighth level. As the diabolical Dungeon Master “Ms. Frost” leads Debbie further from the loving arms of Jesus, her mysterious friend “Mike” pops up to tell her that she’s in grave danger. Following a visit to a mustachioed minister, Debbie repents and burns all of her D&D materials instead of saving them to sell on eBay in twenty years when she needs beer money.

(Read the rest here...)

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