Fire Marble (with handy tips & tricks)

Hey all,
Today I have a super summer fantastic water marble for you!
But before I get into that a few of my blogger girlfriends have asked me for my tips & tricks.
By no means do I believe I have mastered this technique.
However, I try to learn a little something each time I try it out.

Ok, if you don't know the basic water marble procedure, or want to know how to make certain designs, go to youtube.
There are tons (TONS) of fantastic tutorials that will tell you everything you need to know.
My water marble musts are just little steps to make the process less stressful and more satisfying.

jeebjeeb's tips & tricks

Little cups work better!
The less your polish spreads the more intense the colour will be and the slower it will dry.
I heard about using shot glasses but I found them to be too small,
and often banged my nails against the side and ruined the design :(
Think Dixie cup size. What I use is about 2.5 inches in diameter and I find it perfect.

Use room temperature, not so fresh, water.
I've heard bottled is best... Filtered is best... Bah! Doesn't matter.
What's I find works best is water that has been sitting out for a day.
It's at the temperature you want and it's had time to let some of the crap in it evaporate.
If I don't think ahead and leave out a cup for myself, well... I use my cat's water! All good!

If it's summer, turn off your fans!
The more air blowing around, the faster you'll have to work.
I learned this one the hard way when I tried marbling underneath my overhead fan.
It just sucks. And you don't want to think that you're the one sucking when really it's your fan.

Tape your damn fingers!
Self explanatory. You will thank yourself for taking the extra time.

Organize your area.
Layout your work station before you start and make sure everything is within reach but not crowded.
Last thing you want is to knock things over while you're creating your marble.
Unscrew the caps of all your bottles, put your toothpicks in a good spot. Again, you will thank yourself.

Don't rush yourself.
You know what happens when you rush. You make mistakes and messes.
When you're playing around with the polish you have a lot more time to play than you think.
In some of the youtube videos I've watched they're manipulating their bulls eye for a good two minutes!
Think of it like yoga, be in the moment, breathe and concentrate.
Remember, you master the marble, the marble doesn't master you!

One finger at a time.
I've seen a youtuber do all four fingers at once.
And as amazing as that is, I've never been able to make that work for me.
All I got was a big mess and lots of frustration.
But I do believe in you dear reader, so if you figure out a great way to do it, TELL ME!!

Use newer/ less used polish
Unlike stamping, marbles don't work with thick polish.
Brand new polish has the perfect consistency, but who wants to buy new polish every time they marble?
I don't! So my rule of thumb is, pick polishes you haven't used very often.
Like the orange I used below. I've had it for over a year, but only used it once.
It's still fresh as the day I got it, and works great!
That being said, not every polish will work for marbling, no matter how new.
Be prepared to improvise a bit.

Blow baby blow! 
(maybe my most important tip)
I used to be plagued by little bubbles of air that would get trapped between the marble and my base colour.
And if you touch the bubbles they pop and expose the colour underneath. >:(
Not what I want after putting in all that effort.
The solution - blow them away!
Once your nail comes out of the cup - blow on it like you're 2 and it's a birthday candle.
For at least 30 seconds, huff, puff, blow that house down!
I promise you will never have a problem with those pesky bubbles again!

And that's pretty much it (for now) I'm probably forgetting something.
I hope this is somewhat helpful next time you try the technique.

Alrighty, on to the water marble! Or fire marble in this case...

left hand

As usual I laid down a base of white (Zoya - Purity) 

then marbled with Nicka K - Ripe Apple, Essie - Orange, It's Obvious & Sally Hansen - Lightening

right hand

After cleanup I covered it all in a generous layer of Model City Polish - Seize the Rainbow.

Because every mani needs some of this Rainbow love!

Marble practice is definitely making perfect. 

I think this may be my favorite so far, but I say that every time ;P

I love how flamin beautiful this is! Lava lamp meets psychedelic 60's concert background.

Wow. I feel like I've been typing up a storm! And now I need a nap!

But all for the purposes of education! 

I really hope this has been helpful. And if not, well dammit, some of you asked for this, so it's your fault!!

And if it is, and it makes you marble, SHOW ME!! Because I love me some water marbles :)

Have a great Friday night!!

jeebjeeb

You Know What Day It Is

 Hey All,

Happy Halloween! What are you doing tonight?

I'm at home blogging （　ﾟ Дﾟ）

 I used to love Halloween as a child, but like a lot of things, I no longer care.

I will concede to themed manis though. I haven't turned into that much of a witch.
And to make it more of a treat, it's a double dose.

But there's something I totally forgot to mention! (；一_一)
(and no, not my passionate love of emoticons)
I started a facebook page for the blog.
https://www.facebook.com/injeebjeebwetrust
Come on down and give me a like, if you like.

First up, I wanted to try out another textured gradient.

Doing a gradient with textured polish makes it incredibly textured. Like stucco.

I used Konad Black and really had to jam it in there, but it held beautifully! 

Zoya - Dahlia & Beatrix come together in the perfect Halloween combo.

What do you think? Little bro said  he loved them , yay! :)

Next up, a wonderful Halloween themed polish.

Glitter Guilty - Bag Snatcher

Bag Snatcher is a white creme loaded with yellow, black & orange shards and orange micro glitter.

Loving it! Ok, so I'll only wear this about once a year, but come on! It's cute.

I stamped with OPI - Uh Oh Roll Down the Window, the perfect ghoulish sludge green.

Lucas picked out the skulls from the Viva Mexico plate. I love this mani. 

I'll be wearing it for twice as long as usual. :)

And to make your night that much better, here's something very dear to my heart.
One of the best theme songs ever.



I LOVED Tales from the Crypt as a child.
So much fun. I'll have to watch a few tonight.
I suggest you do to. :)
Have a Happy Halloween!
jeebjeeb

The Obliteration Room

Hey all,

How are you doing on this wonderful hump day?

I must say that I've been feeling really great lately. Despite life's trials and tribulations. 

Just because I'm mentally good, doesn't mean everything's been easy peasy. Life isn't easy. (Should it be?)

But I'm dealing better. I'm feeling secure in myself. And, my god, it feels great!

Even the dwindling sunlight and the creeping chill of autumn isn't getting me down.

But seasons are merely a temporal distraction anyway.

Because it keeps getting warmer and brighter inside my mind.

Today I would like to share a Yayoi Kusama art installation with you.

The Obliteration Room

The interior of a house was constructed in the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, everything painted white.

Children visiting the gallery were then given colourful dot stickers to put where they please.

Over the course of two weeks this is what happened...

I think it's quite a breath taking piece. I love the contrast of the blank sterility and the colourful chaos.

Perfect inspiration for a manicure.

This manicure was a lot of fun. I did it a month or so ago while hanging out with my little brother.

He said I matched the colours well and gave me a thumbs up, so I'm happy. 

What do you think?

I used Zoya - Purity as my base

And dotted with Sally Hansen - Lickety Split  Lime & Brisk Blue

Barry M - Dragonfruit & Satsuma and Nubar - Resort Yellow

Here's the song that's been stuck in my head all day.

Hope you enjoy the last 3 days of summer.

jeebjeeb

Vacation 3-for-1

 Hey all,

I'm back from vacation!
I got some much needed r & r in the country.
Swimming in the lake was the best part. I'm a water baby, but lakes are my favourite.
We made lots of yummy food and watched fun movies. I crochted like crazy.
And I managed to finish the book I started the day we arrived!
So satisfying. The book was a pretty meh Stephen King, but overall a fun read.

I went away with Dagadelic, so you know manicures were afoot.
Deciding which polishes to bring was a bit painstaking, but I managed to narrow it down to 7.
And wouldn't you know it, used them all! So pleased.

First up
Pretty & Polished - Tomboyish & Zoya - Purity

Tomboyish is a colour changing polish. I used it once before in this manicure.

It was so warm out I was unable to capture it in it's cold state. But you can see the difference from the bottle.

I love this polish either way. In the lake, however, I had an awesome gradient going.

Just the thing to space out on while drifting away.

Next up, I brought a few of my most summery shades.

piCture pOlish - Citrus

The Nail Junkie - Watermelon 

 Zoya - Reagan

I used citrus as a base and then sponged with all three

for the ultimate summer gradient...

I was so happy with this one. It's the gradient I've been dreaming of for weeks. Sunsets and popsicles.

Just a hint of Watermelon's shimmer running throughout. I wont soon forget this one.

Last but not least I have 

Enchanted Polish - Congratulations & Nubar - Resort Yellow

I LOVE this yellow. I have found my perfect shade.

Not too golden. Not too neon. Juuust right.

And Congratulations? Well I think "holy crap" is the best way to describe it.

This disco fantastic manicure knocked my socks off.

Resort Yellow took 3 coats, but look at how perfect it is!

I'd have to say this one is my favourite of the three. What about you?

I'm back to work tomorrow. Trying not to think about it.

At least I know I'll have nail mail to look forward to ;)

Have a great night and an awesome manicure

jeebjeeb

Citronite

Hey all,

Just a quicky today :P I'm spent.

So I arrange my polish by brand...

And I've had these two babies sitting next to each other for a while now...

It just made sense. You know?

But now when I look at it...

All I can think...

...is carrots.

piCture pOlish - citrus & kryptonite

Not that I hate carrots. Or this manicure. It just wasn't as I expected. 

I hope everyone's having a great ... Tuesday -_- 

A week and a half and I go on vacation.

Time is going too slowly.

Have a great night and an always awesome manicure.

jeebjeeb

Summer PixieDust Colour Blocking

Hey all,

I don't know about you, but I've really been enjoying this summer. It's been absolutely fantastic! 

And like when I was in school, I never think about it's imminent departure.

I try to live each day totally embracing the season at that moment.

But now everyone's getting excited about the latest fall collections.

Deep, dark and rich colours... Velvety shimmer...

But wait. Hold up everybody.

It's still summer.

I refuse to contemplate anything fall related until September 22nd.

Until then I'm putting my beautifully manicured fingers in my ears and chanting "summer will last forever"

On that note... 

I've been ignoring my Summer PixieDusts. So I decided to give them a little lovin.

Glistening summer fantastic! These colours are gorgeous together.

Bright, bold and sparkling, just like a beautiful summer day.

I think they turned out quite fabulous. Very retro, my co-worker said.

What do you think of my textured summer fun?

And are you holding on to summer or hoping for fall?

Zoya - Solange, Beatrix & Destiny

Let's Spin a Yarn...

Here's some shots of the shawl I've been working on.

I'm in love <3 I mean, I fall in love with everything I make. 

But this is one's for me :) I'm keeping my baby!

Bored yet?

I hope everyone's having a good week. Tomorrow's Friday!!

Tomorrow is also my best work girlfriend's last day at work. It's kind of sad. But life is change. She needs change. 

Instead of having a work friend, I'll have a friend. Five years of hanging out 5 days a week doesn't just disappear.

But that's just it. Five days a week. You get so used to it. And it makes things way more fun.

Candy, if you ever read this...I'm going to miss your bitchy presence so much. 

All the lunches, phone calls, and chats with Paul made the last 5 years a blast. 

I'm so glad Army of Darkness lead to our "unlikely" duo.  

Bruce Campbell, tea and bitchiness forever!

Have a great night and an awesome manicure.

jeebjeeb

piCture pOlish - Citrus

Hey all,

Two posts in one day?! What in the heck?

I just really want to catch up. :)

And this polish speaks for itself!

I've been having a fantasy love affair lately.

After countlessly drooling over this Pointless Cafe swatch I could no longer stand it!

piCture pOlish - Citrus had to be mine!

It is the perfect orange! 

Very opaque and incredibly saturated,
piCture pOlish does not disappoint with this creme formula.

Lucas always comments on the lack of orange in my collection. 

It's not for lack of trying, but generally I find them to be too sheer, streaky and watery.

Not this time. Complete satisfaction!

I was feeling the citrus vibe and used stripping tape to create an accent with Sally Hansen - Lickety Split Lime

These colours are so perfect together. I see a gradient in their future :)

I'm so excited for Wednesday :D 

One of my favourite bands is coming to town!

The Heartless Bastards!

They are so awesome live, I cannot wait. 

And I get to share it with some of my favourite people.

 They've never seen them before :) Oh are they in for a treat.

Here's a treat for all of you. Skin and Bone, my favourite song off their newest album.

Enjoy!

Have a great night!

jeebjeeb

Electric Orange

Hey all,
Like I mentioned last post, I'm super excited about this manicure. :)
On Friday I received my order from Born Pretty Store! I had totally forgotten about it, honestly. It took almost a month, coming from Hong Kong. But it was well worth the wait. I ordered a roll of striping tape & a set of 3D filmo fruit! I am completely in love with the fruit. They're so detailed and colorful. I had to use them right away.

So I was sitting, staring at my stash for a good twenty minutes, numb with possibilities. Which fruit of the 12? With which colours? What the hell!? Thankfully my boyfriend, Lucas, pointed me in the right direction. He always helps me out of my indecision. We enjoy the same taste in aesthetic, so I know his ideas will work. He told me to use the new tape and start with the oranges. The rest just fell into place.

I absolutely adore this manicure. It's so much fun. 

The tape was super easy to use and better quality than other kinds I've tried. 

And the little oranges are so perfect!

What do you think?

I used Essie - Orange, it's Obvious! (hate the name) as my base

& Zoya - Raven to do the tape job

Once it was dry I glued the orange down with Seche Vite and covered it in a layer to keep it set

I can't wait to use the watermelons in the summer, and apples in the fall. They're just so amazingly cute!

This manicure received a 100% satisfaction rating from Kit-Kat.

Can't argue with results :)

Muse-ic

The other day I realized I haven't had Nina Hagen on my ipod for over two years. Shocking! Nina Hagen has always been in my life. My father played the hell out of her albums, I think he has a crush on her. Hell, I know I do! Nina is the ideal woman. Strong, unique, very loud AND backed by a killer band.

If you don't know who Nina is, you're in for a treat. You don't need to speak German to understand how much she rocks! Enjoy!

Hope everyone's having a great Sunday. I've got the little brother over for an afternoon hockey game and breakfast for lunch! Mmmmm... bacon and hockey.... drooling...

But I must run, the game's about to begin!

Have a great day and an awesome manicure!

jeebjeeb