NOTD: Patchwork using SH HD Laser

I haven't been posting very often. I was determined to do better in the new year, but I underestimated how little time I would have to blog with the new puppy. I spend all day chasing after Rosie and keeping her out of trouble. Then, I go to work and by the time I get home, the last thing I have time or energy for is sitting at the computer. But one look at her cute little face and it's all worth it. And once she grows up a bit, I'll have more time to focus on posting here. 

Rosie loves playing in (and eating) the snow.

Rosie and our older boxer, Sarge

Anyway, back to the nails. I was wearing SH HD in Laser the other day and I wanted to change my nails but was too lazy to remove it and start over. So I figured this was the perfect time to finally do a patchwork design. I used SH Xtreme Wear in Ocean View and NYC in Midtown to pick up the blue and purple/fuchsia duochrome of Laser. This was super easy to do with painter's tape, although you can see a couple spots where the polish leaked under the tape. I think it's straightforward enough that I don't have step-by-step pics, but if anyone wants to see a tutorial for this look, let me know in the comments.

NOTD: Pink + White Polka Dots

Today feels like a fuchsia day. I don't know why. I'm not even sure what that means. But if I had to choose a colour today, I would say fuchsia. So I started out painting my nails with Wet n Wild Frosted Fuchsia. I really love this colour. I've been searching for the perfect dark pink for a while. I have probably a dozen pinks but they're all too light so when I found Frosted Fuchsia for a buck at Walmart, I knew I had to give it a shot. And it's absolutely perfect. Dark but still bright with just enough purple/blue undertones without actually being purple.

It looked prettty on its own and with a top coat would have been just fine but of course I just couldn't leave it alone. So, I added white polka dots with fauxnad plate BM19.

To just look at my nails quickly, they look fine, but up close in this photo, I realize how badly the dots turned out. I used NYC Snow White. This isn't a very good polish for fauxnading. It's too thin and streaky. But I've had it for ages so I don't even know if they make it anymore anyway. That said, I think white designs look adorable on pink, so I'm definitely gonna be looking for a good white polish for fauxnading (without paying Konad $7 for special polish, hopefully).

I thought I might have a pink somewhat close to Frosted Fuchsia, so I went through my stash. But the closest is Xtreme Wear Hot Magenta. And they're not terribly similar. Frosted Fuchsia is quite a bit darker and has more blue in it. I'm sure if I wore them on consecutive days, most people wouldn't notice the change though, so I'll have to make sure I don't do back-to-back manis with them. 
edit: I totally just realized that I posted these swatches without saying which is which. Real helpful, right? Hot Magenta is on the left; Frosted Fuchsia, the right.

I know this has been pretty wordy, but one more thing: as much as I love the colour fuchsia, I can't stand the word. I always want to spell it fuschia. I know that doesn't even look like it could be spelled correctly, but neither does fuchsia. It doesn't even sound like a real word, let alone a gorgeous dark pink. That's just my rant for the day. :)