Last month, Geek Girl Brunch Miami hosted its second brunch and the ladies chose Sherlock as the theme. The Local House in Miami Beach was nice enough to host our event, and we even had a special surprise for all our brunchettes: free mini-manicures with Sherlock-themed nail art! Overall, it was a really great morning and I absolutely love how much our girls get along! If you are in the area, definitely sign up – we have so many fun events planned this summer and we’d love to have you join!
So if you follow me on Instagram, you know that I took on not one, but TWO themed parties in the span of a week. Some may call it crazy, I call it a challenge. First off was our Great Gatsby New Years Eve bash. I had a lot of fun decorating our place with glitter, sequins and fringe, but lets be honest. What gets me most excited are the themed mani’s that come along with events!
I didn’t have a whole lot of time, so I had to look over great tutorials, such as this one, before settling on the one you see above (reference). I have to say that it was a super easy manicure to achieve and it looked fantastic! I was complimented on it for days afterwards and it held up nicely.
Gatsby Nails
Two coats of Essie‘s Shifting Power
Two coats of China Glaze‘s Smoke & Ashes, stopping a little short to create the reverse french effect
One heaping coat of Sally Hansen‘s Big Matte Top Coat only over the black portion
Only a few days later, we hosted a viewing party for the new series of BBC’s Sherlock, which I can honestly say is my new favorite show. I have an unhealthy addiction to it and just can’t get enough. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt the fangirl burn inside of me so bright! Of course, I would have these feelings for a show that only airs 3 episodes every 2 years. I hate you, Moffat. But all that aside: FINGERNAILS (reference).
Sherlock Nails
One coat of Sinful Colors‘ Snow Me White (or any white polish) over all fingers except your accent
Three coats of Essie‘s Bouncer It’s Me on all nails
Create the Union Jack on your accent nail using a toothpick (it works even better than my dotting tools!)
For the red, I used Essie‘s Aperitif
Also, remember to exercise patience while trying to pull off these manicures. I often do not succeed, but I’m trying my best to learn to sit still! Doing nail art while watching a movie or TV show tends to help keep me occupied.
1. Party nails; So I am just not impressed with Essie’s new formulas lately! This is the second time I try a new summer shade (in this case, DJ Play That Song) where I have to apply a ton of coats for it to only be semi-opaque. What’s going on! So not impressed. I decided to add a party nail (because, well, why not) using O.P.I.’s The Living Daylights. They just blow Essie out of the water with their glitters, don’t they?
2. Leopard mani; I was SO excited to try this fabulous manicure from the lovely Jen Fabulous. It was so much fun to recreate, especially now that I have dotting tools! I first did an ombre over the nails and then used the tools to make the leopard spots randomly throughout the nails. I got so many compliments from strangers with this one – I can’t wait to do it again!
3. The Big Blue; Hated it! Yet another Essie flop this month. When I saw Bouncer It’s Me sitting on the shelves, I HAD to have it. It looked so vibrant and perfect for the summer. When it went on though, it was a different story. So blah and flat. I was not impressed. I actually liked it a lot better on my toes than on my nails. The more I try these neons, the more I think that they need to be layered over a white base to really have the impact they are meant to have.
4. Little Mermaid nails; This was yet another fun Jen Fabulous nail tutorial. Of course, Jen’s looked glorious, while mine looked…questionable at best. I was headed to Disney for Labor Day weekend, so I definitely wanted a Disney-inspired manicure. After several failed Mickey silhouettes, I decided to try my hand at this Little Mermaid one. Things were looking great until Ariel’s seashell bikini top. Oops.
This past weekend, I threw a Hunger Games themed birthday party for one of my closest friends, Lori. We gathered a group of hardcore fans of the book series and headed to see the film at Cinebistro with matching shirts that the hubs designed before heading over to our house to celebrate. I worked really hard on all the details, with help from the hubs and the bestie, and I was so happy with the way things turned out.
As for the movie, I think they did a good job. But, of course, a movie will never be as wonderful as a book. Never. Unfortunately, I think their biggest downfall was character development. There were a lot of relationships that were not delved into as they should have been and remained pretty superficial, but the acting was absolutely amazing. Jennifer Lawrence is my girl, yo.
For more party details, click below.