5-Speed Transmission

So I’ve decided to start participating in some challenges and events and such run by other bloggers in order to start making some new blogging friends. I’ve also discovered reddit for those same purposes, but that is a whole ‘nother story.

This is an event run by blogger Polly Polish, and this time’s theme is the number five. This was actually a surprisingly challenging theme for me, because I wanted to do something different but still visually appealing. I’m not in love with the manicure I settled on, but at least it’s different and creative.

The most common manual transmission is the 5-speed transmission! This timing was perfect because I actually ended up having a friend offer to teach me to drive stick the same day I did them. I ended up turning down the offer cause finals be crazy (sorry dude), but the timing was still cool. Hypothetically my nails would have matched the activity.

So I painted the gear shift on one nail, gears on another and attempted to use various stamps as tire tracks to create the rest.

Smeared the tire tracks on my first finger with acetone to make them look a little more realistic and a little less like lace.

I re-did the gear shift nail about 4 times and I still don’t love it, but oh my goodness, do I love those gears!

Then I decided to get all artsy and take pictures of me holding a gear stick. Obviously my car is an automatic (or I wouldn’t need someone to teach me how to drive stick), so I kind of miss dating the last guy I was with because that would be a great way to start a conversation, “Hey, can I come over so I can take pictures of me holding your shifter?” Innuendo or not, that is confusing!. But alas, I am impatient and no longer dating him so I just took pictures in my own car.

The picture actually turned out pretty well I think. Despite the fact that holding a gear stick with your right hand is exceedingly unnatural.

MORE IMPORTANTLY than my manicure theme, is the fact that I have been lemming for OPI My Vampire is Buff and I finally got it! It was at this weird beauty outlet store in the mall where they also had, wait for it, SECHE COLORED NAIL POLISH! Apparently Seche (of Seche Vite, my favorite fast-drying topcoat) decided to start making colored polishes last November. I am soooo excited to try the one I got. I picked bright pink, because I’m hoping it’s a one-coater (c’mon, it’s Seche) and then I will have a pink I can use for stamping! I also got a bright gold I can actually do nail art with and a couple dark military greens. The store actually sold Kleancolor, which I have only ever seen sold on the internet, so that was cool. It was a really really good trip :)

Here are the looks created by the other bloggers. I really need to figure out how to reconfigure my blog so that it allows