Day2JNAC: 13 Days of January Nail Art Challenge - Happiness

So apparently I can't read and thought today's prompt was a tape mani.  Whoops!  BUT french tips *do* make me happy, so this still counts, right?  This was my first time using decorative tape so I still need some practice on using it right.  Also had trouble getting it to stick.  And WOW I did not realize how poor a clean-up job I did - once again that darn camera is unforgiving, huh?!

Although I prefer to freehand french tips, I used some tape guides to help me create tips on three nails, and accented my pointer with two strips of silver decorative tape.  I used BEWBS! and Ashes Ashes for the mani, both by Darling Diva.  Formulas are on the thicker side, but boy are they rich, deep colors kissed by holo.  Despite the formulas being a smidgen thick, it creates a solid finish - almost reminiscent of rubbery, perhaps - that is not prone to chippage.  The following are indoor pics from tonight, I'll do outdoor pics tomorrow if my mani survives well enough.

And outdoor pics in the shade!  With a JUICY bottle shot of BEWBS.

An InLinkz Link-up

Day1CNT: 13 Days of January Nail Art Challenge - Follow A Tutorial

BKD Signature is participating in its first ever nail art challenge!  I'm joining a group of lovely bloggers in showcasing some gorgeous polishes and stunning nail art skills.  Of course, not MY stunning nail art skills, so this is a fun challenge I'm participating in to expand my skillset and challenge myself.  You can admire everyone else's beautiful works and giggle at my attempts. ;)  But most importantly, say hi to some awesome indie polishes!  My goal is to try to stick to only using handmade lacquer.

Today is Day One of The Thirteen Days of January Nail Art Challenge or #Day1CNT!  Today's theme is Follow A Tutorial.  I found inspiration from one of my awesome blogger friends, Chalkboard Nails.  I followed her ruffian mani, which you can find on Instagram.

I used NailNation 3000 "The High Life" under Girly Bits Limited Edition "Joyeux Noël".  I did this quick mani after a long day at work so please excuse the poor lighting.  I prefer to snap my mani's under natural light, but I figured moonlight wasn't enough. ;)  I'll snap better ones tomorrow and edit this post.

The High Life is a gorgeous yellow gold chock full of holo.  Joyeux Noël is a stunning magenta-leaning red with microglitter.  Had some trouble getting the NN3000 to dry (usually indies dry on my nails crazy fast), but the formula and brush were awesome for application.  The Girly Bits dried fairly quickly and also had nice application, as is my experience with GB.  Because I am not good at freehand, I used french tip nail guides to help me (which I could use practice applying).  However, I AM proud to say that my using polishes with amazing application leads to almost zero need for clean-up!

Edited to include some photos I took outdoors next day.  In the shade, in the backyard.

An InLinkz Link-up

Over 70% Off Hundreds of Items + Great News!

RELAUNCH CLEARANCE!!! For those of you who've been with us for a while know that back in March we had to take a forced semi-hiatus due to unfortunate personal circumstances.  While we were devastated to do so, we took advantage of the situation to work behind the scenes on revamping our brand to be even better for you.  New supplies, new labeling, new packaging. Now, we are ecstatic to announce that our personal circumstances have changed and we can start working towards acquiring a new place for our small handmade business!  We're beyond stoked to reveal and relaunch.  However, in order for that to happen, we first need to find new homes for all of our wonderful "old" inventory that doesn't fit the new look so we can start with a fresh clean slate of consistency. Over 70% Off Hundreds of Items We have posted items for sale on both Etsy and Facebook!  Several hundred items have been posted between the two, but HURRY because these goodies have been going quickly!  Products are priced at an unbelievable 70+% off, meaning price points between $5 and $7.50!  It is our way of saying THANK YOU for being so supporting during our semi-hiatus. FULL DISCLOSURE:  We keep samples of our products on hand to continuously monitor for quality control.  We were heartbroken to discover recently that a couple of our nail polish pendants had turned yellow, particularly ones with white or sky blue.  We believe we've identified the problem as our handmade water-based glaze interacting with the polish over time, and immediately switched to a non-water-based glaze to ensure this no longer happens.  One of the pillars of our business is providing you with handmade works of art that will last a lifetime - we are devastated to think we have not delivered on our ideals and guarantee.  Remember, we are always open to feedback so please feel free to e-mail us if you have questions or suggestions regarding your future purchases.

Kiva - Supporting Small Businesses

Have you heard of Kiva?  I hope so.  Kiva.org is a great initiative online that seeks to provide loans to individuals and small businesses trying to work hard to overcome the poverty in which they live.  Persons and groups seek loans for things such as education, their handmade or small business, arts, etc. Being a handmade small business owner myself, I understand the importance and impact of supporting this non-profit organization.  For as little as $25 you can support the story of your choice.  Until tomorrow at midnight, your donation to a woman in Asia will be matched.  Simply look for the (x2) badge to see which loans qualify for this amazing offer.  Go here to get started!  By using my affiliate link, I will receive a $25 credit, which means your loan will have TRIPLE the impact!  Isn't that awesome?!

Monday Mani: Colors by Llarowe in Nice Melons!

Today's handmade polish mani features Colors by Llarowe in Nice Melons! (from the Summer 2014 collection), a 5-free indie nail polish company located in Colorado.

Right now I have nubbins, which I hate, so I decided I needed to celebrate with a nice juicy color before fall sets in here.  I forgot at the time I picked it out, but I've actually already worn this color before.  Doesn't matter, though, because it's SO amazing!  I love me some coral palettes, and Nice Melons! from Colors by Llarowe captures the yumminess of a cantaloupe while also looking coral-y.  In low lights, it leans pink, but in warmer lighting it leans orange.  LOVE IT.  Plus it's *holo* and what's there not to love about that?  Colors by Llarowe applies beautifully on my nails and dries fast with my body chemistry.  As always, I use Zoya Anchor and Zoya Armor as my bottom and top coats, respectfully.

These photos were taken outside on an overcast day to demonstrate the polish's midrange tones of color.

Disclaimer:  All products were purchased with my own money.  All reviews and opinions are my own. Not affiliated with Colors by Llarowe or Llarowe.com.

Monday Mani: #fightforlightandlive and Girly Bits

Yesterday afternoon I discovered the #fightforlightandlive and #depressionawareness mani movement on Facebook.  Being a mental health professional first and foremost, I didn't want to miss out on participating.  I figured better late than never!

I had just opened up my three Mystery Bags from an exclusive sample sale for group members that handmade indie polish maker Girly Bits ran earlier this month.  The bags contained OOAKs, Oops, Prototypes, Testers, Discontinueds, and the like.  Among them was a beautiful green/purple holo duochrome (if I'm guessing correctly) and I thought it perfect to try out since it was a newbie and green.

While I had some application and drying issues - an anticipated risk of mystery samples - that affected clean up and appearance, it is quite the lovely color.  If the application issues were worked out (which may be the reason it didn't make it into production), I think this prototype would turn into a huge hit!  Next time I think I will build with super thin coats as I think I was a little overzealous with my painting.  This is two semi-thick coats with Zoya's Anchor and Armor.

Sadly, my camera was NOT cooperating with capturing the purple side of it.  When I walk into full sun, it turns into a full blown muted purple shade and the holo lights up.  While the naked eye can clearly see it, my camera clearly cannot.  Which is SO unfortunate because I wish I could easily show you how dynamic a color this is!  Instead, I tried my best with different lighting and angles in hopes of highlighting its beauty.

Post in the comments below what you think of the color!  And, please, help fight stigma surrounding mental illness and become an advocate for changing society's perspective.  Visit your local community agency or NAMI chapter, and help educate yourself and others about mental illness disorders.  Together we can #stampoutstigma and be agents for change!

Shade lighting

Direct sun lighting

(aka when my camera should have captured the purple instead)

Indirect sun lighting

(trying to capture the purple at a new angle)

Indirect sun lighting

Indirect sun lighting

(can see the purple a little bit)

Disclaimer:  All products were purchased with my own money.  All reviews and opinions are my own. Not affiliated with Girly Bits.

How NOT to Nail a Sale at a Show and What You Should DO Instead

Being a successful handmade business owner means being subscribed to lots of e-mails filled with tons of advice from business experts around the globe in order to help you run your business in the best way possible for your customers.  Today I opened an e-mail from Tracy and Robin of Flourish & Thrive Academy that contained an anecdote about losing sales and advice about what to do to nail that sale at a show.  I have inserted it below because I just HAD to share it with you all: not only is it a good idea to constantly be gathering data and perspectives from your customers, but it's also important to constantly be evaluating what you're doing in your handmade business so that it's running at its optimum.

"I’m often seeking out vintage fine jewelry finds, I even showed up at a vintage jewelry show on the last day about 90 minutes before the show actually closed! I was amazed as I observed the “busy” booths and those that were “dead.”

I am obsessed with vintage jewelry. I collect it and I was trying to get in as much as I could. I found several pieces that I LOVED but wanted to think about. As I walked around, I heard a couple of people complaining about how terrible their sales were! In fact, I was STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO HER ABOUT TO ASK TO SEE SOMETHING in her case.

Guess what I did?

I walked away! Yep, she lost the sale.

I found another amazing ring from another dealer with a snake motif. She and her partner were packing up and could barely give me the time of day. I LOVED the ring I tried on and it was a perfect fit. However, her level of service was awful so guess what I did....

I walked away! Yep she lost the sale too!

Next, I moved on to another booth and asked to look at something. Before the guy even took the necklace out of the case, he told me the price...when I didn’t ask. I still looked but guess what I did…(personally, I find this sales tactic as a sales repellent)...

I walked away! Another sale lost!

I came across a really busy booth. The two owners were each chatting up clients. I found several things I loved and asked if I could snap a few photos of the pieces I liked. Immediately, the owner engaged me and said, “I can open the case if you’d like better photos.” I thanked her and pulled out several pairs of earrings and a few other things I loved.

I ended up purchasing a piece (after the show) and will definitely be purchasing from her again.

The question I ask you. What made this person different than the rest of the people?

They all had lovely jewelry, but were they really deserving of my business? Only 1 out of these 4 people benefitted from my spontaneous jaunt to the trade show and I was ready to drop some cash!

Here is the lesson:

• Make your clients feel important! They will remember and keep coming back for more.

• Don’t EVER start your first interaction with a client by talking about price. I mean EVER! It’s a huge turnoff.

• If they ask about price, talk about the benefits first, then tell them the price.

• People who really love your work don’t buy because of price it’s because they love YOU and the work.

• Anything can happen at the last minute, so don’t ignore the last minute stragglers. They could make or break your day!

• The most positive people always win, have the best sales and make the most income. Always!

…....Even if their products are average.

Energy and keeping up the momentum is the MOST important factor to the success of your jewelry business..."