Updates, anyone?

[boysenberry]

Haha, I'm doubting it'll happen on our anniversary. He asked for my work schedule and to let him know ASAP.. If it was happening on my anniversary, why would he need to know my work schedule for other days? Well, I got my manicure and pedicure yesterday, like I always do to treat myself after finals.. so I'm ready for close up handshots if necessary


Speaking of which.. are you suspecting ladies also getting your nails done often? How are you getting your nails done? Self/professional? What color? Long/short? Spill. My nails are super short from biting them during the last few weeks of school.. and they're cherry red.

Hahaha I have definitely thought about this. IMO, nothing beats french manicure for elegant hand shots, but they look best with long nails and I hate keeping my nails long. I usually do my nails myself every week, rotating colors, but I have been considering going professional more frequently since my cuticles get so dry in the winter. Manicures are actually pretty cheap where I am ($ but I fear SO will get suspicious if I go every week (we live together so he is aware that I do it myself)! You could always get a new mani after you get the proposal and snap pics then?
Love cherry red polish btw!

 

[pandabee]

You could just say you are just trying out new colors when you do your nails yourself! I almost always have my nails painted (not that SO would take particular notice if they were a special color or anything lol) but I try to keep them looking nice...lately I have had to stay away from the glittery colors but I think that it's time for me to break them out because 1) it's the holidays and 2) I don't have rotations this month so I don't have to be uber professional!!

 

[Chewbacca]

Ahh, I'm so confused with the new avatars!

As far as nails go, I do my own always. I never wear polish on my fingers but I shape them/buff them/oil cuticles. Polish always on my toes. I can leave the house without makeup on, but I CANNOT without my nails did!

I have a huge soft spot for hand shots with colour manis. I remember seeing a sapphire ering with an orange-red manicure.. perfection!

 

[star sparkle]

My nails are always done, too! When I was engaged my nails were painted with a DIY mani, and I thought they looked fab.

Talking about this is making me realize that I still don't know how I want my nails done for the wedding. Gah!!!

 

[boysenberry]

You could just say you are just trying out new colors when you do your nails yourself! I almost always have my nails painted (not that SO would take particular notice if they were a special color or anything lol) but I try to keep them looking nice...lately I have had to stay away from the glittery colors but I think that it's time for me to break them out because 1) it's the holidays and 2) I don't have rotations this month so I don't have to be uber professional!!

That is a great idea! Although I have such a large polish collection already SO would probably roll his eyes and say "really? don't you already have every color known to man?" What do guys know about nail polish anyway Speaking of glittery colors, I love OPI Rally Pretty Pink! http://www.alllacqueredup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/opi-rally-pretty-pink-swatch-glam-slam-serena-williams.jpg

Ahh, I'm so confused with the new avatars!

As far as nails go, I do my own always. I never wear polish on my fingers but I shape them/buff them/oil cuticles. Polish always on my toes. I can leave the house without makeup on, but I CANNOT without my nails did!

I have a huge soft spot for hand shots with colour manis. I remember seeing a sapphire ering with an orange-red manicure.. perfection!

Teach me your ways! I am all about the pretty colors and not enough about taking good care of my cuticles or spending time shaping my nails. As for orange-red color, OPI Deutsch Want Me Baby might be my favorite shade this fall. http://pamperedandpolished.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DeutschYou.jpg

(Do you guys see the depth of my nail polish addiction yet?)

 

[star sparkle]

That is a great idea! Although I have such a large polish collection already SO would probably roll his eyes and say "really? don't you already have every color known to man?" What do guys know about nail polish anyway Speaking of glittery colors, I love OPI Rally Pretty Pink! http://www.alllacqueredup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/opi-rally-pretty-pink-swatch-glam-slam-serena-williams.jpg

Ah, that is GORGEOUS!!

I'm currently wearing Essie Wrapped in Rubies, which I love for this time of year!

 

[boysenberry]

I'm currently wearing Essie Wrapped in Rubies, which I love for this time of year!

That's beautiful! I love Essie's colors but why must they make their brushes so tiny and so impossible to apply without streaks! /rant

 

[star sparkle]

I'm currently wearing Essie Wrapped in Rubies, which I love for this time of year!

That's beautiful! I love Essie's colors but why must they make their brushes so tiny and so impossible to apply without streaks! /rant

Lol, I ALWAYS have streaks on the first coat no matter what brand. Essie is my go-to, but I also love OPI. All streaks disappear after the second coat.

 

[audball]

Ah, that is GORGEOUS!!

I'm currently wearing Essie Wrapped in Rubies, which I love for this time of year!

I LOVE THAT COLOR! WOW!

 

[pandabee]

OOh pretty color star sparkle!

boysenberry, you have no idea...I will post a picture of my nail polish collection in the mani thread

 

[audball]

Haha, I'm doubting it'll happen on our anniversary. He asked for my work schedule and to let him know ASAP.. If it was happening on my anniversary, why would he need to know my work schedule for other days? Well, I got my manicure and pedicure yesterday, like I always do to treat myself after finals.. so I'm ready for close up handshots if necessary


Speaking of which.. are you suspecting ladies also getting your nails done often? How are you getting your nails done? Self/professional? What color? Long/short? Spill. My nails are super short from biting them during the last few weeks of school.. and they're cherry red.

I'm suspecting it but I don't normally get my nails done so I doubt I'll be doing them preemptively! I already told Andrew that I'm splurging for a gel manicure done professional after the fact! Gotta make the nails look good for SMTB pics and sharing with family/friends!

 

[boysenberry]

Haha, I'm doubting it'll happen on our anniversary. He asked for my work schedule and to let him know ASAP.. If it was happening on my anniversary, why would he need to know my work schedule for other days? Well, I got my manicure and pedicure yesterday, like I always do to treat myself after finals.. so I'm ready for close up handshots if necessary


Speaking of which.. are you suspecting ladies also getting your nails done often? How are you getting your nails done? Self/professional? What color? Long/short? Spill. My nails are super short from biting them during the last few weeks of school.. and they're cherry red.

I'm suspecting it but I don't normally get my nails done so I doubt I'll be doing them preemptively! I already told Andrew that I'm splurging for a gel manicure done professional after the fact! Gotta make the nails look good for SMTB pics and sharing with family/friends!

Ooh I'm really curious about gel manis. They look awesome but I am scared of UV lamps and acetone baths

 

[star sparkle]

Ooh I'm really curious about gel manis. They look awesome but I am scared of UV lamps and acetone baths

Gel manis are the bomb diggity (oh gosh, I did not just type that)! I've gotten them a bunch of times and I just love how durable and shiny they are! They usually last me three weeks.

Acetone baths? I use cotton balls to get it off.

 

[audball]

Ooh I'm really curious about gel manis. They look awesome but I am scared of UV lamps and acetone baths

Gel manis are the bomb diggity (oh gosh, I did not just type that)! I've gotten them a bunch of times and I just love how durable and shiny they are! They usually last me three weeks.

Acetone baths? I use cotton balls to get it off.

Ditto!

 

[maccers]

Hi ladies!

Hopefully this doesn't end up as a double post - I've had a few problems posting today.

So, my BF just texted me a picture of a Fed Ex box that arrived today, it has my JbEG OEC in it! Eeep!

I have butterflies, I'm nervous that my expectations are unrealistic. I've spent a lot of time looking at the JbEG pictures, zooming in and out, checking out the OEC super close up, however, the diamond is going to be waaaay smaller than those pictures. I'm not sure if I 'get' that I'm probably not going to see all those fine details in RL.

Anyway, I built a small light box/light diffuser last night and learned how to find the macro setting on my camera so hopefully I'll have some decent pictures to post for you all!

 

[pandabee]

Ooh I'm really curious about gel manis. They look awesome but I am scared of UV lamps and acetone baths

Gel manis are the bomb diggity (oh gosh, I did not just type that)! I've gotten them a bunch of times and I just love how durable and shiny they are! They usually last me three weeks.

Acetone baths? I use cotton balls to get it off.

Ditto!

thritto!! Only had gel manis done twice but I *loved* them. Best kind out there. I like the ones with a clear base because then it can grow out and get filled in easy (I am lazy hehe)

 

[pandabee]

Hi ladies!

Hopefully this doesn't end up as a double post - I've had a few problems posting today.

So, my BF just texted me a picture of a Fed Ex box that arrived today, it has my JbEG OEC in it! Eeep!

I have butterflies, I'm nervous that my expectations are unrealistic. I've spent a lot of time looking at the JbEG pictures, zooming in and out, checking out the OEC super close up, however, the diamond is going to be waaaay smaller than those pictures. I'm not sure if I 'get' that I'm probably not going to see all those fine details in RL.

Anyway, I built a small light box/light diffuser last night and learned how to find the macro setting on my camera so hopefully I'll have some decent pictures to post for you all!

omg yayyyy how exciting!!! It is pretty crazy how much smaller they are in real life after seeing those amazing macro shots online....but I'm sure it'll be a fireball either way!

 

[madelise]

Haha, I'm doubting it'll happen on our anniversary. He asked for my work schedule and to let him know ASAP.. If it was happening on my anniversary, why would he need to know my work schedule for other days? Well, I got my manicure and pedicure yesterday, like I always do to treat myself after finals.. so I'm ready for close up handshots if necessary


Speaking of which.. are you suspecting ladies also getting your nails done often? How are you getting your nails done? Self/professional? What color? Long/short? Spill. My nails are super short from biting them during the last few weeks of school.. and they're cherry red.

I'm suspecting it but I don't normally get my nails done so I doubt I'll be doing them preemptively! I already told Andrew that I'm splurging for a gel manicure done professional after the fact! Gotta make the nails look good for SMTB pics and sharing with family/friends!

Ooh I'm really curious about gel manis. They look awesome but I am scared of UV lamps and acetone baths

I have my own UV lamp. I use sunblock before I use the lamp. I use the sunblock in place of lotion when I'm doing my self manicures, then wipe off the nail bed with alcohol to clean it for polish. When I remove them, I take cotton balls, and spread them thin like this:



then I cover them up with aluminum foil, like this:




It comes right off. The skin around will be dried from the acetone, but it's nothing lotion can't fix. I figure doing this about once every few weeks is better than using regular polish 2-3x a week, since I can't get that stuff to last on me more than a day!

 

[madelise]

Hi ladies!

Hopefully this doesn't end up as a double post - I've had a few problems posting today.

So, my BF just texted me a picture of a Fed Ex box that arrived today, it has my JbEG OEC in it! Eeep!

I have butterflies, I'm nervous that my expectations are unrealistic. I've spent a lot of time looking at the JbEG pictures, zooming in and out, checking out the OEC super close up, however, the diamond is going to be waaaay smaller than those pictures. I'm not sure if I 'get' that I'm probably not going to see all those fine details in RL.

Anyway, I built a small light box/light diffuser last night and learned how to find the macro setting on my camera so hopefully I'll have some decent pictures to post for you all!

omg yayyyy how exciting!!! It is pretty crazy how much smaller they are in real life after seeing those amazing macro shots online....but I'm sure it'll be a fireball either way!

I forget how big your center stone is, but yes, the bigger the stone, the more obvious the cut pattern. Another prob with looking at diamonds online is that you think they're huge cus of the screen. You'll be fine. Get yourself a macro lens and loupe, and you'll baby that thing so much! I love looking into my diamonds, all close to my eyes, so I can see the pretty patterning.

Also have lots of fun in colorful environments to reflect colors at. I once had sushi at a darkish restaurant with my friend and her fiancé. The fiancé thought I had scored a PINK diamond because my diamond was reflecting my pink shirt the whole night. A few days ago, I was at a cafe with bright orange and green walls. I took a few photos and looked like a crazy PS'er, taking pics of my diamond at specific angles in public

You'll fall in love with it, I swear.

Please post pics soon, I'm already looking forward to them!!!!

 

[boysenberry]

Ooh I'm really curious about gel manis. They look awesome but I am scared of UV lamps and acetone baths

Gel manis are the bomb diggity (oh gosh, I did not just type that)! I've gotten them a bunch of times and I just love how durable and shiny they are! They usually last me three weeks.

Acetone baths? I use cotton balls to get it off.

Ditto!

thritto!! Only had gel manis done twice but I *loved* them. Best kind out there. I like the ones with a clear base because then it can grow out and get filled in easy (I am lazy hehe)

Ooh thanks everyone for the vote of confidence re: gel manis. I think I'll give it a try closer to when I expect the ring hehe

 

[MayFlowers]

madelise, I am so excited for you! I really hope he does it during the meteor shower. That would be so awesome!!

AFM, I think I am going to be waiting a little while longer. Our stove ended up breaking and so we decided to just go ahead and buy all new appliances. Because of this, money is a little tight and I'm pretty sure that BF is going to wait until he knows for sure that we don't need to dip into our savings (despite all the numbers I have given him). So, I doubt he will do it before Christmas. I'm a little disappointed, but there's not much else I can do.

I have a bunch of stuff coming up this weekend for work that is due on Monday and I have been really stressed about it. I should really be working on stuff now but I would much rather catch up on my LIW news for now I stayed late at school today to try to work on stuff there, but a co-worker discovered me and ended up talking to me for an hour and a half and I accomplished NOTHING! She is one of those people who you just can't get away from once she has decided to talk to you. Hopefully, the rest of tonight and tomorrow will be more productive.

 

[starrylight]

Make sure to apply sunblock to your fingers if you're using the UV lamps! Its been shown to make your fingers wrinkly. And as a chemist, acetone baths make me go so the cotton swabs are a great idea. Although I'm also not sure about the foil because it might be helping trap the acetone vapors in the vicinity of your fingers when it evaporates. Next to a fan would probably work better for your health.

 

[boysenberry]

madelise, what gel mani system do you use at home? I've been reading about them and thinking of buying one to try. Do the LED lamps work as well as UV (they seem less scary to me)?

And in general what cuticle oils are best? Is there a difference?

Man I thought I had a lot of nail polish but you guys are showing me to be a real newbie!

 

[audball]

Great news! Andrew's telephone interview went well and he's moving on to the next round!!

He is done with everything for the term except for one final (Tuesday) and graduates a week from tomorrow.

The next round of will be three separate interviews at two different locations each lasting ~1-1.5 hours. They'll set it up sometime next week! Keep the PS dust coming!

 

[madelise]

madelise, what gel mani system do you use at home? I've been reading about them and thinking of buying one to try. Do the LED lamps work as well as UV (they seem less scary to me)?

And in general what cuticle oils are best? Is there a difference?

Man I thought I had a lot of nail polish but you guys are showing me to be a real newbie!

I just bought whatever UV lamp off of amazon for <$50. I couldn't afford spending more for an LED, though my friend swears by it. I kinda regret not forking over the $ since I'd use it more often if it was faster! LEDs supposedly cure the gel polish in like seconds.. versus the few minutes between each coat using a UV lamp.

I have used a few different systems, but prefer Harmony Gelish best. Do not buy the Opi brand gel system or CND. I've tossed every other brand other than Gelish.. I'm scared to waste more money on others.


I don't know about cuticle oils, sorry. I use 100% organic argan oil to mix in my lotions, for my hair, and I also use that for my nails.

 

[boysenberry]

madelise, what gel mani system do you use at home? I've been reading about them and thinking of buying one to try. Do the LED lamps work as well as UV (they seem less scary to me)?

And in general what cuticle oils are best? Is there a difference?

Man I thought I had a lot of nail polish but you guys are showing me to be a real newbie!

I just bought whatever UV lamp off of amazon for <$50. I couldn't afford spending more for an LED, though my friend swears by it. I kinda regret not forking over the $ since I'd use it more often if it was faster! LEDs supposedly cure the gel polish in like seconds.. versus the few minutes between each coat using a UV lamp.

I have used a few different systems, but prefer Harmony Gelish best. Do not buy the Opi brand gel system or CND. I've tossed every other brand other than Gelish.. I'm scared to waste more money on others.


I don't know about cuticle oils, sorry. I use 100% organic argan oil to mix in my lotions, for my hair, and I also use that for my nails.

I just bought the Sensationail starter kit from Drugstore.com because it is on sale for $35!
http://www.drugstore.com/sensationail-gel-polish-starter-kit-scarlet-red/qxp402271?catid=196090

I read some mixed reviews about the polish but at the very least $35 is a good deal for a LED lamp!
I also got the Gelish foundation and top coat from Amazon... Have you tried "sandwiching" regular polish with it? That way I won't have to invest in a whole new collection of polish...
I am excited, thank you for enabling the nail addiction

 

[mary poppins]

Great news! Andrew's telephone interview went well and he's moving on to the next round!!

He is done with everything for the term except for one final (Tuesday) and graduates a week from tomorrow.

The next round of will be three separate interviews at two different locations each lasting ~1-1.5 hours. They'll set it up sometime next week! Keep the PS dust coming!

Congratulations to Andrew for making the next round of interviews! I hope he gets the job. Sending dust his way.

 

[audball]

Congratulations to Andrew for making the next round of interviews! I hope he gets the job. Sending dust his way.

Thanks mp! We're all smiles today!

 

[maccers]

Audball -that's great news about the interview! Fingers crossed

Wow, everyone has SUCH nice nails. Unfortunately I have a tendency to bite and/or break mine. I'm going to have to work on that if I want some beautiful handshots. And I had NO IDEA the variety of nailpolish, that is mind-blowing. Another reason to quit biting my nails, that's for sure.

Ladies, I tried all night to get pictures of my OEC but it's impossible! BF and I spent several hours last night, playing with our two cameras (point and clicks unfortunately), his iPhone and my BB, all to no avail. We re-read the 'how to take pics of your diamond' thread but the problem seems to be an issue of getting the camera to focus on the diamond itself. We played with lighting, different macro settings, different backdrops, little flashlights for background light etc....I even made that little DIY light box-thingy, sigh. But in other news, the diamond exceeds my expectations - it has a hint of warmth (GIA stands I/J) which I LOVE and I had so much fun looking at it under different lighting conditions. I had it in the ring holder for most of the night because I was scared to take it out but finally I released it out of the holder and BAM! It was even more fantastic. I'm seriously reconsidering getting claw prongs on the tacori setting because I want the diamond to look as unemcumbered as possible.

I'm hoping I'll get better pictures tomorrow when I have daylight. Right now the sun doesn't come up until 830am when I'm already at work and the sunsets at 430pm before I'm home from work.

 

[audball]

Thanks maccers! We're totally all smiles today. The PS Dust is helping!!

And that's great that you're so smitten with the stone! I'm so happy for you! Taking pictures of stones is hard work. It just takes practice. Keep trying! You'll get the hang of it. My camera is just a point and shoot too, it takes a very steady hand on a macro setting and taking 100 to get a few good ones.

Taking pics of loose stones is even harder. After a few hours and a few hundred shots, this was one of the few pics of my stone loose that I was able to get.