Green Cocktail & Lucky Nail Art

Hello lovelies!  Today I have a festive drink for St. Patrick's Day and some matching nail art!

To make the St. Patty's Day Cocktail,
You'll Need:
Cointreau
Blue Curacao
OJ

Make It!
Ingredients (couple glugs of each alcohol; equal amount of OJ).  Shaker with ice.  Shake.  Strain into a cocktail glass.

Photo found on Pinterest here

BONUS JELL-O SHOT RECIPE!  Lucky you!  Irish Car Bomb Jell-O Shot recipe?  Ohh yeahhh!  Click here
You have my boss to thank for sharing that gem with me on Facebook! loll

Annnnnd heres some nail art!

China Glaze In The Limelight

I started out with China Glaze In The Limelight as the base.  Then I wrote "LUCK" with a nail art pen I got for Christmas a few years ago.

China Glaze In The Limelight

I wanted to add a little more, so I dotted on a shamrock with Essie Good As Gold.  I just made three dots in a semi-heart-triangle-ish pattern.  Needs some practice compared to some other shamrock nail art I've seen over the past week.  Oh well.  I liked them!

LOOK!!! My elusive right hand!!  Haha.  I liked my LUCK nails so much, I decided to do my other hand also.  I made a large shamrock on my pointer.  It was horrible, so I covered it with Darling Diva Leprechaun's Gold that was sent to me by a lovely IG polish friend [Kayla - holla!! ;) ].  I did two baby shamrocks that turned out semi-okay, so I left them as is.  

Welp, that's all darlings!  I was going to do a mocktail recipe, but honestly, I forgot what day it was and I'm writing this up at 11:45 Thursday night and I want to go to sleep!! 

Stick around for Swatch Tuesday.  I'll be swatching & reviewing all seven of Stardust Polish's Alice in Wonderland collex.  Heck yes!!

Wasted Wednesday! Swervin' Mervin

To all you lucky bitches that DON'T have to work on this lovely day after Christmas, please enjoy one or seven of these for me!

To make a Swervin' Mervin,
You'll Need:
1/4 oz. Rum
1/4 oz. Gin
1/4 oz. Vodka
1/4 oz. Triple Sec
1/4 oz. Midori Melon Liqueur
OJ
Pineapple Juice
Grenadine
Ice

Make It!
In a shaker glass, combine all ingredients.  Shake well and serve over ice.  Enjoy!

Holy hell!  This posting every day really got me all confused with my days.  I have no idea why.  But I sure am thankful to be going back to three posts a week...possibly.  I may or may not have special shot recipes for New Year's hidden up my sleeve... muahahahahaa!! ;)

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12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! Day 12: Holly Day

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Photo found here.

To make a Holly Day,
You'll Need:
2 oz. Grape Vodka
1/2 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
Lemon Lime Soda
Ice
Mint (garnish)
Raspberries (garnish)

Make It!
Combine all ingredients but soda in a shaker.  Shake and strain into a glass.  Add mint and berries for garnish.
Drink recipe found on Pinterest.  Link to pin found here.

12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! Day 11: Winter Chill Cocktail

Photo found here.

To make a Winter Chill Cocktail,
You'll Need:
1 oz. Citrus Vodka
1 oz. Blue Curacao
1 oz. Lime Juice
1 oz. Triple Sec
Ice

Make It!
Combine ingredients in a shaker.  Shake and strain into a glass.
*Drink recipe found on Pinterest.  Link to pin found here.

12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! Day 10: Christmas Tingle

Photo found here.

To make a Christmas Tingle,
You'll Need:
3 parts Hard Apple Cider
1 part Pineapple Orange Juice
Cinnamon Schnapps
Ice

Make It!
Cup.  Ice.  Cider, OJ, Schnapps.
Visit the Savoury Table's blog for a non-alcoholic version of this recipe!
*Drink recipe found on Pinterest.  Link to pin found here.

12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! Day 9: White Chocolate Rum Shake

Photo found here.

To make a White Chocolate Rum Shake,

You'll Need:

1 cup Milk

1 1/2 cups Fresh Mint Leaves

2 cups White Chocolate Chips

1 quart Vanilla Ice Cream

1/2 cup White Rum

Whipped Cream

Sprinkles

4 Candy Canes

Make It!

In a blender, mix milk and mint on high speed for about 1 minute.  Transfer to a saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.  Add the white chocolate chips and stir until melted.  Refrigerate until chilled.  In a blender (in batches) combine the chocolate mixture with the ice cream and rum.  Serve in glasses with whipped cream, sprinkles and candy canes.

*Drink recipe found on Pinterest  Link to pin found here.

12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! Day 8: Santa Hat Cocktail

Photo found here.

To make a Santa Hat Cocktail,
You'll Need:
3 oz. Cranberry Juice
1 oz. Coconut Rum
1/2 oz. Grenadine
Ice
Powdered Sugar (rim)
1 tsp. Water (rim)
Coconut Flakes (rim)
Mini Candy Cane

Make It! 
Mix sugar and water together on a plate.  Dip the glass in the sugar then coconut flakes.  Add the cranberry, rum, and grenadine in a shaker with ice.  Shake and strain into the glass.  Garnish with a candy cane.
*Drink recipe found on Pinterest.  Link to pin found here.

12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! Day 7: Hot Scarlet Wine Punch

Photo found here.

To make Hot Scarlet Wine Punch,
[Be warned: this is a crock pot/slow cooker recipe.  It takes 3 1/2 - 4 hours to cook on low or 1-2 on high!]
You'll Need:
Cinnamon Stick
4 Whole Cloves
32 oz. Cranberry Juice
1/3 cup Brown Sugar (I'm going to suggest light brown, since the recipe didn't say)
1 Bottle (750mL) White Zinfandel or Dry White Wine

Make It!
(They suggest making a spice bag out of cheese cloth, but ain't nobody got time fa that!  Just fish out the cinnamon and cloves before serving,  If you want to do it the right way, see Better Homes & Gardens's recipe).  In a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker, combine spices, cranberry juice and sugar.  Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours; or on high for 1 to 2 hours.  Remove spices.  If cooking on low, turn to high.  Stir in wine.  Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
*Drink recipe found on Pinterest.  Link to pin found here.

12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! Day 6: Apple Pie Martini

Photo found here.

To make an Apple Pie Martini,
[I'm giving you the condensed, less fancy version.  If you would prefer to make the spiffy version as shown in the picture above, please see Type A Parent's website where this recipe is from.]
You'll Need:
Cake Vodka
Apple Cider
Apple Pie Spice
Ice
Making the fancy version?  More ingredients below.
Caramel Syrup
1 Graham Cracker
Cinnamon Stick
Vanilla Ice Cream

Make It!
In a shaker combine ice, vodka, apple cider and apple pie spice.  Shake and strain into a martini glass.
*Drink recipe found on Pinterest.  Link to pin found here.

12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! Day 5: Mocha Nog Punch

Photo found here.

To make Mocha Nog Punch, 
You'll Need:
10 parts Kahlua Mocha
5 parts Absolut Vanilla Vodka
20 parts Eggnog

Make It!
Combine ingredients and serve in a punch bowl with a floating ice block.
*Drink recipe found on Pinterest.  Link to pin found here.

12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! Day 4: Tinsel Bellini

Photo found here.

To make a Tinsel Bellini,
You'll Need:
2 oz. HPNOTIQ
1 oz. Limoncello
1 oz. Champagne
Lime Juice
Sugar (rim)

Make It!
Rim the champagne glass with some sugar.  Combine chilled ingredients in champagne glass.
*Drink recipe found on Pinterest.  Link to pin found here.

12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! Day 3: Christmas Colada

Photo found here.

To make a Christmas Colada,
You'll Need:
2 oz. HPNOTIQ
Pineapple Juice
Dried Coconut Flakes (rim)
Ice

Make It!
Rim the glass with the coconut flakes.  Combine ingredients in a shaker.  Shake and strain into the glass.
*Drink recipe found on Pinterest.  Link to pin found here.

12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! Day 2: Pomegranate Key Lime Cocktail

Photo found here

To make a Pomegranate Key Lime Cocktail,
You'll Need:

• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup club soda
• 1 cup Unsweetened Pomegranate Juice
• 1/2 cup Vodka
• 3 tablespoons Key Lime Juice
• Ice
• Key Lime Slices (garnish)

Make It!

1. Combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes or just until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cool.
2. Combine sugar syrup, club soda, pomegranate juice, vodka, and lime juice. Place crushed ice in a martini shaker; add about 3/4 cup pomegranate mixture. Cover and shake. Strain into a glass. Garnish with lime slice, if desired. Repeat procedure with remaining pomegranate mixture.
3. *Drink recipe found on Pinterest.  Link to Pin found here.

Brain Eraser and Leopard Nail Art

Well, another week is almost over!  Today I have a drink called a Brain Eraser, which you will probably need if you go out and brave the malls this weekend.  Also I have some freehand leopard print nail art that I am super proud of!

You’ll Need:

1 oz. Goldschlager

1 oz. Kahlua

1 oz. Vodka

Make It!

In a large shot glass, combine ingredients.  The recipe says to keep the liqueur levels separate (aka pour them slowly to avoid mixing), and suck it up through a straw.  But no thanks,  I’ll just chug it all at once!

Freehand Leopard Nail Art with China Glaze Secret Peri-Wink-Le and Re-Fresh Mint

Let me just start out by saying I was never a huge fan of China Glaze’s polish.  Love their colors, but the first one I ever bought (For Audrey) absolutely SUCKED!!  The formula was so globby and it took forever to dry.  Apparently I got a bad bottle because everyone else raves about it.  Anyways, I have since bought more polish from China Glaze and the formula isn’t so bad.  I think Secret Peri-Wink-Le has restored my faith in the brand!  This stuff is perfect and a one coat wonder, even though I added another.  There was no bubbling, it was the perfect consistency – just ahhh!  The color is so adorable too; it’s a darker pastel blurple (blue + purple if you missed it before).  Re-Fresh Mint is also a great polish.  Almost a one coat wonder.  It was just a tad streaky, so I added a second coat. 

Y’all know that I really want to attempt to improve my nail art so I don’t bore you guys and my IG followers, so here!  Be nice if you don’t think it’s good.  It’s my first try at freehand animal print!!  I am personally thrilled with it though, so poo poo if you don’t like it.  I got my inspiration form a girl I follow on IG (@noemihk), she does a lot of freehand leopard print designs and makes it look so easy and flawless!  I need lots of practice though! 

Two coats China Glaze Secret Peri-Wink-Le &
Re-Fresh Mint dotted with same &
Sally Hansen Onyx, topped with
Seche Vite

I did two coats Secret Peri-Wink-Le and two coats Re-Fresh Mint.  I used my large dotting tool to make the colored dots.  Then I used a medium sized one to make the black dots (using Sally Hansen Onyx).  Then I filled in the empty spaces with random dots using my tiny dotting tool.  I bought my dotting tools on Amazon for about five bucks – not including shipping.  There are five and they are double sided ranging in sizes from large to mini.  Great deal if you ask me.   

Two coats China Glaze Secret Peri-Wink-Le &
Re-Fresh Mint dotted with same &
Sally Hansen Onyx, topped with
Seche Vite

Two coats China Glaze Secret Peri-Wink-Le &
Re-Fresh Mint dotted with same &
Sally Hansen Onyx, topped with
Seche Vite

Two coats China Glaze Secret Peri-Wink-Le &
Re-Fresh Mint dotted with same &
Sally Hansen Onyx, topped with
Seche Vite

Two coats China Glaze Secret Peri-Wink-Le &
Re-Fresh Mint dotted with same &
Sally Hansen Onyx, topped with
Seche Vite

Since this post is kind of about redemption for brands I don’t like, let’s discuss Seche.  Before, I bought the Seche Clear Base Coat.  Completely hated it (also used it with For Audrey in my Tiffany’s Nails post – that was just a bad polish day I guess).  It made the polish peel off my nail in one big sheet within a day or two of wear.  Great for glitter, but normal polish?  No.

I was hesitant to buy Seche Vite, the topcoat, but I finally gave in because EVERYONE praises it.  Peer pressure!  lol I normally avoid topcoats because I’m super impatient and always smudge it.  But this time, I just decided to go for it.  What a complete shocker!  A topcoat that I love??!  This stuff is great!  It’s smooth, thick (in a good way), and makes your nails look flawless, almost shellacked!  Although I have two teensy issues with it.  It’s supposed to be fast dry, but it was still kind of gummy after about five minutes (that’s the “fast” cutoff dry time for me).  It also smells.  BAD!! But you know what, I’ll deal with it because it looks that great.  When I dotted the design on , it was slightly raised and bumpy obviously, but after the Seche, completely smooth.  So, if you were like me and just kinda ehh about trying it, I HIGHLY suggest you stop dragging your feet and go get some!!  Not the base coat though.  That shiz suxxx! 

Welp, I hope y’all are ready for the 12 Days of Christmas Cocktails I have comin’ your way!  First one will be up momentarily!  Enjoy :)

ALSO!! I want to say Happy 26th Anniversary to my mommy & daddy!  Yay! :) <3

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12 Days of Christmas Cocktails! Day 1: Elf Cocktail

Photo found here.

To make an Elf Cocktail,

You'll Need:

1 oz. Melon Liqueur

2 oz. Citrus Vodka

1 oz. White Cranberry Juice

Maraschino Cherries (garnish)

Ice

Make It!

Add ingredients into a shaker with ice.  Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with cherries!

*Drink recipe found on Pinterest.  Link to Pin found here.

Wasted Wednesday! Purple Margarita

Oh my gosh!  This sounds so good!  I've always wondered what the heck Chambord was, and now I have a recipe to try it with! 

To make a Purple Margarita,

You’ll Need:

2 oz. Tequila

2 oz. Sour Mix

2 oz. Chambord Raspberry Liqueur (I know they sell the sample sizes at Total Wine, that’s what I’m getting)

1 oz. Sweetened Lime Juice (the recipe calls for the brand Rose’s, but I’m sure any brand is fine)

1 oz. Cranberry Juice

Ice

Salt (optional, I love it)

Make It!

Rim glass with salt.  Serve on the rocks or frozen. 

Happy Hump Day Lovelies!  See you back on Friday! :)

OH!  I almost forgot!  Starting December 14, I’m doing my 12 days of Festive Cocktails!  Prepare accordingly ;P

Wasted Wednesday! Chicks Dig It

Oh my!  I almost completely forgot about WW :O  I don’t know what it is about coming back from a holiday, but I can never seem to get everything done on time.  Probably (definitely) just me procrastinating.  Anywayssss, dudes:  Here's a drink the chicks will not only dig, but also think you’re gay for drinking!  Enjoy!

To make a Chicks Dig It,

You’ll Need:

1 ½ oz Vodka

1 oz. Triple Sec

¾ oz Peach Schnapps (I’m loving this stuff.  Can you tell??)

Splash Cranberry Juice

Splash Ginger Ale

Ice

Make It!

Combine in a shaker and shake all ingredients.  Strain into a glass.  Looks pretty in a martini glass if you’re tryin’ to impress your lady friends, boys.  We love a nice presentation ;P

See y’all on Friday for some more of Wicked Polish’s amazing stuff.  You tired of me posting about it yet?  No?  Good.  Me neither!

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Glitter Polish Removal!! [Also a Drink and Manicure]

Have you ever seen that e-card that says something about “men will never know the agony of childbirth, cramps, or taking off glitter nail polish”?  Well, we can cross off the polish part now.  They’re still pretty lucky though…

Like most of my horribly terrific (horrifically terrible? terribly horrific?) ideas, I saw this on Pinterest.  I have also seen some of my IG girls post pictures of their “alien fingers”.  I always wanted to know if it worked.  I’ll tell you right now…YES!!  Holy hell! I don’t know why I waited so long to try this!

Take a sheet of tinfoil and divvy it up into ten strips.  Soak a cotton ball in polish remover (I use the non-acetone kind because remover dries out my skin enough as it is) and place it on your nail.  Wrap in tinfoil.  I did one hand at a time because it got hard to maneuver the foil with one hand.  I don’t know, you can try it and see if you’re more skilled than me. 

Sit for five minutes and contemplate life or whatever. 

After five minutes, slide the foil off.  It’s like magic guys!!  It took me ONE COTTON BALL to get the remaining glitter off ALL FIVE of my nails.  So, instead of using 20 cotton balls on one hand like I usually do, I used SIX!!  WHAT?!!  Again.  *~*~*MAGIC*~*~*

Okay, okay.  On to the alcohol.  I’ve been making this drink foreverrrrrrr.  I love it.  Bacardi Big Apple and Ginger Ale.

You’ll Need:

Three ingredients.  Bam.  Done.  Wanna guess what they are??

Bacardi Big Apple

Ginger Ale

Ice

Make It!

Glug, glug, glug - rum, add ice, fill with ginger ale.  Uhhh yum?!

Essie Playa Del Platinum and ZOYA Jancyn

Welp, as you saw on Tuesday’s post, my original manicure for this weekend’s post sucked…hard.  There was no way I was going to leave my nails lookin’ like a hot mess. 

Two coats Essie Playa Del Platinum
Three coats ZOYA Jancyn

I wanted to use the Playa Del Platinum because it’s a super cute nude color.  I work in a law office, so sometimes I feel the need to wear “normal” nail colors.  When I do crazy ones I always get weird looks on the elevator.  Jerks! lol  This polish is really similar to Essie’s Sand Tropez.  So, if you have that color, I wouldn’t bother buying this one also.  Maybe I’ll do a side-by-side comparison one day…I have a lot of colors that are very similar to each other.

Two coats Essie Playa Del Platinum
Three coats ZOYA Jancyn

I did two coats of Essie Playa Del Platinum and three coats of ZOYA Jancyn on the accent nail - no topcoat as usual.  I think I could have done with another coat of the Essie.  There were a few bald spots, but nothing too noticeable.  I don’t know why I keep buying ZOYA.  Well, okay, I do – the colors are soooo pretty!  BUT I honestly can’t stand the polish formula.  AT.  ALL.  With three coats there were still bald spots and you could see the brushstrokes (pictured above).  So annoying!!  However, the ZOYA didn’t chip off at all, while I had a few chips on the Essie.

Have a great weekend y’all! :)  I'm off to Sebastian to visit my grandparents tomorrow :)

Summer Fun! Mojitos and Cotton Candy Nails

Wheeeee for the weekend!  And its OFFICIALLY summer (not technically here in Florida, cuz let’s be real – it’s ALWAYS summer here).  It was suggested that I post a mojito recipe.  What better time to give it to you than the first weekend of summer!?  Here is my friend’s recipe (thank you, Danny) and my own recipe. 

For Danny’s Cuban Mojito (he uses REAL measurements – WTF?)

You’ll Need:

•  2 oz. Light Rum (Matusalem Platino)
• 8-10 Mint Leaves
• 1 oz. Simple Syrup
• 1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice – keep the leftover lime for garnish
• 2 oz. Soda Water
• Crushed Ice

Make It!

Place mint in a glass along with simple syrup and lime juice, muddle gently.  Slice the remainder of the lime and add along with crushed ice.  Add rum and soda water.  Stir – don’t shake.  Garnish with sprig of mint.  Enjoy.

For My Extra Sweet “Gringa” Mojito

You’ll Need:

• Light Rum (I like to use Bacardi Limon or Bacardi Dragon Berry)
• 8-10 Mint Leaves
• Lime Juice
• Sprite
• Ice

Make It!

Pretty much the same as above – Muddle the mint and lime.  Add a few glugs of rum, Sprite and ice.  Stir it up, drink it up, and relax.  I don’t mess around with the garnish of mint and lime.  I usually strain the muddled leaves out anyways since I always seem to forget they’re in the glass and choke on them.  Haha =\

I’ve mentioned before, I LOVE sweet drinks.  So if you’re more traditional, you should most definitely go with Danny’s Mojito.  I was never a fan of soda water, so I always used Sprite instead.  SO GOOD GUYS!  And if you’ve never tried the Bacardi Dragon  Berry…get to a store now and buy some!  It’s strawberry flavored.  Delish.  Adds more flavor to a plain mojito.  It’s also great in Ginger Ale and Coke.  BUT you don’t have to get all fancy with the flavored rum.  Plain Bacardi works perfect too.  Or whatever you want, I don’t care.  Sorry, no picture this time because it only looks like a glass of Sprite - boring.

Fun Cotton Candy Nails

I really wanted to quit boring y’all with my blue polish obsession so I went with something more girly.  I went to the store looking for some nice bright summery colors and stumbled on this gorgeous bubblegum pink Essie that was on sale.  Duh, I had to get it!  Then I was all ohh hey look at this cutie blue too!  I couldn’t help myself and threw in a blue pedi.  So be warned: my gross toes are pictured below!! 

Two coats Essie Cascade Cool; Two coats Sinful Colors Snow Me White
Dotted with Essie Bikini So Teeny and Cool Cascade

I used two coats of Essie Cascade Cool on four nails and two coats of Sinful Colors Snow Me White for my accent nail.  This was a girly enough mani, but I wanted to make it even more fun.  I bought this dotting tool from Sally Beauty a month or so back and was finally brave enough to try it out.  I dotted on (took me like, four tries – SO annoying!  My hands kept shaking) Essie Bikini So Teeny and Cool Cascade in a little sort of half moon shape.  I did the same on my toes but switched the colors as seen below.  It reminded me of cotton candy, hence the post name. :)

I didn't even realize, but the Bikini So Teeny has cute little sparkles in it!

Close up

On the Toes: two coats Bikini So Teeny dotted with Cascade Cool and Snow Me White

Of course, Essie is my favorite brand, so I don’t have any complaints about how the polish went on, no chips, no bubbles, blah blah.  The Sinful Colors got some little cracks, but didn’t start to chip off until Thursday.  I didn’t even put a topcoat on. 

Have a blast this weekend y’all!