POLISHED PAWS UP

‘Paparazzi’ Video Deleted Scene:Happy holiday...

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 13:54:09 -0400

‘Paparazzi’ Video Deleted Scene:Happy holiday weekend to those who are celebrating, and happy Sunday afternoon to those who aren’t! Here’s a quick, reasonably festive design for the occasion from the outfit worn during the deleted “horse scene” of the Paparazzi video. Accent nail is filed into a shell-edge, and the dots were to tie in the horse (not pictured). Watch the scene here.

Colors & Materials Used:Base coat of For Audrey (China Glaze), moons are Am I Making Myself Claire (Nicole by OPI), ring and dots are Spontaneous (China Glaze) with iridescent rhinestones.

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“The Living Dress”: Happy birthday, Gaga! I thought...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:10:00 -0400

“The Living Dress”: Happy birthday, Gaga! I thought we could use some confetti to celebrate! During her tour, The Monster Ball 2.0, Gaga debuted a custom creation made for her by London-based costume designer Vinilla Burhnam, in collaboration with The Jim Hanson Company. The result was an animatronic gown and headpiece worn during a portion of the show as a take on Glinda The Good Witch. Read an interview with Vinilla Burgnam here, see a tour performance video here, and view an additional performance on the Jonathan Ross Show here.

Colors & Materials Used:Base coat of Hidden Treasure (Sally Hansen Salon), top coat of Heavenly Angel glitter (Nicole by OPI). Large chunks of cello glitter (found with the glitter and feathers at craft stores). Iridescent rhinestones on ring.

Back this weekend with a festive pastel design for a video look! X PPU

In Sydney, Australia (7.11.11):During promotional stops for Born...

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:06:34 -0500

In Sydney, Australia (7.11.11):During promotional stops for Born This Way, Gaga spent extra time in Sydney for a one-night-only ‘Monster Hall’ performance, and was subsequently photographed in numerous candid looks. This is one of my personal favorite outfits, so here are some nails to match!

Colors & Materials Used:Black base, painted and sponged-on mixture of Fairy Teal (Sally Salon), Rise And Shine (Sinful Colors), and white. Set The Stage gold glitter (Sally Xtreme Wear). Ring is Glitz (Orly) with The Gold And The Beautiful (Wet N’ Wild Fast Dry) overtop, black, and jewelry chain.

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Rolling Stones Performance (12.15.12):Gaga joined The Rolling...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 18:52:00 -0500

Rolling Stones Performance (12.15.12):Gaga joined The Rolling Stones on stage for their 50th anniversary concert, to perform Gimme Shelter with the group, whilst channeling Aladdin Sane in in a striped jumpsuit and massive platforms. Most notably, she debuted a fiberoptic light-up wig which flashes in time to the music. See a gif of it in action here!

Colors & Materials Used: Black, white, Celeb City silver and Golden-I (Sally Xtreme Wear), Snow Globe glitter (Sally Salon), and glow in the dark acrylic paint. Much more shimmery in-person!

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‘Pop Ate My Heart’ The Crevette Films: Making a...

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:40:09 -0500

‘Pop Ate My Heart’ The Crevette Films: Making a special post today not only for Valentine’s day, but also as an appreciation post sending much love to Gaga herself, to get well soon and have a speedy recovery!

The Crevette/’Who Shot Candy Warhol?’ films were shown as interludes during The Fame Ball tour, and featured Gaga playing her character Candy Warhol. She has allegedly said that her characters Candy and Jo Calderone will somehow tie into her forthcoming album ARTPOP, so the correlation between “pop ate my heart” and “ARTPOP” only seemed fitting!

View the films here: The Heart, The Brain, The Face.

(Credit for the Gaga image edit above goes to YUYIROCKS, as I was unable to find another version of that exact image.)

Colors & Materials Used: White, matte black, Lightening yellow (Sally Insta-Dri), Bubblegum Pink (Sally Xtreme Wear), and Love Your Life heart glitter (Nicole by OPI).

Sadly, I’ve missed the BTW Ball, as my show would have been this weekend, but I’m unphased about the show, and far more concerned about our girl’s well being! Pop ate OUR hearts! Get well, Gaga! X PPU

Gaga in Romania II (8.16.12): Here’s the second request...

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 18:19:43 -0500

Gaga in Romania II (8.16.12): Here’s the second request from a fan who met the lovely lady in Romania this past summer! (And here’s the first!)

Colors & Materials Used:Black base coat with white drawn roses, and glass rhinestones.

I’m switching it up here at PPU next week, so stay tuned! (ARTPOP is coming~)

X PPU

Gaga in Romania I (8.15.12): Here’s the first of two...

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:38:00 -0500

Gaga in Romania I (8.15.12): Here’s the first of two requested designs from another lucky little monster who met Gaga during her recent tour stops. Gaga stepped out in Bucharest this past summer wearing an embroidered dress and bejeweled tights.

Colors & Materials: Black base with Glitz (Orly) “embroidery” designs. Ring is For Gold Times Sake (Nicole by OPI).

(A quick side note: I respond to questions privately, so please make sure you have your Ask option ENABLED or I won’t be able to respond!)

This is my 60th design here at PPU! 60 more on the way! Thank you so much for the support! ❤

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In Copenhagen, Denmark (9/2/12): Gaga stepped out this past Fall...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 16:52:11 -0500

In Copenhagen, Denmark (9/2/12): Gaga stepped out this past Fall in bejeweled animal print, a notable feather hat by Matthias Lavesson, and signature print Louis Vuitton. I love this outfit and had to wear a bit of it myself for awhile. =P

Colors & Materials Used: Mixed black and grey for a dark grey base, added leopard spots in black and white with grey rhinestones. Louis Vuitton print in Little Brown Dress and Case Study tan (Essie). Pheasant feathers in Case Study and white, with black nail pen (which is a bit more transparent than regular polish).

New request post next Sunday! I also have some tricks up my sleeve (on my hand?) to kick off the ARTPOP era. Stay tuned, and follow me on Twitter for addition info about updates @PolishedPawsUp!

X PPU

Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve 2012 (Ball...

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 13:57:00 -0500

Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve 2012 (Ball Drop): I received a bunch of requests for this outfit last year and decided to save it for a New Years design (appropriately). Requested performance outfit design here.

Colors & Materials Used: For the base color I mixed a pearlescent white, silver, and iridescent lavender Hidden Treasure (2012 version; Sally Hansen Salon). Clear and gunmetal glass rhinestones.

Happy 2013, everyone! A new, more recent candid look up next Sunday!

X PPU

‘Christmas Tree’ Single Cover: I’m back from a...

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 13:19:51 -0500

‘Christmas Tree’ Single Cover: I’m back from a rather unintentional hiatus, with something for the holiday! Similar to this design, The Fame era was all about the lightening bolt motif, which was carried over to the cover for Gaga’s campy holiday track Christmas Tree.

Colors & Materials Used: Black base with Celeb Silver (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear) tape stencils.

New (Years) post coming next Sunday, followed by more designs for recent looks and requests every week! I hope all of you monsters and nail lovers had a wonderful holiday if you celebrated, and a wonderful December if you didn’t!

X PPU

In Sofia Bulgaria (8.12.12) Request: Here’s a more recent...

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 15:12:00 -0400

In Sofia Bulgaria (8.12.12) Request: Here’s a more recent look, requested by a lucky monster who had the chance to meet Gaga during her stay in Bulgaria! Always giving me sneak ways to incorporate trends with her outfits, I’m calling these Peter Pan collar nails!

Colors & Materials Used: Filed a sort of “notch” into rounded nails beforehand. Base of Emerald City (Revlon), “collars” in Lightening (Sally Hansen Insta-Dri), black and silver dots added with a needle head.

(Before anyone says anything, yes, they remind me of Cell from Dragon Ball Z, too. =P)

X PPU

New Year’s Eve Performance Request: Here’s another...

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 16:03:35 -0400

New Year’s Eve Performance Request: Here’s another request and this one is from a lovely monster who was at the event! Gaga performed on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve this past year, so I turned these nails into a sparkled skyline with an added red bottom bonus, from when Gaga climbed the barricade to sing for the crowd that couldn’t see!

Colors & Materials Used: Celeb City silver base (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear) with black skyline and white accents. Ring is covered in glass rhinestones and red underside color is Cherry Red (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear).

More recent outfit looks and more request designs coming next!

X PPU

‘Yoü And I’ Video (“Barn Hooker”)...

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 11:02:40 -0400

‘Yoü And I’ Video (“Barn Hooker”) Request: Back with another requested design! It’s tricky finding good quality images from videos, if no on-set photos of the look were taken. This look (in color) can be seen in the ‘Yoü And I’ video paired with teal hair, but the best images of it are seen in the corresponding Fashion Film, ‘Haus of Ü feat Barn Hooker and Mother’, in black and white (or search the ‘Barn Hooker’ tag on Tumblr for colored edits).

Colors & Materials Used: For Audrey base (China Glaze), suede ribbon, silver jump rings, and silver studs. Accent is Nude Now (Sally Hansen Salon) with black nail art pen. Originally, I started painting the straps on, but the end result was lacking, and I figured that wasn’t very ~Gaga.

Another request from Gaga’s performance on New Year’s Eve is on deck for next weekend, and some designs for recent looks are in the works! You can keep up with me on Twitter for more updates about posts: @PolishedPawsUp!

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Arriving in Sydney (6.17.12): Two months ago, Gaga arrived at...

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 13:36:09 -0400

Arriving in Sydney (6.17.12): Two months ago, Gaga arrived at her tour stop in Sydney Australia, wearing Versace and bringing back the teal hair momentarily.

Colors & Materials Used: White base coat with Tiara silver glitter (Orly), followed by another coat of Lighten Up pearl shimmer (L’Oreal Jet Set), to mute the silver a bit. Glitz gold (Orly) “ridge” shapes. Accent is water marbled with Fairy Teal (Sally Hanson Salon), Rise And Shine (Sinful Colors), and For Audrey (China Glaze).

Back to requests next week!

X PPU

FAME Eau de Parfum: Here they are! My first design for the FAME...

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 13:35:00 -0400

FAME Eau de Parfum: Here they are! My first design for the FAME fragrance! Gaga knows the way to my heart using black and gold, so these were a must-do. This design is based primarily on the bottle and packaging, but it can also relate to the print ads, as well as the commercial (I will likely do another design based souly on the film, once the full clip is released!)

Colors & Materials Used: Black base with Golden-I (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear) details and accent bed. I sponged black abstractly over the gold on the accent to bring in the black colored mist aspect of the fragrance. Added white “shine” marks to give the bottle shapes a more rounded appearance.

I can’t wait to make a bottle-in-hand post soon!

X PPU

Gaga by Max Abadian: I loved this shoot and decided to use it as...

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 14:34:20 -0400

Gaga by Max Abadian: I loved this shoot and decided to use it as a sort of Part Two/revisit to the Mint Blonde design that I did awhile back. Here’s another closeup for more detail!

Colors & Materials Used: Base of Nude Now (Sally Hansen Salon), Tart Deco (Essie) tips and accent nail, with white freehand lace designs. A couple extra inclusions are a glitter coat over the lace of I Love The Holidays! (OPI), Lighten Up (L’Oreal Jet Set) pearl shimmer over accent nail tip, and an added glass rhinestone.

So, originally this was supposed to be a photo tutorial based on the Mint Blonde manicure, but the photos of the various steps turned out so starkly different in lighting over the days they were taken, that I decided to scrap posting those in favor of just posting this final product and re-doing the tutorial using another Gaga look (she does wear a lot of lace after all and I think this might be great in black over nude, anyway!) So! For those of you who were waiting for it, just hang tight!

X PPU

Arriving in Tokyo (5.8.12): Back in May, Gaga arrived on her...

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 14:49:28 -0400

Arriving in Tokyo (5.8.12): Back in May, Gaga arrived on her Tokyo tour stop looking perfectly polished, much to the delight of fans and fashion reviewers worldwide!

Colors & Materials Used: Rainbow stripes are Sun Kissed orange (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear), Cloud blue (Revlon), Bubblegum Pink (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear), and Spontaneous purple (China Glaze). I didn’t have the exact colors I wanted to match her hair, so all were given a coat of Petal Pusher nude (Sally Hansen Insta-Dri) once dry. Instant pastels! Black portions were painted with a base coat of black, then rolled in black micro glitter before getting a top coat.

The photos don’t do these justice. It seems like strangers ask to see my nails the most when they’re rolled in micro glitter; way more eye-catching than glitter polish!

X PPU

(I just posted this but only half of the entire post went...

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 15:02:24 -0400

(I just posted this but only half of the entire post went through. Let’s try this again!)

V Magazine Asia (2011): Here’s another requested design! Gaga appeared on the cover of Asia’s V Magazine back in 2011, as a sort of chimera-like representation of the countries of China, India, and Japan (in promotion of her “We Pray For Japan” bracelets benefiting relief after the 2011 disaster). The sequin butterfly mask look (which I suspect represents India) was specifically requested, so here it is!

Colors & Materials Used: Greens were a mixture of Emerald City (Revlon), Free Spirit (Pure Ice), and Green With Envy (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear). Blues are Blue Me Away! and Ocean View (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear). Warm tones are Mellow Yellow, Sun Kissed, Cherry Red (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear), and Courtney Orange (Sinful Colors). All were coated with a thin coat of Lighten Up pearl shimmer (L’Oreal). Ring finger is Pink-A-Boo (Essie) with Bubblegum Pink (Sally Hansen again) “lip” moon. Black accents throughout.

New “recent” look next weekend!

X PPU

Arriving in Taiwan 5.16.12: Here’s a more recent look...

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 13:27:24 -0400

Arriving in Taiwan 5.16.12: Here’s a more recent look that’s a bit more Summery! Gaga arrived in Taipei for her Born This Way Ball tour stop last month, rocking her “fox blonde” hair and a chartreuse midriff slit dress. Naturally, a tape design was in order!

Colors & Materials Used: Surely Ivory (Sally Hansen No Chip) base with taped off sections painted over with Green With Envy (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear). Ring is Courtney Orange (Sinful Colors) with sponged-on Case Study taupe and Little Brown Dress (Essie).

I have a ton of stuff on the back burner right now, so if you’ve requested a design, don’t worry, it’s still on the way! I’ve got a list that I’m working through in between designs for recent looks, so bear with me! =)

X PPU

Bad Romance Video ‘Walk, Walk, Fashion, Baby’...

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 16:38:00 -0400

Bad Romance Video ‘Walk, Walk, Fashion, Baby’ McQueen Outfit: I’m back from a week off, this time with a follower-requested design! So, these ended up being unintentionally trendy. The new thing is “Caviar” nails, which is just polish coated in micro beads. You can buy a manicure set for $25 or, do what I did, and pick up some micro beads at Michael’s for $4!

Colors & Materials Used: Base coat of Sea How Far You Go antique gold (Nicole by OPI), coating of gold micro beads, and gold glitter topcoat.

The trick for using these beads is to lay on a thick coat of your base polish to press the beads into, then follow with a few thick topcoats. If you’re wondering what the white part on the thumb is, it’s the negative space to make the nail look like McQueen’s iconic armadillo shoe: as seen in the video!

X PPU