October 13, 2014

Manicure Monday (79): Afterparty Blog Tour + Giveaway

Hello, everyone! I am really excited to be a part of the Afterparty BlogTour today. I have met Afterparty author Ann Stampler on more than one occasion and she is always a delight. Afterparty was released in January 2014 and I have heard nothing but good things about it. When I heard that there was going to be a new tour, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. This tour has a ton of great content as well as a fantastic grand prize drawing. I am hosting my own giveaway but if you’d like a chance at the grande prize (and trust me, you do) check out the post over at Read Now Sleep Later with all the details. Read on for more information about the book and keep reading to see what manicure I cooked up for the tour.

About the book

About the book Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother–whose name her dad won’t even say out loud. That’s why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to herâ¦ and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she’s everything Emma is not.

And it may be more than Emma can handle.

Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It’s more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop… This explosive, sexy, and harrowing follow-up to Ann Redisch Stampler’s spectacular teen debut, Where It Began, reveals how those who know us best can hurt us most. Buy it now on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com,BookDepository.com, IndieBound.org and from other fine booksellers.

About the AuthorAnn Redisch Stampler is the author of young adult novels Where It Began and Afterparty, as well as several picture books, including The Rooster Prince of Breslov. Her books have been an Aesop Accolade winner, Sydney Taylor notable books and an honor book, a National Jewish Book Awards finalist and winner, and Bank Street Best Books of the Year. Ann has two adult children and lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband. Website:annstampler.com Twitter: @annstampler Facebook: https://facebook.com/WhereItBegan Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15751652-afterparty

The Manicure

I don’t often like photographed covers but I really love this one. The colors are so bright and vibrant and the silhouette of the girl walking home ties in well with the title of the book. To start this manicure, I did a subtle gradient with 3 shades. I used a purple shimmer (Urban Decay Vice), dark blue creme (OPI Incognito in Saulsalito) and a black creme (Wet N Wild Black). Unfortunately it’s kind of hard to see the gradient. The dots cover up a lot of it and it was a pretty dark gradient and it looks pretty much like black in the pics. But it was pretty in person. Just trust me on that.

Next. I did polka dots in varying sizes in a random pattern. I used red, orange, yellow, blue and silver (instead of white) to match the lights on the cover. I wanted to get this to look a little more blurred or watercolor-y, but it was hard with to see with the dark base. I ended up going for traditional dots.

After giving everything plenty of time to dry, I sealed the whole thing up with top coat to make it extra shiny.

Though I wish the purple background showed up more, overall I am happy with this manicure. It was very fun and pretty easy to do. I think it would be a great look for a party or other special event.

Giveaway

I am giving away a hardcover copy of Afterparty as well as 2 nail polish shades (Zoya Rikka and China Glaze Lubu Heels). These fun, glitzy shades are the perfect accessory for your afterparty. Giveaway is U.S. only and will end at the end of the day on Thurs Oct 23, 2014. Usual contest rules apply.