ABC Challenge 'D' - Don't Talk Bach To Me

Hi all!

Thank goodness that the fabulous mani that I mentioned on Monday started chipping, or I wouldn't have had the heart to remove it! Last night I remembered that I didn't have a post ready for today and I had no idea which polish to use, so I started rummaging through my drawers and found one that I hadn't posted here yet! (At least, I don't think I did...)

I'm showing two coats of OPI's Don't Talk Bach to Me from their Fall collection. It's gotten a lot of flack for being one of those ugly colors but I really liked it. It's different, like a really muted yellow with a hint of poopy undertones? Anyway, then I stamped with Illamasqua Muse and plate DRK-A.

For some reason, with the stamping and maybe my camera, it looked more like a chartreuse green but HERE is a color accurate swatch. I didn't really like this when I finished but it grew on me, so much so that I did the other hand to match because I didn't have time to do anything else.

What do you think? I love how Illamasqua Muse stamped but I probably won't use it too often for that. It's a little too expensive for a stamping polish lol.

Have a great day!

There's Some Gold on Turquoise and Caicos

Hi all!

It's Monday unfortunately and a pretty crappy one so far. At least I have something on my nails that makes me incredibly happy! No, it's not this. You'll see the amazingness I'm wearing soon. Today's post however, gets little love from me.

First of all, I just didn't like the combo that much. I could swear my bottle of Essie Turquoise and Caicos got greener or something but it looked off. Then, the gold topcoat provides a very subtle look, I would like bigger gold flakes, like Cirque AU. On the other hand, I got this bottle for $8 at Sephora (with a gift card) so I can't complain too much. Third (and probably the biggest reason I don't like these pictures), is that my hand was being weird the night I took the pictures. It didn't want to fall into place like it usually does and it looks all contorted or weird but I didn't have anything else to post so bear with me :D

Three coats of Turquoise and Caicos with one coat of SOPI It's Real 18k Gold topcoat.

Meh.

I'd also like to thank you all for the love on my ABC Challenge 'C' post! I'm going to respond something to each of you but it means a lot that so many of you took the time to comment! ♥

What was the last combo or polish you wore that should have worked, but just left you meh? 

Have a great day! 

Mmm, minty.

Hi all!

Time to get some nail art up in this bit....place. It's been pretty long since I did anything other than polish + glitter so I sat down completely decided on doing some nail art again. Admittedly, my first idea was a fail so I went with a favorite, a gradient and stamping.

Started with a base of Essie Mint Candy Apple and gradiented (totally a word) with Essie Where's my Chauffeur? and Bettina Gabrielle. It's one of the smoothest gradients I've done so far but it was a pain in the ass to get it looking decent, I had to sponge it like 3 different times.

Then I stamped with China Glaze Deviantly Daring and MASH-43.

As you can see, I shortened my nails because I have a break on my middle nail. In these pics I actually have a repair with Orly Rescue (that I'm still wearing until I can file off the damage). IRL, they're a great length for me and I'm not stabbing myself but it takes some getting used to in pictures.

Any comments or suggestions on future nail art or tutorials you'd like to see? Let me know!

Have a great weekend lovelies!

C is for a Creative Fantasy and Clown Puke Sandwich!

Hi all! I'm currently typing from the floor of my university. I really hate my schedule this semester.

We're on day C of the ABC Challenge hosted by Kimber and, because I'm such an overachiever, I used two C polishes. First I applied two coats of China Glaze Creative Fantasy, then one coat of KBShimmer Clown Puke and one more coat of Creative Fantasy for a yummy looking sandwich.

Look at that!! I had NO idea Clown Puke had different shaped glitter in there! After getting these I thoroughly inspected the bottle and it seems half moons and flowers are it, no hearts or stars but I don't mind at all. I thought of adding NPB Boop-Oop-a-Dupe on top but it hid the glitter a little too much so I kept it as is. Also, I don't ever want to run out of Boop-Oop-a-Dupe.

It's also very fitting that I'm showing a KBShimmer today because I'm expecting delivery of my latest order, two polishes and their new topcoat (of which you can expect a thorough review later).

What do you think? Someone asked me what my favorite polishes were and my answers were mostly jellies. I heart jellies. Have anything else to say? Chat with me, I'm bored waiting for class lol. Remember you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and now KiK!

Swatch Watch: China Glaze Bizarre Blurple

Hey all!

This post is officially dedicated to Alaina at The Little Canvas. Days ago I asked for mani suggestions on twitter and she promptly replied with BLURPLE. Blue is awesome, purple is awesome so blurple is awesome² . First I had an idea to do a mani with a blurpley/duochromey shimmer but it was a fail and I remembered I had stored these 'emergency swatches' a while ago! Perfect, it's got blurple in the title.

Application was smooth and I'm showing two coats but you want to use a light hand with this one, I had some pulling at the cuticle line leaving a little bald spot on my middle finger (that I tried to correct with acetone because eff logic).

What do you guys think of this one? When I wore it, I liked it so much that I never added nail art but now I want to wear it again and spruce it up. Sorry for the shortish post, I've got a migraine right now and I can barely think.

Let me know how your weekend was in the comments!

What about you Alaina?! Is begging cat pleased?! 

It's a Serious Love Affair - KBShimmer Shipwreck

Hi all!

Today I'm sharing what was actually my first mani of 2013! Yes, it took me this long to post because between reviews and challenge posts, this kind of got left behind. But don't let my delay in posting fool you, this is easily one of my top polishes EVER. And there is one specific reason why, which I'll mention in a second.

For this mani I started with a base of Illamasqua Cameo (amazing vivid periwinkle shade) on all my fingers then I layered two coats of KBShimmer Shipwreck. I have no words apt to describe the beautious amazingness that is Shipwreck, so I'll use Kb's own description "Ships lost at sea, churning waters, mythical creatures, and lost treasures, inspired this polish. I started with a base of a deep blue green color. Then, added several sized of hex glitters in teals, blues, greens, and purple. I can almost see these colors being on a beautiful mermaid. A hint of gold, and a pop of copper sparkle like hidden treasure and add depth to this polish". ACCURATE.

There is just so much depth in this polish, how the different glitters catch the light and look like they're floating in water with the awesome jelly base and the COPPER SPECKS. I die for those little copper glitters, I've always loved blue and copper and in this case it works SO well. As with all polishes I love, I'll give you another macro for further appreciation.

My infatuation with the copper glitters can be illustrated like so:

Source

I believe this can be built to opacity on its own in three coats and that's how I plan to wear it next time. Formula was excellent, no clumping or thickening and the glitters spread effortlessly. The jelly base might be a bit patchy on the first coat but a little careful application can prevent that.

You can find KBShimmer on their own site, their Etsy shop and Harlow & Co. for international orders, prices range depending where buy.

I'm sorry I gushed but I really like this. What do you think? Do copper bits make you as happy as they make me? Any other KBShimmers I should check out?

Have a great day and enjoy your weekend!

B is for I Love NP Babes in Toyland

Hi all!

I'm abnormally excited about this ABC challenge, I keep looking at my stash for possible colors or nail art techniques I can use in the future. For now, let's look at the last I Love NP shade I have for you, Babes in Toyland!

Babes in Toyland is part of the limited edition Christmas collection and its a super fun glitter topper with teal, blue, green, gold glitters and ROUND fuchsia glitters! Yes, I'm still psyched about round glitters. For today's challenge I've layered it over Bettina Gabrielle so I could have more B's in there.

For the coverage you see above I just lightly dabbed and brushed normally, no fussing with the application or placement of glitters and you can see that you get a very decent coating of glitters that way. I know some glitters might look curled but it's 100% reflective curling, it was actually pretty smooth with just one coat of top coat but I added a second for macro purposes.

You can find I Love NP on Etsy and Facebook. Since I found the brand a couple of months ago, her shop is always stocked and she has amazing customer service. She also has a blog where she shares swatches of her polishes as well as regular manis.

Have a great day and check us out, being all organized and using inlinkz!

*I Love NP polish was sent for review. For more information, please refer to my Disclosure policy*

I Love NP - Purple Stuff Swatches & Review

Hey ladies!

Today I'm showing the 3rd I Love Nail Polish (or I <3 Nail Polish) shade that I have, Purple Stuff. Purple Stuff is"purple, wine, periwinkle, and white glitters along with a dash of white bars" (from I Love NP's etsy shop). I've done two coats over Bettina Camila, though you could get the same coverage from dabbing on a thicker coat instead.

Words cannot explain how much I love this polish. I was actually planning on buying this one (and maybe others) when I got the package from Barbra! I just love purple and I can tell this would look great over lots of different colors. Application was a breeze (as with all I Love NP polishes) and now that I have had them sitting around for a while I can say without a doubt that there is no sinking or bleeding glitter in these. Everything about the brand is high-end quality. Including the packaging!

Each polish comes in their own box with an adorable heart cutout so you can see the label on the front. If that's not your style, both the box and the polish bottle also have labels on the bottom! Also, rubberized handles make everything better. I really can't say enough good things about I <3 Nail Polish.

You can find I Love NP on Etsy and Facebook. Since I found the brand a couple of months ago, her shop is always stocked and she has amazing customer service. She also has a blog where she shares swatches of her polishes as well as regular manis.

Have a great day! (Even though its Monday :P)

*I Love NP polish was sent for review. For more information, please refer to my Disclosure policy*

Born Pretty Store Fine Brush Review

Hey all! Hope you've had/are having a great weekend!

I know nail art has been in short supply here lately and I do miss it, but I've been painting my nails so late that I just don't have time to experiment with nail art techniques. This is also the reason it has taken me so long to do this review. I have had this brush from the Born Pretty Store for a while and I've tried a couple of different designs with it and they've all been such a fail that I don't even take pictures before I take it off. However, I gave it another try and decided this was decent enough to post.

Up for review is THIS brush (Item ID: 3296) from Born Pretty Store. It has short flexible bristles great for fine details. It's not the best brush for straight lines (as you can see), you're still better off with a striper brush for lines, but it works great for filling in details or for a design that needs short strokes 

Grr smeared ring finger

What do you think of the design? I didn't have a plan at all when I went into it, I just started making shapes until something looked decent then I repeated that.

Remember that you can get 10% off from your BPS order using my coupon code FHL91! What kind of design would you think of for this brush? I <3 comments :D

ABC Challenge Letter A - Orly Androgynie

Hi all!

Today I'm getting a late start on the ABC challenge! You might have already seen some other blogs' posts yesterday but alas, I'm starting up school again and getting all my courses in order so it's been a bit hectic. This semester I'll also be a research assistant so, hopefully, my schedule won't get too crazy and I'll still have time for the blog. If anything changes, I'll let you guys know. I'm not planning to drop off the face of the earth ;).

Back to the challenge, I chose to go with an untried for today, Orly Androgynie. This came out a while ago and it was a disappointment to some people because the glitter would sink and generally not look as fantastic as the bottle. I knew this beforehand so I placed my bottle upside down so that the glitter would redistribute. And then, I bumped the table and this happened:

Sigh. But, because I'm a trooper and I didn't have a backup plan, I grabbed the brush and just painted my nails straight from the puddle. That's also the reason my nails look a little lumpy with a messy cuticle line, since I was just dipping into a puddle and from the bottom of the bottle, I managed to get a LOT of glitter.  I'm showing two coats for the pictures below.

See? SO MUCH GLITTER. It's a shame that I lost this bottle but I've also had it for months and never used it so maybe I don't need to replace it. I kinda want to, but maybe I shouldn't.

Remember to have a look at the other awesome ladies participating! I'm psyched to be doing another challenge with a great group of blogs (some from the 31 Day challenge) and it's gonna be a very mellow schedule, just once a week with no nail art required. Don't get me wrong, I'll definitely include some because I still want this blog to have nail art but it's a relief to know that if I'm swamped with school I can just pick a pretty polish and go back to studying.

Kimber @ Kimber'sLacquerKorner
Gini @ Sassy Paints
Kat @ Hooked On Polish
Lisa @ Lozlosa
Diana @ Nails By Diana
Nicole @ Nicole Gets Nailed
Nailista
Lariesa @ Me, Myself, and Polish
Patty @ Patty And Goldie's Day Off
Meredith@ Perfectly Polished
Joanna @ Sweet Polish of Mine
Sammi @ GlitzNGlammer
Polishaholic
Dionne @ Glittery Fingers
Aly @ Wonderland Beauty
Kate @ Painted Pony Nails
Sarah @ Faithfully Polished
Small Budget Beauty
Brittany @ Pretty, Pink, and Chic
Alaina @ Dont Spill The Acetone
Simona @ Light Your Nails
Elle @ Miss Nail Polish
Holly @ Facebook (blog link coming soon!)
Sonya (link needed)

Have a great day! 

I Love NP - Little Mermaid Swatches and Review

Hi all!

I wanted to lump together the other I <3 Nail Polish brand polishes in one post but I just haven't had time to swatch them and I've been actually *gasp* wearing and enjoying them! Today I'm sharing Little Mermaid. Little Mermaid is an awesome mix of small teal hexes, tiny skinny slivers and short bar glitter with some small holo pink hexes as well as teeny tiny pink squares.

One coat of Little Mermaid over Bettina Orchidea, although I think you may be able to get this opaque on its own in 3 coats.

I'm going to be honest here, I wasn't expecting to love this one as much as I did! I'm usually one for chunkier glitters that you can see from afar but, these nails gave such a nice, sparkly but soft look. Almost princessy, if you wil (see what I did there?). I also have to mention Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies so I was excited to have this based on the name alone :D. 

As with the previous I Love NP polish, application was like butter, clump free and no dragging. Bonus: this just needs one coat of topcoat to be smooth! I love that Barbra makes such nice glitters but they're not topcoat hungry or gritty. 

You can find I Love NP on Etsy and Facebook. Since I found the brand a couple of months ago, her shop is always stocked and she has amazing customer service. She also has a blog where she shares swatches of her polishes as well as regular manis.

Have a great day! 

*I Love NP polish was sent for review. For more information, please refer to my Disclosure policy*

New Year's Nails - I Love NP 11:59!

'Ello!

Today I'm sharing the mani I was wearing while I rung in the new year! I meant to do nail art but I was short on time and inspiration so I went with some really awesome polishes instead. I had recently received a package from Barbra, creator of I Love Nail Polish brand (you might have seen it as I Love NP or I <3 NP) and inside was this awesome glitter from her New Year's collection called 11:59 and I immediately knew I'd incorporate it into my NYE nails someway, little did I know it would be the whole mani!

I layered one coat of 11:59 over Nails Inc. Baker St. for this look. 11:59 applied beautifully, no clumping or dragging and it wasn't too thick at all. I just dabbed lightly and then polished normally to get an even coating. I topped it with just one coat of top coat and it was completely smooth! It's worth mentioning that her polishes have a different smell than most. It hit me when I first opened the bottles but it sort of dissipated after a while and it wasn't noticeable after top coat (at least to me, I always have a stuffy nose and don't really smell everything 100%).

11:59 has a variety of black glitters and gold glitter, including some type of gold flakies and CIRCLE GLITTER. I die for circle glitter, it's my new obsession. IT'S SO ROUND. I'll give you another macro so you can see the magic again. 

I love this combo so much! These pictures were taken on day 3 and you can see there's no sign of tip wear, just the tiniest amount of growth and I'm actually still wearing it as I type! Although I am itching to change it out and try some of the other I Love NP polishes I got. When I post those polishes I'll go more in depth about the packaging, which is so top notch you could forget it's an indie brand.

You can find I Love NP on Etsy and Facebook. Since I found the brand a couple of months ago her shop is always stocked and she has amazing customer service. She also has a blog where she shares swatches of her polishes as well as regular manis!

Are you as into round glitter as I am? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and I hope you all had a great and safe new year's!

*I Love NP polish was sent for review. For more information, please refer to my Disclosure policy*

Guest Post at Makeup Withdrawal

Hi all!

Today I have a post up at my bud Mimi's blog - Makeup Withdrawal! Mimi has really become a friend and I was more than happy to help her out while she moved so go check out her blog naow. Also, if you think she had amazing pictures on her blog, just wait, she got a sick new camera so I'm sure we'll get some kickass pics of her kickass manis.

Click on the picture to be transported to a magical land of wonder.

Have a great day lovelies!