Guess who's back, back again...

Hi all!

I feel like hugging this blog, it's been so long! So, quick update on my life now: as you may know, I graduated from my bachelor's degree in May but you (probably?) don't know that I am now working on my master's! As well trying to get everything in order to apply for a post-doctoral program in the fall of 2014. I'm busy, to say the least. I often feel like I'm drowning in coursework and just life in general. That sounds sadder than it is, lol. In fact, the only reason I'm blogging now is because I'm procrastinating doing some school work but today I just got an overwhelming desire to blog again so here I am! It helps that I really like this mani :D

Right, nails, that's why you're here. For this mani I started with a base of Illamasqua Jo'Mina and then saran-wrapped-sponged Illamasqua Nomad on top. Then I stamped with the silver Color Club holo and MASH 39. These even got the boyfriend seal of approval with a cheery "Ooohh look who's back!" when I showed him.

The pictures aren't perfect and I have to re-tweak the lighting because my setup changed since I wasn't using the lightbox but I'm just happy to have these up!

Sappy time: I am really happy you're all still following this blog and to show my gratitude, I'll be having a giveaway soon! Nothing huge, but I do have some things I've stashed away for an occasion such as this. As for the future of the blog, I do strive to continue blogging but I am definitely not pushing myself too hard. Sometimes I just have time to paint my nails in a single color and no nail art, and I'm actually still falling back in love with doing my nails since I was often naked during the break so I don't want it to become a chore again.

See you soon! :D

MASH Matte Topcoat Review

Hey all!

Today I'll be sharing my thoughts on the MASH Matte Topcoat. There's more pics than usual here so I'll just get right to it.

I started with two coats of KIKO 335 and added one sparse coat of Bokeh Effect by Makeup Withdrawal. I loved this combo, the base color of Bokeh Effect is very similar to the KIKO and I die for those copper glitters.

But this is a review! Get focused. Then I added the MASH topcoat to all the nails except my ring, on which I applied Essie Matte About You for comparison's sake since its the only other matte topcoat I own.

 

Both topcoats dried at the same speed but, as you can see, the Essie is more of a true matte while the MASH is more satiny. I personally prefer the MASH over Essie because the texture of the Essie was always a bit uncomfortable to me, I find it chalky. Also, the Essie appears to lighten the base color a bit and is very flat while the MASH one retains some sparkle and doesn't alter the base color.

All in all, another win from MASH for me! I really enjoy this topcoat so much more and the appearance it gives. I'm dying to use it over a gradient now, saw a matte gradient on IG recently and my eyes popped out of my head.

What do you think? Agree with me about the appearance and finish of these matte topcoats or do you have another favorite?

Have a great weekend loves!

Product featured was sent for review, all opinions are my own. For more information, refer to my Disclosure policy.

MASH Nail Art Pens Review

Hi all!

I know I never shared any Valentine's day manis on here because I'm just not that into that particular holiday but today I have some nail art that would be perfect for VDay or an anniversary or whenever you feel like wearing cute hearts. Got a lot to say so I'll get right into it.

I started with two coats of Orly Boho Bonnet from their Spring 2013 collection. Formula on this was weird, it seemed to thicken with use and wouldn't spread to the edges or self-level but it still looked good at two coats. It's also a close dupe of Zoya Kristen, not exact but enough for me since I can't get Zoya here.

After that was mostly dry, I used my pink MASH Nail Art Pen for the hearts and the black pen for the outlines. The consistency of the pink pen was great though it was a touch sheerer than the black one, I went over the big hearts twice for that bright pop of color and left the little hearts with just one 'coat'. If my base color had been white or lighter,  I doubt I would have needed the second coat. Finally, a little flick of white acrylic paint and topcoat finishes the look.

My favorite heart was on my thumb.

You'll notice I said the base polish has to be mostly dry to use these pens and that is because the tip of the pen is plastic and could dent the polish if it's too fresh. Also, if you're going to go over a part of your design twice to either deepen the color or make a line cleaner, it's best to wait for it to be mostly dry as well so you're not pulling up parts of the design or making grooves in it.

Aside from those tips, I found these SUPER easy to use and I'm in love with them already. I've always been mediocre with a nail art brush because of the abnormal way I hold them but with these pens I can make it work! I'm sure someone more talented than I would make amazing art with them but they're also great for beginners. They do take a couple of tries to get them going when they're new though. Nothing major, but worth mentioning.

These nail art pens can be found HERE on the MASH website and you can see the different colors they have (I'm dying to try the silver one now). Also follow MASH on Twitter or like them on Facebook for info, ideas or special promotions!

Product featured was sent for review, all opinions are my own. For more information, refer to my Disclosure policy.

Rainbow Over Blurple

Heeey everybodah! IT IS FRIDAY.

I am very excited about today's post because it is one of my favorite manis that I have done in recent memory. Truth be told, when I get inspired I end up with things I really like, its only when I force myself to come up with something that I find they're lackluster. Now, if you follow me on Instagram (@hookedonpolish) then you've already seen it but now you get better pictures. If you don't, then you totally should because I post manis on there that never make it to the blog and I have a really cute dog.

I used two buttery coats of KIKO 337 (courtesy of mom, as you may have seen on my last post). KIKO 337 is a bright periwinkle/violet color that is an absolute pain to photograph. I *think* I got color accurate pictures by messing with the camera settings but it's so in between blue and purple and so bright that it really just confused the hell out of my poor camera. Next, I stamped with Mash-47 and Color Club Harp On It from their 2012 Halo Hues.

Obviously, this was way more holo-y than I could capture but you can see a tiny rainbow in that last picture. I really loved wearing this mani. Even as I type, I feel like recreating it. I won't because I have about a bajillion untrieds sitting there but I think it's very representative of my style and it was such a clean stamping job for me that I can't help but love it.


How about you guys? Any plans for the weekend?

Have a great day and I'm off to respond to comments on my last posts! *flies away*

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!

Sunday Stamping: Over Blue Base

Hey all!

Hope everyone got some great deals while shopping! Mom and I went to the mall on Friday afternoon but didn't really buy anything. We got some great online deals though! :)

Today's mani is for the Adventures in Stamping group on Facebook and the theme was 'over blue'. I didn't have a new blue polish so I went with a semi-oldie but a goodie. This is really one of my favorite blue shades because it just looks so clean!

Two coats of Essie Bikini So Teeny stamped with Mash-42 and Essie No More Film. I also accentuated the stamp with loose glequins from KKCenterHK store.

No More Film is a great stamping color except for how much it smears! I topcoated my pinky and smeared the hell out of it, so I redid it and went to sleep without topcoat thinking it would dry thoroughly and it wouldn't be a problem in the morning. Wrong! It still smeared with three different topcoats. Oh well, it still looks really cute from a distance! Maybe a little too summery for everyone else but, in PR, it's never really winter :P.

Thank you for looking and have a great day!

I'm Armed and Ready with a Stamper!

Hey all! Wow that's a corny title. It's the best I could do at the moment.

Soo before finishing the challenge I was feeling a little uninspired and I'm sad to report that mental block is still going strong. However, I obviously cannot have my nails naked for long so I'm just grabbing random untrieds until inspiration kicks back in.

Today's untried is Essie Armed and Ready from the Spring 2012 Go Overboard collection. I passed on this polish so many times in store but, as supplies dwindled, I started seeing it on a lot of wishlists and lemmings lists so I decided to give it a try. It's a great color, definitely unique but it doesn't ruffle my feathers THAT much. Still happy to have it since I don't have anything close to it in my stash.

Obviously I couldn't leave it as it was so I stamped with Mash-49 and Essie As Good as Gold.

Guys, I love these Mash stamps. The quality is great and I love a lot of the images so they're sure to inspire me. Eventually. I just really wish this stamping wasn't crooked but, from afar, it looked pretty cool.

Also, because I'm uninspired and a genius, I decided to participate in a nail art contest! You'll probably be seeing that post later today or tomorrow. I hope.

Have a great day! I'll be in preparations for the thanksgiving feast O_o.

Poke Those Swirls

Hey all!

Hope you're having a great weekend so far! Monday's a holiday here, plus we get Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving so, if you can believe it, the government gave the whole week off. Of course, small businesses and shopping centers will be open but, SERIOUSLY?! A whole week off? Unnecessary.

Now that I got that rant out of the way, I have a simple but awesome (at least in my eyes) stamping mani. I have decided this will be my 'Inspired by a Tutorial' nails for the challenge because I just don't have time at all to do anything else and I want to finish tomorrow on time with the rest of the girls. Besides, I definitely used a lot of tutorials when I started stamping so it totally counts! Right? :P

I started with two coats of Illamasqua Poke and stamped with my brand new Mash plates using Wet N Wild black creme and plate Mash 40.

Poke is this vivid purple filled with a silver shimmer that gives it this duochrome kind of look. Simply amazing! I got this shade as a gift a couple of months and had swatched it on one fingernail and didn't really love it, looked too pink. But the other day it was calling to me and I tried and literally had an OMG moment at how pretty it was.

I will admit this stamp is the sole reason I purhcased these plates. I freakin' flippin' love swirls and geometric images and this set has lots of those to choose.

Have a great day and check back tomorrow for the final day in the challenge!

-Kimber at Kimber's Lacquer Korner
-Kat at Hooked On Polish
-Diana at Nails By Diana
-Aly at Wonderland Beauty
-Meredith at Perfectly Polished
-Nicole at The Color Republic
-Kate at The Painted Pony Nails
-Cee at Absolutely Cee
-Sam at Polished Art
-Nail Narcotics
-Nicole at Nicole Gets Nailed
-Shelby at Shelby's Swatches
-Stephanie Louise at All Things Beautiful
-Mixed Mama
-Joanna @ Sweet Polish of Mine
-Patty Greenberg
-Liz and Lisa @ Lozlosa 
-Mari at Nailista
-Miss L at Beauty by Miss L 
-Gini at Sassy Paints
-Chameleon Stampede 
-Pam at Nail-E-Glance
-Me, Myself, and Polish 
- Robin Sparkles