Fancy Taffy Pants!

Hi all!

Today's post is for the ABC Challenge but I just had to go with that cute title instead of my usual "ABC Challenge 'L': blablabla".

This mani was actually completely coincidental. I painted my nails Friday with a new polish and kept it on until Tuesday (which is forever) but I had absolutely no idea or inspiration to do some nail art for today's post. It was then I realized that the mani I had worn all weekend had a polish starting with L so I used these pictures instead. I really didn't want to share this just yet for several reasons, which I'll go into later, but I didn't want to keep missing posts.

I started with two coats of China Glaze Fancy Pants and added accent nails of Lacquerlicious Tart Taffy, which had been a long time lemming ever since I saw Mimi's pics on her blog, so when a 25% off sale appeared, I pounced.

This looked so pretty but Fancy Pants chipped HORRIBLY. Within 24 hours I already had small chips at my nail tips and eventually it started peeling off in sheets. My mom had this same mani at the same time and hers didn't even last a full 10 hours, but she also has her hands submerged in water far more than I do.

Also, I ran into some issues with my Lacquerlicious polish. First of all, it's sinking :(. I can tell she's using suspension base and I know from several people that none of her polishes ever did this so it's probably a case of a bad batch. Either way, turning it upside down for a minute takes care of the problem right quick. The other issue is that it seems like some of the glitters stained my nails. It was very very faint and barely noticeable but I saw it and thought I had a rash on my nails. I am not very logical when it comes to nails. A very wonderful person indeed had the same two polishes and is trying out this combo as well to see if it stains the nails so I will update this post later with her findings and tell you if it was just me or not.

UPDATE: My very nice tester informed me she did not have any staining with the Lacquerlicious polish and she wasn't even wearing base coat! So it might have been an adverse reaction with my base coat (Nailtiques).

Small personal announcement: I'm starting a new job on Monday! That's pretty much the reason my nails have been so sad lately, I've been running around getting everything done before I start. I don't anticipate it will disrupt the blog too much but I will let you know if anything changes.

Whew! That was a much longer post than I anticipated and I didn't even go into the whole China Glaze/Vampy Varnish situation. Let's just say that as a blogger, I'm not happy with China Glaze.

Have a great day loves!

ABC Challenge 'J' - Revlon Jaded Night

Hey all!

I had a really hard time picking what to do for this challenge day. Originally, I wanted to do a really cool jelly sandwich but I figured I've already shown all my jelly polishes and I just wasn't feeling inspired when I sat down to do it. Then, I remembered I still haven't worn a very special (to me) polish starting with J but I knew I wouldn't get good pictures of it so I settled on this combo you're about to see. It's nothing too special but at the same time absolutely gorgeous.

I started with two coats of Revlon Jaded Night, this was part of a LE fall collection in 2011 (!). I remember this polish being one of the first that I semi-hunted for and as such will always be a bit special. Then I added another polish that was such a huge lemming for me, Essie Shine of the Times. Even though SOTT wasn't the lemming per se, it was Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure but OMG I remember to this day looking at the pics of those magical flakies and being so excited when a dupe surfaced.

Looking like nothing super special...

You start to see a bit of the magic...

Suddenly, BABLAM macro and it's magical and fiery and beautiful

Mmm pictures like that make me think I'm not so over flakies as I thought :D.

Thank you for reading and have a great day!

ABC Challenge 'G' - Pop Beauty Grass (and Glitter!)

Hi all!

First off, I'll admit I don't like these pictures. I was literally sweating a fever out when I took these and they just don't look as good as I'd like. This cold (or whatever it is) has kicked my ass so hard that on Monday I was bedridden all day because my body ached so much I could barely move so I feel I couldn't do this awesome mani justice. 

Now for polish! I started with two coats of Pop Beauty 'Grass' (of which I don't have pictures alone because they turned out horribly), then added one coat of 'Algae Bloom', a beautiful franken by Mimi from Makeup Withdrawal! I was so excited to get some of her frankens as a bday present, I've long admired them from afar. Grass is a neon green and the perfect base for Algae Bloom's radioactive green base but it looked a little too neon for me so I added one coat of Zoya Frida to deepen the color.

Like I said, this mani was so much better in real life and could have looked better in pictures but I just wasn't up to it :\.

Unfortunately, Mimi has no plans as of yet to sell any of her pretties because she's like Gollum and wants to hoard them. I have a few more frankens that I'd like to share with you and I hope you don't hate me because they're not readily available.

Have a great day lovelies!

ABC Challenge 'E' - Essie No More Film

Hi all!

So, when I sat down to do my nails I knew I didn't want to use an Essie for this challenge day because that was too easy. Then I found an untried Essie and that resolve went out the window.

I chose Essie No More Film and layered Sally Hansen Snow Globe for the bigger hex glitters, then Spoiled My Saturn Broke Down and finished it off with Essie Matte About You.

I did this in such a hurry that it looks sloppy. No gusta :(. I  like the actual mani though, its just that my cuticles were acting up and being all dry and weird so polish seemed to stick to them. No More Film has such a wonderful formula, I can't believe I haven't tried it before, this was just one coat! I'm pretty sure it's going to work great for stamping too.

Now I'm off to do my nails because I refuse to be naked on my birthday! :D

Have a great day lovelies!

Mish-Mash Between Spring and Winter

Hi all!

Today I'm back and taking part in the Polish Days hosted by Hannah from Polly Polish! I always enjoy seeing how many of us participate and how everyone interprets the theme. This theme should be fun since it leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Aand the theme is... Back to Nature! Hannah wanted us to be inspired by nature, whether you're knee-deep in snow or are just over winter and ready for spring. Of course, here in Puerto Rico, it's never really winter (technically).

I call this manicure a mish mash between spring and winter because that's what the weather feels like right now. It's cold (ok maybe not cold, brisk? It's around 60-70F) during the nights but some days are super sunny and hot. Also called a mish mash because it's a very wintery mani featuring a spring polish and a dandelion stamped so... yes ok?

I started with two coats of OPI Can't Find my Czechbook, from their new spring 2013 collection and layered OPI Pirouette My Whistle from their Ballet Soft Shades a while back. Then I added studs from the Born Pretty Store and a stamp from Nailz Craze NC01 image plate.

So, I'm pretty sure you can tell I had no real idea or direction with this since I didn't have time to do complicated nail art. It's just something very simple that made me happy but still fit the theme.

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! 

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!

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*

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*

My Christmas Mani - KBShimmer Clown Puke!

Merry Christmas!! I hope you're all having a great day with your families and enjoying some yummy food! Last night we made spinach lasagna rolls with ground meat and tomato sauce on top, rice with pigeon peas, salad and pumpkin double layer cheesecake for dessert. Hopefully today will be equally delicious :D.

Ever since I saw THIS manicure at The Polished Perfectionist, I knew I would have to recreate it so I ordered KBShimmer Clown Puke (and one more, I have incredible self-control). Clown Puke is a 'everything but the kitchen sink' polish. Basically, an amazing glitter bomb with everything thrown in there. It's no secret that I love rainbow glitters but I think this beats them all. Just amazing with flawless application. Such professionalism from the brand itself, I can't wait to try more polishes from them!

The only thing I was missing from Amy Grace's mani was China Glaze Holly-Day but it was released last year and I didn't think I would find it. Then, because christmas miracles happen, I found a mini while shopping at an outlet mall with a quiet little beauty supply! I'm showing two coats of Holly-Day and one of Clown Puke.

HHHNNNNGG such a perfect Christmassy combo! I'm so in love with this, I didn't even use a peel off base coat because I want it to last a little longer than forever. My favorite was my thumb so you get a macro of thumby.  

Guys, I have to confess that I didn't 'get' the whole glitter fascination before. It was pretty but many left me 'meh'. While I'm still super picky about which glitters I purchase, I'm definitely an official glitter addict. I like me pretty shinies O_O. Although, I will admit I feel like a fraud for not doing more nail art recently. I just wasn't feeling the holiday vibe but I hope to get back in my groove soon!

Have you discovered the magic of glitter or was I the only one that was late to the party?

Happy Holidays! 

Black Spots Over Green

Hi all!

Sorry I've been a little absent, between school and christmas-type social obligations my 'me' time in which I blogged and such has been scarce. For those of you who commented on my post about my friend's passing, your words really meant a lot and I wanted to let you all know that his death saved 5 other lives because of organ donation. We said our goodbyes to him on Thursday and, while it was very hard to see him like that, I always find funerals help to start the healing process. He is and will always be incredibly missed.

Let's get ourselves happy and look at some nails, yes? This is a mani I did last week when I was super rushed and contemplating some type of self harm because of a presentation I had due the next day. In order to keep my sanity, I decided to take a break and do my nails but it had to be quick so I grabbed from my untrieds pile on the table and these two looked perfect for each other.

I have two coats of Essie Mojito Madness with Sation I Paint in Peace on my accent nails and I topped everything with one coat of the black Fergie glitter from Wet 'N Wild.

I originally passed on Mojito Madness when it first came out but I saw it the other day and just had to have it. It's such a nice bright color and it has a great formula so I'm definitely psyched to have found it. Sation I Paint in Peace is a gorgeous deep green with silver shimmer and I LOVE IT. The formula is a little thick but not unmanageable and it covered completely in one coat! I really suggest picking up the Sation polishes if you can find them, I've yet to be disappointed.

Thank you for looking and have a great day lovelies!