A Summer Cloud Mani

Summer Cloud Mani

Hi everyone, happy Sunday!  I had a nice relaxing day yesterday which I loved :)  Today we are headed out with friends to go see Monsters Inc. University.  I've always loved animated movies, they usually make me cry more than regular movies lol.  Today I have a mani that I wore yesterday.  I love cloud manis because they are simple to do and I love the endless number of color combinations that can be done.  I started with three coats of OPI My Paprika Is Hotter Than Yours! which is a fiery bright orange.  I layered on China Glaze Sunday Funday, a pretty ocean blue and then finished off with two coats of Maybelline Color Show Porcelain Party.  It was an unusual color combination for me but I really liked the impact of the white against the bright colors.  Finally I finished off with one coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust, a recent addition to my collection.

I mentioned a few days ago that I decided to do my very first "no buy" month in July.  I wanted thought I should do this in anticipation for the fall collections coming out.  Fall is my absolute favorite time of year so I'm sure there will be lots of colors that I want to pick up.  Have any of you ever done a no buy?  Naturally I plan on going to Ulta today for one last fix ;)

My First Sinful Colors

Sinful Colors: Dream On (Matte)

Hi everyone!  Happy Saturday :)  I've been busy so far.  The hubby and I went to the farmer's market and discovered a co-op health food store where I found lots of allergy free products.  Today I have my very first Sinful Colors polish.  I won this polish in a giveaway and really loved the color.  I didn't realize it was matte until I put it on but then I noticed it did say matte on the bottom of the bottle.

I have to say that I had a bad time with this polish.  It applied just fine, in two coats and it dried quickly.  All was good until I woke up the next morning.  I applied this polish around dinner time and then woke up with a ton of chips.  Almost every nail had a chip on it and I ended up having to remove it before I went to work.

Have you tried and Sinful Colors polish?  Did you have a good experience?

Teeny Bikini Mani

Teeny Summer Bikinis

Hi everyone and welcome to Friday :)  I am happy that the day has come, now I just need to get through the next 9 hours and I'm home free!  What do you have planned for the weekend?  This weekend will be the first in the last couple that I don't have any major plans.  I don't mind that at all though, I'm a homebody.  Tomorrow morning I'll be going to the farmer's market and maybe the hubby and I will rent the Oz movie on redbox.  Thrilling, I know ;)  

Today I have a mani that screams summer to me...teeny bikinis.  I did all the nail art with dotting tools and nail polish.

I started with a base of a shimmery aqua to represent the water.  The color was OPI Austin-tatious Turquoise.  Then I used the following colors-Essie Licorice (black), Essie Go Ginza, Zoya Suri, Zoya Josie, OPI Jade is the New Black, Zoya Thandie, OPI My Paprika is Hotter Than Yours!, Zoya Blu, Zoya Rocky, and Zoya Darcy.  Whew...long list!

Have a great weekend everyone :)

Blackhawks Win!

Blackhawks Win Mani!

Hi everyone, happy Thursday!  One day closer to Friday :)  I did have this post planned for yesterday but we had really strong thunderstorms which knocked out our power from 5:30pm to 10pm (gasp!).  Therefore, no post.  This post is for the hubby who is a huge Chicago fan because he grew up there and therefore, a huge Blackhawks fan.  The day before the big game he requested the stripes that are on the Blackhawks jersey.  This is my second attempt at stripes, the first was too poor to show.  Everything was going well until my topcoat smeared the black all over the white.  Regardless, I wanted to show it anyway :)

For those who read my post a few days ago, I mentioned that I was getting my test results on Wednesday.  I had self diagnosed myself with a dairy allergy five months ago and have been dairy-free since then.  The good news is that nothing else was wrong besides my food allergies....and then I looked at the results.  Allergic to dairy, eggs, wheat/gluten, and peanuts.  To put it mildly I was floored.  Now I'm just trying to cope and figure out what to eat.  The good news is that my constant fatigue and being sick every month will finally go away!  Sooooo.....anyone have any experience with the paleo diet ;)

I used a JulieG polish for the red, but it doesn't seem to be labeled with a name (?).  For the white I used Maybelline Color Show Porcelain Party and the black is Essie Licorice.  

Maybelline Color Show

Maybelline Color Show: Coral Crush and Shocking Seas

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday!  Today I've got some fun summer swatches to show you.  Admittedly my mind has been elsewhere for about a week.  Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment three hours away in downtown Chicago where I will hopefully get answers for the past two years of chronic fatigue and stomach pains.  It's all I can think about lately and I just want it to be over with at this point.  I had my appointment two weeks ago and tomorrow is the appointment with all of the test results.  Sorry to get personal, I just felt as though it was important.

Today I have two polishes that I won in a Rite Aid giveaway.  First up is Coral Crush.  This has actually become one of my favorites in my entire collection and I've worn it three times since I got it a few weeks ago.  I realize now that my color is slightly off in the photos...too dark and too red (it also could be my work computer).  This color is a medium pinky coral creme and photos are two coats without topcoat.  I did put the second coat on a little thicker to cover up the streakiness of the first coat.

Second is Shocking Seas, a bright teal crelly.  Below is three coats without topcoat.  I really like the color of this one but I'm just not a crelly or jelly fan personally.  The teal blue is very pretty though!

Sorry for the short post!  I knew it was going to be a rough day today basically playing the waiting game.  Thanks for the continued support.

OPI Gargantuan Green Grape: Two Versions

OPI Gargantuan Green Grape: One Name, Two (Three?) Colors

Hi everyone, welcome to Monday.  The weekend definitely went by too quickly!  If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed my sizable Ulta haul on Saturday.  I noticed a beautiful pale blue polish on the shelf, one I had never seen before, and had to have it.  I picked it up, looked at the name, and to my surprise found that it was OPI Gargantuan Green Grape.  A few weeks ago, I picked up the pale, minty version of the same polish.  When I got the minty version, I had to decide between the pale, minty cream version and a second green version which had more yellow and appeared to be on the crelly side.  So now I'm up to three different versions of the same polish.  What is going on?  Nevertheless, today I bring you the pale blue and the pale green versions.

First up are the bottle comparisons.  One in the lightbox, one with the names (for proof I guess?), and then in the sunlight.

Onto the actual polishes....first up is the pale mint version.  The formula was difficult, it flooded my cuticles and I needed three careful coats to cover up.  Guess what, I don't care!  The color is too beautiful so the bad formula goes to the back of my mind.  All photos are without topcoat.

 

Finally is the pale aqua blue version.  This polish had a hint of green and a little bit of dustiness too it.  The formula was the same as the green but again, the color was just so stunning.

Do you own this color?  If so, what version do you have?

Orly Glowstick

Orly Glowstick: Swatches and Review

Happy Sunday everyone!  I'm still at my parents house this morning but am heading back at lunchtime.  I saw World War Z last night and thought it was pretty good.  I'm not a big fan of scary movies, and it was on the scary side for me....this being said, I do watch The Walking Dead by myself so I'm not too much of a wimp.  I thought the story line was good though.  

Today I have a really cool polish that I first saw on Pinterest.  I knew that I had to have it being the yellow fan that I am.  Orly Glowstick is a neon highlighter yellow.  As with neons and yellow polishes, the formula wasn't great but it was manageable if you like the color.  I used three relatively thick coats to get the eye-searing color seen below :)

So what do you think?  Would you rock this color?

Saturday Swatch Spam: OPI Polish

OPI Swatch Spam: 4 polishes

Hi everyone and happy Saturday!  I hope the weekend is treating you well.  Today I'm doing some shopping with my mom and then we are going to see World War Z tonight.  I really love going to the movies!  Today I have some OPI swatches that I've done over the past couple of weeks.  Let's get started :)

OPI Jade is the New Black

First up is my only green OPI.  I have a thing for green polish.  I ordered this one online and it looked different than I expected.  I expected a clear jade color but this is a muddier version of jade.  The formula was good, shown is two easy coats with topcoat.  I've also found this to be a good polish for stamping as it is a fairly opaque cream.

OPI Vant to Bite My Neck?

I LOVE the color of this polish.  I originally bought it when the Euro Centrale collection came out but I actually don't think I used it until the other day.  This polish is a dark and vampy blue leaning purple eggplant cream.  This polish took three coats but I thought the color was stunning.  The formula was good on this one as well.  This polish is without topcoat and it is also a really good stamping polish.

OPI Austin-tatious Turquoise

This color is a pretty color that I found on clearance at Ulta.  This is a fairly sheer teal shimmer polish.  The photos are three coats with no topcoat.  I really liked the one actually, it had a sort of metallic quality to it.

OPI Can You Tapas This?

Last up is a maroon cream.  This formula was good, the photos are two coats without topcoat.  I already had this color in my stash but needed a dark polish after so many summer neons!

OPI Polka.com: Three Ways

OPI Polka.com: Swatches Three Ways and Review

Yay it's Friday!  I'm working a half day so I can go and get my hair done (shhhh!)  :)  I had planned on relaxing the entire weekend while the hubby plays airsoft but instead I will be going to the hair salon and hanging out with my parents.  Maybe I can convince my mom into going to ulta with me.  

Today I have OPI Polka.com.  I have been on a real glitter kick lately and I reached for this glitter which has been largely ignored...oops.  It's beautiful!  This polish is packed with lavender, magenta, and teal glitters with small purple glitters.  I got the idea to use this polish on three types of polish, cream, glitter, and shimmer.

 

Cream Polish:

First up is the cream polish.  I layered Polka.com over OPI Mod About You, a dusty lavender cream. 

Shimmer:

Next up is the shimmer.  For this I used Hard Candy Little Hottie, a shimmery fuchsia pink and a diagonal design.

Glitter:

Last up is the glitter.  This polish is a polish I won in a giveaway from Serbia.  I'm not quite sure of the name but the bottle says DA Nailpolish Glam & Glitter number 105.  It's a really pretty purple glitter than just glows.

Which one is your favorite?  I think it's a toss up between the cream and the glitter for me :)

Born Pretty Stamping Plate and my first Skittlette

Born Pretty Store Review: Stamping Plate QA5

 *Press sample

Hello everyone!  Hopefully the week has been treating you well :)  Today I have a really cool stamping plate that I received from Born Pretty Store.  As you all know, Born Pretty Store is a great place to find all sorts of nail art supplies.  This is my first stamping plate from here and I was very impressed.  

This stamping plate has three themes of small images: bows, skulls, and nautical images.  It is a unique combination but I love the amount of manicures that I'm going to be able to use it for.  Today I showed my favorite part of the plate....the bows.  I look forward to using the nautical images for an upcoming trip to Cape Cod and the skulls will be really fun for Halloween.  

The exact stamping plate I used can be found here.  The item i.d. is #4868.  First up is a close-up of the stamping plate.  As you can see, it's very shiny.  If you look close, you can see me and my camera ;)

 

On the plate are eight bows, four large and four small, three sets of skulls and crossbones, an anchor, a ship wheel, and a set of eyes with an eyepatch.  For my skittlette I used Shimmer Jasmine on my pinky, OPI Vant to Bite My Neck? on my ring and middle ringers, and Essie In the Cab-ana on my pointer and thumb.  I then used Essie Penny Talk for my adorable bows.

Overall, I rate this product very high.  I had no trouble with the image transfer and I did test the other images on my right hand without any trouble.  My only compliant would be that the back isn't lined so the edges are a little bit sharp, not a big deal in my opinion though!  This stamping plate retails for $2.99 with free shipping and if you use my coupon code below, you get an extra 10% off!  

*Product received for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Shimmer Polish Erica: Swatches and Review

Shimmer Polish: Erica

Hi everyone, happy Wednesday!  Half way through the work week, hopefully it goes by quickly!  Today I have another Shimmer beauty.  This was the polish I was really lemming for and I finally caved and bought it the other day.  Best choice ever!  All I can think now is the meme Buy all the Polishes!

Shimmer Erica is described as a peridot green shimmer.  I see a mix of light green, gold, holographic, silver, and teal glitter.  This polish is so sparkly in sunlight and even inside.  I'm staring at it in low light right now and it is sparkly as ever.  I decided to do three different swatches to show the versatility of this polish and I think it looked equally good over light and dark polishes.

First up is my dark base coat with photos taken in sunlight (yay for summer!).  For the swatches I used three coats of OPI Vant to Bite my Neck? and then used painters tape to create a diagonal with two coats of Shimmer Erica.  I topped it off with one coat of Seche Vite topcoat.

My second look is a glitter triangle tip with three coats of Butter London Cheeky Chops and two coats of Shimmer Erica.  I included both sunlight and lightbox photos.  The swatches are taken with one coat of topcoat.

Last up are opaque swatches.  The formula was exactly like Shimmer Jasmine.  Perfect density, no fishing for glitters, and full opacity in three coats.  Photos are taken without topcoat this time and are taken in both sunlight and in the lightbox.

And of course....a beautiful macro to show all of that glitter goodness!

This polish is available for $12 on etsy...which can be found here.  I hope you enjoy, I know I am :)