Manicure Monday #2!

Here is a mani I love! I cannot get over how much I love these two polishes together.  I have already made nail polish jewelry with this combo I love it so much. I just haven't worn it on my fingers yet. I started with three coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Grey Area, which is still one of my favorite polishes EVER.  I then topped it off with one coat of wet n wild Wild Shine in Sparkled.  The glitter payoff in this polish is awesome.  This is just one thin coat and my whole nail sparkles!

The only downside is as with most glitters, it just does not photograph well!

Here is a pic in natural light, you can't really see the glitter well in this one.

Here is one under the light in my living room.  you can see the glitter better in this one.  Love!

Manicure Monday

Here is my first mani of the day.  Honestly, didn't like it one bit so my second mani of the day is soon to follow.  I wanted to have something sparkle for the new year, so I wanted to top off with NYX Hieroglyphics.  I didn't want to do basic black so I did two coats of wet n wild megalast in Disturbia.  I then did one coat of Hieroglyphics and was not impressed.  The clear base was super thick and did not deliver much glitter.  I was expecting a much more dense glitter.  What bummed me the most is this polish just would not dry.  Three hours later and it was still easy to dent, and even the next morning wasn't has hard as it should be.  Sooo off it went! I'm much happier with my second mani of the day, post coming soon!

Swatch: Sally Hanson Complete Salon Manicure in Gilded Lily

When I first saw the bottle shots of the Sally Hansen and Prabal Gurung polishes I was totally in love with Gilded Lily.  When I saw swatches of it though...I was not impressed and decided to skip it.  Few months later it was on clearance at Target and for a little over $3 I figured I could pick up another gold polish.  Still wasn't in love with it and put off swatching it for a few months.

Then I finally decided to swatch it and OH MY I LOVE IT!!! This polish is not done any justice by any swatches I have found online.  It is a clear base packed with tiny gold flecks.  It makes me feel like I have covered my nails in gold foil.  It has amazing shine without the dreaded brush strokes if this was a gold frost.

This swatch was with four coats.  I could have done less if I had used a creme base, but the dry time was so fast it didn't bother me to do an extra coat.  It also has a very smooth finish compared to other glitters.  So glad I finally picked this one up!

Manicure Monday

Here is the perfect Christmas Eve mani! Christmas trees! I love my dotting tool, its the only way I have any chance of doing nail art on my right hand that looks semi passable. Being ambidextrous would have been great for doing my nails!

I did two coats of Sally Hansen Extreme Wear in Cherry Red, then the green dots in Julep Leah, and the gold in Sally Hansen Salon in Gilty Pleasure. Super fun and easy.

Now to relax my stomach as I have three giant meals coming my way in the next 32 hours. *rolls away*

Swatch: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Very Cherry

So to keep in the theme of shiny for the Holidays, I chose Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Very Cherry.  This is a bright red that borders on pink.  It is packed full of micro glitter to give it a great sparkle.  Best part is the glitter is so fine there is no extra effort in removing this polish.  These are with two coats, I could have done three, but it was late and I was tired and two coats looked good! lol.

Swatch: Tokidoki Donutella

So I found this awesome polish in the sale section at Sephora.  It is a red microglitter with holographic bar glitter.  These swatches are with four coats.  I could have done three, but was having too much fun adding sparkle! The only thing I don't like about this polish is how the bar glitter makes the tips of my nails feel rough.  Totally scratched my face! Yup, that would be my fail of the day lol

GLITTER!!!

Blurry shot to show the bar glitter

Manicure Monday

I love this mani! Love how it looks like swirled metal.  I did three coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Time to Shine.  I waited for it to dry then did a layer of Extreme Wear in Midnight Sky and used wrinkled plastic wrap to blot away part of the top layer.

I love using this technique.  Its fast and gives me something use use the worlds worst plastic wrap on. I swear...this roll we got from Walmart doesn't even stick to itself.  So basically its a lifetime supply to use on my nails =P

Swatch: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Eel Skin

Oh how I LOVE this shade! This is part of the old Complete Salon Manicure line and I even found it at my local Dollar Tree for yup, a buck! This polish applies and wears well, this swatch is with my typical three coats.  It is an awesome true grey, no purple in this baby.

Also woohoo! This is my 100th post!! =)

Swatch: e.l.f Python Collection

Here is a deep purple polish with micro glitter from the e.l.f Python Collection from this fall.  There isn't a name on this polish.  When I saw this polish in the store I was so excited for a deep rich purple base with multi colored micro glitter.  Sadly on the nail the glitter just does not show.  Even with a topcoat and in bright sunlight its barely noticeable.  But at least it is a great purple!

Three coats without topcoat:

Best shot I could get of the glitter in the  bottle

Manicure Monday

This is honestly one of my least favorite manis.  But, still sharing as it was good in concept.  I wanted to have black tips with dripping glitter.  I did my tips in black creme then used wet n wild fastdry in Hannah Pinktana to do glitter on the tips and dripping down the middle of my nail.  The problem was, the color is so similar to my skintone, it really didn't show at all.  It looks great over the  black tips, but other than that the color is lost.  In concept it wasn't too bad, if I used a darker glitter it may have worked better.

Review: John Freida Precision Foam Color in Deep Cherry Brown

Its been a few months since I have colored my hair.  Due to that I was sporting a tri colored look.  Or I could say I was trendy and intentionally had the ombre look.  In reality it was top my natural color, middle the last time I used this color, and ends a lighter older color.  You can kinda see it below.  It wasn't super obvious, but enough to bug me. 

So I decided to go with Deep Cherry Brown from the John Freida Precision Foam Color line.  This line is good for subtle change, no shocking colors are in the line. 

In the box you get the basic items you get with most colors, developer, colourant, gloves, conditioner and directions. 

The part I love the most? FOAM!!! It smells pretty good too, well as good as a chemical can get.  Most fun part is you can hear the foam bubbling while it sits on your head. Ok, so maybe thats because I'm easily amused...

Word of warning...this stuff will drip as you get to the end of the wait time.  Keep a towel you don't like around your shoulders and beware you may drip on the carpet...like I did...

Look! Foam!

After rinsing, conditioning, and drying this is what I got. Look! All one color! It is a few shades darker overall and has a subtle red color that shows a bit more in the sun.  I really like it! 

Initial Thoughts: Not any fun shades in the line, defiantly geared towards a more natural look.  And FOAM! Foam is fun! The directions are great and make it super easy to understand the steps needed.  The scent is also one of the best I have come across.  

Overall: Very easy to use, just be wary of drips near the end of the wait time.  Color lasted about a week before I thought it started to fade, but I also chose a red and reds fade super fast no matter what.   Even with the fading the color is still great.  I have used this color before and once the red fades completely  I am left with a really nice brown color I like.  This also leaves my hair super soft.  My hair feels like silk and not one bit dry after using this.  I have super fine hair so it would be really easy for something to fry it, but this is super gentle.  

Etsy Shop Open!

So I kinda have a problem, a craft problem. Ok so I have a polish problem but by now that should be obvious =P So to make the most of my craft problem I decided to open up an Etsy shop.  I would love it if you go take a look!

And! I have nail polish jewelry on there so its a nice combo of both my addictions. If you see a design you like but want a different color, or have a polish in mind for the jewelry, please let me know! More than happy to do custom pieces.

THANK YOU ^_________^

Swatch: Sinful Colors Rain Storm

Today is one of my fave Sinful Colors polishes, Rain Storm.  Second only to Leap Flog which I just can't get enough of.  This is a nice rich kinda dusty blue. Coats well, only needed two coats to be opaque.

And, I got a new light! It has a bulb that simulates daylight so I can now do more accurate swatches. Yay!

Manicure Monday

Today is my first jelly sandwich!!! While sorting my stash I noticed that Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Flirt was jellyish! Soooo I knew what I had to try =) I did one layer of flirt then two layers of Spoiled in Trust Fund Baby then topped off with a layer of Flirt. Was sad that Trust Fund Baby dried super slow. But totally love the look.

CoverGirl Golden Giveaways I Won Something!

I enter a ton of giveaways, mainly just for the fun of it, but once and a while I win something!! Woohoo! Last week I get this random box in the mail and was rather confused as I was not expecting something.  I open it up and there is a letter saying I won CoverGirl Golden Giveaways and here is what I got!

-CoverGirl t-shirt, actually super comfy and have been wearing it as my pj shirt =)

-CoverGirl duffle bag.  How did they know that using a reusable Target bag was kinda sad to hold my gym clothes?

-Lash Blast Volume Mascara.  It has been years since I have tried a CoverGirl product, and I have heard so much good things about their mascaras lately, I'm really excited to try this

-Outlast all-day lipcolor in natural blush.  Oh this brings back memories of high school! That was about when the long lasting two step lip colors came out.  Wasn't a total fan, but it has been so long kinda excited to see how it goes.  

Excited for presents in the mail! teehee.  Will try things out and of course post reviews =)

The Stash

So I am on a total organizing kick this weekend and naturally organizing the stash was on that list. I was almost afraid to count....127 so far. Considering I had maybe 15 a year and a half ago it's scary! Lol

Swatch: Sinful Colors Cinderella

Today let me introduce you to one of the best named polishes ever.  Today I bring you Sinful Colors in Cinderella.  This is a beautiful pale blue with iridescent micro glitter throughout.  It really does look like something Cinderella would wear! The only thing with this polish is that it is sheer, this took four coats to be totally opaque.  You could do one or two layers over white creme if you don't want to build up so many layers.  For me, this color is so awesome I don't mind an extra coat.

Without flash:

With flash:

Manicure Monday

Today is dots! This really reminds me of Minnie Mouse =) Oh how I love my dotting tool.  Well...at least on my left hand lol.  Don't expect to see any pics of my right hand any time soon.  I did a base with three coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Cherry Red and the dots in Xtreme Wear in White On.  Back to Cherry Red, the dry time on this polish was amazing.  It dried like a fast dry polish, oh how I love it.

Without flash:

With flash:

Swatch: wet n wild megalast in Haze of Love

Oh how I love this color!! This is three coats.  I could have gotten away with two thicker coats, but I tend to be a three thin coats type of girl.

And hey! It's a holiday so I'm actually doing my nails during daylight hours!

Tada! In natural light:

Without flash:

With flash: 

Swatch: Sally Hansen InstaDri in Jumpin' Jade

While I am not a huge fan of InstaDri polishes, this one is a good one to have in a stash.  While I may hate the brush, it is a fast drying one coater and perfect for a 5 minute mani when running late to work.  Don't mind the bumps, that's all from me going as fast as possible and it seems I picked up some fuzz.

Without flash:

With flash:

Glue Basecoat for Glitter Polish

Glitter polish oh so pretty but oh so hard to remove.....until now! How? Glue! Really! I saw this on Wacky Laki and HAD to try it.  So here are some pics!

Here is my basecoat of Elmer's glue.  Really! I waited for it to dry then put on three coats of Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Glitz Gal, the two layers of topcoat.

Here I am two days later.  This is after two showers and two giant piles of dishes to wash.  And me picking at it. I couldn't help it! I wanted to peel it! lol I could have gone at least three days, but I was too excited to see how it works. 

I started at the base of my nail with an orange stick and *gasp* it really worked!!! Most of the polish came right off.  The bits that were a little harder I soaked my hands in warm water for a bit.  How long did it take for both hands? About five minutes.  Only five minutes for glitter polish!!!

Final clean up was just to wash my hands to get any remaining glue off my nails.  As it was water based, it was a snap! 

I am totally sold on this.  It was so easy! And fun. I mean, when else can you peel polish off and not take half your nail with it? And this makes glitter polish easier to deal with, no more dreading removal.

Swatch: Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Glitz Gal

So I saw this post on Wacky Laki about using Elmer's glue as a base coat for a glitter mani.  Since removal is the one thing holding me back from doing more glitter manis, I had to try it! So this mani is done over a base of glue! I will follow up in a few days with how it wore and how removal was.  Excited!

This is the only polish I own from the Gem Crush line.  It is SOOOOOO pretty. But, removal is EVIL. There is just so much glitter!!! If this glue base coat works, I may have to find more lol.  This is with three coats, I could have done two, but wanted more sparkle.  This is a top coat eater.  I did two coats of Insta-Dri and its still bumpy.  I usually hate it when my nails are not perfectly smooth, but the sparkle in this polish is worth it.

Without flash, no top coat: 

With flash, no top coat:

Without flash, with top coat:

With flash, with top coat:

Manicure Monday

This week is two of my fave things, tape mani and dots! I started with a base of wet n wild megalast in Haze of Love.  I got this polish as part of the CVS BOGO sale, and I wasn't in love with it, but I didn't wanna walk out without a free polish, so I snagged it.  Oh my, am I glad I did!! I LOVE it.  In the bottle I expected it to be a bit more dusty in color.  On the nail it is this amazing deep color, I think it is like the ox blood color that seems to be all the rage this fall.  I then did the tips and dots in wet n wild black creme.  

Without flash: 

With flash (wow totally not true to color!)

Swatch: NYC Golden Glam

Oh how I love this color.  It is such a perfect glittery peachy color.  It screams summer.  So of course I'm wearing it on a freezing cold day.  Yup, I'm logical like that. (ok so I live in California. "Freezing" is anything below 70 lalalala) This polish is one of those that I just keep looking at all day.  Its that pretty! And of course, I can't get how gorgeous this polish is in pics. Trust me, its fab!

Without flash: 

With Flash: 

Spoiled by wet n wild Nail Pail at CVS

There is an awesome sale going on at CVS right now on the Spoiled by wet n wild nail pail.  You get 7 full size Spoiled polishes, two wet n wild fast dry top coats, a nail file, and two toe separators for $9.99.  But this week they are on sale for $6.99 with $3 in extrabucks.  Thats $3.99 for the whole thing! I wanted to show you guys what I got in mine, and do some really quick (and ugly) swatches in case anyone wants to check it out this week while on sale. 

The bucket: (look everywhere, I found mine just sitting on the floor next to the regular Spoiled display)

Two glitters, a silver and a gold

Three shimmers: 

Two crackles. Yes, crackles.  I know I know, most of us are over them.  But I am excited for the purple crackle. 

And now...the worst swatches of my life.  These are with two quick coats.  Just wanted to give you guys a quick idea of what they look like out of the bottle. 

Thumb: Club Rat

Index Finger: Show Me The Money

Middle Finger: Distant Memory

Ring Finger: Pirate's Booty

Pinky: I Have No Reception

Now the crackles.  The purple one didn't really show up, I wanna try it over black to see how it pops.  I think it was competing too much with the iridescent shimmer in the base color. 

Are all the colors amazing? No, but for $3.99 it really is a great buy.  As long as you like two of the colors you are getting your moneys worth.