Ugly Manicure Monday - 07

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Harri at TrailerHood Chic...

Essence - High Waist Pink and Sally Hansen - Yellow Kitty
mixed with Color Club - Soft As Cashmere.

She said that she tried a smoke manicure a while ago that she wanted to recreate. The pink and yellow are pretty together, but she didn't stop there. She added a light purple mixture...

Essence - Bloom-A-Loom mixed with Color Club - Uptown Girl,
China Glaze - Secret Peri-Wink-Le, and OPI - Skull & Glossbones.

She kept going with a darker purple...

Zoya - Areej.

Then she added a dark brown...

Color Club - Nothing But Truffle.

Harri said she wished she would have finished her manicure with Nothing But Truffle, but nooo...

OPI - Sparrow Me The Drama mixed with OPI - Skull & Glossbones.

She said she royally ruined her manicure with her last addition.

Thanks, Harri!

I have to agree that the last step is what made the manicure a flop. But I know it's not always so easy to stop while you're ahead, so to speak.

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Julep - Jodie

Hi there!

This is one of the polishes included in the March It Girl box...

My nails painted with Julep - Jodie.

I painted 2 coats of Jodie to achieve what's pictured. I'm happy with the formula, but I really like the shimmer...

Julep - Jodie.

There have been 2 releases of this shade as far as I know. The previous version looked more mauve with a golden shimmer. This version appears more red with a red/pink/silver shimmer. Either way, it's pretty.

Until next time...

SoFlaJo - Call Forth Dragons

Hi there!

I really love it when people are inspired to mix their own nail lacquers. My friend, Jody, at SoFlaJo recently started her own line of color changing top coats called The Year Of The Dragon. This is 1 of 8 from the collection...

My nails painted with Orly - Plum Noir and
SoFlaJo - Call Forth Dragons.

I painted 1 coat of Plum Noir before I painted 2 coats of Call Forth Dragons to achieve what's pictured. Call Forth Dragons is a frost base with silver holographic glitter suspended throughout it.

With a flash...

My nails painted with Orly - Plum Noir and
SoFlaJo - Call Forth Dragons.

The glitter is ultra fine, so removal is quick and easy. If you're interested in seeing more topcoats from SoFlaJo, click here.

This is what my polish looked like before the addition of Call Forth Dragons...

Orly - Plum Noir.

Until next time...

(Call Forth Dragons was kindly provided by SoFlaJo for me to play with)

Ugly Manicure Monday - 06

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Jamie at Nails Adored...

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Pat On The Black
and Hits - Fox Trot.

Jamie told me that, despite its name, Pat On The Black is a deep plum color and Fox Trot is a purple base with flakies. She thought her manicure would be a nice purple base with a great flakie effect. However, it ended up looking brown.

Thanks, Jamie!

While I don't necessarily think her manicure is ugly, I do understand that feeling of disappointment when you realize the manicure isn't turning out as you'd hoped it would.

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Wedding Themed Nail Polish List

Hi there!

I had fun making the list of baby themed nail polish, so I figured I'd make a list for weddings, too :-)

These are a few of the wedding themed polishes I own...

Essie - First Dance, Wife Goes On, Blushing Bride, and Show Me The Ring.
OPI - Happy Anniversary! Sally Hansen - Something Blue,
Wedding Crasher, and Save the Date.
Wedding Themed Nail Polish.

There are a lot of wedding related polishes, and these are just the ones that jumped out at me...

China Glaze
Always A Bridesmaid
Ball 'n Chain
Bridezilla
Diva Bride
First Kiss
Flower Girl
Garter Belt
Left at the Altar
Marry A Millionaire
Mr & Mrs
Pop the Question
Runaway Bride
Tie the Knot
Trophy Wife
Trousseau

Color Club
Everlasting Love
Something New

Essie
Bachelorette Bash
Blushing Bride
Borrowed & Blue
Chastity
First Dance
Flower Girl
Happily Ever After
Made to Honor
No Pre-Nup
Show Me the Ring
Sole Mate
Starter Wife
Tie the Knot
True Love
Walk Down the Aisle
Wife Goes On

OPI
Catch the Garter
Chapel of Love
First Dance
Happy Anniversary!
Hopelessly In Love
I'm Yours!
Isn't It Romantic
Kiss the Bride
Mimosas For Mr & Mrs
Otherwise Engaged
Our Song

Orly
Catch the Bouquet
Cut the Cake
First Kiss
Goin' to the Chapel
Kiss the Bride
Happily Ever After
Lift the Veil
Prince Charming
Soul Mate
Tie the Knot
To Have & To Hold
Toast the Couple

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength
Aisle Be There
Bride to Be
Champagne Toast
Save the Date
Something Blue
Something New
Together Forever
Tyin' the Knot!
Wedding Crasher

Sephora by OPI
Leaf Him at the Altar

If you're planning a wedding, it'd be so much fun to give some of these polishes to the people in the wedding party. Think about Made to Honor for your Maid of Honor... or Flower Girl for your flower girl. Depending on the humor of your bridesmaids, Always A Bridesmaid might be fun to give them.

If you like tradition, but don't want to literally wear something "old, new, borrowed, and blue," you might think about wearing Borrowed & Blue, Something Blue, or Something New on your nails.

You could also give Save the Date along with your save the dates. Though, I imagine you might want to limit doing this to just a few people (maybe the bridal party)- as it won't be cheap.

If you know of any other wedding themed nail polishes, please let me know and I'll add them to the list!

Until next time...

China Glaze - Magnetix Collection

Hi there!

I've had these sitting around for a while and finally figured I should play with them- so here's a look at China Glaze's Magnetix collection...

China Glaze - Pull Me Close, Cling On, Instant Chemistry,
Drawn To You, Attraction, and You Move Me.
Magnetix Collection.

This collection consists of 6 darker, jewel toned polishes...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Pull Me Close.
Magnetix Collection.

My nails painted with China Glaze - Cling On.
Magnetix Collection.

My nails painted with China Glaze - Instant Chemistry.
Magnetix Collection.

My nails painted with China Glaze - Drawn To You.
Magnetix Collection.

My nails painted with China Glaze - Attraction.
Magnetix Collection.

My nails painted with China Glaze - You Move Me.
Magnetix Collection.

I painted 1 thick coat of each polish to achieve what's pictured- with the exception of Cling On and You Move Me. They are thinner formulas, so they needed a thin base and a thick coat to achieve what's pictured.

The magnet takes some trial and error to get used to. My favorite (and easiest to use) is the diagonal striped magnet. My least favorite side of the magnet is, by far, the starburst. As you can tell by my subpar pictures, it was much more difficult to line up on my nail. Oh well :-)

Are any of the polishes in this collection a must have for you?

Until next time...

Maybelline - Khaki Fringe

Hi there!

Today I'm wearing a polish I picked up at my local dollar store...

My nails painted with Maybelline - Khaki Fringe.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured, and it applied just as I expected it would. Gold, green, orange, and yellow shimmer in the sunlight...

Maybelline - Khaki Fringe.

Until next time...

Valentine's Week - Day 6

Hi there!

I've wanted to try a newspaper manicure ever since I knew they were possible. This was my first attempt...

My Valentine's nails painted with Julep - Brigitte.
Newspaper manicure stamped with Bundle Monster plate BM02.

If you want to recreate this design, follow these simple steps...

Step 1: Paint your nails white. I painted 2 coats of Brigitte.
Step 2: Cut out strips of newspaper just large enough to cover your fingernails.
Step 3: Pour rubbing alcohol in a small dish.
Step 4: Dip 1 finger into the dish long enough to ensure the fingernail is wet.
Step 5: Remove your finger from the dish and press a newspaper strip face down onto your nail for 8-10 seconds.
Step 6: Remove the newspaper strip and apply a top coat to seal the text.
Step 7: Repeat steps 4-6 on the rest of your nails.
Step 8: Choose an accent finger or 2 and stamp a kiss design. Apply more top coat to the stamped nails.

It reminds me of a love letter ❤ Will you be trying this design?

Have yourself a happy Valentine's Day if you celebrate! If not, happy Tuesday :-)

Until next time...

(Brigitte was kindly provided by Julep for me to play with)

Valentine's Week - Day 5 and Ugly Manicure Monday - 05

Hi there!

I want to like this- really, I do. I love the idea... just not the execution...

My nails water marbled with Julep - Carrie, Cameron, and Salma.

I painted 1 coat of Carrie before I marbled with Carrie, Cameron, and Salma. These 3 worked alright together, but not well enough to allow for a design other than 1 or 2 lines drawn through. I was aiming to marble a heart design on each finger, but the polish dried too quickly. That wasn't my only dilemma with this design... if you look closely, you can see how terribly the top coat smeared everything!

Aye, aye, aye.

Anyway, here's a look at how I tape my fingers before water marbling...

How to tape your finger for water marbling.

Until next time...

Valentine's Week - Day 4

Hi there!

I initially had a completely different idea for this stamp...

My Valentine's nails painted with OPI - DS Divine.
Stamped with Red Angel plate RA-106.

I was planning on painting my nails black, and stamping with a combination of Kleancolor's Metallic Aqua, Metallic Fuschia, and Metallic Green. I'm glad I changed my mind. While the stamping and addition of Seche Vite mutes the holographic effect of DS Divine, this manicure still sparkles pretty heavily.

I painted 3 coats of DS Divine, and I stamped with Wet n Wild's Ebony Hates Chris. In hindsight, I would have stamped with a Konad polish. Ebony Hates Chris didn't stamp well near the tips of my fingernails. As I'm sitting with my hands in front of my face, though, it isn't as easy to spot the patchy parts as the picture portrays.

A look at my original idea...

Red Angel image from plate RA-106.

Until next time...

Valentine's Week - Day 3

Hi there!

I was a bit uninspired today- especially after stamping only 1 image, my manicure turned on me...

My Valentine's nail painted with China Glaze - Dance Baby.
Stamped with Red Angel plate RA-120.

I painted 2 coats of Dance Baby to achieve the base pictured. It applied easily... my problem arose with the stamp. I think my image plate is etched too deeply. Once the hearts were transferred to my fingernail, they looked as if they were painted on with acrylic paint instead of polish. I don't think it was an issue with the polish (Konad's princess red), as I used it without a problem on a different idea.

Until next time...

Valentine's Week - Day 2

Hi there!

This one isn't much because I got sidetracked and didn't finish the manicure. But I think it's pretty enough to share...

My Valentine's nail painted with China Glaze - Spontaneous.
Stamped with Red Angel plate RA-114.

I painted 2 coats of Spontaneous and I stamped with Konad's special white polish. I didn't apply top coat to this one.

It's simple, but it's still lovey-dovey if you want it to be.

Until next time...

Valentine's Week - Day 1

Hi there!

I enjoyed my Patriotic Week last year when I did it, so I figured I'd enjoy a Valentine's Week as well. While it won't exactly be a week full of ideas, I'll still show what I've got...

My Valentine's nails painted with Julep - Carrie and Salma.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. Then I applied top coat on my ring finger and attached heart confetti. I waited until the top coat was mostly dry before I applied more top coat to seal the hearts.

You can achieve this look even if you don't have heart confetti...

Using a dotting tool (or ballpoint pen, sewing needle, fork prong, etc.), place 2 dots of polish next to each other. Then draw a "V" shape in the 2 dots to make a heart shape.

Will you be trying this look?

Until next time...

Spoiled - Let's Get Sushi

Hi there!

Today I'm wearing one of the last polishes from my Spoiled haul...

My nails painted with Spoiled - Let's Get Sushi.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. I could have gotten the same result with 1 thick coat. By looking at the color in the bottle, I didn't think I'd end up liking it. But now I think it's kind of unique- to my collection, anyway. It's worth getting your hands on if you enjoy orange-y corals.

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 04

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of an anonymous reader...

Zoya - Charla, Orly - Fresh, and Nubar - White Polka Dot.

She first painted an attempted half moon with 2 coats of Charla (blue), then 2 coats of Fresh on the rest of the nail. She said it was plain and ugly, so she hoped the addition of glitter would help. It didn't :-)

Thanks, "you know who you are!"

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

February Julep Maven - American Beauty and Boho Glam

Hi there!

This is a very pretty red...

My nails painted with Julep - Glenn.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. Application was effortless.

Glenn with Oscar...

My nails painted with Julep - Glenn and Oscar.

I painted 1 coat of Oscar over Glenn. I still love the application and removal of this glitter polish!

My camera is still acting a bit funky when it comes to darker colors, so please forgive the orange fingers it gave me. Marisa is true to color...

My nails painted with Julep - Marisa.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured, though I could have achieved the same look with 1 thicker coat. Marisa is gorgeous, right?

A closer look at the blue shimmer of Marisa...

Julep - Marisa.

Marisa with Oscar...

My nails painted with Julep - Marisa and Oscar.

I painted 1 coat of Oscar over Marisa to achieve what's pictured. Though the addition of Oscar to this manicure dulls the blue shimmer of Marisa, it's still pretty.

If you would like to see what the February It Girl box looks like, click here.

Did you receive a Maven box this month? If so, which one? If you don't have a Maven subscription and you'd like to join... you can sign up here.

Until next time...

(Glenn and Marisa were kindly provided by Julep for me to play with)

Spoiled - Bite Me

Hi there!

This is another of the Spoiled polishes that I bought because of the name...

My nails painted with Spoiled - Bite Me.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. I like the formula... it applied easily and dried just as quickly as I expected it to dry.

A closer look at the coppery, sometimes red, shimmer...

Spoiled - Bite Me.

I got to talking with my friend, Destany, about this particular shade and the Spoiled line in general. While there are several mentioned problems about the brushes being too coarse and awkwardly shaped, neither of us consider those a deal-breaker. I concluded that I don't care for the thickness of the brushes. When I paint my low-set nails, I like to get the polish as close to my cuticles as possible. With such a vertically thick brush, I'm unable to do so without getting nail polish on my skin and/or flooding my cuticles. Destany doesn't have that problem, as her nails aren't low-set like mine are. To see her thoughts on Bite Me, click here.

Here's a look at a brush width comparison of a few polishes from my collection...

Nail polish brushes. Across the top: Spoiled, OPI, and Nicole by OPI.
Across the bottom: Essie, Chine Glaze, and Sally Hansen Diamond Strength.

What's your favorite type of brush to use when painting your nails? What's your least favorite type of brush? I think my favorite might be OPI, and my least favorite is Essie- just because the brush is so small.

Until next time...