Return Address Labels

Hi there!

I took part in the random manicure challenge with Dana a couple of weeks ago, and this is what I came up with...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Hang-Ten Toes,
I'm With the Lifeguard, and Essie - Chastity.

I painted 2 coats of Hang-Ten Toes before dotting on I'm With the Lifeguard and Chastity to achieve what's pictured.

I think I got lucky... but I know it's because I didn't bring very many bottles of polish with me to keep here. My manicure didn't have much of a chance of being ugly :-) I simply closed my eyes and grabbed 3 bottles. Once I opened my eyes, I knew immediately where I had seen the combination of colors before- and I thought, "why not mimic my return address labels?"

To see a return address label + nail polish DIY, click here.

Have you painted a manicure inspired by something in your life?

Until next time...

Color Club Sponge

Hi there!

This is how short I chopped my nails after coming back from The Bahamas...

My nails painted with Color Club - The Lime Starts Here and Jackie Oh!

I painted 1 coat of OPI's Alpine Snow onto my nails and then painted The Lime Starts Here and Jackie Oh! onto a piece of sponge. When I sponged the polish onto my nails, they mixed to create an orange color. I like it!

I kept forgetting that The Lime Starts Here is a scented polish, and each time I raised my hands near my face was like a special surprise :-)

Do you frequently forget your polish is scented when you wear it?

Until next time...

Not Really Chicken Pox

Hi there!

After posting my Chicken Pox manicure on Sunday, I decided to see what it would look like matte...

My nails painted with OPI - It's a Girl! and Shorts Story,
China Glaze - Designer Satin, Phat Santa, and Matte Magic.

I was actually going to post this yesterday for Ugly Manicure Monday because I thought Matte Magic made my manicure look 10 times worse than when it was glossy. But after talking with my friends, they've convinced me I've certainly lost my marbles and I don't know what I'm talking about.

What do you think?

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 22

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Brittany...

Ugly water marble manicure.

Brittany said she wanted to experiment with water marbling, as she had never really done it before. She knew right away that this was a manicure she'd submit for Ugly Manicure Monday, so she didn't bother cleaning up her skin and cuticles. Brittany thinks her 3 middle fingers look the way they do as a result of bad aim in the water as well as not removing the excess polish from the surface of the water quickly enough. Brittany said her thumb could have been good, had it not been for the awful color combination. She also said that she was happy with the way her pinky turned out, so she went on to make a full manicure with those colors.

Thanks, Brittany!

I do love water marbling! And I'm glad to see a fail... it isn't always a piece of cake, that's for sure. Choosing polishes that mesh well together in the water can surely be a task!

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...

Chicken Pox

Hi there!

This manicure looked a lot different in my mind...

My nails painted with OPI - It's a Girl! and Shorts Story,
China Glaze - Designer Satin and Phat Santa.

I dotted Shorts Story and Designer Satin over my bare nails. Then I added a coat of It's a Girl! Once that was dry, I dotted random dots of Phat Santa and added a coat of Seche Vite.

It looks like my nails caught chicken pox! I think I might have liked this manicure better if I used a burgundy or wine color instead of a vibrant red (Phat Santa). I don't dislike it... it's just different than I imagined :-)

Do you think this manicure resembles chicken pox?

Until next time...

OPI - DS Reflection

Hi there!

Today I'm wearing DS Reflection...

My nails painted with OPI - DS Reflection.

I'm surprised I only needed to paint 1 coat to achieve what's pictured. My experience with holographic polish had me expecting at least 2 coats... but hey, I'm not complaining!

What's your favorite DS polish- whether you own it or desire it?

Until next time...

Shatter The Scales For Audrey

Hi there!

I'm enjoying this combination...

My nails painted with China Glaze - For Audrey and OPI - Shatter the Scales.

I painted 2 coats of For Audrey, 1 coat of Shatter the Scales, and 1 coat of Seche Vite to achieve what's pictured. I wanted to wear Shatter the Scales without it looking "Christmas-y," and I think this works! For Audrey seems to bring out more teal than green from Shatter the Scales.

What would you wear/have you worn Shatter the Scales with?

Until next time...

My Travel Manicure Case

Hi there!

This is the case I take with me when I go on road trips and extended vacations...

It opens up at the top...

And the trays extend outward...

The first top tray holds my dotting tools, straws, toothpicks, slightly used makeup sponges, cuticle remover, cuticle pusher, cuticle moisture pen, striping tape, a soda cap, and a mixing ball.

The first middle tray holds nail files, clippers, and buffers.

I chose a couple of nail art stickers, foils, and laser lace to travel with. I also keep striper brushes, clean up brushes, and a rubber band in the first bottom tray. I use the rubber band to wrap around the caps of difficult-to-open polishes... it helps with the grip!

The second top tray holds random packets of lotion, scrub, and nail polish remover wipes. I also keep nail tip guides, paper, a pen, business cards, and cuticle cream here. I keep paper and a pen in case I think of a manicure idea I want to try or if I'm playing with polish and I encounter something noteworthy.

The second middle tray holds all of my stamping plates and supplies.

The second bottom tray holds embellishments, flakies, bullion beads, lace strips, foil glue, and a holographic striper polish.

When both sets of trays are extended, there is room for larger items. Here I keep Konad polish, top coats, black and white polish, my water marbling dish, full sponges, painter's tape, cuticle oil, a full set of nail art brushes, and the polish I choose to travel with.

Not pictured is a Ziploc baggie where I keep cotton balls, q-tips, and folded up paper towels. I'd much rather apply polish over a paper towel than an uncovered table! It usually sits on top of all of the polish. I can also fit a full sized bottle of polish remover in the bottom section.

I haven't come across any problems with wishing I had a specific supply. This case has just about anything/everything I can think of :-)

Click here if you're interested in purchasing a Caboodles case like mine. I recommend browsing a physical Target store if you have one nearby, because I surely did not pay that much money for mine! I don't remember the exact price, but I'm fairly certain it was in the range of $20-$25. I've seen the same case at Walmart stores, as well (online, here)... note the alternate online pictures don't match and the reviews are much worse.

How do you travel with nail polish?

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 21

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Dana...

OPI - Kreme De La Kremlin and SoFlaJo - Champagne Cocktail.

Dana took part in a random manicure challenge, where the participants randomly chose polishes for their manicures... she closed her eyes and grabbed them. While she loves each polish individually, she knew right away that they wouldn't play nicely together. Dana said her manicure might have looked better had she kept Champagne Cocktail by itself on her accent finger instead of layering it. She also said that she likes the idea of Champagne Cocktail layered over a darker, cooler-toned polish... like purple or black.

Thanks, Dana!

This is one of the first manicures I've seen where my first response was actually saying "EWW" aloud! I definitely agree that Champagne Cocktail would look better over a darker, cooler polish!

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...

Travel Bug

Hi there!

Over the past month, I've been (not-so) suffering from the travel bug! Hunny poo and I went to the Bahamas ❤  It was an amazing adventure. We did every possible tourist-y thing we could think of :-) On the day of our Anniversary, we got ourselves some awesome couple's massages. My body felt like goo once the massage was over... that sure made for a rough walk back to our suite.

The evening of our Anniversary coincided with when the Bahamians celebrate their Independence Day. There was a huge fireworks display, as well as dancing and a very spirited show. It was, for lack of a better word... awesome.

It wouldn't be right if I didn't show what I wore on my nails...

My nails painted with Color Club - Wham! Pow! and Jackie Oh!

I wore colors that matched well with each of my outfits. I debated with myself whether or not to stamp a design onto my nails... I ultimately decided against it because I thought about how much it would bug me if any of the design chipped off. If part of the plain polish had chipped off, it wouldn't be as noticeable and as annoying :-)

This picture was taken from our patio...

When we weren't exploring the sights, we were laying on our lounge chairs and enjoying all of the delicious food. I love the spices used in just about every dish!

This is Atlantis...

Did you know that the bridge suite costs $25,000 USD per night!? Yeah, no thanks :-)

This is one of the ceilings at Atlantis...

It's pretty, right?

We walked through all of the aquariums, and I couldn't stop thinking that I'd really like to own a nail polish that looks like this...

Once we got back from our vacation, we had less than a week to unpack, launder our clothing, and repack to move out of state. We moved from pine trees to palm trees. I'm not complaining... I love warm weather!

With all of the traveling, I chopped my nails clean off. I didn't want to worry about them breaking or chipping. I'll even go so far as to say I've neglected them over the past month :-/ My cuticles need some serious love!

Until I get my hands looking a little bit better, I'll be posting some of the manicures that I had saved on my computer from 2 months ago. I will also photograph and post what my travel manicure case looks like... once I figure out where I packed my camera :-)

Until next time...

Free Nail Polish

Hi there!

I've been loving Copious lately. It's a website where you can buy and sell new and used items... things like clothing, jewelry, and beauty products!

If you sign up using this link, you'll get a $10 credit. Once you've signed up, use this link to get a second $10 credit.

This is what I've gotten from Copious in the past month...

Zoya - Tallulah and Purity, Essie - Mojito Madness and Bikini So Teeny,
China Glaze - Orange You Hot?, Love's A Beach, and Splish Splash.

I paid a total of $0.07 for everything :-) One thing about this site is that each transaction has to cost something, so if you use free credit, it'll cost a penny.

I'd love to know what you choose to buy! I chose 2 OPI polishes... German-icure by OPI and Every Month is Oktoberfest.

Until next time...

Sally Hansen - Black Tie

Hi there!

I love this polish...

My nails painted with Sally Hansen - Black Tie.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. It applied perfectly, and it's difficult to tell by the photograph... but it shimmers like crazy. It also shifts from dark green/black to purple. I was a bit weary of buying this shade when it first came out... but all of the hype got to me and I snatched one up before they were hard to find! I didn't think I'd enjoy the dark color... and I surely didn't expect the color to shift and shimmer so nicely. I'm glad I was wrong!

Until next time...

Spoiled - Pinks

Hi there!

Here is a comparison of some of the pink Spoiled polishes that I own...

Spoiled - Cotton Mouth, Uh As If!, Fuzzy Dice, and Pretty In Punk.

My nails painted with  Spoiled - Cotton Mouth, Uh As If!,
Fuzzy Dice, and Pretty In Punk. 

The picture above was taken in the sunlight with my regular camera, while the picture below was taken in the shade with my cell phone...

My nails painted with  Spoiled - Cotton Mouth, Uh As If!,
Fuzzy Dice, and Pretty In Punk. 

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. The formulas were all great. The only problem I came across was my consistent dislike of the brushes (seen here).

Cotton Mouth is what comes to mind when I think of the perfect bubblegum pink.

Uh, As If! is bright (almost neon). It has some gold shimmer in the bottle, but it isn't noticeable on the nail.

Fuzzy Dice is a cool-toned pink... with hints of purple.

Pretty In Punk is a warm-toned pink... with hints of red.

If swatches existed when I made my purchases, I wouldn't have purchased both Fuzzy Dice and Pretty In Punk... I think they're similar enough to where a person really only needs 1 :-)

Do you own/plan to own any of these?

Until next time...

Sally Hansen - Blush Diamond

Hi there!

I've had this in my collection for quite a while, but this is my first time wearing it...

My nails painted with Sally Hansen - Blush Diamond.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. For being on the older side, it applied surprisingly well! It dried quickly and I haven't had any problems with chipping or peeling. I recommend adding this to your collection if you're still able to find it. The photograph doesn't do this polish justice- it looks a bit muted on my nails, but in person, it actually sparkles like it does in the bottle :-)

Do you own any of the polish from the Nail Prisms collection? Which is your favorite?

Until next time...