First Postpartum Manicure

Hi there!

While pregnant, I really had no desire to paint my fingernails. It wasn't because the smell bothered me... I just didn't care. I kept chopping them as short as I could get them, so even if I wanted to sport a somewhat creative manicure, I don't think it would necessarily look lovely.

My nails painted with Sinful Colors - Dark Room.
Stamped with Konad image plate M57
and Color Club - Halo-Graphic.

I painted 1 coat of Sinful Colors' Dark Room before stamping... and then I added a coat of Seche Vite. Even though they're short as can be, I don't think this manicure looks terrible. The holographic touch makes me happy :-)

And since I think I'm starting to care about nail polish again, I raided my local drugstore this past weekend...

The Rimmel polishes were $0.49 each and the Sinful Colors polishes were $0.99 each. Do you blame me? Most of the Sinful Colors polishes were originally $2.99.

Until next time...

He Lost A Bet

Hi there!

Hunny Poo made a bet with one of his coworkers regarding the 49ers/Seahawks football game this past Sunday. If Hunny Poo's team lost, he had to wear the winning team's colors on his nails for a week... and vice versa with his coworker.

China Glaze - Man Hunt and Color Club - The Lime Starts Here.
Seattle Seahawks MANicure.

Needless to say, Hunny Poo lost. For the base of each green nail, I painted a coat of OPI's Alpine Snow... then I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured.

I think he made a pretty safe bet considering some of the other bets I've been made aware of. One of the guys has to wear a blue and green tutu for TWO WEEKS (until the Superbowl)!

Until next time...

Happy Birthday to Me

Hi there!

Today is my Birthday, and the is the manicure I'm rocking...

My nails painted with Color Club - Beyond and Halo-Graphic.
Holographic water marble manicure.

I painted 1 coat of Halo-Graphic and then I water marbled with both colors. Once I cleaned up around my cuticles, I added a coat of Seche Vite.

I can't help but be happy by this manicure and I can only hope the rest of my day is as awesome as it's been thus far :-)

Cheers to another year!

Until next time...

13 Days Later

Hi there!

I've been a super busy bee, and I haven't paid too much attention to my hands over the past couple of weeks. In fact, I've only just removed my manicure from 13 days ago...

My nails painted with Color Club - Angel Kiss.

Above is what my manicure looked like when I first painted it.

I thought that since I wore Angel Kiss for so long, it might be nice to show how it wears...

My nails painted with Color Club - Angel Kiss.

I wore this manicure for 13 days. I didn't use a base coat or a top coat, and I didn't paint any touch-ups throughout the weeks. It wore pretty nicely if you ask me :-) I didn't even notice tip wear when I re-shaped my nails around day 10.

Now... it's time to go dress my nails! What polish are you wearing today?

Until next time...

Halo Hues and Nfu Oh

Hi there!

This will surely be a hodge-podge of a post...

Color Club - Angel Kiss, Blue Heaven, Harp On It,
Cloud Nine, Halo-Graphic, and Cherubic.

Each set of pictures will show a picture in natural light and a picture taken with a flash. I didn't use top coat or base coat with any of the manicures and/or swatches, and I painted 2 coats of every polish.

Angel Kiss...

My nails painted with Color Club - Angel Kiss.

My nails painted with Color Club - Angel Kiss.

The formula is a smidge thick... so if you're heavy handed when applying nail polish, be careful or your tips might get chunky. This is my second time wearing Angel Kiss, and I'm pleased. I know it's been a task in the past with keeping holographic polish from chipping, but I had absolutely no problems.

Nfu Oh 61, Color Club Worth the Risque, Harp On It, Blue Heaven, and Nfu Oh 65...

Nfu Oh - 61, Color Club - Worth the Risque,
Harp On It, Blue Heaven, and Nfu Oh - 65.

Thumb to pinky: My nails painted with Nfu Oh - 61,
Color Club - Worth the Risque, Harp On It, Blue Heaven, and Nfu Oh - 65.

Thumb to pinky: My nails painted with Nfu Oh - 61,
Color Club - Worth the Risque, Harp On It, Blue Heaven, and Nfu Oh - 65.

I paired the silvers and blues together because I have a hard time telling them apart- especially Harp On It and Blue Heaven. The formulas of the Halo Hues were the best, followed by Worth the Risque and both Nfu Oh polishes.

Nfu Oh 63, Color Club Halo-Graphic, Cloud Nine, Fashion Addict, and Nfu Oh 64...

Nfu Oh - 63, Color Club - Halo-Graphic,
Cloud Nine, Fashion Addict, and Nfu Oh - 64.

Thumb to pinky: Nfu Oh - 63, Color Club - Halo-Graphic,
Cloud Nine, Fashion Addict, and Nfu Oh - 64.

Thumb to pinky: Nfu Oh - 63, Color Club - Halo-Graphic,
Cloud Nine, Fashion Addict, and Nfu Oh - 64.

This set of colors is just as difficult to tell apart as the silvers and blues. The pinks and purples are so close in hue that they don't look different. The formulas of the Halo Hues were the best, followed by Fashion Addict and both Nfu Oh polishes.

Cherubic...

My nails painted with Color Club - Cherubic.

My nails painted with Color Club - Cherubic.

I wore Cherubic for 3 days before I changed my manicure. At the time of polish removal, there was no chipping, flaking, or peeling.

Overall, I prefer the Halo Hues polishes to both the other Color Club holographic polishes and the Nfu Oh polishes. The formulas were all much smoother and shinier... however, they smell worse. I noticed myself wanting to cough and sneeze each time I used a Halo Hues polish. The caps of the Halo Hues polishes aren't the best. Something about them makes them difficult to open- they don't seem as thick and as sturdy as the black-capped Color Club polishes. I kept thinking I was sure to crack them.

If you're simply looking at this post to see who won the Halo Hues giveaway... yes, yes... I'll get to it :-) The winners are JamieWillett and HaileeBeezy. I've emailed both ladies, and I'll update this portion of today's post if/when I hear back from them. Thank you to everyone who participated!

So, do you have any of the polishes pictured above? Which is your favorite? I'm still waiting on a red holographic polish to make its way into my life. Or, perhaps, an emerald green! How perfect would that be this time of year?

Until next time...

Dirty Zombie

Hi there!

These are my Halloween nails...

My Halloween zombie manicure.

I painted 1 coat of OPI's Red Hot Ayers Rock (bright red) to start this manicure, then I randomly swiped China Glaze's Velvet Bow (dark red) over that. Once dry, I painted a thick coat of Color Club's Coastal Creme (pink nude). When that was dry, I used an acetone soaked q-tip to remove some of the nude polish. That allowed for some of the bright and dark red to show through.

My original intention was to leave it at that, but I felt like the manicure needed more... so I mixed Essie's Case Study (medium brown) and OPI's Suzi Loves Cowboys (dark brown) and sponged it onto each nail. Then I applied a coat of China Glaze's Matte Magic to achieve the final look. If I had it to do over again, I'd substitute the brown polishes for something more rusty- I think that'd better compliment the ouchies.

My hands are unbelievably dry. The climate change has made them really freak out- and I'd normally moisturize them, but somehow that didn't seem appropriate for this look :-) The ouchies are a mix of cosmetic stickers and makeup. Hunny poo was some sort of gross looking character last year for Halloween, and he didn't wear all of the stickers that came in his costume package... so I saved them! The boils were much more pronounced, but I was able to slice them to better blend into my skin.

What are you wearing on your nails for Halloween?

Until next time...

Halo Hues Giveaway

Hi there!

We moved again! I've been busy packing and unpacking, so I've been neglecting my nails and my blog. One thing I haven't been neglecting, though, is the release of Color Club's Halo Hues polishes... I've been waiting for them all summer ❤ Hunny poo paid attention to my drooling over them, and he and I ended up ordering them at the same time. As a thank you to all of you who have stuck with me through my sporadic abesences, I will be giving away the set that I purchased...

Color Club - Angel Kiss, Blue Heaven, Harp On It,
Cloud Nine, Halo-Graphic, and Cherubic.
Halo Hues Collection.

Pictured are both sets... they all look so pretty together!

There will be 2 winners. The first winner will get their choice of 3 bottles of polish. The second winner will receive the remaining 3 bottles of polish.

There is a chance for an extra entry... submit an ugly manicure that I can feature on Ugly Manicure Monday. I've really been slacking on those posts, but I need more guest submissions :-) Themes for any of the upcoming holidays would be awesome... or even just a day-to-day failed manicure. Submit as many as you'd like!

The giveaway is open for a month- so that should give plenty of time to play around and create (purposefully or not) an ugly manicure. If you do submit one, email it to me and include all of the same things as usual- your name (you can remain anonymous), blog address (if you want it advertised), what polish you used, what went wrong, etc.

Thanks again for sticking with me! I hope to have more nail designs to share shortly!

**Update: The winners are posted here.

Until next time...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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...

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...

Neon Pink and Green Crackle

Hi there!

I haven't worn crackle/shatter polish in quite some time, so today is a good day for it...

My nails painted with Color Club - Jackie Oh! and Pure Ice - Shattered.

I painted 2 coats of Jackie Oh! before applying a coat of Shattered to achieve what's pictured. I added a coat of Seche Vite over the top. The crackle polish pulled some of the pink polish away from my cuticle... I'm not sure if it's because I didn't let the pink dry completely- although, I'm pretty sure I did :-/ Anyway, my camera had a tough time capturing just how bright this manicure is- it's much brighter in person!

Have you tried any of the Pure Ice Crackles? How do you like them?

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 2

Hi there!

This is today's manicure...

My nails painted with Color Club - Boys Wear Blue, P Is For Pride,
and OPI - Alpine Snow. Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. Once dry, I used Konad's special white polish to stamp the star images onto my thumb. I used a star-themed image plate that I purchased off of eBay- all that's said on the plate is, "LO03." I topped everything off with a coat of Seche Vite.

How cool are these caps!? I'd like them a whole lot more if they weren't just plastic covers...

Color Club - Boys Wear Blue, P Is For Pride, and OPI - Alpine Snow.

I hope this gives you inspiration if you're looking to do a red, white, and blue manicure!

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Take Wing Water Marble

Hi there!

This is a water marble I did for Kristin at The Manicured Monkey...

My nails water marbled with Color Club - Sparkle and Soar,
Wing Fling, and Sky High.

I painted a base of Sparkle and Soar, and then marbled with all 3 polishes. While I like the way this manicure turned out, I don't recommend the Take Wing collection for water marbling. The foil finish makes for a difficult time creating designs in the water.

Until next time...

Neon Yellows

Hi there!

The last bunch of neons I have to share are the yellows...

Spoiled - Did I Dye It Too Blonde?, Sinful Colors - Neon Melon,
Color Club - Get Your Lem-On, and China Glaze - Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.

This cell phone picture is color accurate...

My nails painted with Spoiled - Did I Dye It Too Blonde?,
Sinful Colors - Neon Melon, Color Club - Get Your Lem-On,
and China Glaze - Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. 

And this picture is from my regular camera...

My nails painted with Spoiled - Did I Dye It Too Blonde?,
Sinful Colors - Neon Melon, Color Club - Get Your Lem-On,
and China Glaze - Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.

Each nail is painted with a base of white and 2 coats of yellow.

In order from my favorite to my least favorite:

1. Sinful Colors - Neon Melon (middle finger)... This dries a smidge matte, but the color is amazing and it has a nice formula.

2. Spoiled - Did I Dye It Too Blonde? (index finger)... I like this formula better than Neon Melon, but it doesn't have *as* great of a color.

3. Color Club - Get Your Lem-On (ring finger)... This is least like the other 3. It has a green shimmer and it's scented. It also has a great formula.

4. China Glaze - Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (pinky finger)... This is number 4 because it doesn't seem as neon when compared to the other 3.

I hope this helps!

Until next time...

Neon Purples

Hi there!

These are the neon purples I have...

Sinful Colors - Dream On, Color Club - Mrs. Robinson,
Julep - Helena, and Zoya - Charisma.

My nails painted with Sinful Colors - Dream On,
Color Club - Mrs. Robinson, Julep - Helena, and Zoya - Charisma. 

Each nail is painted with a base of white and 2 coats of purple.

In order from my favorite to my least favorite:

1. Color Club - Mrs. Robinson (middle finger)... This is my favorite of the bunch because it had the easiest application and it dried the glossiest.

2. Julep - Helena (ring finger)... This also dries glossy, but it has more of a red/pink undertone than the others it was compared with.

3. Zoya - Charisma (pinky finger)... The application was easy, but it dries matte.

4. Sinful Colors - Dream On (index finger)... This is last because the first coat was somewhat patchy. It also dries matte.

I hope this helps!

Until next time...

Neon Oranges

Hi there!

These are the neon oranges I have...

Spoiled - Jail Bait, Sinful Colors - Summer Peach,
Color Club - Wham! Pow!, and Color Club - Polish For All.

This cell phone picture is color accurate...

My nails painted with Spoiled - Jail Bait, Sinful Colors - Summer Peach,
Color Club - Wham! Pow!, and Color Club - Polish For All.

And this picture is from my regular camera...

My nails painted with Spoiled - Jail Bait, Sinful Colors - Summer Peach,
Color Club - Wham! Pow!, and Color Club - Polish For All.

Each nail is painted with a base of white and 2 coats of orange.

In order from my favorite to my least favorite:

1. Color Club - Wham! Pow! (ring finger)... This was the easiest to apply and it dries with a gloss finish.

2. Color Club - Polish For All (pinky finger)... This is nearly a tie with Wham! Pow! It also dries with a gloss finish. It's number 2 because I prefer the color of Wham! Pow! just a little bit more.

3. Sinful Colors - Summer Peach (middle finger)... This dries slightly matte.

4. Spoiled - Jail Bait (index finger)... This is number 4 because of its brush. It was difficult for me to paint near my cuticle. The formula is nice, though- it dries glossy.

Do you own/plan to own any of these?

Until next time...

Neon Pinks

Hi there!

Today I've got neon pinks to show you...

Spoiled - Tip Your Waitress, Sinful Colors - Pink,
Color Club - Warhol, Color Club - Jackie Oh!,
and China Glaze - Pool Party.

This cell phone picture is color accurate...

My nails painted with Spoiled - Tip Your Waitress,
Sinful Colors - Pink, Color Club - Warhol,
Color Club - Jackie Oh!, and China Glaze - Pool Party.

And this picture is from my regular camera...

My nails painted with Spoiled - Tip Your Waitress,
Sinful Colors - Pink, Color Club - Warhol,
Color Club - Jackie Oh!, and China Glaze - Pool Party.

Each nail is painted with a base of white and 2 coats of pink.

In order from my favorite to my least favorite:

1. Color Club - Jackie Oh! (ring finger)... The formula is awesome. It dries glossy and very bright.

2. Color Club - Warhol (middle finger)... This also has a great formula. It's number 2 because I like the bright color of Jackie Oh! just a little bit better.

3. Spoiled - Tip Your Waitress (thumb)... The formula is awesome. This is number 3 for me because of the brush- it's thick and makes the application near my cuticle more difficult.

4. China Glaze - Pool Party (pinky finger)... This had an easy application, but I don't care for the matte finish.

5. Sinful Colors - Pink (index finger)... This is last on my list because it pulled on the white base. I let each polish dry the same amount of time before applying the next coat. I only had difficulties with this one.

I hope this helps!

Until next time...

Neon Greens

Hi there!

If you're in the market for a neon polish and don't know where to start, I hope this next week helps you. I'll be posting comparisons along with my first impressions of the neons that I own.

Spoiled - Permission To Proceed, Sinful Colors - Irish Green,
Color Club - The Lime Starts Here, Color Club - What A Shock!,
and China Glaze - Kiwi Cool-Ada.

My nails painted with Spoiled - Permission To Proceed,
Sinful Colors - Irish Green, Color Club - The Lime Starts Here,
Color Club - What A Shock!, and China Glaze - Kiwi Cool-Ada.

Each nail is painted with a base of white and 2 coats of green. The picture was taken with my cell phone, so it isn't wonderful... but it's much more color accurate with neons than my regular camera.

In order from my favorite to my least favorite:

1. Color Club - The Lime Starts Here (middle finger)... The formula is great. That, combined with the unique color, makes it my number 1. The lime smell is also kind of fun :-)

2. Sinful Colors - Irish Green (index finger)... This was almost number 1. The only reason it isn't is because I think The Lime Starts Here is a bit more unique in color.

3. China Glaze - Kiwi Cool-Ada (pinky finger)... I like the formula, but I dislike the matte finish.

4. Color Club - What A Shock! (ring finger)... This isn't number 4 because of anything wrong. It has a faint blue shimmer in it, and that's just not what I think of when I think of a neon polish.

5. Spoiled - Permission To Proceed (thumb)... This is number 5 because I used 2 coats. I like it much better with 1 coat (seen here). This polish has more of a jelly finish than the others, and I dislike the brush.

That's it for the greens. Which one is your favorite?

Until next time...

Color Club - Sparkle and Soar

Hi there!

This is one of the polishes from the Take Wing collection...

My nails painted with Color Club - Sparkle and Soar.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured and it applied just as one would hope it should.

The whole collection is jam-packed with glass flecked, foil shimmer...

My nails painted with Color Club - Sparkle and Soar.

Will you be adding this one to your collection?

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 12

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Jen from Jen's Painted Tips...

Color Club - Ms. Haught, Alias, and Orly - Space Cadet.

She said she used to use a number randomizer to choose her manicures and this was the result of that. Jen also mentioned that if she gets the urge to use a number randomizer again, she needs to look at this picture to stop herself :-)

Thanks, Jen!

It makes me want to see what a number randomizer would generate for me! I actually don't think it looks bad. I like the colors, but I don't think the polish textures work together.

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...

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...