Pregnancy: Gender Announcement

Hi there!

I had some fun with this one...

Pregnancy gender announcement.
All from OPI: D.C. Cherry Blossom, Shorts Story,
Senorita Rosalita, Pink Flamenco, Strawberry Fields,
Elephantastic Pink, La Paz-itively Hot, and (of course) It's A Girl!

... it's the photo I used on my Facebook page to let my family and friends know the gender of the bitty baby buttercup growing in my belly.

I was afraid it would fall on deaf ears... or blind eyes, I guess, since most in my community aren't so polish-savvy. BUT THEY GOT IT! Well... either they were really happy that I posted a bunch of pink nail polish or they were really happy from the message they gathered.

Now I'm curious. What are some ways you have announced (or want to announce) gender to your family and friends?

If you're interested in a baby themed nail polish list, click here. It's a list I compiled a few years ago, so it's likely a smidge outdated. I'll gladly add to the list if you have suggestions!

Until next time...

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...

Neon Leopard

Hi there!

I decided I wanted to match my outfit today, so I added a leopard print to yesterday's manicure...

My nails painted with Orly - Glowstick and
China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy.
Stamped with Konad M57.

I used Konad's special black polish to stamp the print and then I topped it with a coat of Seche Vite.

Now this is what I call a fun manicure! What do you think?

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...

China Glaze - United in Purpose

Hi there!

I played with a few more polishes from the United in Purpose collection today...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Winter Berry, Heart of the Matter,
Live Love Laugh, and Beauty Within.
United in Purpose breast cancer awareness collection.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. Pay little mind to my index finger- it isn't a part of the United in Purpose collection. It arrived in the same package and I had it on my nail before I realized it didn't belong :-) 

Painted in order from my index finger to my pinky...

Winter Berry - my favorite, even though it isn't part of the collection. It's somewhat jelly.
Heart of the Matter - nothing extremely special. Also somewhat jelly.
Live, Love, Laugh - sheer satin finish.
Beauty Within - opaque satin finish.

My nails painted with China Glaze - Winter Berry, Heart of the Matter,
Live Love Laugh, and Beauty Within.
United in Purpose breast cancer awareness collection.

Each polish applied easily, but Winter Berry had my favorite application out of the bunch. It applied so smoothly and effortlessly that I actually thought, "wow," when I applied it.

If you'd like to see some of the other polishes I've swatched from the United in Purpose collection, click here.

Do any of these stand out to you?

Until next time...

China Glaze - United in Purpose Collection

Hi there!

Here are some of the light pink polishes from China Glaze's newer breast cancer awareness collection...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Faith, Dare to be Bare,
Angel's Breath, Pearls of Wisdom, and Hopeful.
United in Purpose breast cancer awareness collection.

I painted 3 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured.

Painted in order from my thumb to my pinky...

Faith - a milky sheer pink. The most nude.
Dare to be Bare - nude with more white. The most difficult to work with (patchy).
Angel's Breath - the most white.
Pearls of Wisdom - a very light pink pearl.
Hopeful - the most pink and the most opaque.

I wore Always a Lady separately because it is the darkest of all of the light pinks...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Always a Lady.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. The brush was much thicker than the other brushes from this collection, so it was more difficult to apply polish near my cuticles. Aside from that, it's just fine. This shade is slightly sheer... I can see the imperfections on my nails- especially on my ring finger.

Here are what all 6 polishes look like next to one another...

China Glaze - Faith, Dare to be Bare, Angel's Breath,
Pearls of Wisdom, Hopeful, and Always a Lady.

And the bottles...

China Glaze - Faith, Dare to be Bare, Angel's Breath,
Pearls of Wisdom, Hopeful, and Always a Lady.

If I had to recommend just 1 polish from this bunch, it'd be Faith (thumb) because it's most unlike other polish in my collection and I think it's one of the most wearable.

Until next time...

OPI - That's Berry Daring

Hi there!

I wanted something simple today, so I grabbed one of my untried pink polishes...

My nails painted with OPI - That's Berry Daring.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. It applied easily, although the formula was more on the watery side.

What's your favorite pink nail polish?

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 23

Hi there!

This is a manicure I painted quite some time ago, and I just discovered the photograph buried in one of my laptops...

My nails painted with Julep - Carrie, Cameron, Natasha, and Molly.

I painted a base of Carrie, and then stippled Cameron and each of the other colors onto my nails. I had high hopes for this manicure... I imagined it looking as if each color faded perfectly into the next color- much like sponging produces. The brush I had on hand at the time was much too large and dense, so I think that was my main problem with blending. Additionally, the lines aren't delicate... and, instead, they look sloppy.

Have you tried something like this with a nail art brush? If so, how did it turn out?

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Lara's Harbor

Hi there!

I painted these yesterday evening before leaving to the beach...

My nails painted with Zoya - Lara and Sinful Colors - Pearl Harbor.

I painted 2 coats of Lara and 1 coat of Pearl Harbor to achieve what's pictured. About 2 hours after snapping this picture, all of the polish had peeled clean off of my nails! I'm not positive it was because the 2 polishes simply didn't mesh well together... I went swimming for a couple of hours, so I'm sure that had something (if not everything) to do with it.

At least it looked pretty for a few hours :-)

Until next time...

Pink and Purple Water Marble

Hi there!

Another water marble post so soon? Yes!

My nails water marble with Julep - Renee and Eva. 

I painted a base of Renee and then marbled with Renee and Eva. These 2 polishes worked quite well together.

This design reminds me of comic book captions like SPLAT, KAPLOW, and BAM! What do you think?

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...

Essie - Splash of Grenadine

Hi there!

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend so far! I am! It's so nice and sunny here and it's the perfect weekend to have 3 days off :-) I quickly painted these this morning...

My nails painted with Essie - Splash of Grenadine.

I painted 2 coats of Splash of Grenadine to achieve what's pictured. There isn't too much to say about it except it applied nicely. I'm not sure I like it against my current skin tone, though... so I suppose I'll save it for when I'm tan.

Do you own this one?

Until next time...