Ocean Flowers

I thought this looked nice and summery.  This is 4 coats Essie Turquoise & Caicos on all but the ring finger.  On the ring finger is 3 coats Essie Blanc.  I stamped the white onto the teal fingers and attempted to stamp the teal onto the white finger... but failed, lol.  I added the flower shaped goodies on top on the white finger only.  I love the color of Turquoise & Caicos, but it's so sheer!  I hate putting on 4 coats of anything, it feels wasteful.  I was disappointed in the pigmentation of that one.  The Blanc isn't all that opaque either, but at least it's a regular 3-coater.  And I can see where I stamped it!  Lol.  It kinda gave a tonal effect to the stamping that I didn't anticipate.

I liked this mani, but I didn't love it.  I think it could have been done with similar colors in my collection that are a lot more opaque and less annoying.  Sorry, Essie, this one didn't win me over.  Add more pigment and you'd have a winner!

Ulta: Twilight

Ok, so this pic sucks... but the polish is AWESOME!  It's got teal and purple micro glitter along with the sliver glitter.  Some angles it looked grey, some it looked brown.  I still don't know what color this really is... except amazing, lol.  I couldn't capture it's gorgeousness no matter how hard I tried because the darned sun went away.  But trust me, this is awesome.  I stared at it for hours on end.  This is 3 coats of Ulta Twilight with 2 coats of Seche Vite on top.  Purely amazing.  Application was standard.  I think these new square caps are easier than the old ones.  This is a must have for anyone who likes the hidden colors of polish, lol.

American Apparel: Office

I have to say, I really like the American Apparel polishes.  This is only the second one I've tried, but I love them both!  This is such a pretty shade of green.  Kinda dusty mint.  This is 3 coats of American Apparel Office.  Application was standard, not too bad, but not amazing.  I didn't have any cuticle drag issues.  I did NOT take this photo on day one.  I forget how long I'd worn this mani before I took the photo, but it was at least a couple days into it.  So wear was really good.  I used Milani Fresh Teal to stamp the crown on.  I topped it all with 2 coats Seche Vite.  I'm not sure where I thought I was going with the stamping, but I know I was originally going to add some gold.  But then I stopped because I liked the tonal look of this.  I think it came out cute.

Haul and Nail Mail!

I got some nail mail yesterday and then today I went on a bit of a shopping spree in Ulta.  Couldn't help myself.  I got one of those certificates for spending a certain amount of money during the quarter, so I could get some free polish.  I knew the new OPI Swiss collection was there, so I had to go check it out!  I also got a couple mini-packs that I'm putting aside for giveaways.

First, my nail mail.  I ordered some stuff on Trans Design.  I needed more OPI Expert Touch Remover, it's my fave.  It does a pretty quick job taking off my polish and has a good smell afterwards.  Kinda citrusy, but not overly so.  Anyway, I ordered a jackpot of CND while I was at it.

Hmmm, maybe I over-did it.  I got 3 colors (left to right), Rasberry Parfait, Fireberry, and Dark Ruby.  And 6 effects (not necessarily in this order, I'm too lazy to match them up, haha) Lavender Pearl, Copper Shimmer, Crimson Sparkle, Rasberry Sparkle, Sapphire Sparkle, and Ice Blue Shimmer.  That's a lot!!  I love the effects, they're really pretty and can be dramatic or subtle depending on what you put it on.

Ok, so then I went to Ulta and I found the Orly Cosmic FX collection... SO amazing!  I only picked up 3...

Left to right is Out of This World, Space Cadet and Galaxy Girl (you can also buy these on Transdesign).  A lot of bloggers out there are saying there are dupes for almost all the colors in this collection.  For me, these are all unique.  I love the look of them in the swatches I've seen and I can't wait to try them out!

I also got some OPI... some new, some old.

Left to right is Significant Other Color, Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous, Color to Watch, Yodel Me on My Cell, and My Private Jet.  Yes, you read that right, MPJ.  BUT... it's the chocolate shimmer version, no holo to be seen.  I've never even seen this color in person but I know from all you lovely ladies that there are several versions out there.  This is one... and there were several bottles exactly like it... yes, I checked them all just to be sure.  I really liked a lot of the Swiss Collection, but so much red!  I'm not a huge red fan.  And some of them looked similar to the new China Glaze colors.

Who cares, I have a giant new stash of un-trieds.  I will have to swatch these soon for you guys.  :)

Wet 'n Wild: Bubble Yum Gum

This is 3 coats Wet 'n Wild Bubble Yum Gum with Finger Paints Hue Left a Message? on the tips.  I added little diamond shaped goodies on the thumb and ring fingers.  Topped it all with 2 coats Seche Vite.  For some reason I thought this wouldn't be as bright.  I really like it tho!  Application was pretty good.  I didn't have a huge amount of trouble, but it wasn't smooth sailing either.  This definitely needed the 3 coats.  Wear was darn good, but I did have glitter on the tips, so that helped.  I did get some shrinkage with this, but it could be because I didn't wrap the tips with the Wet 'n Wild on the basis that I knew the glitter would be coming.  Oh well.  Overall I was pleased with this mani.  It wore well and got compliments!

Essie: Chinchilly

This is 3 coats Essie Chinchilly with 2 coats Seche Vite.  I was actually surprised how much I loved this color.  It is a little on the sheer side, so it definitely needed 3 coats and it actually could have used 4.  I had no issues with the formula, it went on smooth and I didn't get bald spots.  This is a really clear grey, it's not very dusty which is kind of weird to say about a gray, but I think it's fairly accurate.  I think this would have looked amazing with some shimmer or something on top too.  Maybe next time.  If you like grey, this is definitely a must have!