I love the '80s!

So awesome!!!!!  Haha, neon and crackle... totally '80s

and glitter, right?  LMAO.  This is 3 coats of Color Club You Got Soul-ar a neon orange with glitter in it.  I topped it with China Glaze Crushed Candy which is a crackle polish.  Then, because you can never have enough... I topped it all with Color Club Starry Tempress Top Coat which is bling-tastic!!!

So pretty!  Haha.  I hated it at first because of the colors.  But then once I decided it looked like the 80's, I was into it.

Check that glitter!!!  Oh yeah... lol.  What do you guys think??

4th of July!

I know I'm late posting this, but I left it on for the whole week anyway, so I kind feel like I'm not late.  Does that make sense?  Maybe not.  Oh well.  On with it...

The red is one coat of China Glaze Hey Sailor.  I love that it's one coat, so wonderful!  Great red.  The blue is 2 coats Orly Royal Navy.  Both are topped with one coat of China Glaze Lightning Bolt.  I added the crackle on an angle (or tried to anyway) which I thought would be more interesting.

I know this is pretty much a cop-out as far as nail art goes.  I mean, I looked at my mani from last year and damn!  I really wimped out!  Hahahaha.  But I kinda liked the simplicity of it.  I thought it looked cool.

The other hand!  OMG!  Hahaha.  I did them opposite, obviously.  I think I'd liked there being more red on this hand.  But I didn't like the crackle as well on this hand.

Spring time is here!

This mani just screamed spring to me.  It kind of reminds me of that area of Greece with the white houses against the blue water.  Not the right shade, but still, that's what it reminds me of, lol.  It's just so beautiful.

This is American Apparel Malibu Green topped with China Glaze Lightning Bolt.  I absolutely love American Apparel's polish.  They have a really good formula, it's opaque and has good coverage.  They have the best cremes.  I used 3 coats, but could have done 2 if I'd been more careful.  And the crackle is just amazing!  I love it, there's no doubt about it.  It makes the mani so much better, haha.

Yay!  Pretty!  Haha.  Enjoy!  :)

Glitter Cracked

I have to say I jumped on the crack bandwagon.  Crackle is like the crack of nail polish!  You wouldn't think so, but it's addicting!  It's so much fun to play with the different colors and there are seemingly endless combinations!

This is OPI Sparkle-iscious topped with China Glaze Broken Hearted.  I loved it but most people just thought I had glitter on top of pink.  That was disappointing, but oh well.  The OPI went on with fairly good coverage.  The glitter is really packed in there!  Taking it off is another story, lol.  It's hell, like most glitters.  The crackle goes on great.  You put it on and it dries fairly quickly and as it dries, it shrinks, so it pulls apart in these neat patterns.

I love it!  It caught the light and sparkled and it was just awesome.  I loved it the whole time I had it on.  I got tons of compliments, but like I said, they just thought it was glitter on pink.  Boo, lol.  Oh well.  What do you think?

Nail Polish Jewelry!

I think it's pretty obvious that I LOVE nail polish.  The only downside?  When you have to take it off!  So how do we solve this dilemma?  By making nail polish into jewelry!  It's like the best invention ever.  And it's even more beautiful than you could imagine!

How beautiful are these?  The round one is a ring of GOSH Holographic with OPI Black Shatter on top.  The pendant is a water marble using China Glaze Octa-Gone Wild, OPI Austin-tatious Turquoise, OPI Ink and OPI Purple with a Purpose.  Tracey at GingerKitty Designs made these pieces.  I just picked the colors!

Look at that shimmer and holo!  LOVE!  Tracey is a genious!

Sooooooo pretty!  It's a weird angle, but it's kinda cool how it shows the colors.

Check out that holo greatness!  And it's a giant ring, I love big bold jewelry!

This is full sun.  To the naked eye, the entire ring was a giant rainbow.  But I couldn't capture it with the camera.  Weird how that happens.

I highly suggest checking out Tracey's Etsy shop and if you love nail polish, you won't be disappointed.  If you don't see something available in the shop, send her an email and she'll work with you to create something unique.  The quality is superb and the turn around time is decent.  I will admit I was a little afraid of the ring thinking it might turn my finger green, but it didn't!  I was also worried it might be flimsy since it's adjustable, but again, it's not.  The band is actually pretty thick and sturdy.  I will definitely go back in the future for more pieces.  She has an amazing selection and it's all beautiful.

I got the blues...

Lol.  I loved the bright yet dark quality of the blue in the China Glaze Anchors Away collection.  It's just such an amazing blue!  It's dark and navy-like, but still bright and royal.  It's a very amazing color.

This is 2 coats of China Glaze First Mate with a black and silver glitter stripe, both from Stripe Rite.  I added a butterfly decal on the thumb and ring fingers which are from Viva la Nails.  I thought it would show up a little bit better than it actually did.  The China Glaze applied like a dream, it gives great coverage and it's just SO pretty, you could lose yourself in it!!

Excuse the mess, lol.  I hadn't cleaned up my fingers yet.  But how pretty is this?!  I love it.  It's so creamy and beautiful.  LOVE!  What do you guys think?

Valentine's Day

I did do a Vday mani this year despite my feeling against it, lol.  I know I'm late in posting it, but better late than never, right?  I pretty much had to use the new red from China Glaze Anchor's Away collection.  It's such a bright and amazing red!  AND it's a one-coater.  What's not to love??

Check that out!!  Hehe.  This is 2 coats OPI Princesses Rule! as a base and 1 coat China Glaze Hey Sailor on the tips.  I lined the tip with Stripe Rite silver glitter and added a red rhinestone.  How awesome is this look??

Take that!  HA!  I don't know why, but I just love these red tips!

More prettiness!  Ahhhhhh.....

Lol, I was playing with an app on my phone.  I thought it came out cool tho.  Everything is muted and then BAM there's the red in the center.  So cute!  :)

China Glaze Anchors Away Part 2

This is part 2 of 2 of the Spring 2011 China Glaze collection called Anchors Away.  Click here for part 1!  It's a total of 12 new shades and they are all amazing in their own way!  Today I'm going to show Sand & Sea.  These are the 6 lighter shades of the collection.

 This is the Sand & Sea set.  They look like nice muted dusty shades.  Lets check them out!

Below Deck, 2 coats.  This is the brightest shade of the bunch.  It's a dusty purple shade.  Maybe like an eggplant, lol.  Good coverage, nice opacity.  I like this color.  It does remind me of other shades I have, but it's not quite a dupe to anything.  It's similar to that popular Chanel color that was going around not too long ago too, lol.

Knotty, 3 coats.  This is a beige or nude color glass fleck.  It's really very pretty, but I wish it wasn't so sheer.  I would have liked it better if it was more opaque.  This did have good application though.  And of course, the sparkle and shine is very very pretty.  Not that you can really tell in my photo, lol.  I blame the snow!

Pelican Gray, 2 coats.  This is a light gray creme.  It's such a great color.  I love grays recently and this one is so pretty.  It's slightly blue toned, but definitely a gray.  Application was good, nice opacity.  It reminds me a bit of a castle or something.  I guess it's stone like.  So pretty.  Love it!

White Cap, 3 coats.  Sheer white glass fleck.  It's very pretty, but very similar to a lot of whites that came out this past winter.  It does remind me of snow.  It's frosty and cool.  Application was good, but definitely needs the 3 coats unless you're going to layer.  If you hate VNL, you must layer this.

Sunset Sail, 2 coats.  This is a nude peachy subtle shimmer.  It's so beautiful!  Application was great, good coverage and opacity.  I love the color and I love the slight shimmer.  It's NOT extremely apparent, so it's really just for the wearer.  I kind of like those kinds of polishes.  It looks pretty to everyone, but there's a special aspect that only I enjoy, lol.  Is that selfish?  HAHAH.

Sea Spray, 2 coats.  Light blue creme.  This is such a pretty color.  It's a bluish gray, but way more blue than the Pelican Gray up there.  This is definitely a blue.  It reminds me of the Eyeko Rain Polish, but I don't have that to compare.  Still, it reminds me of the sky on a rainy stormy day.  It's so calming, haha.

BTW, no top coat on any of these polishes.  They are super shiny on their own!  And with them being so easy to apply, you don't really need the top coat except for staying power.  I was VERY pleased with these polishes.  I'm not a fan of all the colors, like I mentioned, but application was perfection.  Even the sheer shades went on like a dream.

Note: All items featured in this post were purchased by me.

China Glaze Anchors Away Part 1

This is part 1 of 2 of the Spring 2011 China Glaze collection called Anchors Away.  Click here for part 2!  It's a total of 12 new shades and they are all amazing in their own way!  Today I'm going to show the Knotty Nauticals.  These are the 6 brighter shades of the collection.

This is the Knotty Nauticals set.  First off, how cute is that name?  It's kind of one of those you want to face-palm on, but it's just so punny!  LOL... anyway.

Lighthouse, 3 coats.  It's sheer, but has a glass fleck to it.  It's a golden yellow, like goldenrod to me.  It's pretty, but it's just not my thing.  I like the pale yellows better.  But if you like the darker golden yellow, this is perfect for you!

Life Preserver, 2 coats.  This is listed as a "poppy creme."  I don't buy it.  This is orange.  It's not quite as orange as a real life preserver, but it's still orange.  I heard someone say it had a coral aspect to it.  It's orange.  LOL.  Now I don't have a super critical eye for color, but I don't think I'm oblivious to subtle differences either.  This is a redder orange that a real life preserver, but it's still orange.  It's too orange for me to say it's coral.  I personally do not like this shade, but I'm not a fan of orange in general.  Aside from that, it applied great, good coverage and opacity.  It's good with 2 coats, but too sheer to be a 1 coater I think.

Starboard, 2 coats.  This is a very vivid green creme.  Applied well, good opacity, but needs the 2 coats.  It's like a "kelly green."  It's grass like to me.  Again, this is not really my thing.  I don't choose these bright greens for a full mani unless I'm doing something on top of it.  Or if it's St Patty's day.  Which, I must say, is coming up... so keep this one handy girls!

First Mate, 2 coats.  Now we're talking!  This is a bright yet darker blue creme.  I LOVE IT!  It's a perfect nautical blue.  Good coverage, nice pigmentation... wow.  This is definitely in-your-face blue.  And I know for most colors I like the subtle shades, but I don't mind a bright blue and this is great!

Ahoy! 3 coats.  This is another glass fleck color in a great hot pink shade.  It's a little sheer again, like the yellow.  To me, definitely needs 3 coats unless you're layering.  It reminds me of strawberries, but it's definitely a pink, not a red.  It's a great summer color I think.  It would make a good watermelon mani, haha.  Add some Atlantis on the tips and you'll be good to go!

Hey Sailor, 2 coats.  Bright red creme.  I have to say, I thought I wouldn't like this on, but I love it.  And really, I could have gotten away with 1 coat if I'd been more careful.  This is an amazing color, great coverage, nice and opaque.  I love it.  It's a perfect red.  I'd say it's a little on the orange side, but it's pretty.

BTW, no top coat on any of these polishes.  They are super shiny on their own!  And with them being so easy to apply, you don't really need the top coat except for staying power.  I was VERY pleased with these polishes.  I'm not a fan of all these colors, like I mentioned, but application was perfection.  Even the sheer shades went on like a dream.

Note: All items featured in this post were purchased by me.

Party Hearty!

Somehow I forgot to post this earlier.  I know pretty much everyone and their mother did this combo if they got this China Glaze Party Hearty.  BUT I don't care because it's just that awesome.  And it's still awesome even though it's not Christmas anymore.

This is 3 coats Orly Winter Wonderland topped with 2 coats China Glaze Party Hearty!  How pretty!  The Orly Winter Wonderland is fairly sheer, I believe I may have started with a base of 1 coat Sallen Hansen White On.  But the Orly gives it that frosty wintery feel.  The application on it was good, just sheer.  The China Glaze is just amazing.  It's a clear base with colored glitter, so you have to use a little purpose if you want all the nails to come out even.  You can see my middle finger has a lot more glitter than my pointer.

So cool.  I love this glitter.  It has small silver, medium green and large red glitter in it.  It's an amazing combo!  =D


Also, I just realized that I missed my blogiversary!  LOL.  I started getting some stuff together for a giveaway.  It will be coming soon!  Hehe.

Christmas Mani

Yay christmas!  I know pretty much everyone was doing candy cane style manis for christmas, but it's just so cute, I had to do it!

How cute!  This is 3 coats Sally Hansen White On topped with China Glaze Salsa.  I used a BM plate to do the stripes, but they didn't cover the whole nail, so I had to use a small brush to extend the lines.  When I added the first coat of top coat, the red smeared, so I went over the white again a bit.  I also added a coat of CND Crimson Sparkle on top.  I love that it's very subtle, but makes it look like a sugary candy cane.

On the thumb, I skipped the stripes and used a BM plate to add some holly leaves with China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald.  I used little red balls for the berries.  Unfortunately, they bled when I added the top coat also.  So I had to add some more white.  I used the CND effect on the thumb as well.

I love this one and of course, got lots of compliments.  Sorry to post this late, but I was having some computer troubles.  Merry Christmas all!!

Funky Frenchy

For this mani I wanted something simple, but still pretty.  For some reason I just love the french mani look.  But it's kinda boring unless it's a "funky french" which is just using a color instead of white.  Anyway, I liked how it turned out and I got lots of compliments!  This is actually a bit of an oldie... but I love it!

I started with 2 coats CND Putty which is pretty sheer beige.  It basically just evens out your nails so they look perfect.  Application on that was amazing, as usual.  I love CND polish.  Then I added 2 coats of OPI Yodel Me on My Cell for the tips.  I put a stripe with Stripe Rite White on the bottom edge of the teal to cover up my not-so-great edge, lol.  I also put some Stripe Rite Silver Glitter on that edge.  Then I added some stickers from Viva la Nails and topped it all with 1 coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust, a very small holo glitter.

Pretty!  Now to me, this looks like straight up teal.  However, I had a few people ask if I had on "Eagles green."  I guess they're close, but not really the same to me.  Not to mention I could really care less about sporting football colors on my nails.  I happened to wear this mani on the weekend, so I guess that's why people assumed.  Oh well, lol.

Bump in the night...

Ok, maybe I went a bit overboard with this one, haha.  But I was having fun!  I wanted to do something that was in your face... but had a hidden in your face aspect.  I lurve it.  hehe!

Check it!  Regular and glow in the dark!  Oooooooo!!!!

This is 3 coats China Glaze Peachy Keen for the base of the jack-o-lanterns.  I topped it with 2 coats of a glow-in-the-dark glitter polish I found, no name on it.  I used Sally Hansen Black Out for the faces.  On the moon fingers I used 2 coats China Glaze Mummy May I for the bottom, 2 coats Sally Hansen White On for the "moon."  I topped the moon section only with a coat of black light polish (again, no name) and then drew on bats and cat heads with Sally Hansen Black Out.  I outlined the moon with LA Colors Silver striper.  The cat heads kind of came out weird looking.  I should have pulled up a pic of a cat silhouette on the computer before I started, lol.

Other hand.  Love it!  Don't mind that spot on my ring finger.  I got myself with the black light polish, lol.

I love this mani!  Hehe.  I think it came out really cute.  And very Halloween-y!

Happy Halloween all!!!

Bloody Nails

I was going for a Halloween theme this month.  I wanted to do something bloody, but didn't want to freak out the people at work.  This didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped.  It's pretty, but doesn't look all that bloody.

This is 3 coats China Glaze Lubu Heels as a base.  I did NOT realize how sheer that polish is.  I was quite disappointed actually.  You can see I had some cuticle drag issues.  Not the greatest, but oh well.  I used China Glaze Salsa on the tips and then painted over that with Nubar Fire Sparkle to keep with the glitter theme.

I was going to do a white base with the blood, but I thought it would be too stark.  Maybe next year...

China Glaze Awakening

I have to say, I'm extremely pleased with the China Glaze Awakening set.  I love the colors and the glitter!  I like that it's not the classic orange creme.  It's fun and exciting and eye-catching for sure!

First up is Mummy May I.  This looks like a really dark purple, but maybe it's black.  It's loaded with magenta-purple square glitter!  This is 3 coats of pure heaven.  So much better than my previous Wet 'n Wild purchase that wants to be a dupe.  I LOVE this color.  And it would work all year round.

Next is Zombie Zest.  This is also 3 coats, and you can see I still have VNL.  It's a really cool yellowish green color with gold-yellow fine glitter.  It reminds me of snot or something, haha.  It kinda grosses me out.  To me, this is Halloween only.

Last up is Ick-A-Bod-Y.  This is really cool looking.  3 coats.  It's appears to be a dark greenish base with orange chunky glitter.  I really love this.  I was actually unsure about this color before trying it, but it looks really good on!  It reminds me of the fall and leaves changing color and harvest, which is my fave!  This was a surprising like for me, I didn't think I would enjoy this one.  But it's really bumpy without top coat, haha.

Overall, application was easy.  With glitter, it's sometimes hard to get it on evenly and looking well distributed.  This wasn't as hard as I've dealt with in the past, but it wasn't perfect either.  Zombie Zest had fine glitter and the other two are chunky and lumpy.  You'd definitely need a top coat.  And if you don't like VNL, you'll need a base with Zombie Zest.

Don't forget to check out my giveaway where you have a chance to win these beauties!!  (Don't worry, I bought 2 of these, so the ones in the giveaway are still unused!)

Victorian Flowers

I was in a summery mood and wanted to do something pretty and girlie. I looked through my stash and pulled out some decals that I got from Viva la Nails.  They are very elegant roses and I picked a nice peachy orange base to go with it.

This is 2 coats China Glaze Peachy Keen as a base.  I topped that with 2 coats Savvy Magic Pumpkin.  Then I used the rose water decals from Viva la Nails along with some of their small gold rhinestones on the thumb and ring finger.  Topped everything off with Seche Vite.

How pretty is that?  This mani felt very elegant.  And it reminded me of the victorian era, which I love.  I felt very pretty wearing this, hehe.  Application of both polishes was good.  The China Glaze went on nice and smooth and gave good coverage.  The Savvy is really cool looking, but not very pigmented, which is why I used the ChG base.  I just love the shimmer and yellow and green flash it gave the mani.  Made it much more interesting.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen

I took a look at the fall China Glaze Vintage Vixen collection at my local Sally's.  I was tempted to buy them all, haha.  I tried to pick up something that I don't have much of.  I just so happened to pick Christmas colors, red and green, lol.  Oh well.  I actually picked these up a while ago, but they sat there for a bit.  And then I used them and took photos and the photos sat for bit.  Better late than never, right?

This is China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald.  2 coats!  Of course, Seche Vite on top.  I loved this application because it had great coverage.  The brushes from China Glaze are slim, but spread nicely on the nail.  No cuticle drag or other issues to note.

I love this color!  In these photos it's showing more teal.  In some light it was teal, in other light it was emerald green.  I have no idea why, but that really intrigued me.  I love that it's shimmery and not a true frost.  You can't really see the brush strokes, which is good for me since I suck at that, lol.

This is 2 coats Riveter Rouge with Seche.  Again, application was good, no real issues.  Good coverage and good opacity.

Since this was a deeper red with golden shimmer, I chose rhinestones to make the gold pop.  Check that giant orange one!  Love those over-sized rhinestones, lol.  This polish didn't change color in different light like the green did, but it's still nice and shimmery and pretty.

I loved both these colors and would recommend them!  And hey, if you're looking to do a christmas mani, this might be right up your alley in terms of shade, haha.