Barbie Party!

Pretty sure I already posted this... but we'll try again!
Sometimes you just need to take a break and slap on some barbie pink and sparkles!!  Yay!  Nothing beats a perk-me-up like pink sparkles!

Pretty!!!  This is 3 coats OPI Strawberry Margarita topped with Sinful Colors Pinky Glitter on top.  I love this combo and left it on for a whole week!  It's just a real feel-good combo.

Don't mind that oddly shaped index finger nail... it broke down too far to cut evenly.  Ouch!  Anyway...

Sparkle-icious!  I love it!  What do you think?

Color Club Ulterior Motive

I could not wait for Color Club's Alter Ego collection.  I really wasn't interested in the light collection, but the dark collection looked amazing, so I picked it up.  I was a little disappointed that the colors didn't translate as well as I'd hoped.  They look amazing in the bottle, but not as impressive on my nails.  I haven't gotten through them all yet, but the ones I tried aren't as impressive as I wanted.

This is 3 coats of Color Club Ulterior Motive.  The bottle looks much more purple, but here it's like hot pink or fuchsia.  It's fairly sheer too, which wasn't great.  I still had some VNL after 3 coats.

It looks a little more purple-like in this shot, but not much.

Yeah, definitely pink.  But cool.  I like it, just not what I was expecting.  I wanted some more duo-chrome or something.  Oh well.  I still like it.  What do you think?

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?

Candy Land

I did this mani a while back with V-day in mind... but it didn't quite turn out that way, lol.  It actually reminds me more of easter.  But then it also reminds me of candy.  Like cotton candy or peeps or something.  Which brings me back to feeling like it's easter.

Wow, I look tan!  LMAO!  Anyway, this is 3 coats of American Apparel Coney Island topped with Nubar Hyacinth Sparkle.  I did the sparkle in a gradient so it would be thicker towards the tip.  I think it looks like I dipped my nails in sugar!

SOOOOOO pretty!!  I got a lot of compliments on this too.  I think because it's so shiny, lol.  The American Apparel went on fairly well.  I needed the 3 coats for full coverage.  The Nubar is PACKED with glitter so I had to essentially use a dry brush to get the sparse glitter near the base.

It happened to be crazy sunny the day I did this one, so I took a full sun photo.  It actually kinda makes the glitter NOT as good.  Is that possible?  Oh well.  Anyway, it worked better indoors, lol.

Pink Party

This one was fun and of course, super simple.  I was going for a girlie-girl look without being too kid like and immature.  I didn't want to spend a lot of time on the design, so my eyes were drawn to glitters!

This is 2 coats of Orly Cotton Candy topped with 1 thick coat of Sally Hansen Rockstar Pink.  Very cool!  The pink is, of course, a great color.  Application was smooth and opaque, wear was pretty darn good as well.

This is a shitty picture, but whatever, you can see the colors on the glitter a bit better.  I liked this mani.  It was easy and fast and stayed on very well.  I felt like this would have been good for a party or something, but I didn't have an occasion to go to.

Wet 'n Wild Night Prowl

I was really falling for the China Glaze Halloween previews (which weren't out at the time) when I saw this Wet 'n Wild Night Prowl and thought it looked a lot like China Glaze Mummy May I.  I was a little disappointed, but it's still a great color.

This is 3 coats Wet 'n Wild Night Prowl which is a black base with magenta glitter.  Hard to tell in this photo, I know.  Application was fairly good.  I didn't really have much trouble, but the wear on this wasn't great.

There we go!  I put a kiss print off a bundle monster plate on with Art Deco Intense Pink.  It turned out more sheer than I'd hoped.  But still cool!  This is very dark and vampy, haha.  I liked this mani, but I didn't love it.  Oh well.  Thank goodness China Glaze came out!  ;)

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!)

China Glaze: Shocking Pink

Oh neon, how I love thee...  There's just something that screams summer about wearing neon.  It makes you look tanner, and you can't be cold looking at neon colors.  It's like Miami or Havana or something else warm and colorful.  And per a reader request, I threw it on my nails!

This is (unfortunately) 6 coats of China Glaze Shocking Pink all by itself.  I can see some VNL in the photos, but I couldn't really see it in real life.  Application was pretty bad, but most neons are.  It's thin and watery and had some horrible cuticle drag.  It's still streaky after 6 coats... so I gave up.  It dried to a satiny type finish.  Of course, neons are hard to capture on camera so these photos are the most color accurate I came out with.

Ewww!  Look at the streaks and drags!  Blech.  I was tempted to keep going with the coats, but I felt wasteful.  Anything over 4 coats is just too much.  I think this would have fared better over white.  Or maybe even a mannequin base.  I think my coats were probably a little thinner than they should have been too.  Plus I didn't use a base coat, so that may have added to the difficulty, lol.  It's a great hot pink, but neons are just so difficult!

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!

Wet 'n Wild: Berry Jubilee

Please ignore the chip on my middle finger, I didn't take this photo until I'd worn this polish for several days and that was the only chip!  This is kind of sheer and I didn't see in RL, but on here it's more obvious that it's a little uneven still.  This is 3 coats Wet 'n Wild Berry Jubilee with 2 coats Seche Vite.  I like the shade, it's like a redish purple.  But I was expecting it to be darker I think.  And I wish it were more opaque.  This would be so much better if it were a one-coater like WnW Cherry Pop.  Oh well.  Still pretty.

Essie: Haute as Hello

I love this color!  This is one of the summer colors from Essie called Haute as Hello.  It's an awesome bright coral/peach. It's definitely got a pink tint to it, but it's too orange to be pink... and delightfully bright!  I added stripes with Stripe Rite Pink Glitter.  Application on this wasn't bad, but wasn't awesome.  It started out a bit streaky, but evened out after more coats.  This is 3 coats Essie Haute as Hello with 2 coats Seche Vite over the whole thing.  It lasted a good few days too, which is great.  I love this and all bright colors for summer, yay!  There's just something about bright nails that makes me feel good.  Which is good!  :)

Sally Hansen HD: LCD

I really tried to capture the blue flash in this one, but I couldn't get it.  This is 4 coats Sally Hansen LCD, from the HD line, with 2 coats Seche Vite.  Application was pretty good, but this is very sheer.  I still had VNL after 4 coats.  But it went on smooth and is very very pretty.  I liked the blue flash it had, made it seem like it wanted to be purple.  Not sure why I couldn't get it to show.  The one shot has a hint of it, but it was hiding.  I also drew on some flowers with Essence Nail Art striper in Silver Surfer.  Overall, I liked this mani.

Also, I feel like my life is falling apart.  So many things have gone wrong lately.  I am afraid to do anything just because it might go wrong too.  I hate feeling depressed.  I've been there before and it sucks big time.  I am really hoping that things will start looking up.  I need happiness in my life.  Someday... I hope... it will come.

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot...

I was feeling hot from some recent near 90 degree weather, so I busted out this hot magenta... oooo!  It's a score from a recent win.

Hotness.  This is 2 coats China Glaze Make an Entrance.  Then I added little swoops with Stripe Rite Black and Silver Glitter.  Topped with 2 coats of Seche Vite of course.  Application on the CG was awesome.  This has great coverage, but I can still see a tiny bit of VNL.  Not enough to irk me tho.  Very smooth and no cuticle drag or bald spots.  Love this color too!  Such an awesome hot magenta color.

This was a definite perk up from my recent Debbie Downer attitude.  I am trying my best to get through this.  I'm very grateful to have this nail polish distraction on myself and this wonderful little community!

Broadway Nails Review

I was at the drugstore looking at polish and normally go right past the fake nails.  However, these caught my eye!  At first, I was just going to take a pic and try to re-create it myself, but I figured, what the heck, I'll buy them.  They looked super cute.

These are Broadway Nails Fashion Diva Nail Kit in Harajuku Style.  They are a mismatch plaid in pink, orange and green neon!  How cool!  These are the "short" length which turns out is just about the same length as my own nails.  They have the little tabs for application.  I didn't use the glue that came with them, but it does come with a pink tinted glue.  I have to say, I love the look and I easily found nails that fit, which is the most important part.  I left them on for 5 days.  None of them were falling off, but the edges had started to come loose by the end.  Not sure if this is due to improper initial application, or if the nails were starting to go.  I haven't put on fake nails in years, and I've never done so on a consistent basis, so it's possible this was a user error.  They did show tip wear by the end, but none of them had chipped horribly and you couldn't tell unless you had my nail up to your eyes anyway.  I got them off by just soaking cotton in Acetone and placing it on the nail.  After a few minutes, the fake nail puffed up and slid right off.  (This is my normal process for taking off nail polish except I usually just use remover and not straight Acetone).  Overall, I was very pleased with these nails and would definitely get them again.  They come in various designs and lengths.  This would be a great alternative for a quick mani for a special occasion.


[These nails were purchased with my own money for my own personal use.]

Retro Chic

I didn't really have much in mind for an idea when I picked these colors.  I knew I wanted to use Icing Laura's Fave since I just got it from Katrina.  And I picked out LA Colors Baby Pink striper to go with it.  After I put it all together, it totally looks 80's fab.  I have to say, I love 80's music and I laugh at the fashion, but I think it was fun and I was part of the era.

This is indoor, florescent light.  3 coats of Laura's Fave, everything topped with 2 coats of Seche Vite.  Inside, the polish looks more blue.  Really it just looks straight blue.  You can see the shimmer better inside too.  Such a pretty color.  It has the subtle icy feel that pairs well with the pale pink.

Outdoor, sunlight.  It looks more teal/aqua outdoors.  Really, when I look at it, I see a color in between these two photos.  A bluer teal.  Who cares, it's an awesome color either way, no matter the light.

And thank you all for the kind words, it's much appreciated.  I'm trying to take every day for what it is and trying my hardest not to dwell on things I can't change.  That's the hardest part really.  I'm a worrier by nature and it takes it's toll.  One day at a time...

PS - When did I get 50 followers?  I should put together a giveaway.  Any requests?

Lilac and flowers

I am going through some stuff.  Some pretty major stuff.  I really don't know what to do or how to feel or when it's going to end.  Some days are better than others.  And I guess I know it will eventually get better because it always does.  But at the moment, I don't see a light at the end of this tunnel and frankly I don't know if I want to.  I'm depressed and numb at the same time.  But I have to distract myself and keep going.  So I'm trying to keep going.  Sorry in advance...

Anyway, I went to Ulta this past weekend because I had to get out of the house and I had a coupon for two free "salon" polishes... basically the Essie, OPI, China Glaze, etc... So I picked up two of those and a few other things.  I got the new Essie minis for their new collection.  They look super cute, so look out for them.  I also picked up the Essence stampy set because I am wanting Konad, but haven't gotten it yet.

This is 3 coats of Essence No More Drama from the Colour & Go collection.  Then I stamped with OPI Dim Sum Plum on just the ring and thumb.  You can tell I started with this ring finger.  Fail-ish... but not too terrible.  I really like this one actually.  I think it's nice and spring-like.  Something to look at to brighten my mood a little.

Pink Glitter

Ooooo... glitter.  I was in Sephora the other day and couldn't resist this pink glitter, Sephora by OPI It's Bouquet with Me.  I knew just by looking at it that it would take too many coats to be opaque and I'd NEVER get it off, haha.  So I started with a single coat of OPI Meet Me on the Star Ferry.  I think they match up pretty well.  I was considering using a bright pink or a neon purple, but I like this look.  It's kinda in between pink and purple.  And then I tried to do a flower with a Sally Hansen nail art pen, but I failed.  It started out looking fine and the polish was flowing normally, but then it stopped flowing, so I dabbed it once on a napkin and it came back, but as soon as I touched my nail again, all this water pink liquid flew out... OMG!  So I quick grabbed a cotton ball and wiped it off, but some of it had started to dry.  So I tried to brush some acetone over the nail to get it off... I knew it wouldn't take the glitter right off.  You can see a tiny bit on my thumb nail still, oh well.  It blends in under most light.  So I added the white swoopy things with Stripe Rite White.  Problem solved!

Summer already?

This past weekend was just gorgeous here.  The sun was out, the breeze was easy and I didn't want it to end!  I was feeling like I wanted to go to the beach, so I thought something bright and fun was in order.  I took out the neon pink, but then I saw this little gem hiding in my stash...

This is 3 coats of LA Splash Golden Seahorse.  I love it!  I purchased it a bit ago (find it in my haul) but never used it.  It's looking a bit green in both this shot and the bottle shot in my haul post, but it's definitely an aqua color with gold glitter.  It really could have stayed at 2 coats if I'd done a better job with coverage, haha.  I love that it has the texture with the glitter.  I don't know if it's just the name on the bottle, but this totally reminds me of sandy beachy goodness!  Haha.  Anyway, then I couldn't leave it alone so I added a flower with Cover Girl Pink Taffy and then some yellow-orange jewels on the thumbs!  For some reason it reminds me of Hawaii, but I've never been there.

All I can say is... bring on the sun, it's making me feel great!  However, it's supposed to be in the 90's (F) tomorrow, which is not so fun.  I'd rather have the spring sun than the summer heat.  BUT I can't complain too much, it'll still be gorgeous and it will still feel good to be hugged by the sunshine.

Moody Purple

Ewwww!  Nubbin alert!  Haha.  I hate that all my nails broke off while I was vacationing.  Some of them were painfully short.  Thank goodness it's been about a week now and they're starting to get better.

I went shopping over the weekend and stopped by Claire's for this much-raved-about Mood Polish!  I have to say, I wasn't expecting greatness... but I was pleasantly surprised!  I used 3 coats of Claire's Mood Polish in Calm/Wild.  Then I added 3 dots of Sephora by OPI It's Bouquet With Me.  I like the simplicity.  Topped with 2 coats Seche Vite.  Ahhh, back to my HG, hehe.  This bright purple seems to be how my nails have looked most... my hands are usually cold.

I will say that the application was not fantastic with the Claire's polish.  I had cuticle drag issues.  But overall, it provides good coverage in 3 coats.  I wasn't expecting it to be wonderfully opaque, so that is a good bonus!

I ran some hot water over my hand to take some pics, but by the time I got outside, the tips started changing back, haha.

It's rainy and gloomy, so the light is still pretty low.  The middle finger is the most pink still.  I kind of like this ombre effect and would love it if it stayed like this, but it doesn't seem too.  Especially since I have nubbins and there's virtually no free edge on the majority of my fingers at the moment.

Indoor with Ott light.  My hands were cold, they were changing fast!  Haha.  Really interesting and fun to watch!  All day I caught myself checking out my fingers to see what color they were.  Endless entertainment!

Orly: Cotton Candy

So after my mani fail, I wanted something that would definitely look cute.  I looked at my recent haul and pulled out the super cute Orly Cotton Candy.  One of my fav colors is pink, so I just had to.

This is 4 coats of Cotton Candy with Seche Vite.  It looks more peachy in the pic than it does IRL.  It truly is a nice pink creme.  It's fairly bright, but still pastel.  The formula gave me some trouble tho.  I had some intense cuticle drag and it was pretty streaky.  I can still see some vague streakiness after 4 coats, but it's not that apparent, especially since most people look from a little further away, hehe.  I started off doing thinner coats, but had to move to thicker coats for better coverage.  Overall, I'm pretty pleased.  I think the color is worth the hassle.

After all that, I figured I wanted to do an accent nail, so I added a little art to the ring finger.

I drew a horizontal line at the "tip" line with Stripe Rite Pink Glitter.  Then I made some tiny polka dots with Borghese Plumaggio Purple on just the tip.  (I will say I may as well have used black for this because you can't tell it's purple).  I added a large pink rhinestone to top it off.  I nearly forgot to take photos of this.  I thought I had when I first did the art.  I was getting ready to take it off and ripped off the rhinestone on my left hand when I had this pang... did I take pics?  I checked and... nope!  Ooops!  So I quick snapped a few of my right hand, lol.  Please excuse the dry cuticles and tip wear.