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!!

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.

Frenchy Fun

Hehe, I love this one!  I don't know why, it's so simple, but it's just so pretty!

I used Dermelect Makeover as my basecoat.  The one coat of Sally Hansen Black Out on the tips and topped with one coat of Models Own Mixed Up.  I used LA Colors silver to add a stripe on the bottom and added a few holo silver hearts for bling.  The Dermelect is a treatment base coat.  I just started using it, but it's supposed to help fill ridges and grow nails.  The Models Own Mixed up is actually all glitter.  It's a ton of black glitter with some holo glitter thrown in.  It's really cool looking.

Pretty!  Hope you like it too!

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!  ;)

OPI: Just a Little Dangerous

When I saw this advertised in the Sephora magazine, it looked AMAZING!  In person, not so much.  I can't find their promo pic now, but they made it seem like this was purple with pink and blue glitter.  There is definitely a shimmer in here, but it's no where near as obvious as they made it out to be.

Sorry for the quick and dirty application.  I was in a rush to get a new color on and had to be somewhere, lol.  Never a good combination.  Anyway, this is 3 coats Sephora by OPI Just a Little Dangerous.  It's definitely pretty, just not the WOW I was hoping for.  It went on fairly well, it was a bit streaky at first.  The pink shimmer is definitely more noticeable than the blue.  Especially in low light where the pink is barely visible at all.

Ewww, horrible cuticles, haha.  I'm messy.  And don't mind that tip wear.  I had to take pics after my day and yeah... it didn't turn out so great.  Oh well.  Really this was only worth something in the sun.  In the shade it was just another royal purple.

Nubar: Gem

There are holo polishes that look like your whole nail is a hologram.  And then there are holo glitter polishes where there are holo flecks mixed in with a color.  This is a holo glitter polish.  I was actually surprised tho at the size of the holo bits.  I expected this to go on smooth, but it's definitely like a glitter.  Not that I'm complaining... who could complain about such an awesome color?

This is 3 coats Nubar Gem.  I topped it with China Glaze Fast Forward.  This went on pretty well, but it is fairly sheer.  It's a nice golden taupy mauve color.  It's not straight beige like I expected.  It's definitely got a hint of pink to it.  And check out that holo glitter!

Ooooo... pretty, haha.  This is another polish that just catches your eye and holds you.  I found myself holding my hands at all different angles to catch the light and reflect the holo.

Here's a nice blurry pic to really show the holo glitter.  It's flashy, but not crazy.  I loved it!

Models Own Jade Stone

There is just something about Models Own polish.  For the most part, they are so easy to apply, have great opacity... I just love them.  So I had to pick up a few more when they had the 50% off sale!  C'mon, that's a crazy deal!  For some reason, I got a bunch of pastel colors, haha.  But this one was the one I was really looking forward to.

 This is 2 coats of Models Own Jade Stone.  It's so creamy and delicious!  This applied like a dream.  Not too thick or too thin, great coverage.  I like these brushes, they are easy to handle and control.  Another thing I love about Models Own is the wear.  I had no trouble with chipping on this.

This is full sun.  Looks very minty in this pic.  It is minty green in some light, more blue... and in other light it's more yellow and like a true green.  I like that aspect too.  Makes it more interesting.

Indoors, a little less minty in this shot.  I still kind of want to eat it tho, haha.  Love this color and application.  Everything about it is just bliss, hehe.

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.

Giveaway Winner

I tallied up the entries and used random.org to pick the winner.  Drum roll please....

 and number 31 is...

Congrats to Smoochiefrog!!  I've already contacted her via email and the goodies are on the way!

Thank you to everyone who entered.  And welcome to all the new faces who found my blog as a result of this giveaway!  I hope you'll all stick around and continue to enjoy my posts.  :)

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!!!

BOO!

Hehe.  Scared you, didn't I?  :)  I free-handed these ghosts... and honestly I didn't like them.  But a lot of other people did, lol.  I was going for a night sky thing with the ghosts swirling around.  I liked it, I just didn't like the ghosts, which is kind of the whole point, but oh well.

This is 3 coats of Nubar Night Sparkle.  Soooo pretty and sparkly!!  I used Color Club Worth the Risque for the dots and ghosts.

Love these colors.  I had no problem with application on either of these.  The Nubar gave fairly good coverage, which was surprising to me since it's a glitter.  But the base is blue too, so it covers pretty well.  And the holo of the Color Club stood out even among all that sparkle.

I wound up liking this one because of the color combo and because it was kind of anti-halloween, haha.  These aren't the usual colors for Halloween, so it caught people's eyes.

Going Batty

I picked this color because it was close to orange, but far enough on the peach side to still be subtle.  I liked this mani, but it really didn't scream Halloween.  I guess it was a little too subtle for me, lol.

This is 2 coats of Models Own Peach Sherbet.  I used Sally Hansen Black Out to stamp on the bats, spider and web from my Bundle Monster plate.  I added a coat of glitter to make it less boring, haha.  The thumb looks the best in my opinion.  But I think that's because I have a hard time seeing the bats since they're small.

I absolutely love Models Own polish.  It applies like a dream and covers beautifully.  I loved this color.  I will admit it's probably better suited for spring, but I loved it anyway.  And from far away it just looks cute, not scary and batty, lol.

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!)

Frankie!

I found this on the internet... here.  I couldn't help myself, they are just so cute!  They're really easy too.  Check the link for the tutorial on how to do these.

I used American Apparel Office for the base.  Then used Sally Hansen White On and Black Out for accents.  I think they turned out adorable!  I got a million compliments too.

The other hand too!  I like the middle finger on this hand because of the crooked mouth.  Makes him look like he's up to no good.

As you can see, I should have waited a bit before putting on the top coat.  I just didn't want to ruin them!

Halloween Giveaway!!

NOW CLOSED!!

I just want to say thank you to all of you who follow my blog, make comments and take the time to stop by and check out my little part of the art world.  I appreciate all of you whether or not you make yourself known.  To say thanks, I'm having a giveaway!

All items are brand new, never used, and were purchased by me!

What you can win:

• OPI Couture Color mini set (includes Brisbane Bronze, Bogota Blackberry, Black Cherry Chutney)
• OPI Swiss Collection mini set (includes Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous, Yodel Me on My Cell, Color So Hot it Berns, RapiDry Top Coat)
• Sally Girl mini glow in the dark polish
• Avon Cherry Jubilee
• Avon Midnight Plum
• Avon Olive Green
• China Glaze Mummy May I
• China Glaze Ick-A-Bod-Y
• China Glaze Zombie Zest
• Full size Mango Mend
• perhaps some candy treats!  hehe.

The rules are simple, follow my blog and fill out the form below!  Pretty easy I'd say.  :)  Entries in the comments will not count.  This contest is open to everyone, in any country!
I will accept entries until 10pm EST on October 29th.  I will then do my best to pick a winner by Halloween!  Good luck everyone!

Freebies!

I got this in my email and I just had to share.  There's some great giveaways from Kiss and Broadway nails!!  Most are really simple to enter too.  Enjoy!

Sign Up to Win an Apple iPad and more…

Kiss and Broadway Nails, the leading brands of artificial nail kits, are offering fans the chance to win a variety of hot products via Facebook and Twitter.

Kiss, the leading brand of nails including the best-selling Everlasting French Nail Kits, invites fans to log on to Kiss’ Facebook  page and click “Like” to enter for a chance to win an apple iPad, valued at over $600.  Contest runs from October 4^th–31^st and the winner will be selected at random by an independent third party.   

 Go to the Sign Up Tab on Kiss Product’s Facebook page to win the Apple iPad. 

To get the latest sounds on iTunes, simply follow Kiss on Twitter for a chance to win a $50 iTunes gift card.  Contest runs from October 4^th-31^st and be on the look-out for random Retweet options for additional entries. 

Follow Kiss on Twitter to win a $50 iTunes gift card

Want more chances to win?

 

Fashionistas listen up for a chance to win a fabulous new Fall wardrobe!  Just go to Broadway’s Facebook page and click “Like” to enter to win a $1,000 American Express gift card. This contest runs from October 4^th-31^st and the winner will be selected at random by an independent third party.

  Go to Broadway’s Facebook page, click the Sign Up Tab to win $1,000 new wardrobe!

There’s more!  To win some intimate essentials, follow Broadway Nails on Twitter for a chance to win a $50 Victoria’s Secret gift card.  Be on the look-out for random Retweet options for additional entries.  Contest runs from October 4^th-31^st and the winner will be selected at random by an independent third party source.

Follow Broadway Nails on Twitter to win a $50 Gift Card from Victoria’s Secret

Broadway Nails is the second largest brand in the artificial category, behind its sister brand Kiss Products.  Broadway Nails and Kiss are the two leading brands for all consumer artificial nail and nail accessory needs, consistently offering beginner to intermediate nail consumers latest styles and trends for a complete nail transformation.  Broadway and Kiss Nails deliver on products that are quick, easy, and innovative at the right price and value.

For more information, go to www.kissusa.com

OPI: The Color to Watch

This is another color that surprised me.  I saw some swatches and didn't really like it.  But I had already bought it.  So it sat there for a bit before I actually tried it.  I heard a few people mention it was sheer, so I didn't bother trying it naked, I started with a base.

This is 1 coat OPI A Grape Fit! which is a nice bright purple.  Then 2 coats of OPI The Color toWatch on top.  This is a really amazing color.  It's like an icy purple color with magenta and blue flecks of sparkle.  It's shimmery and gorgeous!  It's most pretty in full sun, but you can see the flecks indoors too, just not as well.

Check those flecks of color!  How beautiful!  I loved this color.  It really is very neat.  It had good application and went on nice and smooth.  And so pretty.

I also used a new top coat for this mani.  China Glaze Fast Forward.  I have to say, it freakin smells!  BUT it worked like a charm.  These photos are after 3 days of wear.  Wear is the tip wear?  Not there!  What?!  Seriously, 3 days and zero tip wear, with OPI.  I couldn't believe it.  I will keep using it and do a review after a bit.  But so far, I'm impressed!

Broadway Nails: Chrome!

I have to say, these are amazing.  They look awesome in the package, but OMG!  It's like a mirror on your nails!  I got a bunch of compliments and awed looks.  Guys AND girls... everyone was noticing these nails!  If you follow me on twitter, you already saw a sneak peek of these, hehe.  I was too excited not to share!  And honestly, they came at a great time because I had just broken like 4 nails moving my stuff to a new desk at work.

This is how they come.  There are plain chrome nails and zebra prints!  The zebra print is black over the chrome, so it's still awesome.  And check that reflection!  How could you not fall in love?  The box has 24 nails in 12 sizes and comes with it's own glue and orange stick.

Once I found nails that fit, I used the included pink glue to put them all on.  The pink glue doesn't really matter for these particular nails because you can't see through them.  But I know if you have the french mani style nails that are a bit sheer, the pink glue would definitely be nice!  The glue isn't hard to use, you squeeze a few drops on and slide the nails into place.  I did not have a hard time finding nails that fit.  I had the option of chrome or zebra for every nail except my pinky.  I could have done my entire hand in zebra, but I liked the chrome too much, haha.  These nails come in medium length, but as you can see here, they are different lengths depending on the nail size.  My ring finger was noticeably shorter than my middle finger.  I liked that the nails tapered down on both ends so they were thinner at the tip and cuticle.  It made it look less like fake nails and more like pure awesomeness, haha.  I will say, I had crazy finger prints on the nails from putting them on.  It's like any chrome, it shows everything!  I had to wash my hands good and buff the nails shiny with a clean towel before taking the pic, lol.

After a day, they were just too long for me, so I filed them down some.  I was especially annoyed at the length difference between the middle and ring fingers, so I took care of that a bit.  I was afraid to file them thinking that the chrome might chip off, but I had no problems at all.  After I got them to a decent length for me, I put on a clear top coat to seal the filed edge and also to prevent those pesky fingerprints I kept getting, lol.  With so many people touching my nails, it was like a dressing room mirror... gross, lol.

For some reason I left my thumb longer than the rest, I don't know why.  I think just for the bling-tastic nature of it, haha.

Look at my reflection!  Hahaha.  I seriously could not stop staring at my hands while wearing these.  I left them on for a good 5 days and had NO chipping, NO lifting, just perfection.  People who don't do their nails couldn't tell they were fake.  People who know nails just loved the chrome!  I have to say these were amazing for every day, but if you have a party to go to... these would ROCK.  I would recommend them to everyone!  They're super easy to apply, stay on like cement, but come off easily with acetone when you're done.  And just in case you're wondering... the chrome did not even melt off when I took them off.  It just kind of peeled off in a sheet, lol.

Seriously, if you need a quick and awesome mani, keep these on hand and they will not disappoint.  I might just have to get a box to keep on hand for new years.  ;)

[This product was sent to me by the company or their PR firm for review.]

Orly: Galaxy Girl

OMG squeeee!  This is the most amazing color!  I had looked at people swatching Urban Decay Bruise and wanted it... but then this came out!  I love purple and this isn't just flat purple, it's awesome!  I love love love love love it.  Did I mention I love it?  HA!

Ok, so application wasn't that great for me.  However, I think this is pretty much user error.  I was sitting in front of a fan that day and that's my own darned fault.  So you can see some cuticle drag, but it's not horrid.  This is 3 coats Orly Galaxy Girl.  Good coverage, not too thick or too thin.  It wasn't easy peasy, but it was pretty good.

This is a good shot of the magenta-purple and the teal flash.  Every angle of this polish looked unique.  I love that kind of shade where you look and it's one color and then you look and it's another color.  And wait, did it change again?  It's mesmerizing, haha.

Another shot just because it's so pretty!  Wow, I can't sing enough praises on this.  LOVE!

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.