~Polish Freshie~

Deborah Lippmann ~ Mermaid's Dream

2012-02-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

While I won two Deborah Lippmann polishes in a giveaway recently, I've never diminished the bank account to purchase one. All that went out the window when I laid my blue eyes on Deborah's Spring 2012 promo photo of Mermaid's Dream. It looked multi-dimensional and very unique. I ordered it as soon as I could from Nordstrom. As I counted down the days I received a backorder notice (cries) but it only lasted 3-4 days. I used her as soon as she arrived in the mail.

Like a mermaid, this polish is magical and I was happy I spent the extra money. There are so many layers of pretty, it's difficult to describe. The base polish is a sheer frost loaded with what seems to be the hybrid of a sea foam/light turquoise glass fleck, shimmer. There are hints of tiny gold shimmer as well as the more apparent ocean blue baby hex glitters. Deborah's website labels it as a "glittered shimmer."

This is two coats with a topcoat. I stare and stare and hope that they don't turn into legs when I get out of water because this polish made a Splash! in my world =D. It is now available on Deborah Lippmann.com as well as Nordstrom's, Barney's, Neiman Marcus and Zappos websites. Will you be getting her or waiting to see if our friends at Revlon will dupe later this year?

Spar-Kylie French

2012-02-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long since I've posted! Hope you all had a nice V-Day with friends, family or that special someone. I'm a but behind so there may be a few love-themed manis coming your way. Here was my second. This is two coats of Sinful's Beautiful Girl - great bubblegum pink cream - two coats.

Then I free-handed the tips (after a fail with the scotch tape - don't know how that Chloe does it so well) with one thick coat of Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor Wear Something Spar-kylie. Lastly I used the heart outline image from plate m73 multiple times to cover the whole nail and stamped with China Glaze Avalanche, such a great stamping polish.

My Kinda Tuxedo

2012-02-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

After seeing Zoey Deschanel's Tuxedo mani, I knew it would be replicated just because of the sheer creativeness and cuteness of it. I was one who fell under this particular tuxedo mani spell. Since the romantical Valentine's Day is approaching I used this idea to launch my heart mani adventure. This is three coats of Claire's unnamed Anna Sui bottle copy. The polish is a white jelly with silver micro shimmer then stamped with the bow image from plate m56 and special black polish.

I then used one of my Born Pretty Store dotting tools to create the heart ~buttons~ by placing two dots next to each other then dragging them to meet. Lastly I did one coat of Orly Love Each Other, a purple shimmer suspended in a clear topcoat which you can catch over the black on my thumb and pinkie.

It's a Friggin' Circus

2012-02-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

Yes it is! Tomorrow is bound to be the start of a rough couple of days so I thought only appropriate to post my Laquistry franken with the exact same name =D. I knew as soon as I happened upon this polish on Etsy I had to add it to the stashola. All those colors? Yippie! They arrived very quickly and wrapped in great Christmas paper and even bells. It's a Friggin' Circus is an explosion of multi-colored large hex glitter suspended in a blue jelly base.

Sorry for the bad stamp on my leftie, but this shows off more dense coverage of the glitter

I used three coats which resulted in covering almost my whole nail in hex circus happy. What kind of circus doesn't take place under a circus tent? I used one coat of China Glaze Lemon Fizz, one coat of Sally Hansen HD Hue then stamped the diagonal stripes from Salon Express plate 22 with China Glaze Ruby Pumps for my accent "tent." I was in love with this polish, stared at it incessantly and even wore it so long it had major chippage. The only downfall was the 20+ minute removal. It was worth the pain, will prob use foil method next time around.

I Vant to be Animalistic

2012-01-25T18:46:00.002-07:00

Animal prints gah! I've loved them since I was probably twelve and always will. No matter what they will always have an ebb and flow in the fashion world but I'm a forever fan! This mani was no different. I began with two coats of OPI I Vant to be a Lonestar. I thought, meh a silver, that pink shimmer makes this pretty supah sweet! I really could have left it alone that littler shimmer stole my heart.

Indirect Sunlight at Dawn

Direct Sunlight, see that great Pixel purple shimmer?

I then stamped with an unnamed Color Club purple/mauve cream the zebra image on my pointer and pinkie and the cheetah image on my middle finger and thumb from plate m57. On the accent nails I used two coats of Pixel polish Spam a Lot which I received in a badass giveaway from Jenny of Polishology (thanks doll!). I then stamped my index finger (and thumb) with the pale purple special konad polish. I used the combo animal print for just the accent finger from plate m78. ME-OW~

It's Rainin' snowMEN

2012-01-21T12:17:00.001-07:00

It's not raining, but these are snowmen! The same great plate I have with all my snowflake images also has two cute little men of snow that I hadn't used yet. It's still winter so why not? I started with two coats of China Glaze Blue Year's Eve, a beauty in it's own right with blue shimmer, then used one thick coat of Snowglobe. Upon first look you may think it's like every other glitter topcoat, not so my dears!
It almost has a flakie quality with the multi-colored glitters and different sizes. I used one thick coat on three of the nails.

I then used special white polish to stamp the snow fellows (as you can see by the lack of their body I need some more practice with these particular images) on my accent and thumb.

I love the detail in his face. Hope you all are having a great weekend!

Winter Farm Wedding French

2012-01-16T09:51:00.002-07:00

So my SIL and her boyfriend have been dating for seven years, we were all very excited when they finally got engaged. My husband and I were able to be part of the big day as the Maid of Honor and Best Man. She decided she wanted all the girls to do some form of a french manicure. I kicked it up a little with some gold holo glitter since this was a December winter wedding and the colors were gold and red. This is one coat of Essence Sweet as Candy, a very sheer pink cream. Then two coats of Gold Sparkling Effect from CND's Holiday Duo. I haven't used the konad french tip plate m19 since I first got the set last summer, with a little more patience it turned out amazing! I used the special white polish.

I will definitely be using it again for french manis in the future. I then topped it off with one thick coat of CND Gold Sparkling and a TC.

Here the mani is in action =D

The bride looked amazingly beautiful

The wedding was held at a quarter-horse farm in a mountain town and was just stunning. The lighting, the ambience and space couldn't have been more perfect. Congrats to the new couple, we love you!

Ru-Ru-Ruffian!

2012-01-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

I'm so nervous! The Denver Broncos have advanced to the PLAYOFFS! We're having a few people over to watch the game. Hopefully it's not a rager because we've had our fill the last couple of weekends. Did your team have a good season?

On to nails and such~I couldn't find my Orly french tip guides to help make a perfect ruffian so I free-handed my second attempt at this mani style. This is two coats of Color Club Twiggie with two coats of Icing Epic Winning (was this part of the Charlie Sheen collection?). Sheen silliness aside this blue-based glitter with massive holo happy tickles my pickle. A bit gritty but worth it!

No Fowl on the Play

2012-01-10T19:58:00.001-07:00

Ever since I laid my eyes on OPI's special edition Merry Midnight it was one of my largest lemmings. I searched a bit and checked some blog sales but just couldn't pull the trigger on the price. Imagine my pure glee when I saw swatches of Orly Fowl Play!!! I was surprised it wasn't very easily found on most of the online sites. I found the special Christmas pack at Sally's, while I was indifferent to Lucky Duck and Sweet Peacock I had to buy it.

This is two coats of Fowl Play with my first tape mani on the accent nail. It was a sunny couple of days so I went for China Glaze's Mega Bite, three coats, as a base then painted two quick, thick coats of Merry Midnight over the tape. I didn't want to take this one off, will definitely be using this lovely lady again and again.

A Bad Fairytale

2012-01-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

As much as I coveted this polish last fall, it's been sitting in my untrieds for awhile. This is two coats of MAC Bad Fairy. I thought trying to pair it with an apple would help seal the deal on this Fairy Tale mani so I used two coats of Sally Hansen Midnight in NY and then stamped the apple on m55 with China Glaze's Hey Sailor. The picture captured this so much better than it appeared in real life. It got me to thinking about another Fairytale mani that I hope to accomplish with apples in a week or two so please stay tuned!

SO hard to capture the duochrome of this polish, especially with a phone eek! It was closely compared to The Show Must Go On from the OPI Burlesque collection, which is also sitting in my untrieds. Did you try both of these polishes, which one did you like better?

A True Matte - Zoya Savita

2012-01-05T19:49:00.004-07:00

I've been sitting on some posts so I could share some holiday manicures. This one is from a few months back. The only true matte finish polish I own is Zoya's Savita, a deep vampy purple with a slight shimmer. I thought a stamp pairing with some holo would be nice. This is two coats of Savita stamped with the hearts and dots image from plate m78 with both Color Club Love 'Em Leave 'Em and Fashion Addict.

I didn't use a top coat of course. I realize any polish can be made a matte with a special effect top coat, but these seem to be true and not break down into a more shiny, shimmery finish. Do you like mattifying?

Last Mani of 2011!

2011-12-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how I'm feeling knowing that 2011 is coming to a close, has it really been a year? I don't really have any resolutions that aren't what I intend to accomplish every year, stop socially smoking, be more organized and get rid of the jiggle. We're going to the Denver Broncos game tomorrow AWESOME but that means we have to behave more than usual tonight. Going to a nice dinner, hanging with friends and maybe a yum cocktail or two (I've been staring at my Pinterest board trying to figure out which one sounds best).

I wanted something glitzy, but wasn't feeling all my onslaught of glitter polishes. I decided to go with Sally's unnamed mini pink/copper holo. It's gritty, but gorg! This is two coats stamped with Hello Kitty polish in Bubble Gum from what I call the "party image" on plate m. I added some random jewels to the accent nails and tada! Lots of photos to capture that holo~

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU! I hope 2011 was all that you wished it to be.

Christmas Prezies and Tag

2011-12-30T11:31:00.001-07:00

Any big New Year's manis ladies? I'm still concocting my NYE mani in my head. In the meantime I wanted to show the little haul I received from my Grandparents and Husby/SIL for Christmas! I was having a difficult time finding Excuise Moi from OPI's Muppet collection so that's what I asked Grandma for along with Meep, Meep, Meep. She found them plus bought me Rainbow Connection!

The stamping set and HK nails are from my babe and the NOPI set from my SIL.

Also, a little behind on the tagging, thanks to YoannitaL from On My Nail for the Versatile Blogger Award! xoxo. I feel ashamed not tagging anyone else but I'm sure they've already received this :).

So, here are the rules :

- Thank the blogger who nominated you

- Nominate and inform 15 fellow bloggers.

- Share 7 random facts about yourself.

- Add The Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post.

Seven Randoms about moi ~

I love baking, especially cupcakes (if you have any unique recipes pass them my way =D)
My dream vacation is to go to Turks & Caicos
Can't usually put a book down if I have the extra time to read it
I work in travel and tourism and really enjoy it
I'm recently a country music fan
I'm a slob!
I sometimes really hate how newspaper feels

Buy Whimsical Online!!!!!!!

2011-12-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

AGHHHHHHHH! So my obsession is kicking into high gear. I keep thinking to myself HOW is Revlon Whimsical not available online anywhere as I failed at finding it at my K-Marts, Walmarts and Walgreens. Behold my amazement when scrolling down my Google search a bit to find it available at ULTA - not to mention a buy one get one 50% off. Get it while it's there my dears~

'Twas the Mani Before Christmas

2011-12-24T17:09:00.001-07:00

Christmas Eve! It's stunning to me that it is already here, it's always such a woosh of food, family, presents and fun. I try to make it last, enjoy the small moments and remember why we really celebrate. I have been saving Sally Hansen's Salon Effects Plaid About You. I can tell you, while a beautiful and festive pattern, I didn't have as great of luck with the effects the 2nd go round.

With Flash

Without Flash

These were difficult to fit to my nail, chipped quickly and started coming off the nail creating a ridiculous pet peeve when running my fingers through my hair and it gets stuck underneath eww~ I added a little seasonal sparkle with three coats of China Glaze Love Marilyn.

Here's a pic with me and my boys and our purple and gold tree. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Wonderful Kwanza to all!!

Red & Green Flakie Fiasco

2011-12-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

I had the best idea! Sitting in my untrieds was Sinful Red Ocean and Green Ocean, layered over something dark and vampy, wouldn't this make a rockin' Christmas mani? That's what I thought, too bad it just plain didn't work out. There were just too many colors flashing around for the nails to look purely green or red. Not that I would complain about a multi-faceted flakie normally, but for this particular mani yes sirry Bob. I used two coats of Ulta Green with Envy, awesome vampy green shimmer with two think coats of each color.

I used Green Ocean on my middle, pinkie and thumb and Red Ocean on my pointer and index fingers. After looks closer both polishes have tiny square glitter mixed in with the flakies. Speaking of flakies I used my Christmas Cheer to smile at my Sally's and they went in the back and emerged with two of Finger Paints new flakies - Merry Christmas to me! They said they only had Flecked and Motley in which I thought was strange to limit it, but I'll take what I can get. Have you had a chance to grab these little lovelies?

Red Frosted Flakes - They're Grreat

2011-12-19T19:30:00.001-07:00

So I love me some snowflake manis and am always so happy to use the image plates from Nailart and Mehr I bought last year for the holidays. The only flaw is that there are so many images it's a challenge to use them all before the season is over. Orly Winter Wonderland has been sitting in my untrieds since last year. What a perfect base - this is three coats of Winter Wonderland with five of the seven images from plate 011.

I also wanted to do something different than the standard blue or white which led me to red. I used China Glaze's bright red cream Hey Sailor to stamp and added my favorite holiday glitter, China Glaze Party Hearty, on just the tips. It's the countdown to Christmas and a nice week off work yippie! Are you getting excited?

Holiday Countdown

2011-12-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

9 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS?! That just can't be right? I guess I better get crackin' on posting some holiday manis. I was stoked when I saw Zoya's Halloween promo for two free polishes so I went for the vertical line sparkle goodness that was Kissy and Rina from the Winter 2011 Jewels & Gems Collection. I started with two coats of Ulta 3 Frog Prince, a kelly green cream with one coat of Zoya Kissy.

I'm also happy to announce I broke down and bought a camera that actually takes close-up photos that don't stink. I had been using my Droid X 2 for-eev-eer. I apologize for the chippies but this was a much better photo a few days later than when I originally did the mani. I then used HBnails plate 012 stamped with Sephora Hello Kitty Mint for the Christmas tree with a random star-shaped rhinestone. Are you loving the reds, greens, golds and silvers of the season?

A Tropical Escape

2011-12-11T19:03:00.001-07:00

Almost two months ago my family was generous enough to take us all on vacation - to the Dominican Republic! This was right before Halloween so I had to split up those holiday manis with something bright and great for sitting on the beach. I bought two random Halloween polishes from Walgreens with no name. They were both jellies with sparse holo glitter. One was bright orange and the other a bright fuchsia. Perfect polishes for a sammie ~ (glitter sandwich that is).

I used two coats of the fuchsia, one coat of Cover Girl Boundless Color in Disco Dazzle ~ various sizes of silver hex glitter ~ and used one final coat on top. I then stamped konad special light blue polish and the playful dolphin from plate GCOCL. It held up alright, not sure if it was the brand or the excessive water and humidity that made it start to chip.

Either way the vacation was awesome, beautiful water, unlimited drinks and some relaxing time off work.

Bridal Shower Mani

2011-12-06T17:52:00.001-07:00

I am so behinddddd ~ sorry for that my lovelies! Temps have been bitter cold the last few days and it makes me very sluggish. We are talking nose hairs freezing to the side of your nostrils cold. Back in the beginning of October I hosted a bridal shower for my Sister-in-Law. A few fun games (never exclude the awesomeness that are TP dresses), yummy appetizers, champagne punch and chocolate covered strawberries all helped set the stage.

To be honest I was supposed to do a mani with Kleancolor's Bridal Shower, but the details of the event were more important and time consuming so I ended up with ULTA Diva (three coats). It's a beautiful pale pink shimmer with random holo glitter. This one lived up to it's name, DIVA indeed. I swear I redid my pointer and index finger 4 times. I then stamped with konad special hot pink polish and the Zebra french image from m62.

Bride & Bridesmaids

I think my sis had a great time! She looked so pretty and got everything on her registry. Of course I got her the 2011 Essie Wedding Mini Set in a cool basket with other wedding-themed goodies~

Info on Whimsical Availability

2011-12-05T13:52:00.001-07:00

I just saw this posted on the Polish-aholics Anonymouse FB Page - whew-eeee!

Somebody emailed Revlon about Whimsical and got:
Thank you for your recent comments from the Revlon website and your questions concerning the availability of Revlon Nail Enamel Whimsical. We appreciate your interest in our company.

Revlon Nail Enamel Whimsical is an exciting new shade which is in the process of being shipped. It will be regular business. We would suggest you first try Walmart or Walgreens if you have one in your area. By next month, this product should be widely available in all retail stores that carry our products.

If we can be of further assistance in helping you locate your favorite products, please call our Consumer Information Center toll free at 800-473-8566. Our hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. Any of our representatives will be happy to assist you.

~ Princess Aspen ~

2011-11-29T18:46:00.001-07:00

Sorry if you were expecting a nail polish-related post, but I need a little blog therapy for a loss in our beautiful fuzzy family. Our sweet Holland Lop bunny, Aspen, passed away the day after Thanksgiving =*( and it has broken our hearts. It's always so hard to lose a pet because they represent all that is good in this world, innocent, unconditionally loving and a comfort to their people. It's especially hard because my husband and I have had bunnies ever since we lived together (even snuck them into non-pet apartments). We had the horrible experience of losing three of those bunnies in a four-year period, except for our trooper girl Aspen.

She would have been eight in February, our Valentine's baby. I am comforted by the fact that she lived a long, very happy life and even had her own room. Endless treats, toys and a big brother lab who adored her and let her climb all over him. No matter how long she lived, it's never long enough. It's so sad to look at an empty room and cage and you always think of how much more time you could have had, or how much more attention you could have paid.

The only thing that makes it better is time and knowing that she was in her favorite spot in the world. But we do have the memories and photos that make us smile any time we want to think of those happy times. R.I.P. my little snowball, we love you ~

Haultastic

2011-11-22T17:33:00.001-07:00

Hiya! Any great Thanksgiving plans? I'll probably just eat too much, watch some football with the hubby and try to feel better. I've been icky sickly and just want to recover a bit with the long weekend. Thought I'd let you ogle my recent pretty ladies ~

OPI Gone Gonzo, Gettin' Miss Piggy With It, Divine Swine, Zoya Rina, Kissy

Dare polish pack, Who's That Girl?, Dancing Diva, Big Night, Eyes on Me

Kleancolor Chunky Holo Fuchsia, Chunky Holo Black, Bridal Shower, Color Club Backstage Pass, It's a Hit, Fame & Fortune and Sally's special Sugar Plum Yum scented holiday polish

Icing, Mint Frosting, Evergreen,Orly Rock Solid, Emberstone, Androgynie, Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Save the Date and Peach Pave

Orly Sweet Peacock, Lucky Duck and aghghghgh Fowl Play

China Glaze Blue Year's Eve and Snowglobe

Orly Shining Star and Twilight

My Double Dose Giveaway Winners!

2011-11-20T15:33:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know this took eons to announce, I beg all of your forgiveness! Congratulations to ~

Claire of Shatter Me Claire for winning the Grand Prize!

AND...

Mallory of The Katz Pajamas for winning the Second Prize!

I've emailed both ladies and hope to hear back within 48 hours. Thanks to those who entered and I'm building some stuff for a New Year Giveaway!

Facets of Fabulous

2011-11-16T19:30:00.001-07:00

I wanted Deborah Lippmann's Bad Romance so horribly when it came out but held off. So awesome to see Revlon's Facets of Fuchsia at such an affordable price. It is freakin fabulous, it's one of my favorites. This is two coats (only one on my pinkie oops). I thought a water marble accent would compliment this nicely and it seemed China Glaze Señorita Bonita was a good match to the purple hex glitters in Facets,it 'twas!

I used Señorita Bonita and Orly Goth marble. Check out that eye-catching pink fleck in the direct sunlight shot. I had this on for a week and didn't want to get ride of it :(. Have you tried this beaut?

Anniversary Bronco Mani

2011-11-08T18:37:00.001-07:00

I'm a little behind on posting past manis since I wanted to do all Halloween for October. My honey and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary with a Denver Broncos game. We spent an entire afternoon tailgating and cheering - we had great seats! It was against the Bengals, a great game and the only one we won before Miami. Couldn't go to the game without sporting the orange and blue. I've had these cute Bronco helmet water decals since last year (purchased on e-bay).

Not sure if any of you have purchased these self-made decals from sellers, but they are pretty low quality. I used them the night before the game and had to take them off when we got home since only half the helmets were still on my nails. They are fine for a one-day event, but forget any extended wear. I used two coats of China Glaze White Cap as the base and Sally Hansen Chevron tip guides alternating between Zoya Gabrielle and Orly Royal Navy for the tips (two coats each). Very sparkly in the sun ~ Have you tried printing your own decals?

Late to the Halloween Party

2011-11-05T14:59:00.003-06:00

I stuck with my theme of doing all Halloween-themed manis in October with the exception of a tropical mani for my vacation (post coming soon). It seems everyone rolled out the "web" for Halloween this year and went with Sally Hansen's Salon Effects in Spun For You. When this edition was released I had to go to three Walgreens but I finally picked this pretty up. They were relatively easy to apply once I figured out the right size.

There's been some wear where I overlapped my cuticles, but after a week I'm impressed. For the accent nail I used an unnamed Halloween Walgreens polish. It was an orange jelly with a bit of holo glitter. I used three coats then stamped the spider image on my accent nail with m28 and the special black polish. Even my boys got in on the fun ~

Candy Corn Water Marble

2011-10-30T11:56:00.002-06:00

Oooh, eee it's almost Halloween! It is my second fave next to Christmas. I decided rather than the standard "candy corn" mani I'd throw a twist and do a candy corn water marble ~ I used one coat of I heart my nails in white (apparently the only basic white I own as I use it so often =p) and then used blue painters tape to seal off my fingers for easy cleanup. It doesn't seal as well as scotch tape but better than nothing at all. I then marbled with the white, Zoya Lianne and Ulta's Banana Rum in the Sun <--- love this polish name <3

End result wasn't as vibrant as I imagined but turned out nicely. What could make it even better you ask? GLITTER of course! I used one thick coat of Out the Door Northern Lights holographic topcoat. I will be watching scary movies, making candy corn looking cocktails and handing out candy tomorrow. How about you?

Frankie's Alive!

2011-10-20T10:33:00.002-06:00

Sticking with my Halloween theme, I did a full mani with China Glaze's It's Alive, I heart this polish! It has so much depth and sparkle, will be using again. this is two coats of It's Alive with one coat of Ghoulish Glow on top (it did not Ghoulishly glow that bright). It may have not glowed brightly because it was over a dark color and it was only one coat. Any of you tried this recommended combo on the Halloween packaging?

I then added little Frankensteins or "Frankies" that I've seen floating around the web these days. I used my assortment of Born Pretty Store dotting tools to add the I Love My Nails in white and Orly Goth for the eyes, hair and smile. What's your fave Halloween subject to work with for manis?

Review: Orly French Polynesian Island Spa Treatment

2011-10-12T17:50:00.000-06:00

I was recently at Sally's and saw that Orly's Hot Lava Self-Warming Hand Repair Mask was on clearance ($9.99). I wasn't sure the original price since there were no other price tags. I deemed it worth a try but I don't think I would pay more than $10 for it on principle alone. When I opened it, it smelled really nice and tropical (label notes Tahitian coconut and Tiare Flower). Directions said to stir, apply generously to wet hands, leave on 3-5 minutes. For extra heating it says to wrap hands in a hot towel, which I skipped this time just to see how it felt by itself.

Upon applying to my hands it instantly heated, but went away quickly. It covered nicely without being too thick and stayed on just fine. After my estimated three minutes I rinsed off. My hands did feel smoother and more moisturized, plus they smelled like an island escape for awhile afterwards =D. Overall the feel and moisture held up for the rest of the evening. I think it's a good product that smells wonderful and is worth the $10 paid for it. It appears it retails for $30 on Orly's website, a little rich for my wallet so let's just call it a good deal shall we? What's your favorite treatment?

*This product was purchased with my own money

China Glaze Haunting

2011-10-08T13:21:00.000-06:00

HI!! It's Boo-tober finally! I seriously love Halloween, I've been reading so many articles lately that say people spend almost as much on Halloween as Christmas. Which brings me to this mani, I've decided to do all Halloween-themed manis for this month (excluding something neon and bright-tastic for our vacation in two weeks) starting with this one. I happen to have Orly Goth and can tell you China Glaze Haunting has so much more silver glitter and it seems to be a little more jelly than Goth. It covered nicely with two coats.

Silly me thought OPI Silver Shatter would make a good combo, too bad I lost all the great glitter *pout* so I will be using this again this winter/fall by itself. The OPI Silver Shatter was much more metallic and shimmery than I thought it would be.

Me and the hubby decided to do a bit of decorating to get in the ghoulish spirit. Do you decorate or do anything fun?

Blue Avenue

2011-10-04T20:25:00.001-06:00

So I acquired NYX Blue Avenue flakie in my recent Hautelook haul. It was so pretty in the bottle I couldn't wait long to try it. I thought it would be great over a blue or green polish so I chose Hello Kitty by Sephora in Mint, a great mint cream. This is two coats of Mint with three coats of Blue Ave. on top.

Uber disappointed that this wasn't as apparent on the nail as it was in the bottle wagh! It was better in real life than what I could capture in photos but I think I'll try it over a vampy or black next time around. My accent finger was sponged with three coats of Mint, Sally Hansen Celeb City and Icing True Blue with three coats of Blue Ave. on top.

Flip Flop is My Fantasy

2011-09-28T19:28:00.001-06:00

Man, China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy is one of the most flattering polishes I've seen on so many different skin tones, mine included! I had seen swatches and never broke down to buy it until this summer, so glad I did~ This is three coats of Flip Flop Fantasy stamped with Zoya Ibiza (vampy dark blue) and the polka dot french image from fauxnad plate m49.

Where did I get this fabulous plate might you ask? From the lovely Crystal of Valentine Kisses of course! This doll mentioned she had an extra plate I really like and dropped it in the mail to me along with some rockin' fimo canes. <3 Thanks honey!!

I then added the bow image from plate m71 and a blue rhinestone. Lots of photo opps because this is one of my favorites~

HK Mermaid Style~

2011-09-24T12:05:00.000-06:00

Oh Hello Kitty, how I love thee. I know that this little lady has been around since the 70's, and there are some massive cult followers of her brand. For some reason my affinity for HK started a few months back and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon! I had been really thinking about how I wanted to use the cutie little mermaid Hello Kitty water decals from Born Pretty Store and finally figured it out. There were multiple colors for the scales on the tail so I wanted to match it. I used two coats each of Sinful Let's Meet (gold shimmer) on the pointer and pinkie, two coats of Nina Ultra Pro in Punki Purple on my middle finger and thumb then two coats of Hello Kitty by Sephora in Bubble Gum.

Then one thick coat of the total awesome-licious that is Icing's Glitterratti. I added the water decal to my accent fingers and tada, total HK happiness. Also, I wanted to apologize for dragging out the results on my Birthday Giveaway, I'm really behind and a little low on funds but will announce winners in the next two weeks hooray!

Like Royalty

2011-09-19T20:32:00.000-06:00

So I know that Orly's Royal Velvet was the breakout star in the fairly recent Precious collection. I wasn't quite sure until I sported her. The way it catches the light and duochrome type goodness is fascinating. Royal Velvet really describes the color best. This is two coats stamped with China Glaze Avalanche and the flower-like image from plate k05. My accent were some Fing'rs USA silver glitter crown stickers and small circles.

I also wanted to share a fun pic of the lab baby. His ears are sooo big, even bigger than his older brother. He literally woke up like this the other day and I was lucky enough to have a camera close by. We say he looks like a gremlin when his ears get turned inside out like this.

Did you grab this color when it came out? Are you as big a fan as I?

Think Warm Thoughts

2011-09-15T18:36:00.000-06:00

It's a friggin monsoon outside! It has never rained this much nonstop. I'm sad to see the cooler temps roll in :(. This mani just cheered me up looking at it though. From a few weeks ago, three coats of Pure Ice Heartbreaker, a sheer coral jelly with holo glitter. I used two coats of China Glaze Secret Peri-Wink-Le on the accent fingers then stamped the palm tree image from plate m28 with konad hot pink, it wasn't as crisp on the blue as I had hoped so sorry for the blur.

Pure ice is sold at Wal-Mart just like this delish Hard Candy Lip Gloss with FLAKIES! Hunkering down and clearing out the DVR tonight, you?
p.s. So soddy for the tip wear, waited a wee bit too long for photos~

Polish Wonderland Guest Post

2011-09-10T12:58:00.000-06:00

Shella from Polish Wonderland asked me to do a guest post for her blog, I didn't realize it's been live for a few days, I'm loving the Ozotic Pro!

Glimple

2011-09-06T18:24:00.000-06:00

Glitter. Simple. Get it? I was craving something simple bust still very ME. I went with three coats of China Glaze Love Letters, a pinkish fair pink jelly for French manis and then free-handed the tips with OPI Show It and Glow It from the Burlesque collection. It's a glittery goodness of multi-colors loaded with mostly purple glitter. Wore this one for about a week, a bit gritty.

We had a fairly relaxing weekend, yesterday was the best considering a community pool lets the pups come and swim before they close for the season. My oldest Gunner can't get enough of fetching his ball in the water. The little one had a great time too. It's all fun and games until someone shizzes in the pool, we had to get out a little early, but hey at least it wasn't my dogs' fault. = O.

Elusive Stripes

2011-09-01T18:35:00.001-06:00

Countdown to the weekend! I'm so looking forward to a three-day break, are you guys doing anything special? The Colorado Balloon Classic is upon us again, always a fun event other than the early call time. Honey decided he'd rather do the morning than the "BalloonGlo" like last year. All I know is the coffee better be waiting for me =D. So this mani was just damn impossible to capture. Three coats of Claire's Cotton Candy scented polish with holo glitter, a neon turquoise with a matte finish. I then used a metallic fuchsia stripe rite for the lines with criss-crossing on my accent and thumb.

It smelled good for about a day, people always look at you funny when you tell them to smell your fingers or they see you smelling your own fingers (I always insert dirty association here, feel free to keep your head out of the gutter unlike me haha). Hope all my U.S. cuties are planning some good R&R~

China Glaze It's Alive vs. Zombie Zest

2011-08-30T18:29:00.000-06:00

Woot woot for Halloween collections! I'm so bad about getting excited for stuff that's really far away, you know that whole one foot in the future, one foot in the past pissing on the present type stuff? I just can't help it, especially with the holidays! Upon looking at China Glaze's Halloween collection this year it appeared that It's Alive was way too similar to last year's Zombie Zest. I took a risk and ordered this year's collection~good choice on my part. If you're concerned with dupes, you shouldn't be.

Indoors

Outdoors, direct sunlight

Zombie Zest is a much lighter green, with a glass fleck type shimmer in comparison to It's Alive. It's Alive is a dark green with hex glitter, much like that of Orly's Bombshell and Here Comes Trouble from the Pinup Collection. So tell me, are you a sucker for holiday-themed collections and goodies?

Happy Hauling

2011-08-27T09:02:00.000-06:00

Haven't posted some of my goodies in awhile, thanks to Mary of Body & Soul for letting me know that Victoria Nail Supply had China Glaze's Halloween Crackle set in stock, loves me some Halloween!!

It's Alive, Ghoulish Glow, Black Mesh, Fast Forward TC, Haunting

Loft-y Ambitions, Trendsetter, Midtown Magic, CG in the City, Skyscraper, Urban Night

Claire's no name white shimmer, Bedazzled, Icing Glitteratti, Epic Winning, Revlon Scented Polish, Grapefruit Fizz and Watermelon Fizz

Ultra Cool Ultra Violet Polish in a Gold Glitter and Blue Shimmer, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Set the Stage and Teal-y Cool, OPI Turquoise Shatter

Finger Paints Pink Imagination, China Glaze 108 Degrees, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Ice Queen, Orly Velvet Rope, Royal Navy and SuperNail rhinestones

NYX Sunset Blvd., Peach Ave, Blue Ave., Sheer Shell

And if you haven't imbibed in On the Border Restaurant's seasonal Watermelon Margs that I've been obsessed with for years, please run and don't walk before they are gone!

DIY Glitter Toes

2011-08-23T19:40:00.000-06:00

Some of you may have seen the recent online Groupon I took advantage of for Glitties.com. I had not heard of this company before and am in <3 with my glitter toes (although I could have done w/o the drilling on my toes and the $36 price tag). So while even the Groupon price of $49 seemed a little steep - I don't think I'd pay the retail value of $90+ for this kit - I stepped up to the plate to take a swing. It appears that they don't even offer this "Groupon set" any longer but a more reasonable starter kit at $34.95. Shipping was really fast and it came with a nice range of colors. The holders looked like they only had enough glitter for one pedi, but let me assure you, there is plenty in there to do at least two to three pedis. I watched the tutorial video on their website and went for it. I was drawn to this sour lime neon green because it was bright and warm-weather appropriate. I followed the step-by-step instructions carefully. Next time I will do this in my bathroom over the tub instead of the hallway and make sure to utilize the toe separators.

I did miss a few spots so the pedi wasn't "perfect toe shape" like the salon one was, but I was pretty happy with the results. I used one coat, but would recommend doing two full layers of the lighter colors as it's a bit easier to see your nail through them. Obviously this is a tad grittier than a UV acrylic sealed version would be, but better than a standard glitter polish with a thick topcoat.

The final result was indeed GLITTER toes, super hard to capture all the sparkle with my camera so I included a vid too.

I've been rocking this for about 2 1/2 weeks and there are some chips. This could be due to beginner application. Not sure if it will make it the promised six weeks since I'll probably change the color before then. Overall I'm pretty pleased and the fact that my toes aren't being drilled and I have to go get them redone after grow out is worth it. Not sure how easy the removal will be but at least I can do it myself.
*I paid full price for my own Glitties.com set and reviewed this independently of the company asking me to do so

Citrus Overload

2011-08-17T18:02:00.000-06:00

Well hello there! I'm so sad to see Summer starting to come to a close, it's my favorite season! I feel like I have to rush to get all these tropical/warm-weather manis, recipes and whatever else done. I think the image I use the most on plate m55 is the citrus one. Yet again, I thought it would be great to do a lemon-lime inspired mani. I used three coats of Finger Paints Psychedelic Sunshine. This is a neon jelly yellow holo. Formula, no me gusta. It was really thick and globby, even after adding a few drops of thinner. I accented my index fingers with two coats of China Glaze's green cream Starboard and stamped the citrus images with China Glaze Lemon Fizz.

Onto the recipe part ~ I've been dying to get the Babycakes mini cupcake maker and Bed Bath & Beyond had it in stock, and in PINK! Love this thing, it's too hot to have the oven on so this is a perfect solution. Plus I feel people eat more mini cupcakes than big ones because they don't feel as guilty.

My first recipe was a cherry limeade cupcake, num num num...what do you want to accomplish before summer is over?

Yo Ho Yo Ho

2011-08-13T17:58:00.000-06:00

It's a pirates mani for me! I know I've put off using the great OPI Pirates of the Caribbean set so I thought I would do a mani with Stranger Tides. This funky grayish green feels like murky and mysterious waters to me. This is a BC and two coats of Stranger Tides. What better to go with a pirate mani than a skull and cross bones? I used the image from konad plate m28 and special black polish. I'd call the black konad polish special alright, I didn't wait 19 hours for it to dry, therefore the streakage.

Thought it would awesome to add some "glowing" eyes, but my rhinestones were a little too big for the head ~ oops ~. Love or hate this collection? Used it yet?

Into the Wild

2011-08-08T07:29:00.000-06:00

Oh Monday, you come quicker than a Cheetah on crack. Bleck. It's funny how I've been in synch with the Polishaholics Anon Facebook group's theme twice in a row. I've decided to do random manis that have matched up with their weekly choice. This week is one of my absolute favorites, animal print!!!

This mani was inspired by Bath & Body Works new scent, Into the Wild. I had a small tester of the lotion and loved it. Grandma gave me the real perfume for my B-Day and the bottle is fun, fun, fun! I started with a BC and two coats of Zoya Kiki. This hot pink is to die for, gorgeous bright pink with a purpley pink microshimmer. I them sponged two coats of China Glaze Electric Pineapple on the top half. Since I put this yellowish green over the pink it looked more orange than I had wanted. Finally I stamped the cheetah design from plate m57 with China Glaze dark purple holo Virtual Violet. I sealed with Orly Sec N Dry.

Here is my inspiration...are you always looking for things you own to inspire manis?

Aloha Mani

2011-08-02T20:51:00.000-06:00

I feel like I should use as many neons as possible while these high temperatures are sticking around. This brings us to China Glaze Sun Worshipper. I used a BC and three coats of this neon orange. I decided against a white underneath to save a little time, although I know this would have *popped* more. A bit of VNL, but not too bad. I then stamped the large Hawaiian looking flower in Pucci-licious from one of the plates I received from my swap with Cosmetic Cupcake. Last step was dark purple rhinestones on my index and thumb sealed with a thick coat of Orly's Sec N Dry. Do you sway towards neons and brights when the weather is warm?

Melon Mmmmm

2011-07-28T07:00:00.002-06:00

Nothing oozes summer more to me than FRUIT manis hooray! Watermelon anything makes me smile. Flavor, design, smell it's just the ultimate warm season treat. I decided to do a new variation watermelon mani and it just so happened that was the theme for Polish-Aholic Anonymous Facebook Group this week. I started with three coats of Claire's scented holographic glitter polishes in what else, watermelon (a bright neon green). I did freehand "squiggle" rind stripes with Ulta3 Frog Prince, a nice kelly green cream.

I painted my index fingers and thumbs with one coat of I <3 My Nails in white. Waited until they dried, then used Orly's french tip guides. I painted Sinful's Boogie Nights on the top half of the guide. This is a gorgeous coral cream. Then two quick coats of Frog Prince on the bottom of the guide for the rind. Lastly I used my Born Pretty Store dotting tool to add seeds with Orly's Goth, a black with silver micro glitter. Topped it off w/Orly Sec N Dry and tada melon mania! What's your fave summer fruit, to paint, to eat? And a puppy pic for good measure, he's getting heavy...

Daily Candy Deal - Julep Mani Set

2011-07-27T10:40:00.000-06:00

Today's National Daily Candy Deal is a huge discount on a Julep mani kit for $59 (retail $118). If you're not signed up for Daily Candy, it's free to register. You can view the deal (you may need to register first to see it) here.

Did I Spa-Spa-Splatter?

2011-07-23T09:46:00.002-06:00

So I pretty much died when I saw The Polishaholic's splatter mani! I mean great neons, fun design and art that doesn't sound challenging, yes please! I really loved the brights over the white and decided to recreate it. The blowing through the straw posed a little of a challenge for me, not sure if I cut the straws too short or the polish dried out quickly, but the end result was magical.

I used a BC and one coat of I Love My Nails in white then splattered with China Glaze's In The Limelight, Zoya Lianne and Sinful Fusion Neon and sealed it with Orly Sec N Dry. I know a lot of you are fans of this technique, as am I! Can't wait to do some other fun combos~

Happy Weekend!

Supa Sparkle Pedi

2011-07-19T07:44:00.000-06:00

I was lucky enough to get my paws on Funky Fingers Sand and Stilettos in Valentine Kisses' happy-tastic April giveaway. I've been neglecting my tootsies and thought I would glitter it up. I kept getting in my own way and didn't get a great holo shot. This is a BC and one thick coat of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Celeb City with a thick coat of Sand and Stilettos on top. I sealed it with two coats of Orly Sec N Dry to get rid of the gritty. This has already lasted two weeks yippie! Do your toes have to be done if you're rockin' flip-flops?

DIY Glitter Toe Kit on Groupon!

2011-07-12T15:14:00.000-06:00

I have not heard of this company, Glitties.com. I'm so in love with my salon glitter toes but they are pricey and the drill jacks your natural nail. This online Groupon was so cool I had to buy it! I believe it's available until 10pm Mountain Standard Time (Midnight Eastern) tonight. Click on the photo to go to the deal!

Finger Paints Sale @ Sally's

2011-07-12T11:36:00.000-06:00

Still Time to Enter My B~Day Giveaway!

2011-07-06T18:06:00.000-06:00

Howdy! There's still almost 6 hours left for you to enter my GiVeAwAy!

Happy 4th & Crazy Puppies

2011-07-04T20:18:00.000-06:00

Happy 4th of July to my U.S. ladies! It's amazing to me that we're already at this point in the summer. Soooo it may be a bit harder to keep up with new manis considering I have the holy terror of puppies. The honey and I decided big baby lab was pretty bored and needed a partner in crime. Funny the one I pick out sleeps in my lap and seems so sweet every time I see him.

Skip forward to actually bringing him home. Ear piercing barking, flies down the stairs with no fear, rams his 16.5 lbs of body weight into you if he doesn't get to go where he wants and decapitates his fuzzies (I didn't think this was even possible for puppies?!). Needless to say we have our hands more than full. When he decided to take a nap this morning I used the time to create a festive mani.

Started with a BC. The red is China Glaze Hey Sailor, great with one coat, but used a thin second coat to smooth it out. This really is the perfect red cream, so shiny! I used Sinful white striper Bad Chick for the stripes. I used First Mate from the same ChG collection, this was a one coater. Great dark blue cream. I then stamped the star/flag image from plate m14 with special white konad and sealed with Orly Sec N Dry.

It's been crazy hot so big brother and little brother went for a swim the past few days. Wishing you all a safe and relaxing holiday~proud to live in this beautiful country!

Deep Dark Ocean

2011-06-30T21:16:00.000-06:00

I swear it feels like Friday, wishful thinking! Are my U.S. honeys rockin' they Independence Day manis yet? I need to get mine done tonight for sure. I was thinking I had some neato flakies from Sinful that I hadn't used at all. After seeing so many of your great flakie swatches over black, I thought that was best. This is a BC and two coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Midnight in NY. It's a black base with multi-colored shimmer. I added one thick coat of Sinful Deep Blue Ocean on top sealed with Orly's Sec N Dry.

I also want to say SORRY as I've been tagged for a few things and haven't been able to keep up. Miki of One Chic Bella tagged me for "What's in Your Purse." Here she is...

Makeup bag with random lipgloss and eye drops
Keys
ipod Touch
Pen
Mints
Sunscreen
California Mango Hand Cream
Band Aid Brand Foot Protector Balm
Wallet
Zappos Gift Card
Colorado Luggage Tag and Screen Cleaner
Mini manicure set
eos Lip Balm
Random Goat's Milk Hand Lotion
Victoria's Secret Lip Gloss in Cherry Bomb

Reminds Me of GitA

2011-06-24T18:07:00.003-06:00

Well hello Friday, I'm happy to see you! I had gotten this great pale blue from my babe for Christmas, Icing True Blue. I finally used it for a full mani, I used a BC and two coats of this pale cream. I then used one coat of NYX Dreamy Glitter. This is a clear base glitter with small hex glitter and pink star glitters. I sealed it with Orly SEC'nDRY (which I've switched too since I started to see some shrinkage with China Glaze Fast Forward).

This mani really reminds me of Deborah Lippmann's Glitter in the Air. I was going to buy it from Nordstrom's for my birthday, but after rockin' this mani for more than 5 days, I was able to pass since it seemed to quench my GITA thirst. Have you been able to calm an intense polish lemming with something more available or less expensive?

On another note, I won Valentine Kisses fantastical April Giveaway, thanks so much for the chance love! I got lots of goodies, but I tore everything open so fast I didn't take great inventory, a ton of awesome makeup and yummy polishes from Milani, Color Club, Funky Fingers and Rimmel. Here's to a great weekend ~

Summer Sorbet Mani

2011-06-19T10:58:00.000-06:00

I love sorbet, and sorbet polishes~yum! I didn't have great success with my first OPI sorbet, but this one was much kinder to me. I used a BC and three coats of OPI Guy Meets Galveston from the Texas collection. So bright and beautiful! I was tempted to leave it alone...but didn't ;). I then stamped the cheetah design from konad plate m57 with China Glaze Lemon Fizz and coordinated some rose water decals from Born Pretty Store on my index and thumb fingers.

Direct Sunlight

Indirect Sunlight

I'm not sure if China Glaze Fast Forward was the issue in the shrinking problem last time, but using ULTA's topcoat that came with my Winter Wonderland minis worked wonderfully. I really love warm weather and the manis that go with it, now I just have to find my coveted watermelon sorbet mmmm.

Much Belated Birthday Mani

2011-06-16T18:27:00.000-06:00

I know I'm such a SLACKER! So sorry, hope you can forgive me ;). So, as you may have seen I celebrated/am celebrating two birthdays this month. My birthday was on June 6 and my babe made it one of the best. I got to go to a local wine festival with two of my girls which was a blast and then he threw me a luau/BBQ at our house with a small group of friends and family. Did I mention he went as far to have a custom Hello Kitty cake made?! This thing was out of this universe adorable and it seems the bakery went and found some little toys and such to make it all come together. We all went to brunch the next morning and I got to go shopping in Denver on my actual birthday. I got a few great polishes, some clothes, jewelry etc. I even found these adorable HK earrings at Claires.

Are you sensing a theme? Of course I had to do a day after birthday HK mani so let's start with that...a BC, Three coats of Orly Fifty-Four pink shimmer, free-handed tips with Sephora's HK polish in Bubble Gum, the strawberry image from plate m55 and the HK image from plate B87 on my index and thumb fingers and the checkered-tip image from plate m56 all with China Glaze Ruby Pumps. I then sealed it with Orly's quick dry TC. I had an awesome day, thank you all for the wishes and don't forget to enter my Blog Birthday Giveaway!

My yummy fun cake!

Claire's scented polish ~ Purple Bubble Gum, Turquoise Cotton Candy, Green Watermelon, Orange Sherbert and The Makeup Store Hologram polish in Siw

Glidda Chevron

2011-06-09T15:55:00.000-06:00

I only have a four day week but it's kickin' my can. I had grand things in mind for this mani, it turned out fine, but definitely didn't fulfill my ~vision~. I started with three coats of Orly's Plum. I then stamped the dot/criss-cross pattern from plate m71 with black konad. I couldn't get the full image picked up very well. I then used a coat of China Glaze Fast Forward, used Sally Hansen's chevron tip guides and added a coat of NYC clear topcoat above it so I could dunk it in LA Splash's black nail art glitter Onyx.

I was hoping more Fast Forward would smooth out the grit, even with two thick coats I could feel chunky-chunks. I'm ashamed as an admitted nail polish addict to say I kept this on for eight days fur to laziness. The tips wore off pretty quick due to the glitter not being a polish. Other than that it held up OK.

My Double Dose of Birthday Fun & Giveaway~

2011-06-06T19:57:00.001-06:00

Man, it's that time of year when I get another year older and realize time just flies by! I celebrate the big 27 today, truly can't believe it! Another birthday this month is my blog birthday on the 19th so I thought I would celebrate with a giveaway!! ~ There will be two winners.

The grand prize winner receives a 7 pack of Simple Pleasures cream polishes, OPI Silver Shatter, Sinful Colors Green Ocean (it's shrunk for some reason, but promise it's brand new) Hot Topic holo silver glitter, Ulta Material Girl, Milani In a Flash, True Blue Spa Super Soft Hand Lotion, Art Club full nail decals and blingy toe separators.

Second winner receives China Glaze Senorita Bonita, Wet N' Wild's Party of Five Glitters, blingy toe separators and LA Colors 3-D nail stickers.

I'm going to do entries a little different this time. I ask that you email me your entry at polishfreshie@aol.com with the following:

GFC follower name (must be a follower) and an email to reach you if you win ~ 1 entry
Blog about this giveaway and add the first photo and a link to your sidebar ~ 2 entries *won't count if your blog is dedicated to giveaways only
Follow me on Facebook (provide name you follow by) ~ 2 entries
Your must have polish ~ 1 entry
How you celebrated or will celebrate your birthday this year ~ 1 entry

Open internationally. I will ship the most cost effective way. The giveaway closes at midnight mountain standard time July 6, 2011. Please note nothing was donated and I bought all the prizes with my own money. Good luck!

Neon Melon Crackle

2011-05-31T20:23:00.000-06:00

Oh man, I really need to sit down and blog more but it's soooo hard when the weather warms up! I love taking the pup for a walk with my honey after work and making dinner together. Plus I need to get rid of the jiggle and start working out :O. I'm so happy to see everything green around here, it really calls for some screamin' bright polish!!!

For instance, a BC and three coats of Sinful's Neon Melon (bright neon yellow/green cream) with one layer of China Glaze Crushed Candy teal crackle on top and Fast Forward topcoat. I tried out a few combinations on paper before I went with this one. It says SUMMER in my book.

On another note, Lady Luck paid me a visit and I won Ms. Holiday's, from Silence is Loud, 300 Follower giveaway. Tell me you aren't in love with that ring?! I am yay ~ Thanks so much darling!

Nudey

2011-05-23T19:25:00.000-06:00

Not sure about you chicas but I like to go from one extreme mani to the other end of the spectrum. If I do something vampy, I want the next mani to be girly, if I do something soft I want the next one dark. Ah variety you really are the spice of life. I hadn't done a true nude maybe ever. I went for ULTA It's Nude to Me. This is a BC with three coats. I then stamped the flower image with konad special white polish and image plate m71 and accented my index fingers with the lacey flower image from the same plate. I sealed it with Fast Forward and had me a nudey mani. I didn't mind leaving this on for a few days, it was really classy looking, especially for work.

Comp Screen Fatigue and Blue Holo

2011-05-18T18:41:00.000-06:00

Hey all my working ladies, isn't it hard to stare at a computer screen all day then come home and do it again? I love writing my blog and reading all your great posts but sometimes it's hard to get motivated to sit down in front of this thing AGAIN, feel me? I picked up the Biebs Nicole by OPI dark blue holo glitter polish Me + Blue. As some of you have noticed, the holo is much more apparent in the bottle than on the nail. I really like the idea of a dark blue holo but man this was crazy gritty.

Even with a TC of China Glaze Fast Forward it would "catch" on things. I then added some purple Essence tear drop rhinestones that should have looked like a flower but absolutely didn't haha! Both shots are in direct sunlight. Verdict, great in the bottle, ok on the nail. Let's have a smooth dark blue holo puhleaze. Have you tried any of JB's polishes?

Sorbet Fail

2011-05-11T18:37:00.000-06:00

Ay ay ay work has been kicking my buttocks! I love what I do and I love having a full plate but it's starting to get just a lil insane. I only picked up two of the sorbet polishes from the OPI Texas Collection, Houston We Have a Purple and Guy Meets Galveston. I decided to throw on Houston We Have a Purple. This is an eye-catching berry-like purple. I started with a BC and three coats of the polish. I then had a dilemma, "Do I use Top Coat with this or not?"

My babe had the laptop so I asked him to Google, from the entries I noticed it seemed like all you ladies were using a TC so I finished with one coat of Fast Forward, waited until it dried then accented my index finger and thumb with the girly flower decals I received in Cosmetic Cupcake's swap. Massive failage. Fast Forward shrunk this polish like there was no tomorrow and the stickers went all the way down to my nail. It looks OK in the pics but this mani was not purdy. I'll have to attempt this polish again soon.

Pastel Stripe Sponge

2011-05-04T18:28:00.000-06:00

Well an early hola before Cinco de drink a margarita day! Thanks to miss Sharon of Polish Infatuated I made an attempt at the Rainbow Nail tutorial she created for me. She did such a good job this was quick, easy and turned out to be one of my absolute favorites!!

Started with a BC and then created stripes directly on a makeup sponge with Zoya Marley, China Glaze Lemon Fizz, Sephora Hello Kitty Bubblegum and Icing True Blue. I did the sponge technique twice on each nail then added one coat of Essence Space Queen glitter topcoat and sealed it with Fast Forward. Tada! This was my Easter mani and it pained me to remove it. I will be trying this technique with all kinds of colors. Sharon even used a paper towel instead of a sponge ~

The DiRtY 30 Mani~

2011-04-29T19:37:00.000-06:00

In one of my recent posts I alluded to the honey's surprise birthday party, boy was that an event to plan! It's pretty hard to tell 60 people a *secret* and expect them to remember to keep it for a few weeks. Grandma almost blew it but I can say with confidence that my babe was truly surprised - hooray! I decided that Wet N' Wild's Party of Five Glitter was in order for this event, but wanted to do something a bit different. I've seen many ladies use this glitter over white or black so I thought "White AND black, yes...". Here 'tis, a moon mani.

I did a BC and two coats Love My Nails in White then used a coat of China Glaze Fast Forward. I then used Orly's rounded french tip guides and did one coat of Orly Goth, a black with silver micro glitter on top to create the moon effect. I then used one thick coat of Party of Five and topped it off with a final coat of Fast Forward.

My Mom also helped me make these yummy sprite cupcakes for the party! This recipe is great because it uses soda instead of oil and eggs.

I hope my honey's party was the best for him yet! Happy weekend~

Spring Sunset Gradient

2011-04-24T16:53:00.000-06:00

I think gradient manis are so fun, and by the looks of Zoya's orange glitter Gabrielle in the bottle, I thought it would be a great polish to do one with. I dug my Sally Hansen VIP Pink jelly and went to work. I used a BC and two coats of the VIP Pink. I then did the standard one, two, three then four coats (tips) on various spots up my nails to create the gradient effect. On my accent finger I did the exact opposite of the colors so it went from orange to pink.

One of my co-workers said it was pretty and looked like a sunset, which seemed the best way to describe this. I sealed it with a coat of China Glaze Fast Forward.

I hope everyone had a nice Easter, if you celebrate it. My bun bun wishes you all a great day!

Pastel Houndstooth Mani

2011-04-19T19:31:00.001-06:00

Sorry I've been MIA ~ super duper busy like a beaver planning a surprise birthday party for the babe's 30th! It was a great success and he truly was surprised. It's so nerve racking to trust everyone to not say anything.
On to the nails, yay for pastels! For this pre-Easter mani I did a BC and three coats of Sally Hansen's Loyal Lavender. I then stamped the houndstooth image from plate m63 with Icing's Mint 2 Be. This is one of my favorite greens and went nicely with the purple. On my index finger I decided to try some of the water decal nail art sent to me for review by Born Pretty Store.

My last attempt with water decals ~ not so hot. I painted two coats of Mint 2 Be on my accent fingers, let dry, then followed the directions from the water decals exactly. I blow dried them when I hadn't before and they worked so well! They were nice and flat and I couldn't feel the edges. I wore this mani for four days and had no problems. I was very impressed with how well they adhered to my nail, and how long they stayed. I topped the entire mani off with a coat of Essie Matte About You. My first matte mani.

*Disclaimer, I will review all products honestly! I was not paid for this review, just sent various items.

Fancy This Fuchsia

2011-04-11T21:05:00.000-06:00

I'm such a fan of pink ANYTHING so I was hoping Orly's Fancy Fuchsia wasn't close to something I already owned. Thankfully it really wasn't. This is my new favorite Spring pre-summer color! A few weeks back I decided to experiment on my sister-in-law since I haven't had a chance to use my crackles. I did a BC and one thick coat of Fancy Fuchsia. I then did a coat of China Glaze Fast Forward and one coat of China Glaze Crushed Candy. I sealed it with another coat of Fast Forward. It turned out pretty good even though she had pretty dainty nails.

A few days later I did a BC and three coats of Fancy Fuchsia, it could have been two, but since it's a neon it dried really quickly. I then stamped the image from m73 with Color Club's Fashion Addict.

The image and stamping execution were a miserable fail, it was just too large for my fingernails. The color still drops my jaw~

My Take on Tiffany

2011-04-06T18:10:00.000-06:00

I really didn't intend for this mani to turn into anything inspired by Tiffany & Co., but doesn't it feel like it? This is a BC and three coats of Essence The World's Coolest. A light blue/turquoise that leans more blue cream. There are no balls in the bottle but it shook up alright. I then added one coat of ULTA's Sugar Cookie from their Enchanted minis holiday set. I really think this is a dupe for China Glaze White Cap but haven't swatched them together. It's a sheer white shimmer with a gold flash. First shot indoors, second direct sunlight.

I also had these adorable white bow accents that I added to my index fingers. I used China Glaze Fast Forward as glue for the bows and as a topcoat for the entire mani. This didn't have tip wear until after five days or so.

Holy Haul~

2011-04-02T12:03:00.000-06:00

So as my untrieds keep piling up it occurred to me I haven't shared any haul posts in quite awhile. Here is my shame...

I made my first order from CherryCulture.com. It was hard to tell what the NYX polishes would look like since there weren't bottle pics.

NYX Dreamy Glitter, Super Funk, Milani Jewel FX in Gold, NYX Enchanted Forest, Milani Hi-Tech

Between Target and Walgreens these ended up in my cart.

Sally Hansen Snappy Sprinkles, Sinful Green Ocean, Nicole by OPI Me + Blue and Step to the Beat of my <3, Sally Hansen Midnight in NY

I used my Sally's 15% off coupon, the girl was nice enough to give me the 20% even though I didn't need to renew my card!

China Glaze Virtual Violet, Hyper Haute, Mega Bite, Gamer Glam, Orly Fancy Fuchsia and Royal Velvet

China Glaze Fault Line, Broken Hearted, Lightning Bolt, Crushed Candy, Sun Worshiper, Flip Flop Fantasy

Did any of you take advantage of Ulta's polish sail and free shipping, I DID! I got all these and the mini set for $25!

For Bitten, It's Nude to Me, After Party, Material Girl, TuTu Cute, Starstruck

Tip the Scales, A Tail of Two Cities, Mermaid in Heaven, Don't be Shellfish

Last month my cousin who just graduated beauty school was nice enough to meet me at the beauty supply store. They had an awesome selection of Zoya and CND, but other than that I didn't think anything special. Got a great price on shampoo though.

Zoya Marley, CND Silver & Gold, OPI Houston We Have a Purple, It's Totally Fort Worth It, Guy Meets Galveston

New Look!

2011-03-31T19:30:00.000-06:00

I always get a little bored looking at the same thing so I decided to change up the layout. What do you think? SADNESS though, my entire blogroll got deleted (sniffles). I did the best I could getting everyone back on.

Last Friday Night ~ Damn

2011-03-30T19:25:00.000-06:00

So have you guys actually heard the song to go with the polish? It's pretty much my weekend theme song (except for the stranger in my bed and the menage a trois part =O). I've woken up with a few bruises and hazy memories. It's usually worth it...ahem. Anyhoo, on to the mani. This is a BC and three coats of OPI Last Friday Night from the Katy Perry collection. Super fun pale blue jelly jam-packed with glitter. It dried really fast which surprised me. I then stamped the swirly image from plate m56 with special black polish and added a coat of China Glaze Fast Forward. Success at not streaking the design, not sure what I did differently.

First is indoors second is direct sunlight. I wore this for 5 days. It's slowly creeping towards Friday, but I feel like controlling myself this weekend. I think I'm still recovering from Last Friday Night, seriously. XOXO

My Cotton Candy Mani

2011-03-28T19:39:00.000-06:00

I've seen chevron tip guides on Transdesign by Orly, but they are always out of stock. I didn't realize how rare chevron guides really were until I saw the only place I could buy them was ebay. I found a seller with a lot of old school Sally Hansen guides and bought multiple sheets. I used a BC and three coats of Pure Ice Heart Breaker. This is a very sheer blue/teal shimmer. I used then a coat of China Glaze Fast Forward. I put the guides on one by one and used one thick coat of Jane's Candy Hearts.

This is probably the oldest polish I own as they don't even sell this brand of makeup anymore, at least 14 years. It's a darker fuchsia cream. I then did another coat of Fast Forward. This mani reminded me of cotton candy since it's sold in both of these colors. There was some mad shrinkage, I'm thinking due to the age. The guides were easy to use and inexpensive, all in all a great buy!

Xtra Late St. Pat's Mani

2011-03-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

I love me some St. Paddy's Day! This was the mani I sham"rocked"through the holiday. It actually lasted six days. I used a BC and two coats of Milani Hi-tech. I know some bloggers have said they aren't too happy with the holo, but I thought this was completely eye-catching. I didn't use a topcoat for this one and couldn't really tell the difference. I was going to do a third green mani that night, but me and my babe thought Irish Car Bombs were more important =p.

I also tried my hand at a Bailey's cupcake recipe I came across here. I like to bake, but this was a little more from scratch than I'm used to. I thought they turned out delicious, and so did everyone at work hooray!

The cake was pretty dense and rich, my great friend writes a blog about her cooking adventures ~ TinkyKitchKook ~ and suggested I use sour cream to lighten it up. I'll have to try that next time around. Did you indulge in any Irish fare?

Late St. Pat's Mani

2011-03-19T15:07:00.000-06:00

Of course I had to celebrate St. Patrick's day with a couple green manis! This is the first one. I used a BC and two coats of China Glaze Starboard. This is different than any other green I already own, not sure if I liked it on me or not...I then stamped with plate m73 and China Glaze Midnight Kisses and free-handed some gold shamrocks with Sally Hansen nail art pen in gold.

I had a hard time working with this, it didn't seem to flow very well. I may have to try letting the base dry longer next time. I topped everything off with a coat of China Glaze Fast Forward. It seems like a lot of the blogging world rocked a green mani on Thursday, did you?

Starry Spring

2011-03-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

Spring is almost here, and for us Coloradoans, that means random snow storms *sigh*. BUT the bright side is we get some great sunny days mixed in and awesome pastel polishes! I decided I'd try China Glaze's Pelican Gray from the Anchors Away collection. I used a BC and two coats. This is a pale gray shimmer that I would wear by itself, super nice. I've wanted to glitterfy a mani with a stunning polish Cosmetic Cupcake sent me in our swap from her Hong Kong trip. The brand is neeDme, color 20. In the bottle it looks very opaque with metallic silver micro glitter and small multicolored hex glitters mixed in.

It was a little thinner than I had thought, but one coat looked great over Pelican Gray. I then stamped the sparkle images from plate m14 and Sinful Let's Talk and covered it with a coat of China Glaze Fast Forward. I wore this for 5 days I was so pleased with the finished product.

WiNneR

2011-03-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

To Chell of Polish Wonderland, she's the lucky lady who won my 300+ follower giveaway! I've emailed her so hopefully I hear back soon...

Sinful See You Soon + HT

2011-03-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

So sowry I've been MIA the last week! I got a ton of entries for my 300+ follower giveaway hooray! I'm hoping to email the winner tomorrow afternoon so thanks to everyone who took the time to follow and enter. This week has been fairly calm which is a nice change =D. I have to completely apologize for these photos, I've been slacking and taking my pics on day 3 or 4 of wear *I beg your forgiveness*. Originally this was going to be a mattified houndstooth mani, but I couldn't bear to cover up that gorgeous dark turquoise shimmer in Sinful's See You Soon.

It's a dark based cream that took only two coats, coulda been one if I tried harder. I then free-handed the tips with Sally Hansen's Hidden Treasure with a full slathering on my accent nail and topped it off with ChG Fast Forward. So keeping in line with this tasty dark polish I'll SEE YOU SOON~

Revlon Crystal Ball

2011-03-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

So I finally tried one of the pretty polishes I won from Body & Soul's giveaway. This is a BC and three coats of Crystal Ball. It is a lilacy purple duochrome from purple to light bluish. I tried to stamp the image from plate m14 with Orly Gumdrop on my index finger but the blue-ish undertone of the chrome hid the color of the stamp making it really hard to see.

I used a TC of China Glaze Fast Forward. I really like nail art but the duochrome overcomes any boredom I may have had. Can't wait to try the other ones~

Icing Blackout ~ So Tasty

2011-02-26T14:32:00.001-07:00

Whew! Just got done with a day of work, and stupidly, I wore sky-high heels all day. *Amputates feet* I picked up Icing Blackout awhile back and let me tell you this baby is scrumptious! I've decided my favorite polish so far. I used a BC and two coats of the black jelly base full of holo rainbow glitter. I did add ChG Fast Forward Top Coat then some heart and star stickers from Viva La Nails. We had company last weekend so I had to leave it on for 6 days, but I didn't mind. Now I'm going to spam it up.

First two are inside artificial light, third is in direct sunlight. Can you think of any other black holos than My Private Jet or Revvolution?

~300 Follower Giveaway~

2011-02-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to see my followers pass 300!! Thank you so much for reading my little blog, it's a great escape for me and a nice creative outlet. I wanted to do a giveaway for all of my followers. This is open internationally - please note it will be shipped the most price efficient way. All of these polishes are unopened and brand new. I've also purchased all of them with my own money.

What's included~
Sinful Colors Deep Blue Ocean (flakies)
Wet N' Wild Fast Dry in Blue Wants to be a Millionaire (light blue holo)
Hot Topic Silver/Holo Glitter
Sephora Hello Kitty in Minty
Princess Nail Shop Stickers
Sally Hansen Chevron Tip Guides

Rules~

* Must be a Public Google Friend Connect Follower (New Followers Welcome)

* Leave a comment with your GFC follower name and an email address where I can reach you if you're the winner (Both above = 1 entry)

* "Like" Polish Freshie on Facebook and let me know your friend name (2 entries)

* Show me some love and blog about the giveaway or add it to your sidebar with a photo (2 entries)

PLEASE LEAVE ALL ENTRIES IN ONE COMMENT

Also, if your blog is dedicated solely to giveaways or looks like a spam site, I'm not going to count it. Entries will close at Midnight Mountain Standard Time on March 8, 2011. Once I announce the winner they have 48 hours to respond or I'll choose someone else. Thank you again lovelies!

Recovery and Real V-Day Mani

2011-02-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've not posted in so long! We had two sets of company stay with us this weekend, needless to say I'm ecstatic I have the day off to recover =D. This was my actual Valentine's mani, and I'm sorry to say it was a fail. I thought the layering of hearts would have been better defined, but the purple didn't show up very well and the coral didn't stamp too wonderfully.

I used a BC then three coats of Sally Hansen 10 day No Chip color in Lasting Lily. I then stamped the heart tip image from plate m56 with konad special pastel purple, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Snappy Sorbet and konad special baby blue. When I used China Glaze Fast Forward, it bled pretty bad. At least my babe surprised me with a gorgeous purple Swarovski cocktail ring that I had been drooling over after Christmas.

Did you get any special surprises for the day?

Happy V-Day & the Bun's B-Day!

2011-02-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to wish my sweet little marshmallow of a bunny, Aspen, a Happy 7th Birthday! I think it's so cute that she was born on Valentine's Day!

I took the day off and my honey and I went and saw Just Go With It, I definitely laughed out loud more than once. Then we spent the afternoon cooking, fondue, salad, spaghetti YUM and ouch (I'm so full). Did you have a good day? After I saw My Simple Little Pleasures heart drag marble I knew I had to give it a shot. This wasn't my actual Valentine's mani, but I'll share that in the next day or so.

Horrific fail, but I think it's because I used fast dry polish so I'll have to do this one again. I used a BC and three coats of Wet N' Wild's Hannah Pinktana then added dots of China Glaze Secret Peri-wink-le. I drug the dots with a toothpick and it looked nothing like the original =(. I topped it off with a coat of Fast Forward. At least the sun was out a day or two so the holo was enough to make me happy. Wishing you a sweet day whether you're married, single or somewhere in between!

Pink Gradient V-Day Mani

2011-02-12T10:04:00.003-07:00

Happy Saturday chicas! So I've been doing Valentine's manis all the way up until Monday. This second one is one of my favorite manis EVER! I considered entering this one into Konad Addicts contest but the honey said the red one felt more V- Day. For this I used a BC then sponged on Wet N' Wild's Tickled Pink in layers concentrating at the tips. I then used one thick coat of an OLD pink jelly based Bath and Body Works glitter. Last I stamped the heart image from plate m73 with konad hot pink polish, then the cute flower and heart image from plate B87 in special white. The final touch were pink rhinestones on my index fingers and a coat of ChG Fast Forward. Pure love!

Valentine's Entry ~ Please Vote!

2011-02-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Did everyone enjoy the Superbowl? I thought the commercials were less than impressive, but who can afford $2-$6million these days? I'm glad Greenbay won, sorry if you disagree =D. So I entered Konad Addict's Valentine's day contest thinking I had a chance. All I can say is WOW the competition is pretty stiff. All of the entrants turned in amazing manicures, so if you would be amazing enough to vote for me (#18) I'd really appreciate it!!

I used a BC and three coats of T.B.N. Frosty Red. This is a nice red jelly with various tones of shimmer in it. I really liked this red on my nails! I tried to stamp the lacy image from plate m62 in Wet N' Wild's Tickled Pink, but it was too thin so I used Sinful's Beautiful Girl. I then used special white polish for the cupid image on plate m34. Lastly I placed the hearts from Nicole by OPI's Love Your Life and sealed it all with China Glaze Fast Forward TC. I plan on having Valentine's themed manis through the holiday. Are you doing a V-Day mani?

Massive Hauly

2011-02-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

So I haven't shared a delish haul in at least a month, get ready to see some major goodies! I've decided you are definitely considered for Nail Addicts Anonymous as soon as you have way more untried polishes than tries in your stash, agreed?

LA Splash Nail art glitter in Onyz, Sephora Hello Kitty Bubble Gum, Minty and LA Splash glitter in Princess

Wet N' Wild Party of Five Glitters, Hannah Pinktana, Blue Wants to be a Millionaire and Tickled Pink

Hot Topic No Name glitter, no name purple/silver duochrome, Sally Hansen Loyal Lavender, Pure Ice Dreamy and Heart Breaker

OPI by Katy Perry Teenage Dream, Last Friday Night, Not Like the Movies and ULTA Bombshell

China Glaze Anchors Away Sand and Sea Pack

China Glaze Anchors Away Knotty Nauticals.

Do you have any of these? Obviously a sucker for any new collections ;). I just can't hide myself from the hype.

Half A$$ Mani & Tag

2011-01-29T12:24:00.001-07:00

Howdy cowgirls! Can I just preface this with I'm having a poop day and kind of just hate everything? Those days rear their ugly head now and again I suppose.

I had a wedding last weekend and had a cute little dress that was gray lace over a sheer pink silk - too cute. It would have been even cuter if I could have finished the mani to match it! I procrastinated and ran out of time so I had to hurry and at least put the base color I was planning to use, my nails couldn't go to the party naked :O. I used a BC then three coats of Orly Catch the Bouquet. The pictures didn't nab this beauty, she's a sheer pink with pink and silver shimmer. There was some VNL but not as bad in real life as in the picture. I used a coat of ChG Fast Forward and ran out the door.

In other news I was tagged by Miss Melacine from Crystal Visions - xoxo thanks doll!

Questions:

1. When and how did you start your love for polish?

I read a All Lacquered Up's beauty blog linked in an email blast about water marbling and was hooked like a fish

2. If you could choose to do anything in the world, what would it be? (Eg. Ski in the Swiss alps, fly in a fighter jet, create a unicorn etc.)

Toss pizza in Italy, see koala bears in Australia and stay in the super exclusive water huts in Bora Bora.

3. What's your favorite love story?

Hummm, Romeo & Juliet is a little extreme for my taste, how about Sleeping Beauty

Here are the rules:

Choose 3 - 5 Blogs you would like to tag and link them too. Leave them a comment on their blog that you've linked them.

Important: This award is for unknown blogs, so don't tag some 3000-Reader-Blogs! :)

The blogs I would like to tag are:

~ Nail Bean

~ Polish Infatuated

~ Frippery Digits

~ Polish Obsessed

A Mess of Mermaids

2011-01-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your kinds words on my 100th post! This is why I continue to blog~ I previously nabbed the gorgeous pale green shimmer Nina Ultra Pro in Mermaid on sale at Sally's, I knew it had to go with the konad mermaid image on plate m34. I got this plate off eBay and it's a fake (well shit). The polish is uber sheer and I had to use four coats to get any sort of coverage. It also looks a little more yellow on the nail compared to the whisper mint green in the bottle.

I then stamped the mermaid image from the plate with special konad black polish, too bad I didn't wait for it to try and created a literal mess of mermaids. These were too adorable until my Godzilla brush from China Glaze Fast Forward and *hand* mutilated them. Guess I'll have to try this image again soon!

My 100th Post is Covered in Diamonds!

2011-01-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this is my 100th post! I want to thank all of you for coming on this magical ride through the land of polish with me! I've had Color Club Pucci-licious and Covered in Diamonds sitting in my untrieds for awhile so I decided to put them together. It was a great decision~I used Beauty Secrets BC then two coats of Pucci-licious, this is a nice opaque neon purple, it covered awesome in two coats. I then proceeded to add the sparkling happiness that is the Covered in Diamonds top coat.

This little shaped flake bits have different facets of color that made this mani interesting enough to keep for 4-5 days. Since this top coat is somewhat chunky I thought feeling the little bits would bother me but it didn't. I topped it off with ChG Fast Forward and it helped a bit. The little flakes did start to peel and come off after two days. I have to go get ready for yet another wedding, including a matchy mani! Tata 'til next time.

Sparkle-licious for a Bachelorette Bash

2011-01-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

Not sure how many of you in the U.S. had Monday off, but it was a nice three-day weekend for me =D. The hubby always has Mondays off so it's a treat to spend the day together. I went to a bachelorette party last weekend and knew I would need something bright and glitter-ridiculous. I started with a BC and one coat of Essence Underwater. This is a metallic deep blue and a great accent for the sparse blue glitters in OPI's Sparkle-licious. I then added three coats of Sparkle-licious which has a ton of gold, some pink and blue glitter. It's always easier to remove glitter with a solid coat or two underneath. I then thought I'd take a shot at using some scotch tape to create tips since Erika from Chloe's Nail Blog always does a fantastical job using scotch tape! I need some practice! I used one coat of China Glaze Fast Forward before I added the tape and used Underwater to create the tips, but it was too thick and bled pretty easily.

Next time I will use a different base color than the tips. These little mamas still got noticed, especially when we were in a low-lit night club. This was stinky to remove for sure and took some soaking. Love this polish and how dense the glitter was. I have yet to use the foil method for glitter removal, you?

An Award & Some Luck

2011-01-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Greetings lovers of polish! I feel like my little blog has been neglected a bit so I'll do my best to remedy that. I opened my email the other day to find I had been tagged by Ms. Pink Cat of Pink Cat's Polish - thanks love! Before 'I dabble in the details I wanted to share that a few weeks back I had an amazing morning, I woke up to an email from Smoochiefroh (Sasha) of Manicure Mommas letting me know I had won a gorg Sally Hansen nail prism set - hooray! Two hours later I got an email from Mary over at Body & Soul telling me I had won four fierce discontinued Revlon duochromes. Now THAT'S a good day =D. Have you won a contest? It always makes me giddy!

Purple Diamond, White Diamond

Crystal Ball, Levitate, Potion and Magical

Onto the award~

Seven Random Things About Myself ~
1. My favorite TV Show(s) was Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Spinoff Angel. I own the entire DVD set booyah~

2. I used to write poetry, some of it good, and some if it hilariously bad. I even got one put in a huge published poetry book for kids~

3. I <3 margaritas! I even have the awesomeness that is Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville machine~

4. I get hives/ a rash on my face and chest when I'm angry/hot/nervous/tipsy ~ #3 may create #4 heehee

5. I have a passion for fashion, at least my own. I don't always get what's introduced on the runway but I am aware of labels and splurge when I can~

6. My family used to own Maine when it was a colony, until the heir ran off with the maid and was disowned. I'd like to speak with him about this decision one day ;)~

7. I used to race mini dirt bikes and the hubby was a Professional Motocross Racer

I'm a little late to the game on this one so I'm sure almost all of the ladies I would pick have been picked - but please, consider yourself tagged and join in!

Fair Isle Mani

2011-01-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Brrr! It's been so cold here, I think tomorrow's high is 10 degrees. No thank you :(. I really like the fair isle and nordic prints that are done tastefully, not the big honkin obnoxious red sweaters, but the sweet prints that say cozy winter wear. I wanted to recreate the fair isle print with reindeer and snowflakes for this mani. I started with a BC and two coats of Color Club's Wild Orchid. This is a gray creme with silver shimmer. It is almost like a warm gray. I then used special black and white konad polish and the images from my eBay plates. The jumping reindeer barely fit on my skinny nails.

I have to confess I used a poo topcoat that made the image bleed a bit, especially on my pointer finger. No worries I ran out and got some China Glaze Fast Forward so that doesn't happen again. These images are pretty large so I couldn't use more than one on each nail. Hope you like and it makes you think warm thoughts ~

Christmas Haul Hooray!

2011-01-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

So everyone was pretty food to me for Christmas on the nail polish end of things, of course my man did the best! He's seriously the best gift giver in the world, he always surprises me and is so thoughtful =D. I hope they all realize they are just fueling my fire~

Enchanted Minis ULTA set included High Shine TC, Spice Drop, Peppermint Bark, Sugar Plum and Sugar Cookie

Icing True Blue, OPI Show It and Glow It, Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter, China Glaze Avalanche and Watermelon Rind

Konad plates m62, m71, m28 and m14

I haven't had time to play with any of this, between a swap, Christmas and my own ridiculous hauling I have a lot to catch up with!

The Mani That Rang In 2011

2011-01-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

Did everyone have an awesome New Year's? I stayed up way too late, but it was worth it. Even the dog slept all day yesterday because he had too much fun =D. I have a lot of resolutions for 2011, but it shouldn't take the New Year to dive into improving myself... Here is my New Year's mani, I was in a rush and the hubby was staring at me encouraging me to finish since we were running late but I HAD to have a New Year's mani, duh! I've been saving China Glaze's Midnight Kiss just for the occasion. I used a BC and two coats of this funtastic gold foil.

I wore a cool pink sequin blazer so I free-handed the tips with two coats of ULTA's Spice Drop since it was a pink/gold metallic that was almost the same exact color as my top. This mini is from ULTA's Enchanted nail collection. I used Rimmel's 60 second top coat and viola~ We're taking all the decorations down tomorrow. Have you recovered from the holidays?

Another Party Hearty Mani

2010-12-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

I seriously cannot fathom that is going to be 2011 tonight. I always have such a hard time writing the date after the year changes. Time flies by!!! Overall 2010 was a pretty good year, let's hope 2011 is even better. We're going to be Sister-in-Law and her fiance's for a small get together. We're making some yummy dinner and then champagne cocktailing the night away. Do you have any big plans? I was sad I didn't get to use China Glaze Party Hearty for my Christmas mani so I did it right after. I know, I know you've seen this polish a gazillion times but man she is a knockout!

I used a basecoat and two coats of a delicious vampy green, Ulta Green With Envy. It's a dark shimmery green. I then used one coat of Party Hearty on top. I was surprised I didn't have to use two. That vampy green made all the red, green and gold glitter really stand out. I topped it off with Rimmel's 60 Second TC. I could wear this for a few more days but of course I have to have a special New Year's mani! What are you looking forward to in 2011?

Swap With 'Chelle of Cosmetic Cupcake

2010-12-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad I only have to work one more day this week! It's a really slow time of year and I'm going a bit crazy with not a lot to do. The fantastic 'Chelle of Cosmetic Cupcake posted some ridiculous yum Glitter Gal holos back in September that I had to have. I emailed her to see if she'd be willing to do a swap. Since I was so poor we decided December would be best to do it. I got her package the day before Christmas Eve and it was wonderful to open all of her goodies! Let me tell you, she went way overboard and sent me entirely too much =D. Thanks doll!

She wrote me a nice note and included lots of tasty treats!

I've been dying to get my hands on a Hello Kitty plate and am so excited!!

Chic Chic #47, needme Color 20, Ozotic Pro 618, Glitter Gal Not Another Red, T.B.N Frosty Red

BYS Metallic Angel, Ulta3 frog prince, BK Cracking, BYS Silver Moon, Ulta3 waterlily, Arezia

Fill My Stocking Mani~

2010-12-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I seriously can't believe Christmas is OVER! All that preparation and whoosh, it's gone just like that. Did you all get some awesome haulage? Between some giveaway winnings, a swap, and Christmas I have some major goodies! This was my Christmas mani, it was supposed to be Party Hearty, but I was late to the party and couldn't get it done.

This is a BC and three coats of the red glitter jelly China Glaze Mrs. Claus topped off with a coat of Rimmel's 60 sec. TP. This polish just explodes in low lighting, I really like it! I used Konad special white to stamp the little full stocking images. Hoping you all had a great holiday!

Silver Bells

2010-12-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

My honey bought me this gorg green polish, Sally Hansen Xtreme in Emerald City. It's this wonderful green cream with a lot of shimmer. I used a basecoat and two coats. I've been trying to use all of the fun images from my eBay purchased plates for the holidays so I used this cute double bell stamp image with Sally Hansen Xtreme Celeb City, which is a foil-like silver. It was pretty hard to photograph, this was the best I could do. I topped it off with Rimmel's 60 Second Dry Top Coat.

Sorry for the tip wear, I waited three days to take some pictures. What is at the top of your Christmas List? I always have so much more fun watching everyone else open what I got for them.

Naughty & Nice + Blitzen

2010-12-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

YAY I'm finally on Christmas vacation! I've also realized I have way more Christmas polishes than days until the actual holiday. I'm trying to use the China Glaze Naughty & Nice collection I have stored up. I started with a BC and two coats of this delicious dark wine jelly. It needed a bit extra so I free-handed half of my nail with Wet N' Wild's Blitzen.

It's a gold micro glitter with some red hex glitter in a clear base. It almost made my tips cloudy. I topped it off with Rimmel's 60 Second Top Coat. Are you excited for the holidays? I can't believe they are already here.