Holiday Mani - Christmas Party Nails

I know it isn't yet thanksgiving even, but I'm really feeling the xmas spirit coming on. So today I went with a bit of a naughty and nice wintry look. I have a big xmas party coming up, so this may be my go to look for that occasion.

This is Essie Forever Yummy (2 coats) and images from the m57 and m60 konad plates, topped with Essie Good to Go. (Which I will review as I get closer to finishing the bottle. I love seche vite, but the goopyness at the 1/2 - 3/4 gone mark is frustrating.)

And of course, I'm regrowing my nails out still so pardon *hangs under construction sign*.

Essie: Brazilliant

Very opaque formula for an essie! It was almost a 1 coater. There is a very obvious pink shimmer to this polish, unfortunately it didn't really come up in the photos.Very bright, fun color.

   

*I obtained this polish from the essie summer contest. I am not affiliated with essie and was chosen at random.

Moar Dots

Continuing my dot frenzy, I present to you Zoya Harley, topped with OPI Ski Teal We Drop and a layer of Seche Vite. Bubbly eh?

And look what I made today? It's about 4 inches, so I'm thinking of making a bunch for a larger project.

SHXW: Mellow Yellow w/ Art

3 coats, no top coat, then dots with Seche vite. A nice summery pale yellow. Slightly thick, streaky brush but a careful application solves any issue. 

Just a quick post

Picked up one of my wishlist items the other day, Essie mochachino. I'm in love with it, and have been on the prowl for this color for some time. :)

I also received my dotting tools in the mail yesterday and had to try them out over my current mani of mochachino. ($2 off ebay, including shipping. Not a bad deal.) The dots are using OPI who the Shrek are you.

Returns & Regrowth

Well, that was a long break eh? Lots of stuff going on in life, moved into a new place, got a new job, adopted two cute dogs (pics later yes?), and haven't really bought a lot of polish (what with the craze of having to furnish a new place.).

Oh, and my nails are longer now! I figured it best to show this with a comparison of an earlier post. This is today wearing Essie Lapiz of Luxury, featuring my cute little octopus flash drive.

My nails before:

*img broken*

And today:

*excuse the green tint, it's the color of my walls*

Quite a bit there eh? I'm still hoping to go a bit longer. I have to say though, that using Seche Recondition about 3-4 times a week has made a world of difference. I probably break about 80% less than I did when using no treatment.

If you would like my thoughts on this polish, my original post of this color can be found here.

Mattese Elite: Attitude

Look what came in the mail! I entered a contest for Ricky's NYC and won (a complete shock, I entered on a whim.) The other two winners chose pink tutu, however I feel I really need to branch into blues, so I chose Attitude. The formula is very thin, similar to many Essie sheers. This is three coats over a clear base. Much more subtle than their website led me to think. I like it a lot. It's a little desaturated and makes a better "everyday" blue I think. It looks similar to Essie lapis of luxury, i will have to swatch them side by side later.

I also went to Ross today. Look what I picked up! Lots of pretty colors, my untried pile just got huge.

It's alive!

This is my first ever franken. I love the look of glitter in the air, however I'm on a small no buy (for a surprise next month :D). So the chemist in me surfaces. Now I was so excited to try it on that I didn't go all out on application and clean up. Please excuse the boo boo.

The recipe is:

And the results are:

China Glaze: Crackle; Cracked Concrete

This has to be my favorite of the crackles. It's not as stark as the black, subtle enough to wear regularly in any season, and doesn't make me feel like my polish is just terribly chipped and awful looking. The formula was smooth enough that I didn't have to rush to apply more for a decent crackle affect, just make sure you shake it well first. This is over Essie Turquoise & Caicos, with top coat (the crackles dry matte).

Essie Bottle Comparison

Apologies for the cat hair!

They look very similar, however you may be able to notice that the older bottle looks a little "bloated" compared to the new. Suppose they made it more streamline? New bottle - Lapiz of Luxury, 13.5ml
Old Bottle - Limo-scene, 15ml 

   What do you think? 

Essie: Turquoise and Caicos

While grocery shopping with my fiancee we stopped and looked at the Essie display. He picked this out, because he loves old Volkswagen cars and this looks just like the paint job of one. He jokes that if I ever get one I can use this to touch up the paint. This is three coats.

And a bonus kitty picture.

Holiday Mani - St. Patrick's Day

Sinful Colors Green Ocean over O.P.I. Gargantuan Green Grape

I only own maybe two greens, and OPI was the thinnest formula of them. Green ocean is VERY thick (this is 3 coats of it, over 2 GGG, base and top coat of course)

Sonia Kashuk: Tauped

My picture turned out a little more green than true life. I find the formula to apply nicely, however I have a strong disliking of SK brushes due to the way they make any polish application streaky. A little patience and a careful hand can work with them though.

ELF: Coral

Such a pretty, girly color! A pink base with golden shimmer. A different shade depending on the lighting. Unfortunately we've had icky weather this week and this was taken indoors. Opaque with one coat, but this is two. ring finger has a top coat of essie matte about you.

Zoya: Harley

Such a pretty gray color. There is a very subtle shimmer. Very monochrome with just a touch of lavender. If you have trouble picking out grays, pick this up!

Brush Comparison

Everybody likes different brushes, so I took the time to put together a comparison from what I have in my collection.

1. China Glaze
2. ELF
3. Essie
4. MAC
5. NYC Long Wearing
6. OPI
7. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure
8. ORLY
9. Rimmel
10. Sinful Colors
11. Sally Hansen HD
12. Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear
13. Sonia Kashuk
14. Zoya

Essie: Forever Yummy

I have been on such a red kick this past week. Sadly, I hardly own any. So yesterday I went out and used my little $2 rite aid coupon and picked up this beauty. I feel so daring when I wear it, like I belong in a james bond movie. :3

A Growing State

So about a month before Christmas my nails were beautiful and long. Then slowly one by one they started tearing and peeling. They were too dry I suppose, but after about 3 nails got this way, I relapsed into biting. I have been a biter since a child. The only thing that stopped this was in about August 2010 when I started getting into nail care, the neat polishes that were coming out and fussed over them so much that biting just didn't occur. I've gotten back into caring for them (now that some life stress has gone away) and they are growing again. However I've been afraid of that peeling and such occurring again. I believe I wasn't getting enough moisture. Though I drink plenty of water. So this round I'm packing 2 new guns. Vit E Cuticle Oil and Seche Vite Recondition. I'm hoping this will allow my nails to be a little more pliable and healthy. We'll see in a few months I suppose, after they've had a while to work and my nails have grown back out to this length.

Lacquer Lover Contest

Lacquer Lover is having a contest! Please hop on over to her page and take a look. While you are there, be sure to follow her because she does some really nice posts with great pictures.

Essie: Lapiz of Luxury

A lavender leaning blue. Very soft and smooth looking. Thick formula compared to some other Essies I've come across (I tried like linen before and that was WATER). This is two coats.

MAC: Bad Fairy

A favorite of mine. I love the copper-pink shift in the color. I can literally stare at this all day. Limited edition from the MAC Venomous collection.

China Glaze Tronica: Cyberspace

A subtle beige. I would wear this in an office setting. Very soft looking. Application was smooth. This is 2 coats, I think it could go with 3 though. Out of the Tronica collection I think this will be one I wear regularly. 

China Glaze Tronica: Hi Def w/ Gamer Glam accent

I really love these! If you are looking for something with a dramatic holo they may not be for you, but if you take them for what they are they are great colors with a little bit of flare. Hi Def reminds me of blue jeans, it is a low saturation blue that I am able to pull off with a warmer skin tone. Gamer glam is a great dusty purple just slightly darker than OPI Do you lilac it?

NOTD Blue Side Stripe

Salon Sciences LCD
ORLY Sapphire Silk
China Glaze Hologram
China Glaze Crackle Lightning Bolt
Art Deco White
Art Deco Black
Seche Vite Top Coat

I really love Sapphire Silk. It's the perfect classy navy blue. Hologram really shows a lot more gold than any other part of the spectrum. I like it, but there are better out there if you want lots of color changes. Not entirely pleased with the white crackle. It's very hard to work with, and tends to make polish just looked chipped or gross.