Monday, February 8, 2010

Neutral Colors

Hello lovely fellow nail polish-ers!! Today I bring a really different look especially for me. So the context of this out of character mani is that I started a new job today and I didn't want to wear a really bright or funky color. I don't really own any neutral colors, actually that's a lie I have a ton of gray colors but I wanted something a little more natural looking.
A couple of the gals over on MUA were talking about OPI's Tickle my France-y being a pretty neutral, so I went out and it picked it up. When I first did my nails I was not liking the color but the longer I wear it the more I like it. Its a really pretty pink/brown muted color very subtle.


So it got me thinking that maybe I have been unfair to all those neutral shades, perhaps they deserve a second glance before I reach over them to grab a purple or green nail polish. Any recs for neutral polishes?
*Also I saw someone at my new job wearing a bright pink sparkly nail polish, so I think I will be able to wear pretty much any color I want.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Pick Me Up

I am a little down in the dumps today :( The weather here is cold, gray, and rainy, and my mood is just generally no bueno. I decide to do a light spring mani to cheer me up a little.



Sorry the pics aren't that great. I used Claire's Dreamcatcher and Essie Van D'go. Its really pretty and extremely subtle for me and it did make me feel a lil' better. Oh I used the Roses from Konad plate m65

Friday, January 29, 2010

Grape Pop!!!

Hello Lovely Nail Polish Friends!! Today's NOTD comes from China Glazes Up and Away collection. Grape Pop a nice purple creme. I love purple nail polish and this is definitely my new favorite purple creme!!


Just noticed but my cuticles could use a little work.  I was using Burt's Bees Lemon Butter but i lost it and my Target is out. I have heard good things about Lush Lemon Flutter, any other recs?

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Wrinkled Nails Rant

Good Morning! Yesterday I went to Ulta and took advantage of the buy two get one free deal on OPI polishes. I picked up Ink, Tickle my France-y, and Parlez Vous OPI. I also got one of the new spring colors from Essie Van D'Go (more on that later).

Late last night I decided to redo my mani with Parlez Vous OPI, its a really nice purple gray color, more purple that Sephora by OPI's Metro Chic. Anyway due to my tired-ness and impatience I went to bed soon after finishing my mani. I woke up this morning with WRINKLED nails! I have to say it's a good thing I didn't have any plans until this afternoon because I hate leaving my house with a ruined mani.

It's is honestly a pet peeve of mine, I hate chipped polish or sloppy tips. One of my very best friends used to only do her nails when we would go out dancing and of course she would do them like five minutes before we left. Some of her fingers looked like she had dipped them in the nail polish, others were streaky. It would annoy me just to see them.

I don't know about you my fellow nail polish-ers but things like that bother me. It is my belief that if you can't take the time to do them properly don't do them at all and when you nails are chipped and there is seriously only a speck of nail polish left on your nail please take it off!! Ok that's it just needed to get that out, I am off to redo my nails.

**Edit, I totally forgot about the Essie, did anyone else have problems with van d'go?My bottle was really goopy and thick, and definitely needs to be thinned.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Garden Nails

Afternoon All!! Here's a look at my periwinkle flower nails of the day!




I used China Glaze Secret Peri-Wink-Le and Konad Special Polish in White. Design is from Konad plate m64.

Bonus Pics of my Babies enjoying the beautiful day!!

Emmy


Toby and Patches


Trouble

Monday, January 25, 2010

Eyeko Polishes

I recently was given a set of eyeko nail polishes. So since I was just sitting around today and it was a beautiful sunny day perfect for swatching I decided to try them out.

So here's what I got:



L-R: Indigo Polish, Purple Polish, Cosmic Polish, Nude Polish, Lilac Polish

Purple Polish (for electric nails) a really deep purple. I was expecting it to be neon for some reason but it is not. The color purple is definitely a pinkinsh purple, like maybe a rasberry color. I really like the color but the application was pretty tricky. The nail polish was really goopy and made a mess while I was putting it on. I think a couple drops of nail polish thinner would make it perfect though.




Lilac Polish (for lovely nails) a pretty spring color. Looking at it on my nails reminded me of Easter, why idk it just did. I really like this color. But like the purple polish the application was horrible, goopy and just difficult.





Nude Polish (for perfect nails). Let me say first I am not a huge fan of the whole mannequin hands trend and nude colors really just aren't my thing. I love this one, which really suprised me. The polish is a pink/peach color and just really pretty. Unlike the purple and lilac polish I had no issues with this one and I two coats was perfect.





The last two colors in my set were the ones I was least excited about don't get me wrong I love dark polish especially blue. I have tons of dark blue and black polishes which is why these didn't excite me, they looked pretty ordinary. Well I was totally wrong these the indigo and cosmic polish were totally awesome.

Indigo Polish, wow this one was just awesome. Its a dark navy blue with blue and green and purple shimmer in it. In the bottle its just kinda eh but on the nail awesome!! The picture does not do the polish justice.




Cosmic Polish for space age nails, black with rainbow colored glitter. Enough Said.





Overall I really like these. The packaging is totally cute. The bottle are small (.30 fl.oz) which is about double the size of an Essie mini. The colors are all pretty awesome. Even though I had trouble with some of the polishes consistency a few drops of nail polish thinner cleared that right up. You can get these from Eyeko Beauty , they are $5 each. The best part is that worldwide shipping is FREE. I love free shipping!!
 

Prince Charming and a lil' Mad as a Hatter



I finally got my bottle of Mad as a Hatter and I love it! I also finally got around to trying my bottle of Prince Charming. So I wasn't quite ready to part with my prince yet but I wanted to try out MaaH. So here's what happened...






I love the glittery goodness!!!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Up and Away

I got my China Glaze Up and Away order while the internet was having difficulties. I only picked up four of the colors cause I am waiting to see a couple in real life to make a decision on them.



L-R: High Hopes, Happy Go Lucky, Four Leaf Clover, Grape Pop

I have had a chance to used four leaf clover and I really liked it.

The first picture isn't really color accurate



Even tough this one is blurry its more color accurate



A little Konad I did


I didn't have any problems with the application and it covered in two pretty thin coats!

I really like the colors I got from this colllection. I think I want to see Re-fresh Mint, Heli-Yum and Light as Air in real life before I make a decision!

Funky Purple

YAY! So the internet is all fixed ,even though it took some arguing with the tech. because according to them nothing was wrong with the equipment. Yeah the lights on the router are just blinking on and off and turning red and yellow and the box is turning on and off to amuse me!  So one new router and lots of new nail polish later I have to catch up a little bit

So Today I will begin with my Mom's mani from a couple days ago.



My Mom is strictly not a nail gal so I was suprised she let me use such in her words "off colors" and a funky design. I used China Glaze LOL & 2030 (Stamping Color). The design is from Konad image plate M 65.

** Coming Soon!! wowsocool.com is letting you order the new image plates already, I don't know when you would get them because it still says coming soon under the images!

*** Edit: ETA End of Feb 2010





Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Preppy In Pink

Good Evening!! Meant to post earlier but my internet has been on the fritz. I have to make this quick before it bites the dust again.

KOTD





I used China Glaze's Strawberry Fields and 2030 for the stamping. I can't think of what plate it is off the top of my head. I will investigate and let you know when my internet isn't all screwy.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Absolutely Alice

 I still need to pick up a bottle of Mad as a Hatter, I haven't had time to make a trip to Trade Secret. *kicks self for not including it in transdesign order. Oh well thats what I get for being indecisive. Anyway on to the nails.







I layered Absolutely Alice over a coat of Sephora by OPI Opening Night. Sephora descirbes opening night as a midnight navy, I think the swatch on the website is a little misleading though. It looks like it has glitter or shimmer and I don't see any of that in real life. It's still a pretty color though like a dark royal blue.

Hopefully I will get my Transdesign order Tues. or Wed. because I can't wait to try China Glaze's Up and Away Collection!!!

Friday, January 15, 2010

NOTD

I bring you today's lovely nails







I used Sally Hansen Blue Me Away! as the base ( I think this color would fit in with China Glaze's Up and Away Collection) and Color Club Revvolution to do the stamping. I used Konad plate m64 for the design.

I just ordered a few more Konad plates and I am anxiously waiting for them to arrive!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

NOTD Peacock Feathers and Bows

Today's Nails!






I used Nubar Peacock Feathers as the base and China Glaze Millennium for the stamp. I used Konad plates m59 (polka dot bow) and m3 (little bow on pinky). I wish the sun was out cause Peacock Feathers looks seriously cool in sunlight.

Yesterday I went to Trade Secret and checked out the Alice in Wonderland collection and I have to admit I was a little disappointed. After seeing everyone's swatches I decided I was going to get Absolutely Alice and MaAH. The two reds are pretty but I am not really a red gal. Anyway I was a little disappointed by MaAH, it didn't look that pretty in the bottle, it looked mostly like just silver glitter. I only ended up buying Absolutely Alice, which is really gorgeous. Someone let me know if maybe the bottle of MaAH is deceiving and it really is amazing, so I can run back and get it!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Rainy Days and Nail Fail

Since it's raining out, today has become Nail Experiment Day!! I gotta say that I think only one of these really came out cute, so maybe more like Nail Fail Day!

Anyway I first attempted a half moon manicure. It looked totally cute and simple. After checking out a couple videos on youtube I became convinced it would be a piece of cake.



I used Color Club Revvolution and China Glaze LOL


How it Should Have Looked (From Marie Claire Magazine)

Yeah idk I used french tip guides on the base and I guess I should have put them higher or angled or something, cause it just looks like I didn't polish all the way down and there is no moon action going on. PlasmaSpeedo on youtube used Hole Reinforcements as the guide so maybe that would help get a more rounded moon and not a straight line like I did.

I love animal prints, I would say that my m57 Konad plate gets used the most (its the one that has a zebra and leopard print full nail designs) So I figured it couldn't be that hard to recreate these looks on my own. Wrong.


Does that Look Zebra? Ummmm, NO!

I don't even know it just looks crazy. My brother said that they looked like Bride of Frankenstein nails, why I don't know. I used Zoya Harley and Stripe Rite in Black. The Stripe Right brush was horrible it looked like an animal had chewed on it so I am partly blaming it for my fail.

Next up Leopard Print.


I think this is the only one that came out cute. It was also the design I thought was going to be the hardest leave it to me to fail on the easier ones and succeed on this one.

So today I reminded myself of why I love to Konad!

**I also clicked enter before I had typed anything so I posted a blank entry, my fail continues!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Green For Luck

I planned on leaving my burnt orange polish on until at least today but alas I failed. I did my nails Sunday night so I have been itching to change my polish since Tuesday. I tried to trick myself and put a matte top coat on, so I could pretend I had done a whole new manicure.


Nubar Orange Glitter w/China Glaze's Matte Magic

My trick did not work I remained unconvinced, so I changed my color this morning.


I was feeling green but could not make up my mind. So first I tried Rescue Beauty Lounge's Recycle, which is awesome and looked great in one coat but I wasn't sure it was the right color for today.


Recycle

My next attempt was with China Glaze's Emerald Sparkle, but I think I was all glittered out cause it wasn't working for me.


Emerald Sparkle

Finally I tried Sally Hansen's Emerald City and it just felt right, whooo finally.



I felt a little like a traitor for taking off my burnt orange before the game. Then I thought green is for good luck. So I am wearing green to bring my team good luck. So yeah traitor feelings no more (I like lying to myself it makes me feel better).

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Beautiful Blogger Award!

I was tagged by Brooke over at Babbling Brooke for a beautiful blogger award. Thanks Brooke, I haven't been doing this very long so it was cool of you to tag me!



Seven Random Things About Myself

1. I am allergic to bananas.
   True Story. One day I was eating a banana and everything was cool. The next day I ate a banana and broke out in hives.

2. I love cupcakes and hope to one day own my very own cupcakery.

3. I am a huge sports fan. I love the San Antonio Spurs and Texas Longhorns!!

4. I am a hardcore animal lover. I have been bringing home strays since I was little. I rescued my cats when they were just 4 weeks old and had been abandoned by their mother.

 My girls in their Halloween Costumes


Trouble


Patches

5. I love scary movies, but don't scare easily.

6. I just graduated from college. I have a Bachelors in Government with a Minor in Communication.

7. I am super clumsy. My brother always makes me walk in front of him when we are going down stairs so if I fall I don't take him with me.

So I guess I'll tag anyone who wants to do this. Go ahead take a crack at it!