NOTD: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Purple Pizzazz

Really pretty blue-purple jelly with pink microglitter, this is a pretty dark nail polish for me, but it is still pretty cheerful with the pink shimmer and the fact that it's a jelly. I love how blue-leaning it is too~.

NOTD: Essie Super Bossa Nova

I had $3.50 off at CVS so I decided to get another Essie polish since I have recently decided I love their formula...there were some lip glosses I wanted to try too but I am really trying hard here to stick to my "no drugstore cosmetics so I can get more high-end stuff" rule! Nail polish is not included in that rule though, since many great nail polishes can be found in drug stores, and being high-end doesn't necessarily mean the quality or formula is better!

Anyway, although coral has taken over as my favorite summer color I am still in a fuchsia mood...well, Super Bossa Nova in my opinion is more of a bright raspberry but it still fits the bill for reddish shades I am into! Also I've been getting kind of sick of cremes lately...I love the colors and it's great the first day or 2 but then I get majorly antsy to remove it! One of the things that made me get Super Bossa Nova over another Essie color I really wanted (well, several...all coraly/peachy colors) was because of it's pretty pink shimmer! It's just what I needed to keep my interest and possibly have this color on for more than a couple days!

As expected the formula on Super Bossa Nova was amazing, possibly the best yet! It was very easy to control although it looks a bit messy in the picture, but that's because it's my right hand, meaning I applied with my left hand...so it couldn't be helped!

Top: Direct sunlight. Bottom: Shade under a tree.

Don't mind my cuticles, they are terrible right now...this is actually my good hand, my other hand has 2 band-aids over my cuticles :(

NOTD: Essie Smooth Sailing & Essie Coat Azure

I put off getting Essie Smooth Sailing since I thought it would be too similar to Coat Azure but I am glad I got over it (a $5 coupon helped too) and got Smooth Sailing since other than being blue they are nothing alike. I have Smooth Sailing on all nails other than the accent nail which has Coat Azure which as you can see is not as shimmery and much lighter/brighter than Smooth Sailing. All in all I prefer Smooth Sailing, but if you were on the fence like I was rest assured these colors are nothing alike (like I was told when I was still waffling over it), hopefully this helps. The formula on both is amazing, makes me wonder why I don't have way more of Essie in my collections.

Sorry about my terrible cuticles, yikes!

OPI Silver Shatter + Mermaid Tears (Special Guest Too Faced Mirror Mirror Lip Gloss)

At long last I've finally got my OPI Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides polishes! I only got 2 so far though, of course I got Silver Shatter and naturally I got Mermaid Tears. Next time I'll get Sparrow Me The Drama and that's it, none of the other colors really wowed me in person. I was already wanting Silver Shatter a lot, but I actually like it even more than I was expecting when I put it over Mermaid Tears, it's just the perfect combo!

Silver Shatter, Mermaid Tears

Too Faced Mirror Mirror Lip Gloss in Damn I'm Hot

A couple pictures of the combo on my nails. I really like it. Silver Shatter is much better than black shatter in my opinion. Less bold and "punk".

NOTD: Colorful Pastels For Spring/Easter

After much redoing of my nails I finally settled on one for the rest of the week (or at least until Saturday night). These are all from Color Club's "Reveal Your Mystery" set from their Spring 2011 Alter Ego line. When I first swatched these on the fake nails I thought it was going to be be disappointingly sheer, but they are nicely opaque after 3 coats! I am very pleased since I like the colors a lot. My favorite out of the ones I am wearing here is the lilac. The pink is nice and the orangey shade is alright (nice because it has some subtle shimmer though) but the lilac definitely wins. On the pink and the lilac I layered OPI I Juggle...Men so the cremes wouldn't be too stark with the shimmer. And just because it's lovely.

Click to enlarge both pictures to better see the shimmer/sparklies.

NOTD: NYC Sidewalkers + OPI I Juggle...Men

Last night I tried my theory on how to fix OPI I Juggle...Men and it seems to have helped, I didn't get any weird wrinkles or fissures although I still got some minor shrinkage but I am starting to think that this is more because of the Poshe top coat than anything, I think though that when I put I Juggle...Men over the not completely dry (but dry to the touch) polish yesterday it just amplified the problem. I am glad I was able to work out the issues with I Juggle...Men because I really really think it's lovely.

As for the color underneath that I used, it's NYC Sidewalkers a medium "elephant" gray creme. It's not bad for the price although I found the formula a little watery (maybe due to this being a 60 second drying formula) and the brush a little stiff. But I mean you get what you pay for so I don't think it's too bad if you want a gray creme, I wouldn't pay too much for this color otherwise just because it's so boring on it's own but I wanted a gray for some reason so I figured why not, generally NYC polishes are pretty passable if you want a cheap polish that is pretty decent although I think my favorite cheap polish is probably Essence just because it was so opaque and creamy, but you don't really get a lot.

Click on the picture to see detail, it's hard to see the pretty sparkles unless you do. PS. Don't mind my hideous cuticles~.

NOTD: Orly Terra Mauve + OPI I Juggle...Men

The colors are a bit off for the Orly Terra Mauve in these pictures but the main point of this post is really OPI I Juggle...Men, which is a really beautiful sheer sparkle which is somewhat duochrome pink/light blue. My only issue with it is that it seems to hate me by causing the most bizarre issues to the color below it such as; fissures, crinkling and intense shrinkage. I thought that this was caused by Poshe last time but it appears to not be the case because all these things except maybe the shrinkage happened before I applied it. Don't get me wrong though I've still had issues with Poshe in the past and will still not be repurchasing it. Apparently I am the only one having issues which is baffling me. I am going to try it over dry polish w/ top coat and see if that helps at all because I really love I Juggle...Men and am desperate to make it work. I do want to say though that Terra Mauve went on like butter and was perfectly opaque in 2 coats although if you aren't picky and are pretty careful you could probably get away with one coat.

Sorry I did such a messy job, again I did it rather late and I had no patience for it, not that it mattered in the end but yeah...I am going to aim for an earlier time so I can be a bit neater!

You can see in these pictures some of the shrinkage although it's not easy to see, but on my ring finger and my thumb by the cuticle you can see as good of an example as I can capture but it's also pretty mild compared to some of it. The crinkles and fissures are really hard to capture, especially on a darker color like this, so just try to imagine it...

NOTD: Revlon Minted + Revlon Temptress

I was actually originally going to use $OPI Mash Up last night, but it kept messing up because I had to do like a million layers it was so sheer, even after 3 there was still VNL...dunno if I'll be using it again, kind of wish I got the Katy Perry version, since Mash Up wasn't even that duochrome.

So I decided to go another direction completely and do pastels! I forgot how dark of a pink Temptress is though, although I like the shimmer. I am thinking maybe I should do some Essie French Affair instead maybe? Still thinking about it... Anyways, Revlon's formula was a little watery and took 3 coats to get opaque but wasn't too bad. Their brush is a bit thin with stiff bristles but wasn't the worst ever. I could have also had trouble since it was like 1am when I did my nails though (also pardon the messy job I did, I had no patience for it at all by that point).

As for the colors I really love Revlon Minted, it's a really nice mint green. Temptress I only really got because I wanted the retro bottle/color from the Fire and Ice collection. It's not a bad color just a bit intense. I really love the slight shimmer to it, makes it a little more interesting than a creme, but still mostly creme-y.

What do you think, keep the pink or change it to a more pastel shade?

Misa Dirty Sexy Money, NOTD & Review

After hearing so much good stuff about Misa Dirty Sexy Money and being a lover of this type of color I had to pick up a bottle off of eBay. This color is discontinued so if you want it you need to head over to eBay as well, or try and find it elsewhere. The price wasn't TOO bad though.

Dirty Sexy Money is a lovely dusty green with a bit of a blue tinge to it. It sounds like it's supposed to be the color of money, but as my husband pointed out it's more like the color of the Statue of Liberty. Regardless of what it resembles it's a very pretty color though. The formula was slightly runny but still controllable and pictured is 2 medium-thick coats as you all know that is pretty unusual for me so yeah, the formula is nice and opaque.

EDIT: So this is the morning after application and sadly I noticed a bunch of bubbles so I had to do another layer...but that's so weird, I know it's not me because I've done tons of creme NOTDs that had no bubbles. Luckily this color is worth the trouble but I am still a bit disappointed :/

In natural light.

All 3 pictures in direct artificial light.

NOTD & Review: Zoya Breezi

So after hell...er...glitter removal I opted to go for the furthest thing from a glitter, a creme. I love my glitter polishes but holy cannoli maybe I will limit glitter polishes for my toes (which I don't change as often).

ANYWAY, the reason I am making this post before my backlog of posts is that I am having a weird issue with this polish. It went on like a buttery dream, opaque in one coat but I did 2 just in case (I always do 3 so this is a big deal) however this morning it seems like just looking at the polish has caused it to chip (right thumb and ring finger) and get a gash that spans the whole nail (left thumb). The chips on the right were a bit weird but I did hit/scratch my hand on something relatively rough so I didn't fret about it too much, but the gash on the left thumb really weirded me out as all I did to get it was reach into a box of sugar packets and get a handful of them out. I didn't touch the cardboard or anything, just other sugar packets. WTF? It's also scuffing like crazy.

I think I may have to begrudgingly go back to Seche Vite after I am done with the bottle of Poshe since I can only blame the top coat...one issue was enough (with the polish on my thumbs peeling off earlier) but two really makes me wonder. I never had ANY chipping or anything at all before. I might just start pouring the Seche Vite into the Poshe bottle or something so that I have the perks of the bottle, since that was the main reason for switching anyway (I didn't mind that I'd have to get Seche Restore eventually).

I do have to mention though that like I said earlier application was absolutely perfect, and I just love the color so I do reccomend Zoya Breezi since I am not sure if it's the top coat that caused the issues anyway.

NOTD: Sparkly, Neon and Bright!

Last Friday I decided I wanted to do a wild and crazy NOTD, although in the end I wasn't too big of a fan it was fun while it lasted :). Color Club neons with some NYC and Essence sparklies on top! While this was short lived it was fun...I think I would have kept it on longer if I didn't attempt to, and somehow mess up, using OPI Black Shatter over this and having to fix it...it was just kind of a mess and I think soured me on the whole manicure... Click the pictures below for a closer look :).

NOTD: Zoya Adina

I recently got a couple colors from Zoya's BOGO on their summer line, Mira for my mom and Breezi for myself. However instead of getting those, I got somebody else's order for Adina in the mail. I talked to Danielle over Zoya's live chat and she told me I could keep Adina and they'd send me my correct order as well. Since Adina was on my short list (only 3 on it) of Zoya polishes I wanted to get, I am definitely happy about this turn of events. Sure, I have to wait a bit longer for the polishes I ordered, but I also ended up getting a free polish and saving $8+shipping!!

Anyhow, I know Adina has been reviewed/swatched to death by now...but it can't hurt to have one more...right? I don't have enough duotones in my collection, and this one is a classic so it's perfect!

Indoors, mix of natural and fluorescent lighting.

NOTD: Orly Sapphire Silk + Essence Movie Star

I've been wanting to use Orly Sapphire Silk again for a while, it's a very pretty color. I didn't want to do anything too fancy since I overdid it on my last manicure a little bit. I wanted to try something a bit different for the accent nail this time though, so I used Essence Movie Star which is just a gray creme...but a surprisingly nice one.

My only complaint is that the bottle is so tiny, but with the price I guess I can see why. The brush is very good, usually mini bottles' brushes are mini and stiff as well but not the case here. The formula was also very good. I will definitely get more colors by Essence next time I go to Ulta (which is the only place I've seen that brand). I also like that there isn't a stark contrast between the 2 colors. Most of the time when I do the accent nail it's really obvious, but this is a nice way to have a little fun, but not TOO much fun haha.

This is the manicure I used my new Poshe top coat on...so far so good, as you can see it has a high shine and all that.

In indirect sunlight. The colors are more accurate here.

In direct sunlight.

NOTD: Essie Coat Azure & Maybelline Denim

After my super busy 80's/early 90's nails I decided to do a palate cleanser in my favorite nail color--blue. This time I kept the accent nail (of course...it's like I HAVE to do it...) but just made it a darker shade of blue in a similar finish (shimmer).

Sorry it's really messy, I wasn't able to do it until like midnight last night and by then my patience was really dropping off and I was getting pretty sleepy as well. Thank goodness for Seche Vite, without it I wouldn't have had time to do my nails! Not too shabby either, since I did 3 coats of both colors.

I've worn Essie Coat Azure before, but only as an accent. It's a really lovely color so I've been wanting to wear it as the main color for a while. I love the dusty blue shade and the subtle silvery shimmer that adds some good dimension to it. I'll get cremes if I really love the colors, but I really prefer something a little more fun like a shimmer since it's still pretty chill, but also a little more fun and pretty than a creme. When I wear a creme 1/2 the time I have an urge to add a shatter/flakie/glitter to it even if I like it how it is, just because it's so stark.

Maybelline Denim is actually not it's whole name, there is another word but I forgot it. I got this one on clearance at Target for a couple bucks and it was the nicest clearance color there so I figured 'why not?'. It is actually a really pretty navy blue shimmer that is a surprisingly deep color. The shimmer is a similar blue so it's pretty subtle but when the light hits it you can really see the depth.

In direct bathroom light.

Flash to show the shimmer.

NOTD: 80's/Early 90's Crackle

This isn't exactly my most original manicure ever, but I have been dieing to try it since I saw Scrangie do it on her blog. The accent nail however was my idea. Originally I was just going to do it plain, but realized that the black crackle would tie it together more and really go well with it. I chose that color combo because I wanted to do something showing the neon aspect of that era, but as I hate/don't own neon polish I chose something that captures the electric feel. And the polish IS from a neon collection, so it's close enough for me!

Here is what I used:

Accent nail - Color Club Ultra Violet (luminous purple with a bright blue flash) + OPI Black Shatter.

All other nails - Essie French Affair + China Glaze Crushed Candy + China Glaze Cracked Concrete.

I just have to say I love this manicure! Retro is awesome!!

Mascara, My New Friend + St. Patrick's Day NOTD

So I just started wearing mascara a few days ago, specifically Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion which I like a lot so far. I like the brush a lot! I got it in blackened brown this time, which is nice, but I think I'd like to get it in black next time for a more dramatic look.

Here is what it looks like on, with Urban Decay Sin on the lids (I know it's technically a primer but I got it to use as a brightening shadow) and Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil in Bourbon on the water line...I was careful to not get any sparkles there.

I feel like when I wear the mascara with a brightening eye shadow I don't really need an eyeliner on top, it pops enough. I don't really like eyeliner (other than on the water line) anyways because it's a B**** to get it just right...I always make it too thick etc. etc. Mascara is much easier to get looking right.

I only use the liner on the water line really because I don't like putting mascara on my bottom lashes...it looks nice but it's just kind of fiddly. I think I'd do it only when going out or something. It only takes a second to put the liner on, and if it rubs off it is no big deal...although I used 24/7 in hopes of it not rubbing off so easily since usually it either rubs or melts off nearly right away!

Last but not least I have my St. Patrick's Day NOTD...I know it's not until tomorrow but I am going to remove it tomorrow night so I decided to have it on at least a day ahead of time so it's not a complete waste. I used a makeup sponge for the gold, I started out trying to make the tips gold, but I messed up so I covered it up with a bit of a gradient. I think this would have come out better if my nails were longer, or if I did the gradient a bit shorter...I'll have to try again though, since it's a fun and pretty easy look. Practice makes perfect :).

I don't know what it is about when I do my nails, but 1/2 the time I end up liking the polish I used on the accent nail better and regret not doing it on all the other nails and having what I did on the other fingers on the accent nail instead...

Gold is Orly Glitz, green is Zoya Shawn and the accent finger is Orly Royal Velvet.

NOTD OPI DS Sapphire + Hard Candy Beetle

Oh man, this manicure has been a comedy of errors!! It looks ok here, but that's because I am covering the nick on my index finger with my thumb, and it's before dry erase board cleaning spray ruined the finish on my middle finger (there is also some red dry erase ink on it too...).

I can't wait to get home and fix everything >.<. These are such pretty polishes too, OPI DS Sapphire is such a pretty light blue holo and Hard Candy Beetle is such a neat duochrome glitter. I just want to be able to really enjoy it. The formula on both polishes was lovely, no issues there although I am going to get a bottle of Seche Restore ASAP as my Seche Vite is getting gloopy and is hard to apply without destroying the polish...it still works, I just have to be very careful and work very quickly.

In natural and fluorescent lighting.

I did the flash so you can see the holo effect better.

NOTD: Orly Sapphire Silk + China Glaze Ingrid

Finally felt OK enough last night to do my nails...I figured after having something pretty loud on for a while I'd tone it down a notch with Orly Sapphire Silk from the Precious collection for Spring 2011 on most of my nails and China Glaze Ingrid from the Vintage Beauties collection on my accent finger. These colors are both beautiful!

I am glad I decided to get Ingrid for my brown (I was looking for a brown for a few weeks), since it has a really pretty gold shimmer to it that I had a terrible time getting to show up in pictures, since it's rather subdued. Which is what I like about it really, just shimmery enough to be interesting but not so much that it's "blinged out". I think I've found the brown I was looking for! I do want to try some more browns later on though. The formula for this one was a little on the runny side, and I ended up making a mess on my right hand since I had even less control, and had to do like 3 coats just to even out mistakes, but otherwise it's very nice and opaque. I actually painted over 1 coat of Sapphire Silk with it because I forgot I wanted to do the accent nails, and aside from tiny little bits on the sides and tips you can't tell at all. Even then you'd have to look really closely to tell at all.

Sapphire Silk is a very pretty jelly-ish green toned teal, it actually matches my new purse...well, nearly. It's actually a good deal darker, but it's along the same vein. My camera doesn't pick up the green so much, but this is pretty darn close. I really love this color, if I "have" to wear a creme then I'll probably gravitate towards this one. At least if I want something a little on the darker side. The formula was really nice too, I probably could have done with 1 coat but I did 2 just to be on the safe side and even out any mistakes.

Also does anybody know if Sapphire Silk is similar to OPI Ski Teal We Drop? It looks very similar in the bottle, and I want Ski Teal We Drop but if they are as similar as they seem then I don't need both.

All in all a rather "safe" manicure (well my right hand would disagree, I was so messy this time) but I wanted a bit of a change from all the crackles etc. for a little bit. Besides, I think next time I'll probably do OPI DS Signature with Hard Candy Beetle as the accent so I think it makes it more fun to have a bit of a break from "gimmick" polishes in between, to make it more special :)

NOTD: Nails Like An Egyptian~

I started out on this one just with Essie Shift Power and Hard Candy Frenzy topped with Nubar 2010 on the accent nails. I think if Shift Power was brighter it would have worked a lot better like that, but I thought it needed a little something to even out the focus a bit so I added China Glaze Crushed Candy on top of the nails with Shift Power.

Unlike my last effort to spice up a my nails a bit with a crackle this one turned out much prettier than I was expecting. I think it kind of looks a bit ancient Egyptian. Not so much the accent nails but it still works alright with it. Maybe the accent nails can represent the Nile or something like that.

I don't know what happened with the crackle on the pinky, maybe I just didn't do it all the way to the tip, or it shrunk more on that nail.