Cotton Candy Dreams :)

My life is a circus and I am LOVING the cotton candy!! Here I used Essie in "forget me knots" and the french tip Konad plate (m19) with Sally Hansen insta-dry in "brisk Blue" as well as the fluer de lis on the m15 Konad plate. I followed with a crown (m40) on the ring finger using the white Konad Polish and the plate and finished with petites in "stardust" and a coat of SV... Yum!! Hey, Auntie..didn't you say something about a snack??

China Glaze Free Love (and Konad)

This is a color I picked up on clearance at Sally Beauty Supply for a big 99 cents. Even with its tiny price tag, I must have picked it up and put it down about 12 times before I finally reminded myself that it was only 99 cents. I was really concerned that I would hate this color, but it turns out to be quite the opposite...I LOVE this color!

Free Love is/was part of the Retro Diva collection released last year and it's a bold burnt orange shimmer that makes it look like it's somehow lit from within. I find this color extremely pretty.

First picture is in natural indirect light; second picture in full, glorious sunshine!





Since I'm starting a new job tomorrow (yay...GO ME!), I wanted to have kind of a snazzy first-day manicure and decided to do a little Konading (like I need a reason to Konad). Since I didn't want to have a halloween/fall look, nor did I want to have a NY Mets look (that will come later), I chose the only other option that I could think of: white. I also chose the paisley pattern from plate m64.

Here she is in indirect natural light, and in direct sunlight.





Kind of reminds me a bit of a Creamsicle. Hmm....now I'm hungry. Pardon me while I have a snack...

You say you want a Revvolution? Color Club that is!

After the relatively boring holographic post of Thursday, I felt compelled to follow it with (what I think is) a simply gorgeous holographic polish. May I introduce to you, Color Club Revvolution...(and no, I didn't make a mistake, it is spelled "vv"):



This top picture was taken in indirect natural light. Wait...this looks nice and all, but all I see is a dark gray polish with some glitter. Let's check it out in some direct sunlight.





And one more time:



I used two coats, but honestly coverage was good with one! Oh, I do so love thee...

Konad French Tips

I love french tips!! White, pink, blue, black, etc...it goes on... I love them with the konad!! I think the trick is to go quick... hustle, hustle, hustle!! The results are quick, gorgeous, and relatively inexpensive. On the downside, the regular french tip plates are not very wide, so they are not very suitable for really long nails. Also on here, is the princess crown (how fitting!) from the m40 plate. I used the french m19 and for the flowers I used the m29. I love the casual look of the bubbly flowers. For the white i used the konad white, and the konad black for the crown. I finished with a petites in stardust and a coat of SV. Viola!!

China Glaze FYI (not so) holographic polish

Pryncss has been wanting to see some of my new NP haul and FYI was the one she most wanted to see. It's a subtle, nudish taupe/beige with a hint of holographic shimmer. This isn't quite what I expected it to be (I expected the color to be a little deeper, richer maybe).

First pic, taken in a shady area:





Next up, a couple of pics taken in full sun:






When I first put this on, I wanted to cry out of sheer boredom, but I have to say I'm liking it a little bit more. I can see where this might be a good polish to have in your stash if you have to play a little on the conservative side of the nail polish spectrum. What are your thoughts?

Sound the bell...Dorothy Who vs. Absolutely Alice

Today's "fight" is a comparison between China Glaze Dorothy Who and O.P.I. Absolutely Alice.

In the left corner, weighing in at .5 oz, we have China Glaze Dorothy Who, a dazzling blue glitter suspended in a blue jelly base from the Wizard of Ooh Ahz collection. Pictures show three coats of the Godess she is, no top coat. Both pictures taken in indirect natural light (we have no sun today..)





In the right corner, also weighing in at 0.5 oz, is O.P.I. Absolutely Alice, from the Alice in Wonderland collection, who is a clear base combining very dense glitter that is mostly blue with some silver and what looks like a tiny touch of gold for good measure. Again, three coats is what we have here, but this one was taken two days ago and it is in direct sunlight.



Lastly, here's both on one hand. Took this photo today, so this is in indirect natural light. Each finger has three coats and the layout goes like this:

Pinky and Middle Finger: Absolutely Alice
Index and Ring Finger: Dorothy Who





So who wins the battle? The difference between the two is relatively insignificant. I don't think that if you have one, that your collection really needs the other. Since China Glaze retails at a significantly lower price than O.P.I., I'd have to say that if you had neither, but want one, go for the ChG!

OPI Mad as a Hatter, and of course, some Konad!

As I've said in a previous post, I love O.P.I....I truly do, I just don't like the price tag associated with it. Whenever I buy one (or two), I have this conversation in my head that goes along the lines of "I could buy 3 China Glaze polishes, or 16 Wet 'n Wild polishes, or X number of _______ polishes instead of just this measly one or two". But every now and then, there's an OPI polish that I just have to have, so I shake off the other voice in my head and go ahead and buy it. I can because it doesn't break my no-more-than-nine-dollars rule.

So up today, I have O.P.I.'s Mad as a Hatter. It looks like a party in a bottle, and definitely a party on your nails. Easy application (although a pain to remove as all glitters are); this picture represents three coats. First picture indirect natural light, second picture in some sun.





As most sparkly, glittery polishes, it's hard to capture on the sparkly goodness in a photo. I'm working on my photographic skills, but unfortunately, this is the best I can do for now.

Every since my "hot mess konad" post, I've wanted to try some more Konad over glitters, so here's my Konad for this one. I used Wet 'n Wild Fantasy Makers Black for the stamp, and plate M65.





Sorry about the lack of clean-up before the pics, I was kinda in a hurry. I like this one...whatcha think?

Ulta Limelight and a bonus Konad

I redeemed my reward certificate from Ulta today and snagged a few polishes; one of which is a newly released shade of green called Limelight. This polish was surprisingly thick (unlike other Ulta polishes I've purchased), almost a little gloopy. Usually, I take a moment to check the tightness on a cap before I purchase a polish, just to make sure someone before me didn't test the sucker and not screw the cap on back tightly thus causing the polish to get thick. I suspect that's exactly what happened, because there is a bit of polish buildup around the bottle's neck, so I'm going to take a little thinner to it the next time I use it.

Anyway, this color is a yellow-leaning mossy green; very streaky and nasty first coat, evens itself out with the second coat, and becomes opaque with a third coat. This photo was taken in natural indirect light...no direct sunlight could be found!



Breaking out the Konad, I decided not to reach for my two favorite Konading polishes (China Glaze Millenium and 2030), and instead chose to try two others. First up is Limelight with Essie Mint Candy Apple and a design from plate M65 for an art deco kind of look.



For a more subtle, tone-on-tone kind of look, I used Pure Ice Wild Thing over Limelight (note: Sally Hansen Extreme Wear Ivy League stamped identically on this color, so if you plan to try this, you can use this to replace Wild Thing).


I'm not sure if I could keep either of these on my fingers for longer than a day...

China Glaze Lubu Heels & my Nfaux Oh franken

Let me start by saying I loved the idea of ChG Lubu Heels...what's not to love about red glitter suspended in a black jelly base? I thought it would be similar to ChG Fortune Teller, that bottle of black jelly with those gorgeous orange glitter flakes floating in it.

Unfortunately for me, after painting on three coats, what I saw is a black mani. Those gorgeous red microsparkles barely transferred to the nail. In most lights, all my eyes see is b-l-a-c-k, and it's not even a stunning black at that. Oh China Glaze, you had the right idea (high marks for originality), but you failed in execution. I don't need another black (or too close to black to call it anything other than black), I need a black jelly with big, brazen red sparkly glitter!!!

In all fairness to China Glaze, I shouldn't have expected so much. The glitter in Fortune Teller is much larger than that of Lubu Heels. Still, I wanted to see a much bigger flash of red than what I got.

Here's the (very disappointing to me) mani...




Now, on another note, I have been lusting after those Nfu Oh polishes I've seen the ladies on NB and fellow bloggers posting pictures of, especially the flakies. They are all just so freakin' gorgeous. But for some reason, I just can't plunk down the bucks for it. OPI prices tick me off most of the time, but I'll still buy them. However, I refuse to go over $9.00 on a polish...flat out refuse. I'll spend $18 (or more) on a single eyeshadow, but on a polish, NEVER. I know, I don't get my own logic sometimes, either.

So anyway, I'm crusing the aisles over at Sally's when I spot these little jars of flakies, and the inspiration comes to me. Screw Nfu Oh, I'll make my own flaky polish. So I do. Here's my NFaux Oh, over my Chg Lubu Heels.



It is much prettier in person because the reflection of the light changes the color of the flakies, but it still needs a lot of tweaking. I guess Nfu Oh doesn't need to be afraid after all.

Finally a decent Dollar Tree score!

I'm a long-time lurker over on the MUA nail board, and I've read several posts over the months about all the wonderful dollar polishes people have been finding over at the dollar store. Every time *I* manage to go, there's nothing...nada...zip, EXCEPT FOR THIS WEEKEND!

This is a picture of my Maybelline Express haul, as well as a few Sally Hansen Insta-Dri's I managed to snag at the flea market. Everything pictured cost a grand total of $9.50. The Maybelline's actually came with a matching mini lipstick. I'm so happy I could cry....(figure of speech, of course I'm not gonna cry)

Mannequin Hands?

I've seen a lot of blog posts and posts over on the NB about mannequin hands...the gist being nude polishes that make your hands look like, oh I don't know, mannequin hands? I, personally, have never cared for the look. When I was at Ulta the other day, they had an Essie polish on the clearance shelf for 99 cents. The polish, a nude beige, is called Bags to Riches. Wait a second...Bags to Riches?? What, they didn't want the word "rag" associated with their polish, so they changed it to bag so it would rhyme? And they thought that name would be better? I don't get it, and it gets my vote to compete in the worst name of a polish EVER championship. But, I digress.

Despite my misgivings about the polish color (and the name), I figured I'd pick it up a) because I could use it as a base for some of my more sheer polishes, and b) 'CAUSE IT'S AN ESSIE AND IT'S ONLY 99 CENTS, so I snatched it.

Now that it's on, I kind of like it. Maybe it's because I thought it would be horribly putrid and it's not at least horribly putrid. Anyway, here's the color and here's the hand. This is two coats, no top coat; one picture in natural indirect light and one in full sun.






What do you think...Mannequin hands, yay or nay?

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day...

Here's a not-too-original Konad for you today. I used my girl (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue Me Away (2 coats), white Konad special polish, and the cloud pattern from plate m79.

First picture is in indirect natural light, second picture full sun. I dunno why it looks like I have a giant gouge in my thumb, I don't...it's a cloud.






This was so easy, a Heidi can do it!

Multi-leopard Konad

I'm so excited to post my first blog!! But, not quite as excited as I was when i was finished with this nail design!! It is inspired by a trip to Claire's... they had a whole section dedicated to multi-colored leopard print..and I was in love!! It was my very first adventure with Konad (thank you aunt Heidi!!) and what started my love affair with it! I now have a growing collection of Konad plates and I am always trying new polishes with it!! Here, I used Sally Hansen Xtreme wear in White On for my base, and I used the leopard print from the Konad M57 plate. I used a dotting tool to fill in the spaces with different neon colors from my Nina Ultra Pro collection, that I purchased from Sally's Beauty Supply. I finished with a top coat of Seche Vite.

Sinful Colors Swatches and Review

My friend Amy (Hi Amy!) was at Walgreens yesterday when the giant, shiny Sinful Colors display got her attention. (I know it grabs my attention every time I go in...even when I'm not looking for polish.) She called me to ask me what I knew about the brand. Being slightly opportunistic, I decided to turn this question into a blog post. Here is a picture of the four Sinful Colors polishes that I currently own. From left to right are: UFO, Show Me The Way, Call You Later, and Frenzy. (UFO is a little washed out in this photo; the second photo represents its color much more accurately.)



The following picture goes like this, and none have topcoat:
Thumb: 2 coats of Call You Later
Index: 4 coats of Frenzy (to save all from seeing my stained nails)
Middle: 1 coat of Call You Later over 2 coats of Show Me The Way
Ring: 2 coats of Show Me The Way
Pinkie: 2 coats of UFO





Application is easy and drying time is pretty fast, and IMO they compete quite well with polishes of much higher price brackets. I've never worn them for long periods of time, (it's unusual for me to wear the same polish for three days) so I can't talk much about longevity, though. With a wide range of colors and finishes, it's an inexpensive indulgence that you won't feel bad about later...enjoy!

Finally a decent Dollar Tree Score!

I'm a long-time lurker over on the MUA nail board, and I've read several posts over the months about all the wonderful dollar polishes people have been finding over at the dollar store. Every time *I* manage to go, there's nothing...nada...zip, EXCEPT FOR THIS WEEKEND!

This is a picture of my Maybelline Express haul, as well as a few Sally Hansen Insta-Dri's I managed to snag at the flea market. Everything pictured cost a grand total of $9.50. The Maybelline's actually came with a matching mini lipstick. I'm so happy I could cry....(figure of speech, of course I'm not gonna cry)

Hot Mess Konad

What do you do if you're not really keen on the look of the nail polish that you spent half an hour (more or less) applying? If you're me, you put glitter over it. What happens when you're still not thrilled with the end result? If you're me, you Konad over it. As promised, here is the pics of yesterday's blinged out purple with a ChG Millenium Konad coat (design from M63 plate).

I'm not exactly rockin' it, but I'm not hating on it, either...

Blinged Out Purple

OK, since I have about 15 different purple polishes in my collection, you would think that it would be safe for me to say that I like purple polish. I do like purple polish...on everybody else that is. Whenever *I* wear it (which is probably 3 times a year), I feel like my hands belong to somebody else.

I put on this Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine unnamed mini bottle of purple and after approximately 10 minutes of staring at my fingers like they were alien creatures, I decided I needed to do something that would help me own this mani. I have no *before* picture to show just the purple, but the bottom picture shows the two coats of Sinful Colors Frenzy glitter layered over the top (please excuse the lack of clean up).

The second photo shows the addition of two coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear glitter over the other glitter. Wow...speechless, and not in a good way. I knew I should have left well enough alone.

Top picture shows the products I used. The first two polishes are pretty color accurate, but the Strobe Light is a slightly darker pink than this picture shows. Be sure to come back tomorrow for a good laugh when I Konad over this...

It's too late for me, so save yourself!

Today I was out scouting for cheap nail polish finds, when lo and behold, I spot this at Bealls Outlet for a mere $2.99. I'm thinking I just got a great score here, until I got it home and opened it that is.

I wish I had a picture of the mess inside, but alas, I do not. Let me just say that a 1/4 inch layer of the product stuck to my finger as I was rubbing across the top of it like it was some sort of epoxy. Even worse, it smells like something you'd use to, I dunno, compost with?

So, if you see one of these in your travels, beware. And if you do buy one and it turns out like what I've described above, don't say I didn't warn you.