Pages

Thursday, March 26, 2015

A2Z Series Week 20 - T is for Texture

*purchased by me*


Hey there! It's week 20 of the A2Z Weekly Challenge, and this week T is for Texture. Most of my textured polishes are actually at home, but I was glad I had one in Massachusetts with me. 


I started with a base of two coats of Hard Candy Island Fever.  Once that was completely dry I used single chevron Nail Vinyls then painted my tips with Zoya London


Originally I did not put topcoat on after putting Zoya London on (above picture), but I didn't love how it looked so I finished up with one coat of KBShimmer Clearly On Top.  


I really like this look better with topcoat.  It seemed to make the look cleaner and crisper. 


I really like how Hard Candy Island Fever looks like a different color in different lighting. Sometimes it leans more green and other times more blue. 

What do you think of my textured look?  Have you done any nail art with textured polishes? 

Don't forget to check out the other bloggers participating in the challenge and remember to check back every Thursday to see all the creations.  Next week U is for Unusual.  For the complete A2Z Archive head over to the hubpage HERE
 
Thanks for reading!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

A2Z Series Week 19 - S is for Silver

*purchased by me*


Hey there!  It's week 19 of the A2Z Weekly Challenge, and this week S is for Silver.  I'm actually on time for this one even with working crazy hours all week! 


I had a lot of different ideas for what I wanted to do this week. I decided to go with this simple, but cute look.  I had done a similar look using pinks back in October for Breast Cancer Awareness and had wanted to try it again.  This week seemed perfect for it! 


The polishes I used are Girly Bits Stormy Skies (3 coats), Bonita Dream Wonderland (2 coats), and Rica Whiteout (2 coats). I used KBShimmer Connected Lines Vinyl Nail Decals to do the stripes on my accent nail and drew the heart on with a dotting tool.  I finished the look with KBShimmer Clearly On Top.


I'm not normally a fan of metallic polishes, but I do like this silver Bonita. I think my look turned out just how I wanted it to which makes me happy!
 
What do you think of this simple nail art? 

Don't forget to check out the other bloggers participating in the challenge and remember to check back every Thursday to see all the creations.  Next week T is for Texture.  For the complete A2Z Archive head over to the hubpage HERE
 
Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Pretty & Polished Spring Collection & Humble Beginnings

*press sample*

Hey there! I have to start off saying that I think I'm jinxed. Any time I'm being sent polish to review I break a nail and have to do the review with nubbins.  I wish my nails were just a little longer, but I couldn't wait to swatch and share these gorgeous polishes! 


I'm in a Pretty & Polished fan group on Facebook, and Chels, the creator, asked if anyone wanted to swatch some upcoming colors. I jumped at the opportunity. Pretty & Polished was my first indie polish, and still one of my favorite brands.  I have two gorgeous colors from her Spring Collection and an oldie but goodie from the Humble Beginnings collection. Let's jump right in! 

Meet Me At The Fishing Hole
 

Meet Me At The Fishing Hole is a blue crelly base with green/aqua color shifting flakes. 


I used three coats plus topcoat.  The application was flawless. I did three coats because it's a jelly and was rather sheer after the first coat. I prefer full coverage and to have no VNL. 


Just look at this polish! It's stunning! I thought it looked lovely in the bottle, but when I put it on and really saw how awesome the flakies are I was in love! 

Pretty & Lilacquered
 

Pretty & Lilacquered is a purple/pink that changes to white/light pink in heat.  It has blue and pink matte micro glitters.  


This is three coats plus topcoat. It dried slightly textured so I used topcoat to smooth it out.  The pics above are in the warm state!


Here is Pretty & Lilacquered when cold. Pretty & Polished is known for her awesome thermal, color changing polishes, and this one definitely does not disappoint. 
 

I was really impressed by this color. It looked pretty in the bottle, but it's beautiful on. I like it in both temperature states, and think it will be flattering on all skin tones.  Formula was great and easy to apply. 

Elvis' Pink Cadillac
 

I was sent Elvis' Pink Cadillac from the Humble Beginnings collection.  These are six polishes that were from older collections and are being re-released.  Elvis' Pink Cadillac is a light pink jelly with  black matte hexes and small dots.  


I did three coats plus topcoat for these pics. The formula on this was great. I didn't have to fish for glitter at all. It came out easily on the brush and went on the nail without having to dab it on.  It dried slightly matte so I finished it with topcoat go a smooth, shiny look.

The other polishes being released as part of this collection are Punk'd Up Betty, Sand Art, Swing, Galaxy-E, and Bayou Blitz.  If you missed them before now is your chance to get them. 

Summary
Overall I'm impressed by these polishes. The formulas were great and the colors are beautiful.  I can't wait to try the other colors from the Spring Collection. 

You can buy these polishes HERE at 10:00AM EST on March 20th.  Please make sure to like Pretty & Polished on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Which color are you looking most forward to from the Pretty & Polished Spring and Humble Beginnings Collections? 
 
Thanks for reading!

Monday, March 16, 2015

A2Z Series Week 18 - R is for Redo/Reboot/Recycle/Recreate

*purchased by me*
 

Hey there!  It's week 18 of the A2Z Weekly Challenge, and this week's theme is R is for Redo/Reboot/Recycle/Recreate.  I decided to redo a look I did before I was blogging and knew about cuticle care!  I used colors inspired by @polishpdxnails on Instagram and recreated her look. 


I used Orly Kiss The Bride as my base color than used a damp makeup sponge and did the gradient using Kiss the Bride and Rica Whiteout.  I applied the gradient twice to achieve this look.


Kiss the Bride is really pretty, but was streaky which is typical with pale pinks. I had to do three coats for full coverage and to have it even out. I don't have a picture of it alone as it was hard to capture in my lighting. I really like how it looked with my skin tone though. 
 

I'm kind of embarrassed to share this, but here is the original manicure that I was inspired to redo. As you can see the colors are different, and I actually prefer it the way it looks now with the lighter pink. Please don't judge me for how awful my cuticles were back then. This is over a year and a half ago.  

What do you think of this gradient mani? What colors should I try for my next gradient? 

Don't forget to check out the other bloggers participating in the challenge and remember to check back every Thursday to see all the creations.  Next week is S is for Silver.  For the complete A2Z Archive head over to the hubpage HERE! 
 
Thanks for reading!


Wednesday, March 11, 2015

A2Z Series Week 17 - Q is for Quirky

*polishes purchased by me*
*stamping plate sent for review*


Hey there! I'm still getting caught up on the A2Z Weekly Challenge, and this week's theme is Q is for Quirky.  


Quirky is something that is strange or not normal, but cool. To a lot of people I know they think my nail polish collection/obsession is strange, but when they see my nail art and creativity they think it's cool. 


So, I decided to use my nail polish addiction for my quirkiness post. I started with a base of Essie Style Hunter.  I was sent some stamping plates for review from Born Pretty Store, and one I really loved is plate BP-29 which is nail polish themed. I stamped using the mini polish bottles design and Polish My Life Breakfast On Fifth and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow


I thought the strange color combination made this look quirky too!  I really loved this plate from Born Pretty Store. It has such fun designs for nail polish lovers and was really easy to use.  I can't wait to try the other plates I was sent to review.  

You can buy this plate HERE and others at bornprettystore.com.  Please follow Born Pretty Store on Facebook and Instagram. Don't forget to use discount code SGSG10 for 10% off your order. 

Don't forget to check out the other bloggers participating in the challenge and remember to check back every Thursday to see all the creations.  Next week is R is for Redo/Reboot/Recycle.  For the complete A2Z Archive head over to the hubpage HERE! 

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Red Coat Tuesday Featuring Rica This Heart Of Mine

*purchased by me*


Hey there and Happy Tuesday! It's almost time for Pretty Little Liars, and I can't wait!  This week's Red Coat Tuesday post features This Heart Of Mine by Rica


This Heart Is Mine is a bright red holographic polish. It was released as a limited edition as a portion of the proceeds benefit the America Heart Association. I love buying a polish for a good cause, and when it turns out this gorgeous it's even more worth it. 


This is two coats of This Heart Of Mine plus topcoat. The formula was great and really easy to use. 


Now, the point of Red Coat Tuesday is because Pretty Little Liars is on so let's talk about last week's episode. Spoiler Alert in case you haven't watched yet! Alison was offered a plea bargain if she named one of the liars as her accomplice.  Aria, Emily, and Ezra searched more into who Varjak is. Caleb talked Hanna into coming clean to Tanner about everything, but "A" hacked into her phone and erased everything causing Hanna to get arrested as an accomplice to Mona's murder. 


So do you think that Ali should have taken the plea? Who do you think Varjak is? What will happen with Ali and Hanna both in jail? Will they team up?  
 
With only three episodes left of the season and the big "A" reveal coming soon I know tonight's episode will be great! 
 
Thanks for reading!

Monday, March 9, 2015

A2Z Series Week 16 - P is for Pale

*purchased by me*


Hey there! I'm still behind, but almost caught up with the A2Z Weekly Challenge. For week 16 P is for Pale.  


I wanted to go with pale colors and a simple dotticure. I used Essie Who Is The Boss and Chinchilly plus a medium tipped dotting tool to achieve this look. 


I thought that a matte topcoat would make this pale look even better so I finished off the look with Butter London Matte Finish topcoat.  


Here's the same look with a shiny topcoat. I really prefer it matte which is odd cause I normally prefer manis with a shiny topcoat.
 
What do you think? Does it look better matte or shiny? 

I will have my Q is for Quirky post up soon.  Don't forget to check out the other bloggers participating in the challenge and remember to check back every Thursday to see all the creations.  Next week is R is for Redo/Reboot/Recycle.  For the complete A2Z Archive head over to the hubpage HERE! 

Thanks for reading!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

A2Z Series Week 15 - O is for Old

*polish purchased by me*
*stamping plate - press sample*

Before I start this post I just want to say sorry I've been MIA lately. Work has been really busy, and I've been so tired I haven't had a chance to do my nails. You'll be happy to know I'm starting to catch up on the A2Z Weekly Challenge though. Also, pardon the nubbins. I had to cut them all after a few breaks. 


So for Week 15 the theme was O is for Old. I wasn't sure what to do, but then some friends suggested lace. It's more of an antique feeling than old to me, but fit the theme in my opinion.  I started with a base of two coats of Zoya Rue. Then I stamped with Rica Whiteout and Born Pretty Store Stamping Plate BP-44.


I was sent the stamping plate to review. I really love this stamp and there are so many other cute ones just on this plate. I can't wait to try them.  You can purchase this plate HERE and others at bornprettystore.com.  Don't forget to use discount code SGSG10 for 10% off your next order.  

Please like Born Pretty Store on Facebook and follow them on Instagram

My post for P is for Pale will be up tomorrow and Q is for Quirky this weekend.

Don't forget to check out the other bloggers participating in the challenge and remember to check back every Thursday to see all the creations.  Next week is R is for Redo/Reboot/Recycle.  For the complete A2Z Archive head over to the hubpage HERE! 

Thanks for reading!