Neon Halloween Vs

Time for Halloween look #2 for the year... some fun & bright neon Vs.

Taken in natural light with cell phone.

I think this is the first time I've ever free-handed Vs instead of using tape, and it was a breeze! Not quite as even as I'd normally do, but when pressed for time this method certainly helped!

Polishes Used
Zoya Raven
Funky Fingers Riot
Funky Fingers Atomic Poppy
Color Club Feelin' Groovy
Salon Perfect Black Diamond

Springtime Stained Glass

Fun stuff to share today! I bought a random plate off of eBay a bit ago that looked like it would have patterns (finally) big enough to cover my entire nail surface. And boy, was I right!

 Taken in direct sunlight with cell phone.

A full size design means that I finally had the opportunity to try out a stained glass design! For anyone unfamilar, you stamp your design like normal then use dotting tools to fill in the blanks. Add a coat of topcoat to connect everything, let it dry, then peel it off and ta-da! You have a awesomely colored decal that can be attached with a bit of top coat. 

Polishes Used 

Funky Fingers Riot

Fresh Paint Dragon Lady

Fresh Paint High Voltage

Pure Ice Free Spirit

OPI Fly

L'Oreal Royalty Reinvented

Stripey Spiderwebs

Hello! Today I've got yet another Halloween look to share... my first attempt at spider webs! I wasn't sure what to do with the other nails, so I went with a quick set of stripes. I seem to be in a stripey mood lately... strange!

Taken in office lighting.

Making webs with a striper brush was actually way easier than I expected. I've already had 5 comments on these nails this week, which is a larger number than normal. Clearly they're eye-catching (and spooky, for sure!)!

Polishes Used
Funky Fingers Riot
Sinful Colors Snow Me White
Color Club White Striper
Salon Perfect Black Diamond
Sinful Colors Secret Admirer 

Black & White Challenge Day 10: My Choice!

The final day of the Black & White Challenge was a look of my own choosing. Woohoo! I went with bold stripes with colorful tips. Oh yeah... and it glows in the dark! 

Taken in natural daylight.

This look brings us happily into the Halloween season. FINALLY!!! I'm super pumped, even if I won't be spending my nights scaring the shit out of people at the local haunted house. I've traded in my haunt gear for something much more proper... more news on that to come soon! ;)

Polishes Used
Sinful Colors Snow Me White
Sinful Colors Glow-in-the-Dark Topcoat
Sinful Colors Black on Black
Funky Fingers Riot
OPI Divine Swine
Broadway Nails Seduction Night (#4)
Fresh Paint Square Candy
OPI Fresh Frog of Bel Air

Black & White Challenge Day 6: Color Base with Something White

Hey there! Today's theme for the Black & White Challenge was a color base with some white. Gee, doesn't this look familiar? :P

Taken in natural daylight.

I actually completed this look before my other look and have been sitting on this pic for a while (hence the actual flowers in the pic and not fallen leaves!). I really do enjoy this look... the white brings out the glow in Zoya's Hope. 

Polishes Used 

Sinful Colors Snow Me White

Zoya Hope

Mattified Glitter featuring Julep's Ciara

Hello! I did what I swore I wasn't going to do and ended up trying Julep back in the fall. I got my three bottles of nail polish and was excited to see what the hype was about, so I swatched up Ciara and topped it with some glitter.

Ciara is a dark, burnt cranberry color with a subtle teal shimmer. Unfortunately, you can't see the shimmer in the picture, but it was noticeable in-person. Application was eh... streaky on the first coat and still streaky on the second. A third, thin coat evened everything out. 

So what can I say about Julep? I'm not that impressed. The bottles are cute, but the shape makes holding onto the brush a pain and they are way too small (especially to justify the price!). I wasn't that impressed with the formula either. For a brand that seems marketed toward luxury, this wasn't spectacular. Unsubscribed!

Polishes Used
Julep Ciara
Ooh La Lacquer Grosky Lil' Beotch
Warpaint Beauty Mattify

Dark and Moody Modern Dots

Hey there! Today I've got a look to share that I did over winter, featuring YouPolish's STARdust. STARdust is a deep purple jelly-ish polish with teal, magenta, and darker blue glitters thrown in the mix. There's also larger star and circle glitters that I had trouble getting on the nail, but I love the look without them just as much as with them!

Both pictures taken in artificial light.

I accented with some colorful dots to pull out the glitter shades. Definitely a modern look with beautiful deep colors!

Polishes Used

YouPolish STARdust

Zoya Neve

Sally Hansen Plum Power

Sally Hansen Marine Scene

Futuristic Gaps Featuring Ulta Purplexed

Do you ever see someone's nail art and just go "Oh man... I have to recreate this!" I did that with a look from Lucy's Stash... I fell in love and knew I needed to do it. ... cue multiple failed attempts at creating the look, frustration over using acrylic paints and having a poorly sized brush...

Taken in natural light.

This is what you end up with! :D I still like this look... the contrasting gaps with the depth of Purplexed is a really cool thing... it definitely reminds me of something very sci-fi and futuristic. 

Polishes Used
White Acrylic paint
Ulta Purplexed

Giveaway Win: Super Black Lacquer Holos!

Hey there! I have finally gotten around to clearing out my picture stash... so here's a giveaway win all the way back from November! I won a three pack of Super Black Lacquer from Life of a Mad Typer, promptly took pictures, then never got around to posting this. Oopsies! 

Taken in sunlight!

Here we have some amazing holos that really shimmer in the sun... the pretty purply color is Heather, the gorgeous cranberry is Spanked, and the burnt gold is Guilty. I had never heard of Super Black Lacquer but I love their packaging and bottle shape, and was surprised to hear that they're located down in Columbus. Very cool!

Polishes Used
Super Black Lacquer Heather
Super Black Lacquer Spanked
Super Black Lacquer Guilty

Cloudy Fingers?

Hi there! I've wanted to do a cloud mani for a while, so here's my attempt! I definitely learned a few things with this...

Taken in indirect natural light.

1. LET THE POLISH DRY - My tips were gooey for a while. I should have let them dry more between coats.
2. Don't use a frosty polish... it shows bumps too easily.
3. Make sure that the brushes are actually shaped for this. The Sally Hansen brush was too flat for doing this easily.

Polishes Used
Broadway Nails O!Jessica 
Sally Hansen Plum Power
Zoya Neve

Better Late than Never! Easter Eggs!

So I'm definitely late on this... but eh. I've been busy at work lately since it's the end of the semester and I just haven't found the time to sit down and write up a post. But here we go! 

Taken in indirect sunlight.

This is the look I rocked for Easter. This is also the last of my manicures that will be using that horribly shitty (maybe duped) Essie Good to Go topcoat. I'll be using that for attaching studs, glitter, and all those other fun small things.... and I've since picked up Salon Perfect's topcoat and it's been lovely thus far!

Polishes Used
L'Oreal Royalty Reinvented
Zoya Creamy
Ruby Wing Gypsy
Cover Girl #240
Sinful Colors Snow Me White
Color Club White Striper

Funky French with Ludrana Aurora Boreal Emocionante

Alrighty! I've got a fun look today featuring a polish from Brazil with a ridiculous multichrome-- Ludrana Emocionante from their Aurora Boreal collection.

Taken in natural daylight, via cellphone.

This polish appears a deep purple normally, but quickly flashes a red/orange/gold. If you get to an extreme angle it also flashes green, but I wasn't able to capture that in my shitty cell phone pics.

Taken in natural daylight, via cellphone.

I decided to add on a fun tip with my favorite polish, Power Play, which looked really nice with all the flashing colors. 

Polishes Used
Ludrana Emocionante
Funky Fingers Power Play

Blue and Purple Glitter Bomb, Featuring Broadway Nails Seduction Night

Hey there! Today I've got a look that was super difficult to photograph, but was ridiculously stunning in-person! It also features my first Broadway Nails polish, which I received as a gift from my aunt.

Taken in artificial light.

I started off with a coat of Mirror, Mirror which is a gorgeous blue shimmer with a purple duochrome (which unfortunately didn't translate to the nail that well). I then topped it with 1 1/2 coats of Seduction Night and painted some freeform triangles with an outline.  

Taken in natural light.

This looks was so sparkly! The first photo shows the design a bit better, but the bottom one is more color-accurate. Unfortunately, neither pick-up all the sparkle!

Polishes Used
Funky Fingers Mirror, Mirror
Broadway Nails Seduction Night (#4)
Milani Purple Outline

Valentine's Nails: Two Looks To Share!

Holy wow, it's been a while! I swear I'm here... I've just been lacking motivation to post. Yuck. To make up for that, I've got two looks to share for Valentine's Day!

Taken in indirect sunlight.

The first look is my 2nd foray into the world of textured polishes. I won another giveaway from Paint Those Piggies! and this gorgeous shade by Julie G was one of the prizes! I knew I had to highlight it, so I used it for the main nail color and as an accent for the hearts (they're upside down in this picture, by the way!). I accented with pink glitter and silver dots, then left the textured parts topcoat-free.

Taken at dusk with artificial light.

Let me tell you, winter around here makes in nearly impossible to take good pictures! This is the second Valentine's look I've got-- a mix of pastel-y colors with some stamping and rhinestones. I need to practice color combos before I actually stamp... and need to buy an actual pastel pink. But this turned out pretty cute, so I'm fine with it!

Polishes Used (Look 1)

Julie G Frosted Gumdrops Crushed Candy

Sinful Colors Snow Me White

OPI Your Royal Shineness

Polishes Used (Look 2)

L'Oreal Royalty Reinvented

Fresh Paint High Voltage

Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet

Pueen 2013 Plate 001

Nail Fail: Pastel Water Marble with Glitter Accents

Happy Monday, everyone! Today I've got a lovely nail fail for you to gawk at... a strange attempt at water marbeling with pastels. 

Photo taken in shade.

Actually, the marbeling wasn't that bad. Once I added in some dots and glitter things got funky! When I purchased my 12 pack of glitter from eBay, they sent me a pot of clear iridescent glitters. I figured that they would add an extra touch of sparkle to things. WRONG. They kinda just blended in and were almost undetectable in person. I think they're made more for being worn over dark colors...

Polishes Used
L'Oreal Royalty Reinvented
CoverGirl #240
Zoya Creamy
Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet

Seasonal Color Changing with Del Sol's Trick-or-Treat

Hi there! Today I've got an exciting polish to show you all- Del Sol's Trick or Treat. If you've never heard of Del Sol, it's because they're not really in the nail polish business. They manufacture all sorts of products that are activated by the sun and change colors, including polish! Unfortunately, I think that Trick or Treat is discontinued... but it's still available through other web merchants.

Both pictures taken in direct sunlight.

Here I've got on two coats of Del Sol over a quick coat of Scare-o-Lantern. You can see that without sun exposure this is a super sparkly and pretty orange. Once the sun has been hitting your nails for a few minutes (or seconds, even, depending on the sun's intensity), the color morphs into a deep purply black. I didn't really need the undies for this, but I was in a rush so I slapped some on to avoid having to put on three coats of Trick or Treat. You can totally see some sheet marks (I know! So bad!) because I went to bed right after this. Oopsies! ^_^;

Polishes Used
Del Sol Trick or Treat
Sweet Heart Polish Scare-o-Lantern

Giveaway Win: Wingin' It Lacquer Fall Shades

Hey there everyone! Great news- I won another giveaway! I can definitely say that I love being a part of the nail polish world with all of the generous giveaways that are always happening! :)

This time I won three polishes from Wingin' It Lacquer: Burning Leaves, Falling Leaves, and Sizzler.

For whatever reason, Burning Leaves didn't have a label on it, but no worries! It's still a stunning color- a gorgeous coppery red color with a gold-ish shimmer. Next up is Falling Leaves, a yellow-based jelly with red and orange shards and micro glitter. This looks so pretty layered! Finally is Sizzler, a plum color with a silver foil in it. It has so much depth and is perfect for late fall when you want something vampy. 

Here we have 2 coats of Burning Leaves, 1 coat of Falling Leaves over 2 coats of Burning Leaves; 4 coats of Falling Leaves (it's almost opaque!), and 2 coats of Sizzler. I love the way that Falling Leaves makes Burning Leaves a lovely orange color.... so perfect for fall!

A big thanks to Crystal from Wingin' It Lacquer for this fantastic giveaway gift!

Giveaway Win: Sweet Heart Polish

Hello there! I've got exciting news to share... I was one of 4 winners in Sweet Heart Polish's giveaway! My prize was a surprise 3 mini polishes... and man, do I love surprises!

This is easily the cutest packaging I've seen!

These polishes are part of the upcoming Halloween collection that is soon to be released. I've secretly been wanting to purchase all of the Halloween collections I've been seeing recently, but I'm trying to be good and save money (we'll see how long that lasts!). My package contained a handwritten note from Cassandra (who creates and sells the polish), the three minis, and some Sweet Tarts. Yum! 

(Click for a larger image.)

Alright- here the polishes! I was sent three shades: Holo-Scare, Scary Delight, and Scare-o-Lantern. How appropriate are those names, huh? Love it! First up is Holo-Scare, which is a lovely grayed-plum color  with a holo effect. This was gorgeous in the bottle but the holo was hard to see once applied. Next up is Scary Delight, a glitter topped that has a mix of small orange and purple glitter, orange hex glitter, and purple diamonds. This is such a pretty combo and applied quite nicely (although I did have to fish a bit for the diamonds). Finally is Scare-o-Lantern. Soooooo pretty! I love burnt orange colors and this one did not disappoint! I liked that it was frosty... you usually don't see frosty oranges.

 Taken in natural lighting on an overcast day.

On my pinky I have 3 coats of Scary Delight and you can see that it needs undies. Next is 2 quick coats of Scare-o-Lantern, then Scare-o-Lantern with 1 1/2 coats of Scary Delight. Look how glowy! Finally, we have Holo-Scare, then Holo-Scare with 1 1/2 coats of Scary Delight. I really wish that the holo showed up a bit more, but it's still a lovely color. Removal of these polishes was a breeze (with the exception of my pinky... but we all know how glitters are!). 

Overall, definitely beautiful and Halloween-y! Thanks Cassandra for holding the giveaway!

Manicure Monday: Pink and Purple Glitter

Hello there! Today I have a gorgeous mani to look at!

Taken in direct sunlight.

I decided to pair-up Scandalous with purple (a look I took from a picture I saw years ago on Tumblr!), then accented with more glitter and black studs. This picture is horribly, horribly color inaccurate. My purple is impossible to photograph and is much darker in person. Strangely enough, the Roxy is darker here than it is in person. >_< Stupid camera...

Colors Used:

Zoya Roxy

Funky Fingers Riot

Revlon Scandalous

NOTD: Blue Watercolor (and a New Nail Shape!)

Hello all!

I've been really intrigued by the stilleto/ pointed nail shape recently and decided to give it a shot. I carefully filed my normally round nails into semi-points and tried them out for a week.

Here they are! Nothing too crazy, but definitely something different. My verdict? Not the shape for me. It felt weird to have a different place of pressure on my nails and fingertips. I have to do a lot of typing for my job and it didn't feel that great to type with these. 

In direct sunlight.

That being said, I couldn't stop looking at this mani! The cool shape was intriguing and the watercolor pattern I chose was beyond gorgeous in person.

In the shade.

Colors Used

Funky Fingers Blue Duochrome (No name on the bottle!), 2 coats for the base (it flashes blue/green)

Funky Fingers Venom

Pure Ice All Night Long

Funky Fingers Riot

Funky Fingers Mirror Mirror

Starlight Polish Starlight

1/2 Pearls from Born Pretty Store