He Lost A Bet

Hi there!

Hunny Poo made a bet with one of his coworkers regarding the 49ers/Seahawks football game this past Sunday. If Hunny Poo's team lost, he had to wear the winning team's colors on his nails for a week... and vice versa with his coworker.

China Glaze - Man Hunt and Color Club - The Lime Starts Here.
Seattle Seahawks MANicure.

Needless to say, Hunny Poo lost. For the base of each green nail, I painted a coat of OPI's Alpine Snow... then I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured.

I think he made a pretty safe bet considering some of the other bets I've been made aware of. One of the guys has to wear a blue and green tutu for TWO WEEKS (until the Superbowl)!

Until next time...

BadAss Polish - Copper Waters

Hi there!

Today I'm wearing another fine glitter polish from BadAss Polish...

My nails painted with BadAss Polish - Copper Waters.

I painted 1 coat of China Glaze's Aquadelic as a base for this manicure. Then I painted 2 coats of Copper Waters on all but my ring finger, where I painted only 1 coat. I topped this manicure with a coat of Seche Vite to achieve what's pictured.

The mixture of finely milled copper and blue glitter set in a clear base applied easily. However, much like Chocolate Covered Cherry, I don't recommend wearing a base polish if you intend on building this glitter to opacity... it isn't needed, and a base makes it slightly more difficult to polish near the cuticles.

If you're interested in getting your hands on a bottle of Copper Waters, it isn't in BadAss Polish's shop just yet, but you can check them out on facebook for updates on its release.

Until next time...

(Copper Waters was kindly provided by BadAss Polish for me to play with)

Furry Nails

Hi there!

I had been wanting to try flocking powder on my nails for the longest time... so when Born Pretty contacted me to test and review a product, I already knew just what I'd choose!

Flocking powder. Furry manicure.

I painted a coat of Sally Hansen's Thinking of Blue as a base. Once that dried, I applied a coat of top coat to my index fingernail (I did one fingernail at a time). I then used tweezers to grab the flocking powder out of its jar and spread it over my nail. This probably goes without saying, but a top coat is unnecessary with flocking powder.

Admittedly, I was skeptical of this product before using it. I wondered how it would hold up through hand washing and other daily wear and tear. After I used the brush to remove excess powder from my first nail, I was a smidge more skeptical. The brush removed half of the powder from my nail!

Some things to note... it's very important that the top coat (or second coat of polish) is wet/as fresh as possible when the flocking powder is applied. It is also very important that the top coat is completely dry before using the brush to remove excess powder. I think that my first attempt at this manicure failed because I played with the powder for a bit too long before applying it to my index fingernail. I also didn't let my top coat dry long enough :-/ My second attempt at this manicure is what's pictured.

The powder is surprisingly easy to brush away from skin. I thought it'd be a clingy mess, but the removal brush did the trick. I recommend laying down a piece of paper at your manicure space before applying flocking powder. It comes in handy with the removal and recycling... I folded my piece of paper in half and used the crease as a funnel to pour the powder back into its jar.

After photographing my manicure, I put it through the ringer. I just had to test it out and see how it managed a good hand washing. I kind of thought the powder would fall off and wash down the drain... but it didn't! When wet, it looks and feels like crushed velvet. It takes some time to dry- but when it does, it looks like new. I also applied lotion all over my hands and nails. I was sure to apply it just like I normally do- nowhere near gentle. Expectedly, the flocking powder looked a bit weird (slimy) at first... but once I spread the lotion around to dissolve, my manicure looked as if I had just applied it.

If you're interested in getting your hands on some flocking powder, click here. Use code LSL91 for 10% off of your order at Born Pretty...

So, what do you think? Is this a manicure you think you might enjoy?

Until next time...

(This flocking powder was kindly provided by Born Pretty for me to play with)

BadAss Polish - Bling and Dusk

Hi there!

I wore each of these manicures featuring polishes from BadAss Polish's core line for a couple of days before photographing them...

Bling!:

My nails painted with BadAss Polish - Bling! over
China Glaze - Winter Berry and Holly-Day.

I painted 2 coats of red and green before applying 1 coat of Bling! It applied easily- it was a little bit thicker than I'm used to working with, but by no means was it difficult. The glitter placed very nicely, and I'm glad 1 coat does the trick :-) I topped it with a coat of OPI's top coat.

A closer look at the small gold glitter and medium silver glitter in a clear base...

BadAss Polish - Bling!

Dusk:

BadAss Polish - Dusk over Sally Hansen - Thinking of Blue.

I painted 1 coat of Thinking of Blue before applying 1 coat of Dusk. It applied just as nicely as the other glitters I've tried thus far from BadAss Polish. I topped it with a coat of OPI's top coat.

A closer look at the small blue and small gold glitter in a clear base...

BadAss Polish - Dusk.

Overall, I'm happy with the formulas and durability of BadAss Polish. They are glitters in my collection that I can honestly say I'll wear again. To see swatches of America's Team and Go Pack Go!, click here.

Will you be adding either of these polishes to your collection? I think Bling! is a great choice for holiday manicures... and Dusk is perfect for "galaxy" nails!

Until next time...

(Bling! and Dusk were kindly provided by BadAss Polish for me to play with)

Halo Hues and Nfu Oh

Hi there!

This will surely be a hodge-podge of a post...

Color Club - Angel Kiss, Blue Heaven, Harp On It,
Cloud Nine, Halo-Graphic, and Cherubic.

Each set of pictures will show a picture in natural light and a picture taken with a flash. I didn't use top coat or base coat with any of the manicures and/or swatches, and I painted 2 coats of every polish.

Angel Kiss...

My nails painted with Color Club - Angel Kiss.

My nails painted with Color Club - Angel Kiss.

The formula is a smidge thick... so if you're heavy handed when applying nail polish, be careful or your tips might get chunky. This is my second time wearing Angel Kiss, and I'm pleased. I know it's been a task in the past with keeping holographic polish from chipping, but I had absolutely no problems.

Nfu Oh 61, Color Club Worth the Risque, Harp On It, Blue Heaven, and Nfu Oh 65...

Nfu Oh - 61, Color Club - Worth the Risque,
Harp On It, Blue Heaven, and Nfu Oh - 65.

Thumb to pinky: My nails painted with Nfu Oh - 61,
Color Club - Worth the Risque, Harp On It, Blue Heaven, and Nfu Oh - 65.

Thumb to pinky: My nails painted with Nfu Oh - 61,
Color Club - Worth the Risque, Harp On It, Blue Heaven, and Nfu Oh - 65.

I paired the silvers and blues together because I have a hard time telling them apart- especially Harp On It and Blue Heaven. The formulas of the Halo Hues were the best, followed by Worth the Risque and both Nfu Oh polishes.

Nfu Oh 63, Color Club Halo-Graphic, Cloud Nine, Fashion Addict, and Nfu Oh 64...

Nfu Oh - 63, Color Club - Halo-Graphic,
Cloud Nine, Fashion Addict, and Nfu Oh - 64.

Thumb to pinky: Nfu Oh - 63, Color Club - Halo-Graphic,
Cloud Nine, Fashion Addict, and Nfu Oh - 64.

Thumb to pinky: Nfu Oh - 63, Color Club - Halo-Graphic,
Cloud Nine, Fashion Addict, and Nfu Oh - 64.

This set of colors is just as difficult to tell apart as the silvers and blues. The pinks and purples are so close in hue that they don't look different. The formulas of the Halo Hues were the best, followed by Fashion Addict and both Nfu Oh polishes.

Cherubic...

My nails painted with Color Club - Cherubic.

My nails painted with Color Club - Cherubic.

I wore Cherubic for 3 days before I changed my manicure. At the time of polish removal, there was no chipping, flaking, or peeling.

Overall, I prefer the Halo Hues polishes to both the other Color Club holographic polishes and the Nfu Oh polishes. The formulas were all much smoother and shinier... however, they smell worse. I noticed myself wanting to cough and sneeze each time I used a Halo Hues polish. The caps of the Halo Hues polishes aren't the best. Something about them makes them difficult to open- they don't seem as thick and as sturdy as the black-capped Color Club polishes. I kept thinking I was sure to crack them.

If you're simply looking at this post to see who won the Halo Hues giveaway... yes, yes... I'll get to it :-) The winners are JamieWillett and HaileeBeezy. I've emailed both ladies, and I'll update this portion of today's post if/when I hear back from them. Thank you to everyone who participated!

So, do you have any of the polishes pictured above? Which is your favorite? I'm still waiting on a red holographic polish to make its way into my life. Or, perhaps, an emerald green! How perfect would that be this time of year?

Until next time...

Happy Thanksgiving

Hi there!

This is the manicure I'm wearing today...

My nails painted with Orly - Scarlet and Golden Maharaja.

I painted 2 coats of Scarlet as a base- it's red with orange and copper shimmer. Once that was dry, I painted a stripe of Golden Maharaja- it's brown with brown and copper shimmer. While that was still wet, I used one of my dotting tools to place the gold stars where the 2 polishes met. I topped it with a coat of OPI's top coat.

I wish that I would have been able to capture just how pretty these 2 polishes are together... the shimmer in each of them is gorgeous in person!

Here's a similar manicure that I painted back in April...

My nails painted with Julep - Amy, Michelle, Oscar, and Sienna.

It has the same technique as the first manicure... but instead of stars, I placed dots of gold and gold glitter polish. Complete credit for this design goes to The Nailasaurus. A friend of mine saw her blog post and asked me to recreate it with only nail polish.

What are your plans for today? Hunny poo and I are spending Thanksgiving at home this year, and I love it! Our house is so warm and cozy, and I already want to take a nap :-)

Until next time...

Greta Gurl

Hi there!

I've really been enjoying this manicure...

My nails painted with OPI - Unfor-Greta-Bly Blue and Orly - Sea Gurl.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. They both applied like a charm, and the shimmer in each polish is just right. I'm kind of surprised with myself for waiting so long to wear Sea Gurl... I've had it sitting untried for over a year!

Do you have either of these polishes in your collection? Would you wear Unfor-Greta-Bly Blue and Sea Gurl together, or would you prefer to wear them separately?

Until next time...

Pacific Blue Glowstick

Hi there!

I wanted to wear one last "summer" manicure before the weather gets cold and I fall, like so many others, into wearing polish shades that mesh better with the current season...

My nails painted with Sally Hansen - Pacific Blue and
Orly - Glowstick.

I painted a base of white and then painted 1 coat of each polish to achieve what's pictured. The picture looks like the manicure is bright, but in person it's much brighter. I love it :-)

Glowstick wasn't in my collection when I did my neon yellow comparison, but I think that if it was, it'd easily be my favorite. It applied perfectly and dried glossy- just the way I like my neons.

Do you live in a part of the world where you get to experience 4 seasons? Which is your favorite?

Until next time...

Spoiled Blues

Hi there!

I received a request to do a side-by-side of these 2 polishes...

My nails painted with Spoiled - Good Karma and Plenty of Fish in the Sea.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. They both applied nicely and, unlike many other Spoiled polishes I've tried, the brushes were easy to work with.

Good Karma (index and ring finger) is a teal blue with flashes of teal, while Plenty of Fish in the Sea (middle and pinky finger) is bright blue with flashes of teal. They each have shimmer that make them look like metallic polishes.

Do you own either one of these?

Until next time...

Bubbly Bombshell Paradise

Hi there!

I enjoyed the last sponge-tipped manicure I wore, so I decided to try it again with a different base color...

My nails painted with Sinful Colors - Paradise and Orly - Bubbly Bombshell.

I painted 2 coats of Paradise to achieve what's pictured. Once that was dry, I sponged Bubbly Bombshell onto the tips of my nails with a piece of cosmetic sponge and I topped it with a coat of Seche Vite.

This isn't a polish combination I'd typically reach for, but I don't have many choices where I'm staying :-) I do like it, but I enjoyed it better with Orly's Glowstick as a base color.

What base color would you pair Bubbly Bombshell with?

Until next time...

Blue and Green Granite

Hi there!

Hunny poo and I recently toured new homes where all of the counter tops were done in granite. I've always liked the look of granite- especially because no 2 pieces are the same. Anyway, that's what inspired this manicure...

My nails painted with Julep - Gunta and Popova.

I painted a base of white polish to make the colors stand out a bit more than they would without it. Then I blobbed dots of Gunta (blue) and Popova (green) onto the back of one of my stamping plates. With a pre-cut piece of cosmetic sponge, I dipped into the dots 1 at a time and randomly placed the sponge on my nails. When I was happy with the color, I continued with the next dot of polish. I started sponging before the white base polish was entirely dry, and I'm thinking that's the reason there seems to be a little more depth than if I had sponged on dry nails. It also pulled the white through to lighten the jewel-toned polishes :-)

My nails painted with Julep - Gunta and Popova.

When Julep asked me to do a guest blog post for them, I thought, "heck yeah!" After I finished this manicure, however, I told myself I wouldn't be able to submit it because it wasn't unique... I was certain I had already done this combination in the past! Bummer. But then while I was folding laundry, it dawned on me why my manicure was so familiar... it's nearly the same colors as my favorite shirt (pictured first) that I've been wearing all summer! D'oh!

My nails painted with Julep - Gunta and Popova.

Click here if you'd like to see my guest post on Julep's facebook page. And click here if you'd like to become a Julep Maven. I've been a Maven for a year now, and I really like having nail polish delivered to me monthly. It's like a little treat to start the month off right.

What type of design might you try with these colors?

Until next time...

Zoya - Kristen

Hi there!

This one is crazy...

My nails painted with Zoya - Kristen.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. It applied easily and all that good stuff- what I think is crazy about it is how it looks so different depending on the lighting. Sometimes it looks blue, sometimes purple, and sometimes grey. Sometimes it's a mix of all 3 colors...

My nails painted with Zoya - Kristen.

I didn't expect to like this polish based on what it looked like in the bottle. It looked kind of bland... I had never even seen swatches of it before writing this post. But I'm glad to say I'm pleasantly pleased :-)

Do you own a polish that surprised you because you didn't expect to like it based on the bottle?

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 7

Hi there!

Wonder Woman, anyone?

My nails painted with China Glaze - Frostbite and Red Pearl.
Stamped with Konad image plate M3.
Patriotic 4th of July Wonder Woman nails.

I painted 2 coats of Frostbite, then added a thick coat of Red Pearl to my tips. I stamped the stars with Nicole by OPI's Positive Energy and then topped everything off with a coat of Seche Vite.

My nails painted with China Glaze - Frostbite and Red Pearl.
Stamped with Konad image plate M3.
Patriotic 4th of July Wonder Woman nails.

What are you wearing on your nails today? Did you try any of the ideas I posted over the past week? If so, I'd love to see (I'd love to see a picture no matter what). If not, I hope you at least enjoyed seeing my ideas :-)

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Happy Independence Day! Be safe.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 5

Hi there!

Now this is something that anyone can do...

My nails painted with Julep - Marisa, Salma, and America.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Marisa, 1 coat of Salma, and a thick coat of America to achieve what's pictured. They all applied as expected :-)

Based on the promotional pictures of America, I expected to see silver stars among the glitter. My bottle had none, but I still think it's a pretty polish. If you received America, does your bottle have silver stars?

To see more views of Marisa, click here.

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 4

Hi there!

I simply couldn't go through a week of ideas without a water marble...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Hey Sailor, Sky High-Top,
and NYC - French White Tip. Water marble.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 1 coat of French White Tip and then water marbled with all 3 colors. This manicure was tough to achieve- the weather isn't the best, and it was rather cold in my house... so the polish didn't want to spread in the water. The design pictured is really the best I could do!

If you end up trying a red, white, and blue water marble, I'd love to know which polish you chose and if they worked well together. Better yet, I'd love to see a picture :-)

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 3

Hi there!

Striper tape and confetti were calling my name today...

My nails painted with Spoiled - First Class Only
and OPI - Alpine Snow. Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. Once the blue polish was tacky, I placed the confetti stars onto my nails. Once the white polish was dry, I diagonally applied the red striper tape. To top it off, I added a coat of Seche Vite over each nail.

Is this something you'll be trying?

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 2

Hi there!

This is today's manicure...

My nails painted with Color Club - Boys Wear Blue, P Is For Pride,
and OPI - Alpine Snow. Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. Once dry, I used Konad's special white polish to stamp the star images onto my thumb. I used a star-themed image plate that I purchased off of eBay- all that's said on the plate is, "LO03." I topped everything off with a coat of Seche Vite.

How cool are these caps!? I'd like them a whole lot more if they weren't just plastic covers...

Color Club - Boys Wear Blue, P Is For Pride, and OPI - Alpine Snow.

I hope this gives you inspiration if you're looking to do a red, white, and blue manicure!

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Saved By The Blue Versus Frostbite

Hi there!

I figured it might be a good idea to compare these 2 polishes since I plan on using at least 1 of them for my upcoming Patriotic Week...

My nails painted with Wet n Wild - Saved By The Blue
and China Glaze - Frostbite.
Saved By The Blue is painted on my index and ring finger.
Frostbite is painted on my middle and pinky finger.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. I think these have to be the same exact polish- just bottled differently! The formulas were the same... they applied nicely, and they both reek of road-killed skunk :-/ The only difference I noticed was the brush. Frostbite applied more smoothly because its brush was smoother. Saved By The Blue's brush was a bit coarse.

Until next time...

China Glaze - Man Hunt and I'm Not Lion

Hi there!

Today I'm wearing Man Hunt...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Man Hunt.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. The formula was thin, but it still applied easily enough.

Here it is with I'm Not Lion over the top...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Man Hunt and I'm Not Lion.

I'm Not Lion is a densely packed glitter in a clear base... I only applied 1 coat to achieve what's pictured.

Blurred to show the sparkle...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Man Hunt and I'm Not Lion.

I'm not sure I love the combination of these 2 polishes :-/ I don't think they look horrible together, but I don't think the blue base does anything to compliment the glitter.

To see all of the On Safari collection, click here.

Until next time...

China Glaze - Sky High Top

Hi there!

I'm a serious sucker for blue nail polish...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Sky High-Top.

I painted 2 coats of Sky High-Top to achieve what's pictured. I don't have much to say about it... it didn't let me down in application or color.

Until next time...