Gnarly Gnails: May 2013

UPC - Glitter

Friday, May 31, 2013
By Missy
29 Comments

Gnarly Number Ones for May

Friday, May 31, 2013
By Missy
5 Comments

Hello all you fabulous people! Happy Friday!
It is time for my monthly round-up of awesomes, so let's see what they are!

Gnarly Number Ones for May 2013

Favorite Tried Polish - This was a tough one...which means the rest of this list is gonna be a nightmare to go through! I wore so many awesome polishes this month! BUT - I will go on record as saying, Barry M Greenberry was my favorite for May. Shown here under Lynnderella BirdBrain Blue.

Favorite Untried Polish - hmmmm. All of them? I have acquired ALOT this month. Possibly my LA Girls 3D in Teal Dimension. I was really hoping to get it into the Untried Polish Challenge but it has not happened. Poor thing. Here is a photo of her courtesy of Cosmetics Aficionado.

Favorite Indie - No!!!!! In a month where I swatched a bunch of new collections and THREE Lynnderellas, this question is the worst! I loved them all and I seriously don't want to pick just one. But I will....Glitter Daze Browny Bear. Sorry all other indies, I lubs you all though, I promise!!!

Favorite Untried Indie - I have at least 30 Indie polishes sitting on top of my desk screaming at me daily. How do I pick the next fave? Well...considering THIS polish has a twin sitting on my desk, I guess she wins - Ninja Polish 100% Colombian. Photo courtesy of Pointless Cafe.

Biggest Milestone - There were quite a few awesomes for me this month. I hit fantastic numbers on here, facebook and instagram. I also got a heap of new indie labels to work with and review for. Just last night I even had Shop Ecclectico ask to use my photos for some product listings! Big deals you guys!! I love everyone!

Most Viewed Post - I never count the giveaway posts - so my most viewed nail related post was the OPI Couture De Minnie swatch and review post.

Favorite Manicure - I'm beginning to think my most favorite manicures are always the ones I work so hard on and seem to get so little fanfare, because yet again this month, I have chosen one that barely got noticed but I thought it was so amazing when I did it - The Tokidoki Grafitti Mani!

Favorite Product - I've been having a renewed love affair with Butter London Nail Foundation Flawless Basecoat. Photo courtesy of Butter London.

Favorite New Technique or Tip - I've been toying with this new thing where you put glue around your nail area to save on cleanup when doing things like water marbles, gradients, watercolors...I did it once with 50/50 results, but I am interested in trying it again to see if I can get a better outcome. It would be worth the dry time if it cut down on cleanup, I hate that shit.

Favorite Collection - Well, hands down it was the Chirality Cereal Killers Part 2.

Favorite New Thing In General - This awesome AD shirt I got at Target a couple weeks ago. Photo courtesy of Target.

Favorite TV - SO MUCH! Well no, not really. New Arrested Development OBVIOUSLY. Stayed up til 3 am Sunday morning to watch it. Finished the whole season in one day. Still loving Hannibal, too. Photo courtesy of E Online.

Favorite Video Game - I've been obsessed with 2 games this month:

and

What were your favorite things this month!?

Brand: Literary Lacquers

Literary Lacquers - Green Gables Collection Preview

Thursday, May 30, 2013
By Missy
13 Comments

Hey you guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuys! I have a super awesome for you today!
You've heard of Literary Lacquers, right?
You better be either saying yes or nodding in agreement people!
Well...today I have for you 3 polishes from their soon to be released line "Green Gables", Inspired by Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
When you are done jumping up and down, keep scrolling!

Literary Lacquers - Green Gables

Literary Lacquers - Lake of Shining Waters

Literary Lacquers - Raspberry Cordial?

First up is Green Gables - a mid-toned grass green linear holo. Oh mama!

Shown here at 2 coats NO top coat.

This polish has a stunning yet subdued holo appearance. These pics are indoors with OTT lighting, so obviously, the holo is going to be much stronger outdoors in direct sunlight. But personally, as someone who isn't obsessive about holos (i'm looking at you Debbie Crumpet!), this is right up my alley.

I also happened to love how shiny these polishes all dried down without topcoat!

And the accent nail is a combination of Green Gables and the next polish I'm about to show you...

This is Lake of Shining Waters - a murky teal linear holo. Now you KNOW, this is my jam.

This is 2 coats with NO top coat!

The holo in this is much stronger than in Green Gables and it works so perfectly!

Again, super shiny on its own, so you can keep that awesome holo without diminishing it with top coat!

This polish is actually giving my all time favorite polish in the world, Saint George, a run for its money!

And lastly we have Raspberry Cordial? (sorry for the glare on this one!) - a raspberry pink linear holo with added holo glitter. Rainbows!!!

Another 2 coater, no top coat!

Rainbows AND sparkles!? YES! YES PLEASE!!

The holo glitters in this are insanely pretty and it kind of reminds me of a strawberry with seeds! I love it so!!

All of these polishes applied so smooth and buttery and perfectly gorgeous at 2 coats each.

They dry down shiny, making top coat not even necessary (though I can't comment on wear time since I didn't wear these long enough).

The holo quality on all of these is great, it ranges from the more subtle to full blown, so there is something here for everyone!

The Literary Lacquers Green Gables Collection debuts on June 5, 2013 at 12NOON MST (that's 2pm EST or 11am PST)

The Green Gables Collection will consist of:

Green Gables - Mid-toned grass green linear holo

Lake of Shining Waters - Murky teal linear holo

Raspberry Cordial? - Raspberry pink linear holo with added holo glitter

Anne With an E - Opalescent glitter top coat

Carrots Carrots - Peachy-orange crelly with tons of orange glitter

Marilla's Amethyst Brooch - Amethyst shimmer with a pink to orange color shifting flash

Full size bottles will be available for $10 each or you can purchase the entire 6 piece collection for $55.

You can purchase Literary Lacquers through their ETSY SHOP - and also find them on Facebook!

**items in this post were sent to me for free by the company or their pr firm in exchange for my honest review**

Brand: Color Club

Victorian Cameo Mani

Wednesday, May 29, 2013
By Missy
21 Comments

Brand: Nicole by OPI

Nicole by OPI Neon Sets - Swatches and Review

Tuesday, May 28, 2013
By Missy
8 Comments

Hi ho hi ho!
Today I have for you the newest neon collection via Nicole by OPI.
Nicole by OPI has released this month 2 sets of mini polishes in bright neon summer shades!
Each set comes with a white polish as well to make the neons pop even brighter!

Also - I re-did my blog design, so if you were wondering where you were, well, you're here, silly!

Nicole by OPI - Scandalous Neons Kit

Nicole by OPI - Notorious Neons Kit

how cute are these boxes the kits are in? I love the neon sign design of them! The Scandalous Set includes Blue, Purple and Pink Neons.

The Notorious Neons Set includes Green, Fuchsia and Orange Neons.

Overall I really enjoyed these kits. I don't generally use too many neons, and when I do I don't use them all together like these, so it was fun to play with some crazy brights!

Application on the white polish in these sets was 2-3 coats.

Most of the neons coated nicely in 2 coats with the exception of Blue and Fuchsia which needed 3 coats each. But that was a nice surprise because most neons can be a nightmare to apply.

Also - as with all neons, these dry to a matte-ish finish, so you will need top coat to get this kind of shine.

Here is a bonus watercolor mani I did using all 6 neons!

Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. Scandalous! Neons and Notorious! Neons mini packs will be available in stores beginning May 2013 for $10 each at retailers including Meijer, CVS, Duane Reade, H-E-B, Kroger, and ShopKo. Top Coat Plus will be sold alongside the kits for $7.99. In Canada, the kits will be available for $12.50 each and Top Coat Plus for $10.99 at Loblaw, Jean Coutu, Rexall, London Drugs, and Shoppers Drug Mart.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

**products in this post were sent to me for free by the company or their pr firm in exchange for my honest review**