DOTS!

So I'm going to make post this quick.  I have to go and do a show tonight so I have to get ready.

Anyways I did this a few days ago.  I loves me some dots. I taped off half of each nail (I used scissors that were wavy) and painted it with H&M Plum.  Then the other half I just covered with different shades and shapes of purple dots.  These include Sally Hansen's Lacey Lilac, OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark Suede and Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI, acrylic paint and a bit more H&M plum.

I decided to put Essie's Matte about you on top the last day I wore it.

Zoya - Sam

I'm quite excited to be posting this. This is the first time I think I've posted a vampy colour.  Now I love all sorts of colours but when it comes down to it if you were to ask me what I like best I would probably say vampy colours (especially reds).  Not only do I think darker, vampy colours work better on my skin tone, I just think vampy colours ooze sexy.  I always love having nice nails, but colours like these just add a little something else that I don't get with brights or glitter bombs.

Anyhoo I should get on to the actual polish now.  Zoya Sam is a deep red polish with brown undertones And a jelly finish.  If I were to really describe this colour to someone I would say it looks like dried blood... but wet.  I used 3 coats in these pictures.  I had a bit of cuticle drag but it might be because I was rushing.  I used three coats.

Now truth be told while I love vampy colours this isn't my favorite.  It's really nice and all but I have others that I just like a lot more.

Sephora by OPI - Break a Leg Warmer

This is the only polish I was interested in from Sephora by OPI's Urban Ballerina collection. And boy oh boy was I glad I bought it!

First off when it comes to polishes in general I find that (at least in my case) if there's any formula that's gonna give you application problems it's gonna be glitter or cream based polishes.  I find if any polish is ether going to be goopy or get goopy over time its going to be one of the two.  Let me just say that the formula for this is FLAWLESS.  It applies like butter (if you put butter on your nails, and it was a really good polish, and not butter). It goes on opaque in 2 easy coats and evens out beautifully.

Break a Leg Warmer is a true medium to dark gray.  And I love it because it's just gray.  Not grayish blue, or grayish green.  Just Gray. <---- Imagine that said by Jack Mcfarland from Will & Grace.  If you watch/watched the show you'll get why.

This last picture is actually quite old.  And I had been wearing it for a few days which is why it's scuffed up and such.  But I really like wearing Break a Leg Warmer wit Milani's one coat glitter, Silver Dazzle.

Richard Chai Inspired Nails

It's times like these where I wish I had a super amazing camera.  This looks MUCH better in person.  Like the blue is less bright and the shimmer is less pronounced.  I almost wasn't going to post it but what the hell.

My inspiration for this was an outfit from Richard Chai's 2012 fall/winter collection.

I used Sephora by OPI's Break a Leg Warmer,  OPI's Miami Beet, Butter London Big Smoke, Ruby Kisses Steel Magnolia and paint.

Essie - Pretty Edgy

Let's keep the ball rolling with the bright colours!!!!

So today I have Essie's Pretty Edgy to show you.  George actually gave me this due to the fact that it made her look sick.  Now I personally really like this colour.  Normally I'm not a huge green fan but recently I've been liking it more and more.

Pretty Edgy is a true green cream.  I used 3 coats.  But you could get away with 2 thicker coats.  It evened out ok.  For some reason I find Essie polish's a bit difficult to apply.  I think it's partially a brush thing.  They are super narrow and they don't fan out the way I like a brush to.  I find the wider brushes work better for me.

But even so this is a beauty of a colour.  I may wear it for St. Patty's day.  I might not. I have something else in mind.  I'm not wearing it.  Naw I kid... I really have no clue if I'm gonna wear it.  I have some ideas but you'll have to wait to see em!

BTW it's just past 4:30 am where I am and I JUST realized my nails are naked and I have to go out later. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what this means... 4:30 am nail art time. Logic.  So expect some nail art in the next day or two!

Sally Hansen - Pacific Blue

So I used this polish in my previous Diane von Fürstenberg inspired nails. Can I just say I love this colour. It's probably my favorite out of all my blues. It's a gorgeous cornflower blue cream.  It goes on in 2-3 coats depending on how thick of coats you like.

The only thing negative I have to say about this is sometime it's a tad hard to control.  As you probably know the Sally Hansen Xtream Wear polishes have longer brushes.  So sometimes even when you wipe the brushes down there still plenty sliding down from the top part of the brush.  So you have to be carful with that.

I don't think this polish is out anymore but either way if you do find it I suggest you get it!

Diane von Fürstenberg Inspired nails

First off I could never pronounce Fürstenberg properly. Why you might ask? Simple, most of the times I saw her name there wasn't a umlaut. That makes the name!!! If you're gonna have a wicked awesome German name you should always pronounce it in it wicked awesome way. Ja?

Now onto the nails! Theses pictures are from her Fall 2012 RTW collection.

While I liked the colour of the outfit I decided to go with Blue.  I don't think yellow looks good on me at all. And I used Sally Hansen's Blue Pacific, OPI's Black Onyx and paint.

I didn't have a cream teal so I used Orly Sweet Peacock. For the domino I used paint and a french manicure polish by Nailene. 

Hopefully I'll have some more fashion inspired nail art soon!

Deborah Lippmann - Mermaid's Dream

So I have complicated feelings regarding Deborah Lippmann polishes.  I love the unique colours she comes up with but I hate that no matter what, they chip within 24 hours of application.  Thick coats, thin coats, different base and top coats, nothing helps, and I am not about to buy her base and top coats just to see if they improve the wear.

BUT THEN she comes out with a colour like Mermaid's Dream, that I am drooling over even from the promo pictures, and I vacillate between my hate for the wear and my need for awesome polishes.  The last time this happened, it was over Stairway to Heaven, this time, it was Mermaid's Dream.  Luckily, the mall I work at has a Holt Renfrew, so I stalked them until they got it in.

The good: The colour is even more stunning in person.  The blue and gold glitter really pop from the teal foil-y base, and seem to glow in almost any light.  It's truly stunning, and photos do it absolutely no justice.

The formula was great.  Application was easy and dry time was fast.  No dragging at all and no flooding of the cuticles.

The bad: Say it with me!  THE WEAR TIME.  I've had it on for 22hours now, and both my index fingers feature large and prominent chips.  I thought about touching up for the photos, but after less than a day's wear, I shouldn't have any chips TO touch up, so I let them as they are.

Also, it eats top coat.  Still a tad bumpy after two solid coats of Essie Good To Go.

SO it looks like, as with my other Lippmann polishes, this one will be put on reserve for special occasions only, where a manicure only has to last one night.  It's gorgeous, but I just really, really wish the wear time were better.

Let's let the pictures do the talking(Three under the cut):

Maybe 2 hours post-application. 

New contributer!

Hi polish fanatics!

I'm George, and I'm Kas's best friend and fellow polish addict who will now be contributing here!  I had my own blog briefly, but we decided it was silly to be separate, so I'm moving over here!

A little about me:  In addition to nails and nail-related posts, I'm a skincare junkie, so I will be posting reviews for skincare products too.  I love glitter, bright colours, and all things eye-catching, so my posts will be leaning more toward the crazier end of the scale.  I have a few neutrals that are basically relegated to the "job interviews and tea with the queen" part of my polish rack.  The gaudier, the more I'll love it.

So, to introduce you all to me and my style, here are some recent favourite manicures from me!

Valentine's Day.  Very subdued for me but still cute.  Still mastering small details on my non-dominant hand, so the other middle finger had a larger heart and spots.  Obviously took this pre-cleanup.  Polishes used:  Illamasqua Load and Illamasqua Throb.  Couldn't resist those names!

 Dots - These are quite old, and I used OPI's Fly and Did It On Em from the Nicki Minaj collection. 

China Glaze Ruby Pumps and Pure Ice Crushed.  Pure Ice Crackles are the best I've found.  Excellent formula cracks like a dream. 

Explosions with OPI's Fly and Did It On Em.  In case you couldn't tell, I'm a little obsessed with these colours.  Another pre-cleanup shot. 

Excuse the old blackberry picture!  These were my NYE 2011 nails.  Polishes used:  Zoya Julieanne, OPI Last Friday Night, Sally Hansen Urban Chic(China Glaze Fairy Dust is a dupe), and Orly Glitz and Glamour. 

Goldfish scale nails with Finger Paints Outta Sight Orange, China Glaze Solar Flare(Milani Gold is a dupe), and OPI Y'all Come Back Y'Hear. 

This one was a surprise!  Julep Taylor with a single coat of OPI Servin' Up Sparkle.  The glitter changed the colour of Taylor, which is rather periwinkle.  It was such an odd and profound shift! 

OPI Crown Me Already over OPI Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvellous.  This is my go-to for when I want to be blinding!

Until next time, George.

Orly's Stone Cold

 So now for something that's not pink.

Stone Cold is from Orly's Mineral FX collection.  I bought this when I had a $5 off coupon at Sally's.  Now I just love this colour.  And again I'm not big on obnoxious sparkles but there's something about this. I just couldn't stop looking at it.  *(Who am I kidding, I'm a girl.  And if it shines I want a boy to buy it for me).

Stone Cold is a royal blue, jelly based, loaded with blue glass flecks.  I used 2 coats in the picture and there was no visible nail line.  I could have used 3 coats but that would have just been nit picking.  Application was amazingly easy.  And drying time was good too.  There's just something about this that I really love.  It has amazing depth.  It's not just another shiny blue.

*Japery guys!

Picture whoring time!!!!!!!

Artificial lighting indoors!

 Now some natural light shots!

(Lu)tetium+(V)anadium+(Y)ttrium+(O)xygen+(U)ranium = Freaking cute Valentines Day nails!

Or an explosion of sorts.

Anyways I caved.  I did a cute mani (or at least I tried to).  On my left hand I spelt "Luv You" using elements from the periodic table (atomic number included). The elements I used were Lutetium, Vanadium, Yttrium, Oxygen and Uranium.  Now I'm sure everyone know what those elements are so there's no need to explain. If not there's this helpful site called Wikipedia...

Since I'm right handed and just not the best at nail art to begin with I decided that my right hand was going to be something simple, but cute.  So I just did clouds.  Red, gold and purple clouds.  And hey not only is it  Valentines day themed we can also tie it in with the elements. They can represent those beautiful clouds that are just filled with toxic junk... but are oh so cute.

Now the nails!!!

There's a science to Love

Clouds!!!!

(L-R OPI's Got The Blues For Red, Essie's Fishnet Stockings and Naughty N' Nice, Sally Hansen's Lacey Lilac and Gilty Pleasure, and finally good ol' paint.

Lost My Water Marbling Virginity!

What better time to do it than for Valentines day! First to answer a few quick questions that I just know you all have.

1) Did it hurt?  A bit. But I was on the floor. It was a bit awkward.
2) Was it fun?  Not really... But I'm sure it will get better.
3) Are you going to do this a lot?  Not a lot.  It was messy but if it's a special occasion I'll give it another go.
4)  You're still talking about polish? Right? Get your head out of the gutter.

Anyhoo I used Claire's Snowball as a base (but you can see on my left hand thumb I forgot to put on a white base).  For the actual marbling part I used OPI's Happy Anniversary,  Got The Blues For Red, and a colour called Plum that I got from H&M.  And I topped it all with NYC's Phant-asmic (A holographic glitter in a clear base).  Because when all else fails cover it with glitter.

I did the usual plop some polish into water, use a toothpick (or in my case dotting tool) to create designs, then stick your finger in.  i didn't follow any particular tutorial because I've read so many I could kinda at this point figure it out on my own.

I think for next time I'm gonna use tape because man it was messy (check out the carnage after the cut).  Also this is probably just an thing that comes with practice but I had a hell of a time getting the design I wanted.  Even when I did sometimes cool the best part of the design would end up on my skin. Anyways for a first time I don't think it's that horrible.

Now on to the pictures!!!

Left Hand (Sunlight)

Right Hand (Sunlight)

Left Hand (Sunlight) Look at all the pretty holographic sparkles!

Now onto more pics and the blood bath of a mess that lead to this.

Essie's Innocent

Well Valentines day is almost here.  So here's a pink by Essie.

I'm super festive.

Well that sounded bitter.  Not to worry I'm not, I'm just not huge on Valentines day.  I mean we all know that Pride is the big holiday next to Christmas (It's srs business guys... not even joking).

Anyhoo this is a dusty pale pink cream by Essie called Innocent.  At first when I saw it I was unimpressed.  Pinks just really aren't me.  But when I put it on *swoon*.  It's packed full of pink micro shimmer that flashes blue.  It's the perfect SFW polish.  It's delicate with a little something extra.  I used 3 coats in the swatches.  And even though this bottle was kinda old the polish itself went without any problems.

Ps.  Sorry for my dry hands and my inablilty to clean up my nails after filing them.

See the pretty shimmer in the bottle?

Now it's on the nails!

Dot, dot, dot.

So I like dots.  And you know what's better than just dots? Dots within dots. Dots.

For the dots I either used Claire's Snowball or paint. For anything non dotted I used OPI's Black Onyx (And some black polish by some company called Apple because Onyx was goopy and needed to be evened out for an optimum dot surface) and again Snowball.

Dot.

Dot count (includes words and pictures) =  10

Dot count after picture = 78

OPI The Amazing Spider-Man collection

So It looks like OPI is collaborating with Spider Man... well not Spider Man himself... that would be silly... or would it?  Anyways they seem to be doing a collection with the new Spider Man movie coming out this summer.  What do you think? At this point I wanna get my paws on Just Spotted The Lizard. Everything else I'll need to see in person before I make any life altering, polish buying decisions.

Prayer circle that this is better than Spider Man the Musical : Turn Off The Dark.  How do you even turn off the dark?  Ugh Bono. Really?

China Glaze Glittering Garland

First off when it comes to polish unless someone is giving it to me for free I'm super picky.  It's rare that there's ever a collection where I think everything is fabtastic and I want it all.  China Glaze's Holiday 2011 collection was... no exception.  I could care less about 85% of the collection.  Not that I didn't like them.  I just didn't love them (And I can't spend $$$ on things I don't love... I have sever buyers remorse).  But when I saw them in person I knew I needed Glittering Garland.

Glittering Garland is an emerald green polish full of green-gold (depending on the light) glass flecks. The formula was magical.  I only needed 2 coats.  And even though it's full of glass flecks it's not overpowering and overly shimmery.  Win!

I've never was a huge green polish fan, but it's multidimensional, different colours like this that are winning me over. Congrats China Glaze. Have some pie. Pie's a celebratory dish right?