I Haven't Changed My Nails In 9 Days...

WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL AM I?!?!?!?!

I've been away for the past week or so (You missed me right? RIGHT?!?!).  I went to Montreal, and then I got sick right before I had to come home (Sick as in a bad cold.  Nothing to do with the booze I was consuming. That didn't get me sick.  It just made even the simplest of locks with security codes impossible to use). Which is why I haven't been on/blogging/commenting. But I'm feeling better now after a few days of nothing.

Anyways last Tuesday I put on some purple NYC polish.  It's a polish I've had for years.  It has no name. Just 120A. And to top that off I put on Max factor's Fantasy Fire.  Over the week I just put on more layers of top coat.  As I was either too tired, too sick,  or too drunk to redo my nails.

Even though I didn't swatch it when I put it on (I was far too lazy) I took photos after 7 and 9 days.  What do you think?  Not to shabby eh? Oh and I filed my nails down on day 9.  Not because they were looking worse than day 7 but because they were starting to look dull. Like I had been digging.

 

Day 7

 

Day 9

While I know this wasn't a real post I'm excited because I can use this post to say this part. I have some nail art ideas that I'm going to be doing soon that will blow you out of the water.  Literally.  So get in your tubs.

 

This is random, and it has nothing to do with nails.  But I've been making banana, strawberry, spinach smoothies the past few days(because all the food I ate in Montreal was beige and my arteries probably look like they're stuffed with cheese now) and these are AMAZING!  Don't let the green fool you.

Finally if you haven't been to Montreal* yet I suggest you go.  And if the picture above doesn't make you want to go I Don't know what else to say. 

*FUN FACT: On our first night in Montreal 517 protesters were arrested.

OPI Coney Island Cotton Candy

So I'm not a huge fan of nudes, as you guys know, but I have a few that I really like and today I'm sharing one of them with you.

OPI Coney Island Cotton Candy isn't QUITE mannequin hands for me(OPI Samoan Sand is closer), but it's a nice, easy nude that brings out the yellow tones in my skin more than the pink.  It's RIGHT on the edge of flattering, any more yellow and it wouldn't work.

It isn't, however, the most even shade.  This is three thin coats and one thicker one, plus topcoat.  I think I'll be thinning this before I wear it again, because it's definitely gotten claggy in the time that I've owned it, but the formula is still manageable, if thick.  I don't wear it too often because unless I'm doing a fun layering mani, four coats is generally a bar I'm not into clearing.

What are some of your favourite neutral colours?

Illamasqua Kink + My new pretty.

So yesterday my mother returned home from church with a present for me.  Apparently someone at our church decided to MAKE MY DAY by giving me the one item that I'd been longing for since the early days of my baking obsession...

A BRITISH RACING GREEN KITCHENAID MIXER.

HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE aside from that one day where I met Laura Linney or the time I bumped into Stephen Schwartz on the street I THINK YES.

So once I was done flipping the hell out and hugging it asking over and over again if she was sure we weren't just borrowing it, I thought that in order to properly show off my new pretty, I should do a matching(ish) manicure.  So I pulled out one of my favourite greens, Illamasqua Kink, and took a few pictures.  Kink is a little bluer, but it's pretty close!

Also yes, I did file my nails down again.  Kas, Robyn, Eliza(an illustrious commenter from the drunk post) and I are going on a trip and I want my nails to be beautiful in time for that, so I did a final file and now I'm letting them grow til then and pampering them.

Kink was one of the three first Illamasquas I owned(bought them together), along with Throb and Load.  My bottle has a wonky lid, but aside from that it's one of my favourite polishes.  It goes on smoothly in two thin coats and dries to a pleather-like finish.  Usually I wear it that way, but I also like it with a coat of top coat, as above.  

Have a great day, polish-aholics!

Seizure hands, OR What Happens When Georgia Plays With Spectraflair

So... Recently I received some Spectraflair in the mail.  I think Robyn and Kas knew I would turn into an obnoxious holo monster, and I can't not live up to that.

So I decided to first do a topcoat.  I mean, if you're going to do it, make it versatile.  But so far my favourite way to wear it is over China Glaze Cheers To You.  Three or four coats and it is BLINDING.  My college roommate is epileptic and accused me of trying to give her a seizure when she saw my nails.  Photos can never do justice to how revoltingly, sickeningly blinding this was.

Beware, my camera was funny with this one so one of my pictures is CRAZY orange and this one was a challenge.  But they were the best pictures I got, so I'm sharing them!

The above photo is NOT EDITED AT ALL other than cropping.  WTF camera. 

Who loves holos????  I can't be the only one who loves blinding holos!

Montreal is great!!!!

It's the best ity ever I got sweet polish. It is sangria Friday and they have 50 cent shots it's amazing I live you all yay!!!!? I've Ben drnking'

EDIT:  This is George... Kas is in Montreal for the weekend and is having a little bit of recreational beverage time.  We are fully of age so consider this... A sign of things to come.

Essie's Turquoise and Caicos + Orly's Blue Collar + Nicka K = Power Post!!!

I have had a busy couple weeks and I still have a few more days of crazy.  So this is going to be quick!!!

I rarely wear bright colours but I thought what the hey.  It's spring let's do something a bit blighter than usual. 

Essie's Turquoise and Caicos.  It's a light turquoise cream, and it was 4 coats. *sadness*.

Orly's Blue Collar.  It's a sky blue cream.  It was 2 coats and a bit goopy, but I've had it for quite some time.

Finally I covered it all in some Nicka K iridescent glitter in a clear base.  Depending on the light, and base colour the glitter could look green, blue, yellow or pink. Goopy would be an understatement.  If you don't shake the bottle and you turn it upside down the balls don't move at all.  And it dries matte.  But top coat fixes all :) (Not cuts...never put top coat in cuts!!!)

My next post will be more interesting!!!

What are some of your favourite spring colours?

Guest Blogger Robyn - If Simon Cowell Had A Nail Blog This Would Be An Entry.

Welcome Robyn!!! She is our first guest blogger!!!  She's an wicked awesome friend of ours who can be brutally honest. (You'll see).  Now on to Robyn!!!

Hello Valkyries! What a joy it is to share this horror with you.

Disclaimers:I don't love pink. I have red hair and a very pale complexion, so it tends to make me look freshly exhumed. I'm horrified to have been presented with this colour.

I don't love Revlon colours. I've never seen one that made me say WOW. To be honest, I think "Whimsical" is completely disgusting. Kas showed it to me and I couldn't understand why people are sh*tting themselves over it.

I'm a complete nail n00b. Geez, I only own about 50 polishes. I don't do the nicest paint jobs and I'm not much with cleanup. I also have icky dry skin…this is actually the best my cuticles have looked in a while. I would apologize, but my skin hurts all the time, so no. Not sorry.

Onward!

Revlon's Pink Freeze is a salmon-bubblegum monstrosity with just about nothing going for it. My immediate thought was that a clown ate too much cotton candy and Barbie had to perform a stomach pump. There really isn't anything unique or interesting about this colour - it's a very basic pink with minimal shimmer. Irredeemable.

Formula: Quite acceptable. I had no trouble applying this eyesore, and found it evened itself out nicely in 3 coats. A little bit streaky, but easy to get under control. There was a single bubble on my index finger that made me extremely angry. I hate bubbles with the fiery passion of a thousand suns.

Wear Time: I decided to submit myself to the humiliation of wearing this out in public. For you, dear readers. It survived karaoke, which tends to involve a lot of flailing and beverage-related incidents. I experienced no tip wear or chipping within a 24 hour period.

Verdict: This is gross. F*ck you, Revlon.

Art.

 

Crackle!

 

Matte!

 Glitter!

It's still ugly!

Learn more about Robyn's booze-fueled anglophilia and nerdlust on Tumblr (http://awfullydull.tumblr.com/), where she occasionally posts terrible webcam shots of her own half-assed nails arts. 

Fun with striping tape and the new China Glaze Summer Neons...

So not too long ago I received some striping tape, and I made my first attempt at a mani with it, and I think it went decidedly.... Okay.  It's not great, but not bad.  I'd give it a solid B!

I used the three China Glaze Summer Neons that I picked up(Sun-kissed, I'm With The Lifeguard, and Surfin' For Boys) and my favourite Orly Liquid Vinyl.  Sure, the idea's not exactly original, but it's really fun and I certainly enjoyed wearing it.

Once I figure out how to take the tape off more effectively, I think I'll be a lot better(see: the spot on my index finger..).  So there'll be lots of these in my future until I get it perfect.

Do you guys like doing tape manis like this?  Any tips you can give me on getting better?

If not, any fun colour combos you'd like to see?

DOES NO ONE WANT CHANEL?!?!?!?!?!?! (Giveaway - Take 3)

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!?  WE'RE TRYING TO GIVE YOU STUFF!!! THIS IS FREE!!! WHHHHYYYYYYYY!!!

Here's our new winner.  Our THIRD winner we have selected.  The winner is...

Bon Jovi!!!

Actually it's not...still. 

But if Kelsie (The winner) from Kelsie's Nail Files doesn't respond within 48 HOURS we will send it to Jason Orange of Take That.  He will appreciate it. I know it.

We have sent you an email Kelsie. PLEASE respond!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Zoya Zuza and Zoya Carly - WOW

So much like Deborah Lippmann, I have a complicated relationship with Zoya.  Like Lippmann they are "top quality", the best of the best, etc etc.  On me?  CHIP CITY within hours.  I think it must be something about my body chemistry?  I bought my first Zoyas(Envy and Sloan) with Kas, and within hours of putting them on, I was calling her to be like "WTF WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?"  I've tried four different top coats and three different base coats, no changes.  I've had better wear with a couple of other Zoya colours, but only marginally(two days with no chips).  So I rarely buy Zoyas as a result.  But the new Surf collection was so gorgeous that I decided to take a chance on two of them.  I'm glad I did, even if I DID have a little of my typical chippage.

So I picked up Zuza and Carly.  Both are AMAZING both in person and on camera, though Carly was next to impossible to accurately capture.  I wore both for two days, and both had chips, however small, on day one.

Carly

A purple with strong red undertones.  Pink, violet, and silver shimmer are immediately apparent, though in the right lights I could also see what looked like blue.  Application was a little iffy and I think I will add a little thinner to this one before wearing it again, but overall it was good.  Nearly opaque in one coat, I used two here.  In direct light this just went CRAZY, so I photographed it in the shade, which is more colour accurate anyway.  Third photo is the most accurate.

ZUZA

Aqua colour with a strong blue base and a beautiful silver shimmer.  One coat was almost enough, but I used two for these pictures.  This was taken on day two, you can see a small chip on my index finger. Application was a dream.

Which Zoya polishes are your favourites?  Any I should try?

Giveaway Winner - Take 2!!!

So you guys are in luck.  Sadly the person who won the giveaway never responded sooooooooooo I think you know what that means.  New winner!!!

And our brand new winner is...

Still NOT Bon Jovi!!!

It's Jill from The Nail Polish Rehab Candidate!!!

We have sent you an email and you now have 48 HOURS to respond.

Congrats Jill!!!

Zoya Phoebe

Now I know people are kind of split when it comes to matte, but not me.  Love it!  (Well so long as it doesn't look like dry, chalky paint).  Matte polishes are my go to when I have nothing else to wear and I'm in a rush.  These nails were actually done less than 30 minutes before I hat to go out.

Phoebe is a shimmery, bright blue polish.  The shimmer really helps in making sure it doesn't look like paint.  I used 3 coats in this.  Which is a bit more than I usually use with my mattes (2 coats).  But it applied like a dream.  I also usually use base coat.  I find they last longer.  I also decided to use topcoat this time round.

I wore these for 3 days without noticeable wear then I jacked them up when one of them chipped and I tried to fix them.  I also forgot to put base coat on this time round and decided to just let it be.  My nails looked horrid when I took it off.  This greenish colour.  Sexy.

 No topcoat

 No topcoat

 Top coat

Top coat

What are your feelings on matte polishes?  Please answer in 100-150 words.  You will be marked on spelling.  It's also worth 20% of your final grade.  Just so you know and you don't come complaining to me wondering where your mark cam from.

Giveaway Winner!!!

Actually let's address a few things first.

1) God Save The Queen is Canada's second anthem.  Not Hockey Night in Canada, The Maple Leaf Forever, or The grunting sound of burly, sweaty men, as they slam their skates against the ice, and beat pucks with hockey stick.  But I can see how that would be the logical answer.

2) Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, HOWARD DONALD, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams.

Consider this your study sheet.

And the winner is...

Bon Jovi!!!

It's not.

It's...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Frankie C!!! You have 48 hours to respond :)

Stay tuned more giveaways coming soon!!!

OPI Dear Santa - One of my favourite reds.

So I don't wear red TERRIBLY often, but I have a few favourites, and this one probably tops them all. OPI Dear Santa was from the 2009 holiday collection, and when I found it at a beauty supply store last year I was really excited because I'd seen swatches and thought it was just stunning.

It's a cherry red with a really gorgeous gold shimmer that appears best under indoor light.  Outside it's a gorgeous shade that looks like hot coals.

It's really flattering on my warmer skin tone, and I doubt it would fare so well on someone pinker.  If you have cool-toned skin, I'd stay away from this one.  I think this is one of the best reds I've come across.

It IS a little sheer, so what you see here is three coats and I know some people like to use four, but I find three is plenty for me.

What's your favourite red?  Do you like Dear Santa?

Nails Inc Kensington Topcoat Caviar - Why you make me sad?

Guuuuuuyyssss.  This topcoat makes me sad?

Short Story (yes, it has to do with this post).  So I have MAYBE 150-175 bottles of polishes.  In the real world that's a lot.  But when I comes to nail blogs that's the tip of the iceberg!!!  Anyways one of the reasons I have relatively few is because I'm VERY picky.  It's rare I ever see a polish and think "Wow, I'm just going to buy that!" I research, look at swatches, compare, stare at them for a disgusting amount of time in stores before I buy.  Which is one reason why I have few I don't like.

Now before I bought this topcoat almost year ago I did my usually research the hell out of it. And everywhere I looked people seemed to be wetting themselves over it. So when I went to America I bought 2 bottles.  Mistake.  First off the formula is THIN.  Now I don't want thick formula but I don't like water thin. Second wear time was HORRIFIC.  Everything chipped after a day or two.  No matter what I wore.  And finally it always bubbled like crazy!!!  I honestly don't understand why every one loves this.  It's like the Twilight saga.

This was my first experience with Nails Inc and I haven't touched anything by them since.  Should I give their polishes a try?

Look at that photo... I'm practically a young Annie Leibovitz.

Barry M Red Black - My Nails Express My Inside Feelings!!!

Remember how a few posts ago I was talking about how I had a bad night due to being stuck in the rain amongst other things?  Well on Sunday I had a talk with that someone who may or may not have forgotten me in the rain.  I had obviously been angry.  Before I met with said person I used tape and kind of made my nails look like claws.  I mean if I couldn't actually claw his face off, I wanted to at least give the illusion I could.  Long story short though everything is all good now. We kissed and made out up.

 The silver is Wet n Wild Metallica

Now on to the swatches. Barry M Red Black is a deep blood red jelly... you can almost call it red black.  It's full of all sorts of vampy sexyness.  And what makes it even better is I'm pretty sure is an almost, if not dupe for Chanel's Rouge Noir. Who doesn't like saving money? (The Kardashians, that's who).  For this manicure I used 2 coats on most fingers but a couple needed a bit of touch up. The formula overall was great.  I love, love, love this polish!!!