WHICH COLOR?? Why choose just one??

 

  Last night, I decided my nails needed a color change. So I dug into my collection* (I have way waaaaaay too many nail polishes, I had to get a storage system...) and started grabbing colors. I ended up with 5 in the same color family and the same brand.

Butter London lacquers are fantastic, they go on beautifully, (I put on 3 coats of each just to have complete coverage) and I've never had a problem with any of them.

The list of colors, from pinkie to thumb are:

Snog, Trout Pout, Dahling, MacBeth and Jaffa.

My entire nail routine is as follows: Melt-Away Cuticle Eliminator by Butter London, then I push back my cuticles (gently!) and nip them with the Mini Nail Rescue Kit by Tweezerman from Ulta.com, then I use OPI Chip Skip to clean my nails. Then I use OPI Original Nail Envy to treat my nails, since they tend to bend and peel on their own. I use Orly Bonder rubberized basecoat, it's the best one I've tried, it helps me keep the polish ON my nail instead of all over my finger. Two or three coats of my chosen color, then this amazing topcoat Glisten & Glow fast drying topcoat which works even faster than the Seche Vite topcoat but without the "pulling" on the polish (when the polish pulls back from the tip and exposes the nail underneath). And it's incredible! It dries fast enough that I can paint all 10 nails, then go straight to bed. I love it! 

My nail polish usually lasts 4-5 days, if I'm not impatient and change them first, which is nearly always the case!

The lacquers were purchased by me via EBATES and Ulta.com, and the topcoat was purchased at Glisten & Glow. 

Happy New-Groundhog-Valen-Patrick's...oh ok, I've been lazy!

I have been lazy. I've had bunches of posts in my noggin but haven't put finger-to-keyboard! Sorry!

Now, to jump back in! What's one of my peeves? Texture! Bumpy, bubbly polish makes me want to scratch the paint right off, as exhibited in this post, UGH! That being said, there's a new trend coming out in full swing this spring: Liquid Sand by OPI.

 

The color above is "What Wizardry is this?" purchased by my pal, Barb (HI BARB!) and loaned to me to see how it looked. I believe she made her purchase at Ulta earlier this week.

My thoughts: It's a PRETTY COLOR! Bronze-y, gilded and sparkly. But the more it dried, the more the bumpy sandpaper texture came out. Granted, I used a supa-fast-quick-dry top coat, which the OPI website says to avoid, in fact the bottle says "Dries to a textured matte finish infulsed with reflective glints of light. Apply base coat and two coats of color. Do not use top coat." But I'm impatient and didn't want to be forced to walk helplessly around with my fingers up in the air waiting for them to dry.

Verdict: I like it, but I don't think I'll make any purchases of them This bottle was a loaner and I think the owner is going to be pleased, but the texture just isn't my style. If the top coat had smoothed it over, then I'd probably be ok with it. But it didn't. I'm not sure anything short of 6 coats of a top coat would actually smooth the texture.

If you like trends and aren't afraid of texture, then HAVE AT IT! OPI always has terrific color choices.

Color patterned!

I've been eyeing this pattern on Pinterest for months.
Working on my dotting has been painstaking. Which sounds ridiculous, but TRUE.
I purchased these China Glaze colors Traffic Jam and Elephant Walk from amazon.com and I'm really digging them.
Traffic Jam is a deep raspberry cream, no shimmer. Elephant Walk is a soft gray with the slightest hint of silvery dust.
I still need more practice, but I'M GETTING BETTER! :)

Just call me Pinky-lee!!

Ok, don't really call me that. I just looove this Pink combination!

Both are China Glaze colours. Dress Me Up is the pink I reviewed earlier. The glitter is Material Girl, and lemme tell ya, it is GLI-TTER-Y!! Multiple sizes of glitter gives a terrific saturation of the sparkly stuff. I had to use it to cover the entire accent nail because I haven't mastered the gradient glitter application look...but I'm trying!!

Both were purchased via Amazon.com because of the free shipping (you have to shop around to find it sometimes) or low shipping costs. Both were under $5 and included free shipping.

What do you think? Do you like it??

Fall-ing for these colors (even in Summer).

I've got a new nail polish obsession.

China Glaze: The Hunger Games Collection colors in Foie Gras (left) and Dress Me Up (right).

Foie Gras is a plum-ish brown which sounds hideous, but looks lovely after two coats. More like a melted milk chocolate than duck, Foie Gras looks terrific on it's own or paired with a creamy-yellow-white or blue toned accent color. Don't be afraid to experiment! The color is rich but not goth.

Dress Me Up is a soft warm pink-brown. Now, in the picture it does appear more brown than pink, but in person I'd say it resembles a well worn ballet slipper. Muted, but by no means boring! Somewhere between neutral and professional.

Both colors have great color saturation, (I'm not a big fan of sheer washes on my nails unless the color is super neon bright or baby pink) two coats was all I needed. I don't see a problem with wearing these colors in any season. They feel very "grown-up"

Again, amazon.com is my shopping destination of choice for my polishes. However I did my homework! I looked to ChinaGlaze.com for color swatches and options.

What do you think? Would you wear either of these?

Stained your nails? EASY fix!

Have you ever used a dark or colorful nail polish, then after taking it off eventually you discover *GASP* your nails are stained BIG TIME?

Me too! My best friend (HI SCHMOOPS!!) gave me a terrific tip on how to remove the stain with minimal effort but maximum results:

Lemon juice and baking soda! That's it!
Spoon or dump some baking soda into a bowl, then add lemon juice and mix until you make a liquidy paste. It should feel very gritty, but not dry. You need it to stay liquid for ease of use. Then, dip your fingertips into the grit and massage your finger tops with opposing hands. Just like you would wash your hands normally.

It takes about 3 minutes, then wash your hands! Repeat if necessary, but I only needed to do it once and my darkly stained nails were pristine! (Naturally I didn't take a before or after picture of my nails. Frankly because I didn't think it would work as well as it did!)

The clean-up is as easy as every other step. And it's cheap! You probably have the elements in your kitchen already. Give it a shot! You won't be disappointed!

Don't forget your Top Coat!

If I hadn't purchased and tried this product for myself, I wouldn't have believed it.

Enter in Seche Vite fast dry top coat!
When it says fast, it means FAST! After applying two coats of nail color on each nail, starting at my pinky I applied one coat of the Seche Vite to each nail and by the time I was finished with my second hand, THE FIRST HAND WAS DRY TO THE TOUCH!! I'm not even kidding! Not "sticky" or "tacky". Slick and dry! (Granted, if you stab the polish, you're going to nick it still)

I first tried the top coat ten minutes before leaving for a night out; by the time I'd reached for my car keys I was marveling at my freshly painted fingertips and picking my jaw up off the floor that they were DRY!

I can paint my nails with regular polish, use the top coat and go straight to bed! Anyone who's learned the hard way that wet polish and bedtime equals ruined manicure by morning knows what I'm talking about.

Not with this little beauty!

Pricing varies, I suggest shopping around. I relied on my trusty amazon.com and was not disappointed.

The only downsides were the smell being very chemical and if I have a small cut it burns burns burns! Honestly, any polish burns when that happens.

To maintain my finger paint, I alternate days of application. Putting some OPI Nail Envy on first then the quick coat.

I highly recommend this top coat!

UGH!! Yuck!

Normally I only like to write up stuff I can recommend.

But I gotta tell ya, this base coat is HORRIBLE!

Sally Hansen's Tough as Wraps basecoat. I wish I could say anything positive but I just can't.

Even the thinnest coat of it bubbles and yellows almost immediately. Who wants their nails all bumpy??? (look at that picture! Yuck!!!) Not me!
If you're considering purchasing a new product for nail strength, I suggest OPI Nail Envy instead.

Matte about my nails!

Ok, admittedly I'm not the greatest at painting my own nails. And the picture below only confirms it, however I have meant to write up the Essie Matte About You top coat.for awhile and showcase it over a dark enough polish to show it off.
The solid blue is a non-shimmer blue creme from MAC, specifically the Wonder Woman collection that was limited. The matte top coat makes the polish look like paper, and gives it a papery texture too. One coat is all you need to turn the tables on your regular nail color. The drying time is minimal, when it looks matte, it's basically dry. It's like having a brand new drawer of polish options! Plus, because it's a top coat, you can change up your polish on a whim and change back to shiny and glossy really quickly and easily!
Ordering from Amazon.com is the best way I've found, the prices are competitive so you can get a fantastic deal!

Nailing it!

These are one of my favorite Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips I previously wrote about.

This set is called "Love Letter" and it is just lovely, it looks like an old handwritten letter and it's one of my favorite non-holiday related strips.

The popularity of the nail strips is making me really happy since they are so much easier to apply and maintain than regular liquid polish. The range of color and pattern for Sally Hansen vary store to store during each season, however Love Letter seems to be one of the staples. I'm glad because I thought it was limited to the February-Valentines patterns.

Look Ma, I did them myself!!

I've discovered the glory that is Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips and THEY ARE AWESOME! Don't be scared, these aren't like the press-ons we saw in the 80s!

After I do the cuticle remover from this post (Instant Cuticle Remover) I apply a quick coat of OPI Chip Skip which takes 0 time to dry, then begin the process of placing these adorable little strips of paint and design.

Like anything that's do-it-yourself, it's awkward at first. Peeling off the back AND front of the strip helped me loads (yes, I tried to put the nail strip on my nail with the clear part still on...I'd never done it before so I didn't know it wouldn't work!) and becoming fearless while placing the thin plastic-like strip down on the nail. Don't be too obsessed with getting the edges to line up. I discovered that you can use the orange stick (included in the package) to lightly press and edge out the excess, which easily peels away to reveal a perfectly formed edge!

Gently pulling the strip down and away from the tips of the nail insures that it will stretch out slightly and conform well to the nail. Be sure to press and hold the strip to the nail itself, the heat from your hands helps the product adhere better. Smoothing the paint from cuticle to nail tip also insures no bubbles or folds. Using the less abrasive third of the nail file (also included in the box) you can file rest of the paint/nail to the size and shape of nails that you prefer. I like something a little shorter and a square/round.

You can leave it at that; or do what I do which is once the strips have completely adhered, I add one coat of OPI Nail Envy and one coat of OPI Rapi Dry Top Coat just to finish it up and make my nails super shiny. I also follow up with the Nail Envy and Top Coat every two days after that. My nails keep in good condition for almost two weeks, or whenever I get bored or see another pattern that I love!

Here's some examples of the patterns I've tried:

I've yet to try any of the sets with just plain color, though there's no shortage of them. I just love the fun and funk of the designs. They are priced anywhere between $7-$10 US per set. The set includes 16 various sized strips, one wooden cuticle stick and one nail file/buffer and the instructions. Easy and fun!