Demeter is a goddess

Today I have Picture Polish Demeter, a Harlow & Co exclusive.  Harlow helped design this with Picture Polish and it may be one of my favorites of the whole group.  I just have to say this is absolutely STUNNING.  It is also very unique in my collection as I don't have any deep brown holos.  I've gotten so many compliments on it.  Definitely going to be a collection staple for the fall.

I felt that it applied like a dream, went on easy and had great coverage.  You see two coats below.  When it hit the sun it glowed!  I loved this.  

Shade:

It was a cloudy day, so I didn't get a good direct sun photo:

Shade:

I was able to get some photos of the holo goodness close up!

You can purchase this at Harlow & Co.

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Jane Eyre

Today's post is from the new a England collection.  I am such a huge fan of a England I just simply had to have them all.  Their formula is hands down the best of any company overall I've used. 

Jane Eyre is a brown leaning base with a burgundy shimmer.  The simmer doesn't show up very well under normal lighting, but outside or under the oppressive fluorescent lights of my office, it shows up nicely. 

This formula was the typical a England awesomeness.  It applies like a dream.  I used two coats below, I felt that it needed two coats.  The luster on this polish is also unmatched in most every other brand.

The pictures aren't the greatest because in the sun is where it shines the most, but the reflections I got took away from it I think.  But you can still appreciate the beauty! 

Macro shot picking up the shimmer.

a England polishes can be purchased at their website and various online etailers (Overall Beauty and Ninja Polish).

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A Cornucopia of Mustard Gardens

Lacquistry is back!!!  I've been kicking myself for MONTHS over not getting her to make me any custom polishes.  I've been waiting.  Patiently.  Not so patiently.  Gnawing on my cuticles.  Jonesing for a fix.

And then she released her fall polishes.  I had to have them all.  I've missed her polishes so very much.

The thing about Lacquistry is that not only does she make gorgeous polishes that have a great flair for color mixtures and glitter selection, but she has hands down the GREATEST customer service out of any polish maker.

A few months ago I get a package in the mail from Lacquistry, it was a replacement for my Lake Placid on Acid, saying there was an issue with the formula on the old batch (on some of them, not necessarily mine) and that wasn't okay, so she replaced it.  Without my asking.  I was floored.  In all honesty it makes me want to support her more because I just want to reward someone who has such pride in their product that they go to great expense to make things right. 

Here is Cornucopia.  I decided to layer it over 2 coats of my "pretty ugly" base of Hampstead Gardens by Nails, Inc.  There is a reason this baby is always on clearance at Sephora and that is because it is just very....mustard. 

However I thought the mustard would bring out the colors in Cornucopia, especially since this has a darkened base to it.  I was really thrilled with the results and I stared at my nails for DAYS!  The color spread and glitter variants in Cornucopia was just gorgeous.  I think it would look great over a deep brown as well.  It screams fall as well.  It went on easily and was easy to get the glitter to spread on the nail and lay down.  Just a home run in every respect. 

I loved this and I can't wait to try on the others in the collection and buy up all that she has to offer!

You can purchase Lacquistry through her Etsy Store.  Nails, Inc can be found at Sephora.


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Sounders are Trendy...

This week in the Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge, was "Inspired by the Runway".  I am perhaps one of the least trendy people, but I do know that color block is still in most of the mags I'm seeing.

I picked this green base, OPI Who the Shrek Are You? as a shout out to my son's soccer team, which uses the Seattle Sounders Jersey.  Then, on the accent nail, I used aEngland Camelot to make a color block pattern.  I free handed it and in retrospect I should have used tape.

I didn't think Shrek would be me, but I actually love it, it was different and eye catching.

Shade:

Sun

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And the Winners are....

Congrats to the winners of my first giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The first one the F4, the second won the Amy's Nail Boutique and the third one the Once Upon a Polish.  I have emailed the winners for their choices. 

I appreciate all of your support and entries!  Stay tuned as I'll have another giveaway when I get to 200!  

Aorta

Today's post features one of the new "rubber" finishes from Illamasqua named Aorta.  The finish on these was like nothing else I owned and I couldn't stop feeling my nails.

This formula was outstanding and it wore like IRON.  I thought not having a top coat would cause a problem, but not at all, four days later this was still chip free.

I was thrilled with the brush and application of this polish, this may be my first Illamasqua, but it definitely won't be my last!

Macro - look at how smooth this applies!  (the dent is my own nail, not the polish).

Illamasqua polishes can be purchased at Sephora.

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Stargazer is the Ultimate Pink

This is my entry into the Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge - delicate and elegant.  I originally was going to do some stamping, but it didn't turn out well.  At all.  Not even a little bit.

So while scrambling to come up with an idea on Monday while my kids were at soccer, I decided to look through my glitters to see something that brought the image to mind.  I settled on Amy's Nail Boutique Stargazer.  A beautiful iridescent pink base with holographic glitter.  I decided to give it a bit of a pinker pop by putting it over Essence The Ultimate Pink.

I think it works!  I wish the sun was cooperating more tonight, but alas it has been overcast most of the day.

Amy's Nail Boutique is one of my favorite indie stores and this formula, like all of her others, is fantastic.  Goes on easily, glitter easy to get from bottle to nail.  I love this In Bloom line she came out with.  She is also one of the indie brands that I chose to purchase from for my first giveaway so enter that if you haven't already!

This shows off the holo glitter:

This shows off the soft iridescence, which is why I picked this for "delicate"

Macro shot!

Essence polishes can be purchased at Ulta.  Amy's Nail Boutique can be purchased at her Etsy store.



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Red Riding Hood at 667 Catherine Arley

Have you entered my giveaway yet?  I hope so!  I'm getting ready to feature one of the polishes from one of the stores we are giving away to!

Today I have Once Upon a Polish Red Riding Hood.  You know I'm a sucker for black & red manis because of my son's soccer teams.  So when I saw this in her store, I knew it would be mine.  Red Riding Hood has red squares, small red hexes, black shreds, white shreds and squares.   As with my other Once Upon a Polishes, it went on easy, great job getting a variety of glitter from bottle to nail.  Spread out easily and laid down perfectly.  I love her polishes!  

I wasn't sure what I was going to layer it over, and then I received a happy in the mail.  I'm part of a group that does monthly swaps and my swap partner sent me my box of goodies!  In it was the lovely Catherine Arley 667, a beautiful grey/silver holo.  I knew this was going to be what I layered it over.

Match made in heaven!!!

So I'm all ready for my day of soccer tomorrow.  GO MUSTANGS!!  

Three coats of 667 by itself (sunlight).  Sigh, how dreamy is this?

Rainbows!

More rainbows!

One coat of Red Riding Hood on Top:

This makes me so happy

Shade

Up close and personal

macro

Once Upon a Polish can be purchased at  her Etsy Store.  Catherine Arley is not available in the US and I have gotten mine before on ebay.

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Bling a Ding Ding

Have you entered my giveaway yet?

The theme for this weeks Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge was "Gimmie That Bling" to put some sparkles on our nails.

I knew this manicure would be my 40th Birthday Party nails, so I wanted to have a blue base as a homage to my birthstone, the sapphire.

So here you see 2 coats of Ciate Regatta, and really I could have done only one coat it was that perfect.  Regatta is such a great color, it has so much depth on the nail.  The application was a dream.  This was my first Ciate and it certainly wont be my last.

For the bling I used Nail Art stickers.  I was really happy at how it all came out.

Sun:

Shade:

Up Close:

Macro shot of Regatta

'

Ciate can be purchased at Sephora.

Here are the other Girly Girl Nail Art Participants:


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Happy 40th Birthday to Me!

In celebration of 40 years of the world having to deal with ME, I'm having my first giveaway!

There will be three winners.

I've picked three of my favorite indie polishes who consistently have a good stock in their Etsy stores to choose from.  Each winner will get to choose one of the polishes available from one of the three stores.   The store the winner gets to pick from will depend on the order selected.

I will be contacting the winners for their choice and shipping information.  I will order your polish directly from the site and have it shipped to you.  Therefore this is only open to USA residents.  Sorry international friends!  Next time I'll open it up internationally.

Please note this is only for polishes currently AVAILABLE on their Etsy sites.  If there is a particular polish you want and it is not available, I can do my best to ask if it will be in stock soon, but you may have to wait.

The first indie polish maker is F4 Polish.  What can I say about these amazing ladies?  Their polish is unique, well formulated and fun.  They made me a custom that I adore.  I want to share their creations with everyone in this community.

The second indie polish maker is Amy's Nail Boutique.  Amy's In Bloom collection may be my favorite as a whole collection ever.  She has also created a few custom listings for me and provides outstanding customer service.  She is super nice and I adore her.

The third indie polish maker is Once Upon a Polish.  I love the whimsical nature of her designs and her customer service is outstanding.  She actually used two of my swatches in her Etsy store, and that meant so much to me.  I have a special place in my heart for OUaP.  Everyone else should enjoy her creations as much as I do!

Please note that these businesses are in no way affiliated with this giveaway other than that I chose them to purchase from.

This giveaway will run for 2 weeks before I pick the winners.  Good luck and thank you for your support!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Halycon

Today I have Rescue Beauty Lounge Halcyon for you.  Halcyon is a beautiful sage green with a purple shimmer packed inside.  It applies flawlessly and wears like iron.  I think I had this manicure on for 5 days before it really started to show any wear.  

A very subtle, but elegant manicure that is very work friendly.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, I'll have an announcement for my first giveaway!  <3  

Sun:  (sooner or later this ridge will finally grow out).  This photo seems a bit washed out, but this was the best I could do and what I get for not downloading these photos until AFTER the manicure was off my nails).

Shade

Macro

 

Rescue Beauty Lounge can be purchased on their website.  

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In a Flurry

Today I am sharing with you one of my favorite drug store finds - Sally Hanson In a Flurry.  This is a stunning deep base with purple and green shimmer to it.  If you don't have this in your collection, RUN to pick it up!  

Below you see two coats.  I've found that the brush on the Insta-Dry is horrible (too big, like Spoiled's brush), but so worth it for polishes like this!  It does clean up easily, so that helps for sure.

Sorry about the tip wear, I used Seche and I should have just used a regular base coat since this was completely smooth on the nail.

Sunlight:

Shade:

Up close, look at this fabulous blend!

Sally Hanson can be purchased at CVS and Walgreens.

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Think Pink

I decided to challenge myself by joining the Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge.  As you can see, in general, nail art is not my forte, but if I never challenge myself, I'll never get better, right?

A huge thank you to Lisa's Nail Obsession for starting this challenge and allowing me to be a part of it!

So the first week is "Think Pink".

When I "Think Pink" I think of the breast cancer awareness ribbon.  Four years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Thankfully, they caught it early and was able to remove the tumor in a lumpectomy and subsequent radiation.  I am forever grateful for the technology and advancement in breast cancer treatment.  She just had her yearly mammogram and she is now at 4 years cancer free.  YAY.

I knew I wanted to do the breast cancer ribbon on an accent nail.  It seemed fitting to do it this week since I am about to celebrate my 40th birthday and who better to honor than the woman who made it all possible?  My mom is my greatest champion and who taught me everything I know about love.

I started off with one coat of Orly Au Champagne, then I used two coats of OPI Pedal Faster Suzi.  I used Au Champagne as the base to make the pink "pop" more.  Then I put a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust to give it all an extra sparkle.  For the ribbon accent, I used Zoya Kissy and then filled in around it with my Milani Nail Art Striper in Silver.

I'm pretty happy with it.  Of course the ribbon could have been crisper, but it still makes me smile.

Sadly it is pouring down rain, so my picture quality suffered, so forgive me!

Indoors, using natural light by the door:

Close Up:

Indoors using no natural light, no flash

OPI, Zoya, China Glaze and Orly can all be purchased at Ulta.  Milani products can be purchased at CVS and Walgreens.

Here are the nail art challenge prompts:

Here are the participants:

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Let's Go Terps!

GAH!  So sorry for my absence, I've been in the throws of back to school events for both kiddos.  My boys are in 4th grade and Kindergarten!

This week their schedules (and mine) are back to normal, which means blogging should be as well.

Today I have an insanely awesome custom polish from F4 to share with you.

As a University of Maryland College Park alumna and season ticket holder for football and basketball, I needed a polish to show off my Maryland Pride.

Last year Under Armour designed a series of uniforms to highlight the Maryland State Flag, seen below.

Our flag is based on two families coat of arms, the Calvert (Black and Gold) and Crossland (Red and White) families.

The geniuses at UA decided to base an entire uniform on this flag.  Then had the vision to put that on the team during the ESPN opening game.  The result?  MD fans everywhere went gonzo for this beauty.  Across the country most blanched at the tackitasticness of it, but us Marylanders?  We loved it.

These are two sides to the same uniform.  We fell in love.

Needless to say there aren't a lot of red/white/black/gold polishes out there.  A few, yes, but the ones I've found had hearts or diamonds in them.  Then, of course, there is the issue of what to layer it over.

So I went to the amazing ladies at F4 to make my precious, I didn't know if they did customs, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.  I told them I wanted a red/white/gold glitter polish in a clear base to wear over black to wear to wear at the games.  I sent them the MD flag for inspiration.   Because they are the epitome of awesome, they created it for me.  They named it "Maryland Pride".

It has small white square glitter, medium gold hex glitter and large red hex glitter.  Over black it just comes ALIVE!  I couldn't be more thrilled.

Okay, enough talking, photo time:

GAH, I just love it.  I put on one coat of Cult Nails Nevermore and then ONE coat of Maryland Pride.  There is some weird reflections going on in these photos, it was NOT bumpy, it was the way the, it was the best I could get on the way out the door to the game.  On my ring finger I have that stupid ridge that I got back in June at Disney World.  I can't wait to grow this thing out!

To show you how awesome their color matching was, I took a photo on each side of my son's MD pride shirt - here is the black/gold side (this was taken indoors so pardon the lighting, the boy wouldn't move outside and the shirt was on him, little stinker!):

red/white (this is the same finger as above so you can see the difference in reflection)

Simply perfection!  I even had the lady next to me and her daughters ask me where they could get it because they loved it!

F4 Polish can be purchased at their Etsy Store.  Cult Nails can be purchased at their Online Store.

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