Pinkalicious

My son has a slight obsession with the Pinkalicious books  so when I was trying to decide what manicure to do last night, he told me I needed pink nails to go with his new level 1 reader set that we got him at Barnes & Noble.

So here is my pinkalicious nails!  This is two coats of Julep Niecey, a hot pink stunner with a coat of Red Carpet Lacquer Oz, Not Kansas - a beautiful glittery rainbow - overtop.

This is a fun sparkly combo that if I had a daughter, she would probably love!  My son did declare these were great pinkalicious nails.

One issue I had with the manicure was that 2 hours after doing this manicure and going to bed, I woke up with 2 of my nails completely jacked up with sheet marks or pushing.  I'm not sure if this is due to the sparkly top coat (and not waiting long enough before top coating it) or my trying out NYC top coat, but once I get to the bottom of which one caused the drying issues, I'll report back.

Close Up:

Julep polishes can be purchased at their online store:  http://www.julep.com/ .  Sephora has also started carrying Julep polishes.  I received this through their Maven program, which gives you great discounts on their polishes.  If you would like to try out the program, you can use my link http://julep.com/?r=19795561
which would give me a discount on future boxes:  .  Red Carpet Lacquers can be purchased at her Etsy store:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/RedCarpetLacquer

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Do the Cha Cha Cha

This is one of my very favorite manicures that I've done thus far.  It wore like a dream and I had SO many compliments on it.

I wore this for FIVE days with very little tip wear (which, let me tell you, is a world record for me).  Even after 5 days, I would still find myself gazing at the sparkle.

This is one coat of All That Glitters Cha Cha Twist over one coat of Sinful Aquamarine.  These two polishes really looked great together and my photos couldn't capture the beautiful combination of colors very well.  On the hand it is much more teal leaning than the blue it looks like in the photos.

Brace yourself for some picture spam:

This is one coat of Sinful Aquamarine, I post this because this was BEFORE clean up!  I mean for this this was nirvana because honestly I spend more time cleaning my nails than I do painting them half of the time.  This is a great polish and went on like this with only one coat.

Here it is with the fantastic Cha Cha Twist over top!  As you can see it has black and red dots, a few large silver and blue hexes, some silver glitter, some sparkly bluish bar glitter and some red squares.  The spread out easily on the nail and was easy to get on the brush (DOUBLE BONUS!)

Here is a better shot of the red squares on the thumb:

 My attempt at showing off how this baby sparkled!

This is what it looked like on DAY 5!   The only reason I took it off was because I chipped a nail (argh) and so I had to file them all down.

All That Glitters can be purchased through her Etsy shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/allthatglittersnails  Cha Cha Twist is currently available.  BUY IT!  Sinful polishes can be found at Target and Rite Aid. 

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Part of the Cult

I scored several Cult Nails polish during their $5.00 deal about a month ago.  Here is 2 of them that I purchased during this sale.

This is two coats of Seduction - a limited edition red and blue flakie in a clear purple base overtop of two coats of Scandalous - a gorgeous coral jelly.  Both polishes went on the nail very well.  I can't wait to try Seduction over other colors and Scandalous on its own (although two coats wouldn't be enough - it would need at least one or two more coats to be more opaque).

Cult Nails can be purchased at their shop:  http://shop.cultnails.com/ .

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Lizard Belly

If there was one polish that seemed to "rule them all" it seems to be Lizard Belly by Glitter Gal.

Every post highlighting this beauty has raved about it and I was lucky enough to get a bottle from llarowe while it was in.

Lizard Belly is a fantastic holo in a dark green base.  Here I've layered it over 1 coat of a England Camelot (the best black in the history of ever!).  Next time I'm going to try different underwear to see how it changes the polish.

Close up of the holo (click on the photo to really make it come alive!):

Glitter Gal and a England can both be purchased from the awesome etailer, llarowe http://shop.llarowe.com/

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Coppery Goodness

This next manicure is another from NerdLacquer, from the elementals collection - Cuprum.  Cuprum is a copper penny color that I think looks better in lower lighting conditions than outside.  As with all NerdLacquers, it went on like a dream with the glitter being able to get on the brush and apply to the nail.

I may try this with a darker undercoat polish to see if it changes it somehow. 

You can purchase NerdLacquer at her Etsy shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/NerdLacquer - she is on vacation right now in the shop, but should be opening up again soon. 

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I've Lost My Marbles!

Here is water marble attempt #3.  This time I did a better job with the patterning, but there were a few mistakes that I still need to correct.

I did a base of China Glaze White on White (first mistake, you can see it shows around the edges and I hate it).  Next time I'll do the lightest color in the marble as a base.

Then I used China Glaze Spontaneous (purple), China Glaze Life Preserver (coral) and Essie Sew Psyched (green) in the marble.

As you can see I had some scratching issues with the orange stick trying to clear the polish, some clean up issues, etc. but this is a learning experience and the only way I'm going to learn is to keep practicing!

Left Hand (that white bubble on the pinky and the clean up on the middle finger drives me nuts!):

Right hand (white around the index and the scratch on the thumb?  Also drives me nuts)

You can purchase China Glaze at Ulta or Sally Beauty Supply.  Essie can be found at Ulta or CVS.

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Go Mustangs! Part Deux

Here is another black and red manicure.The base was two coats of China Glaze Ruby Pumps. I will be honest in that I found this to be a little thin and as such it flooded my cuticles. In the end it was worth it for this beautiful polish.The accent finger is one coat of a England Camelot - THE most perfect black - with ruby pumps sponged on the tips.

Close Up

You can purchase a England at llarowe, http:shop.llarowe.com and China Glaze at Sally Beauty Supply or Ulta.

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Splash

This is two coats of Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream.

This really does remind me of a mermaid's tail and was simply gorgeous on the nail.  Yes, it does look a bit "bumpy" but that is what it is supposed to look like.  If you can't handle bumpy nails, this isn't the polish for you. 

I couldn't stop staring at it.  As with the other Deborah Lippmann polish I've tried, it applied perfectly.  These are expensive polishes, no doubt, but from my experience they are also three of the best polishes I own.  The colors in this are just perfect for spring. 

You can purchase Deborah Lippmann at Nordstrom and hsn.com.

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That Voodoo That You Do

Here is one of the highly sought after polishes from NailVenturous called Voodoo Doll. Somehow I was able to score a bottle during one of the mad dash Etsy openings.

This is two coats of Voodoo Doll, I thought all of the hype over NailVenturous was well earned, it laid down well on the nail and had great coverage.

You can purchase NailVenturous at her Etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop/Nailventurous or Ninja Polish http://www.ninjapolish.com/home.php

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xoxo Gossip Girl

I had been lemming after several of the Essence Nail Twin sets for a while. Finally, I was able to score Chuck and Blair on eBay.

Chuck applied like a dream in one coat, and is the most perfect blue. I should expect nothing less from a polish names after the amazing Chuck Bass.

Blair is a mix of silver glitters in a clear base. Much like the couple they are named after, these two polishes go perfectly together.

The Essence twin polishes can only be purchased on eBay in the states.

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The Grey Swan

Here is two polishes that we're made to be together, OPI My Pointe Exactly - a stunning grey jelly that applies and builds perfectly on the nail for a lovely look on the nail. Shown here is three coats. I topped it with OPI Pirouette My Whisle, a beautiful glitter topper from the same NY Ballet Collection.

This was a very work friendly polish that I would stare at all day at work. I generally steer clear of sheers, but these are outstanding.

You can purchase OPI at Ulta.

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My Gateway Polish

I owned a few polishes, maybe about 20-30 for a long time and I was never that great at doing my own manicures, then the Hunger Games Collection came out from China Glaze and my addiction was born.

I went on a buying rampage and have practiced my polishing every week.

Here is one of those polishes, Fast Track, a soft brown with a nice shimmer.

This applied well, but I feel it is also too close to my skin tone. Great for client meetings. Next time I may put it over a darker base to see if I like it better.

You can purchase China Glaze from Sally Beauty or Ulta.

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Fire and Ice

Here is another fantastic indie polish by KB Shimmer.  I saw a swatch of Berry Patch online and I quickly went to her store to purchase it, only to be captivated by the stunning Fire and Ice and bought that one instead.  (Berry Patch - you will be mine, oh yes, you will be mine).

I will say that when I applied this polish on my nail, I gasped it was so pretty.  I gasped.  Out loud.  This, my friends, is why I love these indie manufacturers.   Next time KB Shimmer is offering nail polish?  RUN to her store and buy, buy, buy!

This is ONE coat of KB Shimmer Fire and Ice over one coat of Nails, Inc St. James (a bright red with blue undertones creme), these polishes are a match made in heaven! 

You can purchase KB Shimmer polishes (she also has a line of soaps and bath bombs as well) at her etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/KBShimmer  She also has another shop online:  http://kbshimmer.com/ I can't tell you enough how much I loved this polish. 

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Across the Universe

I saw this gorgeous manicure on Nail Polish Wars Blog (click the link to take you to the far better original!) and decided to try it myself.

This is one coat of OPI Light My Sapphire with one coat of Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe. This was my first Deborah Lippmann polish and I thought it was outstanding. The glitter applied evenly and was easy to get out of the bottle. The coverage and application was a breeze.

Close up:

Then I sponged the tips with China Glaze Lorelei's Tiara. This was super blingy, almost too much so.

Close up:

Later on I ended up putting another layer of Across the Universe on top and it was perfect, but sadly I didn't get a photo!

You can purchase Deborah Lippmann at Nordstrom and hsn.com. China Glaze can be purchased at Sally Beauty and Ulta. OPI can be purchased at Ulta.

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Brighter Than A Firefly

Here is a polish from the indie NerdLacquer called I Aim To Misbehave from the Firefly collection.

NerdLacquer was my first indie purchase and I have been waiting for them to reopen so I could get more ever since!  Since I didn't get this in my first set of purchases, I was lucky enough to get it from a blog sale through the wonderful Sasha from http://www.sometimesispillmypolish.com/

This polish goes on perfectly, you don't need to fish for glitter and it lays down well on the nail. She has a great sense of color and what works well together.

The only thing I would be more careful about is making sure the dark glitter isn't so close to my cuticles next time.

You can purchase NerdLacquer through her Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/NerdLacquer

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Criss Cross Applesauce

Here is another (poor) attempt at nail art. I did one coat of Julep Charlotte on most of my nails.

This polish is outstanding, great smooth coverage in one coat.

On the accent nail I did a base of Zoya Pippa and the pattern of Julep Charlotte and Milani Mint Candy with a striping brush. Then I dotted Pippa in the intersections.

Sun:

Shade:

Julep can be purchased at http://www.julep.com I received the amazing Charlotte through their maven program, if you would like to try out the maven program you can use my referral link: http://julep.com/?r=19795561 and I will get rewards. Zoya can be purchased at Ulta and http://www.zoya.com, Milani can be found at CVS.

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Midnight Rider

Here is a quick swatch of the indie polish from Pretty and Polished called Midnight Rider.

Only two fingers are shown because I messed this one up nearly immediately due to a kid emergency (fell on a cup, crying, etc).

I didn't redo it because I need to find some good underwear for this polish before trying again. I like this polish, but I need to find a good partner to truly make it pop. I thought the application and the glitter spread was great.

You can buy Pretty and Polished at her Etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PrettyandPolished

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English Marbles

Having been bit by the water marble bug, I decided to try it with two holos, a England Tristam - a rich blue and a England Princess Sabra - a lovely gold over a base of one coat of Princess Sabra.

I did multiple fingers in this marble to conserve this polish, but I was really happy with the result.

I need to work on my patterning more for water marbles.Left Hand:

Right Hand:

The sun came out to better show off the holos:

Close up:

a England polishes can be purchased at llarowe http://shop.llarowe.com/

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First Water Marble

I finally bit the bullet and did my first water marble.

I felt as if some of the nails were done better than others, but it was great fun and I knew I would definitely do it again.

I started with a base is Confetti Wedding White (which I am not thrilled with, but I am still searching for that perfect easy white).

For the water marble I used Confetti Wedding White, Zoya Miley (purple), OPI Sparrow Me The Drama (pink), China Glaze Electric Beat (blue) and China Glaze Re-Freshmint (green).


Left Hand:

Right Hand:

Confetti can be purchased at CVS. Zoya polishes can be purchased at Ulta or online at http://www.zoya.com . OPI can be purchased at Ulta. China Glaze can be found at Sally Beauty Supply and Ulta.

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The Cat In The Hat

Suess by Whimsical Ideas by Pam is such a fun explosion of colors that remind me so much of those from Cat in the Hat.

This polish applied very easily, this is two coats that you see on the nail. The glitters were easy to grab up on the brush and spread out well on the nail.

Close up:

You can purchase Whimsical Ideas by Pam through her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/whimsicalideasbypam

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My Piggies Are Riveting

Here is my current pedicure - China Glaze Riveting.

Riveting is a fun orange jelly polish with orange glitter. It was part of the Hunger Games collection, which was my gateway polish collection into this crazy nail polish obsession.

You can purchase China Glaze at Sally Beauty Supply, Ulta and various etailers.

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Which Way Did He Go George

Here is the awesome St George from a England, a teal holo that applies easily in one coat like a dream. This color is absolutely stunning in person.

a England can be purchased from llarowe online http://shop.llarowe.com/

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Don't Pout

Here is another Butter London, the gorgeous Trout Pout. Looking at the bottle I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but on it really comes alive!

After a few days I tried to extend the mani so I added HITS Hephesto, a beautiful silver holo, on top.

Showing off the holo:

You can buy Butter London at Nordstrom and Ulta. HITS can be purchased at the amazing etailer llarowe http://shop.llarowe.com/

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The Weirdest Named Polish I Own

Here is one coat of Nfu Oh 51 over two coats of Wet n Wild black cream.

Nfu Oh 51 is a duochrome flakie that shows all different colors in the sunlight. The other thing that stands out about Nfu Oh is the bottle design, it is hands down the best bottle design of any polish I own.

I thought the application was great and it doesn't dry as shiny as I am used to with my other creams.Here you can see the red and gold in the shift:

This one captures most of the colors (green, orange, red)

Here is all green

You can purchase Nfu Oh at Fabulous Street http://www.fabuloustreet.com/, Wet and Wild can be purchased at CVS or Rite Aid.

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