Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Awards and stuff


Happy leap day! I thought I would use this extra day to catch up on awards I received that I did not post yet.

The first one I received is from Pinkishbeauty11. She blogs about nails, makeup, and other very interesting things (like tea!). She also has a post on how to do UV gel nails. If you are interested, I definitely recommend you go check it out!

Accepting this award comes with a few rules 

1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers. 
2. Inform the bloggers of their nomination.
3. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
4. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post.

Let's start with the 7 random facts shall we?
  1. I am a first year student working on getting my Ph.D in behavioral neuroscience at Kent State University. 
  2. When I am not in the lab doing research I am either painting my nails or watching old 90's shows on Netflix (currently watching Sliders!!)
  3. I love stripes! my closet is comprised of 46% (total guess here...) striped shirts. I prefer classic black and white but there are a few colorful ones in there too :)
  4. I'm a sucker for Asian makeup and skin care. Their packaging is always so cute and the shades (of BB cream and such) always match my skin tone perfectly
  5. English is not my first language. I spoke only French until I moved to the US when I was 11.
  6. I got my very own car as a graduation present last May. The best present ever!
  7. I used to keep my hair short but I've been growing it out for the past 2 years. I've decided that I will cut it when  I receive my Masters.

Next is the lovely blog award that I received from Jun at Modpolish. Her blog is also pretty new but she has some really cool nail art that she has put up. For example, her Static Funk mani is out of this world! 


The rules are: 
1. Link back to the person you got it from 
2. Tell seven things about yourself
3. Give the award to ten bloggers

I've already listed 7 things so I'm just going to say: refer to above list :)

Lastly I received the Butterfly Award, also from Jun at Modpolish
The rules are: 
1. Link back to the person who gave you the award
2. Answer the following questions
3. Award to other bloggers and let them know

The questions: 
1. What's your favourite song? 
I don't think I have one favorite song... Some days I feel like listening to my AsiaJam mix cd and my favorite song might by Chu~♥ by f(x). The next I could be feeling a little bleh and my go to song would be La tête haute by Les Cowboys Fringant. The I could be feeling relaxed and I would want to listen to something like Crystalized by the XX. I don't have a favorite song, just stuff I really like and stuff I don't really like :)
2. What's your favourite dessert? 
fudgy brownies. Hot. With ice cream. yeah.....
3. What's your favourite pet? 
My boyfriend and I have 3 cats and I love them all very dearly. However, I would have to say that I have a slight inclination for Mallory. Mostly because he is such a grouch and usually in a bad mood. I love being able to make him purr, it's like taming a dangerous animal! Check out the franken I created in honor him here
4. Black or White?
Grey has so much more depth....
5. What's your biggest fear? 
being stabbed in the back. Literally. I remember watching this segment on America's Most Wanted where they talked about a boy who was stabbed in the back and was paralyzed. He just laid there for hours, unable to do anything. That really terrified me. Now when someone touches my lower back, it tenses up and starts to hurt. True Story.
6. What's your best feature?
my jovial personality! hahaha
7. What's your everyday attitude? 
what needs to get done will get done. I learned this in one of my econ classes in college. Time is a scarce resource and there are unlimited activities which will consume it. However, the ones that need it the most will get it :)
8. What is perfection?
My wonderful man. He isn't perfect, but he is perfect for me :)
9. What is your guilty pleasure?
Korean dramas >_< they are so good! Boys over Flowers? That is the most wonderful love story I have ever heard.

Nominating time!! Here I am going for quality over quantity :)
Until next time ^_^


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Vintage Mani

There are a couple of variations on how people interpreted this weeks Year of Polish theme: "Vintage" mani

It thought it was referring to the kind of manicures that were done in the olden days, where the tip and the half moon were left polish free. Which you can see in this vintage Cutex ad from the late '30s.

Even though this was my original intention, such a manicure was not going to work with my stubby nails. I barely have a free edge to leave polish free! Since that was not going to work, I decided to a vintage pattern mani! My poor little nails could handle that one!

I looked around the internet for some neat vintage patterns and came across this gorgeous wallpaper from the early 1800's
from http://www.historicnewengland.org
and "recreated" it using tape and stamping



Essie in Turquoise and Caicos
Sally Hansen in Wet Cement
Konad Special polish in White
Konad stamping plate M71

I really fudged the index finger but otherwise, I think my stamping has improved a lot. I remember the first time I tried stamping >_< it was a disaster! haha!

Don't forget to check out my Year of Polish page to see past nail art and future themes as well as to discover some great nail artists who are also doing this challenge.

Anyhow, maybe one day I will try the vintage manicure that is in the Cutex ad above. I just have to keep my nails from breaking! with that, I am off to moisturize :)

Has your nail length ever kept you from doing a manicure you had in mind?

Until next time ^_^


Saturday, February 25, 2012

Poppies Mani

Hey everyone!

These nails are inspired by a video tutorial I saw on YouTube 2-3 years ago. I can't remember the name of the user and I wasn't able to find the video, so if this mani looks familiar and you know who the original artist is, please let me know! 

The weather in Ohio has been quite blah and I was in need of some brightness! 


Pure Ice in Unzip Me
Sally Hansen in Bubblegum Pink
China Glaze in Gothic Lolita
Sally Hansen in So Poppy
SinfulColors in Cloud 9
Black acrylic paint

The colors used in this "poppies" mani were inspired by Spring Poppies 1 by Susan Hazard. It's a very pretty painting!

This mani works best if you use polishes with the same finish. Here I had all shimmers. It just keeps the busyness of the pattern from being too overwhelming...

I attempted a water color nail here using the same colors. Unfortunately the brush I used was very small so it didn't have quite the intended effect but I find it quite interesting.

Also here is some pic spam of my international swaps
Mavala Black Diamond, Model's Own Mystic Mauve, W7 Metallic Venus. Marks and Spencers Rainbow, MaxFactor Fantasy Fire
Fantasy Fire Close Up

So much GOSH! Names below.




Until next time ^_^




Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Crackle Gradient- Everbella Shatter Crackle

Hello everyone!

Today I have something that I have been wanting to try for a while! A gradient using crackle polish!
Gradient manis can be tricky so I didn't know how well crackle polishes would blend to create a gradient effect.

This idea started when the lovely Florence over at Everbella sent me a nifty crackle polish kit for review. 
The kit came safely packaged in a corrugated box which was shipped in a bubble mailer  

Base color, Crackle polish, and Top coat
The crackle polish kit comes with a base color which varies, a crackle polish, and a small bottle of topcoat. The base color I received is a nice shimmery apple green and the crackle I was sent is BH14- Dark Green.
Everbella has more than 30 shades of crackle polish! a crackle for every occasion :D
From everbella.com Click to enlarge and see each in detail!
 Each of these crackle come in a kit (with base polish and topcoat) for only $4.99 which is a really good deal. Of course, you're probably wondering about the quality of the polish for that price right?
Well I'm going to show you swatches of the crackle further down, but the base polish was surprisingly good. The formula was a little thick but it applied nicely and the whole thing was opaque in 1 coat! The only real downside of this polish is the strange smell it has. I remember someone remarking that is smelled just like silly string, and truly it does. It's a mild chemically smell that goes away once the polish dries.

Now the crackle!!

Here is the final look of the mani:


I created it using 4 different crackle polishes and made 2 different gradients :)
Funky Fingers Teal Scales, X&D BH14, China Glaze Oxidized Aqua, Funky Fingers Silver Scales. The base color I used is Sally Hansen Brisk Blue

Funky Fingers in Teal Scales is dark green with load of glitter. It crackled decently well but it wasn't the best of the bunch! It must be applied over polish for the crackle effect to appear.




X&D in BH14 is dark green and dries to a matte finish. If you add topcoat, a subtle green shimmer emerges! the swatch on the nail wheel has no topcoat while my fingers above do so that you can see the difference :) This one took the longest to crack but had the nicest effect and formula overall. It did stain when I applied it over white polish but had no issues with it over Brisk Blue. This one does not need to be applied over polish to crackle!






China Glaze in Oxidized Aqua is light green metallic with small blue glitter. The formula for this one was very runny and didn't crackle as well as the others. I must be applied over polish to crackle.






Funky Fingers in Silver scale is a shimmery metallic silver. The formula on this one was pretty runny as well. It also tended to crackle in larger chunks. It must be applied over polish for the crackle effect to appear.



To create your own crackle gradient, all you need is a least 2 colors (preferably in the same color family) of crackle polish and a base color!
Take one of your first crackle and apply it from the cuticle side until half way down the nail. Then quickly take your second color and apply it a little bit above where the first color finished and drag it down to the tip. This should slightly blend the 2 polishes together. The crackling effect will take care of the rest!

Here is a nail wheel where I fooled around with some color combinations


As you can see, even though these are all different brands of crackle polish, they all seemed to blend together nicely!


I picked my 2 favorites from the wheel: Silver Scales to Oxidize Aqua to BH14 and BH14 to Teal Scales to create my gradient look

This is a really easy way to get gradient nails since the crackle polish breaks the whole thing up. It make the lines between the colors disappear! if you want to try this for yourself, you can pick up some great crackle polish at Everbella's online store: Everbella.com. Don't forget to use the code on the sidebar to get 10% off any item!

What do you think of the crackle gradient?

Until next time ^_^

*This item was sent to me for review, however, I provided my honest opinion of the product*





Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Nubar Mail!- Bynubar.com review

I was really excited when I saw the new Polka Dot set by Nubar. They are so pretty no??

image from bynubar.com

I was still on the waiting list for Lynnderella's Connect the Dots so I thought these puppies could satisfy my craving for black and white glitter toppers until I could finally get my hands on CTD...

I ordered my set from Bynubar.com. I looked around on amazon and other online retailers to see if I could get a better deal but in the end, if you want both White Polka Dot and Black Polka Dot, I recommend getting it directly from the source!
For $20 you get both Polka Dot toppers and Diamont Seal and Shine, which is a really good top coat!
The set came in this poly box. The outside of the box was very dusty... This picture was taken after I had blown most of the dust off, and there is still a lot there. However, the inside of the box was pristine so I didn't really care.
Here they are outside of the box! the Black Polka Dot reminds me of the black bean abyss they have at Moe's Southwest Grill. It's just a big pot of boiled black beans that you can have them put on pretty much anything you order. It looks like a bubbling cauldron of black plague but it tastes delicious!
White Polka dot is much more innocent looking in comparison no? As you can see here, the white is a little more of a pearly white. The glitters are a little translucent but still very pretty.
And of course the Diamont top coat peeking in the back!

Star Sparkle and Night Sparkle
 also went ahead and ordered 2 Nubar polishes that I had been lemming for! Star Sparkle, a silver holographic glitter, and Night Sparkle, a dark blue glitter. These are both full coverage glitters and take 2-3 coats...

My overall experience with Bynubar.com was rather pleasant. Shipping was a little higher than I expected it to be (at over $13 for 5 bottles of Domestic polish) so that was a little disappointing. I fiddled around with what was in my cart to try and figure out how their shipping works. For 1 bottle of polish, shipping to Ohio was $13 ish dollars, adding the polka dot kit and another bottle did not vary that price. Adding another 3 polish kit, however, increased shipping by about $1. So if you are going to order something from this site, I recommend you make it worth the shipping and order more than just a couple bottles...
*please be aware that shipping is likely to vary by location. Your shipping may be significantly different from mine if you live on the west coast for example*
It took about 3 days for my order to process and an additional 3 days for shipping. Shipping was done via UPS. I personally do not have a preference between USPS and UPS other than USPS usually being cheaper but I know that some of you do :)

Most of you probably know about the quality of this brand so I won't babble on too long about it. Mostly these met my expectation for the brand. I can't wait to mess around with these :D

Also, as luck would have it, the day I ordered these, I received an email from Llarowe saying that my bottle of Connect the Dots had been shipped >_<
Oh well, now I have lots of black and white glitter toppers to show you guys! woohoo!

What would you prefer, Nubar Polka Dot or Lynnderella Connect the Dots?

Until next time ^_^




Sunday, February 19, 2012

Corset Nails


Corset Mani

I had seen a few of these on other people's blogs before. They are usually composed of 2 swipes of color on either side of the nail and are connected by a lace that crisscrosses between the 2 (just like my ring finger). So that's what I was going to do!
However, as I was browsing some other blogger's pages, I came across Nail Stories: Hearty Half Moons and they reminded me of the top of a corset! I thought they were so pretty that I had to try it out for this week's challenge!



As you can see, I did the traditional corset nail on my ring finger, but I used Nail Stories "curtain nails" on the rest of my fingers. To make them look corset-ier I added some frillies and bows :)


This mani was super easy to do! For the corset tops, you just need to do 2 quick swipes from side to middle. They don't have to be super straight since you can fix it with the frillies. Then using a migi pen, make little bouncy half circles along the edge and do a quick bow in the center.
The corset back is made up of 2 semi circle swipes of each side of the nail. Make a few dots, those will be the eyelets. Then using your migi pen (or even a striping brush) crisscross the lines.

Easy peasy!

What I used

Base- Franken Lady Fingers
Corset- Essie in Sassy Satchel
Eyelets- GOSH in Silver
Lace and frillies- Migi Nail Art pen in Shimmering White

I've never been able to find the right shade of nude for me so I ended up making my own... It's the closest I have ever come to true mannequin hands!
All you need to make your own nude polish is a lot of white, a dash of brown, some yellow, and a hint of red. If you have darker skin tone, add more brown. If you have cool undertones, more red.
I'm very pale with warm undertones so I needed a lot of yellow and only a little brown :)

Don't forget to check out my Year of Polish page to see other bloggers who are undertaking this challenge as well as to check out past manis and future challenges!

Until next time ^_^




Saturday, February 18, 2012

February Glam Bag

I finally received my Glam Bag yesterday!
It's a little later than what I had anticipated but much sooner than last month so I am happy :)


This month's bag is full of great goodies!


And it all came in this super cute valentine's themed bag!


First, there is this $100 gift card  that can be used on any styling tool or hair extension purchase at NuMe. I took a look on their website to see if anything was worth buying and I have to admit they have some nice goodies. They are also having a pretty good sale which means that you could get a $175 straightener for only $25 (whit the GC). Or a mini straightener for only $15!
This GC also applies for hair extensions which retail for $179. That's not really my thing though...



Next we have NYX's Roll On Shimmer. The one I received is RES06 Olive. It's a pretty olive shade with gold and green shimmer. It can be used as an eye shadow, face, or even body shimmer! Unfortunately, I don't really wear bright colored eye shadow, and this shade probably isn't the greatest for a face or body shimmer so this one will probably go up for swap.


This is an oil-free moisturizer with shine control by X Out (from the makers of Proactive). Great for people with really oily skin!

These are a couple of sample from Premier Dead Sea. The is a small packet of the Cinderella mask and a packet of the eye cream. These products (full size) are really expensive! Both of these products, full sized, are $150 each. They did give us a 50% off coupon but that is still wayyy out of my price range. I'll be happy to simply try out these little samples and leave it at that :) 
In case you were hoping to purchase something from Premier Dead Sea, the coupon code is MYGLAM
It doesn't say if the code only works for the Cinderella mask or everything so give it a try!


Another Freeman mask. This time I received the Goji Berry Hydration mask. I love masks! Sheet mask, peel off masks, mud masks... you name it! I have a drawer full of them :) this one is a welcomed addition


Lastly, the chocolate. Excuse me, the Ghiradelli chocolate. This is no cheap waxy stuff. This is amazing stuff!  I love a good piece a chocolate, and Ghiradelli tends to hit the spot! 

Overall, this Glam Bag, in my opinion, was much better than last months :) I do hope to see more makeup products in the future but for now I will relax in the tub with a mask on my face while eating some tasty, tasty chocolate

Until next time ^_^


Thursday, February 16, 2012

Drugstore finds!


Hello everyone! 
this is just a quick picture post of some of the stuff I recently got at the drugstores around here

Found these Revlons at Walgreens and CVS. I was on the hunt for whimsical but no such luck. However, there is nothing like glitter polish to make up for that!
Sparkling,Facets of Fuchsia, Radiant, Smoldering
 I noticed some new Wet n' Wilds at CVS. I think the colors are the same (at least some of them...) but the bottle is new! and they now have a wide brush :D unfortunately, this wide brush is reminiscent of the Spoiled line's wide brush so it's not that great... Regardless, for $1.99 these babies were a steal! the colors are nice and the application (minus the brush) was quite nice.
Disturbia, I need a refresh-mint, Through the grapevine
 The Gem Crush collection was on sale at CVS so I decided to pick up a few of them too. I had been on the fence about these. I really liked the glitter and colors, but at $6.99 a bottle, that was just a little too much. Especially since some of these are dupes of China Glaze polishes which I can get for $3! 
Big Money, Cha-Ching, Lady Luck, Razzle Dazzler, Be Jeweled, Showgirl Chic
 These Essie polishes were found at CVS. I was super excited to see Sew Psyched there. I don't have anything that looks like it so it had to come home with me :)
As Gold as it Gets, Sew Psyched, A Cut Above
 The 2 Spoiled polishes will probably be used for frankening but Rise and Shine is here to stay! it's such a gorgeous and bright polish!
Shaken Snow Globe, Rise and Shine, I only eat salads
 Last but not least, I had to go to 2 different Walgreens but I finally found Cinderella. This is probably the prettiest color released by SinfulColors. Pastel creamy blue with golden flecks. Nail polish perfection! I strongly advise using some underwear for this polish though. It's a little on the sheer side (3 coats to opacity) but also, underwear will make it last longer :)
 If you are interested in Cinderella, I did pick up an extra bottle. It's up for swap on Makeup Alley. If you want it, just message me on there and we can work something out!


alrighty, well that's it for today!
Don't you just love drugstore finds?

Until next time ^_^



Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentine's Mani

Week 7- Valentine's Mani
So I'm a little late on this one. Sorry :(

I had this great idea for a heart shaped water-marble but when I tried to do it on Sunday it was a complete flop. Let's just say that I am not that adept at water-marbling...

So last night, I tried something else...



I started with a silver foil base on my thumb and ring finger. I painted the rest China Glaze Fuchsia Fanatic

Then I drew on a simple looking heart with the brush that is in the bottle. China Glaze has a smaller brush so that made it easier :)

Then using the biggest dotting tool I had (big dotter below), I drew a slightly smaller heart in the silver foil.
Medium dotter, Big dotter

 The medium dotter for the purple...

And the small dotter for the lighter pink!


I used the new Electropop colors from China Glaze for this look:

The I added a rhinestone to the rest of my nails to tie everything in with some shiny and tadah!


Even though this isn't what I had intended, I still like it. It's very pink, which is unusual for me. I have very few pink polishes, which is why I ended up buying the Electropop pinks :) I needed something for my valentine's mani right? Most of my polishes are purple, my favorite color!

Don't forget to check out my Year of Polish page to see some more bloggers' take on these challenges!

Until next time ^_^


Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Awards and stuff


Happy leap day! I thought I would use this extra day to catch up on awards I received that I did not post yet.

The first one I received is from Pinkishbeauty11. She blogs about nails, makeup, and other very interesting things (like tea!). She also has a post on how to do UV gel nails. If you are interested, I definitely recommend you go check it out!

Accepting this award comes with a few rules 

1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers. 
2. Inform the bloggers of their nomination.
3. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
4. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post.

Let's start with the 7 random facts shall we?
  1. I am a first year student working on getting my Ph.D in behavioral neuroscience at Kent State University. 
  2. When I am not in the lab doing research I am either painting my nails or watching old 90's shows on Netflix (currently watching Sliders!!)
  3. I love stripes! my closet is comprised of 46% (total guess here...) striped shirts. I prefer classic black and white but there are a few colorful ones in there too :)
  4. I'm a sucker for Asian makeup and skin care. Their packaging is always so cute and the shades (of BB cream and such) always match my skin tone perfectly
  5. English is not my first language. I spoke only French until I moved to the US when I was 11.
  6. I got my very own car as a graduation present last May. The best present ever!
  7. I used to keep my hair short but I've been growing it out for the past 2 years. I've decided that I will cut it when  I receive my Masters.

Next is the lovely blog award that I received from Jun at Modpolish. Her blog is also pretty new but she has some really cool nail art that she has put up. For example, her Static Funk mani is out of this world! 


The rules are: 
1. Link back to the person you got it from 
2. Tell seven things about yourself
3. Give the award to ten bloggers

I've already listed 7 things so I'm just going to say: refer to above list :)

Lastly I received the Butterfly Award, also from Jun at Modpolish
The rules are: 
1. Link back to the person who gave you the award
2. Answer the following questions
3. Award to other bloggers and let them know

The questions: 
1. What's your favourite song? 
I don't think I have one favorite song... Some days I feel like listening to my AsiaJam mix cd and my favorite song might by Chu~♥ by f(x). The next I could be feeling a little bleh and my go to song would be La tête haute by Les Cowboys Fringant. The I could be feeling relaxed and I would want to listen to something like Crystalized by the XX. I don't have a favorite song, just stuff I really like and stuff I don't really like :)
2. What's your favourite dessert? 
fudgy brownies. Hot. With ice cream. yeah.....
3. What's your favourite pet? 
My boyfriend and I have 3 cats and I love them all very dearly. However, I would have to say that I have a slight inclination for Mallory. Mostly because he is such a grouch and usually in a bad mood. I love being able to make him purr, it's like taming a dangerous animal! Check out the franken I created in honor him here
4. Black or White?
Grey has so much more depth....
5. What's your biggest fear? 
being stabbed in the back. Literally. I remember watching this segment on America's Most Wanted where they talked about a boy who was stabbed in the back and was paralyzed. He just laid there for hours, unable to do anything. That really terrified me. Now when someone touches my lower back, it tenses up and starts to hurt. True Story.
6. What's your best feature?
my jovial personality! hahaha
7. What's your everyday attitude? 
what needs to get done will get done. I learned this in one of my econ classes in college. Time is a scarce resource and there are unlimited activities which will consume it. However, the ones that need it the most will get it :)
8. What is perfection?
My wonderful man. He isn't perfect, but he is perfect for me :)
9. What is your guilty pleasure?
Korean dramas >_< they are so good! Boys over Flowers? That is the most wonderful love story I have ever heard.

Nominating time!! Here I am going for quality over quantity :)
Until next time ^_^


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Vintage Mani

There are a couple of variations on how people interpreted this weeks Year of Polish theme: "Vintage" mani

It thought it was referring to the kind of manicures that were done in the olden days, where the tip and the half moon were left polish free. Which you can see in this vintage Cutex ad from the late '30s.

Even though this was my original intention, such a manicure was not going to work with my stubby nails. I barely have a free edge to leave polish free! Since that was not going to work, I decided to a vintage pattern mani! My poor little nails could handle that one!

I looked around the internet for some neat vintage patterns and came across this gorgeous wallpaper from the early 1800's
from http://www.historicnewengland.org
and "recreated" it using tape and stamping



Essie in Turquoise and Caicos
Sally Hansen in Wet Cement
Konad Special polish in White
Konad stamping plate M71

I really fudged the index finger but otherwise, I think my stamping has improved a lot. I remember the first time I tried stamping >_< it was a disaster! haha!

Don't forget to check out my Year of Polish page to see past nail art and future themes as well as to discover some great nail artists who are also doing this challenge.

Anyhow, maybe one day I will try the vintage manicure that is in the Cutex ad above. I just have to keep my nails from breaking! with that, I am off to moisturize :)

Has your nail length ever kept you from doing a manicure you had in mind?

Until next time ^_^


Saturday, February 25, 2012

Poppies Mani

Hey everyone!

These nails are inspired by a video tutorial I saw on YouTube 2-3 years ago. I can't remember the name of the user and I wasn't able to find the video, so if this mani looks familiar and you know who the original artist is, please let me know! 

The weather in Ohio has been quite blah and I was in need of some brightness! 


Pure Ice in Unzip Me
Sally Hansen in Bubblegum Pink
China Glaze in Gothic Lolita
Sally Hansen in So Poppy
SinfulColors in Cloud 9
Black acrylic paint

The colors used in this "poppies" mani were inspired by Spring Poppies 1 by Susan Hazard. It's a very pretty painting!

This mani works best if you use polishes with the same finish. Here I had all shimmers. It just keeps the busyness of the pattern from being too overwhelming...

I attempted a water color nail here using the same colors. Unfortunately the brush I used was very small so it didn't have quite the intended effect but I find it quite interesting.

Also here is some pic spam of my international swaps
Mavala Black Diamond, Model's Own Mystic Mauve, W7 Metallic Venus. Marks and Spencers Rainbow, MaxFactor Fantasy Fire
Fantasy Fire Close Up

So much GOSH! Names below.




Until next time ^_^




Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Crackle Gradient- Everbella Shatter Crackle

Hello everyone!

Today I have something that I have been wanting to try for a while! A gradient using crackle polish!
Gradient manis can be tricky so I didn't know how well crackle polishes would blend to create a gradient effect.

This idea started when the lovely Florence over at Everbella sent me a nifty crackle polish kit for review. 
The kit came safely packaged in a corrugated box which was shipped in a bubble mailer  

Base color, Crackle polish, and Top coat
The crackle polish kit comes with a base color which varies, a crackle polish, and a small bottle of topcoat. The base color I received is a nice shimmery apple green and the crackle I was sent is BH14- Dark Green.
Everbella has more than 30 shades of crackle polish! a crackle for every occasion :D
From everbella.com Click to enlarge and see each in detail!
 Each of these crackle come in a kit (with base polish and topcoat) for only $4.99 which is a really good deal. Of course, you're probably wondering about the quality of the polish for that price right?
Well I'm going to show you swatches of the crackle further down, but the base polish was surprisingly good. The formula was a little thick but it applied nicely and the whole thing was opaque in 1 coat! The only real downside of this polish is the strange smell it has. I remember someone remarking that is smelled just like silly string, and truly it does. It's a mild chemically smell that goes away once the polish dries.

Now the crackle!!

Here is the final look of the mani:


I created it using 4 different crackle polishes and made 2 different gradients :)
Funky Fingers Teal Scales, X&D BH14, China Glaze Oxidized Aqua, Funky Fingers Silver Scales. The base color I used is Sally Hansen Brisk Blue

Funky Fingers in Teal Scales is dark green with load of glitter. It crackled decently well but it wasn't the best of the bunch! It must be applied over polish for the crackle effect to appear.




X&D in BH14 is dark green and dries to a matte finish. If you add topcoat, a subtle green shimmer emerges! the swatch on the nail wheel has no topcoat while my fingers above do so that you can see the difference :) This one took the longest to crack but had the nicest effect and formula overall. It did stain when I applied it over white polish but had no issues with it over Brisk Blue. This one does not need to be applied over polish to crackle!






China Glaze in Oxidized Aqua is light green metallic with small blue glitter. The formula for this one was very runny and didn't crackle as well as the others. I must be applied over polish to crackle.






Funky Fingers in Silver scale is a shimmery metallic silver. The formula on this one was pretty runny as well. It also tended to crackle in larger chunks. It must be applied over polish for the crackle effect to appear.



To create your own crackle gradient, all you need is a least 2 colors (preferably in the same color family) of crackle polish and a base color!
Take one of your first crackle and apply it from the cuticle side until half way down the nail. Then quickly take your second color and apply it a little bit above where the first color finished and drag it down to the tip. This should slightly blend the 2 polishes together. The crackling effect will take care of the rest!

Here is a nail wheel where I fooled around with some color combinations


As you can see, even though these are all different brands of crackle polish, they all seemed to blend together nicely!


I picked my 2 favorites from the wheel: Silver Scales to Oxidize Aqua to BH14 and BH14 to Teal Scales to create my gradient look

This is a really easy way to get gradient nails since the crackle polish breaks the whole thing up. It make the lines between the colors disappear! if you want to try this for yourself, you can pick up some great crackle polish at Everbella's online store: Everbella.com. Don't forget to use the code on the sidebar to get 10% off any item!

What do you think of the crackle gradient?

Until next time ^_^

*This item was sent to me for review, however, I provided my honest opinion of the product*





Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Nubar Mail!- Bynubar.com review

I was really excited when I saw the new Polka Dot set by Nubar. They are so pretty no??

image from bynubar.com

I was still on the waiting list for Lynnderella's Connect the Dots so I thought these puppies could satisfy my craving for black and white glitter toppers until I could finally get my hands on CTD...

I ordered my set from Bynubar.com. I looked around on amazon and other online retailers to see if I could get a better deal but in the end, if you want both White Polka Dot and Black Polka Dot, I recommend getting it directly from the source!
For $20 you get both Polka Dot toppers and Diamont Seal and Shine, which is a really good top coat!
The set came in this poly box. The outside of the box was very dusty... This picture was taken after I had blown most of the dust off, and there is still a lot there. However, the inside of the box was pristine so I didn't really care.
Here they are outside of the box! the Black Polka Dot reminds me of the black bean abyss they have at Moe's Southwest Grill. It's just a big pot of boiled black beans that you can have them put on pretty much anything you order. It looks like a bubbling cauldron of black plague but it tastes delicious!
White Polka dot is much more innocent looking in comparison no? As you can see here, the white is a little more of a pearly white. The glitters are a little translucent but still very pretty.
And of course the Diamont top coat peeking in the back!

Star Sparkle and Night Sparkle
 also went ahead and ordered 2 Nubar polishes that I had been lemming for! Star Sparkle, a silver holographic glitter, and Night Sparkle, a dark blue glitter. These are both full coverage glitters and take 2-3 coats...

My overall experience with Bynubar.com was rather pleasant. Shipping was a little higher than I expected it to be (at over $13 for 5 bottles of Domestic polish) so that was a little disappointing. I fiddled around with what was in my cart to try and figure out how their shipping works. For 1 bottle of polish, shipping to Ohio was $13 ish dollars, adding the polka dot kit and another bottle did not vary that price. Adding another 3 polish kit, however, increased shipping by about $1. So if you are going to order something from this site, I recommend you make it worth the shipping and order more than just a couple bottles...
*please be aware that shipping is likely to vary by location. Your shipping may be significantly different from mine if you live on the west coast for example*
It took about 3 days for my order to process and an additional 3 days for shipping. Shipping was done via UPS. I personally do not have a preference between USPS and UPS other than USPS usually being cheaper but I know that some of you do :)

Most of you probably know about the quality of this brand so I won't babble on too long about it. Mostly these met my expectation for the brand. I can't wait to mess around with these :D

Also, as luck would have it, the day I ordered these, I received an email from Llarowe saying that my bottle of Connect the Dots had been shipped >_<
Oh well, now I have lots of black and white glitter toppers to show you guys! woohoo!

What would you prefer, Nubar Polka Dot or Lynnderella Connect the Dots?

Until next time ^_^




Sunday, February 19, 2012

Corset Nails


Corset Mani

I had seen a few of these on other people's blogs before. They are usually composed of 2 swipes of color on either side of the nail and are connected by a lace that crisscrosses between the 2 (just like my ring finger). So that's what I was going to do!
However, as I was browsing some other blogger's pages, I came across Nail Stories: Hearty Half Moons and they reminded me of the top of a corset! I thought they were so pretty that I had to try it out for this week's challenge!



As you can see, I did the traditional corset nail on my ring finger, but I used Nail Stories "curtain nails" on the rest of my fingers. To make them look corset-ier I added some frillies and bows :)


This mani was super easy to do! For the corset tops, you just need to do 2 quick swipes from side to middle. They don't have to be super straight since you can fix it with the frillies. Then using a migi pen, make little bouncy half circles along the edge and do a quick bow in the center.
The corset back is made up of 2 semi circle swipes of each side of the nail. Make a few dots, those will be the eyelets. Then using your migi pen (or even a striping brush) crisscross the lines.

Easy peasy!

What I used

Base- Franken Lady Fingers
Corset- Essie in Sassy Satchel
Eyelets- GOSH in Silver
Lace and frillies- Migi Nail Art pen in Shimmering White

I've never been able to find the right shade of nude for me so I ended up making my own... It's the closest I have ever come to true mannequin hands!
All you need to make your own nude polish is a lot of white, a dash of brown, some yellow, and a hint of red. If you have darker skin tone, add more brown. If you have cool undertones, more red.
I'm very pale with warm undertones so I needed a lot of yellow and only a little brown :)

Don't forget to check out my Year of Polish page to see other bloggers who are undertaking this challenge as well as to check out past manis and future challenges!

Until next time ^_^




Saturday, February 18, 2012

February Glam Bag

I finally received my Glam Bag yesterday!
It's a little later than what I had anticipated but much sooner than last month so I am happy :)


This month's bag is full of great goodies!


And it all came in this super cute valentine's themed bag!


First, there is this $100 gift card  that can be used on any styling tool or hair extension purchase at NuMe. I took a look on their website to see if anything was worth buying and I have to admit they have some nice goodies. They are also having a pretty good sale which means that you could get a $175 straightener for only $25 (whit the GC). Or a mini straightener for only $15!
This GC also applies for hair extensions which retail for $179. That's not really my thing though...



Next we have NYX's Roll On Shimmer. The one I received is RES06 Olive. It's a pretty olive shade with gold and green shimmer. It can be used as an eye shadow, face, or even body shimmer! Unfortunately, I don't really wear bright colored eye shadow, and this shade probably isn't the greatest for a face or body shimmer so this one will probably go up for swap.


This is an oil-free moisturizer with shine control by X Out (from the makers of Proactive). Great for people with really oily skin!

These are a couple of sample from Premier Dead Sea. The is a small packet of the Cinderella mask and a packet of the eye cream. These products (full size) are really expensive! Both of these products, full sized, are $150 each. They did give us a 50% off coupon but that is still wayyy out of my price range. I'll be happy to simply try out these little samples and leave it at that :) 
In case you were hoping to purchase something from Premier Dead Sea, the coupon code is MYGLAM
It doesn't say if the code only works for the Cinderella mask or everything so give it a try!


Another Freeman mask. This time I received the Goji Berry Hydration mask. I love masks! Sheet mask, peel off masks, mud masks... you name it! I have a drawer full of them :) this one is a welcomed addition


Lastly, the chocolate. Excuse me, the Ghiradelli chocolate. This is no cheap waxy stuff. This is amazing stuff!  I love a good piece a chocolate, and Ghiradelli tends to hit the spot! 

Overall, this Glam Bag, in my opinion, was much better than last months :) I do hope to see more makeup products in the future but for now I will relax in the tub with a mask on my face while eating some tasty, tasty chocolate

Until next time ^_^


Thursday, February 16, 2012

Drugstore finds!


Hello everyone! 
this is just a quick picture post of some of the stuff I recently got at the drugstores around here

Found these Revlons at Walgreens and CVS. I was on the hunt for whimsical but no such luck. However, there is nothing like glitter polish to make up for that!
Sparkling,Facets of Fuchsia, Radiant, Smoldering
 I noticed some new Wet n' Wilds at CVS. I think the colors are the same (at least some of them...) but the bottle is new! and they now have a wide brush :D unfortunately, this wide brush is reminiscent of the Spoiled line's wide brush so it's not that great... Regardless, for $1.99 these babies were a steal! the colors are nice and the application (minus the brush) was quite nice.
Disturbia, I need a refresh-mint, Through the grapevine
 The Gem Crush collection was on sale at CVS so I decided to pick up a few of them too. I had been on the fence about these. I really liked the glitter and colors, but at $6.99 a bottle, that was just a little too much. Especially since some of these are dupes of China Glaze polishes which I can get for $3! 
Big Money, Cha-Ching, Lady Luck, Razzle Dazzler, Be Jeweled, Showgirl Chic
 These Essie polishes were found at CVS. I was super excited to see Sew Psyched there. I don't have anything that looks like it so it had to come home with me :)
As Gold as it Gets, Sew Psyched, A Cut Above
 The 2 Spoiled polishes will probably be used for frankening but Rise and Shine is here to stay! it's such a gorgeous and bright polish!
Shaken Snow Globe, Rise and Shine, I only eat salads
 Last but not least, I had to go to 2 different Walgreens but I finally found Cinderella. This is probably the prettiest color released by SinfulColors. Pastel creamy blue with golden flecks. Nail polish perfection! I strongly advise using some underwear for this polish though. It's a little on the sheer side (3 coats to opacity) but also, underwear will make it last longer :)
 If you are interested in Cinderella, I did pick up an extra bottle. It's up for swap on Makeup Alley. If you want it, just message me on there and we can work something out!


alrighty, well that's it for today!
Don't you just love drugstore finds?

Until next time ^_^



Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentine's Mani

Week 7- Valentine's Mani
So I'm a little late on this one. Sorry :(

I had this great idea for a heart shaped water-marble but when I tried to do it on Sunday it was a complete flop. Let's just say that I am not that adept at water-marbling...

So last night, I tried something else...



I started with a silver foil base on my thumb and ring finger. I painted the rest China Glaze Fuchsia Fanatic

Then I drew on a simple looking heart with the brush that is in the bottle. China Glaze has a smaller brush so that made it easier :)

Then using the biggest dotting tool I had (big dotter below), I drew a slightly smaller heart in the silver foil.
Medium dotter, Big dotter

 The medium dotter for the purple...

And the small dotter for the lighter pink!


I used the new Electropop colors from China Glaze for this look:

The I added a rhinestone to the rest of my nails to tie everything in with some shiny and tadah!


Even though this isn't what I had intended, I still like it. It's very pink, which is unusual for me. I have very few pink polishes, which is why I ended up buying the Electropop pinks :) I needed something for my valentine's mani right? Most of my polishes are purple, my favorite color!

Don't forget to check out my Year of Polish page to see some more bloggers' take on these challenges!

Until next time ^_^