OPI Ski Teal We Drop

Some polishes are core for a reason- they are just do perfect that everyone should have a chance to wear them. OPI Ski Teal We Drop is one of those. This darken teal is a dream! Two effortless coats will give you flawless color. I was so happy with how easy this polish was to use- the consistency was perfect, it stayed right where you painted it.. gah, I love it!
I hope you get a chance to wear it too

Nicole by OPI Iris My Case

Okay, I'll say it- I have actually avoided the Nicole by OPI polishes. They have a very unappealing packaging in my opinion- I am not the only one who thinks it looks like a saggy boob. I am baffled why OPI felt the need for a more juvenile brand as I need no age limited, young or old, for nail polish. Despite these reservations, I was recently out with a friend when we saw Iris My Case. The name amused me, but it was the lovely purple gold duochrome polish within that broke me- it had to be mine.
I was pleasantly surprised by this purchase. The brush was easier to use than I excepted- though the wand on the brush was a bit stumpy, it actually played to my favor, especially when painting my left hand. It was another polish that required just two coats to full opacity. The only issue I had was that the gold shift that was so obvious in the bottle required a certain light to be seen on the nail.
So, I will no longer this brand, and can't wait to see what other colors they come out with!

Hard Candy Beetle

I was having one of those days where I just couldn't get my manicure right. I probably pulled out the polishes for a half a dozen combinations that seemed to be exceptional ideas in my head, but never did come together on the nail. As I was about to give up and just leave my digits naked for the day, I remembered Hard Candy Beetle. This is a very popular polish, for good reason, but sadly, only available Wal-Mart, which I avoid as much as possible. However, the last time I was at Wal-Mart, I decided I could not leave without it, and it made it into my purchases that day.
Beetle is a wonderful duochrome foil that flashes between pink, gold, and an almost olive gold. The application is nearly effortless, leaving very little clean up. The dry time seemed to be fine, and it worn quite well, as it survived a day in the pool and grilling with tip wear hardly noticeable.

Next time you end up in Wal-Mart, I really suggest you check out this $4 beauty!

China Glaze Exotic Encounter

Try to act surprised when I tell you that this was of my favorite polishes from the 2012 On Safari collection. Was it that this hue was a delightfully dusty teal? Was it that this was one of those perfect cremes that applies effortlessly? Was it that I had no true dupes in my collection? I would say that it was all of those factors combined that make this my new go to teal in my stash.

In two very easy coats, with very, very little clean up I got rich, well pigmented teal color on my nails.

Please forgive any hints of glitter you may see in my pictures as I was completely unaware it had made its way into my top coat.

I hope you like this color as much as I do!

Fruity Manicure

I got the cutest little fruit pieces from my summer buddy and decided to put them to good use! My Circus Peanuts manicure had that yummy cantaloupe color already, I decided to make a little fruit salad on my nails.
I gave them all one coat of Sally Hansen Rock Candy, a relatively sparse glitter, just to give them some sparkle. Then, I applied a little clear polish to my nail and the end of tooth pick I used to pick up the fruit slices. They were very easy to place, and after a few heavy handed coats of clear, the texture was not that bad either.
I seriously need to pick up more nail art like this! These were super fun, extremely easy to use, and yielded results I was quite pleased with.

Finger Paints Circus Peanut

I didn't get this color when it first came out, despite all the hype behind it. I have consumed, even enjoyed circus peanuts, but I didn't imagine it would be a color I would want on my nails. Despite those reservations, I was more than happy to pick it up at Sally Beauty Supply when it went on clearance for only $1.99. Now, I really am not sure that this is the artificial orange I associate with circus peanuts- I almost thought the color was more melon, like a cantaloupe. No matter what you want to call the color, I will say it was a delight to use. The consistency was terrific and it only took two coats to reach full opacity. I think this is a great color for summer and if you can still find, I would recommend grabbing it up!

Water Marble / Oil Spill Manicure

I've loved the look of water marble manicures, but because of several failed attempts, I had been turned off from the idea for a while. I recently got some advice from on how to do a water marble from a friend, and armed with her advice and a couple of disposable plastic shot glasses, I decided to try once more.
I thought the shimmer of the 'oil spill' style manicures was so pretty, so I knew exactly the colors I wanted to use. I started out my painting my nails with OPI Black Onyx so no thin or bald spots would show through. In the shot glass I dropped Sally Hansen HD DVD and a couple nameless Forever 21 polishes, then hoped for the best. While the results were pretty, and only got better after a thin coat of  Sinful Colors Pearl Harbor, it was messy, so I am showing pre-clean up photos.
This was lots of fun, and in the future, I think I will try covering the area around the nail with some thick hand cream so clean up will not be as much work.

Super girly glitter tips!

Don't ask what happened, but I was in the mood for something pretty and pink recently. I started out with a light pink Jessica polish as my base, gave it a coat of fine glitter from CND and covered the tips in pink holographic Jordana glitter.

Definitely not what I want all the time, but it was quite pretty for the time I wore it.

Barielle Glammed Out Garnet

I am always looking for a nice, flattering red. Red is such a classic color, dare I say the original 'it' color for polish, that I think everyone should have a few nice shades in their collection. I had heard many great things about Glammed Out Garnet from Barielle, so I picked it up on their last sale. It is a pretty polish- a deep, rich red with some fine red glitter sparkle. What you see in the pictures is two coats, which gave opaque coverage. It is a nice polish and gave me no grief, but I was disappointed that it didn't sparkle as much as I had hoped. I know this isn't China Glaze Ruby Pumps, but I had really wanted something with a nicd amount sparkle when I put it on. I still would recommend this polish, though I would consider layering another red glitter on top of it for sparkle.

Sinful Colors Greek Isles

Every now and then, I want nothing more than a refreshing creme. Greek Isles fit the bill pertfectly for this summer creme craving for a cool, refreshing color. Greek Isles is teal, leaning more green than blue. I received a surprising number of compliments on this two dollar polish. I think one of the compliments I received that best described the color was the woman who told me it reminded her of the color of the old woody station wagons that were a staple of retro beaches. This creme applied well in two easy coats. It did seem to get a bit think, but I believe this may have been because of the warm weather and am not faulting the polish. I just love colors like this, though I had several in my collection, I don't believe any are a true dupe to Greek Isles, so I am more than happy to have it in my possession.

Model's Own Purple Blue

This is my first Model's Own, as I prefer to buy my polishes in the store instead of by mail when ever possible. I was so happy to hear that Urban Outfitters was carrying select Model's Own colors and even more excited to hear they were on sale for $5. I am a huge fan of duochromes so this polish practically jumped into my hand. As much as I love the colors, they did remind me a bit of a bruise- those really dark purples and blues. These polish really would have benefited to be layered over black, purple, or blue creme, but I hoped it was be an opaque foil when I put it on and wore it without. I was wrong- it took three thick coats to get it nearly opaque. It is still very pretty and I have no issues with the formula itself, though I would probably not wear it on its own in the future. I am glad to add this bottle to my collection, and hope to add many more bottles of Model's Own!

Summer Buddy nail mail!

Like this past holiday, a group of friends did a swap for this summer. I was so lucky to have a very sweet, generous, and thoughtful swap buddy! I just wanted to give her a million hugs and thank her so very much for everything she did. She included sweet treats for me, some fun stuff for my fur babies, some nice jewelry and TONS OF POLISH! I was grinning ear to ear as I opened each one as there were so many polishes she gave me the I don't think I'd ever get without her kindness. DS Sapphire is a stunning light blue linear holo that I have been lusting after for so long! OPI Diva of Geneva is a beautiful shimmery red. This little Japanese gem looks like it will be a pretty lilac holo And of course, I am a sucker for frankens, so Practice Makes Purple made me happy :) Thank you again summery buddy <3