Dove/Sweet

This morning Barilla had me over for a fun nail party to play with all her new swag!  She has about 10 times as much colors as I and always has the latest stuff and was gracious enough to have me over to play!   We decided to just use our imaginations and see what we came up with!  She got going with an amazing manicure that I must replicate in the near future, so go check out her blog!  Here is what I came up with....

I love it!  This was my first experience with Zoya colors and I will be roving the Internet for these very soon!  They go one so easy and usually only need one coat.  I did a play on tip work, with a dot produced with a dotting tool that she gave me as a GIFT!  Yea for goodies from my friends!  She gave me some other things I will blog about later.... 

The colors are, again both Zoya.  Dove, the grey coat and Sweet, the pink coat.  Both are cream coats and they are luscious!  I loved them so very much, I think Dove will be my first Zoya acquisition, as a matter of fact!  Not a manicure I would wear everyday, but I love the color mix!  Thanks miss Barilla!  I loves ya!

French Tip/American Manicure

I'm showing you one of my only free hand techniques!  I can actually do a french tip free hand!  But even more than that, I wanted to share this find with my nail friends! 

It's the Orly French TIP manicure brush that really helps you do this one free hand.  It is very small and thin, just the right width of the tip that you want!  It's not wide like a standard brush, so it also doesn't use more product than you need at application.  Here I have paired it with the Orly Bare Rose for the perfect "American Manicure".  It's just a french with a pinker nail bed.  I like it better for some reason, I guess it's just preference!  Here is how it standardly turns out....

Fast and easy, and you can always head over to the nail isle at Sally's and grab some guides if you need them!  They are really cheap and you can get a ton!  This is a really nice summer manicure, too.  Let me know if you have any questions about this so you can do one yourself!

Kristy



Secret Peri-Wink-le/Beware

Hi all! 

I wanted to feature this glitter coat, not only because it's phenomenal, but because it's easy to find and inexpensive!  Everyone should have a good glitter coat, and Beware by Pure ICE is a very good one.  It goes over just about anything well (also see my Preds mani blog) and it's very easy to apply, and almost as importantly, easy to remove.  I wish I had a dime for every time I used a glitter coat that seriously was a full hour to remove!  This one is as easy to remove as a normal coat.  Check it out over one of my favorite blues, China Glaze's Secret Peri-Wink-Le.

DElightful! 

Another great aspect of this glitter coat is that, even though I advise it (as always), you do not HAVE to use a top coat.  It's very flat upon application and will not catch your hair or clothes!  It's just really tiny! 

Enjoy!



Black Shatter/Custom Kicks

And here I go with my Shatter blog post!  I'm sure I'm really late in the game, but I found the perfect undercoat, and well, I have the week off, so yea, 2 blogs in one week! 

I lucked out and scored this bottle of black Shatter from a friend that was frustrated with it.  I did a bit of practice and found it to be actually pretty easy to apply.  I have not tried any other brand of shatter and cannot find the other colors(much to my disappointment!) so that's the extent of my experience with this product.  This is the OPI Shatter, I think from the Katy Perry line.  It's a pretty cool effect, and I would love at least the Silver Shatter as well.  I am out of work until this Monday so I do not dare darken a Walgreens door in an attempt to find the other brands or colors....  Maybe next month!

And the undercoat?  It's China Glaze Custom Kicks.  I love this aqua green love machine!  It's soooo pretty!  Only one downside:  The removal of this color is tricky.  You MUST use a base coat or your nails WILL turn green and yucky.  Heck, even if you use a base coat they may turn green and then a yicky yellow....  BUT it's kinda worth it.  Just buff um up and they are like new, right?  Well, I applied an extra thick coat of base, so we shall see how it comes off this time.

These 2 are a match made in 80's Heaven!  Just beware and use a base coat.  The Shatter comes off easily for me, I mean, it's not really a nail polish, it's just a treatment coat.  It's a breeze!  You want to make sure that your undercoat is totally and completely dry before applying the Shatter, and you want to apply a relatively thin, and really quick coat.  This stuff dries fast, and you don't want to polish over it once it's begun to do it's "Shatter" thing.  Like I said, it's not lacquer coat, so you MUST use a top coat with it, and again, I suggest Sheche Vite.  Let me know if I can answer any questions for you!



Electric Pink

Okay, so my inspiration this week came from a baby shower I attended last week.  All the ladies were wearing these wonderful corals, and I don't normally like corals, but they looked so summery.  I have been on a big summer look kick these days, so I had to get into one of those corals. 

I found this number late last season and was only able to wear it once before I had to put away the feet from the cold.  BUT I will be wearing it this year, heck, I may have to buy a new bottle!  This is the most amazing coral I have ever found.  First off, it's call Electric Pink, but it really does prove like a coral or than a pink.  Second, it's BRIGHT, but not orange in any way!  I love love love it!  So great I made the carpet match the drapes(toes and nails, gutter dwellers!)! 

And I know this is odd for me, being an OPI girl, but this is a Revlon color.  Not that they are much cheaper these days, those just usually don't go on as well to me and are not great in the longevity department.  But Revlon has it's great exceptions(Vixen is another that in the prune color battle, won over Channel for me!). 

If you have been one that has steered away from corals because you are just not an orange fan or don't like that look, give this one a shot.  It's a cream, it's a 2 coater and it's fabulous for toes!  Keep it coming Revlon!  Good job! And of course, you can get this at any pharmacy or Wally World!

What's your favorite summer color?



That's Berry Daring

Thank God that summer is well on it's way!!  It's been a long winter, folks, but let's dig out those flip flops, scrub off those hoofs and get out the bright, loud and lovely colors.  Nothing says welcome warm weather like 10 perfectly coiffed toes beaming out over that wonderful "flip flop" sound! 

I decided to dig myself out of the doldrums of life and pep up my mani with my 2 favorite new acquisitions! My fellow nailafile Rachel and I took a special trip to Ulta and these are 2 of the 5 I got for a petty $20!

 And without further ado I give you.....

It's the best pink I own, and folks, I own some pink!  I am a cream coat sucker, and this totally has my in it's wonderful, dreamy clutches!  It's a pink that can sometimes look like a red:  Perfection.  It's OPI's "That's Berry Daring"!

This amazing double coat, covered in (THANK YOU, MISS RACHEL!! I actually did a little glitter coat dance when I first applied this!  You would have been entertained) Wet 'n Wild's amazing "Party of Five" glitter coat is a perfect spring coming out present for you and your fingers and toes!  

Just check it out!

The picture does not do it justice, but it looks pretty good.

With Summer coming, who knows what's next, but it's sure to be full of color!!!  TTFN all of my daring friends!

Seche Vite... O la la....

There is a new love in my life. I have been searching and searching and finally I have found what I've needed all along.  I've tried them all; the cheap ones, the expensive ones and somehow this one eluded me.  But no longer!  I have found the PERFECT TOP COAT!! 

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat is the latest and greatest manicure love of my life.  It's medium range, available everywhere....  I have no idea how I never found it waaaay before now.  It DOES dry fast, it DOES NOT get gloppy and it is the PERFECT finish to every color EVER! 

Seriously, do yourself a favor, splurg the like, $5.99 for this top coat.  You will not be disappointed, and I promise that.  And when I say fast, I mean like one minute fast.  Can I get a witness?  It is the best top coat ever and I will shout it from the mountain tops...  I LOVE SECHE VITE!!!!

As far as base coats go, and we all know that they are just as, if not more important as a top coat, I suggest OPI's Natural Base Coat.  It looks like it has a pink tint; it does not.

 Also dries SUPER fast and though it is, at most places, a bit more on the pricey end, it lasts FOREVER and your nails will thank you by never turning yellow or tint red.  It looks at blacks and blues and says, "Bring it one!"  Works like a charm, everytime.

I know that we all toot on about these polishes and they can lighter the load in your wallet, but if you love your nails, you have to protect them (AKA the base coat) and you have to keep all that pricey polish on as long as possible, looking a good as possible (AKA the top coat).  So, ladies, buy all the cheap colors you want, but when it comes to these two, take my advice.  You will feel better all around for doing it!  Especially the mommies out there!

TTFN and nail love love to all!

Lincoln Park After Dark

Soooo, I got the OPI 'it' color of the moment and I love it.  So dark, but with just a bit of a brown/purple undertone!  I guess I'm on the band wagon with this one.  I have it one my toes, too, and it rocks!  Of course, because it's OPI it stays one amazingly.  Gotta love that, right?  I have to say, that when it comes to nail polish, you usually get what you pay for.  Well, I would say that there are exceptions to that rule as well (Channel for example).

Beautiful!  I'm going shopping this afternoon with Annie, so we will see if the manicure can take it.  Should be fine!  What are your favorite darks? 

This color is perfect for me now.  I feel like my life is moving so quickly, I need something that will stick with me and makes a statement.  Whether that statement is that I'm confident enough to put this on my hands or whether it is this is just were I am in life.  Whatever statement you want to make, Lincoln Park After Dark will get approval from all!

Aruba Blue/Beware

Okay, so inspired, yet again, but Rachel, I set forth to create my own Predator's manicure!  It did not take long to find just the right colors, especially since Essie has been made available at Wal Mart for goodness sake!  Now everyone can enjoy their wonderful colors....  Yea! 

I chose the Essie color, Aruba Blue, which is opalescent on it's own, but you know, when you are going to watch the Preds take on the Blue Jackets, you have to make your nails STAND OUT!  So, I topped the Aruba Blue with Pure Ice's Beware.  Very small glitter, but with a powerful punch.  This glitter was easy to apply and came off even easier.  You all know what a pain in the tuckus getting glitter polish off can be, but this was a breeze.  It looked exactly like I wanted it to and I got lottsa compliments on it!

I still have not found the navy I'm looking for.  I heard Essie had a good one, but after looking at the Zoya selection, they may have just what I'm looking for!  Wish me luck, ladies!  Till the next manicure*SWAK*

Suzi Says Feng Shui

I love this color!  I have recently been privy to a great old school manicure, the half moon manicure.  As you can see, you just create a half moon at the bed of your nail.... Kind of a reverse French manicure of sorts.  You can find tutorials on YouTube if you want to give it a shot.   Here's the one I used to follow it...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lowv3fsbkU

ANYWAY, today is the last Sunday I will spend in the house with my mother as her roommate.  I wanted to do what I always do on Sundays to commemorate it.  Feeling a bit melancholy I decided on a new manicure.  I just got this new blue, this great OPI blue so I got it out, and tried it.  AMAZING.  Here is a picture:

I love it!  I was looking for a Robin's egg color, this is a bit darker than that, but it's still a great matte color. 
In case you missed it, here's the name:

Kinda looks teal in this one, but it's much more bluw than green.  The manicure is not perfect, either.  Please forgive me! 

Hope this gives you some ideas for the week.  Try this manicure, it's sexy and different.  I get compliments on it everytime I do it and go out.

My inspiration.

So, I have an obsession that I am not ashamed of, but only those that know me fairly well know it about me.  I love nail polish.  I love to give pedicures to my friends and family and I love to paint them in beautiful colors.  I have known this about myself for a long time, but just recently have embraced it. 

I was over at my friend Heather's house and we were watching those tutorial make-up videos on youtube(very addictive).  That's the day I found TiffanyD, youtuber and make up artist extrordinare.  Her videos were so useful and her tips so helpful.  She also has a polish obsession and she introduced me to Zoya polish, and it was at that point that I just had to face the fact that at least $20 per paycheck would go to expanding my polish collection and that it was OK. 

My final inspiration was my girl Rachel.  She is chronicaling her nail adventures here on blogstop, and well, after reading her blog, I thought, heck, I can do this.  At the risk of sounding like I'm just ripping Miss Rachel off, I will make mine a personal blog of sorts that is a bit different from hers.  While I will pay respects, I want to compliment her, not copy her.  Love her!!  And I love that we have found something else we have in common that we can obsess over besides our Scottish actor friend;)

So, I will try and make this about life and color, nails and insights.  Thank you to Heather for making me want to tweek my make up habits, to TiffanyD for just being friggin' awesome, and to Rachel for just being her wonderful, colorful self. 

Here's to the power of OPI, Essie, Orly, Zoya and all the others wonderful creators of the beautiful colors that make me oh so very happy!  I hope you will enjoy this blog.