Lacquer Ninja

Green on Green manicure

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 03:48:00 +0000

Good evening Ninjas,

I hope you've been having a good weekend. The weather has been a little weird here between pouring rain and sweltering heath. You never really know how to dress. This week is graduation week at the dojo and I'll be graduating this time around. I'm super nervous about my first red belt graduation!

Tonight's manicure is two polishes provided by Zoya PR for review. Rikki and Josie. I used Josie as a base color and did a triangle on each fingertip as a sort of reverse chevron with an art brush. I thought this turned out to be a pretty neat accented look.

Here's what Zoya has to say about these two colors:

"Zoya Nail Polish in Josie can be best described as a full-coverage grassy green cream"

"Zoya Nail Polish in Rikki can be best described as a full-coverage fern green foil metallic."

Polishes provided by Zoya PR for honest review.

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 30 May 2013 01:55:00 +0000

Product sent for review by Zoya PR.

Time And Relative Dimension In Space

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:54:00 +0000

Hello Ninjas!

I hope you're all ready for a great three day weekend! I'll be working some extra hours but that's already since my parents are visiting next weekend. I just get to stress about packing and cleaning until they get here.

Tonight's manicure is three coats of Time And Relative Dimension In Space (TARDIS) from LynBDesigns. TARDIS is a navy blue jelly with silver square glitter suspended throughout. If you don't already know, the TARDIS is the name of the spaceship from Doctor Who which is hands down my favorite TV series. This is a really pretty nail polish but my bottle needed a little thinner to make the formula more manageable. TARDIS was also a bit of a topcoat eater so this is pictured with two coats of TC.

Review: Zoya Tinsley

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 21 May 2013 03:22:00 +0000

Good evening Ninjas!

I hope you've been doing well. The weather in NC has been very off an on. The last few days have been scattered thunderstorms interspersed with sunny spots. And you never know which will be happening when you need to go anywhere! I've taken to keeping my umbrella in my purse all the time.

Tonight's manicure is a polish sent for review by Zoya, Tinsely. Zoya describes Tinsley as "a full-coverage, rose gold foil metallic." Tinsley is one of the polishes I was super excited to try and it was very unique. At some angles it was a lovely rose color while at others is was a bright metallic gilded rose. This was two smooth coats and it wore very well!

Polish sent for review by Zoya PR.

Wordless Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 17 May 2013 02:59:00 +0000

Barielle U-Concrete-Me under LynBDesigns Weeping Angels

Don't forget the Multi-Blogger Giveaway!

Multi-Blogger Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:42:00 +0000

Hey Ninjas,

Check out the awesome giveaway I'm taking place in! My prize will be an Orly nail art set for cosmic chevron nails, a bottle of Orly High on Hope, and a set of really neat false eyelashes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Purple Parachute

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 10 May 2013 02:17:00 +0000

Hello Ninjas!

It's almost Friday and that means it nearly the weekend. Does anyone have any neat plans for the weekend? I'll be learning cool secrets about the history of the Togakura Ryu of Ninjutsu on Sunday since my mother is far away on the West Coast. Hopefully you get to spend time with your mom this weekend!

Tonight's manicure is two coats of Purple Parachute from last year's Sephora Pantone Jewel Lacquer collection. This polish has been hailed as a dupe for the highly sought Scrangie but in reality the shimmer in PP is blue leaning teal instead of the green from RBL's Scrangie. Still, this was a pretty polish. The formula was a little on the thick side and not self leveling as I would have hoped thus the uneven look here.

Orange Layering

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:15:00 +0000

Good evening Ninjas!

Well, our loan passed underwriting so we're going to be home owners! It's very exciting and I'm starting to feel like a real grown up now. My favorite part of the house is the extra space in the back yard that I plan to turn into an archery range. I'll be Hawkeye in no time!

Tonight's manicure is one I did for a creative layering challenge. The base is two coats of butter LONDON MacBeth followed by one coat of a nameless orange duochrome by Funky Fingers and topped off with a coat of *Chloe from Zoya's Fleck Effect collection. The overall manicure was quite pretty and very interesting to look at in different lighting scenarios.

Chloe provided by Zoya PR for honest review.

Sally Hansen Firefly

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 04 May 2013 02:53:00 +0000

Good evening Ninjas,

How was your week? Mine was a little hectic but fun so that was good. Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day, are there any places around you participating?

Tonight's manicure is two coats of Sally Hansen Firefly. This polish was actually much more multichromatic in person and these pictures don't do it any justice. While wearing it, I was able to see gold, orange, pink, green, and the occasional blue flash on my nails.

Orange, some pink flash on the pinky.

Gold with slight green tinting around edges.

Wordless Thursday (oops)

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:49:00 +0000

*Sent for review*

Polish provided by Zoya PR for honest review.

Orly High on Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 03:02:00 +0000

Hi Ninjas!

Hope you all had a great weekend out there in the world. This week is graduation week at work so it's cram time getting everything perfect for those students getting promoted to the next rank. On top of that, Hubby and I are going to the house we're hoping to buy for an inspection tomorrow so that will be fun!

Tonight's manicure is two coats of Orly High on Hope. HoH is from their Hope and Freedom Collection for Spring 2013. High on Hope is a dark navy cream base with a duichrome red/orange shimmer throughout. The shimmer is large enough to almost be considered a fleck type finish but it's not so large it effects the texture of the polish. I do wish the red side of the flecks had come out more prominently in these pictures!

What do you think? I really like this polish and think it was a uniquely dark shade for a spring collection. If you're a fan of this color, keep an eye out for my upcoming giveaway!

Review: Zoya PixieDust for Summer 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Good afternoon Ninjas!

I hope you're having a lovely Friday. I'll be working today and tomorrow, as I usually do over the weekends but hubby and I do have Sunday off together so that will be fun :)

Today's post is the swatches for Zoya's summer PixieDust polishes. These polishes were sent to me for unbiased review. I really like the color combinations Zoya did for this collection! In fact, they're pretty much perfect for doing color block manicures. Since I thought the colors paired up so well, I swatched them side by side with the color I thought would make a fitting color block manicure. Not only did this save me time swatching but it gives you a neat idea for how to use these summer colors in pairs!

Descriptions of the colors below are from Zoya's site. Links lead to external affiliate website.

Solange: Zoya Nail Polish in Solange can be best described as a gold metal foil sparkle featuring a Zoya EXCLUSIVE GOLD PIGMENT in the best-selling Zoya PixieDust Textured, Matte, Foil Twinkle formula.

Beatrix: Zoya Nail Polish in Beatrix can be best described as a tangerine metal sparkle in the exclusive Zoya PixieDust Textured, Matte, Foil Twinkle formula

Left: Beatrix, Right: Solange

Destiny: Zoya Nail Polish in Destiny can be best described as a coral metal sparkle in the exclusive Zoya PixieDust Textured, Matte, Foil Twinkle formula.

Miranda: Zoya Nail Polish in Miranda can be best described as a rose sparkle in the exclusive Zoya PixieDust Textured, Matte, Sparkle formula.

Left: Destiny, Right: Miranda

Stevie: Zoya Nail Polish in Stevie can be best described as a violet sparkle, in the exclusive Zoya PixieDust Textured, Matte, Sparkle formula.

Liberty: Zoya Nail Polish in Liberty can be best described as a blue sugary sparkle in the exclusive Zoya PixieDust Textured, Matte, Sparkle formula.

Left: Liberty, Right: Stevie

Polishes provided by Zoya PR for honest review.

Wordless Wednesday Ombre

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 01:36:00 +0000

A red ombre done in honor of the Boston Marathon

L-R: Essie Russian Roulette, Essie Forever Yummy, Zoya Rekha, WnW Vamp Red

Illamasqua Speckle

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 02:35:00 +0000

Hello Ninjas!!

Hubby and I have visited some houses over the last few days and we're getting really excited about getting our first home! I do think my hand is going to fall off by the end of this process though and we've only just submitted the loan application! Oy, I need a signature stamp.

Tonight's manicure is two coats of Illamasqua Speckle which is a very pretty light purple with black hex and micro-glitter scattered throughout. Illamasqua describes Speckle as as speckled lilac finish and it comes from the I'Mperfection collection. This is shown with only one coat of topcoat but could probably have used two to get a super smooth finish. Overall, I really love the way this looked on and it was really easy to work with despite being completely packed with glitter.

Cinderella manicure!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 02:41:00 +0000

Good evening Ninjas!

Sorry I missed Wedesday, I had a party to go to and didn't have any time between work and fun time to stop to post. Sorry about that! If it makes it any better, I specifically brought my laptop to my babysitting job tonight to post once the kids were asleep just so I didn't miss two posts in one week!

Tonight's very pretty manicure is done with a base of China Glaze Fade into Hue which is an awesome periwinkle blue. For some reason the polishes from the Avant Garden collection have been bubbling on me so I added a coat of Essie As Gold as it Gets to mask the bubbling issue. To make this pretty blue manicure a little blingy, I added a spiral of light blue rhinestones that I received from MASH for review purposes. When I posted this look in a facebook group, some of the ladies commended on how it was a Cinderella blue manicure and I agree! With all the shine and sparkle it's pretty princess-y too :)

Rhinestones provided by MASH PR for honest review. Affiliate link included in this post.

A day of reflection

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 03:10:00 +0000

Today's post is postponed in light of the tragedy that took place at the Boston Marathon today. This is an evening to hug the people you love tightly and be thankful for the health of those around you.

For anyone still searching for loved ones, google has created a resource for you here.

Jessica Nadia: Sterling Queen

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 02:52:00 +0000

Good evening Ninjas!

I hope you've been having a great week. The weather here in NC is lovely as can be, finally reflecting Spring! Of course Spring means green season here in NC so my car and the roads are covered in allergy inducing pollen. So far my allergies haven't been bad, I hope it stays that way!!

Tonight's manicure is two surprisingly easy coats of Jessica Nadia. This is from Jessica's Spring 2013 collection that I won in a giveaway a few month back. Nadia: Sterling Queen is a lovely light grey with a fine silver shimmer throughout. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly this became opaque considering the pastel nature of the base grey. This was a fun polish to wear!

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 03:08:00 +0000

Essie Navigate-her with Funky Fingers Taffy Town

Easter Mani Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:56:00 +0000

Hello Ninjas!

Sorry about missing Friday's post, I was out of town at my Grandparents' house which is about 5 hours away. Since our visit out there was a belated Easter weekend, I figured now would be a good time to show you my actual Easter manicure.

Tonight's manicure is made up entirely of the awesome Zoya Lovely polishes that were sent to me for review a few months back. The base of this manicure is three coats of Jacqueline with Piaf, Julie, or Gei Gei dotted on with the rounded end of a bobby pin. I have to say that the bobby pin is much easier to use than actual dotting tools for me. Maybe it's because the pin is shorter? On the bright side, it's a cheap way to do pretty nail art! I was aiming for my nails to look like Easter Eggs, I thought they came out pretty well :)

Zoya Lovely collection provided by Zoya PR for honest review.

Wordless Wednesday: Green and Gold scallops

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 04:27:00 +0000

Zoya Logan, Zoya Ziv, Ulta Maine Attraction

Zoya Grassy Nail!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:00:00 +0000

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Review: Zoya Dahlia

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 01:51:00 +0000

Good evening Ninjas!

Anyone have plans for Easter? I'll be heading to a friend's house for a Misfit Easter lunch, I'm excited!

Tonight's swatch is a press sample provided by Zoya for my review. This is two coats of Zoya Dahlia from the PixieDust collection. Zoya describes Dahlia as, "a black beauty with a sugared sparkle." I liked this polish for the quick opacity and neat texture; it would probably look awesome gloss too!

Product provided by Zoya PR for honest review. Post contains an affiliate link.

L.A. Girl Teal Dimension

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 03:02:00 +0000

Hello Ninjas!

I went running again tonight. Only 1.5 miles but I also did strength training afterwards which made me feel accomplished. I really don't like the running part of my workout and the weights afterwards are sort of like a reward for running. That sounds weird doesn't it? You have to have cardiovascular stamina AND muscle strength to be a well rounded person though. Ah well, at least I'm still running!

Tonight's manicure is two coats of L.A. Girl Teal Dimension. I found the display of these new L.A. Girl scattered holos at my local Rite Aid and was super excited. These look just like the Zoya holos from the Ornate collection but there are more colors! The formula was very nice on this polish, great opacity in two coats and full of large holographic particles scattered throughout a jelly base.

Black and White and Blue all over

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 02:54:00 +0000

Good evening Ninja readers!

I hope you had a lovely weekend in whatever part of the world you're from. This coming weekend is Easter, I don't have any plans but I hope my lovely readers do. This week is weapons week at work which means that I get to learn sword moves!

Tonight's manicure is two smooth coats of Jessica Sophia under one monochromatic coat of Hard Candy Black Tie Optional. Sophia "True Blue" is a perfect University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill blue (aka, Carolina blue) and I foresee myself wearing it in future NCAA seasons when UNC isn't losing so early on. Sophia has a lovely silver shimmer throughout that makes it more than a plain blue cream polish. Black Tie Optional is Hard Candy's version of the currently popular Black and White glitter combinations that began in the Indie polish world. I like this polish much better than the China Glaze version as it was easier to apply and had more glitter per swipe of polish!

Duochrome Purple Layering

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 01:08:00 +0000

Good evening Ninjas!

The weather here in NC is just toying with my emotions this week. There have been days nice enough to wear summer dresses and others where I needed gloves and a hat when I went outside. Ah well, Spring will be here soon enough!

Tonight's manicure is one coat of Cult Nails Charlatan over two coats of Illmasqua Vice. I really liked the way that Vice looked with the rubberized finish and sort of wished I hadn't layered anything on top of it. I can always wear it again though! Vice is a really pretty magenta that Illamasqua calls a "deep cerise" where Charlatan is a sheer pink jelly with pink/blue duochrome particles suspended in it.