Manicure Addict

Animal Print Nail Art Tutorial Video: Leopard Spots

2013-06-12T01:40:00.001-04:00

So the worst thing about taking a break for so long is I can't remember what all I've posted and what I haven't posted... At least I can look back through the blog and see but it just seems like so much work to actually look through my blog.... haha I know I'm being so bloglazy lately.. :P Here's another tutorial video I did for the Allure contest I was part of... yes I know It's only taken me forever to post this but it's still pretty and worth a look. This was the second time I've ever worn leopard prints and I gotta say these colors just went so well together and even though animal prints aren't for me, I loved it. After a day or so I threw on Zoya Katherine and man it was further transformed!!

Enjoy the Video!

Press Sample

Painted Sabotage Angel Wings

2013-06-10T23:42:00.000-04:00

Press Sample

Ever know you should do something but you're too afraid(lazy, tired) to just take the dive to do it? well I have to admit i'm upset at myself for being gone for a full month. Working on the house has been a lot of work and it's keeping me busy. I'm sorry that the site is on the back burner for now. But I admit since my break I have been getting to bed before midnight and instead of searching for polish to buy i've been looking at everything from hot water heaters to blinds.... haha not fun! My poor nails are so upset with me they went from getting painted daily , even twice a day to once a week now. I 'm ashamed to show my face around here I promise to get my act together soon. We almost have everything painted in the house, soon there won't be much left for me to do but pack my junk up and move in but realistically we're 2-3 months away from that. I am happy to see a good bit of activity on the site even after being gone for a month so I want to thank you guys for still stopping by. You have no idea how much I miss you guys! My body has been forcing me to take this break but I don't think it will be for much longer, I've got a few more loose ends to tie up in the house so I will slowly be getting my tips wet again and I thank you guys for being so understanding!

The polish... being that I wore this what seems like months ago my memory is not the best... however This is one that's not easily forgotten. It's a little on the sheer side and at first impression I didn't think I would like it but once I built it up 4-5 coats I had no idea it would look so good! Since I wore this Painted Sabotage has changed the formula so that it's not as sheer. (love it when a brand listens to suggestions!!) So it will be more opaque and take less coats! I 'm a sucker for iridescent glitter, mix that with a light purple oh man that's the sweet spot!! Every Painted Sabotage polish I've worn has been amazing if you haven't checked out the brand yet , you're missing out!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaintedSabotage

Yell at me if I a week passes and I haven't reappeared :)!!!

Press Sample

Quick Update....Painting a little more than just my nails

2013-05-07T23:56:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to check in with those of you who are wondering what's going on with me. I'm still here, Just taking a little mini break. As many of you know I've been slowly working on fixing up a house with my Husband. We are now at the point where we are able to paint so my weekends and any time after work has been spent going over there and painting. I'm exhausted to say the least and my neck feels like it can't support my head anymore from painting miles and miles of crown molding. When we bought the house we ripped out all of the baseboards, doors and frames, trim, molding... It was all globbed up with years of paint and not worth saving. So I've had the pleasure of painting all of the new trim. I will be happy when it's all done, I was sick of filling nail holes with wood putting and sanding. I felt like I did that for years so while the painting is going on forever it's great to see all my hard work prepping paid off because this trim looks amazing with some fresh paint on it. I haven't had much energy and time for the blog but once things calm down and the house gets covered in Fresh paint I will gladly trade paint buckets for bottles of Nail Polish.

Tonight I finished putting on the second coat of paint on all the crown molding so that means we can paint the ceilings in all the rooms. After the ceiling is done Walls are getting painted!! I have to say for someone who is so into Colors like me, picking colors for the walls has been stressful so far we finally picked a color of the kitchen (haha got lucky on that we decided grey was the way to go and we went to lowes and happened to see their oops paint and found a 5 gallon bucket of a grey and it was only 35 bucks... I could not pass that up and the color is amazing. I was thinking darker grey husband was thinking lighter and this just happened to be right in the middle and we got a deal and we don't' have to fight over colors!!! hah hooray!) and adjacent room and our bed room but I still have no clue what we are doing for the hallway and living room and the entrance. I've also been spending a lot of time looking at wallpapers for the entrance room.... It's bad I now want to Wallpaper everything... Okay Clearly I'm very tired and I'm Rambling. I just wanted to check in and let you guys know what's going on with me. I'm very happy about painting even though it's a lot of work because it means we're so much closer to moving in. There's still a list of things that have to get done but at least I can start seeing the progress and actually help out! Refinishing the floors is next well we still have to put down the baseboards so I'll temporary have to go back to filling nail holes and sanding but I'm very happy to put in this extra work .... okay passing out I'll try to throw up a post soon... I Miss you Guys!! Wish me Luck on finding the strength to pick colors... I'm thinking I should just pick favorite polishes and have them color match them at this point!!

Katherine

Polish Addict Black Tie Parade

2013-05-01T23:37:00.002-04:00

Press Sample

Today I've got a look at Black Tie Event by Polish Addict. It's a multi-colored glitter in a black gel base. I had to layer several coats to get it to this opaque look. You could layer it over a black and only use 1-2 coats but then you won't have the depth from all the layers of glitter. This polish is so fun and festive and there wasn't anything I did not like about it.

Here is a link to the Polish Addict Store:

http://shoppolishaddict.bigcartel.com/products

Press Sample

Impressionist/Watercolor ? Manicure Tutorial (video)

2013-04-30T00:55:00.001-04:00

Press Sample

Here's another Manicure I created a Video Tutorial For the Allure Beauty Blogger Contest, It's a shame it didn't get to be seen in the contest but I'm very happy that I am able to share it with you today... Not a lot to say about this other than it was super easy and lots of fun to wear! Let me know what you think of the video!

Press Sample

Katie Cazorla Color Flash Launch on ShopNBC Tomorrow!

2013-04-29T16:21:00.001-04:00

I know I've been a little absent this past week, been busy working on the house. Got a lot of painting done and a lot more to do but I wanted to just let you guys know about an exciting product that is launching tomorrow. Katie Carzola, from The Painted Nail, is launching an exciting new nail gel system on ShopNBC. I've never played around with gel polishes but this looks like it's super easy to use. I change my polish almost daily so I'm not looking for the long lasting benefits that Gel offers. I have a feeling this might be of interest to a lot of you guys out there, so be sure to tune in and check it out! I had the pleasure of meeting Katie a few years back and she's such a kind and funny person, I'm so happy to see her launch this product and I look forward to seeing many more great things from her!

About the Product:

·         Why the Color Flash Instant Gel Nail Color is Different:

o   Unlike other at-home nail gel systems, the Color Flash Instant Gel Nail Color System works in one single step. Forget second coats, pre-polish nail cleansers and endless time under an LED lamp - with Katie’s specially formulated kit you simply apply the color and cure under the lamp for 60 seconds. Additionally, Katie’s system includes a special, fast-acting polish remover that’s unlike anything else on the market. Gentle on your nails yet tough on polish, the included remover is a welcome change from traditional acetone.
·         Why it works:

o   The secret behind flawless nails is in the Color Flash’s LED lamp and specially formulated gel nail polish. Quick and easy, the device uses LED lights to cure treated nails in seconds. By combining the LED technology with the special gel nail polish, you’re left with a long-lasting, high-gloss nail color that rivals the best professional treatments.
·         What’s included:

o   The Color Flash Instant Gel Nail Color by Katie Cazorla gives you everything you need to get bright, glossy nails at home – just in time for the warm summer months ahead. Included in the kit is the device, three gel colors, a buffer block, a nail file, gel remover, a metal cuticle pusher and 30 foil wraps.

Here's a video that really shows how easy this is to use :

About Katie:

Katie Cazorla is owner of the Los Angeles-based nail boutique The Painted Nail and star of TV Guide’s Nail Files. She is known for her nail expertise and is trusted by some of Hollywood’s biggest stars seeking beautiful nails.

About the Premiere:

Katie will launch her product as a ShopNBC Today’s Top Value. It will premiere as part of her new ShopNBC show, # Hollywood Trends™ with Katie Cazorla. The show launches on ShopNBC on Tuesday, April 30 at midnight ET with additional show times at 5:00am, 10:00am and 2:00pm ET. For more information, visit ShopNBC.com.

Nail Art Society April 2013 Box

2013-04-25T10:28:00.001-04:00

Press Sample

Today I've got a look at the April Box for Nail Art Society. Recently they contacted me and asked If I'd like to be one of their Nail Art Gurus, How could I say No? What an honor to be considered a Nail Art Expert!! Every month I'll show you that month's Nail Art Society Box and a look I created using the items in that box. So a little quickie about Nail Art Society... It's a subscription box and for $9.95 a month you get various Nail Art goodies. What I love besides the price is that you also get an info card with some sample ideas and a tutorial. I'm Excited about working with Nail Art Society! This might be one of the better monthly subscriptions out there, mainly because it focuses on what I love most, Nails!!

My thoughts on the April box: I've never tried large 3D bows and I was scared a little when I saw them but come on look at them they are too cute! You get a lot of bows but I wish that the company who made them put 4 bows instead of 3... just means you're gonna have to be creative if you want to use them on both hands, like use two colors. The Kiss Nail Art Paint Retails for 7 bucks at my local Walmart, I was happy to see it because of course I've seen it I've always been tempted to buy it because those colors are some of my favorites! In this look I created I took advantage of the tip guides that were included with the Kiss polishes. I centered the tip guide on the nail and painted the bottom half black, I then took the stripers out and did the lines. I did paint the pink over a white so that you could see it over the black. At the end I used the Nail Glue and put a tiny dot where I wanted the bows and stuck them down. They stayed on very well. The bows to me are not an everyday item. They'd be fun to use for something special. Was this box worth 10 bucks? yes! I can for sure say the April Box was a winner!

I have a preview of what's in the May Box be sure to scroll down and take a look!

GET A SNEAK PEEK INTO MAY’S NAIL ART SOCIETY KIT –

A $39.94 VALUE, FOR ONLY $9.95!

(April 2013) - Nail Art Society is excited to offer you a sneak peek of May’s Kiss-n-Tell Nail Art Society kit! Nail Art Society continues to deliver the latest Japanese 3D nail art and has partnered with Kiss to bring you their new line of nail art products – delivered to your door for only $9.95 (a $39.94 value). But that’s not all! By joining Nail Art Society you not only receive a monthly nail art kit, you will receive exclusive access to Q&A’s, video tutorials, trend reports, and tips from Celebrity Nail Artists, Bloggers and Beauty Insiders every month!

Join by May 10, 2013 and you can expect to find the following Kiss products in your May Nail Art Kit!

Kiss 3D Charms (value: $5.99)

Kiss Marbleizing Pen & Polish (value: $9.99)

Kiss Nail Artist Stickers (value: $2.99)

Nail Artist Paint & Stencil Kit (value: $6.99)

Kiss Nail Dress in two styles (value: $6.99 each)

The total value of May’s #nailartsociety kit is $39.94, but with your Monthly Membership to Nail Art Society you pay only $9.95. To join the society of nail savvy individuals and stay one-step ahead of the latest nail craze,

visit www.nailartsociety.com.

Press Sample

Pretty Serious Seasonal Sunset, ABC Challenge P

2013-04-24T00:53:00.000-04:00

Press Sample

P is for Pretty Serious!

I sorta jumped over a few letters but hey I'm here this week! With the days longer we've been back to working on the house trying to get things moving so that one day we can move in. After work I've been going over there and getting stuff ready so that this weekend we can start painting. You have no idea how happy that makes me since it means we're just that much closer to getting done. YaHoO gonna be painting tons of trim for ever and ever... also going to have to finally pin down some paint colors for all the rooms, not looking forward to that :(

For some reason I always thought this was a reddish polish, I was surprised to find out it's a rusty auburn. I usually do not go for these orangish colors but this looked fantastic with my skin tone. I don't know what's up with me and orange polishes. In general orange is not a favorite color but orange just loves me and I find myself starting to fall in love with it. I mean come on how can I not when this polish looks so great! No issues with the formula and the finish on this one is fantastic! If my memory serves me right this is a 2-3 coater.

Pretty Serious is about to turn 1 year old and to celebrate they just released a polish to celebrate, Daphne's Birthday Party, you should go check it out, there is a chance you can win a year of all new releases from Pretty Serious. I totally bought a bottle and a few others while I was at it ; ) Check out their site for more details

www.pretty-serious.com

Press Sample

My 500th Post!! Revlon Opal Effect Nails (Video)

2013-04-22T10:15:00.001-04:00

Press Sample

Woah This is my 500th Post!!! How Crazy is that?? Never thought I'd stick around long enough to have 500 posts under my belt!! With that said I do have some sad news, I was eliminated from the Allure Beauty Blogger Contest. However I'm not bummed about it, I'm happy I don't have to keep pushing myself onto you guys and begging for votes. I already feel like a winner from all the people who have taken the time to vote and have shown me support. I admit I'm am sad that my challenge 2 post didn't make it to their page since I really featured the heck out of some nails, but the good news is I've been given the okay to post that material onto my site. I did a total of 3 different nail tutorials and I'm going to split them up into a separate posts. Thank you again to all of you who voted for me and for loving me even though to everyone else I came off as a crazy long nailed nail polish hoarder lady!! Enjoy this manicure and check out the Video Tutorial on how I did it!

The Revlon Products used were provided to me by Allure for the Beauty Blogger Contest.

On my left hand I reversed the colors

Press Sample

Zoya 2013 Nail Polish Exchange is Back!

2013-04-22T01:21:00.002-04:00

I'm sure a lot of you have already seen this but just in case you haven't you have until the 26th to take advantage of this special. All the details you need are listed below.

Half off Zoya? Yes Please!!

Announcing the 2013 Zoya Nail Polish Exchange*

Hooray for Earth Day! Once again, Zoya is helping you do a little spring cleaning with the return of the Earth Day Zoya Nail Polish Exchange* for 2013. Clean out your nail polish wardrobe and get rid of old nail polish that may not be BIG5FREE (Free of Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, DBP and Camphor) and exchange it for a greener alternative - long lasting, award winning, healthy Zoya Nail Polish bottles!

Now's the perfect time to make the switch to an eco-chic beauty routine! From April 19, 2013 - April 26, 2013 (11:59PM EST), exchange your old, unwanted nail color for toxin-free ZOYA Nail Polish for only $4 per bottle plus shipping and handling fees. Rest assured - ZOYA will properly dispose of your old polish.

Here's all you need to do!
1. Go to www.zoya.com and pick out the polishes you would like (excludes all Zoya PixieDust™ Collection shades) and add them to your cart. You must select at least 6 bottles and no more than 24 bottles of polish (Salon accounts minimum 12 maximum 48 bottles.)

2. Apply the code (copy and paste for best results): ZOYAEARTH2013
3. Your order value will be adjusted to reflect a 50% discount (we use these funds to properly dispose of the old nail polish).

4. SUBMIT your order!

Then Zoya will ship out your NEW polish! HOORAY! This is how your order should look like...

Once you get your order
Here's where the exchanging* happens...

1. Ship back the equivalent number of bottles you received to the return address below (ie. If you ordered 6 bottles of Zoya – you would send us 6 NON-ZOYA polishes). Please check with your carrier on the proper way to ship nail polish.

2. Include a copy of your order.

To clarify the exchange: You do not have to send us the exact amount of bottles that you are ordering. You can send any quantity up to that amount. You can also donate. If you decide you don't want to do either, it's ok "Offer is not contingent on customer returning polish" we will still love you and will send the Zoya polishes... we'll just send you on a guilt trip for a while :)

Ship Your Old Nail Polish To:

Art of Beauty, Inc.
c/o Polish Exchange
5060 Taylor Rd, Unit D
Cleveland, Ohio, 44128, USA

Once we receive your polish, we do the rest! It’s that simple!

IMPORTANT!
The bottles you send in cannot be Zoya, Qtica or Nocti polishes (but they can be any other brand). We are using the honor code here folks! We want to make sure you get your Zoya Nail Polish! We send you the polish first then you send your old polish back to us! If you do choose to send us your old polish we promise to properly dispose of it according to EPA guidelines. This offer is only good for 1 week so hurry – Don’t Wait!

*Offer valid online at www.zoya.com only. Offer expires on 4/26/2012 at 11:59PM EST. Continental US ONLY. Not valid with any other codes, coupons or promotions. Shipping and handling fees apply. Consumer accounts must exchange a minimum of 6 polishes with a 24 bottle maximum. Salon accounts must exchange at least 12 with a maximum of 48 bottles. Polish can be from any brand EXCEPT Zoya, Qtica or Nocti and can be exchanged for in-stock .5oz Zoya Nail Polish. Excludes all Zoya PixieDust™ Collection shades. Offer is not contingent on customer returning polish. Zoya Exchange code is unique and non-transferable. One code per account. Art of Beauty is not responsible for incorrect addresses, credit card entry errors or errors associated with declined credit cards. Please allow standard time for processing and shipping, however if volume is higher than expected please allow up to 6 weeks for shipping and processing. Art of Beauty, Inc. reserves the right to remove any polish that is out of stock from your order. You will not be charged for this polish. Backordered polish is not included in this promotion.

________________
CONNECT WITH ZOYA: Make sure to tagTwitter, Instagram and Pinterest posts with @ZoyaNailPolish and hashtag posts with #ZoyaNailPolish and #ZoyaEarthDay. Website, Blog and YouTube links can be shared on our facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/zoyanailpolish).

Illamasqua Pink Raindrops

2013-04-19T09:55:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I get caught up in the hype of a polish. Pink Raindrops is a very good example of this. Pink Raindrops is the pink version of Raindrops, which is a pretty hyped up limited edition Illamasqua polish. I haven't been able to get my grabby hands on the original just yet. They released this one celebrating a milestone of so many Facebook likes and it was only for sale on their site. I passed up a few group buys to get this but then I saw someone was selling it on Facebook since they weren't in love with the color and I just caved. Since then Illamasqua announced that Sephora was finally going to sale this one and I felt like kicking myself for not waiting longer. However I did notice that the prices of illamasqua polishes is on the rise, $17.00, up 3 bucks! Glad I bought all mine before that increase! It bugs me that I paid more, but that's life you buy something and then the next week it's on sale half off and then they release a newer version! Anyway... onto the polish itself. This one has more negatives for me than positives. As much as I want to love love love it, it just feels more like a miss for me. The worst thing about it besides the odd fleshy putty color is the formula. I consider myself an expert Nail painter, ( a title I've appointed to myself!) and this one was giving me hell. I never thin out a polish and I had to pull out some thinner because it was just very gloppy. The flakes made the application even harder since they seemed to drag through the polish and did not quite want to settle on the nail. I wish it registered more pink then neutral washed out putty. It does have a stunning pink shimmer to it but the shimmer is not very strong on the nail like it is in the bottle. You just know I love Illamasqua polishes I own a boat load of them but It hurts me to say that this one just was very disappointing. Would I buy this again, yes but only because the collector in me wants it.

Anyone else have a polish they wanted to love but just couldn't?

How to Shape Nails into Stilettos (video)

2013-04-18T11:32:00.000-04:00

I've been getting a lot of requests to do a video on how I file my nails. It was time for a change so the other day I pulled my camera out and decided I'd attempt to show you how I do it. I'm still very new to the whole making videos so sometimes the angles aren't the best but at least you can follow along. The video is a little on the long side (8.5 mins).

Click on YouTube logo if you'd like to see it a little bigger :)

I still have a lot of posts I haven't put up so for the most part there might be a mix of long nail posts with a sprinkling of shorter nails. If you have any questions please let me know! I hope that for those of you who requested this it was helpful!

OPI Oz The Great & Powerful Collection Review

2013-04-17T02:37:00.000-04:00

Press Sample

When I first saw the Press release for this collection and I heard that there were several sheer colors, My heart sank. Sheer polishes are not something I use in general because of the longer nails. Since I constantly wear polish I tend to have staining on my nails. It's usually not very bad but the idea of a sheer made me feel exposed. I instantly made up my mind that this collection was going to be a nightmare. After swatching just a few my eyes started to open up and I was beginning to see this collection in a completely different light, what I thought were going to be nightmare polishes were actually looking really nice and they were all working so well together. I tend to hate more polishes than love but I didn't really have any in this group that I didn't like. Overall I liked this collection as a whole and I liked the versatility and how you can mix and match and get several different looks. My one issue with this collection is the fact that it is a collection based off the Oz movie and well I think we were all hoping for something more colorful. In conclusion this collection had a good flow for me!

Glints of Glinda
A very sheer light beige color. I used 4-5 coats on this. Not one I'd wear on it's own but I was surprised that I wasn't totally hating this sheer shade on my nails. Good for layering or as a base for a glitter.

When Monkeys Fly
This polish has caused quite a stir in the Nail Polish community , mostly because of "taco glitters" that are throughout the polish. When I first laid eyes on this polish most of the glitters had sunk to the bottom of the bottle. I saw the large glitters and I just sighed and went meh.... No one likes taco glitter! Last I heard people were so unhappy with this polish that if i'm not mistaken OPI was offering Refunds or returns after being questioned about this polish on their Facebook page. I dropped out of the loop after that so I don't know if that's still the case. Anyway I thought there was no way I'd like this polish right off the bat.... Well to my surprise once I got it on my nails I started to see it in another light. The large gold "taco glitters" did not bug me. for the most part I was able to get them to lay flat on the nail. The aren't as curled as they look manly because they are highly reflective and the light makes them appear more curled than they are. I did use a few coats of top coat but that is nothing I'm not used to when I wear a bulky glitter like this, if you wear glitter loaded indies you know an extra coat or two of top coat just smooths everything over nicely. I did not have any glitters poking through my top coat. Even if you did have a corner poking through, did you know that once your nail is dry you can file that stubborn glitter piece and just top coat it and it's an instant fix! I had no problems with this and I felt very fancy and luxurious with this combo on my nails. The holo pieces were super holo paired next to the gold and I loved it! I layered it over Glints of Glinda.

I added another coat of Glints of Glinda on top to create a Jelly Sandwich

Don't Burst My Bubble
I admit I was a little scared about this polish. The idea of a sheer white scared me because I wasn't sure I'd be able to properly cover my nails and make the polish look good. the ring finger and pinky have some staining that comes out in the picture but in person the staining was not noticeable. I don't remember how many coats I used in this swatch but just know it was quite a bit 4-6.. basically just kept going .The funny part is that I actually liked this polish a lot, I wouldn't wear it on it's own but I think it's a good layering polish and great for glitter sandwiches. It's a bright white sheer like I've never seen before!

Lights of Emerald City
I love all iridescent glitter, especially squared! I love how over a light base you get a purple blue look but over a darker base it turns int a golden green look. This is really a simple polish you have two shapes a white square glitter and a square iridescent glitter. So pretty! I do find it funny that if you take a close look at the white glitters they all have a tiny little nub at one corner, from a distance you don't notice but when you stare at the nail you see it. Guess the die that cut the glitter was funky like that. I layered this over Don't burst my bubble. I did take a little time and worked on placing the white glitters where I wanted them to give it a more uniform look. The little extra work paid off.

I added another coat of Don't burst my bubble on top to create a jelly sandwich.

I Theodora You
Out of all the non glitter polishes in this collection, this one was a little more opaque than the others. it's still on the sheer side and requires a few coats but it gave more coverage than the other two. While it's nice I can't help but feel I have several similar polishes like this already.

Which is Witch?
This is an interesting holo glitter mix. You've got three main shapes in play here, a lot of micro holo glitters followed by holo bar glitters and then you have a medium sized holo hex glitter that is more sparse. I like this crazy mix! With just one coat you get nice coverage. I did 2-3 coats layered over I Theodora You.

What Wizardry is This?
This is a textured polish and at first I did not think this color was for me but it ended up being a nice bronze color that looked great with my skin tone. I usually do not go for browns but this has just the right amount of metallic to it to make it slightly more interesting.

with top coat

Press Sample

Super Mario/Paper Mario Manicure

2013-04-16T02:15:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let you know that the Allure Beauty Blogger Contest has officially started and you can go and vote. Please help support me to keep me in the contest!!

Click here to vote :)

Voting is only open to US residents and by voting you will be entered to win prizes from Allure including a trip to Hawaii. Even if you aren't in the US you can go check out my write about my beauty obsession... oh and there's an updated picture of the Nail Polish Stash, so it's worth a look!

Your support is greatly appreciated! While you are there be sure to click like on Facebook or tweet a link next to my picture, any help is greatly appreciated, you can vote daily!!

Okay with that out of the way...

This is my Favorite Manicure I've ever done hands down! I was inspired to do this manicure for a friend whose young son is going through some medical issues. A group of us did manicures to support him and his mother through this tough time. I heard he likes Mario so I was inspired to create this very colorful manicure. I wanted to make sure when he saw a picture it'd put a smile on his face. I think I succeeded! I myself enjoy Mario and out of all the Mario games my favorite is Paper Mario. Gotta say I Nailed it :P !

Blood Splatter Tape Manicure

2013-04-14T23:50:00.000-04:00

Some items used were sent for review

I posted a swatch of OPI My Vampire is Buff, and had few requests to paint some red on them to make it look like blood on vampire teeth. I wasn't going to do it, however I've always wanted to try a Splatter Manicure. I pulled out some tape and thought it'd look more interesting if I just did the tips so I taped off the manicure and pulled out a dark red jelly polish and went to town. To do the splatter manicure you basically dip a straw into polish and blow. This is easier said then done. I practiced a few times and I swear my lungs were sick of me by the time I finished! I recommend covering up your area so you're not spraying polish all over the place. I used a standard regular straw and I slightly dipped it into the polish bottle I found that worked better than just dipping it into a pile of polish. Also practice spraying on a sheet of paper. Another thing that can help is make sure you have a coat or two of topcoat over your manicure before you spray, because if you mess up you can quick remove the paint and try again. The polish I used was Essie Lacy not Racy. I know these would be perfect for halloween and my timing is off in posting these but they are still fun regardless!

Some items used were sent for review

Painted Sabotage Hate Tank

2013-04-13T00:35:00.001-04:00

Press Sample

I've been putting off a lot of work this week so instead of enjoying my friday night I spent it catching up on all the work I've slacked off on which means I got home very late. I'm tired so going to try to keep this short. Tonight I've got another Painted Sabotage polish and this one is a amazing! Like the first one I showed you guys, Gargle Blaster this one is yet another stunner! I layered it over opi hands off my kielbasa, I did swatch it later by itself and it looked similar. The base is this amazing raspberry color, It's gorgeous and very squishy. I was afraid that on it's on it would be very sheer but to my surprise it actually gets very opaque just using 2-3 coats. I did throw a matte top coat over it and I preferred it matte only because it made the glitters really stand out more.

Here is a description taken directly from Painted Sabotage site regarding Hate Tank:

"Some of us may not be looking for Prince or Princess charming... Not wanting to set sail on the Love Boat or ride on the Party Train. Then how about climbing into the Hate Tank!

Inside Hate Tank you will find black hearts, thats right I said it BLACK HEARTS!!! Some black shreds to compliment. Finishing it off with burgundy and red holo glitter!! *SPLAT* you just run over by the Hate Tank!"

l love it, its like the perfect anti Valentine's Day polish, yet its perfect for anytime of year.

You can currently purchase Painted Sabotage from their Etsy store.

Press Sample

New Hard Candy Polishes Review

2013-04-12T01:35:00.001-04:00

Press Sample

Today I've got a look at 10 polishes from the Newly released Hard Candy polishes that are exclusive to Walmart. Hard Candy recently released a total of 45 polishes and these are just a taste of some of the awesomeness that they've unleashed! These retail for approx $4.00 which doesn't break the bank! It seems like a mega deal until you realize the bottle is only .26 fl oz. However compared to other polishes and the quality of these it is a very fair price... I just never have been a mini bottle fan. I will say this elongated mini bottle is more acceptable to me than the normal mini bottles that we are used to seeing.

If you are having hard time finding these at your local Walmart they are for sale on Walmart.com

You can also check out the Press Release here if you'd like to see high quality images of all 45 colors.

Okay lets push forward to the swatches and reviews! There's a lot of goodies here!

Crush on Raisin
This was the first one I swatched and I honestly wasn't expecting much from it. I put it on and it was like bam, Instant love! It can be a one coater and I love a nice opaque formula. The multi gold fleck foil in is just made this polish sing!

Lil Lilac
It bugs me when the name of a polish refers to a color yet the polish just doesn't come close to the color it's named after. This one to me just looks pink more than a purple lilac. It has a gold shimmer to it but it wasn't quite the gold foil fleck like in the one above. Not a bad polish just wasn't hitting the spot for me.

Bity Blue
I felt a little disappointed with this one at first because in the bottle it has this crazy duo chromatic look where it has this intense purple shift. Once on the nail that purple doesn't really come out, even in the micro shot which usually will show it it's just not there. Even though that purple doesn't pull on the nail this ended up being a crazy blue. It's very metallic, shiny and pops like crazy once on the nail. I will be pulling this out in the future because it makes for a great base for a few glitters I own.

Crush on Gold
This is a great polish. I loved everything about it. I want to say it's a dead on dupe of Zoya Ziv. I never pulled it to check them side by side but I love Zoya Ziv and this one provided me with that same kind of love feeling. I really do love that gold foil fleck, but it is a pain to remove sometimes since you remove all the polish yet you still have little sparkles that just don't quite want to be removed from all over your skin.

Celebrate Sequins
I own a lot of sliver holo glitter, but this one felt new to me. It has a nice mix of hex and square glitters along with a smaller glitter size. I wore it over bity blue and the combo was stunning. This is the type of glitter that will look great over any color.

Glitter Jam
This one is opaque in two coats and it has great coverage for a glitter without feeling super thick on the nail. It's a very fun polish, but these colors just aren't my thing.

Fun n' Festive
This one just reminds me of Halloween. It's dark and murky and if a glamorous swamp was such a thing, this would be it. It's a black base with three glitter sizes, a smaller green , a medium orange and larger gold glitter. It went on well but I did find myself fishing out the larger gold glitters which tends to be pretty common with larger glitter in general. I also read pumpkin patch off this one but there I go again feeling that halloween vibe with this one.

Tinsel Town
I tried to wear this one on it's own and it just wasn't working for me. I tried again layering it over just a simple black and Magic happened! Bar Glitters just aren't very loved but if they looked anything like this glitter I could see them catching on a lot more! These colors appeal to me and I did enjoy the gold bar glitter being a holo because when the light would hit it just right it really sparkled!

Pixie Pink
One of the more exciting things about all the New Hard Candy polishes was that they came out with a lot of sprinkle glitters in exciting colors. This is a very delicate polish and I haven't quite made up my mind on whether or not I like these colors together. So I'm on the fence about the colors but I had no issue with the formula.

Gummy Green
I saved the best for last! Well from the ones I reviewed this one was my favorite. A super Minty green with silver and black glitters.. Yes Please!! I really loved this on my nails and the color is really refreshing and super fun!

Press Sample

Nicole By OPI Gumdrops Press Release

2013-04-11T19:34:00.000-04:00

I can't help but love me some texture! I've got my eye on My Cherry Amour! These texture polishes are super quick and easy to put on and there's no fuss with having to put on a top coat... Perfect for when you're in a rush! Please enjoy this collection Preview!

“Sugar” Coated Nails!

Nicole by OPI Announces NEW Limited Edition Gumdrops Nail Lacquers

Nicole by OPI launches Gumdrops – six new limited edition matte texture shades designed to give nails a mouthwatering manicure. With a “sugar-like” finish that lightly shimmers with fine glitter particles, Gumdrops features brilliant candy colored hues.

“These shades are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Co-Founder & Artistic Director. “By combining groundbreaking texture technology with some of the hottest trends including matte and shimmer finishes, Nicole by OPI has created a new line of lacquers for cutting-edge manicures. Worn without top coat, Gumdrops lacquers dry to a textured matte finish to give nails a “sugar” coated appearance.

Gumdrops shades include:

I Lilac Gumdrops

But I love this sugar-frosted lavender.

My Cherry Amour

You're the one magenta I adore.

Candy is Dandy

This sweet pink is my favorite guilt-free treat.

Cinna-man of My Dreams

I dream in shades of this warm spice pink.

Blue-Berry Sweet on You

I’ll be true to this berry blue hue.

A-Nise Treat

This shimmery licorice is everyone's favorite.

Nicole by OPI Gumdrops nail lacquers should always be worn without top coat to achieve the unique textured matte finish.

Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. This limited edition collection will be available beginning May 2013 for $7.99 each at retailers including select Walmart (May 2013), CVS (June 2013), Rite Aid, Kmart, Kroger, Ulta, H-E-B, and Duane Reade locations (August 2013), In Canada, these shades will be available for $10.99 each at Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart Canada (July 2013), Jean Coutu, Loblaw, and London Drug (August 2013).

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPIand become a Facebook fan!

Is this Real? 2013 Allure Beauty Blogger Finalist , Me?

2013-04-11T02:01:00.000-04:00

I'm going to take this opportunity and BLAB. It's been a while since I've blabbed and I feel very blabby tonight!

http://blogger-awards.allure.com/contestant/katherine-zemla/

(there's a little mini interview and about me video up on the site, go check it out, you can also like the page or tweet it if you'd like : )

What the What check out whose mug is up on the Allure website!! It's my Mug!!!

I've been shouting out about this all day over on Facebook and instagram but now it's time to Officially link it over to the blog, being that the blog is the reason for all of my celebrating. Allure has named me one of their finalists in their 2013 Beauty Blogger Awards contest. I'm still in shock over being selected as one of the finalists. I've been in the loop for a while and it was slowly killing me having to keep this all to myself. They also kept all of the finalists a secret so it was difficult not knowing who I was up against. After the reveal I admit I was not familiar with any of the bloggers chosen which was a relief since I was afraid I might be up against a blogger friend. I've checked them all out and I can say I'm proud to be in such great company!

The contest starts Monday, I'll be sure to remind everyone once it begins! There are 5 challenges to this contest, each contest will run for one week. Forgive me in advance if I push a little too hard to try to get votes. I hate begging but I will give it a try! I honestly don't know exactly how they pick the winner, I do know that Allure will be judging the content along with a celebrity judge for each challenge and then they have the public vote. I'm not sure how the public voting factors in... But I do know that each week there are different prizes to be won and there's even a trip for two to Hawaii for the people voting so It'll be worth your while to vote daily for your favorite blogger... I hope that's me :D

I'm the only Mostly Nail Blogger in the group. I'm honored to represent the Nail Polish community in this challenge! I put a lot of work into my posts and I take pride in my work and my nails. Like everyone I do have self doubts, I have to admit from time to time I do feel like my blog is dismissed because I generally tend to have longer nails. In fact when I found out I was a finalist I struggled with whether I should I chop my nails down or not. In the back of my mind I've always felt like my blog would be more successful if I kept them short and uniform. But I had to remind myself my reason for blogging, which doesn't include collecting followers. I blog for myself and my readers out there who take the time to come to my site and look at my pictures. I love interacting with all of you and talking with you guys on Facebook/twitter/instagram. After entertaining the idea of chopping down the nails so that they would be more acceptable to the general public's tastes for shorter nails, I quickly realized that I wouldn't be true to myself or my followers if I tried to change who I am just to try to seem more appealing. I'll change the shape or the length when I'm ready for the change, not because I feel like I should do it. When Allure picked me they picked me the way I was and apparently that was good enough for them.

All day today I've been showered with love from so many people. I've never had this much support all at once and it's overwhelming in an awesome way! This is a competition and there is a prize, But honestly no prize can take the place of all the kind words and support everyone has shared with me. In my blogging career I've dealt with hateful comments about the length/shape of my nails and I've learned to look past the hate. I've always felt accepted in the beauty community. All the recent love and support just reconfirms that I do indeed have a place there. All the hateful comments have been permanently washed away and there's nothing but good things up ahead.

If you read through this I truly Thank you for doing that and I appreciate you being a part of what fuels me to keep doing this and Thank you for letting me share my passion with you.

Here's the link again just in case you haven't checked out my amazing about me video! haha haha

http://blogger-awards.allure.com/contestant/katherine-zemla/

Pretty Serious Creature Crush

2013-04-10T09:12:00.000-04:00

Press Sample

Creature Crush may seem like a rather simple polish, a black base with silver glitters. Well thats what it may appear like at first, but it's a little more complex than that. Besides the base being more bluish than expected, I was very surprised to see that there was a lot of tiny and larger black glitters in the polish. You can see them in the last picture where I just swiped some of the polish on some tape. It's not something that really comes once on the nail. It's just one of those little treats for the wearer. I want to compare it to wearing a favorite pair of underwear.. okay no not that great but just know it was an unexpected surprise. The formula on this is nice, I did 2-3 coats to get it opaque, I do like that there is a little depth to the polish. I wore this and a friend told me it reminded her of a starry night. There's nothing bad about this one. It's gorgeous and the holo glitter pieces really dance on the nail.

Pretty Serious is available via their site www.pretty-serious.com and at www.llarowe.com

Press Sample

Bestie Twin Nails with @lacquerloon

2013-04-08T00:40:00.000-04:00

Today I have a manicure I came up with so that me and my buddy Gaby aka @lacquerloon could be bestie twin nails on instagram. If you aren't on instagram basically you get a buddy and both of you do similar nails. It was a little challenge to come up with a design since I had to keep it simple so that my bud could easily recreate it. So I started off by grabbing a bunch of Illamasqua polishes that I loved together and I sat them in front me. This is what I came up with. It's so fugly that I love it. The colors go so well together. As much as I love the end result I got to admit that I love the bottle shots like a million times more! So Pretty, lined up together! So I'm not sure what to call this manicure or design but I think Gaby did a great job, maybe even better than me!

Etoile Greenwich St. Soiree Set, Pink Panache & Fizzy Cucumber

2013-04-07T01:45:00.000-04:00

Press Sample

Today I have a look at Etoile's Greenwich St. Soiree Set. I've always loved pink and green together and this duo is so refreshing! It's inspired by New York City's West Village. Etoile is a rather new to me line, the polishes are infused with real diamond dust. The creator was inspired by all of her friends who were all getting married and using normal polish. She thought it would be a great alternative and something that would compliment a diamond ring very well. Each bottle retails for $18 however they do have a few sets and duos and those are priced a little lower. You can pick this set up for $26. Here is a link to their store if you'd like to check out their other color offerings:

www.etoilepolish.com

Both colors had amazing formulas and were very nice and opaque with just one coat, I did two for the pictures below only because I'm not a one coats kind of gal. Pink Panche is so pretty! A hot pink magenta with a subtle shimmer throughout... yum!! I had one issue with it, I wore it for one day and it was a bad nail staining offender. Staining doesn't bug me all too much since I am constantly wearing polish but I would recommend to wear at least two coats of base before putting on this beauty. Fizzy Cucumber is a perfect palette cleanser! A very delicate minty green that also had a subtle shimmer in it like Pink Panche. This is a lovely set and I would recommend it. The set price of $26 is very reasonable for these two and if these colors appeal to you then they are worth picking up!

Press Sample

Shimmer Polish Mary & Maria , ABC Challenge M

2013-04-04T01:41:00.000-04:00

Press Sample

M is for Mary and Maria!

It just so happened that I was sitting on two polishes that I swatched that both started with the letter M. Both are really stunning and it was hard putting both of them together in one post since I didn't want one to outshine the other. However It's funny that both of these are going into one post because growing up I was told my full name is Katherine Maria Mary Zemla.... It's funny because my legal name is everything minus Mary, but my mom always said that was considered a nickname and how in Poland you give your kid that extra name. No one has ever called me Mary so I dunno.... I think i need to ask her again about that because I know i'm not making this up. I haven't really thought about it till just now seeing that I have both Mary and Maria together here... hah how ironic!! Speaking of Names in Poland they also celebrate a Name Day , it's like having another Birthday... I swear it's just another reason to drink with your buddies. My mom is always like "did you wish your gmom a happy name day?" hah i have a hard time keeping up with Birthdays no way i'm keeping track of name days! HA!

Regardless of my name mess, These two are jay dropping gorgeous! I layered Mary over a black, it pretty much covered it right up. I love the depth of the glitters and I like how that one has black glitters mixed in it. Maria I layered over a blue but like the other glitter it covered it right up to where I did not see the original blue base. Maria reminds me of magical waters it's so easy to get lost in these glitters. These glitter blends from Shimmer are so jam packed full of glitters I can't really think of any other glitters out there like these. It's so simple and basic yet so complex at the same time. If you've been overlooking these it's time to take another look at these glitter bombs cause they are da Bomb! hah clearly it's late and I'm still puzzled by my excess of names as described up above.

Till Next Time!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShimmerPolish

Press Sample

OPI Euro Centrale Collection Review Pic Heavy

2013-04-02T01:23:00.000-04:00

Press Sample

I hate to admit this but I am a little behind... but better late then never right? Sadly as I'm writing this I feel some illness creeping up on me so I will try to be quick and to the point. Today I have my swatches of the OPI Euro Collection. This collection is very special to me because it has a few "Polish" named polishes and well I couldn't be happier that my two Polish worlds have collided! This is a really fun collection. Even though half of the collection is very Blue/Purplish there still a good mix of colors here. As a whole collection I did not have any issues with any of these. The formulas were outstanding and what I've come to expect from OPI. I found myself really liking the polishes I didn't think were my style. Overall a well composed collection and the names are sure to put a smile on your face!

My Vampire is buff is a perfect creamy ivory! This is the only formula I wish was a little better. It wasn't bad but it wasn't as opaque as I wanted it to be. It was more like a 2-3 coater. However once you give it a chance the payback is amazing!

I had no issues with Vant to bite my neck. Not a very memorable purple for me, a little too dark for my taste.

I layered this over Vant to bite my neck, and while I didn't care for it much on it's own, with Polka.com over it it was a winning pair. The glitters really stood out and the smaller purple glitters looked great over that dark purple background. This is a glitter combo that really appeals to me, it's got my two favorite colors in it, Purple and teal and I don't even mind the pink that's thrown in. Such a fun glitter mix!

I put a coat of matte over it in this picture. It looked great both glossy or matte!

I saw... you saw... we saw... Warsaw..... while the name is cute it's toooooo long. Like Vant to bite my neck this too just didn't do much for me, the formula is great, gave me lots of control but it's just a dark navy blue to me.

You're such a budapest might just be the best Periwinkle shade ever! This creme had a little tiny bit of shimmer to the base , you can't really see it in the pictures , maybe a little in the 3rd picture but it was a nice touch to make this polish really memorable for me. Such a delicate color.

In the bottle Can't find my czechbook looks a little dusty. Once on the nail it dries to a more vibrant color. It's funny because it matches my office walls almost perfect! Love this blue! This is exactly the blue I was after and what I was hoping the blue would be from the Shrek collection... Ogre the Top blue. This is my kind of blue!

The formula on this reminded me a lot of Revlon Royal. Even down the the smell, they both have this odd smell. I would compare the two however my bottle of Revlon Royal committed suicide and is the first bottle that's ever separated on me and gone bad to where it's not fixable. So I was more than happy to find a replacement in Opi... Eurso Euro. I will keep an eye on this because I think I'll be pulling it out and using it more since it's really such an amazing color! Just a lot more vibrant than I saw you saw we saw warsaw.

Oy-Another Polish joke was not one I thought I'd like. For one thing it's Yellow! I tend to stay away from Yellows, but this shimmered and shined like crazy. I thought it might be similar to goldeneye from the Bond collection but was completely different more yellow. It's hard for me to find a Yellow I enjoy wearing and that looks good on me. This one managed to do both of those things so I ended up liking it.

A Women's Prague-ative is like the older orange brother to the yellow Polish Joke you just saw. Another I didn't think I'd like but loved once on the nail. It was so growly it almost had that wow factor of how does it shine so much! OPI really messed with my brains with this one and the yellow one since those are my two least favorite polish colors yet I love these two shimmers!

Suzi's hungary again dries a little brighter once on the nail than what it is in the bottle. I liked it, not bad for a pink!

My Paprika is hotter than yours is one of those confusing colors. It reminds me of a shirt I own that is very similar to this color and I can never decide it if it's red or orange. hah depending on the way the light hits it my eyes reads it different. This color in person is red in these pictures it appears a little more orangish. I used in in some nail art drawing hearts and they looked red so beats me. This one also dries a little more vibrant than what it looks like in the bottle. It's just a really fun and loud color!

Okay so in the bottle when I first saw this I thought to myself eekk what a horrible color. Well my first impression was wrong about this one. I put it on and it blew me away. The color was very flattering against my skin tone and it has this very pretty slight metallic sheen to it. I would have really dismissed this polish in the store. I've had a few polish prove me wrong once they get on my nails and this is for sure one of those that deserved a second look because it wasn't what I expected!

Press Sample

Happy Hands Egg Hunt

2013-03-31T23:51:00.000-04:00

I will make this super quick, since I need to get my butt in the shower ASAP and get to bed. I had a good Easter weekend. I slept in and then woke up in the afternoon and then went over and worked on the one day to be house. I spent a few hours filling nail gun holes with wood filler putty on the trim around the new windows... fun fun fun! Came home and had some Ham that David's mother cooked for us. Such lazy and productive day. I know not a very Easter like Sunday. So onto the the polish. This is such a fun glitter! I wore it over OPI Honey Ryder. I don't know what it is about round glitter but I'm obsessed with it. Happy Hands really hit a home run with this polish! Full of win! It really looks like little eggs hidden in the grass! Tell me what you ended up doing on Easter.

Manicure Addict

Animal Print Nail Art Tutorial Video: Leopard Spots

Painted Sabotage Angel Wings

Quick Update....Painting a little more than just my nails

Polish Addict Black Tie Parade

Impressionist/Watercolor ? Manicure Tutorial (video)

Katie Cazorla Color Flash Launch on ShopNBC Tomorrow!

Nail Art Society April 2013 Box

Pretty Serious Seasonal Sunset, ABC Challenge P

My 500th Post!! Revlon Opal Effect Nails (Video)

Zoya 2013 Nail Polish Exchange is Back!

Illamasqua Pink Raindrops

How to Shape Nails into Stilettos (video)

OPI Oz The Great & Powerful Collection Review

Super Mario/Paper Mario Manicure

Blood Splatter Tape Manicure

Painted Sabotage Hate Tank

New Hard Candy Polishes Review

Nicole By OPI Gumdrops Press Release

Is this Real? 2013 Allure Beauty Blogger Finalist , Me?

Pretty Serious Creature Crush

Bestie Twin Nails with @lacquerloon

Etoile Greenwich St. Soiree Set, Pink Panache & Fizzy Cucumber

Shimmer Polish Mary & Maria , ABC Challenge M

OPI Euro Centrale Collection Review *Pic Heavy*

Happy Hands Egg Hunt

OPI Euro Centrale Collection Review Pic Heavy