My Nail Graffiti

Fan Brush Nail Art

2013-05-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I have some fun nail art to share with you today. I have seen this technique done a few times on other blogs and I thought the effect was super cool with a minimal amount of effort. I looked up a quick tutorial, which was helpful in doing this for the first time. All you need are the polish colors you are going to use and a brush like this:

(Image source)

You basically layer the colors over a base color with the fan brush until you get the desired look you want. There is definitely some clean up involved around the edges once you are finished!

So this is the look that Dustin and I came up with!

Colors used: Sinful Colors Neon Melon as a base over white and Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Speedy Sunburst and Brisk Blue. These colors came together in the process to also create some purple and green on the nail!

I am obsessed with this look! I definitely want to play around with some more color combos and see what they look like.

Have you tried this technique before?

Different Dimension Swatches and Review Part I

2013-05-16T09:42:00.001-07:00

Hello polish lovers!

I have an indie review for you guys today! I have worked with Different Dimension before (you can see those posts *here*), and I am happy to have the chance to do so again. I love the variety that Missi comes up with in her creations. She has a variety of polish finishes, and today I have some awesome holos to share!

You will have to excuse my swollen pregnant fingers...I am hoping I can drink enough water to bring it down some!

Anyway, first up we have Stronger. This is a pale blue holo with a blue flash/sparkle to it in 3 coats. Such a cool twist to add to a holo!

See the blue sparkle? Love!

Next, is Black Dahlia. This is a purple-y charcoal holo with some iridescent color shifting glitters throughout as well as a purple shimmer/flash in 3 coats. Very complex!

And finally, we have Wide Awake. This is a pale pink/almost a light lavender holo with a bright pink holo/sparkle to it. 3 coats.

Again, you can see the pink sparkle best in this photo:

I am a fan of these, for sure. They aren't your typical holos!

Tell me your thoughts on these!

Keep an eye out for Part II of my Different Dimension review soon!

Different Dimension can be purchased on Etsy. And to be in the know on all things Different Dimension, like the Facebook page!

*Polish sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Bondi New York - Blue Skies

2013-05-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

Just a quick swatch today!

I got the chance to try out a polish from Bondi New York, which seems to be a relatively new polish brand. I chose Blue Skies, a dusty blue with a hint of periwinkle. I was very impressed with the formula. We all know that pastel shades can be streaky and difficult to apply, but my swatch is only 1 coat! Super impressive!

I am intrigued by what else Bondi New York has to offer based off of the awesome formula for a pastel creme. They come a bit steep at $12.50/bottle (some are currently on sale), but if you get this kind of quality, it seems to be worth it!

You can find Bondi New York *here* and follow them on Twitter and Facebook to stay in the loop!

*Polish was sent free of charge for review purposes.

Zoya Storm + Dots

2013-05-14T14:22:00.002-07:00

Hi everyone!

Here is a quick mani with some simple nail art I wore recently. I wore Zoya Storm on it's own for a few days before adding an accent nail.

Capturing Storm was not easy for some reason, but I think we all know it's got a pretty scattered holo effect.

For a quick accent, I added dots with Zoya Pippa and LCN Soft Daisy. Can't go wrong with yellow and black together!

Until next time...thank you for reading!

Sponging Gradient + Nails Inc Feathers in Brighton

2013-05-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Kind of a late post today. It's been a busy day that's gone by way too fast!

I got my hands on Nails Inc Brighton from the Feather Effects line at Sephora. I had to check 3 different locations in 2 cities coming up empty handed each time before I ordered it online. This seems to be the most popular color because now it's not in stock on the Sephora site either. But never fear! I think Sally Hansen will be coming to the rescue with a line of Feather dupes very soon! Check out more info on that from one of my absolute favorite beauty bloggers Nouveau Cheap.

So, to complement Brighton's fun color combo, Dustin did some sponging with Orly Lemonade and Orly Green with Envy. Brighton definitely has texture to it that an ordinary topcoat won't touch. Unfortunately, I was out of Gelous ( my favorite way to smooth out glitters/texture) so I had to deal with it. haha

The matte bars are definitely a departure from what we are used to seeing in the polish world. What do you think about this look?

Winner of Shimmer Kim Announced!

2013-05-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all who entered! The winner has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Congrats to * Morgan H. *!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sinful Colors Beautiful Girl + Lush Lacquer Party Hearty

2013-05-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

I have had this polish sitting in my untrieds for a realllly long time (the bitter cycle of never not buying new polish!) and finally got around to wearing it recently!

I have been a longtime fan of Lush Lacquer and I wasn't disappointed in Party Hearty. I layered one coat over Sinful Colors Beautiful Girl. My favorite part of this has to be the shimmer in Party Hearty's base...gorgeous!

I don't think this one is available in the Etsy store anymore but there are tons more pretties where this came from!

Pinterest Inspired Skittles

2013-05-08T11:34:00.001-07:00

I wore this fun skittles mani a while back after seeing this pin. It's almost an exact copy, but I love it!

Along with a black and white creme polish, I used Zoya Anaka with some sponging and stamping.

I love how everything works together to make such a cute look. Pinterest is the best!

China Glaze Don't Be a Luna-tic + Some Housekeeping

2013-05-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hi!

I have some swatch pics of Don't Be a Luna-tic from the recent China Glaze Hologram collection to show you today. Since I own the OMG collection, this is the only one I picked up but I could go for a few more after trying this one out! In the bottle, these don't look like much. Even on the nail swatches on the display they didn't look very interesting. Once on the nail, however, it comes alive!

This is what Don't Be a Luna-tic looks like most of the time. A metallic-y finish with a visible rainbow. This photo doesn't fully capture that.

In direct sunlight, or when hit with the camera flash, check out what happens!

I enjoyed wearing this more than I thought I would...can't go wrong with a good holo!

Ok so I wanted to remind you guys of 2 things:

1) My giveaway of Shimmer Polish Kim ends in 2 days! You can enter *here* if you haven't already.

2) I posted about this last night, but just in case you missed it, I updated prices and added new items to my blog sale! There are a bunch of polish and makeup items available. Check it out *here*.

Have a good day!

Blog Sale Revamped: New Items and Prices!

2013-05-06T19:12:00.002-07:00

Just a quick update to let ya'll know I added new polishes to my blog sale, I lowered a lot of prices, and removed all the sold items (it was getting a little cluttered)!

You can take a look *here* or click the Nail Polish Sale Button on the side of my blog.

Thank you!

Wet N Wild How I Met Your Magenta

2013-05-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hey polish lovers!

I am starting my week off with a simple swatch. My husband got me some storage drawers for the overflow of my stash that had been living in a suitcase for the past year. It was a great opportunity to go through and revisit all the polishes I had been not using as much. I love having them more easily accessible now! My Wet n Wild polishes were in there and I picked out How I Met Your Magenta from the Fast Dry line to wear. I love the golden shimmer in here!

We n Wild is such an awesome brand. They have done a great job of offering new, exciting and (mostly) great quality products for practically nothing.

I swatched the entire Fast Dry Line a couple of years ago...if you want to see that post, click *here*!

A Little Something for You!

2013-05-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

I told you earlier I had a small surprise and this is it! Over the past few weeks, I have been reviewing lots of Shimmer Polish. I was sent a duplicate of Kim, which I have already swatched in the past, so Cindy and I decided a giveaway was in order!

Up for grabs is a brand new bottle of Kim, which is definitely one of my favorite Shimmers! Just use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter.

This giveaway is open internationally except the UK and Italy due to shipping risk. :(

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and thank you all for making blogging so much fun!

Shimmer Polish Swatches-Last Batch!

2013-05-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

It's been a busy past few days and I am happy to be back to posting today. As you know, I have been showing swatches of lots of Shimmer Polish lately. Today, I have the final batch from the ones I sent to review!

Irene is a mostly champagne glitter with a rainbow of other glitters spread through out. This is 2 coats over OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?

Next is Tammy. For some reason, I had the hardest time capturing this one! I did one coat over Color Club High Society.

This is Julie. One coat over Orly Frolic. This is a rainbow mix of glitters with a predominant purple throughout.

Not to be confused with Julie, this is Julia. This reminds me of Cinderella's blue dress and glass slippers. I layered one coat over Zoya Natty. Such a pretty polish!

And finally, we have Candace. This is one coat over CND Asphalt which is a dark gray creme. This reminds me of bumblebees (or as my 2 1/2 year old says, "bungle - bees").

Tell me your faves from this bunch!

I have reviewed a bunch of other Shimmer in the past and you can see them all *here* in previous posts.

You can visit Shimmer's Etsy shop *here* and on their blog *here* and like them on Facebook *here*!

Stay tuned for a little surprise later today! ;)

*Polish was sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

A Holo Half Moon

2013-04-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

I found the LA Girl 3D Effects holos at Rite Aid a while back and picked up a few. Even if these aren't linear in finish, I love 'em anyway! The collection dupes last year's holiday Zoya holos (Aurora, Storm, Blaze). In fact, there are dupes for those 3 in the LA Girl collection, plus more!

This half moon mani is done using China Glaze Sexagon and LA Girl Brilliant Blue.

I love how this turned out! I wore this for maybe 4 days and had no wear, which is worth mentioning since holos can sometimes chip quickly.

Are you eyeing any of the LA Girl 3D Effects? At half the price of Zoya, they are definitely worth it!

New Items Added to My Blog Sale!

2013-04-29T14:22:00.001-07:00

Just added a lot of makeup items to my blog sale! Most items are $1-$1.50 and brand new! Click *here* to check it out!

Even More Shimmer Polish Swatches!

2013-04-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hey hey!

Hope you have all had a great weekend. Mine was very rainy but relaxing.

I've got more Shimmer polishes to show you today. I am almost through the samples I was sent for review and then there will be a little surprise. ;)

First up is Lorene. One coat over Dr.'s Remedy Passion Purple. I can see this having much more dimension with topcoat.

This is Marilyn. This particular Shimmer required no underwear...very different from most of the others but I like it! And check out the shine it has even with out top coat. This is 2 coats.

Next, is my personal favorite of the bunch: Lucie. SUPER blingy...I am already planning on this being my next pedi. I layered one coat over LA Colors Metallic Silver. Obsessed!

And finally, we have Natalie. This is one coat over Bondi New York Blue Skies. This has got some of those awesome iridescent color shifting glitters in it.

Which ones are you loving from this bunch?

I have reviewed a bunch of other Shimmer in the past and you can see them all *here* in previous posts.

You can visit Shimmer's Etsy shop *here* and on their blog *here* and like them on Facebook *here*!

Remember how I told you about the upcoming Shimmer sale after their FB page reached 4,000 likes? Well, the sale is ON! Use code Facebook20 to get 20% off your order! This sale will end tomorrow!

*Polish was sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Still Playing Catch Up - St Patty's Day Mani!

2013-04-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I am still trying to catch up on manis from my little blogging hiatus a last month. So you get a flash back to St. Patrick's Day today! ;)

Once again, I kept it simple. This is an all Orly mani! Probably a first that I used all one brand in the same mani? haha I used: Fresh, Luxe, Sashay My Way and Monster Mash!

I am slowly getting caught up...I think you that's the last belated holiday post you will have to read. ;)

Have a great weekend!

Sinful Colors Dazzle + Nail Art!

2013-04-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

I don't get to do nail art nearly as much as I would like, mainly because most good nail art takes time, of which I don't have much lately. haha I still get around to it occasionally, thanks to the help of my sweet husband.

I started with a base of Sinful Colors Dazzle from the Holiday 2012 collection. This is very Zoya-esque with the glass fleck-y shimmer...it gives some pretty depth to it. Next, we added stamping with Orly Luxe and the accent nail includes a gradient with OPI Sparkle-icous.

Feels refreshing to have some nail art after it being a while!

More Shimmer Polish Swatches!

2013-04-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Another week has begun whether we are ready or not! I'm kicking mine off with more Shimmer polish swatches. ;) There's lots of pics, so I will keep it short on words.

First, we have Jovie. I layered one coat over Banana Republic French Navy. This is a very versatile topper with sweet color shifting iridescent glitter!

Next is Katie. I layered one coat over China Glaze Elephant Walk. Very cute and girly.

And finally, we have Vivian. One coat over Sally Hansen Insta Dri Speedy Sunburst. This makes my nails look like they are coated with sugar!

Any faves from this bunch?

More Shimmer to come this week!

I have reviewed a bunch of other Shimmer in the past and you can see them all *here* in previous posts.

You can visit Shimmer's Etsy shop *here* and on their blog *here* and like them on Facebook *here*!

And guys! Shimmer's Facebook page is only 10 likes away from a 20% off sale! Spread the word!

*Polish was sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Shimmer Polish Josephine and Crystal

2013-04-19T14:54:00.003-07:00

Happy Friday!

This week flew by for me but I am always happy for the weekend!

I have reviewed Shimmer Polish many times before here, but I never tire of seeing the new creations Cindy comes up with. So today I have 2 of her newer polishes to share with you.

I always have a hard time capturing how detailed Shimmers are, so I am posting more than one pic of these so you can hopefully get their full majesty!

This is Josephine over Pure Ice Stunning. One coat gives nice, even coverage. This is a lightly pink tinted base. With all Shimmers, you can add more coats for full coverage. I do some awesome glitter bomb pedis using Shimmers that way!

And this is Crystal. One coat over Zoya Minka. This one was a little more thick than the typical Shimmer formula, but a few drops of thinner can take care of that no problem. This one also has a slightly tinted base. What's so awesome about Crystal is the iridescent color shifting glitters she has! Hard to capture in pics on the nail but I think you will be able to tell better in my bottle shot.

This pic is a bit blurry but it shows the shift off a little better.

Look how cool it is in the bottle! Reminds me of a rainbow trout, how fish scales look in the sunlight.

So that's all the Shimmer for now, but don't worry, there is a lot more where that came from over the next little bit!

I have reviewed a bunch of other Shimmer in the past and you can see them all *here* in previous posts.

You can visit Shimmer's Etsy shop *here* and on their blog *here* and like them on Facebook *here*!

At the time of this post, the Shimmer Facebook page is exactly 50 likes from 4,000. Once that number is reached, there will be 20% off! Good incentive, right?

*Polish was sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

My Ridiculously Overdue Valentine's Mani

2013-04-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Welcome to possibly the most belated mani post...ever? I was dealing with morning sickeness and a lack of motivation to blog during February and March, so I am still playing catch-up with the few manis I did do and take the time to photograph.

So you get my Valentine's Day mani today! haha I usually like to go all out for holiday manis but at the time, stamping was as good as it was gonna get! I used *this plate* from Born Pretty store. I actually really like this plate. The designs are all right up my alley...think bows, polka dots, and lace!

I've got a 10% off code that can be used at Born Pretty: AJ10W21. Plus free shipping worldwide, everyday!

*Product in this post was sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

University Nail Pax Nail Wrap Review

2013-04-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

I am back with my normal post for the day. It's been a while since I did a review, so that's what you get today. :)

I was contacted recently by University Nail Pax to try out their new line of nail wraps that feature college logos and mascots. Cool idea!

I liked how these came packaged. It doesn't seem cheap like some other brands can.

The package folds open to reveal instructions on top with the wraps beneath. One package actually comes with 2 sheets of wraps but there is one hiding in a little flap behind the instructions (these are the ones visible from the front).

So this is what you get: 2 sheets of wraps like this one as well as a coarse nail file. The file is a good size, much bigger than the ones that come with most nail appliqués I have tried. I can definitely keep the file and be able to get a lot more use out of it.

I wanted to give extra emphasis to the instructions because there is a key part that makes a HUGE difference in how easily and neatly these strips will apply. I highlighted it below. Maybe I am the only one who didn't already know this, but I couldn't believe how much easier and faster these applied the second time I tried just by starting application from the cuticle up instead of pushing down from the middle to the sides of the nail. I am sure this is great to know for other nail strips as well!

I am really not proud of how these turned out. But since it's my first attempt, I'm sure you'll forgive me. ;) This is pre-paying attention to the directions. haha (These are the North Carolina State wraps by the way.)You can see that there are a ton of bubbly wrinkles and it's just not looking good. It probably took me a good 45 minutes to get them this way.

Out of frustration at how badly my first attempt turned out, I went back to the instructions to see if I was missing any important details. It seems like every brand of nail strip has variances in their application process. That's when I saw that I needed to try applying them from the cuticle up! I had another design to try out (this one from Kansas State University) and I am happy to say it took me only 10-15 minutes to apply these with MUCH neater results! Still not completely perfect, but I'm happy with it!

Overall I would definitely recommend these wraps. They are a fun, extra way to show some school spirit and pride. Just follow the directions and you'll be good. ;)

Right now, there are 24 schools offered with more on the way in the coming weeks. I look forward to there being a larger selection since there weren't any currently available that I personal identify with.

The University Nail Pax can be found *here* and retail for $12.

Tell me what you think of these new nail wraps!

*Products sent to me for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Announcing: Glitter Mix Boutique on Etsy!

2013-04-17T15:26:00.001-07:00

Hello!

I just wanted to share with you that You Mix, my husband and I's glitter shop, now has a spin-off shop that is exclusively glitter mixes called Glitter Mix Boutique! We wanted to reach a larger audience and cater to the Etsy crowd, too. This shop is perfect for all you personal frankeners out there! There are currently over 50 mixes in the store. The picture below shows just a few that you can find there.

You can find the Glitter Mix Boutique *HERE* on Etsy. Go take a look and tell me what you think! :)

Zoya Minka+ Daring Digits Mix My Matte Up

2013-04-16T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Today is one of those days where my 2 year old wants to see just how far she can take me because it's not even 10am and I am so over it! Makes me wonder why I am doing this all over again in a few months... :)

Anyway, this mani is a little different than what I normally go for. I like nude polish a lot, but I definitely prefer bright colors to wear. Maybe this is the best of both worlds? This is Zoya Minka with Daring Digits Mix My Matte Up.

In other news, I posted this on my Facebook page last night, but I added some things as well as lowered some prices in my blog sale yesterday. I would really love to get rid of all these polishes I have no use for! :)

Daring Digits: More Dots!

2013-04-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hi polish lovers!

This is a swatch of an indie I wore recently. It's called More Dots! from Daring Digits polish. It's got got a sheer black crelly base so I layered it over a black creme. I like dot glitter a lot, and it's a classic combo with the black!

This polish isn't actually in stock at the moment, but I am sure that it will be brought back soon. In the meantime the Daring Digits shop is on sale for $6.50 and you can see that *here*.

Are you loving dot glitters that are popping up in indies lately?