Polish. Glitter. Rock & Roll!

Darling Diva Green Diamond

2014-06-21T21:55:00.003-05:00

I don't really feel like saying much tonight but I know I can't keep this pretty polish all to myself so...

...here is Darling Diva Green Diamond. It's a one coater (on me at least). It's a green linear holo that dries matte which is really cool. With a top coat it's pretty stunning.

That's about all. Have a great night! (:

Zoya Arlo

2014-06-19T16:50:00.000-05:00

As most of you know I have a thing for textured polish and own almost all of the Zoya PixieDusts because, well...I need them. I may not wear them all the time but as long as they are in my possession, that's fine with me. (Now I really sound like a hoarder.)

Zoya Arlo is one of the newer Magical PixieDusts that came out recently. It is a fuschia base with super chunky holo glitter and when it dries it's super textured. I used two coats for these swatches and just can't stop staring at my nails. If I haven't been into polish lately, this is definitely turning me back in the right direction. Now I just need the other two to complete my collection.

Which is your favorite of all of the Magical PixieDusts? I think this is mine by far. Let me know in the comments below. (:

Zoya Harper

2014-06-18T18:16:00.001-05:00

So I wasn't super crazy over the Tickled and Bubbly collection from Zoya until I went to Ulta and happened across this super cute pink polish with a name I did not know.

This is Zoya Harper. I ended getting this one and Muse along with Arlo because there was a Buy 2, Get 1 Free deal, and then they gave me a free bottle of Monet. I was really drawn to Harper because of the iridescent glitter inside. It looked like little rainbows so of course, I had to have it. I used three coats for these photos because the pink base was kinda sheer. Other than that I loved it.

Which polishes from the Tickled and Bubbly do you love? Let me know in the comments below. (:

Sally Hansen Purple Alloy

2014-06-01T00:59:00.003-05:00

I'm sure by now you've all heard about and maybe even seen the new displays of Sally Hansen Color Foils. If you haven't picked any up yet, you nee to! I was pretty sure they would be awesome but just in case they weren't I only bought one to start. I absolutely LOVE it and need to go back and get a couple of other colors. But just to start, here is a gorgeous purple foil.

Sally Hansen Purple Alloy is a pink-toned purple with a foil or chrome finish that applied like a dream. It only took one coat (yes I said one coat) to get perfect coverage. It's really difficult to capture the exact color on camera but the second photo is definitely the closest. It's almost spot on. The others are showing it a little darker but think of it more of a lavender foil. Bottom line...it's gorgeous! The photos above are shown using a layer of OPI Lay Down That Base and then Purple Alloy over and that only made it better than when I first tried it, but if you don't have the OPI base coat, don't fret. It still looks amazing without it and you will hardly see any brushstrokes. Just be sure to buff your nails smooth before application so that you don't see any ridges or snags. I didn't use a top coat so I don't know how they react or how it might change the effect, if at all. And because I didn't use a TC, the polish already started to wear on the tips and all I did was go out to eat. If I actually wore this polish to work (which I will anyway), it would be completely chipped off in a hour, but I still love the effect and the ease of application and the color is to die for. I can't wait to go back to Target tomorrow and pick up the green and teal ones and maybe a pink and the darker purple. I don't know which yet, but I do know that I will be getting more for sure. Have a great night/day (depending on if you slept yet). I'm gonna hit the hay!

Rainbow Gradient with Nail Foils

2014-05-27T19:42:00.002-05:00

OMG it worked this time. My last post (which was way too long ago) was a total nail fail but it was supposed to look like this. I wanted to re-create it because I knew it was going to be awesome and I was right. Totally awesome!

I started with all the gradients first and then let them dry. Then I applied the foil glue using a fan brush but this time much less generously. Then when it dried I used the dotted holographic foil from Born Pretty Store and there you have it. I'm sure you're all wondering what polish I used and since it's a lot, I'm going to just make a list going from pinky to thumb. I know you can't see my thumb but it's a yellow, coral, pink combo. Here they are:

Zoya Malia
Color Club Lavendarling
Color Club Hydrangea Kiss
Orly Snowcone
Color Club Blue-ming
Pop Loud Lime
Sinful Unicorn
Zoya Pippa
Jesse's Girl Julie G All Things Girly
Julep Reese

So there you have it. Now I say this all the time, but this time I mean it...I am swatching and trying to come up with great nail art to keep the blog going. I actually did swatch a few colors and I just haven't posted them because looking back at them, I thought they were really bad. I had two chipped nails and so they were super short and just gross. lol So keep coming back. I know I'm trying to. (:

Total Nail Fail w. Foils

2014-05-18T17:37:00.000-05:00

Heeeeyyy! I hate to even show you all my disappointing mani today but it's all I have. The idea in my head was much better than the actual execution.

I started with a super fun and perfect pastel vertical gradient over all my nails. Sadly I didn't take a photo of it because I had smudged some beyond repair. It wasn't supposed to matter though because I was going to put the foils over it. I brushed on the foil glue with a fan brush which was supposed to leave some space open to show the colors behind the silver foil. Weeelllll, that didn't happen. Apparently I brushed on too much glue so when I applied the foils, there were hardly any breaks for the rainbow to show through. Trust that I will be re-creating this mani in the near future...like, probably this week because I know that the outcome will be some much better. Trial and error, People! lol

Is this really the worst mani? Up my spirits and tell me it's not (even if that's a lie...lol) in the comments below. (:

Darling Diva Polish Landslide

2014-05-14T21:11:00.001-05:00

So tonight's swatch is of a polish that I can't believe I didn't purchase any sooner. It's green. It's holo. It's inspired by one of my favorite singers. It's...

...It's Darling Diva Landslide! I only needed two coats of this one but used three just in case there were any bald spots or dragging. Sometimes it's hard for me to tell with holos until I take a photo. I mean, there isn't much to say about this. It's gorgeous. What more do you need to know? lol The formula is great too by the way. I know sometimes with indie polish, they formulas can be finicky but I've never had an issue with any of the Darling Divas. With that said, you should buy some. lol Right HERE!

I hope you all have a great night. I'm trying to think of some fun nail art I can do and then find the time to do it. I have been working out everyday after work so that only leaves about 20 minutes after class to get everything together before it's bedtime. Let me know if you all think of anything. I'm always open to suggestions. Good night!

Julep Plie Wand Reveal

2014-05-13T21:09:00.002-05:00

Hey hey there!

I didn't abandon you again. lol I was just busy. (: So tonight I have a different kind of post. It's not really a review as it is just an introduction to a new product. I finally received the Julep Plie Wand. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this product, it's basically a magnetic attachment that you place on the provided caps, and it's supposed to make polish your nails easier.

This is a photo of the box but there is a YouTube video below where you can see how it works and listen to all my ramblings.

I'm not going to type out everything that I said in the video because it's a lot but I will add a small update. I didn't mention this in the video (because I just figured it out) but the extra cap that I show you doesn't fit on the Julep polish bottle because it's defective. Actually 2 out of the 3 I received are defective. The brush handle is stuck inside the magnetic cap cover. /:

So if you have this product let me know what you think. Did you have the same thoughts or issues as I did? Did you love it? Let me know in the comments below. (:

Zoya Harmonie

2014-05-08T19:07:00.001-05:00

Well I told you all there would be some nail art today but I couldn't think of anything to put on them and I'm super exhausted. Like face-rolling for real. I decided it would be easier for me to just post what I already have done and not rush to create some nail art.

Today I am showing you Zoya Harmonie. I always say Zoya makes the best purple polish and this one is right up there with the rest. I needed three coats for these swatches because it does have a thinner formula, but it's so pretty. The finish is a little bit pearly but not so bad that you can see all the brushstrokes...only a little. I feel like I should have tried OPI Lay Down That Base before I put this on but I wanted you all to see it how it really is, and I love the way it looks.

Sorry again for no nail art but if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments below. Otherwise I'm just going to rely on Pinterest for inspiration. (:

Red Dog Designs Love Hurts

2014-05-07T21:19:00.002-05:00

Hi All! Sorry for the late post but I just got home from my yoga class. Health comes first! And speaking of health, I have really been craving and enjoying some amazing watermelon recently and so I wanted to put on a polish that reminded me of that.

This is Red Dog Designs Love Hurts from the Valentine collection. I know the base color isn't spot on with a watermelon but the black glitters reminded me of seeds. There are also holographic circles in there that are just gorgeous when they peek out of the magenta/pink base. I believe this is two coats. I don't really remember because I had this swatched for a long, long time. I hope you all have a great night and I'll have some fun nail art for you tomorrow...if I can come up with anything. (:

Dark Rose Mani

2014-05-06T18:17:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone! I can't wait to show you all this mani. I don't even know how I came up with it, but it's so ME! Let's check it out!

I started with two coats of a sparkly dark grey that I mixed myself awhile ago. Then I used Julep Joy (mauve) and Zoya Posh (red) to create the abstract roses. Then with my go-to black creme, Sinful Black on Black, and a super skinny nail art brush I added random curved lines to make the roses look like actual roses and less like red and mauve blobs. Then with the same black polish, I did a color block. I also used Zoya Veruschka mixed with a little Zoya Zuza to create the perfect green leaves and then I added a matte top coat and done!

I think this is such a cool, gothic style mani with a little bit of a girly flare. It's definitely something I would be seen in if it were a fabric. I actually used to have a dress that sort of looked like this but I lost it. ): I think someone stole it to tell the truth. Hmmm...I should look into that.

Well I hope that you all love it as much as I do. I know it's not Spring/Summer looking but, like I said, it's so ME! (:

Zoya Solange

2014-05-05T18:02:00.002-05:00

Finally! I got my hands on Zoya Solange. It's been a while so I can't remember where exactly I got it, but I remember it being really cheap. I told myself for the longest time that I didn't need it but I was so wrong. I might be crucified by some that I know for saying this, but I LOVE yellow polish!

Zoya Solange is part of the second set of PixieDusts that Zoya released. I think it was the Summer set. I used two coats and probably should have went for a third but it's difficult to tell there are bald spots in person. It dries matte just like all of the PixieDusts except this one contains a gold metallic pigment that is exclusive to Zoya. I feel like this is the perfect shade to welcome the warm weather that has been coming our way. It just makes me want to hang by the pool with my shades on.

Does Solange make you feel happy and fancy-free? Let me know in the comments below! (:

Swirl Design with Nail Craze

2014-05-04T15:44:00.002-05:00

Why yes! That is nail art you see. I haven't been big into nail art lately (or blogging at all actually) and especially with stamping. It's not my forte, but I finally got my hands on a couple of Nail Craze plates and they make stamping so fun.

The design above is from the Nail Craze plate NC02. It's the one with the unicorn and pegasus in case you don't know which one I'm talking about. I have lots of other plates from different makers and this is by far the best one I've used. The etches are just right so that the design lifts perfectly off the plate and onto the stamper with ease. It transfers perfectly without any "bald spots" or lifting like I've gotten with many other plates. The colors I used underneath are Color Club Blue-ming (mint), China Glaze Pool Party (pink), and Color Club Hydrangea Kiss (purple). I just sponged them on individually if you wondered. When I was dry I added one coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust and then the swirly stamp over that. I absolutely love how it turned out and feel like it was the best way for me to ease back into nail art without too much effort.

I'm gonna try to keep this up so keep coming back. Have a wonderful Sunday! (:

Orly Retro Red

2014-05-03T21:40:00.000-05:00

OMG! Who is this invading your feed? IT'S MEEEEEE!! I have been M.I.A. for awhile and I really needed it. I needed to focus on all other aspects of my life because I really was getting lost in blogging and overwhelmed with it and everything else life was throwing at me. But I have been slowly collecting nail photos (when I actually feel like painting my nails) and I just sat down today to edit and watermark them. It's not very many but I am excited about them. I received some lovely nail mail from a friend, Jen from My Nail Polish Obsession, a while ago with two lemmings and today I have for you.

This is Orly Retro Red from the Plastix collection. When I first started blogging I saw these on someone's blog and just about died. I had to have them and now! BUT they were already difficult to find anywhere. Then I went on a lovely polish shopping trip with Ashley from Smashley Sparkles and saw all four of them in a small nail supply. I had to pass them up though as I had already spent WAY too much money. lol. Haven't we all been in that situation? Well anyway over time, Jen has managed to find all four for me and sent me the best surprise nail mail. I love her! ♥

So for the swatches I only needed two coats and it dries so fast. The finish is, of course, like plastic. Not entirely matte but with just a bit of a sheen. I assume they are like the Illamasqua Rubbers? I don't know because I don't own any Illas at all. I've only posted one of the other Orly Plastix not too long ago. You can view Old School Orange HERE.

I'm here!

2014-04-22T20:29:00.000-05:00

Hey you all!

Long time, no see...or type. Whatever. I bet you're all wondering where I've been. Well to be completely honest, I got burnt out on blogging. Blogging is a lot of work and with everything else that I had going on, I just couldn't juggle it all. I definitely tried to re-evaluate where I was going with my life and what I needed to do to better myself. I realized I need to focus more on my health and my career. I need to save better because I don't want to live in an apartment forever. I want to have a place to call home. But with all the time I spent in front of the computer or free time I used to paint my nails and the money I spent on numerous bottles of polish, I couldn't do all the things I needed to do. So with that said, I don't want you all to worry that I'll never blog again because I will. I actually painted my nails for the first time this past weekend and swatched some pretty polish that I've had sitting here and never used. I'm also trying to get more into using Instagram because, let's face it, Facebook is being a punk and you all will never see my posts on there. I think it's a good idea that I just take my time with getting back into blogging so that I don't get burnt out again. I really hope that you all have stuck around and checked in hoping to see something from me because I would hate to lose anyone. I feel like if you just give me the chance, I can really turn this blog around. So stay tuned and have faith in me. lol.

Have a great night!
See you all soon!

Red Dog Designs Down With Love w/ Accent

2014-03-13T21:25:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! *waves*

I've really been loving this mani with a textured accent nail so much lately so I had to share it with you all. I've been doing it in all kinds of different colors since I have, not all, but almost every mainstream textured polish out there.

First I used three coats of each Zoya Carter on my ring finger and China Glaze Creative Fantasy on the rest. Carter is still my favorite textured polish out of all of them. I just can't help it.

Once all three coats were dry I applied one coat of Red Dog Designs Down With Love.

*side note: Does anyone else remember that movie Down With Love starring Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger? I absolutely love that movie and used to own it but can't seem to find it after all of those moves. Also Renee Zellweger is a fellow Texan and only grew up about 30 minutes from where I live now.*

I didn't need to fish out any of the glitters from DWL which is great. They seem to just gravitate toward the brush so really I had to put some back. My nails are too small to hold that many shaped glitters. I hope you all enjoyed this mani as much as I did. This is so fun in all color combinations so expect to see it again. lol Have a great night!

Red Dog Designs Tainted Love

2014-03-11T21:26:00.000-05:00

Hey there! I am just getting home from my kickboxing class so I'm sure you can imagine, I'm worn out and tired. I already took a bath so don't worry...I'm blogging to you clean. lol I am so excited to show you all the polish I have today. I may be a little late on it because it's technically a Valentine's Day polish (or anti V-day) but it's such a fun polish that I will be wearing all of the time.

Red Dog Designs Tainted Love is not only my first Red Dog polish, but one of my new favorites as well. I used Zoya Trixie as a fun base color and then layered two coats of Tainted Love over that. It is such a fun glitter polish with green squares and hexagons and black hearts and skull shapes. I think I love the skulls more than anything but also the fact that it's green...my favorite color...really puts it over the edge for me. Just so awesome. I can't wait to layer it over other colors and to buy more Red Dogs. I bought all three from the V-day collection and am kicking myself for not getting more. I'm sure the boyfriend would be kicking me out if I bought anymore polish. lol

So what do you all think about this awesome polish? Do you own any Red Dog polish? If so, which ones are your favorite? Let me know in the comments below and have a great night!

Zoya Stevie Skittlette

2014-03-09T12:35:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone! How is your morning going? I hope you all didn't forget to turn your clocks forward one hour? I have all mine set to do it automatically so I hope they did or else I'll be in trouble tomorrow when I show up to work an hour late. lol

Anyway I am so proud of myself because I was able to get so much done yesterday around my apartment and I still had time to go out and run and do a fun skittlette mani for you all. In case you are all wondering what a skittlette manicure is exactly, I found this definition from So Nailicious.

skit·tle·tte: Not quite a full skittles look, a skittlette manicure is one with at least two different accent nails. Pick any formation you wish, but for a true skittlette at least two nails need to be the same (the others can all be different) OR two pairs of identical nails and a different nail.

I even had to ask some friends of mine if this mani was a true skittlette. lol

The base color I chose is two coats of Zoya Stevie. I just received it in a swap and I love it. I was going to post just the swatch for you today but I couldn't wait to show you the nail art so I'll save it for another day. For the nail art I just used Sinful Color Black and Black and Zoya Purity. For the feather and stripes I just used a striping brush and dipped it straight into the bottles and for the dots, obviously, a dotting too. This was a super fun and easy mani. The hard part was really just letting it dry.

I hope you all enjoyed this. It seems like my friends really love it so get to commenting and tell me what you think! (:

Zoya Lux

2014-03-06T21:00:00.000-06:00

Yea! I finally got home from my fitness class and now I can show you the very last polish in the Zoya Magical PixieDust trio.

Zoya Lux is a dusty pink textured polish with the larger holo glitters. I used two coats just like the others. This one was by far the most textured. It was very gritty and actually snagged a sweater at work today. lol I love that too. I just didn't like that the formula was thick. Not goopy or hard to work with, just a little on the thick side. I'm too scared to use thinner in it though. I don't know what it might do to the texture, if anything. I won't risk it though. Anyway, I love this shade, but not as much as the other two. Zoya Cosmo just kills me everytime I see it.

Zoya Cosmo

2014-03-05T20:53:00.002-06:00

Ok so I have the second polish in the Zoya Magical PixieDust trio and I think it's my ultimate favorite. I mean, like, my favorite textured polish out of all of the brands.

Zoya Cosmo is soooo gorgeous! It's a silver base with the same chunky holo glitters that are in all three of the Magical PixieDusts. I only needed one coat but I used two just so I could get more glitter. lol I don't even know what else to say about this. I love it for Spring. I love it for the holidays. I love it for a night out on the town. I think this is just a great texture to wear year-round. And don't for one second think that I won't. lol

Have a great night and I'll have the last of the trio for you tomorrow.

Zoya Vega

2014-03-04T21:29:00.001-06:00

Ok you guys. I suck. lol I'm really trying to get it together and get back to posting everyday since the holidays have been over. I really just want to say sorry, not sorry because my blog has really taken a back seat in my life since the new year began but for a good reason. I became a vegetarian in June 2013 and it really changed my life for the better. It made me want to focus more of my time and energy on my health which is why I'm not able to post everyday anymore. I get out of work, I come home and eat dinner then I either run at the park or take fitness classes. Once I get home I have to take a shower and then it's bedtime. I don't really give myself a lot of time to sit down and focus on my blog. I've been trying to swatch on Sunday so that I have something for you all, but it get's tough sometimes. I know I have some new followers and thank you to the older ones for sticking around, but I'm going to be better at managing my time and blog. I promise. So keep coming back because I really love that I get to share my love of polish with all of you. And the few comments I get are greatly appreciated. I reply to all of them (eventually) so keep 'em coming. ♥

Sorry for that, but I had to get it out there. Now on to the good stuff.

Zoya Vega is one of my new favorite polishes because, well, it's a textured polish (which I love) but it's the chunky texture which I love the most. The whole Magical PixieDust trio reminds me a lot of the first OPI sands and I still wear and love those to this day. Vega is a metallic baby blue texure with chunky holo glitters that pop in the light. I used two coats and let both dry completely before taking these photos. I would have shown you all three, but guess what? I didn't have time to swatch them all. Are you surprised? lol

Again thank you to everyone who comes to read my posts everyday. It's gonna get good again. Have a good night! (:

Color Club Beyond

2014-03-02T20:24:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged this polish before (at least I don't remember doing it) because I've had it for so long. This is the first Color Club holo I bought but I've shown the other two and not this one. I've worn it a hundred or so times but never thought to take a picture I guess.

Color Club Beyond is so appropriately named because the black base is super dark but the holo effect looks like far away galaxies. This polish could be a one-coater if you really wanted it to be but I used two thinner coats for this swatch. I mean there isn't much else to say about it because I know the photos speak for themselves. I mean, the holo is to die for and who doesn't love a classic black nail?

I promise I'll post some nail art soon. I have been trying to get inspired to do something fun, but what? I think I'm gonna be copy-catting Pinterest manis and trying out tutorials until I can come up with something of my own.

Girly Bits Twitterpated

2014-02-28T20:16:00.004-06:00

If you read the title of this post I'm sure you're like, "Awww man! Another purple polish?" Well it's totally worth it and I can't wait any longer. The swatches have been sitting on my desktop just staring at me in all their glory waiting to be shared with the world. Well here we go!

Girly Bits Twitterpated is probably one of the most beautiful polishes I own. Yes! Out of my whole collection, this is one of my favorites without a doubt. I used two coats for the swatches above. Twitterpated is a lavender polish with a super linear holo. I've only worn it one time (for the swatches) and can't believe I didn't open it sooner and I can't wait to wear it again. I think this might be my new "go to" polish. (:

What do you think about this beauty? Does it give a little tug to your heartstrings? Let me know in the comments below.

Super Perola Primeiro Amor

2014-02-27T20:24:00.001-06:00

Since Spring is around the corner I guess it's time for me to break out my pastels. I'm not a huge fan of pastels but this one is so pretty. It was gifted to me and I thought I wouldn't like it but then I swatched it and completely changed my mind.

Super Perola Primeiro Amor is a Brazilian brand which actually reads Super Pearl First Love in English. I think that name is so fitting. It's a light lilac creme with a pearl finish and I only needed two coats. I thought this would be super cute with a sunflower decal or some daisies painted over it, but I don't have sunflower decals and I didn't think about daisies until after the fact.

Have a wonderful night and I'll see you all tomorrow.

Zoya Purity

2014-02-26T19:45:00.000-06:00

I was a little hesitant to post this one at first because I had some issues with the last white swatch I posted a long time ago. It was China Glaze White on White and it turns out that my sloppy (and non-watermarked) photo is pretty popular around the internet for some reason. It was stolen by another blogger claiming it to be her own and also eBay and Etsy sellers in which they photoshopped their nail decals on top of the white nail and then watermarked it with their shop name. Can you believe I actually had to pull out legal documents on them? All over a white nails, but it was my white nail so I fought for it. Now that I have a watermark of my own I'm hoping these will stay safe on my page.

Zoya Purity is the best white polish I think I've ever owned. I always love to have a white mani when it gets warmer outside. I think it's like my way of ushering in the new season. I used two coats of Purity for full opacity. At first I thought it was a bit streaky, but as it dried it self-leveled which is always a great quality for cremes to have and you probably know how much I hate cremes. They just never look good unless they self-level because, let's face it, no one is perfect at painting nails. At least I know I'm not.

So hopefully no one will steal this photo too and I can blog peacefully. Have a great night! (: