The Lacquerologist

Priti NYC Summer in the Bahamas: Swatches and Review!

2013-05-19T12:07:00.002-04:00

Product provided for review

Hi friends! I'm very excited to share this new Priti NYC collection with you. It's no secret that I adore Priti NYC and their company's outlook. Every new collection that comes out, I am so excited to swatch and use in nail art, and this one is no exception! I present to you, the Priti NYC Summer in the Bahamas Collection for Summer 2013! I have a huge polish collection, and all four of these shades are unique for me!

First up is Priti NYC Hedge Hog Rose, a bright coral pink creme. For this swatch I used three coats with Out the Door to cover just a bit of streakiness, but if you're not taking macro photos of your nails, you could probably get away with two coats! This color is so soft and summery, yet bright at the same time!

Priti NYC City Girl Rose is a peachy orange creme and in some lights, it is really bright! So lovely. Similar in formula to Hedge Hog Rose, here I used three coats with Out the Door, but you could probably get away with two.

Probably my favorite of this collection, this is Priti NYC Scotch Thistle. This is a gorgeous sea foam teal crelly that is flawless in two coats with Out the Door! Perfect formula. I just LOVE everything about this!

Finally we have Priti NYC Baby Blue Eyes. This dusty yet soft blue creme has a shimmery sheen throughout it. Priti NYC does that so well...the polish almost has a reflectiveness to it, but it is no where close to a "frost" so it's just perfect. In real life this one is a bit deeper and darker, but it was difficult to photograph. But if you love light blues and/or cornflower blue, you'll love this one! Here I used three coats for the sake of the swatch, but two would be fine in real life!

I love this collection! Bright and fun for summer, this classic shades definitely remind me of the Bahamas. I've been there four different times for research through high school and college (Andros Island and San Salvador Island) but these shades really do remind me of the colors I saw while in Nassau for a layover (the Bahamas most people think of) and the feel of the outlying islands I spent my time on. So gorgeous.

While some of these cremes were a bit streaky in two coats, they evened out excellently in three, which isn't rare for bright and/or pastel shades like these. Priti NYC never disappoints. My favorite is probably Scotch Thistle, but I can't wait to use all of these cremes in summer nail art applications! =) The Summer in the Bahamas Collection is available now on pritinyc.com for $13.50 each, which I think is worth it for unique shades in such a high quality toxin-free, vegan formula. I don't see a four-piece kit up yet, but keep an eye out for that because that is always a great deal! Which of these beauties is your favorite?!

The Week In Review: May 12-18, 2013

2013-05-19T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hi friends! Sunday already?! This has been a productive week here on the blog...lots and lots of swatches! Check out the collage, and as always, click the links below to catch any posts you may have missed, or just want to see again! =)

The Lacquerologist's Week In Review: May 12-18, 2013

And don't forget my BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY which is open until the 22nd!

OPI Couture de Minnie: Swatches and Review!

2013-05-18T06:30:00.000-04:00

Product provided for review

Hi friends! I hope your weekends are starting off fabulously! I am at the Body•Spa•Banquet Grand Opening Open House today...it has been such an exciting journey opening a small business, and I am so glad to be up and running! If you're in the Northeast Ohio area...check us out!

Anywho, today I have the new OPI Couture de Minnie Collection to share with you! This five piece collection from OPI includes three cremes, a glitter top coat and a Liquid Sand shade, all inspired by Minnie. But this isn't the Minnie we've all known since we were little...this is a new, high-fashion, super styled, sexy Minnie! You can see in the display shot below what I mean!

Image courtesy of OPI PR

First up we have OPI Chic From Ears To Tail, a soft pink creme with a subtle shimmer throughout. This is so, so pretty! Super classic! I had to use four coats to build up to this opacity, but you could probably get away with three. I did an accent nail in the glitter OPI Minnie Style and sealed it all in with Out the Door. Minnie Style is a clear based glitter top coat with hexes in red, pink and matte white.

The red of the collection, OPI Innie Minnie Mightie Bow, is a shimmery warm red. If you love red, you'll love this! This is two easy coats with an accent nail in OPI Minnie Style, sealed in with Out the Door.

OPI A Definite Moust-Have is a bright pink with a shimmery frost throughout. This is super cute. I don't think I have a pink exactly like this one in my collection! This is two easy coats with Minnie Style on the ring finger, with Out the Door.

OPI Minnie Style, which I have used as an accent nail on all of the above, was easy to work with. A "blob and spread" style glitter, one coat was used for the coverage you see in these swatches. I think it is perfect in this collection and I love the contrast of the matte white glitters with the metallic red and pink ones!

OPI Magazine Cover Mouse is the Liquid Sand shade in this collection. A gold-infused pinkish-red, it is quite beautiful! This is two coat. The formula was super easy to work with. I always expect textured shades like this to be difficult to work with, but this one definitely wasn't!

The Couture de Minnie Collection will be available in June 2013 wherever OPI is sold for $9 each. These are limited edition, so get them while you can! =) Which of these shades will you be picking up?!

Summer Polishes from Ruby Wing and Color Club: Swatches and Review!

2013-05-17T06:30:00.000-04:00

Product provided for review

Happy Friday! Today I have some super summery shades to share with you from Color Club and Ruby Wing. Since they're owned by the same company, Forsythe Cosmetics, I figured I would put them together in one post. We'll start with the color changing Ruby Wing shades and then go into the Color Club Kaleidoscope Summer Collection!

First up is Ruby Wing Groupie, a pink color changing polish. This one goes from a neon pink to a deeper berry pink in UV sunlight. The formula on this one was easy to work with and it dries to a shiny crelly finish! This is two coats with no top coat.

Indoors under my OttLite:

Outdoors in sunlight:

The other Ruby Wing shade I received to review is Ruby Wing Summer Love. The formula on this one was a little streaky and it dried to a matte finish, but with three coats and Out the Door, I was able to get it to look great! The color change on this one blew me away! So dramatic! It goes from a glowing neon orange to a deep shiny brown! If you're looking for a dramatic changing UV polish, this is definitely one!

Indoors under OttLite:

Outdoors in sunlight:

I was also sent two Color Club shades from the new Color Club Kaleidoscope Collection for Summer 2013. First up is Color Club Abyss, which I found nearly impossible to photograph =/ This is a much more green teal in real life. This is two coats with Out the Door top coat. It had a perfect thick-in-a-good-way creme finish!

Finally, I have Color Club Bright Night, a vivid bright blue creme! You know I love shades like this! Blue has been such a big win this summer and we have seen it from all the big brands. I'm loving Color Club's contribution to the summer blue trend! This is two easy coats with Out the Door.

The Color Club Kaleidoscope Collection is available now. Aside from Abyss and Bright Night, the collection also includes Evolution, Endless, In Theory, and Pearl-spective. You can purchase these polishes on the Color Club website [here] for $8! The Ruby Wing Summer Collection also contains Crowd Surf, Electric Firefly, Eternal, and Green Peace, all of which are UV color changing polishes! You can purchase them [here] for $10 each!

While I love the bold blue and green of these Color Club shades, I think the Ruby Wing polishes really steal the show here! Check out the indoor/outdoor comparisons! =) Which of these polishes is your favorite?!

Femme Fatale Oh My Neon! Over Summery Gradients!

2013-05-16T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hi lacquered friends! I filed my nails down a bit, so my nails are nice and short and square! I know I always loved my super long nails before, but now that I've adjusted to them being shorter, I like them much shorter! I knew that this indie glitter would be the perfect inspiration for a fun manicure as soon as I saw it swatched online, so I had to pick it up! This is my first polish from Femme Fatale Lacquer and I'm loving it!

Femme Fatale Oh My Neon! is a clear base with neon pink squares, bright neon blue glitters and neon yellow microglitter. Love.

I started with two coats of Wet N Wild Wild Shine French White, which I let dry, and then created a subtle gradient with the white polish and Essie Boom Boom Room and Essie In The Cab-ana on reverse double accent nails! I sealed that in with Out the Door to smooth the gradient, took a few pictures, and then applied the glitter! =) Femme Fatale Oh My Neon! looks great over all of the shades in the gradients. I used about 1.5 coats for the opacity you see here (one normal coat and one thin coat to fill in any empty space). I sealed it in with Out the Door. Love, love, love!

I had to show a picture with the bottle because I just love the sugar skull thing that Femme Fatale has going on! Below you can check out the gradient I did on both hands, both before and after glitterification!

Essie In The Cab-ana and Boom Boom Room were provided for previous review.

Pretty & Polished Summer In The City: Swatches and Review!

2013-05-15T06:30:00.000-04:00

Product provided for review

Hello polished friends! Today I have a gorgeous summer collection from Pretty & Polished to share with you! This is the Summer in the City Collection! Made up of two crelly based glitters and three bright holographics, this collection is definitely a win for the warmer months! I am really impressed with this collection!

First up, this is Pretty & Polished So Jazzed! which is a bright magenta-purple crelly base with vivid blue glitters throughout. The formula was super easy to work with and it was perfectly opaque in two coats. I used two coats of Out the Door to cover up some glitter bumps, but if you use a thicker top coat, you'd be fine with one coat. This is girly and fun!

Pretty & Polished Crush is a gorgeous scattered holographic orange. So so bright! In some lights, it looks like a bright orange, and in some lights, it's neon. Here I've used three coats with Out the Door. The holographic in this isn't super strong, but it is sparkly and beautiful!

Direct sunlight

The second holo in the collection is Pretty & Polished I Want Candy, which is a bright pink holo! The holographic particles in this one are more linear. The color is perfectly pink, and similarly to Crush, in some lights it's bright and in others it looks more neon. Again, the holo isn't ultra strong, but it adds just the right amount of sparkle to this beauty!

Direct sunlight

Pretty & Polished Boombox is a blue stunner! This vivid deep yet bright blue not only has holographic particles in it, but also blue sparkles throughout, which gives it a little something extra special. The formula was so easy to work with...could have been a one coater even! Here I have used two coats with Out the Door. I felt that the holo in this one was strongest out of the three holos.

Direct sunlight

Finally, we have Pretty & Polished Popples, a white base crelly polish with neon glitters. The glitters in this one aren't the translucent neon glitters we've seen before...these are opaque! This really makes this one stand out from all of the other neon glittered polishes we've seen this summer. This is three coats with Out the Door, but you could definitely get away with two! If you're a white-based glitter fan, or a neon fan, you'll NEED this one!

The Summer in the City collection is set to be released on May 15, 2013 (TODAY, update: available now [here])! It will be available for purchase on Pretty & Polished's website [here] for $9/bottle. Stay up to date with release info on Pretty & Polished's Facebook [here]!

Tough As Nails Lacquer Summer 2013 Collection: Swatches and Review!

2013-05-14T06:30:00.000-04:00

Product provided for review

Happy Tuesday! Today I have a gorgeous eight-piece summer collection from Tough As Nails Lacquer! This collection contains a sparkly glitter top coat, three glittery jellies, two shimmery neons, a purple glass fleck, and a metallic...phew! Lots going on here, but it all works so so well! This collection will be available May 18, 2013! Be sure to read to the end for a special offer just for The Lacquerologist's readers!! =)

Tough As Nails Teal-Ta Whirl is teal metallic with a great brightness and green shimmer. This is three coats with Out the Door. Great formula. The name makes me laugh...I threw up on the tirl-a-whirl at the local fair when I was in high school! Hahaha....

Tough As Nails Beyond Bright Blue Sky is a blue jelly base with teal, blue, and silver glitters in a variety of shapes and blue shimmer. Elizabeth, the creator of these beauties, says that the jellies in this collection work best layered over other polishes, but they can be worn alone. Here, I decided to layer one coat of Beyond Bright Blue Sky over Teal-Ta Whirl with Out the Door. I'm not sure if Elizabeth intended for these two to be worn together, but this is a dreamy mermaid-like combination!

Tough As Nails Purple Twilight is a purple shimmer with pink and blue glass flecks throughout. The formula was a bit thin and tricky, but it built up well with three coats and Out the Door.

Tough As Nails Peachy Keen is a nearly neon peach creme with a fierce shimmer throughout! I love this color...I think it may have been a bit more neon in real life than it photographed and the shimmer is so gorgeous! Unfortunately this one was a bit streaky for me, but with four thin coats and Out the Door, I was able to keep them to a minimum. This is so great for summer! =)

Another jelly polish, Tough As Nails Snappin' Bubbles is a pink jelly base with a fierce bright pink/blue flashing shimmer, neon pink, light pink and pearly white iridescent hexes and squares with iridescent mini bars. Lots going on! Here I've layered one coat over Essie Boom Boom Room with Out the Door. This is such a girly and fun combo!

Tough As Nails Like Fireflies is the glitter top coat of the collection. This is a duochrome shimmer and iridescent glitters in a clear base. Here I've layered one coat over Zoya Yana and Wet N Wild Wild Shine Black Creme. Especially over black, you can see how this glitter comes alive! Lots of layering combinations possible here.

The last jelly polish, Tough As Nails Orange Whip, is an orange jelly base with orange and iridescent glitters and shimmer. Per Elizabeth's instructions, I decided to wear this one on its own for a squishier look. This is four coats with Out the Door. From the way this one built up, I'm sure Snappin' Bubbles and Beyond Bright Blue Sky could be built up and worn on their own too! Beautiful and yummy!

Finally we have the neon minty green, Tough As Nails Sidewalk Chalk! I'm so excited about this one; it is definitely one of the brightest greens I own. The shimmer throughout this one is awesome as well. Similar to Peachy Keen, this one was quite streaky, but with four thin coats and Out the Door, I was able to build it up nicely, however, if you're careful (and not taking macro photos!) you could probably get away with two or three thicker coats. Love this for summer!

So overall, I am pleased with this collection. It is so diverse that there is definitely something here for everyone! I really love Teal-Ta Whirl, Peachy Keen and Sidewalk Chalk. The jellies are lovely and squishy and the choice of layering offers many possibilities! Tough As Nails Lacquer can be purchased in Elizabeth's etsy shop [HERE] for $9/full size and $5.75/shorty size (0.25fl oz)! Follow along on Facebook [here] for updates and more info! As I said above, this collection will be released May 18, 2013 and Elizabeth was sweet enough to offer a promo code to The Lacquerologist's readers! Use code LACQUEROLOGIST15 to get 15% off your order at the Tough As Nails etsy shop [here]!!

piCture pOlish Paradise: Swatches and Review and PURE PERFECTION!!

2013-05-13T06:30:00.000-04:00

I can hear you all now: Emily! Why are you yelling at us in the title of this post?! Are the CAPS necessary?! The answer: YES! YES THEY ARE! I use a lot of nail polishes. Yes, there are polishes I like, even love, and use often, but it takes a lot to "wow" me these days after experiencing so many colors and textures and finishes. This, my friends, WOWs me. I'm obsessed. I want to paint my walls and car and everything I own this color. There are really few words. I present to you: piCture pOlish Paradise by Liquid Jelly!

Here I did three coats of piCtue pOlish Paradise by Liquid Jelly with Out the Door top coat. I could have gotten away with two thicker coats. This is so outstanding. Paradise is described as a jewel toned green/blue shade with shifting colours of pink and purple glitters. Sooo special and unique. It reminds me of the Deborah Lippmann Mermaids with the shimmery metallic base and round glitters throughout, but the color choices here are just so outstanding.

piCture pOlish is an Australian polish brand, but they have a worldwide reach! For my US readers, I purchased my bottle of Paradise from Llarowe, but I believe at this time, she is again sold out. Another US site, Overall Beauty is also sold out. However, this is part of the permanent line now, so hopefully you can get it at the next re-stock on these sites, and I believe you can sign up to be notified when it is back in stock! Paradise is available on the piCture pOlish website and Nail Polish Canada (if you're willing to pay shipping rates if you're not in Canada or Australia). If you're not sure where you can purchase piCture pOlish outside of Australia, check out their list of international stockists [here]. My take on this? If you want this, you need to track it down because it is one of the most gorgeous polishes I own!!! <3

Week In Review: May 5-11, 2013!

2013-05-12T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hello friends. Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there! This week has been crazy for me. At Body•Spa•Banquet we had our soft opening and saw a few clients, which is very, very exciting! Our Grand Opening Open House is May 18, so we are gearing up for that! I also had some heavy, sad stuff happen to an old friend this week, which has been difficult, and I doubt she's reading, but if she is, I hope she knows I'm thinking about her.

On the blog this week, there was lots of fun nail art and swatches from Aphrodite Lacquers and SinfulShine by Sinful Colors. I've got lots of great polishes on tap for next week too! Check out the collage and the links below to see anything you may have missed!

The Lacquerologist's Week In Review: May 5-11, 2013!

And you've got one more chance to enter to win a $95 Ulta Gift Card!! Click the photo below to enter...ends tonight at 11:59PM EST!

And my birthday giveaway will be going on until May 22! Win a $20 gift card to Llarowe!

And one more thing...check out this super cool collage image of my 64 nail art manicures from 2013, so far! I can't wait to see what else the rest of 2013 brings!! What nail art would you like to see me do?!

You know you're a nail polish addict when...you start matching your manicures to your outfits!

2013-05-11T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hi friends! I hope this post finds you all well! Since the weather has been glorious and warmer, I dug out my bin of summer clothes this past week! I love doing that...I always feel like I have a new wardrobe, even though some of my spring/summer clothes are years old! This manicure is inspired by a top I have from the Gap from 2010...I love it and still wear it all the time!

This manicure started off with Wet N Wild Wild Shine French White on my ring and middle nails, and OPI I Saw...U Saw...We Saw...Warsaw on my pinky, pointer and thumb. I then used the Wet N Wild white and my dotting tool to make some blobby flowers, and added stems and leaves with my striping brush. Using Essie DJ Play That Song, I added blobby centers to the flowers. On my ring finger, I did stripes in OPI Warsaw (I cannot stand to type that horrendous name out again!) and NYC Sidewalkers. On my middle finger, I decided to do a fun dotticure nail in DJ Play That Song and Warsaw. And then I added a few dots in Sidewalkers on the floral nails to tie everything together. Of course, I added a nice shine with Out the Door top coat.

While my stripes didn't come out that clean, I love the florals! They 100% match the shirt that inspired them!! I think I may need to do a manicure with this design on all 10 fingers!

OPI and Essie polishes used in this post were provided for previous review.

SinfulShine with Gel Tech Come Hither: Swatch and Leopard Nail Art!

2013-05-10T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone and happy Friday! Today I have one of the polishes from the new Sinful Colors SinfulShine with Gel Tech line to show you. I wanted to try a polish from this new line, and I decided I wanted to get a classic pink, because for some reason I have been LOVING pink lately! This line promises to be extremely shiny and retails for $2.99 each! You can read more info about the line from Nouveau Cheap [HERE]!

This is two coats of SinfulShine Come Hither with no top coat! Gorgeous classic bright pink with intense shine! Love love love! These polishes come in the same bottles as the regular Sinful Colors polishes, but with silver caps and are available exclusively at Walgreens!

Once I soaked up how gorgeous this super shiny bright pink was, I decided to do some nail art! I used Wet N Wild Wild Shine Black Creme and my dotting tool to create a leopard print. At this point, I sealed it in with Out the Door top coat which only amplified the shine!

I'm loving this manicure and I wore it for about five days with very minimal wear, which was very impressive with a three dollar polish, especially because I wore it over the weekend that I was building furniture and moving lots and lots of boxes for Body•Spa•Banquet! On my right hand, I decided to twist it up a bit and did an accent nail in the leopard, but the rest of the nails black. Super fun to wear...kind of flashy and sexy =)

One more note: On the accent nail on my right hand, I did two coats of Come Hither and then applied the leopard, but I completely forgot to top coat. Even after five days on my dominant hand and no top coat, I had minimal wear...just a little tip wear as would be expected, but no chips or anything! Way to go SinfulShine! =) I think these would be great polishes to travel with or to throw in your purse if you're on the go, because you'll be able to get away without top coat and they're affordable! Have you tried any of the SinfulShine polishes?

Black and White and Primary Colors: Another Take On Simple Florals

2013-05-09T06:30:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday polished friends! More florals today! The flowers in this manicure are pretty much the most basic roses you can do. I did a tutorial of how I do them [here]! I wanted to do a black and white and primary colors manicure, and I like how this turned out!

This manicure started out with alternating nails in Wet N Wild Wild Shine Black Creme and Wet N Wild Wild Shine French White. I then used the following polishes to make "blobs" that became roses: Essie Come Here, Essie Avenue Maintain, and Barielle Lemondrops. I added leaves in Essie First Timer and then completed the roses with the black and white polishes, and finished off with some dots! I sealed it all in with Out the Door. Super easy as far as nail art goes...all done with a dotting tool...and majorly eye-catching!

This manicure is really an example of how one nail art design can be created so many different ways with such a different look just by changing up the polishes used! What do you think of the stark contrast in this manicure? =)

Essie and Barielle polishes used in this post were provided for previous review.

Triangles Galore with Zoya Yana and Amy!

2013-05-08T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I hope this post finds you well! =) I have been wanting to do a triangle themed nail art manicure for quite some time now, so I am really excited that I finally got it done! You know that I usually enjoy blues and greens on my nails, but now that spring is here, I have been grabbing for pink more often than usual. I love how the pink, orange and white in this manicure all go together!

I applied two coats of Zoya Yana on all of my nails except my ring finger, which received three coats of Zoya Amy for a bright, metallic accent nail. I used It's So Easy StripeRite in white to create a random triangle pattern and Wet N Wild Wild Shine French White to fill in any open space with dots. I let everything dry and then sealed it all in with Out the Door top coat.

I did this one on both hands (like I've said before, practice makes perfect when it comes to nail art on the dominant hand) and wore it for a day or two! Love the bright colors and unexpected design. What do you think?

Zoya polishes used in this post were provided for previous review.

It's My Birthday Month, So It's Giveaway Time! $20 to Llarowe!

2013-05-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! May is my birthday month! I will be 26 on May 21...wow...I refuse to fully embrace "adulthood" no matter how high that number gets! In order to celebrate my special day, I'd like to give YOU a gift! My blog brings me so much happiness, so you guys deserve a present...so I'm giving away a $20 gift card to Llarowe!

The giveaway is open until May 22, 2013 at 12:01am (the day after my birthday!). OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. The $20 gift certificate will be emailed to you and then you can use it as you please on Llarowe!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cosmetish MAYkeover Ulta Gift Card Giveaway!

2013-05-07T10:28:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! Just a quick post to fill you in on a giveaway I'm participating in, just in case you don't follow me on Facebook (you should!) where I already shared this! I'm lucky to be a part of a great blogging community, and we came together to offer you a $95 Ulta Giftcard Giveaway! The lovely Tish from Cosmetish put the giveaway together as part of her month of giveaways for May! You can enter on Tish's blog [HERE] or through the Rafflecopter widget below (you can only enter in one place though!).

Take a moment to thank Tish for putting it all together and all the other great bloggers for participating!! The giveaway is open until Sunday May 12, 2013 at 11:59PM EST and it is open to everyone, but be sure to check out where ULTA ships if you don't have a local store. Tish will be mailing out the gift card once the giveaway ends! Click the link below if the Rafflecopter widget doesn't load!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Aphrodite Lacquers True Love and Heartbreak Collection: Swatches and Review!

2013-05-07T06:30:00.000-04:00

Products provided for review

Hello polished friends! Today I have two great glitter polishes from Aphrodite Lacquers to share with you! The new True Love and Heartbreak Collection is available now and includes jellies and glitters!

Aphrodite Lacquers Lonely Me, Lonely You is a bright raspberry pink jelly filled with various sizes and shapes of matte white glitters, silver holographic glitters and blue-purple iridescent glitters! For these swatches, I used four coats with Out the Door, which sounds tedious, but it was very easy to work with, so all the coats weren't too much trouble. This is squishy and beautiful =)

Aphrodite Lacquers Romance Never Dies is a clear base with electric blurple, silver and holo shimmer, various sizes and shapes of matte white glitters, silver holo glitters, and blue-purple iridescent glitters. Here I have layered 1.5 coats (one full coat and some filling in) over Pure Ice Wild Thing. The formula is quite thick, but that's because it's so full with glitter! The blob and spread technique worked quite well. If you're a blue lover like me, you'll definitely want this one!

The entire True Love and Heartbreak Collection includes the following shades: Broken Heart, Ever Unhappy, Forgotton Promises, Love is Lost, and Standing Here Waiting (jellies); and True Love Forever and Happily Ever After (glitters). Each polish sells for $9 each and is available in the Aphrodite Lacquers Etsy shop [here]! Also follow Aphrodite Lacquers on Facebook [here]!

Splatters and Glitters!

2013-05-06T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hi lacquered friends and happy Monday! Sometimes when I'm about to polish my nails, I just dig around my Helmers looking for inspiration and I will find nail art inspiration from other polishes in my collection. This was one of those times. Rainbow Honey Sweet Talk was one of my favorite polishes for Spring 2013 and it definitely inspired this entire manicure!

On my pinky and pointer, I used three coats of Rainbow Honey Sweet Talk, which is such a sweet, awesome white glitter mix. On all the other fingers, I used two coats of Wet N Wild Wild Shine French White and then did a splatter with OPI You're Such A Budapest, OPI Suzi's Hungary Again, and Nicole by OPI Alex By The Books. It's not difficult to see that I chose these colors based on the glitters in Sweet Talk! I sealed everything in with two coats of Out the Door so that it was super smooth and shiny!

I think white nails are one of my favorite looks for summer. So bright and so many possibilities! =)

Rainbow Honey, OPI, and NOPI products in this post were provided by the company/PR for previous review.

The Week In Review April 28 - May 4, 2013!

2013-05-05T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hi friends! I hope you've all had a great week and weekend. I've been working working working as we prepare for our opening, but I still always find time for blogging...it keeps me smiling and sane! =)

The Lacquerologist's Week In Review: April 28 - May 4, 2013

Messy Gradient, Dots and Rhinestones, Oh My!

2013-05-04T06:30:00.000-04:00

Happy Saturday friends! This is a super busy weekend for me as Body•Spa•Banquet prepares for our grand opening on Monday! Woohoo! Today I have a super colorful manicure to share with you! I saw a photo on Pinterest of a gorgeous flower, which inspired the colors and look of this manicure, and then after I did this manicure, I realized that Debbie from The Crumpet had definitely inspired the color scheme as well! Check out her similar manicure [here]! Let's take a look at my messy gradient and dots mani!

I started out with a base of Essie In The Cab-ana (two coats), which, you all know, I adore! Once it had dried, I used plastic wrap to apply my messy gradient. I wanted it to be rough so I used scrunched up plastic wrap instead of a sponge. I mixed In The Cab-ana with Essie Blanc to create a lighter version of the shade and applied that with the plastic wrap. I let it dry for a few minutes and I applied Blanc to the tips of my nails with the plastic wrap. This definitely created a textural, messy gradient effect that I loved! I then used Julep Helena and my dotting tool to add some dots to my tips. I love Helena and In The Cab-ana together! I then added a few MASH rhinestones to my accent nail! Woo...lots of steps, but worth it =)

I wore this manicure for a day or two, but the rhinestones only lasted a few hours...I can't help but pick at them! What do you think of this look? Do you like this abstract look? =)

Essie polishes and MASH rhinestones were provided for previous review.

May Nail Art Society "Kiss-n-Tell" Kit: Inspirations for Beginners through Advanced Nail Artists!

2013-05-03T12:12:00.001-04:00

Product provided for review

Hi everyone! I'm excited to share with you the looks that I created with my Nail Art Society Kit for May 2013! Being a Nail Art Guru for the Nail Art Society has been so great for me as a nail artist; it has definitely forced me to be more creative with my nail looks when I create manis with their kits! This month's NAS kit included tons of goodies from Kiss! When I sat down with all of these nail art supplies, it was almost overwhelming because there are just so many options of things you could do with all of these things! The May Nail Art Society kit included:

Image provided by NAS PR

Kiss Nail Artist Paint & Stencil Kit (with three stripers!)
Kiss Nail Artist 3D Charms
Kiss Nail Artist Flat Stickers
Kiss Nail Dress in Corset and Teddy
Kiss Marbelizing Pen & Polish Kit

I decided to do three looks: beginner, novice, and advanced! If you receive the Nail Art Society kits, I hope you'll find these inspirational, and if you don't get the kits, maybe you'll consider signing up! For $9.95 a month, you will receive a kit like this that contains great nail art supplies! Even if you're not usually one to use these kinds of nail art supplies, you'd be surprised how these products will push and inspire you as an artist. You can sign up [here] (not a referral link), and see my Nail Art Guru profile [here]!

Beginner Nails!

Let's jump ahead for a second; for the advanced look, I decided to tackle the Kiss Marbelizing Pen & Polish Set. It included three polish pens that have both a metal pen tip and a regular polish brush. I was skeptical of this kit when I saw the package...3 Easy Steps: Polish, Dot, Swirl and they show a perfectly water marbled nail. =/ Before I even opened the box I knew that wouldn't be happening for anyone, no matter how advanced you are! I think you could definitely create a manicure that looks similar to a needle marble if you're careful...but it didn't really work for me! I really wanted to come up with a look that you could create with these supplies that wasn't a needle marble (or a water marble o.O) but I found the metal tipped pens extremely difficult to work with, creating extremely raised dots on the nail that dried too quickly. So, a little frustrated, I decided not to use this set for my advanced look, but instead, my beginner nails, and in a different way than the set intended.

I decided to use the brush that comes in each of the Marbelizing Pens and place some of the dark purple shimmer polish on my palette (you can use a piece of foil if you want). I then dipped my striping brush in the polish and created a zebra print on a base of OPI My Vampire Is Buff. If you don't have a striping brush, you can get one at Sally Beauty or online (or if you'd like, you could use acetone to clean off one of the brushes from the Kiss Nail Art Paint stripers and then clean if off again before you replace it in the polish). Zebra print is super easy...yes, it is free-hand nail art, but it doesn't need to be perfect at all, so it's a great place to start! If you're just getting started, you can even just make squiggly lines alternating from either side of the nail bed! Once my stripes were down in dark purple, I used the Kiss Nail Art Paint in Purple Glitter to go over each the stripes (again, this really doesn't need to be perfect) to add some flair!

On my accent nail, I polished the nail using the brush in the dark purple Marbelizing Pen. The formula is actually quite nice when you're using the regular polish brush. Once dry, I layered some of the Kiss Nail Artist Flat Stickers on the accent nail. I sealed everything in with Out the door and it looks quite fab!

Novice Nails!

My novice nails require a bit of free-hand skill, but with the Kiss Nail Art Paints that are included in the Nail Art Society May box, most polishers with a steady hand will be able to pull this look off!

For the novice look, I was inspired by the bright colors of the Kiss Nail Dress in Corset and the Kiss Nail Art Paints in Beach Yellow and Neon Orange. I used one of the Nail Dress decals as an accent nail...I love the funky polka dots! I wanted to do the rest of my nails in a contrasting design, so I chose stripes in orange and yellow over a base of Wet N Wild Wild Shine French White. Using the Kiss Nail Art Paints, stripes are a breeze! Just keep your hands steady and make sure you don't have too much polish on the striping brush. I sealed everything in with Out the Door once the stripes had dried, and added some small round rhinestones on my middle finger from the Kiss Nail Artist 3D Charms set. This look is so, so bright...perfect for summer!

Once you are comfortable with stripes, you can step it up to curves and zigzags...striping brushes are so comprehensive...you'll find so much to do with them!!

Advanced Nails!

My advanced mani isn't necessarily difficult, but it does require some thought and planning, as well as a confidence in your creativity! You'll definitely want some pointy nail art tweezers for this one!

I started out with Wet N Wild Wild Shine Black Creme on all of my nails...a crisp perfect black nail is so chic! Once the polish had dried, I applied a thick layer of top coat to my ring finger and started setting rhinestones on from the Kiss Nail Artist 3D Charms set. For the larger stones, use the nail glue that comes with it. Use different shapes and sizes of stones all over your nails for an awesome effect. It takes a little bit of planning to get everything to fit the way your want!

Overall, I am pleased with the May Nail Art Society set! For $9.95, this is a ton of nail art supplies! While I am extremely disappointed in the Kiss Marbelizing Pen and Polish Set, the rest of the products were fun to work with and high quality! I will leave you with my nail art fail of the day...everyone has an occasional fail!...my attempt at using the Kiss Marbelizing Pen and Polish Set the way it is intended....

hahahahaha...

Pure Ice Wild Thing and Strapless: Swatches and Review!

2013-05-03T06:30:00.000-04:00

Product provided for review

Hello lacquered friends! Today I have two polishes from Pure Ice to share with you! These are great and bright for summer! Pure Ice polishes retail for $1.99 at Walmart, and you can beat a deal like that! Let's take a look at Wild Thing and Strapless...

Pure Ice Wild Thing is a phenomenal lime green creme. I love polishes this color! I used three coats with Out the Door for these swatches to cover a little streakiness, but you could probably get away with two coats. The formula is easy and the color is great...especially for the Pure Ice price! I think everyone needs a funky green like this in their collection!

Pure Ice Strapless is a blue microglitter in a clear base. Here, I've layered one coat over Wild Thing with Out the Door. There are so many layering combinations that would be awesome with this one, and you could probably build it up to near opacity in 2-3 coats.

Pure Ice polishes retail for $1.99 at pureicecosmetics.com and at Walmart stores. Check them out on Facebook [here] for more updates!

Simple Monochromatic Nail Art Options with Zoya Irresistible, Stunning, and Summer PixieDust!

2013-05-02T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hey friends! Today's post features a simple nail art look, and lots of inspiration for all of you nail artists out there! This Summer, Zoya has released three collections, all of which contain similar colors in different finishes: cremes, shimmers and textured. If you're just getting started with nail art, monochromatic nails are a great way to go, because you don't have to worry about your colors matching! By using the same color family in different textures you can create countless simple looks! To start off, let's take a peek at my simple blue Zoya look!

I used Zoya Rocky and Zoya Hazel to create this super simple look. I used two coats of Rocky on my pinky, middle and pointer fingers and two coats of Hazel on my ring and thumb nails. I then used my dotting tool and Hazel to create small polka dots on the nails done in Rocky. I sealed it in with Out the Door. And I apologize...I smudged my pointer finger before I took the photos moving boxes for Body•Spa•Banquet!

Here's some nail art skittles I did with the following polishes, the brush in the bottle, and a dotting tool!

Try out the following Zoya Summer shades for a monochromatic look!

Yellow nails:

Zoya Darcy
Zoya Kerry
Zoya Solange

Orange nails:

Zoya Thandie
Zoya Amy
Zoya Beatrix

Pink nails:

Zoya Micky
Zoya Yana
Zoya Bobbi
Zoya Miranda

Blue nails:

Zoya Rocky
Zoya Hazel
Zoya Liberty

Green nails:

Zoya Josie
Zoya Rikki

There's a few coral and purple shades I didn't mention, but you get the idea...lots of great combinations from the 18 new shades presented by Zoya this summer =)

All Zoya polishes shown or mentioned in this post were provided by PR for previous review.

365 Days of Color Maybe Baby: 12 Months of Color for May!

2013-05-01T06:30:00.000-04:00

Product provided for review

Hello polished ladies and gentlemen! It's MAY, and I have a special polish to start off the month! This is 365 Days of Color's 12 Months of Color offering for May 2013, and it is a glittery, holographic stunner!

This is one coat of 365 Days of Color Maybe Baby over Essie Bouncer, It's Me!. I love how this glitter topper popped over this neon deep blue! This polish contains tons of silver holographic glitter in hexes, hearts, squares and microglitter, as well as large circle glitter in several metallic reflective shades. The clear base in this polish makes it perfect for laying over just about anything!

I found this polish easy to work with and I had a mini bottle. Sunny does note that a full-sized brush may make it easier to get those large glitters out on your nails! Maybe Baby will be avialable when 365 Days of Color restocks on May 3, 2013! Check out Sunny's website [here] and Facebook [here] for restock updates!

365 Days of Color and Essie polish in this post provided for previous review.

Tropical Pink Summer Florals with Essie Bottle Service!

2013-04-30T06:30:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday, friends! I sincerely hope all of you are having a great week. My week has been fun so far, including a trip to Ikea yesterday with my business partner, Stephanie. I resisted the urge to pick up another Helmer or Alex for myself, but did get lots of great stuff for the business, Body•Spa•Banquet! We'll be opening soon, and I'm planning a post to fill you all in about it soon! Even if you don't live locally to the Northeast Ohio area, I want you guys to all see what I've been up to in my "professional polish life" =) In the meantime, check out this super cute nail art manicure I have for today!

My base is two coats of Essie Blanc. This is a nice white, but I still prefer my Wet N Wild Wild Shine French White (and it's much cheaper!). I then used my shortest striping brush and Essie Bottle Service to create a bunch of four-petaled flowers on my nails. On my ring finger, I made a flower in the center, but on the rest of the nails I did them off-center. I filled in the white space with my It's So Easy StripeRite in black with vines and leaves. I then used Wet N Wild Wild Shine Black Creme to create the centers of the flowers and a few dots. After I let everything dry for a good, long time, I top coated with Out the Door. I am so pleased with these!

How fun would these be if each flower was done in a different neon shade! Eek! I may have to try it soon...that would be the perfect floral manicure for summer, don't you think?! =)

Essie Blanc and Bottle Service were provided for previous review.

Stamping Nail Art with BPS m70, Essie, Barielle, and Priti NYC!

2013-04-29T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hey friends! Hope you all had lovely weekends! I have more nail art for you today! I don't do stamping too often, but I had the urge to pull this one out...it's one of my favorite stamping designs! I love the look of it layered over itself and the color scheme I chose!

The base of this one is two coats of Priti NYC Silver Torch. Then I stamped using Born Pretty Store plate m70 three times. I used Barielle Green Apple Chew, Essie In The Cab-ana, and Priti NYC Climbing Blueberry, in that order. I sealed it in with Out the Door!

These colors are so fun together...I love the contrast! I'm sure you'll see more of these colors as the weather warms up! <3

Priti NYC, Essie and Barielle polishes used in this post were provided for previous review.