The Nailaholic

First Time Galaxy Mani

2014-08-07T10:08:00.000-05:00

Press Sample

Hi everyone! I know I said I'd be back on Monday, but I forget how much a change of schedule messes with a person. I will try my hardest to be caught up and back on my posting schedule next week! Today, though I have my first ever try at a galaxy mani! I wanted to do something a little lighter, but I ended up not liking it.

This hand just didn't look right, so I did my right hand with different colors and BAM! Love it!

I like the right hand so much better! I wish I could have gotten a better picture, though. It's going to take practice to get good right handed pics! What do you all think?

Thanks for reading!

*some of the polishes in this post may have been sent for review. full details can be found on the disclaimer page of this blog

Colors By Llarowe Oops! and Days of Our Polish

2014-07-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing To Disclose

Morning, lovelies! Last week I won a giveaway, and I was sent two awesome Colors By Llarowe polishes! The prize was donated by Traci over at Newsie Nail Novice. I was actually sent two discontinued polishes, Runt and Days of Our Polish. I swatched Runt on one nail and decided it isn't me, and swapped it for this gorgeous Oops! I believe the one I have is "Addicts Attack" but I'm not 100% sure.

I'm going to leave you with very few words, and lots of pictures. Both of these were awesome! Very good first impression. Both two coats. Both linear holo. While not super in your face, it is still stronger than my photos!

Oops! Red based purple linear holo. Pictures taken in a lightbox.

Days of Our Polish. Teal linear holo. Pictures taken in lightbox.

You can grab your own CBL polishes at llarowe.com for $12!

Which ones do I NEED to pick up? Let me know! Have a great weekend, everyone! <3 p="">

Lacquer Lust Opal

2014-07-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing To Disclose

Morning, lovelies! Sometime in the past month, I showed you the Lacquer Lust Pink Tourmaline that I HAD to have because it's my birthstone. I wasn't happy with it. Well, I'm happy with the polish, but not the birthstone part. I've always secretly kind of shunned the tourmaline. Awful. I know. But, why wouldn't I when I also get to claim the amazing opal? I even cringe when I see people wearing it that weren't born in October. I am seriously superstitious about my gems... and how dare they risk cracking such a beautiful stone? Of course, now opals are mostly synthetic so they won't crack, but I still can't get it out of my head. So I absolutely had to have the Opal polish.

Getting my hands on this was a little tricky. I could never find it in stock, and most people selling it wanted way more than retail for it. Which, honestly, annoys me. This is a core polish, why charge MORE for it? It'll just be back in stock later! Finally, I found someone who was selling their bottle for retail so I grabbed it!

Behold! Lacquer Lust Opal:

How gorgeous? I am in total awe of this polish. It looks exactly how you would expect it! And, yes, that is a broken bottle cap. Luckily, it still seals the bottle so it's all good... for now.

So, what do you guys think of this polish? If you have any layering suggestions, let me know! Thanks for looking!

Mentality Nail Polish Ruffian and Proper Stamping

2014-07-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing To Disclose

Hi, lovelies! Monday I got a mystery prize package in the mail. In it were four Mentalities. I received Ruffian, Proper, Vicious, Glow and Fast Dry topcoat. When I saw Ruffian and Proper next to each other on the swatch wheel, I had to use them together! Below is Ruffian stamped with Proper.

Ruffian is a super rich royal blue satin. It dries matte with the tiniest bit of shimmer. It is stunning!

Proper is a bronze shimmer, that I think may have some holo in it. It looks like there may be some scattered rainbows in there, but the sky has been nasty, so indoors I can't tell. It is super pretty, though!

I think these polishes look amazing together, and Proper stamps super well (ignore the middle finger, I didn't re-paint the stamp image before I picked it up). I will probably be using them both again, soon!

You can buy Mentality polishes at their new website now!

Rainbow Honey Summer Mixtape - Swatches and Review!

2014-07-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Press Sample

Good morning, lovelies! I got these a little late, so I meant to get this posted yesterday, but since there were some shitty things going on in the blogging world, I totally skipped being responsible and joined in on Marathon Monday. I didn't drink sun-up to sun-up (really? Who is awake to do that?), but I enjoyed a large glass of mojitos. Inspired, of course, by getting a reply tweet from possibly the most gorgeous (but married. Boo), man on the planet.

The polishes I was sent of the Mixtape Collection by Rainbow Honey were Control, Fall in Love, and Elevate. I love that these were inspired by those summer songs you just had to make a tape of to have with you all the time! Speaking of, do you guys remember sitting at the radio with your hand on the play/record buttons waiting for your favorite song? I do! So glad that time in history is done with! So, let's see some polish!!!!!!

in lightbox

natural lighting

lightbox macro

Control is a neon pink with blue and gold glass flecks. I just absolutely love this polish! You may be a tad confused by the pictures, though. This polish does change quite a bit with different lighting, which could possibly be attributed to the gold it contains. I won't say it's duo chrome or anything like that, but in artificial lighting it can take on the orange tinge that can be associated with neon pink pigments. That aside, I still love this polish. I used three coats here to even it out. The formula was a little thick, and I added some thinner for future applications.

Fall In Love is a little deceiving. The description calls it a crimson with blue glass flecks. I call it pink. Fuchsia. Something that isn't crimson! It definitely does lean red, but I feel like it is for sure still a pink. The formula on this is described as a jelly, but I'm going to call it a crelly. It has a squishy texture that I adore, but it is a little too pigmented for pond/sandwich/syrup manis.

over Control

over Fall in Love

macro

Finally is Elevate. This is such a fun glitter! It contains pink circles and hexes; blue, white and orange hexes; green and yellow circles; and white TRIANGLES! This is the first topper I've seen with triangles in it, though there are many more popping up! I love all the shapes that are coming out! This also has a blue shimmer in it. This applied like a chunky glitter, I had to dab it on. However, I got a good variety of shapes without having to dig too much.

As usual, I am very impressed with the offerings I was sent! I'm really hoping I can check out the rest of the collection!

Until 8/31/14 use the code MIXTAPE20 for 20% off your order at rainbowhoney.com!

For all other information, Rainbow Honey can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Don't forget to tell me what you think below, thanks for reading!

*polishes sent for review. full details can be found on the disclaimer page of this blog

Zoya Awaken for Spring 2014 - Swatches and Review

2014-07-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Affiliate Link Press Sample

Happy Friday, loves! It's the end of another crazy week. Do you all have any plans? Because I don't, and I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with myself! Probably swatches. ;)

Today I have the last of my Zoya reviews. This post is all about the Spring Awaken collection! Usually Zoya splits their collections into half cream, half shimmer/metallic/glitter. This is kind of like that, but has two creams, one metallic, and three shimmers. I like almost all of these, so let's take a look!

Brooklyn is the single metallic in this collection. It is a light gold/yellow with an almost frosty look. I used three coats here. I would like it a little more if it didn't almost look frost. As it is, there was some brush streaking.

Dot is a super delicate pink cream. The formula is almost crelly, and I needed three coats. It is a little lighter even than my picture shows and would make a good work safe color, or possibly even a nude/neutral on some skin tones.

Cole reminds me of Julep Hayden. I didn't like Hayden, and the jury is still out on this one. It is a bright orange-sicle cream polish. I used three coats to fully even the polish out.

The next three are the shimmers, and the ones I really love! Each one has a gold shimmer that pops out and ties them all together.

Rebel is a pretty sky blue polish that almost glows! It reminds me of Skylar, and I love this one just as much. This is two coats.

Dillion is a mint green polish with gold shimmer. Another gorgeous one! I need all the mint green. :) This is two coats.

Finally, Hudson. The name of this one gets me because every time I hear Hudson, I see the Hudson Hornet from Cars. lol However, Hudson is a gorgeous pale lilac shimmer polish. I love how the gold looks in this one! This is two coats as well.

Overall this is a nice collection. The colors definitely say Spring! I wouldn't have bought the first three (Cole, Dot, Brooklyn), but the shimmers (Rebel, Dillion, Hudson) are right up my alley!

These are $9 each at zoya.com. Keep caught up with Zoya and their releases on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, and the Zoya blog.

What do you think of these? Thanks for looking!

*polishes sent for review. full details can be found on the disclaimer page of this blog

Zoya Monet - Swatches and Review

2014-07-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Affiliate Link Press Sample

Good morning, lovelies! Today I have Zoya Monet to show you! This very pretty "holographic" polish has a clear base and beautiful iridescent hexes that look good over a variety of polishes! I decided to give it it's own post so I could show it over the entire Spring collection (which will be on the blog tomorrow) without weighing the post down with too many pictures.

Each picture shows 1 coat of Monet over a colored base.

Monet over Brooklyn.

Monet over Dot.

Monet over Cole.

Monet over Rebel.

Monet over Dillion.

Monet over Hudson.

I like the whimsical look that Monet gives to the polishes you layer under it. It reminds me of bubbles, or maybe pixie dust.

Monet can be found for $10 at zoya.com. Keep caught up with Zoya and their releases on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, and the Zoya blog.

What do you think of this one? Thanks for looking!

*polishes sent for review. full details can be found on the disclaimer page of this blog

Zoya Bubbly for Summer 2014- Swatches and Review

2014-07-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Affiliate Link Press Sample

Good morning! Today's post is going to be short on words, with lots of pretty pictures! I got behind on my Zoya reviews due to nail breaks and whatnot, so the rest of the week I'll be getting caught up on those so I can start showing you other things! Today is Bubbly for Summer 2014.

These polishes all have the same application and formula. They are jelly polishes with the same type of "holographic" (i.e. iridescent) glitters that you find in Monet. All pictures show three easy coats and top coat, but they can also be layered.

Staasi is a grass green base with a gold shimmer in addition to the glitter.

Alma is a yellow-orange polish with golden shimmer. This is not my favorite. I wouldn't wear it on it's own, but it is very pretty layered on top of other colors. It makes hot pink into a gorgeous coral!

Jesy is described as coral by Zoya, but on me it is an orange with that same gold shimmer. This might look good on other people, but as you know, I'm not a fan of oranges, and this one just doesn't look great on me.

Muse is an absolutely stunning blue. It has a darker true-blue base and the glitter makes it really unique. Almost like mermaid scales. I think of this as Charla's sister.

Binx is a raspberry shade with gold shimmer. I like this one, but it isn't my favorite. I wish it had been purple instead! Just a little darker and this would have been absolutely stunning.

Finally, Harper. I love Harper! It isn't truly unique in it's color, but bubblegum pinks happen to be my favorite. It makes a great base for art!

Like I said, application on all of these was great. If you don't want to build to three coats, these look very nice over the Tickled collection. I prefer mine on their own, though. My favorites are Harper and Muse. I could definitely do without Staasi, Alma and Jesi. The glitter mix is unique, and makes each polish take on an unexpected hue when viewed at different angles/lights. Overall, nice collection, but could have been improved with a purple or maybe a true coral.

These are $10 each at zoya.com. Keep caught up with Zoya and their releases on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, and the Zoya blog.

What do you think of these? Thanks for looking!

*polishes sent for review. full details can be found on the disclaimer page of this blog

Candeo Colors Part 2: Swatches and Review

2014-07-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Link Press Sample

Good morning, lovelies! I hope I didn't lose you all with my over-share yesterday, but I really do feel better. Just getting it out to someone with no biases really does help. Today, I have the other half of the Candeo Colors polishes I was sent for review! These are all glitters, and one is even a "custom!" But more on that when I get to it. I'm going to jump right in with one you've probably seen before, Jellybeans.

I'll be honest, I wasn't thrilled to see this in the pack. It seems like everyone has done Jellybeans, and I hadn't liked it. When you get it on the nail, it's a completely different story! I think the difference is the tiny little glitters that I didn't see in other swatches. It's hard to see them in the regular photos, and I skipped over and never saw any macros. In case you've done the same, I added one too! Jellybeans is a pale yellow cream with large pink, purple and blue hex glitters, and tiny yellow, pink and green square glitters. I used three coats for photos, but two covers perfectly. I had no application issues! It went on a little patchy on first coat, then smoothed out with the second.

Next up is Divebomb. This was another I wasn't thrilled with on the website, but ended up loving in person. Divebomb has various sized and shaped teal, blue, copper and brown glitters in a clear base. What you see is one coat over Laman Brisa. I used the dab method to apply the glitter.

Deep Space is a great polish! It is a deep green base with holo sparkles and sparse holo hexes. The disappointment comes from the duo chrome being present in the bottle, but incredibly hard to find on the nail. There is a blue shimmer in the polish that does provide flashes of blue, but not like you see in the bottle. Don't you hate when that happens? All in all, I really do think it is gorgeous. I used one coat over Nightflight, but it can be built up in four coats on it's own.

Zef is another version of the girly pink and black glitters. Inside a clear base are various sizes of blue and blue hexes, with large and tiny pink square glitters. The blue makes this unique to the other black and pinks I have in my stash! I used the dab method to apply one coat over Aurora.

Finally, the "custom" I was talking about, Sprouse Signature! I absolutely love the concept behind this polish! Sprouse is the Candeo version of black and white glitters. It has various shapes and sizes of blue, white and black glitter in a base with holographic shimmer. What makes the Signature polishes different, is the colored glitter! When you purchase Sprouse Signature, you have the option of a clear or shimmer base, 1-2 scoops of glitter (so you can control the color!), and 12 colors! You can really make this your own! I chose 2 scoops of holo teal hexes, with a shimmer base. It's gorgeous and I love it! I used the dab method to apply one coat.

For the most part, I really like these and I was very satisfied with the glitters I was sent! My favorites are Divebomb and Sprouse Signature, and I'm even thinking of buying SS in different colors! As a polish that is best layered, I think I could do without Deep Space, though it is gorgeous. I'm also not sure how often I'd wear Jellybeans.

If you want to pick these up, they are $6 each, except for Jellybeans and Sprouse Signature which are $7. You can find them at http://www.candeocolors.com. You can also keep up with the goings on at Candeo on Facebook and Twitter!

What do you think of these? Love, or leave? Let me know, and thanks for reading!

*provided for review. full disclosure can be found under my disclosure policy.

A Little More Personal (Raw)

2014-07-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing To Disclose
Hey ladies. Today I'm going to get a little more personal... I hope you read, but in case you don't want to (I don't expect you to, nor do I blame you if you don't!), I'll post my mani first.

I've been wanting to try making decals from stamp images for quite awhile now. I wanted to do something summery, and I wanted to FINALLY wear Jindie Nails Candyland Remix. I hate this polish in the winter, but every time summer or warmer weather rolls around, it's the first thing I think of! I'm not sure how I like the decal, I could have picked a better image. I was also a little sloppy with the dotting tool, but, here it is! :)

As a beauty blogger, you often wonder if you should write posts like these. People are not coming here to read deep thoughts, tomes on life, odes to loves. You are here to see my nails. Most of the time, we know you don't even read our posts. You see what you came to see and move on. I don't have a lot of followers. I have even less that actually stop in everyday to view what I've posted. I only have a tiny percentage of those that comment. I'll tell you why: I do this for me. This is where I come to share my thoughts on this amazing love of mine. Sometimes though, that isn't enough. This is my journal. This is where my feelings come when they have nowhere else to go. It just so happens that most of the time they are good.

Today, I'm writing because of the incredible amount of loss that I have witnessed in my life. I never seem to be able to hold on to anyone or anything that is good. I constantly feel like my life is on a razor's edge, with swords pointed towards the sky ready to catch me either way if I fall. This blog is my bright point. My comments are the stars in that black sky.

I'm not saying that there is nothing good in my life. I have a great family and a few amazing friends. Every once in awhile, though, I'm dealt this blow that is surely meant to be a knockout. Another came last week.

Life doesn't show you warning signs of someone leaving you. Sometimes it happens slowly, like raindrop freezing as it falls to earth. Sometimes it is all at once. A head on collision with something you can't stop. This was somewhere in between those. Even though it was happening to me slowly, I didn't see it until it was too late.

Earlier I said I have a few friends. I mean just that. I have one friend from grade school I talk to, and another from high school. Coincidentally, these two people are two of the best men that have ever been in my life. Everyone else has vanished. Slowly, then all at once.

I write, because I want people to realize that what they say has impact on other people. When you welcome someone into your family, and then turn them away, replacing them with no warning, not acknowledging the promises you made - It hurts. It is like a knife through the heart that you think will never come free. That pain doesn't go away. It is fresh now, and it will dull, but it will always be there. When I see the children that called me Aunt Katie - it will hurt. When the new baby will come and I won't get to hold her - it will hurt. When you rely on other people for the help that you needed from me - it will hurt. I know this because it has happened before.

Unfortunately, this kind of thing will continue throughout my entire life. I just wish that sometimes, just once, I had a little warning that you wouldn't be there six years from now. If I had known when I met you I wouldn't have said the things I did, and I wouldn't have listened when you said them to me.

Whew! I think I feel a little better. If you read all the way to the end, thank you. So much. I love you all! <3 p="">

Zoya Magical Pixies for Summer 2014

2014-07-11T21:08:00.000-05:00

Press Sample

Hi lovelies! I almost forgot to post again today, but never fear! Tonight I have the Magical Pixie Dusts for summer to show you! If you were a little disappointed by the spring options, maybe you'll find something here to fix that!

The application on these was similar to the Spring collection, and the texture is the same. For all of these I used three coats.

First up is Bar. This is the "magical" version of Tomoko. Sort of. It has a similar tan colored base, but all the chunky holo goodness of the Magical Pixies.

Ginni is what I wanted Lux to be. The base color is a lot more pink, and actually shows up against my skin!

Last, we have Arlo. This is a beauty. The "violet amethyst" of the group (I call her berry) is actually my favorite. It has the richest color of all the Magical Pixies.

Magical Pixie Dusts retail for $10 each and can be found on Zoya's website. To keep up with everything Zoya, you can follow on Facebook, instagram, or Twitter.

What do you think of these! Thanks for stopping in!

My First Candeo! (Review)

2014-07-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Press Sample

Good morning, lovelies! When I started blogging again, I quickly realized that having a deadline made things a little easier for me. So, when Candeo Colors agreed to send me some polishes, I was thrilled! This is a company that I have seen tons about, but I haven't actually tried for myself. I was asked for a list of polishes that I'd like to try, and I expected two or three. I was sent NINE! I got to try a whole array of polishes from the core line! Today, I am showing you the "basic" polishes. The ones without glitter. I'll have those for you next week!

First up is Laman Brisa.

This lovely mint polish has gold and blue flecks that make it super special! I really wasn't sure I liked it when I first saw it. It looks SO different on the website! But, it is seriously gorgeous. I wore three coats for the photos, but two would have been fine.

Next is Nightflight.

Nightflight was almost a let down. It is an absolutely gorgeous navy, but in the bottle it appeared that there would be a purple duo effect. It doesn't translate. However, what you are left with is a gorgeous lit from within blackened blue polish with navy shimmer. So pretty. I used two coats.

Supernova is the next one up!

Supernova is a gorgeous blue based pink neon with a blue shimmer. This was the only polish of the nine that I had issues with. While it is gorgeous and I only needed two coats, it appears that the pigment did not get mixed completely. It has a sporadically chunky texture that makes me think there are still clumps of pink in there. Bummer.

Finally, we have Aurora.

Aurora might actually be my favorite of all of them! If not, definitely my favorite out of the ones I'm posting today. This is a pale neon green with blue shimmer. As pretty as it is in pictures, it's just a little bit better irl! I am absolutely in love with this neon. This is two coats.

Overall, these are really nice. Be sure to check all the pictures on the website, though, because some of the bottle shots are a little off! My favorite is for sure Aurora, but I could have passed on Nightflight. Supernova would be perfect if the pigment would mix properly! Candeo polishes can be found starting at $6 at http://www.candeocolors.com.

You can also follow on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on everything Candeo!

What do you think? Let me know! Thanks for reading!

Holo Haul

2014-07-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing To Disclose

Morning, lovelies! I don't have much to say today, so I thought I'd show you my haul from last week. I wasn't meaning to buy anything since I am VERY low on funds, but I just couldn't pass these up. Mentality had an amazing sale on their bigcartel site (that is no longer), and I managed to snag Orgasmic and Climax for under $10 shipped! I couldn't pass it up. :) I also saw Lacquer Lust Pink Tourmaline being sold for a very good price, and had to grab it as well (since it IS my birthstone color...). So take a look at the pretties below!

Orgasmic is a light blue holo that has blue and pink flecks that make it shine purple in the right light.

(I had to include this picture. I LOVE how it shows motion!)

Climax is a silver holo with pink flecks in it. Similar to Orgasmic, but not as purple. So pretty.

Pink Tourmaline is a medium pink holo. It is actually much stronger than the picture shows, but we've had storms all week and natural lighting has been very hit and miss.

So, what do you think? I was personally thrilled by all three of these. My pictures do them no justice at all! Thanks for stopping in, have a great day!

Storenvy... Lower Prices!

2014-07-07T14:51:00.000-05:00

Nothing To Disclose

I have lowered a lot of my prices! I am SO CLOSE to my sales goal! Please take a looK!

http://thenailaholicsells.storenvy.com

Summertime Sadness

2014-07-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

Press Sample

Hi, lovelies! I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful weekend. Mine was pretty low-key. I didn't even get pics of fireworks this year! I really wish I had, though. There were some pretty neat ones!

I thought I would start the week with some fail-art since I didn't join in with a holiday mani. I wanted to do a toothpick marble like the one Shelia at Pointless Cafe did a tutorial for earlier in the week. I have no idea how, but I totally messed it up. Royally. I think maybe my polish dried before I dragged it? No clue. So, take a look!:

See that mess? I have no clue why it didn't work, so I don't know how to fix it! I also don't really like the colors together like I thought I would.

Look at that macro! I figured out the macro setting on my camera and found a good way to use it without getting blurry pics. YAY! Coincidently, this was the only nail I liked. I actually really like it. I just wish the rest had come out like this one!

I will be trying this again. It is easy (when it works), and it takes little to no time at all, so I won't be investing much if I keep screwing them up! So what do you guys think? What's your favorite "quick" art technique? Thanks for stopping in!

Girly Bits Mint To Be

2014-07-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing To Disclose

Hey ladies! TGIF! Today I have an entirely-not-green-enough swatch of Girly Bits Mint To Be!

In my quest to own all the mint greens, I HAD to have this one! In one of my Facebook groups we did a birthday swap, and one of the lovely girls got this for my birthday! Yay!

In reality, this may be more of an aqua or something than a mint green. But I love it anyway! What's your favorite color? Have a great weekend!

Storenvy Updated!

2014-07-03T14:38:00.000-05:00

Nothing To Disclose

I have added TONS of polishes to my Storenvy! Most of them are International or discontinued holos, so take a look!!! (I may have even added Naughty Night Shift Nurse...)

http://thenailaholicsells.storenvy.com

Lost City Of... Atlantis?

2014-07-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing To Disclose

Hello, lovelies! We are in the second half of the hot hot hot week! Not many words today, just a couple pictures. I recently found my bottle of China Glaze Atlantis and thought I'd post a couple pictures. Take a look!

My bottle is old. It is thick. It stinks. It's half empty. But I love it! It's such a pretty polish. :) It was one of the first ones I ever bought at Sally Beauty! I'm sad it isn't core anymore.

Thanks for stopping in!

Does Anyone Do Pink Wednesday Anymore?

2014-07-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing To Disclose Affiliate Link

Hey y'all! So, I don't know if you know this about me, but besides nails, I'm kind of a make-up hoarder. Specifically Urban Decay palettes and OCC lip tars. Oh my how I love lip tars! Although, I haven't perfected them yet. I can't get them to last on me! I've tried just about every primer there is... Anyway, I digress. Awhile back Sephora started carrying OCC products, and that's when I fell in love. I was so excited to buy a whole bunch of colors and play with them! I got a few, then the prices got jacked, and I had to stop buying them. Around Christmas time, though, these sets with lip tar and corresponding nail polish popped up and I HAD to have Anime! I would have bought others, but I already had all the tars that went with them. Oops. lol

Anime is just about the perfect neon pink. The polish itself is a little thick and goopy, and doesn't self level. Of course, this could be because I got it in the winter and I've never really used it. I used three coats, and a thick layer of Poshe topcoat. The finished look was actually kind of squishy and delicious looking! That being, I'll still add thinner before I use it next time. :)

As of now, Sephora doesn't have the Anime lip tar available. I'm not sure if it's sold out, or what the deal is. However, you can buy the polish/tar set for $22.50, or the polish alone for $10.

So what do you think of Anime? Are there any other colors of polish/tar I should try? Thanks for stopping in!

Zoya Spring 2014 Magical Pixies

2014-07-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

Press Sample

Good morning, lovelies! I'm a little late to the party on these, but today I have the Spring Magical Pixie collection from Zoya! I am so glad I'm finally getting around to my Zoyas! The last two collections have just been fab! So let's take a look, shall we?

First up is Cosmo. A super chunky silver texture polish with large silver holo hexes. This is so much prettier than a regular silver texture polish! The holo pieces add a lot!

Vega is basically blue Cosmo. So pretty! Two coats cover perfectly.

Last up, Lux. This is two coats. I feel like my bottle wasn't as pink as some others? I'm not sure, because I see swatches that are WAY more pink, and swatches that look like mine. Either way, in the bottle this reminds me a lot of OPI Teenage Dream! On the nail, it's the opaque (and chunky) version! Super pretty.

I have mixed feelings about the Magical Pixies. They are so pretty, and I LOVE the holo pieces! On the other hand, they are much chunkier and the texture is much more apparent on the nail. The feel kind of skeeves me out a bit (especially when they rub against something!). They are gorgeous, though, and I feel like they will be worn quite a bit.

Zoya Magical Pixie polishes are available on their website for $9 each.

What do you think about these chunkier textures? Let me know! Thanks for dropping by!

Monday Mani

2014-06-30T13:29:00.000-05:00

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Hi lovelies! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I was actually sick so I didn't get any swatching done. It'll have to wait until I'm back from the lake! That said, I wanted to do something fun with my nails. As you'll see, my long nails from the gel mani are long gone. Of course. I had a bad break while shopping Friday. So, I picked two unused polishes I got waaaaay back during my birthday in October!

I used Mainstream Lacquer Too Gay To Function, with an accent of You Can't Sit With Us. These were, of course, inspired by Mean Girls and I LOVE them! I should have used undies, because TGtF was four coats. Otherwise, I love them. Like, LOVE love them. Pink and orange is my favorite summertime color combo, so these were a perfect match!

And, I definitely didn't know this until after I was "done" with this post... But TGtF GLOWS! The batteries on the Canon are dead, but I tried my best to get an iPhone pic. Take a look!

It's not very good, but there you go! The glow is super bright irl. Another reason it's so awesome!

You can get these on Etsy at the Mainstream Lacquer page for $6 each. I'm going to go back and get the rest of the Mean Girls collection, they look just as great!

Do you have any Mainstream? Are there any I NEED? Thanks for looking!

The DIY Gel Mani is Coming OFF!

2014-06-27T07:54:00.000-05:00

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Hi everyone! I think the title says it all, here. While I don't have major chipping, the chips I do have came from slight nail damage... meaning this method provides no more protection than usual. Since that was the original goal of the experiment, I will be abandoning it! Oh well. Now I can swatch all these Zoyas my drawers are over flowing with! Back to the lightbox tomorrow so I can get fresh reviews for you next week!

Have an awesome weekend!

Random LynB Designs

2014-06-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

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It should be no secret by now that I love LynBDesigns. All her polishes are pretty incredible, and she usually has some pretty awesome sales! So I thought I would show you some I recently got.

Oobleck is a mint green with green shimmer. Gorgeous!

It's Inconceivable! This is part of the Princess Bride collection (which I bought more of but haven't swatched/worn yet). I LOVE that movie, so of course I love the polishes based on it :)

Wait, Wait, Wait, is This A Kissing Book? A gorgeous red and gold flakie in a pinkish base. I had to use three-four coats to build up, but it's worth it!

What do you think of these? Does she have any that I NEED to get? Let me know!

See you soon!

6 Harts Polish Random Swatches/Review

2014-06-25T10:00:00.001-05:00

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Ello lovlies! I have another review today, and this one I'm not very proud of. I got these polishes AGES ago and failed to get them up. They had disappeared, so I thought I had pictures taken and NOPE! I just recently found them again to get swatches photographed. :(

So, I love these. I'm really mad at myself for not taking pictures sooner, but I will tell you that they are incredible!

First up is Bat Crap Crazy. Besides the name being awesome, this is a great chocolate brown polish! What my camera failed to pick up is the tiny multi-colored micro glitter flecks that are in it. Below is two coats.

This is a picture of the three toppers over Bat Crap Crazy. Although I used it as a base for all of them, I thought a nice side by side picture would be nice. These are great as well!

What Halo?! is a gold shimmer topper with some bigger (but sparse) gold micro glitter pieces. It also has a green tinge when viewed in certain light!! Love those duochromes! One coat over BCC.

Secret Galaxy is by far my favorite topper of the three. It is a multichrome that descriptions will do little for, so take a look at the pics!

Moon Shadow is a purple to red shimmer topper. I couldn't get pictures of it looking purple, but it's there! Swatches on the etsy site show it much better!

Finally, we have Glacier. As far as white goes, this one is amazing! The formula was a little tricky for me, but I'm sure thinner would help it out. The blue and purple flecks definitely remind me of glistening snow!

So, what do you think? These can be purchased from Etsy for $8 each. I hope you pick some up!

See you soon!

DIY Gel Manicure Day 2

2014-06-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

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Hi Lovelies! I didn't make it five whole days without taking pics of this mani. I just can't stand it! I was at my niece's ballgame last night and had my good camera... and just HAD to take pictures. Take a look:

So, besides the massive amounts of bubbles, I now have this strange shrinkage on the tips and sides of my nails. It looks like the top coat shrunk but the color didn't. WHAT??? I don't understand it! I also have a couple of minor chips on my thumbs, but not enough to make me want to take it off, so it will stay on longer. Just thought I'd check in!

Thanks for reading! See you soon!