LAC LAC

2013-06-17T18:22:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,

I've decided that I am going to discontinue this blog because I'm moving to Illinois in two months to pursue my pharmacy degree! As much as I enjoy blogging, I really want to spend my last two months in California with my friends and family, hitting up all my favorite places and enjoying my summer break before I buckle down for pharmacy school.

Thanks everyone for your support and understanding!

xoxo, Eileen

Twitchy Witchy

2013-06-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

Ever since I discovered Asian polishes, I've been kind of obsessed. I love that their glitters can be just as interesting as indie brands, and their prices are relatively cheaper! The one I'll be showing you today is Etude House If Story Nail Kit IV No. 1. This one consists of gunmetal and iridescent hexes, white squares and microsquares, and white bar glitters all jam-packed into a clear base.

Illamasqua Radium + Etude House If Story Nail Kit IV No. 1

For some reason, this combo seemed awesome in my head... but I admit it's probably not the best pairing. I love the iridescent glitters though, and I think they would look really sick over a darker base polish! What do you think? :D

Summer Delight

2013-05-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Soo my little cousin recently graduated from middle school, and this is what I wore to her graduation ceremony! :D I ended up wearing a green, floral kimono cardigan thing, so I wanted something super fun and bright to contrast against it. Here are some pics in the shade since I'm currently without my lightbox:

Zoya Rica (base) + Zoya Tanzy (tips) + Essie Matte About You

I ended up wrapping the tips in an orange, even though you can't really tell since the colors are so similar. I really love how Rica looks mattified, because it has this awesome pink to coral shift!

I'm Baaaack

2013-05-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I hope you all had an amazing memorial day weekend! I know it's been an insanely long time since my last post, but I'm baaaack!!!! I got caught up in quite a few things so I had to de-prioritize blogging for a bit, but I can't wait to get back on my regular posting schedule for this summer (: Thanks to everyone who's been keeping up with me on Instagram (@theSneakerette)!

Anyhow, just to prove that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, here's a quick shot of what I'm currently rocking on my nails. It's a jelly sandwich of Essie Marshmallow and Jordana Celestial, topped with a layer of Nubar White Polka Dot. I'm so bummed about Nubar White Polka Dot because I used two coats and couldn't get any of the large hexes out.

Essie Marshmallow + Jordana Celestial + Nubar White Polka Dot

I actually got the idea for this polish from an indie polish! I originally wanted to come up with a dupe for Dollish Polish Expecto Patronum, but my teal glitter is much too dense. I decided to layer the white glitter on top out of curiosity, and I really like how it turned out!

Thanks for reading, 'til next time!

Pastel Speckles

2013-04-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Here's something I had on my tips sometime after Spring Break. The blue glitter polish is Hard Candy Jelly Bean Blue--my absolute favorite from the whole collection!

Hard Candy Jelly Bean Blue + American Apparel L'Esprit

The dog ring is one of the trinkets I picked up during my SF trip. It's so awesome-ly weird, and I love it! Do you have any random things in your possession? (:

Little Bo Pink

2013-03-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Happy Easter (if you celebrate it)! I know it's been a while since my last update. I've been finishing up the last of my pharmacy school interviews and I just got back from Chicago on Friday night! I'm glad that I don't have to worry about any more interviews, but I'm also really sad that I don't have anymore exciting traveling to do lol!

Anyhow, I have another Hard Candy swatch for you today, and this one goes by the name of Little Bo Pink. This polish really caught my attention from the swatches I had seen. It's so vibrant and pretty!

Hard Candy Little Bo Pink

Thanks for sticking with me--til next time!!

Festive Hunter

2013-03-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Did any of you guys pick up some of the new Hard Candy polishes? You can bet I did!
The vast selection at Wal-Mart was extremely tempting, but I only picked up 3 of the colors. Here's a look at one of the polishes I picked up!

For this mani, I layered Hard Candy Fun n' Festive over American Apparel Hunter. Fun n' Festive is a black jelly sprinkled with green, red, black and gold glitters. I especially like how it looks in the shade, so I included 2 pictures of that for your reference below (:

American Apparel Hunter + Hard Candy Fun n' Festive

On a side note, I'm officially on Spring Break--woooooo! I'll be heading up to NorCal for a trip with the boo, catch you guys when I get back!

IDK What To Name This Post

2013-03-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

Just a quick swatch today--this is China Glaze IDK!

I managed to get this one through a swap since I missed the collection when it first released. It's hard to imagine that I wasn't super into polish at the time!

China Glaze IDK

My hands kinda look wrinkly because it was cold and that makes my skin shrivel :(
But anyway... as you can see from the pictures, this one's a really pretty, linear purple holo. LOVE!

After seeing swatches for the new China Glaze Hologlam collection, I think I'm gonna pass because the holo isn't as strong as I'd like them to be. What holos have you been loving lately?

Real Golden

2013-03-08T11:11:00.000-08:00

Recently, as I searched Google for random swatches for Asian polishes, I stumbled on a blog that goes by the name of At First Wink. After browsing a number of Michelle's many magnificent swatches, I came across her swatch of Etude House RD106. I thought it was sooo pretty, and then it struck me that I have it too!

I scoured my stash of untrieds, and put on the polish immediately after finding it. I was pleased to see that it's just as pretty as her swatch shows! The only downside is that it took me 4 coats to get the opacity where I wanted it. Fortunately, it dried extremely quickly, and the subtle silver glitter adds the prettiest touch.

Since I wanted to add my touch of pizzazz to the look, I decided to go over the polish with a coat of Sephora Real 18K Gold Top Coat. I figured the delicate gold flakes wouldn't overwhelm the simplicity of the entire mani.
This gold top coat was suuuper expensive when it first came out, but I caught mine on sale yay! That's something about me, I will always, always wait for things to go on sale (sneakers being my exception). My shopping-savvy aunts taught me well! (:

Etude House RD106 + Sephora Real 18K Gold Top Coat

My bottle of Etude House RD106 was full at first, but after this mani I feel like I used up so much of it with 4 coats!! It makes me scared to use it... but it's so pretty that I will. I'll probably rock it by itself next time, too.

Anyyyyhoooo... have any of you guys discovered cool, new blogs lately? Link me!! :D

Sneakerette Essentials

2013-03-05T11:11:00.001-08:00

Hello, hello! Today's post will be the first of a new series, featuring my personal sneaker recommendations along with how I'd rock them. To kick off the series, I thought I'd pair up kicks with some essentials from my closet--basically a variety of varsity jackets, jeans, and tees! I had a blast putting this post together, and I hope you enjoy it (:

Rough Sequins
An outfit centered around one of my favorite Adidas models, the Decade Hi. The varsity jacket complements the sneaker's bold silhouette, while the sequin bag pairs up perfectly with the sequins on the sneaker. The brightly colored t-shirt and watch add fun pops of color to an otherwise monotone outfit.

1. Adidas Glam Wool Varsity College Jacket | 2. Roxy Syrup Watch | 3. Blend Slim Fit Jeans | 4. Adidas Decade OG Sneaker

5. Adidas Heart Sequins Bag | 6. Masterdis Boombox iPhone Case | 7. Blend T-shirt

Comfy&Cozy
Sweats, hoodies, tees and kicks make for an extremely comfortable fit. This outfit is perfect for running errands, going to late night study sessions or heading off to early morning exams!

1. Only Heart T-shirt | 2. Reebok Sneakers, Pink Pastel/Paper White/Silver | 3. Urban Classics Hoodie, Royal

4. Supra Vaider Sneakers, Black/Pink/Royal/White | 5. Nike Street Pants

Hearts&Bows
Here is one last outfit centered around the Adidas bow sneakers. Since it's too cold for leggings, I decided these would go best paired with skinny jeans. Touches of red are added to this outfit to go with the red lining on the sneakers.

1. Adidas College Jacket | 2. Nike Heritage Shoulder Bag | 3. Levi's Skinny Jeans | 4. Masterdis Bracelet

5. Urban Classics Bobble Beanie | 6. Italy Style Earrings | 7. Adidas T-shirt | 8. Adidas Top Ten Sleek Hi Bow Sneakers

What do you think of these outfits? Are there any pieces you'd cop for yourself?
Thanks for reading--til next time!

*This post was sponsored by Def-shop, but all graphics and content were created by me. For more information about my disclosure policy, please click here.

Deep Blue Sea

2013-03-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

So on my way to Hilo, Hawaii, I had to transfer flights at the Honolulu International Airport. It was a really nice break after a five hour flight! Anyhow, a duty free shop full of cosmetics naturally caught my interest, and I was stoked because they had an entire display of Anna Sui makeup--polishes included! It was a complete dream come true to see all the pretty creme, shimmer and glitter finishes all laid out before my eyes.

Despite my temptation to purchase them all, I only picked out two to bring back with me. The one I have to show you today is Anna Sui 101, a polish packed with blue/teal shifting shimmer, micro-square glitters and circular glitters.

American Apparel Peacock* + Anna Sui 101

I'm not a huge fan on the combo I picked out because I think it's a tad underwhelming. I think it would be really pretty with the right pairing, though! The glitter sat nice and smooth on my nails, and I love the rose scent (even though my boo thinks it smells like poop, haha)!

Any suggestions on what I should layer it over next? (:

Litter Bits

2013-02-27T11:11:00.000-08:00

I'm baaaaaack! Thanks everyone for sending good juju my way! For the most part, I had a blast in Hawaii! The first day kinda sucked, because it started pouring in Hilo right after I checked into my hotel. I had a rental car because I wanted to explore the town, but it was so wet and humid that I ended up staying in the hotel.
After my interview, I flew over to Honolulu to visit my mom's side of the family. She's like the 7th out of 12(?) siblings and it was crazy because all of them wanted to take me out! I got a chance to try a bunch of authentic Hawaiian food: lau lau, poi, haupia, pipikaula, poke, malasadas, chicken long rice, and there was one tomato salmon thing (I can't think of the name though). I didn't like the poi so much, but everything else was soooo good! I must have gained 10 pounds over there, haha! I also got to check out a local sneaker shop and picked up a new pair (more on that later, though)!

So I ended up cutting down my nails to near nubs for the interview. Although I don't regret my decision, I do miss my nails!! I know they'll grow back, but man it's gonna take a while... le sigh. This is actually the last mani I had on before I toned them down for my interview.

The base color is American Apparel The Valley*. I topped it off with Sation Ego-Friendly, a multi-glitter mix of green and black shards, and micro bits of green glitter. The base of Ego-Friendly is tinged green ever so slightly, so my base color is more aqua than blue.

That's it for now--til next time!

50 Shades of Pink

2013-02-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

Aloha, dear readers! I'm in Hawaii for an interview tomorrow, but I wanted to share with you some polishes I had on before my trip.
Just the other day, I was experimenting with colors for an accent mani. Although I wasn't a fan of how the colors went together, I really loved the colors separately! As such, I'm gonna be showing you the results of my layering experiment for today's post, as well as my thoughts on the following colors!

First things first, I started off with China Glaze Something Sweet on all my talons. It's such a pretty, soft color, and the formula was great. If I could only wear one pink for the rest of my life, this would probably be it!

For my index and middle fingers, I topped them off with Sation Confessions of a Nail Tech. Upon application of the first coat, I was really unimpressed. The polish was really thick and gloopy, and the color didn't spread evenly across my nail beds. I'm glad I went back to apply a second coat, because the polish evened out nicely with an additional layer.
As for the shade itself, I'm in love! It's the perfect Barbie hot pink and I can see myself rocking it plenty of times once summer hits. It's got a great mix of holographic and white glitter, and I don't find the bar glitters to be weird and ugly in the mix.

For my thumb and pinkie, I added a coat of Winmax 4, a pink shimmer suspended in a clear base. It's a random polish brand that I found while browsing the Daiso store one day. Although the shimmer was really hard to capture, you can get a glimpse of it on my pinky in the picture below.

Finally, I have two coats of Revlon Girly on my ring finger. I found the formula to be watery, which made the glitters slide around a lot as I tried to get them dispersed evenly on my nail. Although the formula isn't perfect, I'm overall pleased because there's a good amount of glitter to work with (... unlike *cough cough* Revlon Whimsical)!

And there you have it! Even though these colors don't go best together, I like them separately and that's how I'll be wearing them in the future. Which one is your favorite?

PEPPA

2013-02-18T12:50:00.000-08:00

What's up everybody! Today I want to show you a quick swatch of my latest favorite polish--PA Nail Color AA59. It's a yellow-green shade loaded up with various sizes of black glitter. I used two coats in the pictures shown below (no top coat because I didn't have any at my boo's place). The color is loud and unusual, and it's one of those polishes that I never want to take off!

If you're with me on Instagram, you may have seen this picture of the collection display that I posted sometime ago. Unfortunately I had to crop the photo because of Instagram, and I deleted the original photo from my phone so I can't show you all the colors! :( However, I can tell you that there are several nude shades: a milky white, a pale pink, and a light, nude tan color. There's also a purple shade that I picked up, so expect to see it swatched in the near future!

I really like this collection because I'm completely obsessed with black glitter, and the colors are great! I passed them up at first because I felt like I could achieve the same look with a black glitter jelly sandwich, but I ended up going back for the yellow-green because the color is unique, and I don't have any jelly polish in that shade. I know Illamasqua recently launched a bunch of speckled polishes similar to these, and I can happily pass on those knowing that I have access to these bright, PA Nail Color versions!

Anyhow, what do you think of this color? The line? Which ones would you pick up for yourself? Or are the dustier tones from the Illamasqua collection more of your thing? Let me know in the comments, and as always, thanks for reading!

Bejeweled

2013-02-12T11:11:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I know, I know... long time no post! I haven't had anything really special on my nails after my leopard print nail art from my last post. I had the very first of my pharmacy school interviews at the beginning of this month, so I've been rocking nude nails for that. Anyhow, I hope I can make up my absence with a very special post!

Today, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Lora's new jewelry line--Pink Star Fantasy! Lora is actually one of my very first blogging friends when I first started out with The Sneakerette. Her blog instantly drew my attention because of her amazing photography and graphic designs. Not to mention, her sense of style and makeup is as crazy as mine! I'm so proud of her for finally opening up shop. Even though her line is still new, I think she has some really fun pieces and I highly recommend taking a peek at her shop (here)!

Before I get on with the jewelry details, let me tell you guys what I used on my nails! For my base color, I started off with American Apparel Mount Royal*. I topped off my index and middle finger with Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing. I used Icing Rock Star From Mars on the remaining tips.

Okay so if you're wondering, the super gorgeous piece featured with my nails is the double wrap bracelet. I love how the crystal shifts colors--so pretty!

Here's the chain bracelet with the Aurora crystal. It's extremely eye-catching as well!

Last but not least, here are the Kandi bracelets she sent me. These are a personal favorite for me because they're so fun, and they make me reminiscent of when I used to load up on bracelets as a kid. I definitely want to pick up more colors to match with all of my kicks!

Being the awesome person she is, Lora kindly provided me with a promo code for you guys--hooray! Enter code laclac10 at checkout for 10% off (:

Let me know what you guys think of Pink Star Fantasy in my comment section--feedback is definitely appreciated since she's still tweaking things and making improvements to the line! You guys can also check out her blog here! (;

Neon Safari

2013-02-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

What's good everybody! It's been a while since I've had some sneaker matching nail art, so I'm gonna bring some back for today's post!

The mani I want to share today was inspired by possibly one of my favorite pickups for last year, the Air Max 1 "Leopard". I'm personally not a fan of animal print, but Nike brought it together so well with the black and neon colorway that these were a MUST COP for me.

For reference, the colors I used were:
-Essie Camera (over Wet n Wild French White Creme)
-Nails Inc. Hampstead Gardens
-Wet n Wild Black Creme

If any of you are interested, Nails Inc. Hampstead Gardens is currently on sale at Sephora! You can pick it up online here.
Truth be told, when I first saw it on sale online, I thought it was the ugliest color ever. However, after seeing it at the mall in person, I realized it was the perfect base for a leopard print mani, and that it'd be a perfect match for my kicks! The formula definitely lives up to my expectation of Nails Inc... it applied like butter and dried to an exceptionally glossy shine. Most highly recommended for any ladies looking for a good mustard yellow!

Grenombre

2013-01-29T11:11:00.001-08:00

Surprisingly, I've never done an ombre mani before. I suppose it's because I never got around to finding colors that would work for one. Then just the other day--after some nail mail and an Ulta haul--I had these three polishes sitting on my desk. I thought they complemented each other so nicely that I had to combine them in an ombre-esque mani. Here is the result...

Zoya Zuza + Urban Outfitters Sea Dust + Layla Jade Groove

Overall, I'm very pleased with how this turned out. All the colors are pretty on their own, but I think they work even better together. What do you think?

(P.S. Did any of you guys manage to pick up more Layla holos from the Ulta sale?! I really wanted the purple and black one, but there was hardly anything left when I got there... poo!)

A Starry, Starry Night

2013-01-25T11:11:00.000-08:00

La Vie Midnight Star is a polish I found at my mom's shop, along with OPI Blue Moon Lagoon. It reminded me of the highly coveted Essie Starry Starry Night, so I wanted to try it out to see if I could understand what all the hype is all about.

I can't say whether this polish is a dupe, but I was honestly underwhelmed. I ended up adding a glitter accent, and it did just the trick!

La Vie Midnight Star + Santee Moonlight Glitter

I like how Midnight Star adds depth to the glitter on my accent fingers, but I can't see myself wearing it alone. Guess it's a good thing I only borrowed this one! (;

Arrowhead

2013-01-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Today's post features my twist on the chevron pattern. I decided to go with a teal/red combination because it reminded me of one of my favorite Air Max 1 colorways (check it out here).

For this mani, I used Sweet Color 34 as my base polish (which I received to review from BornPrettyStore). I was quite impressed with the formula because it had excellent coverage. It was fully opaque in one coat, even though I used two for good measure.

Sweet Color 34 + Foxtrot by MakeupWithdrawal

If you're wondering what glitter I'm using, it's Foxtrot by MakeupWithdrawal! It's a franken that Mimi kindly sent to me sometime ago. When I first received it, I thought it looked very patriotic and I wasn't sure how to use it. However, I totally love how it works in this color combo and I will definitely be wearing it again! Unfortunately, Mimi currently doesn't sell her frankens, but I do know that she occasionally swaps them if any of you are interested (:

Simple Striping

2013-01-14T11:11:00.000-08:00

What's going on everybody! I know it's been a good minute since I last posted. Hopefully I can make it up with some nail art!
Anyhow, this design is something I came up with recently. The awesome glitter polish I'm wearing is Maybelline Sapphire Masquerade from the Color Show Sequins Collection. It only needed two coats to be fully opaque! I really wanted it to be the focus of this mani, so I did some simple striping to complement the glitter.

I really like how this one turned out. Hopefully the striping doesn't outshine the glitter!

Have a great week everyone, til next time! (:

Ice Princess

2013-01-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

When the interwebs was bursting with promotions, I decided to take advantage of the holiday coupons by picking up an Anna Sui polish that is offered exclusively online at Urban Outfitters.

Since there are hardly any swatches of these lacquers online, I decided to go for a glitter. I find glitters to be a bit more versatile since you can layer them over different polishes and find a combo that suits your liking. And also, their glitter polishes have square glitters!!!!

Upon applying the Anna Sui polish, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's rose scented! It lasted for a day after I applied topcoat, and it made me crave rose macarons and rose tea every time I got a whiff of my nails. In a way, I guess it's kind of weird to have your nails smelling like roses... but hey, it's a lot better than the typical smell of nail polish! (Unless you like how nail polish smells, then kudos to you.)

Urban Outfitters Barstool + Anna Sui 107

I decided to layer the glitter over Urban Outfitters Barstool--a dusty, light blue polish I've been wanting ever since I saw it on Stuff I (S)watched! I love the color, but I'm honestly disappointed because the formulations are quite different. My bottle is definitely a creme finish, whereas hers is a jelly. It's not a huge deal for me because I know I can get the jelly finish by adding clear coat to my bottle, but I just wanted to point it out so that you guys are aware of the possible reformulation.

Even though I loved how this combo turned out, I don't think it does the glitter justice because you can't pick up on the awesome iridescent glitter that's dancing in the bottle. I'm so gonna wear this glitter over a dark color next!

Leaves

2013-01-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

Today I'd like to feature another polish I found at my mom's shop, New York Summer Hot Purple. It's a juicy purple jelly that I layered with Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure.

You can tell from the bottle that I've used Hidden Treasure plenty of times. I had to search all over for it, before settling to get it through a swap. I was so excited to have such a unique polish that I layered it over everything when I changed my polish weekly. This was when I was new to the nail game, when my polish collection was under 20 bottles!

New York Summer Hot Purple + Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure

I love how this combo turned out, because the flakies look like leaves transitioning colors (:

New Year, Fresh Start

2013-01-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

Happy new year, my dears! Here's to turning over a new leaf!

What are some of your resolutions for the new year?

Dusty Find

2012-12-30T11:11:00.000-08:00

Hellooooo everyone! I've had a good week away from blogging, but now I'm back! I want to show you guys my Christmas nails. I originally planned to keep my other set on, but my mom needed help at the salon, and after a day handling acetone, my tips got all messed up! I used gloves for everything, but my nails kept tearing through them and it was terribly frustrating :(

But anyway! I wasn't completely torn about having to work before Christmas, because I found this gem at my mom's salon... OPI Blue Moon Lagoon! I've never gone dusty hunting before in my life, so it was such a nice surprise to unintentionally find this polish just waiting for me on one of her nail polish racks. And of course, my mom let me have it (: *happy dance*

I didn't mind that my other design got messed up, because it gave me an excuse to try out my new dusty. I knew it was going to be sheer by the looks of the bottle, so I layered it over Orly Gumdrop.

For reference, the colors I used were:
-Orly Gumdrop
-OPI Blue Moon Lagoon
-Wet n Wild French White Creme

OPI Blue Moon Lagoon toned down the brightness of Orly Gumdrop, but I still love how it turned out. Delicate holographic seafoam-y awesomeness!!!! I really can't wait to wear this combo again.

On another note, I want to inform you guys that I've changed my blog name to LAC LAC! I found out that another nail blog has a very similar name (Lace and Lacquers), so I felt the change was necessary to prevent any sort of confusion. The new name is essentially a cut down version of LACquers & LACes. It's quirky and it reminds me when one of my foreign biology professors kept enunciating LAC Z during a lecture about lac operons... I guess you had to be there, but it was so funny at the time and I'm never going to forget that lecture (:
Anyhow, I like the new name, and I hope you do too!

Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

Happy HoliDAZE

2012-12-23T11:11:00.000-08:00

Since the holiday madness (and end-of-the-world antics) are pretty much over, I found some down time to prep my nails in the spirit of Christmas. I wanted to go against the grain and do something different, so I threw in neon orange into the mix of the traditional red, green, and gold colors. The base colors I used are China Glaze Sun Worshiper (neon orange) and Floss Gloss Stun (holographic gold glitter).

I'll be spending the next few days with my family--hope everyone gets the chance to do the same!

Happy holidays, everyone! ♥♥♥♥