Never Unpolished

A Royal Nail Junkie

2012-02-23T16:19:00.000-06:00

Oh, hey, look! It's me! And it hasn't be a week since my last post! Whaaat?! Sure, it's true that I should be doing Arabic homework, but...I'll do that later. Right? Sure. Anyway, today's post is actually a long time overdue. I think I did this manicure sometime in December, but I'm not sure, and it's been sitting in the "Nails" folder on my Mac for far too long, especially for how gorgeous it is (well, in my opinion). Ta-da!

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As you can probably tell from my cheesy title, I used Revlon Royal topped with Sinful Colors Nail Junkie, and I absolutely love how it turned out. Nail Junkie is one of my favorite glitters just because it has such depth, and I think it would look great as part of a blue jelly sandwich. Unfortunately, I don't have any that would do, but I'll keep looking. And now I am really doing to go do Arabic. Probably. Maybe. Or maybe later. ;)

Have a great day - and remember, tomorrow's Friday!

Mardi Gras Nails

2012-02-21T16:18:00.000-06:00

Happy Mardi Gras! It's a day of indulgence, and while I haven't been indulging myself too much today, I did give my nails a special Mardi Gras manicure this past weekend. I wasn't even really planning on doing Mardi Gras nails until I thought of this and decided it was too good to resist. Who could resist having their nails dripping with gold?

indoors, artificial light

For this manicure, I used Zoya Veruschka on most of my nails, Zoya Savita on the ring fingers, and Orly Luxe for the dripping gold. Though my left pinkie nail was a bit of a mess-up, as you can see, I was really happy with the way the rest of them turned out. In fact, I actually got a "that's really cool" from a straight male, so perhaps that's one way to define manicure success. I meant to add top coat and see how it looked after some wear, but after a couple of days one whole nail peeled off before I had time to do so. I have to say, though, I was impressed with how long it stayed on! I'm really going to have to try to use drip nail art more often.

Again, have a great Mardi Gras - and let me know if you're doing a Mardi Gras manicure!

China Glaze Capitol Colors - PR

2012-02-15T17:10:00.000-06:00

*dies* FINALLY! Now I just can't wait for them to come out....

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With THE HUNGER GAMES about to begin, Capitol citizens can show their support for their chosen district through China Glaze®’s exclusive Capitol Colours nail polish collection. The collection combines rich crèmes, soft shimmers and bold glitters to create the limited edition 12 shade nail polish collection inspired by the most anticipated movie release of the year.

The China Glaze® Capitol Colours collection includes the following shades:

· Dress Me Up – A stripped down dark rose pink crème

· Foie Gras – Decadent dark crème taupe

· Fast Track – Soft sandy brown with a gold metallic shimmer

· Hook and Line –Pearlescent light grey

· Stone Cold – Matte slate grey with shimmer

· Smoke and Ashes – Black-based teal with multicolored shimmer

· Agro – Moss green with gold shimmer

· Mahogany Magic – Reddish-brown crème

· Harvest Moon – Crystalized copper shimmer

· Riveting – Bright orange shimmer

· Electrify – High-wattage gold and ruby red glitter blend

· Luxe and Lush – A high octane flaky overcoat

The release of the collection follows the debut of the China Glaze® Capitol Colours consumer and beauty trade advertising campaign featuring the story’s Effie Trinket, who is assigned by the Capitol to escort and prepare the Tributes from District 12 for the 74^th Annual Hunger Games. The ad features the tagline, “What will you be wearing to the opening ceremonies?,” encouraging fans of THE HUNGER GAMES to support their favorite tribute and district by wearing a corresponding shade. Full-page ads will run in the March issues of teenVOGUE, People Style Watch and InStyle.

China Glaze® Capitol Colours will be available in early March 2012 at salons and specialty beauty retailers including Sally Beauty Supply and ULTA stores, coinciding with the release of THE HUNGER GAMES in theatres March 23, 2012. Individual shades retail for $7. The collection will be available in a 12-piece counter display as well as open stock colors.

China Glaze® is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. China Glaze® nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook and Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze® is a division of American International Industries.

Zoya True Part 2: Swatches and Review

2012-02-12T21:16:00.000-06:00

Hello there! I've finally worn all of the colors in True, and I have to say, I'm impressed! I love these kinds of colors anyway, and Zoya does them really well. Unfortunately, not all of my pictures are the best - the weather turned cloudy just in time for me to wear Lotus. Anyway, here they are!

sunlight

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Skylar is probably the one of the three that represented itself best in pictures - it's a dusty blue filled with gold metallic particles, and it's absolutely gorgeous. I was really happy with this both in the bottle and on my nails, and I'd definitely recommend it, especially for spring. This was two coats.

sunlight

natural light

For some reason, the sparkle in Tru wasn't as willing to come out for the camera. The purple color is fairly accurate (and gorgeous!), but the gold shimmer is much more evident in real life. As a lover of purples, especially rich purples, I loved Tru (though, to be honest, I could do with a different name), and it's a great addition to the many purples in my stash, especially since it's an easy-application two-coater.

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Finally, we have Lotus, a prim dusty purple with purple and gold shimmer. Though I didn't like it as much as Tru, it's still an absolutely gorgeous purple and, again, one I'm more than happy to add to my collection. Like Tru and Skylar, Lotus was also opaque in two coats.

These polishes were provided to me by Zoya for an honest review.

Nicole by OPI Press Releases

2012-02-08T17:04:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd avoid spamming you lovely readers as much as possible by putting these press releases in one post, seeing as I got them all at the same time and they're all Nicole by OPI. Also, you can click on the bottle pics to enlarge them.

P.S. I should have the second half of Zoya True up soon (the reason it's taking so long is that I'm actually wearing each color . . . Lotus is the only one I have left)! After that post, I'll also be sharing some gorgeous sponging I did on top of Skylar.

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Style from Day to Night!

Nicole by OPI Launches New Lacquers for 2012

Nicole by OPI announces four new fashion-forward nail lacquer shades for 2012, including A Lit-Teal Bit of Love, A Million Sparkles, Shoot for the Maroon, and Vio-let’s Talk about Red. Featuring two shades of rich berry and burgundy and two hues of vibrant shimmering and glitter-packed blue, these new colors give any look instant glamour and edge.

“These four new lacquers easily take nails from day to night,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “With rich, bold color, each shade adds a dramatic contrast when worn with denim or more casual clothes; at the same time, the highly-pigmented shimmers – especially the rainbow and aqua-blue glitter of A Million Sparkles – are perfect for parties or a night on the town.”

The new Nicole by OPI lacquers include:

A Lit-Teal Bit of Love

This affectionate aqua will shower you with shine.

A Million Sparkles

A shimmering sea of blue packed with sprinkles of rainbow glitter.

Shoot for the Maroon

A bold and beautiful burgundy that always dreams big.

Vio-let’s Talk about Red

There’s so much to say about this bodacious berry!

2-2-2-2 Nicole by OPI/2012 NEW

Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquers and Nail Treatments contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality.

These will be available January 2012 for $7.99 each in the U.S. at CVS, Harmon, HEB, Rite Aid, Sears, Stage Stores, Target, ULTA, and Walmart, as well as online at Amazon.com, Drugstore.com, Target.com, and Walmart.com. In Canada, lacquers will be retailed for $10.99 each at Jean Coutu, Loblaw, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Walmart Canada.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

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Smile for the Glam-era!

Nicole by OPI Launches New Kardashian Kolor

Nail Lacquers, Exclusively at CVS

Nicole by OPI announces seven new Kardashian Kolor shades to be exclusively sold at CVS, in stores February 2012. These richly-pigmented, fashion-forward hues include crèmes in bright key lime, pinky peach, poppy red and fuchsia, as well as shimmers in light lilac and deep burgundy.

“Nicole by OPI is very excited to bring new Kardashian Kolor lacquers exclusively to CVS for 2012. The CVS shopper knows how to find the hottest look at the best value,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “In collaborating with the Kardashian/Jenner family on the CVS exclusive shades, we came up with lacquers to represent each of their vibrant personalities and individual styles. The seven resulting colors offer the perfect accessory for spring’s bright colors, feminine frocks and reinvented neutrals.”

The CVS exclusive Kardashian Kolor shades include:

Smile for the Glam-era
The paparazzi is all about this photogenic plum.

Back to Reality…TV
This pretty little periwinkle was made for TV.

One Big Happy Fame-ily
This lavender shimmer is the American dream.

Our Fuchsia’s Lookin’ Bright
This purple-y fuchsia has the world at her hands.

Ladies in the Limelight
The most talked-about yellow-lime of our time!

Paparazzi Don’t Preach
This pretty blush pink is doing just fine.

Strike a Pose
A totally camera red-y color.

“These lacquers provide a great way to transition from winter to spring,” adds Weiss-Fischmann. “Try Our Fuchsia’s Lookin’ Bright to maximize winter’s rich jewel tones, or lighten the look with One Big Fame-ily for a burst of lavender.”

Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquers and Nail Treatments contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. These CVS exclusive lacquers will be available February 2012 for $7.99 each at CVS locations nationwide and online at cvs.com.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

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Best Pink Ever!

Nicole by OPI Launches Three New Nail Lacquers, Exclusively at Walmart

Nicole by OPI announces three new shades to be exclusively sold at Walmart, in stores January 2012. These rich shimmer and glitter hues give fingers and toes an elegantly chic look, with colors that include a sparkly champagne gold, a shimmering rose pink, and a confetti glitter.

“Nicole by OPI is excited to bring three new nail lacquers exclusively to Walmart for 2012,” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “Both the gold and pink hues have a chic metallic finish, but the warm-toned pigments in these lacquers are distinctly feminine. The glitter in ‘Fabulous’ is My Middle Name includes red, fuchsia, blue, gold and silver sparkles, adding multidimensional shine when worn alone or layered over either of the other two shades.”

The three new colors include:

The Gold Shoulder
A surprisingly approachable shimmery light gold.

Best Pink Ever
Seriously. This magnificent metallic pink is the best in town.

“Fabulous” is My Middle Name
But you can call me “multi-colored sparkle.”

“Metallic and glitter are currently very trendy lacquer finishes,” explains Weiss-Fischmann. “Some metallic lacquers look 3-dimensional or holographic when applied, while others sparkle from different angles, or reflect when exposed to different types of light. All are extremely beautiful!”

Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquers and Nail Treatments contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. These Walmart exclusive lacquers will be available January 2012 for $7.00 each ($9.68 CAN) at select US Walmart locations and walmart.com and in February 2012 in select Canadian Walmart locations.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

Dr.'s Remedy Valentine's Day Delight PR

2012-02-06T14:28:00.000-06:00

Romance rising: that's what February 14th is all about, indeed. This Valentine's Day, we dare you to take the shade of love to a whole new level, compliments of Dr.'s REMEDY Enriched Nail Polish. How to choose the hue de you? The sky's the limit (in terms of red); just reach for one of these red-hot tints to entice and ignite your inner flame. Your tips and toes will thank you, no doubt.

This Valentine's Day Delight collection of Dr.'s REMEDY Enriched Nail Polish red shades includes:

REVIVE Ruby Red: A shimmer-infused, Wizard of Oz-inspired shade of crimson

RESOLUTION Red Glitter: A red-meets-copper spin that's sequin-look-alike laden with high-shine and sparkle

RESCUE Red: A classic fire engine red

Dr.'s REMEDY Enriched Nail Polish is available for $17 online at www.remedynails.com.

Dr.'s REMEDY is a line of doctor-inspired cosmetics that is dedicated to using clean, hypoallergenic ingredients. The brain-child of two New York-based podiatrists, Dr. Adam Cirlincione and Dr. William Spielfogel, Dr.'s REMEDY proves quintessentially-perfect for any person looking to better the condition of her skin and nails. Dr.'s REMEDY is sold exclusively at www.remedynails.com or by calling 877-323-NAIL.

Zoya True Part 1: Swatches and Review

2012-01-31T23:49:00.001-06:00

So, six posts in January...woot? I know I've been painfully absent, but I have been extraordinarily busy with school and extracurriculars (please ignore the fact that I've only been at school for two weeks), and my nails are still refusing to be nursed back to health. Anyway, I have for you today the first half of Zoya's True collection, Cho, Farah, and Bevin. On to the review!

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Cho is the first polish in the collection. It's described by Zoya as a "full coverage, vanilla shimmer metallic," which is sort of accurate, though I wouldn't really describe Cho as a vanilla color - more of a yellow nude. It has the same shimmer finish as the polishes from last year's Touch collection. As you can see, it doesn't complement my skin tone at all, but it was opaque and easy to apply, so I would recommend it to someone it would suit better. I used two coats.

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Farah is the second polish in the collection, a "full coverage, latte beige cream." Zoya's description is definitely more apt in Farah's case than in Cho's, but as with Cho, there's something about the shade that just doesn't suit me very well. It's a shame, because I do like it - just not on me. Farah was opaque in two coats, as well.

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Finally, we have Bevin, a "full coverage, pale sage green cream," or what I see as a cross between sage green and jade green. In either case, it's a gorgeous color that covers perfectly in two coats, and one I will be definitely wearing again, especially when my nails get a tad longer and healthier . . . and hopefully that will be soon.

Another thing that I hope will be soon - my review of the second half of Zoya True!

P.S. Paula from WoW Nails sent me a very kind email a while back asking me to check out her blog, so I did, and I thought I'd post the link here in case any of you are interested: http://mywownails.blogspot.com/ Have a great day!

These products were provided to me by the manufacturer for a fair and honest review.

Pink Wednesday: Ulta Encore Pink

2012-01-18T20:20:00.001-06:00

EDIT: Ooh, I just realized this is my 400th post! Wheeeee!

Hello there! It's been a little longer than usual since I've posted, and even longer since I've done a Pink Wednesday, so I decided one was more than overdue. Today I have Ulta Encore Pink, which I wore back in early December for finals week. I got it because I wanted a light pink creme that was actually opaque in three or fewer coats, and Encore Pink fits the bill.

indoors, flash

I can't remember precisely, but I believe this was four coats. It's a great color, as far as I'm concerned, and perfect for those times that you think you might have to wear the same polish for a while and don't want anyone to notice much if it's chipping (i.e., finals week). I now seem to have left it at home or mislaid it somewhere, which is upsetting, but hopefully it will be found soon. Ciao!

Breakdown

2012-01-08T21:23:00.001-06:00

Hello! I just wanted to post to let you all know what's been going on lately concerning me and the blog. I've been in a bit of a nail slump lately - I haven't felt like blogging as much as usual or painting my nails as often, so that's why I haven't been posting as often. I do still enjoy it, so don't worry that I'll be quitting any time soon! However, I'm going to be using some pictures I have stored up for a little while, because I recently had a literal nail breakdown: almost all my nails were breaking and peeling, so I chopped them all down to the nubbiest nubs in order to stop the cycle of peel, file, split, file, etc. I have the latest Zoya collections to review (and I love them!), so I'll post those as soon as I can, but I want to do them justice, so I'll be posting old pictures until my nails grow out a bit.

So, that's the story - and to finish the post up, I'll show you what my nails look like right now. Ta-da! Nubs and a hangnail are so exciting, I know. :P

Best of 2011

2012-01-02T23:21:00.000-06:00

It's only the second day of January (well, almost the third), so it's not too late to do a "best of 2011" post...right? Nah, I don't think so. I went a different route this year and made a collage of my favorites, and I'll link to the posts underneath. Funnily enough, the vast majority of my favorites are from the latter half of the year - I guess that just goes to show that we all improve over time; at least, I know I have. I think it's also pretty telling that five out of the eleven manicures are from the 31 day challenge. Evidently I work well under pressure!

Nail Fraud Leopard Print
Easy Peasy Lava Nails
Butterfly Nail Art
My Friend Frankie: Halloween Nail Art
Day 9: Rainbow
Day 19: Galaxies
Day 24: Inspired by a Book - The Graveyard Book
Day 11: Polka Dots
Day 30: Inspired by a Tutorial
NO H8
Candy Cane Nails

Thanks for reading in 2011, and I hope you stick with me for the year to come - here's to a fantastic 2012!

Zoya PR: True and Fleck Effects (Spring 2012)

2012-01-01T00:00:00.002-06:00

I can't wait to get my hands on these, can you? Happy New Year!
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2012 Spring Nail Color by Zoya
Available January 13, 2012

TRUE
Honestly, beautiful color
A fresh bloom of dewy color. Inspired by the runway looks of top designers this collection features slightly muted and unexpected spring shades in six easy to wear, full-coverage creams and metallics.

Cho (ZP585): Full coverage, vanilla shimmer metallic
Farah (ZP586): Full coverage, latte beige cream
Bevin (ZP587): Full coverage, pale sage green cream
Skylar (ZP588): Full coverage, silvered slate blue metallic
Tru (ZP589): Full coverage, gilded purple orchid metallic
Lotus (ZP590): Full coverage, light lotus purple metallic

FLECK EFFECT

Mylar fleck topcoats

Zoya Nail Polish presents three new mylar fleck glazes that can be worn alone or layered over the new Zoya True collection colors for a unique and beautiful nail look!

Maisie (ZP582): Blue tint with mylar green fleck effect
Opal (ZP583): Green tint with mylar green fleck effect
Chloe (ZP584): Pink tint with mylar green and gold fleck effect

Zoya is the new color of fashion...

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde resin, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl.oz. bottle (US)

Find Zoya TRUE & FLECK EFFECT as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at http://www.zoya.com/ As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.

Christmas Nail Art

2011-12-26T18:55:00.001-06:00

Hello, everyone! I'm still in a Christmas lull, so this will be a short post. This is the mani I did yesterday for Christmas - I couldn't decide which Christmas nail art to do, so I did a little of everything. I'm not going to list everything I used, because that would be a long and boring list, but I did use my Nubar nail art pens a lot. Merry belated Christmas, and happy Boxing Day if you celebrate it!

Candy Cane Nails

2011-12-24T15:01:00.001-06:00

Hello there! I've had this mani on since Tuesday night, but I didn't get around to posting it until now because of doctor appointments and social stuff and such. I also had a really good haul Wednesday...maybe I'll post about that later (flakies!). Anyway, I'm posting this on my phone again, so there won't be any text after the photo. I decided to do a candy cane mani, and I used Wet 'n' Wild White Creme as a base and my red Nubar nail art pen (I used the striper end) for the stripes. For some reason, it chipped more quickly and severely than most of my manicures do...I tried a new base coat, so I'm hoping that wasn't what caused it. :/ Merry Christmas!

SinfulColors Holiday 2011 - Swatches & Review

2011-12-20T11:30:00.001-06:00

Good morning! I took my last final this morning for my political science class, and now I'm done! My mom's not going to be here until this afternoon because of work, though, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to post the SinfulColors holiday collection that I swatched Saturday. The collection is made up of five repromoted colors and two stripers. Although none of the polishes are new, they're all new to me, so I was pretty excited to try them out, especially with all the good things I've heard about Daddy's Girl. I do have to apologize, though - my nails were really short to begin with, and then my pinky nail broke halfway through swatching, so the last half only have three fingers. Sorry!

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shade

Sugar Sugar, described by the SinfulColors press release as "a candy cane, red-hot tint," is just that - I love the color, and the glowy quality reminds me of my favorite red shimmer, Dr.'s Remedy Revive Ruby Red. The only thing I didn't like was the formula, which in combination with the brush was very hard to control, and as you can see, I ended up getting some bubbles. With a little more care, though I don't think this would happen. I used two coats.

sunlight

shade

I decided to show Flower Girl next because I used it on top of Sugar Sugar. It's a bronze-gold color that I haven't seen in a striper before, which is really nice - I always like to find something unique. It was also really opaque, which is essential in a striper because it's more of a pain (for me, at least) to go over stripes twice. It's worth noting that the brushes on these stripers are thicker than Kiss or Nubar, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing; after all, it can be good to have some variety.

sunlight

shade

Next, we have Midnight Blue, "a bold, bright twist on navy," or what I'd call a vivid, medium-blue shimmer. This polish kind of reminds me of Sally Hansen Blue It, but brighter and less metallic. I used two coats with this as well, but was more careful and only got a couple bubbles, though it was still a bit of a pain to apply. I like Midnight Blue, but I don't think it's a must-have.

sunlight

shade

This is the second striper, Fashionista. It's a silver glitter, and to be honest, I was a bit disappointed with this one. The base was thicker than I like in stripers, and the glitter wasn't as dense as I had hoped it would be. However, if this is your thing, I would definitely recommend it - after all, it's cheap and easy to work with.

sunlight

Sorry I don't have a shaded photo for this one - I didn't realize until I uploaded them that all the ones I took were a little blurry, so I decided not to include one. Anyway, Last Chance is a dark evergreen creme that seems to me like a non-jelly version of Nars Zulu. As I've never been a huge fan of Zulu (I don't tend to love vampy polishes), I'm perfectly happy with Last Chance. I used two coats.

sunlight

shade

As you can see, Out of this World is a whitish silver, and I have to say, I'm not a fan of this one. It wasn't quite opaque with the three coats I used, and it's not really a color I would wear on its own. I think it might be good for layering, though...I'll have to try that sometime.

sunlight

shade

Daddy's Girl, "a deep purple with a drizzle of shimmer and glitter," is by far my favorite of these. It's a gorgeous purple jelly with gold glitter, and I love it. It's not quite opaque with three coats, but it's more opaque than it looks in my first picture. I'm not sure why I didn't buy this one before...it's a vivid purple; what was I thinking?!

If you'd like to buy any of these for yourself, you can find them for $1.99 at mass retailers like Walgreens.

And with that, I need to go pack...I hope you're all having a great week, and don't forget to read my NO H8 post!

These products were provided to me by the manufacturer for honest review.

NO H8

2011-12-16T20:17:00.003-06:00

Hello there! I'm almost done with finals, so I finally have time to update my blog. I'm actually writing this on my phone, as I'm currently watching Frost-Nixon with my wonderful friend Jesse Doggendorf. As it happens, it's Jesse's nails that I'll be showing you today - he's been wanting me to do his thumbnails in some sort of rainbow design for some time now, and I finally did. I used OPI Red My Fortune Cookie, Sally Hansen Sun Kissed, Ulta Sun-Sunsational, Sally Hansen Green with Envy, Sally Hansen Pacific Blue, and China Glaze Grape Pop for the "rainbow," Wet 'n' Wild White Creme as the base, and my black Nubar nail art pen for the letters.

Aren't his nails adorable? I think they turned out really well! In fact, I may even have to do the same thing on my own nails some time. I'm even getting better at painting on really short nails, as opposed to painting all over the fingers like I did last time I did Jesse's nails (that time, it was Harry Potter). Anyway, that's all I have for today - have a great weekend!

China Glaze Colours From the Capitol

2011-12-14T13:53:00.000-06:00

The official swatches for the Hunger Games-inspired collection from China Glaze - I can't wait for these!

Sinful Colors Holiday 2011: Wish (PR)

2011-12-06T20:34:00.000-06:00

Bells are jingling, snow is glistening and merry tunes abound: It's the season of shimmer (aka: the holidays) and glamour, of course. And your nails deserve a little gift and loving too. Welcome the SinfulColors holiday 2011 collection, Wish, which delights and excites. The collection takes classic colors - like red, green, silver and blue - and kicks them up a notch to be fashion-forward and festive to ring in 2012.

The complete SinfulColors Wish collection for holiday 2011 includes:

Five gem-inspired shades of polish:

SUGAR SUGAR: a candy cane, red-hot tint

MIDNIGHT BLUE: a bold, bright twist on navy

LAST CHANCE: an emerald with depth and allure

DADDY'S GIRL: a deep purple with a drizzle of shimmer and glitter

OUT OF THIS WORLD: a perfect silver with swirls of glimmer

Two metallic shades of nail art:

FLOWER GIRL: a bronzy gold with tons of sparkle

FASHIONISTA: a glitter-laden pewter

SinfulColors surpasses the masses with more than 150 amazing shades of nail polish, including the above-mentioned shades. All hues are available for $1.99 at major drug and mass-market stores nationwide, by calling 1-800-448-0763 or online at www.walgreens.com.

China Glaze Eye Candy Swatches & Review

2011-12-06T20:30:00.000-06:00

Hello there! Sorry it took me so long to get these swatches up, and even now, they're not especially good because the sun hasn't come out for long enough for me to swatch a whole collection a while. Also, I've been working on end-of-semester papers and presentations and studying for finals, so that's been taking up a huge chunk of my time - actually, who am I kidding? Pretty much all I do these days is study. Anyway, here's Eye Candy, the China Glaze winter collection inspired by Marilyn Monroe. For consistency, I used three coats without top coat for all the polishes, and took all the pictures with flash.

Lorelei's Tiara is the first polish I swatched. It's got silver microglitter and round blue glitter in a clear base. I like this one more than I expected to, honestly - I swatched all the polishes matte, shiny, and over black on an index card, and I really liked this one matte as well. I'll have to do a full manicure with it soon, especially as it's so appropriate for winter! (It flurried today, and I got very excited!)

Love Marilyn is similar in composition to Lorelei's Tiara, though different in color - it has red microglitter and round silver glitter. I don't like this one quite as much as Lorelei's Tiara, perhaps because my high school's colors were red and silver, but it's still glamorous, and I can definitely see Marilyn Monroe being a fan.

Blonde Bombshell was probably the polish out of the collection that surprised me most. Not only does it have gold microglitter and round gold glitter, it also has tiny orange-gold bar glitter! I thought this was clever of China Glaze considering the name of the polish (bar glitter = hair), and I also think it adds an extra bit of warmth to the polish, even if it's hard to detect - I don't think you can see the bar glitter at all in the photo, and it was hard to see when I applied it. I don't think I would have noticed it all if I hadn't swatched each color over black on a notecard, as I mentioned earlier. At any rate, I've definitely fallen for Blonde Bombshell.

Material Girl is another polish that I didn't completely capture in this photo. It has rose microglitter, round rose glitter, and slightly larger and darker rose holo hex glitter. All of this makes for a dazzling effect that I enjoyed more than I thought I would - I'm not a huge fan of pink in its own right, but I do like this one quite a lot.

I apologize - the photo of Marry a Millionaire is a little more not-good than the rest for some reason. Marry a Millionaire is comprised of purple microglitter and green bar glitter - again, there goes China Glaze being clever! I must say, I appreciate that much more than OPI trying to be funny with names...those usually just strike me as odd. Anyway, Marry a Millionaire is not only a clever polish, but a very pretty one. I actually wore this as a full manicure (I used four coats for security when I did that, but the swatch is still just three coats without top coat) and got several compliments, as I'm sure I will when I wear the other Eye Candy polishes.

Finally, we have Some Like It Haute, which is made up of charcoal microglitter and round, silver holo glitter. I really like this one as well, and I can definitely see myself wearing it, especially around New Year's. It also was one of the more well-covering of the Eye Candy polishes, which is always nice.

Overall, I really don't have anything bad to say about Eye Candy or any of the polishes in it. One thing I particularly appreciate is that the polishes are fairly easy to apply for glitters - after all, I'm going to slave to take glitter off; I don't want to slave to put it on as well! You can see that a few pieces of glitter did escape and run off onto my fingers, but I felt that these were much easier to apply than the OPI glitters. All in all, I would definitely recommend any one of these!

All polishes except Lorelei's Tiara, which I purchase myself, were provided by China Glaze for me to review.

Day 31: Re-create Your Favorite Challenge

2011-12-01T22:12:00.002-06:00

Hello, and happy December! Today is not only the first day of a brand new month, but the last day of the 31 day challenge for me and the other bloggers that did it this month. While I enjoyed the challenge, I have to say that I'm glad to have the stress of having to change my nails every day relieved, especially with my first college finals coming up sooner than seems quite possible. Anyway, I had several ideas as to what I might do for today...and all of them flew out the window when I got a swap package today that I'd been expecting. It contained NYX Gilded Glitter, which I've been lemming for ages, so of course I had to use it! I decided to recreate day 17, because that was glitter day. I used one coat of Gilded Glitter over three luscious coats of Revlon Royal.

artificial light

*sigh* I'm so thrilled with this. I can't wait to use it in a plethora of new layering combinations that have now been opened up to me - and with the challenge over, I can do whatever strikes me whenever it strikes me! I'm excited to try China Glaze Eye Candy, too - I just don't know when I'll have the time! Hopefully sometime this weekend...

Don't forget to check out the last challenge day on the other blogs!

Aly Loves Lacquer
Manicure Addict
Dees Polish Endeavours
Bright Lights, Big Color
Life and Polish

Day 30: Inspired by a Tutorial

2011-11-30T21:29:00.000-06:00

Gaaahhh! My 31 days are almost over! It's gone by so quickly - I can't believe it'll be time to start doing Christmas nails after tomorrow. I think Elle's Spell might be in order...

Anyway, that's completely off-subject. I had to search around a bit for today's manicure. While I've seen a lot of tutorials I liked, I've either used the ones I really liked, or they're too time-consuming to do when finals are coming up and I've got a bajillion papers and things to do. I eventually rediscovered Polish Art Addiction's Monokuro Boo nail art tutorial and decided that's what I wanted to do. I honestly have no idea what Monokuro Boo is - that is, other than adorable - but I thought it would be fun and not too hard. I used Color Club Yachty Yachty Yadda for the background, and Wet 'n' Wild White Creme and Black Creme for the nail art. As you can see, my white pigs turned into Westies (see?) and I left of the dots, but I'm still very happy with it.

natural light

While it's not as cute as Polish Art Addiction's, I still think it's freaking adorable. Now I just have to figure out what the heck I'm going to do tomorrow...do I recreate my favorite manicure I did, that someone else did, or does it even matter? Anyone know? *looks around*

Check out my fellow challenged (ha, ha) bloggers:

Aly Loves Lacquer
Manicure Addict
Dees Polish Endeavours
Bright Lights, Big Color
Life and Polish

Dr.'s Remedy Jolly & Joy Swatches and Review

2011-11-29T14:22:00.001-06:00

Hello again! I'm back, as I said I would be, with the holiday 2011 collection from Dr.'s Remedy. I know for sure that one of these, Revive Ruby Red, is a re-promote because I reviewed it before, and I think Passion Purple is as well; however, I'm fairly sure the other three are new - but by all means, correct me if I'm wrong! Now, let's get to the polish.

outdoors, sunlight

First, we have Revive Ruby Red, which as I said before, is not a new color - it was in last winter's collection as well. However, that doesn't make it any less gorgeous! If you read my original review, you will remember that I absolutely loved it then, and that definitely hasn't changed. It's got the same lit-from-within, glowing quality that made it love me so much the first time around, and is opaque in the same two easy coats. I encourage you to read my previous review of Revive Ruby Red for more details if you're interested.

outdoors, sunlight

The second color in Jolly & Joy, Passion Purple, is described by Dr.'s Remedy as "a bombshell-boysenberry with subtle silver meshed throughout," and I think that's an accurate description. I tend not to like shimmers with a colored base and silver shimmer quite as much as other shimmers, but I think this one is nice. I'm not wowed by it, and I'm not sure that I'd wear it all that often. However, if this sort of finish is your thing, go for it! The application was fantastic, and it got opaque coverage in two coats.

outdoors, natural light

Essential Emerald, the third polish, is described by Dr.'s Remedy as "a take on the classic tree-and-plant-inspired gem of a shade, with delicate glimmer and unparalleled amounts of glamour." Now, this is an area where I really have to disagree with the description - to me, this is a jade green, not an emerald. However, it is a very lovely color, and I like the silver shimmer in this better than that in Passion Purple. This one also took two coats, and the application was great.

outdoors, sunlight

Serene Silver Glitter is described by Dr.'s Remedy as "a seasonal sizzler like no other: shine, chic, totally unique in the metallic scene," and on this one, I totally agree. As far as I know, there really is no other polish like this one. For one thing, it's definitely a glitter, but the particles are so fine that it applies almost as smoothly and evenly as a foil, and looks a somewhat like a foil on the nail as well. Additionally, it has not only silver glitter, but red and blue as well, which is a combination I haven't seen anywhere else. Best of all, the glitter is very highly packed into the polish - I barely needed two coats!

outdoors, natural light

Finally, we have Resolution Red Glitter, "a red-meets-copper spin that's sequin-look-alike laden with high-shine and sparkle." I sort of see where they get the copper, but to me, the polish is mainly a red, pink, and silver glitter. It also barely needed two coats, and the application was good.

Check Dr.'s Remedy out on Twitter and Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/Remedynails

http://twitter.com/#!/remedynails

These products were provided to me by Dr.'s Remedy for honest review.

Day 29: Inspired by the Supernatural

2011-11-29T11:10:00.000-06:00

Hello there! Today's prompt was a bit challenging for me to turn into a manicure, as I didn't want it to look explicitly like a Halloween manicure. I ended up pulling out some random polishes and doing a layering manicure. I used a base of Wet 'n' Wild Black Creme with China Glaze Zombie Zest, China Glaze Snow Globe, and a gold Orly glitter that I recently got and can't remember the name of (and I'm not in my room now, so I can't check - I'll update the post later). I topped it all off with Essie Matte About You.

natural light

I like it! I wasn't sure if I would at first, but after I decided to put matte top coat on it, it all sort of came together. Sorry about my terribly dry fingers ... I took these photos after I showered this morning, and though I tried to put cuticle moisturizer on without ruining the matte effect, it clearly didn't work too well. Maybe next time I'll remember to plan my picture-taking better.

There will be another post up later today on the Dr.'s Remedy holiday collection, so look out for that! I've been meaning to get it up since I took the pictures last week, but the world has seemed to conspire against Never Unpolished lately ... oh well. I should also have swatches of China Glaze Let it Snow posted within a week. I got the samples when I was home for Thanksgiving break, and they're sitting on my desk anxiously waiting for me to try them - and I for them!

Don't forget to check out the other challenge posts for today:

Aly Loves Lacquer
Manicure Addict
Dees Polish Endeavours
Bright Lights, Big Color
Life and Polish

Day 28: Inspired by a Flag

2011-11-28T17:00:00.000-06:00

Sooo . . . I must confess, I was feeling lazy today. I didn't really want to do nail art, I just wanted to slap on some polish and be done with it. Therefore, I chose as my inspiration the Libyan flag, which is the only national flag that's just a solid color. Hint: it's green.

indoors, artificial light

This is two luscious coats of Nina Ultra Pro Salsa, one of my favorite "basic" greens. That's all for today! Now I just have to figure out what to do for tomorrow . . .

Aly Loves Lacquer
Manicure Addict
Dees Polish Endeavours
Bright Lights, Big Color
Life and Polish

Three in One: Days 25, 26, and 27

2011-11-27T17:24:00.002-06:00

Sorry for my egregious lack of posting! I'm falling down on the job, I know - but only because I've been doing my best at keeping up with homework over break. I'm actually writing this post on my phone whilst riding back to school, and I took the picture on my phone as well. I got a new iPhone 4S, though, so the quality isn't too bad, though definitely not as good as the macro on my PowerShot. Anyway, today's manicure combines the last three themes: fashion, pattern, and artwork. My inspiration was a Spring 2012 print from DKNY - it's fashion, it's a pattern, and, in my opinion, fashion is art. I used a base of Wet 'n' Wild White Creme with OPI Red My Fortune Cookie, Sally Hansen Pacific Blue, and my Nubar nail art pen in black.

As you can see, I printed off the picture that inspired me and took the photo of my nails against it. After doing so, I think my nails were even more accurate than I thought they were at first!

Day 24: Inspired by a Book - The Graveyard Book

2011-11-24T12:48:00.001-06:00

Hello there, and happy Thanksgiving if you're American! If not, I hope you're having a good Thursday nonetheless. Today's challenged was to do a manicure inspired by a book, and my first thought was, of course, Harry Potter. However, I partly wanted to do something new, and I also realized that I didn't have all of the proper colors with me. Instead, I started searching my bookshelves for some other inspiration. I had lots of ideas, but none of them were both feasible and really appealing...until I saw my copy of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I looooove this book (read it - I don't care what age you are!), and I've always been a big fan of the cover as well, so I decided to do a sponging manicure based on the colors in the cover. I used Wet 'n' Wild Black Creme with two coats of Revlon Royal as a base, then sponged OPI No Room for the Blues, Sephora by OPI Ocean Love Potion, Sally Hansen Celeb City, and Revlon Royal on top.

natural light

sunlight

artificial light

I am really, really pleased with this! The first and last pictures most accurately show how it looks in real life - and as you can probably tell, the last picture includes the cover of The Graveyard Book to show my inspiration. I have to say, I think I got pretty close! If there's one thing this challenge has taught me, it's that I need to do more sponging. This and my galaxies manicure have been my favorites so far...it's going to be hard to pick what to do for Day 31.

I forgot to include the links to my fellow bloggers doing the challenge yesterday... *sigh* And I was doing so well. Anyway, here they are:

Aly Loves Lacquer
Manicure Addict
Dees Polish Endeavours
Bright Lights, Big Color
Life and Polish

Again, happy Thanksgiving! I'll be back tomorrow with some fashion-inspired nails.