Friday, December 29, 2017

12:46 PM

LynBDesigns Final sale of 2017 (Press Release)


     LynBDesigns has decided to say goodbye to 2017 with one final blowout sale. Now is the time to grab those polishes that have been sitting around on your wish list. 

Surprise! We're having one last sale in 2017.

First off there's a code. Use the code YEAREND for 55% off your entire order. Yes, 55%! Click the button to start shopping.

The sale will run from today (the 29th) through midnight PST of the 31st. Here are all the details you need for the sale.

-The final quantities of neons are listed and at a discounted price.

-There are still a few 12 days boxes left, but they won't be here for long. After this sale, they go away.

-I've brought back the Polish Con Chicago collection for the sale in the hopes that I can finally clear out my inventory.
Start Shopping
As an additional surprise, I'm releasing Pyrope our January 2018 polish of the month early. Words cannot describe this polish. 

Thursday, December 28, 2017

6:00 AM

Ugly Christmas Sweater Nails


     Hi Everyone, I know Christmas is over but I have one more look to share with you before moving into the New Year. It's my Ugly Christmas Sweater nails from this year's Ugly Sweater party. You might remember my ugly patchwork nails from last year, this year I decided to go a more traditional route. Afterall nothing was going to top the excitement from last years party. And just in case you were wondering, no we haven't set an official date yet. I will you keep you posted if anything changes. Now let's get to the nails!

Stamped-holographic-Christmas-manicure


     For this manicure, I started off with a base of Stiletto on the Run from the Darlings of Defiance collection by Orly. For my accent nail, I used a base of Sinful Colors Black on Black. Once again I used SuperChic Lacquer G-Force X to help the holographic powder adhere to my regular polish. Once again I used the silver Holographic powder from Born Pretty Store.

 

     My accent nail is stamped with Hit the Bottle Poison Apple and an image from What's Up Nails plate B022.  For the rest of my stamping, I used images from plate UR Beautiful-18 and stamped with Hit the Bottle As Black as Night and Holo There Beautiful.



     I loved the way this turned out! I wish I would have thought to photograph the sweater I wore because this manicure matched it almost perfectly. What do you think of my ugly sweater nails? Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

6:00 AM

Literary Lacquers - Alice in Lacquerland Collection


     Today I have the Alice in Lacquerland Collection from Literary Lacquers and I am so excited to share it with you! This long-awaited collection is filled with fun and sparkle just like the story that inspired it. Get ready to set your alarms because this collection releases today Dec 26th at noon mt and I'm sure it's one you won't want to miss. 
   
     This will be a long post with a ton of pictures! I have 6 collection polishes and 1 gift with purchase to share so let's get some particulars out of the way right now. Each polish is shown as 2 coats plus topcoat and I photographed them all in my lightbox using daylight LED bulbs. Let's jump right in shall we.

Tulgey Wood

Rich-caramel-brown-linear-holographic-nail-polish

     Color: A rich caramel brown linear holographic nail polish with copper and gold glass flecks.

     Application: Tulgey Wood has a smooth formula with even coverage. I was surprised at how opaque this is. I only had a slight VNL after 1 coat. This polish builds up nicely to a perfect opacity after 2 coats. 

Rich-caramel-brown-linear-holographic-nail-polish

Rich-caramel-brown-linear-holographic-nail-polish

     
Six Impossible Things

Burnt-orange-scattered-holographic-nail-polish

     Color: A scattered holographic glitter nail polish in a burnt orange base with gold and copper micro glitters. This color reminds me of the bittersweet plant that used to grow in my yard as a child. 

     Application: The formula for this one is a bit thin on the first coat and can be patchy if applied thinly. Six Impossible Things builds up nicely after 2 coats but still shows a slight VNL that's more evident in my photos than when looking with the naked eye. 

Burnt-orange-scattered-holographic-nail-polish

Burnt-orange-scattered-holographic-nail-polish

Grin Without a Cat

Purple-multi-chrome-nail-polish

     Color: Purple multi-chrome polish that shifts from purple to gold to pink with magenta shimmer and microglitter. This one doesn't have an obvious color shift to it which makes it unique for multi-chrome polishes. At first glance, I actually thought it was a shimmer finish because I was only getting a light to dark purple shift until I moved my hand around. Then I was able to get the hints of gold to appear. 

     Application: This polish went on a bit uneven for me on the first coat and wanted to pull away at my tips. I'm not entirely sure if this was because of the polish itself or the new sticky base coat that I'm trying out. As you can see I was left with a smooth even finish after 2 coats but there is still some shrinkage at the tips. 

Purple-multi-chrome-nail-polish

Purple-multi-chrome-nail-polish

The Golden Afternoon

Yellow-Gold-Scattered-holographic-nail-polish

     Color: Yellow gold scattered holographic nail polish with a hint of linear holo thrown in.

     Application: Smooth and even application with the first coat being quite sheer. The Golden Afternoon does build up quite nicely to full opacity with two coats. 

Yellow-Gold-Scattered-holographic-nail-polish

Yellow-Gold-Scattered-holographic-nail-polish

Curiouser and Curiouser!

Sky-Blue-Scattered-holographic-nail-polish

     Color: Sky blue scattered holographic nail polish.

     Application: Smooth formula and very opaque. I had 99% full coverage after one medium think coat. Builds up quite nicely to complete opacity after two coats.

Sky-Blue-Scattered-Holographic-nail-polish

Sky-Blue-Scattered-Holographic-nail-polish

Always Tea Time

Medium-pink-linear-holographic-nail-polish-with-scattered-holographic-glass-flecks

     Color: Medium pink linear holographic nail polish with scattered holographic glass flecks. 

     Application: Smooth and even application and a very opaque polish. I would almost consider this a one coater. Builds up to a perfect opacity after two coats. 

Medium-pink-linear-holographic-nail-polish-with-scattered-holographic-glass-flecks

Medium-pink-linear-holographic-nail-polish-with-scattered-holographic-glass-flecks

Be What You Would Seem to Be

Pale-purple-scattered-holographic-nail-polish

     Color: Pale purple polish with scattered holographic glitter with a hint of linear holo. 

     Application: Even application but a bit sheer on the first coat. Builds up nice and smoothly for full opacity after two coats. 

Pale-purple-scattered-holographic-nail-polish

Pale-purple-scattered-holographic-nail-polish

     Be What You Would Seem to Be if a gift with purchase polish available Dec 26th through January 5th with a $48 purchase. Six impossible things will be priced at $10 while the rest of the collection is $12.  As mentioned above this collection releases today (Dec 26th) at noon mountain time. 

          Be sure to follow Literary Lacquers so you never miss an update. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!





Thursday, December 21, 2017

6:00 AM

Holo Powder Snowflakes


     I hope you're not getting tired of my Holiday nail art looks yet because I have a few more to share with you before the big day. Today's look might be a bit familiar to you since I've recently used the technique. Anyone remember my stamping with holo powder post? Well in that post I mentioned a nail art look that I had in mind and now I'm finally able to share it with you. 

     I have to be honest here and let you know that I didn't think through each step thoroughly before starting this manicure and it's not exactly what I had in mind so you will probably see this technique again as I work the kinks out. On the other hand, I do like the way this turned out and I've got a few more ideas up my sleeve to try out now so I guess you could say it's a win-win! 

     I call this manicure Holo Powder snowflakes because well, that's just what it is. Snowflakes stamped onto my nails and holo powder burnished over them. Yeah I know, I'm not very creative when naming my manicures or blog posts. It's one of the things I'm working on. 
     

     To create this look I started with a base of Sinful Colors Black on Black and waited for it to dry. After that, I applied my G-Force X from Super Chic Lacquer (my secret weapon when it comes to regular polish and holo pigments) to my nails and Simply peel from Bliss Kiss to protect my cuticles.



     I stamped with Hit the Bottle As Black as Night and the snowflakes are from image plate UR Beautiful-16. I've had this plate for awhile but it's only been used recently and frequently, to be honest. I got the opportunity to go to a lock-in for a local girl scout troop and paint nails. At least half of the girls picked this plate to use. It was kinda cute and a lot of fun. But after 4 hours of painting nails, I have a new found admiration for nail techs. 


      I know it's not easy to see in each photo but I used 3 colors of holo powders in this look. I wanted to use 4 but found out I don't have a green in my stash. I'll have to remedy that soon. Each powder is from Born Pretty Store and are item number's 33256 (Silver Holographic), 39224-2 (gold holographic) and, 39324-8 (Red Holographic). I randomly burnished each color onto my nails trying not to create a pattern. I was hoping that the powders would blend just a bit better to create more of a gradient look but the gold wanted to cover up the red so any hope of a gradient was quickly dismissed. I'll have to see if I can find a different way to get a gradient effect with the powders, or if you have any tips or ideas feel free to share. Also if you'd like to pick up any powders for yourself used code LAUNX31 to get 10% off your purchase from Born Pretty Store.


     I hope you enjoyed today's nail art look. Let me know what you think in the comments. As Always thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing! 

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

6:00 AM

Holiday Fluid Nail Art


     The Holiday manicures continue today on the blog. This time I'm bringing you a look that takes minimal effort but a bit of patience. Sound familiar? It's almost the exact opening line I used for my last fluid nail art look. The difference is, this time it's even easier to create the look! And all it takes is a few colors of nail polish, a nail art mat and time.


     Doesn't it look neat? I just love how this turned out and it was so so simple to do! I used 4 different polishes from Sinful Colors It's a Wrap (gold) Under 18 (red) Whipped Frosting (white) and HD Nails (green) to create this look. 


    Now for the easy part of the manicure. All I did was place random drops of each polish on my mat. I'd recommend using one of the mini mats for this technique simply because it's easier to work with than the full sized ones. Make sure the drop are close enough to run together, making sure to cover approximately a 2-inch by2-inch area. You may need to cover more area if your nails are really long. If you don't get the entire area covered with polish don't worry, a few bare spots can be fixed in the next step. 

     After you're satisfied with the polish drops, all that's left is to pick up your mat and fold it in half twice. Once horizontally and once vertically. This step helps fill in any blank spots you might have and, smooshes the polish together to create a really cool marble effect. Plus it's much easier than tilting the mat back and forth. Now comes the tough part, waiting for the design to dry so you can move on to the next step. 

     I allowed the polish to dry for about 2 hours, this time around I skipped the step of applying topcoat before peeling the polish off my mat. This helped cut down on dry time and made it easier to cut out nail sized pieces.  


     After you've cut your decals down to the right sizes all that's left is to apply them to the nail. I used a base of Orly Bonder and let it dry to a tacky state but not fully dry before placing my decal on the nail. After that, all I had left to do was a little cleanup and to add a layer of top coat. My go-to is Girl on the Run by Pure Ice but any top coat will work. 

      Have you tried the fluid nail art look yet? What do you think about this technique vs the other technique I used to get the same effect? I hope you've enjoyed this post, thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing! 

     

Thursday, December 14, 2017

6:00 AM

Red Nail Polish Stamping Comparison


     It's getting closer to Christmas and I 'm sure there are a few people out there who are planning their manicures. Red nail polish is pretty much a staple in any traditional Christmas manicure but there are so many to choose from. And what if you want to stamp your design in red polish, how do you know which one will work? Today's post will hopefully help you out with those questions. Like my previous stamping comparison posts, I have 4 polishes that I put to the stamping test. MdU Red, China Glaze Seeing Red, Sinful Colors Bitten and Sally Hansen Wild Strawberry. Which one works the best? Let's find out! 


     Just like my gold stamping comparison I wanted to show the stamping over both black and white.
For my base, I used Sinful Colors Whiteboard and Blackboard from the Back to School School Goals collection and stamped a New Years image from Sugar Bubbles plate SBS 04.  As you can see red is a very hard polish to stamp over black with. Even the stamping polish from MdU barely shows up.


     All 4 of the polishes I chose do work but not equally well. China Glaze Seeing Red (From the Giver Collection) actually smeared a bit and looks pink when stamped over white. Sinful Colors Bitten looks pretty good over white but basically disappears against the black. I like the way Sally Hansen Wild Strawberry looks over white and it would work over the black in a pinch.


     I'd have to say that out of the 4 polishes I've compared the Mdu Stamping polish works the best. It has the truest red color over black and is the most pigmented over white. My 2nd favorite is the Sally Hansen Wild Strawberry.  China Glaze Seeing Red is my least favorite for stamping.

     I hope you found this post helpful. Which polish do you feel worked the best? If you need other colored stamping options for your holiday manicures (or anytime really) check out my previous comparisons of Silver, White, and Gold. If you'd like to see another color compared for stamping let me know in the comments and I'd be happy help you out. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

6:00 AM

Christmas Ivy Nails


     Hello Everyone, how has December treated you so far? Are you done with your Christmas shopping or still on the hunt for that perfect gift? Perhaps you need a little push to get you into that Christmas spirit? If that's the case have I got the perfect manicure to share with you today! This Christmas Ivy manicure recently popped up in my news feed from Robin Moses and I knew right away that I wanted to try it.  

     I've been wanting to work on my free hand nail art skills for some time and this manicure looked simple enough that I felt it was a good way to practice. Of course, all the great nail artists out there make these manicures look so easy and effortless but to be honest this one was actually pretty easy to do. Now by no means is mine anywhere in the ballpark of being as good as the original but I'm very happy with how it turned out.I even have a new found enthusiasm to keep working on my free hand skills.


      I started out with Sally Hansen Satin from the Smooth and Perfect line. Typically I would use China Glaze Heaven as my naked nail color but I wanted to see if I had other option in my collection already. Turnes out Satin is the better option of the two and has become my go-to polish when I want this effect. 

     I hand painted my french tips with Sally Hansen Wild Strawberry from the Crayola collab earlier this year. I don't know why but I have always been able to do a decent freehand french tip. I wish I could take that skill and transfer it to other aspects of my nail art. Especially when it comes to brush control when hand painting designs. 


     For my Ivy, I used acrylic paint in various shades of copper and gold. I picked a true gold for the vine and a darker bronze for the leaves. Then I went in with a light gold to add some highlighting and try to add depth. Painting curving lines is a huge hurdle for me that I can't quite seem to get over but my hand painted leaves have improved. 


     The glitter on my tips is Fantasy Makers Once Upon a Time. I started off by just brushing it on but noticed that I was getting more of the blackened base than I wanted. To fix that I applied the polish to a sponge and that dabbed it on my nail. I like the sponged option much better, don't you?  I topped everything off with Darling Diva's Preformance Enhancing top coat to give it a super glossy finish.

     Anyone remember the very first mani I tried to recreate from Robin Moses? I had an awful time getting the angles right and things just looked off. I haven't mastered the angles yet but see improvement in those tiny little leaves. It's those little victories that I want to share with others, especially those just starting out with nail art, in hopes that it inspires them to not give up, or try something new.  It's the very reason I started this blog in the first place and I'm glad I'm getting back to that after losing my focus for awhile.

     I hope you enjoyed today's post and maybe were inspired to tackle a nail art technique or look you haven't quite mastered yet. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
    
      

Monday, December 11, 2017

6:00 AM

ALiquid Lacquer - Fringe Events release (Press Release)


On the Fringes of Possibility

Happy Holidays to all you wonderful people! Check out this brand new collection inspired by one of my favorite TV shows, Fringe! Genetic mutation, time travel, parallel universes...this show is fabulously weird!

Grab these polishes just in time for holiday gifting!
Anomaly XB-6783746:  A sage green crelly with purple shimmer and iridescent flakies. ($10 for 15ml / $4.50 for 5ml)
Prepare the Laser!: A raspberry red linear holographic with blue sparks and gold flakes. ($11 for 15ml / $5 for 5ml)
Shapeshifter:  A dark teal blue jelly with color-shifting flakies, gold sparks, and holographic shimmer. ($12 for 15ml / $5.50 for 5ml)
There's More Than One of Everything: A mauve grey crelly with navy blue glitter and silver shimmer. ($10 for 15ml / $4.50 for 5ml)
The Man From the Other Side:  A dark taupe grey with plum shimmer and silver flakes. ($10 for 15ml / $4.50 for 5ml)
White Tulip: A dark green jelly with a mix of copper and bronze glitter and shimmer. ($10 for 15ml / $4.50 for 5ml)
Don't forget to join the Facebook fan group to connect with other ALIQUID Lacquer fanatics!
 

See you at the store!


Thursday, December 7, 2017

6:00 AM

Finger Paints - Winter Glaze Collection


     During my Thanksgiving break from school I did a little brick and mortar shopping for polish. My coworkers had given me a gift certificate to Sally Beauty supply and it was burning a hole in my pocket so of course I had to spend it. I came across the Winter Glaze Collection from Finger Paints at the firsts Sally's I stopped at. I grabbed 4 polishes from the display and happily made my purchase. It wasn't until I got home that I found out only 2 of the polishes were from the collection. The other 2 were left over from a summer collection. Of course being the polish hoarder I am I just had to get the rest of the collection. I went to 2 more Sally's but came up short. I was only able to find 4 of the 6 polishes in the collection. Not to worry though, I was able to order the missing 2 online and they should be here shortly. Needless to day this is not an easy collection to track down. 

     I'll be sharing the 4 polishes I was able to find with you today, and I have to say I am extremely impressed with this collection.  Mainstream polishes seem to be stepping up their game lately. Just like Orly, Finger Paints has changed their brush. They no longer have the skinny round brush but have switched to the wider flat brush I'm used to seeing the in the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri line. 

     This will be another picture heavy post so I'll get some particulars out of the way right now.All photos are taken in my light box using daylight bulbs. I'll include how many coats I used for each polish as I go since that is different from polish to polish. Now let's get to the polish!

Piece De Resistance

Burgundy-wine-nail-polish-with-red-shimmer

     Color: Deep rich burgundy wine color with red shimmer.

     Application: The application was a dream with smooth even coverage. Piece De Resistance is extremely pigmented and very opaque. Shown here is 1 perfect coat plus top coat.

Burgundy-wine-nail-polish-with-red-shimmer

Burgundy-wine-nail-polish-with-red-shimmer

     I wouldn't recommend adding a matte top coat to this one as it seems to have made all the shimmer disappear. Although it does look pretty dark and vampy that way. And it does remind me of Mentality Tempest so this would be a great and much safer alternative.

Burgundy-wine-nail-polish-with-red-shimmer


     For my nail art look I stamped with Bundle Monster plate Winter Kingdom BM-XL482 and Hit the Bottle A Glint of Gold. 


     I love everything about this polish. The deep rich color, the smooth formula, the 1 coat coverage. I wouldn't be surprised if it worked well for stamping. 

Easily Noticed

Dark-Navy-Blue-Creme-Nail-Polish

     Color: Extremely dark navy blue creme nail polish that almost looks black on the nail.

      Application: Shown here is 1 perfect, effortless coat plus top coat. Easily Noticed is another highly pigmented, extremely opaque polish with a smooth formula and easy application.

Dark-Navy-Blue-Creme-Nail-Polish

Dark-Navy-Blue-Creme-Nail-Polish

     To dress this color up I added a few Ice Chips from Dollar Nail Art in the color White AB. I'm going to have to play around with these again to see if I can get a smoother application.


     Overall I like the formula and opacity of Easily Noticed. I do think the color is just a bit too dark for me to wear alone again. I do want to test to see if it works for stamping.

Cubism Crimson

True-Red-Jelly-nail-polish-with-red-shimmer

     Color: A true crimson red nail polish with subtle red shimmer and a jelly like finish. 

     Application: The formula was the thinnest of the collection but still very easy to work with. I was able to get smooth even coverage with each coat. I do still have a slight VNL after 2 coats which is typical of a jelly polish. I have a feeling if I'd added a 3rd coat full opacity would be reached. Shown here is 2 coats plus top coat.

True-Red-Jelly-nail-polish-with-red-shimmer

True-Red-Jelly-nail-polish-with-red-shimmer

     For this nail art look I went with the waterfall technique. I used some striping polishes from China Glaze in Black, white, and Silver. You can find these stripers at Sally Beauty Supply also.


     This is another favorite of mine from the collection. I just love how shiny and squishy it looks! Plus I'm a huge fan of bright red nails.

Oh My Gauche

Gold-micro-glitter-nail-polish

     Color: Clear based polish jam packed with yellow gold micro glitter.

     Application: Great coverage with each coat. Typically I'd apply the 2nd coat of glitter polish with a sponge to get full coverage but not this time. I was about to get full even coverage by applying this one just like any other polish. No sponging required! Shown here is 2 coats plus top coat.

Gold-micro-glitter-nail-polish

Gold-micro-glitter-nail-polish

     For my last nail art look I went the free hand route using my China Glaze striping polishes. My idea was to create the look of argyle wrapping paper. The good news is I'm getting better at my freehand work. The bad news is I'm still having issues with the angles of my strokes. But this just gives me something to work on in 2018 and I'm up for the challenge. 


     I have to say I was very impressed with the coverage I was able to get with Oh My Gauche and I like the bright gold color.  The 2 colors I'm missing are also glitter polishes and this one is giving me high hopes for them.

     I'm very glad I picked this collection up and have to say if this is any indication of how Finger Paints polishes are going to be I'll have to pick up future collections. If you can find this collection I suggest snatching up the colors you want,you wont regret it.  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

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