Monday, November 16, 2015

6:00 AM

Daily Lacquer - Narwahl


    A while back I won a giveaway and because I suffer from mom brain so badly I cant remember who's giveaway it was. But the prize was 2 polishes form Daily Lacquer. Oh and if you're wondering what mom brain is don't worry you definitely don't have it. Now where was I, oh yes , the Daily Lacquer Polish... Today I'm sharing my thoughts on Narwahl. An icy blue  lightly scattered holographic polish.

Narwahl-from-Daily-Lacquer-an-icy-blue-scattered-holographic-nail-polish

     This beauty is surprisingly opaque on the first coat with buttery smooth application. Shown here is 2 coats plus top coat. On it's own Narwahl dries to a matte finish. I liked it better glossy because it brought out more of the holo. Although its hard to see in this photo... but then next one is just out of focus enough to get a glimpse of it. 


     Like a lot of blue polishes this one is a stainer. Even with a base coat my nails were left with a blue tint and I only wore it for about half an hour. So double up on that base coat is you want to wear this beauty for any length of time. 


     This polish is actually a lot prettier in real life, and I feel bad that I wasn't able to capture all of its glory in my pictures. I really need to get my light box back situation fixed and soon! I'll have to add it to my forever growing list of things to do if I ever remember where I put it. I swear I used to be more organized and less scatter brained before I had to remember 4 peoples schedules, what time the kids favorite shows were on and what channels, who wont eat what this week, and which kid still needs a bath. I know all you fellow mothers out there can relate. 

     So that's all I have for you today, I'm off to help with 4th grade math, 6th grade science and 1st grade reading. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

6:00 AM

Sinful Colors - Midnight Blue


     We are half way through the week and I am completely exhausted! I don't know if the time change finally caught up with me or what but I can't seem to be stuck in a semi-conscious state these days. So please forgive me but this post is going to be short and sweet but picture heavy. We all just like looking at the pictures anyway right? Well sit back and prepare to be awed by Sinful Colors Midnight Blue from the 2011(holiday) Wish Collection. 

Sinful-colors-wish-collection-midnight-blue

    Midnight Blue is a bright blue metallic polish and while it is gorgeous it will stain so make sure to use a VERY good base coat. I actually ended up using 2 and had no issues. 1 was a ridge filler and the other was a basic base coat I added as a precaution. 


     Application was smooth and easy while being extremely opaque on the first coat. Shown here is 2 coats plus top coat.


   I have never loved a blue nail polish so much. Just look at it! And of course because it was so opaque I had to test it for stamping. 


    I used Cult Nails Disciplined as my base (still heartbroken over their closing) and Kaleidoscope plate 05 from MoYou London. My hunch was right, this beauty stamped like a dream.



     If you're still looking for that perfect rich blue polish than this one is it. I still see it on the shelf when I go to Walgreens, its got a fantastic formula, the price couldn't be any better and it stamps! What more could you ask for from a nail polish? Although I guess self application and removal would be pretty awesome. Id love to hear your thoughts on Midnight Blue or another Sinful Colors polish you absolutely love. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Monday, November 9, 2015

6:00 AM

Quick and Simple Dotticure


     It's Monday again, how the heck did that happen! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. Mine was filled with pictures from my hunting friends with their latest hunting victories. While I'm happy for them I've seen enough deer to last a life time. So to take my mind off of it I did a lot of swatching and nail art. Today I've got a quick post showing a very simple dotticure featuring 2 new to me indies. And coincidentally both polishes that I received in swap packages. 


     For this look I wanted to go with colors that were on the darker side and created a dramatic effect when paired together. And guessing by the number of compliments I got I think I nailed it.

     I started with a base of '84 Charring Cross Road from Literary Lacquers. a sepia taupe subtle scattered holographic polish with silver glass flack.  This is one beautiful polish and I'm so glad it was the first one I got to try from Literary Lacquers. 

    

    My accent nail is Ninja Polish Divinity, a gorgeous red to gold shifting polish that looks like a duo chrome but is really a shimmer. 

    A single line of dots in '84 Charring Cross Road adds the finishing touch and ties both color together. Simple, easy but effective, don't ya think? 

     Well that's all I've got for you today. I know this was a quick post but honestly the pictures speak for themselves. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Friday, November 6, 2015

6:00 AM

40 Great Nail Art Ideas - Black and White


          Its time once again for another look from the 40 Great Nail Art Looks Challenge. For those of you who don't know, This challenge is set up a bit differently than most. For starters, there is the option to do weekly manicures with one week dedicated to themes, and one to colors. Or you can do every other week and stick with themes only or colors only. For the color portion of the challenge, each person is also assigned a pattern. The end result is 40 different looks all done in the same colors. If you saw my Teal or Orange, Purple and Green manicures you already know that I picked the every other week color option of the challenge.

    This week the colors given to us were black and white and my pattern is swirls. I took a liberal or should I say creative approach with my pattern with a look originally done by Chalkboard Nails. (if you click on the link it will take you to the video tutorial.)



     And here is my finished look. I went for swirling smoke and sort of love how it turned out. Especially my pointer finger! Which of course is the last finger I did. Why is it that the last one always turns out the best? Do I really learn that much in 4 fingers about what not to or what to do?  Maybe that's one of the great nail art mysteries that I will never find the answer to.


    So to create this manicure I started out with 1 coat of Finger Paints Black Expressionism. Yes, you read that right 1 coat. This is seriously my favorite black nail polish! After that was dry I added a layer of top coat and waited about 15 minutes for it to dry before adding another generous layer of top coat.  This is a very important step because you need to protect your base color from the acetone when making the "smoke".

     After I was 100% sure my top coat was completely dry I added a little swoosh of white polish with my white striper and dabbed a flat brush dipped in acetone over it to get the effect. Doing one nail at a time until I was happy with the way it looked. 


     This is actually a really easy technique and I can see myself trying it out with a lot of color combinations.  I wonder how well it would work with a glitter polish? I might have to try that for the holidays. 

    Do you think I went too far outside the box for this to be considered swirls or do you like my creative take on the pattern? Let me know in the comments and be sure to check out the other looks created for today's challenge. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Thursday, November 5, 2015

6:00 AM

MoYou London - The Festive Collection Part 3 (Press Release)


     This Friday MoYou London is releasing 9 new plates in their Festive Collection. I don't know about you but I wasn't quite ready to get into the Christmas Spirit , especially since it's been uncharacteristically warm here for the last few days.  70 degrees in November in unheard of in Minnesota! Seeing these plates has jump started my holiday manicure planning and gotten me a little bit closer to feeling that holiday cheer. There are only 6 more Fridays until Christmas after all.

     These plates will help you create a prefect manicure for those Ugly Christmas sweater parties that have become so popular over the years. But the manicure ideas don't stop there. Plate 30 has the option to capture the joy of Santa delivering presents to all the good little girls and boys. I've never done a scene manicure before but this is tempting me. 

Xmas is the most magical time of the year,
candy canes, warm sweaters, hot chocolate, family dinners and presents!
We wanted to share that feeling in the shape of nine new Festive Plates full of pretty designs to make your nails as magical as this season.


Check out our latest Xmas Jumper manicure tutorial!


Need a boost of nailspiration?
CHECK OUT OUR
↝ BLOG  ↜
for a dose of tips,tricks and trends!

Heavy black heart Lots of love! Heavy black heart
The MoYou London Team

   MoYou plates can be purchased in their shop. As mentioned above these plates will be available Friday November 6th.   Plates are £4.99 each or about $8 US. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

6:00 AM

China Glaze - Your Touch


     Happy Hump day Everyone! I hope your week is off to a good start. As of Monday I am down to just 1 full time job instead of 2 part time ones and hopefully that will free up some time for my blogging. I've missed posting on a consistent basis and hearing your thoughts. 

     Speaking of thoughts, Id love to hear yours on today's polish. Originally released as part of the Holiday Fine Wine and Chocolate collection (2007) and is now part of the core line, I think  China Glaze Your Touch is a great color for fall.  A dusty rose brown with golden shimmer. I don't know about you but I tend to go in spurts with my color choices. I go through phases where I'm drawn to pinks or coppers or reds. It doesn't always follow the seasons but right now it seems to. I've been drawn to the deep rich colors I see in the leaves around me. 

Your-Touch-China-Glaze-Fine-Arts-and-Chocolate-Collection-2007

     Shown here is 2 coats plus top coat in natural light. Application is smooth and even with a few pesky brush strokes here and there. But they are not as visible as my camera wants to make them out to be.  And for a shimmer it's pretty opaque. I'm very tempted to stamp with it. I didn't do that this time but I do have a little nail art to share at the end of my post. 


    If you're in the market for a great earthy tone that isn't a neutral Id say Your Touch is a great polish to pick up. In certain lighting you get this really cool coppery effect that is just stunning. 


    Now about that nail art I mentioned earlier... the original idea came from a video I saw online by @nailyourideas but mine didn't turn out quite the same. I still love the look but need to apologize for the sub-par cell phone shot. 


    I used Essie Good as Gold to create my accent nail and play up the golden shimmer in Your Touch. This was a very easy look to create but I need to "swoosh" the polish around a bit more next time to really nail it. That's all I've got for you today, be sure to check back Friday where I'll have another look for the 40 Great Nail Art Ideas Challenge. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing! 

Monday, October 26, 2015

6:00 AM

Square Hue October Box - Decades Collection the '90s


     Today I have the October Box from Square Hue to share with you. Square Hue is a monthly subscription box with 2 very affordable options. Box # 2 contains 2 polishes for $10.99 +$5 shipping and Box #3 contains 3 polishes for $14.99 + $5 shipping. 

     For the October Box, they are taking us through the 90's with their decade collection. From the very early 90's with Madonna singing Vogue to our troop fighting in the Gulf war all the way to the end when people thought the world would end with Y2K. 


    Kicking this post off is Vogue, a crimson red with golden shimmer. All photos are shown with 2 coats plus top coat. 


     The application was good with nice coverage on the first coat, some minimal streaks but nothing that was too much of a pain. 2 coats are needed to reach full opacity. The formula on this one has a nice consistency but as you can see it's a bit of a stainer. Thankfully it doesn't stain the nails though. 



    I really like colors like this and can see myself reaching for it again, especially during the holiday season. 

     Next up is Desert Storm, a sandy beige creme polish. Again this is shown as 2 coats plus top coat.


     While not as opaque as I was expecting one the first coat, the application was was smooth, and even. 



    For me personally, this is a pretty blah looking nude and not a color I would pick out. I do think it fits the name well and can see it being used for beach manicures and some nail art. 

     Rounding out the box is Y2K.  A dark steely grey with silver micro-shimmer. Shown here is 2 coats plus top coat. 


     The formula on this one is pretty thin and I've heard about people having issues with it pooling at the cuticles.  I didn't have that issue but it was very streaky and sheer on the first coat. I thought I would need 3 for full opacity but Y2K built up nicely and only 2 were needed.  I was hoping for a bit more shimmer from this and was a little disappointed that it looks so flat on the nail. I do like that for a metallic there are no brushstrokes. 



     I do like the color of Y2K but I honestly don't see myself wearing it a lot. I don't tend to wear dark grey or black nail polish all that often. I do see it working out nicely as an accent nail color or as a base for some bright nail art. 

     Overall I was happy with my first subscription box. I know when you purchase items like this that you won't always love every color, and things can be hit and miss. I do like that it forced me to try a color that I never would have on my own because sometimes you can find a real gem that way. 

     If you'd like more information about Square Hue make sure to check out their website, follow them on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and even Twitter. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Friday, October 23, 2015

6:00 AM

40 Great Nail Art Ideas - Orange, Purple and Green


     Its time once again for another look from the 40 Great Nail Art Looks Challenge. For those of you who don't know, This challenge is set up a bit differently than most. For starters, there is the option to do weekly manicures with one week dedicated to themes, and one to colors. Or you can do every other week and stick with themes only or colors only. For the color portion of the challenge, each person is also assigned a pattern. The end result is 40 different looks all done in the same colors.  If you caught my Teal manicure a few posts back you already know that I picked the color/pattern option. If not don't worry there's still time for you to read it. 

    This week my pattern was stripes and I had an idea of what I wanted to do immediately, a reciprocal gradient! I used all Sinful Colors polishes for this manicure starting with a base of Snow me White.

    For the Gradient, I used Enchanted (purple) Clementine (orange) and Exotic Green. Once it was dry I placed striping tape vertically on my nail, rotated my sponge 180 degrees and repeated the gradient process. 


 Oh, wait, scratch that. That was my original idea for a mani but as you can see it didn't turn out as cool as it looked in my head. In fact, I only ended up doing one nail and then realized it wasn't going to work.  Having an odd number of colors throws off the reciprocal part, at least for me. The solid orange in the middle hides the fact that the stripes only go half way on the nail.   Good thing I had a backup idea.....


     Now, this is an orange, purple and green striped manicure don't you think! I kept my original gradient idea and the Sinful polishes, except for Snow me White. I switched it out for KB Shimmer Hexy Bikini. 


     Having a glittery base for this was a bit of outside the box thinking for me. I love glitter polishes, love the look when other people use them as bases for nail art, but never thought to reach for one to combine with a gradient. But I'm  really glad that I did because I love the finished look! It almost makes me forget about the mani fail from earlier.... almost.


    Now I don't know if it's the Halloween season, the color combo or the combination of both but when I look at this I'm reminded of those striped stocking associated with Witches. What do you think?  After you tell me your thoughts on that, be sure to check out the other looks created for the challenge. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Thursday, October 22, 2015

6:00 AM

MoYou London - The Explorer Collection Part 2 (Press Release)


     What's the latest news from MoYou London? This Friday they will be releasing 2 new plates in the Explorer Collection. Themed Sugar Skulls and Catrinas these images are sure to bring out the Dia de Los Muertos side in anyone. Let's take a look....

✽ Sugar Skulls and Catrinas ✽

Nora travelled to Mexico to bring you these spooky and beautiful two new plates full of traditional sugar skulls and Catrinas. 
Now you can celebrate the "Día de los Muertos" with colourful and pretty nails and share your love for tradition, culture and fashion, all in one.

Loving skull themed manis?
Check out our latest Alex McQueen inspired nail art tutorial!

Need a boost of nailspiration?
CHECK OUT OUR
↝ BLOG  ↜ 
for a dose of tips,tricks and trends!

Heavy black heart Lots of love! Heavy black heart
The MoYou London Team


   MoYou plates can be purchased in their shop. As mentioned above these plates will be available Friday October 23rd.   Plates are £4.99 each or about $8 US. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

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