*Nothing to Disclose*

     Happy Friday!!! Who's ready to get their weekend started? As I mentioned in my post on Wednesday I'm headed out for a weekend vacation with some friends, what I didn't tell you was that we are spending our time camping and tubing/canoeing down a river. With as hot as it's been here lately, I hope we all don't fry to death. The heat index here yesterday reached 117!  Can you say hot! Speaking of hot, I've got a sexy color from China Glaze to share with you today. So turn up the a/c grab a beverage of your choice sit back, relax and get ready to discover China Glaze Ravishing Dahling. 

*Nothing to Disclose*

     How is everyone's week treating them so far? Mine has been a little hectic. Not only did I go back to work for summer school but I decided that I'd try to squeeze in 2 family vacations in 8 days. One heading south for the weekend with friends, and the other headed way up north for the week with family. So I've been busy packing, figuring out menus, and racing to get laundry done. By the time Friday rolls around I'm going to need these vacations! I decided that since I've got so much going on and 4 blog posts to write before I leave that I'd keep them short and simple, maybe try to keep a little sanity. With that in mind today I'll be sharing with you an older polish from Finger Paints; A Heart for Art.

     Released in 2011 I  picked A Heart for Art up from the clearance rack at Sally's around 2 years ago. Sadly I'm not sure what collection it was a part of and my searches online have come up with nothing so I'm assuming it was part of their core line. But if someone else knows the answer please let me know in the comments.

*Press Release*

     MoYouLondon just released a new collection! This 9 plate collection contains images with some amazing patterns. Just looking at these plates gives me several manicure ideas! Let's take a look.

*Nothing to Disclose*

     It's time once again for another comparison post! I just love these kinds of posts, don't you?  This time around I'll be comparing Orly Beautiful Disaster to China Glaze Flying Dragon. Both polishes are a beautiful, red-violet color often referred to as a deep tone of rosy magenta. This similarity is what caught my eye and made me wonder just how close these nail polishes really are.

     

    When comparing Beautiful Disaster and Flying Dragon in the bottle you can tell that these two are very close. Beautiful Disaster is a darker shade and leans more purple. But as we all know what you see isn't always what you get. Some nail polishes dry darker or take on a different undertone.At this point, I'm not convinced one way or the other if these are dupes or not. I had to investigate further.... I had to see them on my nails.

     Well, there's no denying it, they are much closer on the nail but these two polishes are not dupes. I used 2 coats plus top coat for this comparison. Beautiful Disaster shown on my pinky and middle finger dries to a shimmery high gloss finish. Flying Dragon shown on my ring and pointer finger dries to a matte finish. The addition of a top coat brought out some shimmer which I wasn't expecting from a neon polish and, made the colors appear to be closer than they really are.

     I decided that in order to do this post correctly I needed to show what the polishes looked like without top coat. See what I mean when I say the top coat made them appear closer than they really are.


      

     The application process was surprisingly similar. Like most neons, Flying Dragon was a bit streaky on the first coat but built up nicely with the second. As I mentioned in my previous post, Beautiful Disaster also had some streaks and patchiness with the first coat, builds up nicely after applying the second but like a true shimmer finish has a few brush strokes. 

     Final verdict: while these polishes have similar undertones, they are not dupes. The colors are similar shades of red-violet but the finish is what really separates these two. Which one would I buy? Both! The differences are enough that there's room in any nail polish collection for each one. And the price points are pretty much the same for each brand. My question for you is, if you could only have one which one would you choose? 

     That's it for this segment of Put Up Your Dupes. I'm off to look at my collection for more possible dupes. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

*Press Sample*

 
     Did you happen to see the teaser I posted to Instagram a few days ago? Well if you did happen to catch it, you may have noticed the uber textured accent nail. Not sure what I'm talking about?  Shame on you for not following me on Instagram. Only kidding. For those of you who missed it, here's the picture again.

     OK, now that we're all on the same page I wanted to tell you that that isn't just any regular texture. It's a super blinged out nail thanks to the new CrystalPixie from Swarovski. Tiny little gems that pack a ton of sparkle. I'll show you the full manicure a little later on in the post so be sure to stick around for that.

     Today as you might have guessed my post is all about a new line of nail art products from Swarovski. "Swarovski is the premium brand for the finest crystal embellishments since 1895. It is recognized for its innovative excellence and its collaborations with top-class designers. Now you can  experience the beauty of Swarovski crystals on your nails with a sparkling manicure." I was sent 4 packages of items to review. 2 Motif's containing a variety of Swarovski crystals and metallic shapes and 2 sets of CrystalPixie's in Black and White.



 
     For my first look, I used the neutral colored Trends Motif and tried to recreate one of the looks on the packaging. My attempt was only semi-successful because I started off placing my first gem in the wrong place which threw everything off. What's the best thing to do in that situation? Go big and cover the entire nail in gems!

*Gift*

     Happy Friday!! And not just any Friday, but a holiday weekend Friday for those of us that Celebrate the 4th of July.  Whos ready for a nail polish post from me? It feels like forever since I've written about nail polish, and I might be a bit rusty so bear with me. It would have been pretty good planning on my part if I kicked things off with a 4th of July manicure but that would have required me having my act together and lately that isn't happening. Instead, you'll have to settle for the jaw-dropping awesomeness that is Ninja Polish Divinity.

     Divinity is just one of the polishes available from the Enigma collection which unfortunately is currently out of stock. I actually received mine in a swap package a few months back. It's my one and only polish from Ninja Polish. but it certainly won't be my last.

     Trying to describe this polish is a bit tricky for me because every time I look at it I see something new. At first glance of the bottle you see a sparkle red polish, but once on the nail, you see so much more. The multi-chrome polish shift from red, to green, to orange and yellow. I even caught a glimpse of purple leaning magenta flashes at one point.

      The application on this one is a bit fussy if you're not used to sheer at first polishes. If you're going for even coverage on the first coat chances are you'll end up with some dragging. It's best to use multiple thin coats and let the beauty build. I have to admit that on the first coat I was a little nervous because the polish was so sheer and very purple leaning magenta. Which was a gorgeous color but I was looking forward to the gorgeous red I saw in the bottle. Turns out I had nothing to fear. Divinity builds up nicely and I reached full opacity and the red color I wanted after 2 coats.  Depending on how thinly you apply your polish you may need a 3rd coat.

Photo was taken under incandescent lights

Photo was taken in full Sun

     I should know after all these years to not expect what I see in the bottle to be what I see on the nail. Indie Makers are getting so good at mixing all the different pigments and glitters to create unique and interesting nail polishes.

Photo was taken under incandescent light

Photo was taken in full sun

       As if this polish isn't rich enough on its own, I had to add a stamped accent nail. I decided on something simple but rich looking to go along with the decadent feel of Divinity.



     I used Milani Black Swift and Bundle Monster plate bm-309 for my finished look. What do you think? I enjoyed wearing Divinity so much that I wore it as a pedicure too. One of the few times that my toes matched my nails. And I can't forget the quick and simple dotticure I did using Divinity as an accent.

     I hope you enjoyed my first post back. It was a little rough going in places I know, but I'll get better as I write more posts.  Of course it doesn't help that I wrote my notes for this post almost 6 months ago and to be honest they weren't very good notes. Let me know in the comments what your must have Ninja Polish is whether you own it or it's on your wish list. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

*Nothing to Disclose*

     Hello, everyone, it's been way too long since I 've written! As some of you may know google recently put the hammer down on links in blog posts. Every link  in every single one of my previous posts needed to be changed. Now I was already feeling a bit ho-hum about blogging and having to change my links was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back.  I missed blogging but the thought of having my post blocked by google until I fixed everything was daunting if not discouraging, to say the least. 

     About 2 months ago I decided that enough was enough and I needed to get back to blogging. I missed it, and all the people in the nail polish community. So I sat down each and every night after the kids were in bed and began the tedious task I had been avoiding. I was hoping to have a complete blog makeover done but that plan has been put on the back burner for now. My head is still spinning from fixing links in 417 posts. 

    I may decide to tackle the makeover myself soon or see if it's something I can afford to hire out. If it's the later, I better figure out what I want.

     Now google hasn't removed the "block" on my page yet, and they said it would take a few weeks, but I'm anxious to get back into the swing of things.  I have no idea how many of you  are actually  able to see my posts, and I know it's going to be a long road back to getting readers, but I'm up for the challenge. I even have a great support system behind me this time. 

     Right now my goal is to have at least 2 posts a week, and work my way up to 3 depending on how much free time I have.  Since my last post I have gotten a full-time position at the blind school became "pre-engaged"  (there's a ring on my finger but it's not official yet) and have begun house hunting. 

     So as you can see I have a lot of balls in the air right now, and I just keep adding more! I am happier than I've been in a long time and look forward to sharing all of it with you. So be on the lookout for a new nail polish post on Friday because I'm ready to kick off July with a bang!

     Thanks for stopping by and as always, Happy Polishing!

*Press Sample*

      Today I have for my thoughts on the Autism Awareness box being released this Friday April 1st at 5pm est from Nail Jewelry Bling. April is Autism Awareness Month and as some of you know this subject is near and dear to my heart. I work with autistic children everyday and I love it. It has some challenges because they are also visually impaired and mostly nonverbal. But I think it's important to get people talking about autism because so that the taboos of the word alone can be erased and an understanding can be found. 

    Now this is going to be a very picture heavy post so in case you don't make it all the way down to the end I'll get all the important  info to you now. Like I mentioned above this polish duo is releasing Friday April 1st at 5pm est. There are several options for you to purchase. I'll be reviewing the full box in this post so you'll get to see all the options.  Individual prices for these polishes are $6.50 for mini's (7.5 ml)  or $13 for full sized (15 ml) The vinyls can be purchased for $6. You can purchase the box for $30 which contains a full sized polish in each color, a sheet of 20 (x2) stencils and a sample of cuticle balm. *the sample is only available with the purchase of the box* All prices include shipping for the US, but international is available at a fee. 

      Whew! That was a lot of information. How about we look at some pictures of pretty polish? There are a lot of them, it might be a good idea to get yourself a beverage and settle in. I'll start off by showing some full sun shots, add my thoughts about each polish and then show some light box shots and nail art.