*Nothing to Disclose*

     I've got another Robin Moses inspired look to share with you on the blog today. While this isn't my best work or something that I'm particularly proud of I think it's important to share it. It's important to me because I want to inspire others to try nail art, I want people to see that even though I've been at this for a few years now I still create manicures that aren't perfect and am always learning. I might be getting really good at stamping, or watermarbling but a technique that I consistently come up a bit short on is my freehand painting. And that's what you'll see in this 80's themed funky french manicure.

     While I love my indie polishes, we all have a budget and mine is a bit tighter than most plus I like to be able to run out and get a product if I'm in a crunch, so I'm always on the lookout for less expensive alternatives from brick and mortar stores to use. My favorite matte topcoat is Matterial Girl from Blush Lacquer because it gives a true matte look instead of the semi-matte looks you can get from other top coats. The Pure Ice matte top coat also gives a true matte appearance.

     Which look do you like better the glossy or matte? Do you have a technique that you struggle with a bit? Let me know in the comments and as always Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing! 

*Nothing to Disclose*

     I'm back today with another swatch post from the vault. I actually wore this polish last summer but because my nails were so short at that time I didn't want to share it on the blog. I feel very self-conscious when my nails are super short but I've realized that I need to get over that. My poor nails can't be long all the time, especially with the abuse I put them through between all the polish I wear, the sports I play and all the camping I go on. So here is Chocolate Obsession in all its beautiful holographic glory on my super short nubbin nails. 

*Nothing to Disclose*

     It was just a few days ago when I shared my letter K polish for the Untried A-Z Challenge and here it is, time for my letter L polish. I guess that's what happens when you get behind on blogging! So here is my Untried A-Z Challenge letter L polish, enjoy!

     Since it's summertime and been abnormally hot here lately I chose to go with a bright shade this week. And there's no better way to go bright than with a neon polish. Or in this case a Not Really Neon. Check out Lemonade from the Not Really Neon's Collection released last summer from Polish 'M.

     Lemonade is a bright lemon yellow creme polish. Typically yellow is a hard color for me to wear but I actually like this one. It's so fun and bright plus it makes me look like I have a nice tan. Any polish that makes my tan look better gets bonus points from me. 

     

     Like most neons Lemonade applied a bit streaky on the first coat, thankfully it's a self-leveling polish so the streaks weren't a major issue. This polish builds up nicely on the second coat and I probably could have stopped there if I'd used white undies. I had a few places on my nails that appeared to be patchy so I opted to use 3 coats. Shown here is 3 coats plus a matte top coat. 

     Lemonade dries very quickly and with a matte finish. Just what I would expect from a neon polish. Like I mentioned above I like this polish and would probably wear it on its own in the future. But for this post, I opted to add a little nail art to the mix.

    For this marbled look, I used Creative Shop plate 31 and stamping polishes Straight Up Black and Bami White from Bundle Monster and Slate Stamping Sauce from Sassy Sauce Polish. 

    The completed look is a bit much for me but I do really like how my middle finger turned out. In this case, less is more and I'll have to keep that in mind in the future. And as you can see once again I was inpatient when applying my top coat and smeared my pinky finger terribly. 

     What are your thoughts on yellow polish? Is it a color you can easily wear? If you'd like to join in on the Untried A-Z challenge we will be staring letter M week on June 25th and ending on the 29th. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

     

*Nothing to Disclose*

     I've been a bad blogger lately and there is no excuse for it. It's been almost a month since my last post which makes me sad. If you remember back to my last post I talked about how my nails are in rough shape which has left me feeling unmotivated to blog and life is getting busy with summer upon us. And I'll admit I just haven't tried to make an effort to squeeze in time for blogging. But that all changes now with my letter K polish for the Untried A-Z Challenge. 

     For my letter K polish, I chose Kissful Thinking from Sinful Colors. This polish was released in 2017 as part of the  S.W.A.K Collection. This was a limited edition collection but Sinful Colors has a history of rereleasing colors in their Holiday collections so it may find it's way back to store shelves next year.  While I believe this is meant to be more of a topper than a regular polish I've opted to show it on its own. 

      Kissful Thinking is a pink tinted jelly polish with small white glitters and a few lip shaped gold glitters. 

     The first coat applied easily with a large amount of the smaller white glitters but showed no sign of the pink tint. As you might be able to see from the bottle this polish is very thin so getting the larger shape glitter was pretty much impossible. I had a hard time even getting one on the brush let alone on the nail. After 2 coats you are able to see some of the pink tint but again I had nothing as far as the larger glitters were concerned.

     It took me 20 minutes of fishing around in the bottle to get the 2 glitters you see on the nail. At that point, I was frustrated and decided to give up on getting any more. 

     To be completely honest I'm not a huge fan of the shaped glitters so the fact that they don't easily come out of the bottle isn't that big of a deal. I actually like how this polish looks without them but won't be wearing it alone again. I can see myself using it in a winter manicure though because it reminds me of falling snow. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

*Nothing to Disclose*

     For today's post, I've reached back into my VIP bag from Polishcon Chicago and emerged with V.I.Polish from Girly Bits. I've already shared one polish from the VIP bag with you which was Con Artist and I figured it was about time I shared another. Afterall it has been almost 8 months since the convention and 5 months since I actually wore this polish. 

     

*Nothing to Disclose*

     Can you believe it's already the 10th week of the Untried A-Z Challenge! I feel like it's just flying by, and honestly, I'm falling a bit behind with my planning. Part of that is because life is getting busier and part of it is because my nails have decided to betray me. They are a hot mess right now which is frustrating and making me unmotivated to paint them. anyone else dealing with this same struggle? While I soak my hands in cuticle oil and try to repair the damage our crazy weather has done why don't you enjoy today's Letter J post.

     For my Letter J polish, I chose Juiced from Top Shelf Lacquer. While this is one of my newer untried's its one that is perfect for the warmer months. Juiced was released in 2017 as part of the Drunken Creme Fall Holo Collection. This collection is still available for purchase as a complete collection or individual bottles. 

     Juiced is described on the website as a perfect fall pumpkin orange crème holo polish but for me, it pulls a little pinker giving it an almost salmon like color.  The holo is a bit muted but I actually like it that way, you get a bit of sparkle in the sun but a creme look in regular lighting. 

     The application process was phenomenal, with the polish applying like butter. Everything went on evenly with a nice opacity. I was left with only a slight VNL after the first coat. Shown here is 2 coats plus top coat.

    I actually really like the look of this muted holo. Typically I go for the big holo flame polishes but I might be converting after wearing this. I'm very glad I ended up picking up the entire collection and can't wait to try more of the colors.

     What do you think of the finish on this polish? Are you a fan of the muted holo or do you prefer a stronger holo flame? Let me know what you think in the comments and please consider joining me the week of the 28th for letter K week in the Untried A-Z Challenge. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing! 

*Nothing to Disclose*

     Hey Everyone, I'm back today with some nail art and a tutorial video to share with you. Yes, you read that right, I made a video! It's been so long since I've done one that I bet most of you didn't know that I had a YouTube channel. The inspiration for today's nail art was the Messy Mansions stamping plate I picked up from the March Polish Pickup Books theme. The minute that plate was in my hand I knew I wanted to do an antique paper/parchment look. And I have to say I'm very pleased with how it turned out. 

     I started out with a base of Sinful Colors Coco Bae which is a new addition to their core line for 2018. To get the aged parchment look I sponged around the edges of my nails with two shades of brown acrylic paint using the double ended sponge wand from Clear Jelly Stamper. The lighter color is Golden Brown and the Darker one is just called Brown. 

     For my lettering, I used Hit the Bottle polish The Drunken Elf and the Messy Mansions plate mentioned earlier. If you missed out that plate, any plate with lettering will work. I finished everything off with a layer of Matterial Girl from Blush Lacquer. 

*Nothing to Disclose*

     Today I'm sharing with you a polish that I actually wore back in January. I know I know I'm way behind but I think we can all relate to the statement "So many pretties, so little time." For me, that time I referenced is the time to sit down and actually write a blog post. I was doing really well at the beginning of the year with writing posts in advance but not so much right now. I'm hoping to change that soon but in the meantime why don't we all check out Lagniappe from Tonic Polish.

     My first real experience with Tonix was last fall when I attended Polishcon in Chicago. I had seen the beautiful polishes online but that was nothing compared to seeing them in person. From that moment on I was hooked on Tonic and have ordered a few but this is my first time sharing one on my blog. 

     Lagniappe was released in the fall of 2017 as part of the Secrets and Soulmates Collection. To be completely honest I'm wasn't sure what the name meant or how it fit into this collection theme but I knew that I loved it and had to have it. I have since found out the Lagniappe means something given as a bonus or extra gift.

    This polish is a purple linear holo with green to magenta shifting flakes. The flakes are very subtle and seem to be more visible to the naked eye than on camera. The formula was sensational with a smooth and even application. I've shown it here as two coats plus top coat. 

*Nothing to Disclose*

     Hey Everyone, I'm back with another quick post to share with you today. I know a lot of my posts have been quick ones lately but what can I say, the weather gets nicer and I get busier. Spring has finally arrived here in Minnesota and with that brings softball, volleyball, camping and a girls weekend away. That last one happens to be this weekend and I am so excited for it. My girlfriends from Highschool and I are getting away to celebrate the fact that we all turned 40 this year. But before I get to celebrating I need to share with you Biz-Myth-Icorn from LynBDesigns.