First Halloween Mani of the Season!

Yay! It's that time of year now, finally! I love the autumn air so so so much. I'm also singing into my brush Beyonce's "Best Thing I Never Had" feeling all these womanly empowerment feelings.  Some of you may know I am going through the break up from hell, more of you may not. I'm healing.  Still hurt, but healing.  Ok I need to stop singing so I can type easier.

FIRST HALLOWEEN MANI OF THE SEASON! YAY!

I'll explain how I got to that picture above now, it was quite fun wearing it.  I wore FOUR coats of WnW Sunny Side Up. Holy hell, that was a pain to apply. It needed four coats. Streaky streaky.  I couldn't reach opacity until I did the fourth coat.  Once I did though, it was smooth and pretty.

Four coats. OTD TC.

Sunny Side Up aka Bic Lighter Orange

Such a happy color!

I'm glad this polish evened out.  I was about to through it across the room because I didn't think there was much hope for it.  This is four coats over Nailtek II Foundation with Out the Door topcoat. And now the fun happens:

Two coats pumpkin polish + one coat WnW Tangled in my Web

The pumpkin polish I got at Rite Aid for $1.99 - it has black and coppery-orange bar glitter.  I put WnW Tangled in my Web over that. Click to see the details of the glitters.

Ah! My right hand!

I never use my right hand as my swatch hand for obvious reasons but I had to this time around.  I destroyed my left hand's mani with some bad ideas and streaking from a bright idea I had.  The photos are strange, weird angles, poor lighting.. I couldn't photograph these nicely with my left hand, at all. I tried my best though!

And now some completely unrelated girl-getting-over-her-ex-lyrics-that-hopefully-help-because-they're-somewhat-relatable!

Beyonce:
Thank god you blew it
Thank god I dodged the bullet

 Pia Toscano:
This time, this time I'm gonna do it my away
This time, I'm finding out the hard away
This time, I'm gonna go back to the girl I was on the night you found me

Don't worry girls, I got this. I think..

Two Holo NOTDs: Chainmail Charm & All Hail the Queen

Holographic polishes make me so happy. So so so happy.  They're so pretty, eye-catching and unique.  I have two holo NOTDs to show you from this week.  Nothing fancy, they're spectacular on their own.

The first is Diamond Cosmetics Chainmail Charm.  This is my first Diamond Cosmetic polish and I am thoroughly pleased!  I know nothing about the company or its reputation but I received this in a swap.  I basically told my swapper friend to surprise me since I didn't care what I got, I just didn't want a double. It's a beautiful charcoal almost black holo.  It may actually be black, I'm going by what my eyes see.

Two coats of Chainmail Charm over WnW Black Creme.

Stunning!

Since returning to school and having night classes, I've become semi-nocturnal and don't have much free time during daylight hours.  The beauty of this polish is surely stunted by my 'natural' light bulb but it does show most of its beauty.  Formula was great; no complaints.

My second holo NOTD is Butter London All Hail the Queen.  I had no idea this was even a holo until I put it on.  The lights at Ulta washed this out so bad in the store, and it just looked like a pretty sandy shimmer to me.  Butter London is another brand I know nothing about; I've never looked up swatches or anything.  These were simply a compulsive whim purchase on my birthday when they were having their BOGO sale. I'm glad I took the plunge!

Three coats.  The lighting does NO justice.

A lovely sandy holo. Yum!

All Hail the Queen is so unique in its own right.  I have nothing that compares and if you were going to make the $14 plunge for a Butter London, I suggest this one wholeheartedly!  This was 3 thin coats and the formula is INCREDIBLE.  No streaking, it dried fast (as most holos do) and probably could've been a 2-coater but I usually apply 3 out of habit.

Happy Happy Holos!

*This is definitely a click-to-enlarge-for-detail kind of post.

Classic French Manicure + How to Tips

French manicures seem to be a love or hate type of deal.  Whether you think they're dated, tacky, classy or pretty - everyone has their opinion. I just happen to LOVE the look mostly because I love how they make my hands look.  I was fiddling around and found some new "tricks" for making them a bit easier to do.  But let me start with the finished product:

This is what I ended with by doing a few simple things that I hadn't thought of before.

• I used Konad Special White polish instead of a regular white polish or white nail art polish.  It's much more opaque and if you need to correct any streaks, it dries much quicker.  
• You still need to remove the nail guides quickly, but the Konad polish doesn't drip down.  In past experiences, I've had to sort of glob on more white nail polish (for opacity) which would run or take too long to dry.
• I painted the white directly onto bare nail. No basecoat.  If you mess up, correction is quicker.  You can use a paint brush dipped in acetone to shape/clean/correct without any problems because there is nothing underneath.
• Remember to wrap your tips with polish well, since there is no basecoat underneath you'll need all the staying power you can get.

This is Konad Special White directly on my bare nails.  The white is a little harsh on its own, so I used two coats of Orly Nail Armor, which has a slight beige tint to it, over this.  The polish dried super quickly, so there was no streaking.

After the Nail Armor dried, which didn't take long since its a base coat, I put on a decal on each ring finger that I recieved from the bornprettystore.  After that, one coat of Out the Door Topcoat.

Thanks for reading! (=

Birthday Haul + Orly Fowl Play (PIC HEAVY)

I had a pretty horrendous birthday but I'm tired of thinking about it, so I will try to just post the positives and keep my head up.

I got Fowl Play for my birthday from my dear BFF Coryn. IT'S GORGEOUS.

Three coats of Fowl Play + OTD TC

It's just perfect!

 I wanted to "sandwich" the konading but my application was sloppy.  I'm going to have to try this again and do a better job of it because I think it has the potential to look amazing.

And then I got some presents..

China Glaze Frosty
Orly Fowl Play
OPI I Eat Mainely Lobster

These were 3 polishes I wanted and kept talking about, finally Coryn tells me not to buy them because she was getting them for my birthday. Yay (= Thanks love! They're fabulous.

No More Waity, Katie
Primrose Hill Picnic
Victoriana
All Hail the Queen

These were a gift to myself.  Ulta was having a BOGO sale and I couldn't resist!  Normally $14 a piece, I got all of these for $28.  I'm wearing All Haul the Queen right now, its amazing and I'll post pics sometime soon.

Ulta Envy
Ulta Army of One
Debora Lippmann Glitter in the Air

The Utlas were from me too, but dear Daddy got me GiTA!  It's incredible and my first high end polish!

My sister got me this chic grown up looking case
for my not so grown up DSi XL.

And this cutesy mouse pad (I haven't had one in years!)

She got me TONS of other stuff.  A cute Hello Kitty pillow and blanket set, some pink scissors (she lost mine), a new mouse for my netbook, a game for my DS and more. She made me feel so special.

!!!!!!!!!!

My great aunt bought me this pink sapphire ring. I LOVE IT.

It looks cute as a thumb ring (shown here), too.  I love it so much. Yay for presents!

Revlon Royal Cloak

Just a quick post before I head off to bed.  But I finally found Relvon Royal Cloak.  After seeing so many amazing swatches I decided I needed it.  I went to 7 different places and finally found it in a Walgreens by my school. Yay!! And then I found them at Harmon by my work for less. Boo!!  Anyways, onto the beauty that is Royal Cloak.

2 coats.

There was a couple bare spots. I need to apply in well lit areas from now on. Will do.

CLICK to enlarge this one! Please!

It's so pretty (= Applied like a dream. The formula is wonderful. That is all.

OPI Road House Blues + Klean Color Tiara Gold

I originally wanted to make this a jelly sandwich but then realized 1. OPI RHB isn't a jelly and 2. I don't even have a blue jelly.  So I decided on a simpler approach.

Seen above is two coats of OPI Road House Blues with one coat of Klean Color Tiara Gold.  Tiara Gold is somewhat of a crapshoot, as you can see.  My ring finger is covered in glitter while the rest of the nails are more sparse.  Once I got the glitter on my ring finger, I couldn't get it off without smudging, so I just left it as is.  The other nails looked much better in my opinion though.

And then! I made it matte!

Something nautical about this, amirite?

I used Hard Candy's mattifying topcoat; at the time of these pictures it already started to wear off.  I'll be sure to get pics at a better time next time.

Ulta Concrete Evidence

Back to school, yea? Yea.  Fortunately I only attend two days a week but I spend most of my Tuesday there.  I think I may lose my mind seeing as I'm taking Shakespeare Survey and haven't a clue how to interpret his plays.  I need those special books that 'translate' old English into current English.

My first day back was last Tuesday and it rained and rained. OK actually - it POURED.  I did my nails the night before and coincidentally it was the perfect color.  Ulta Concrete Evidence.

Three coats of Concrete Evidence

I think I may have a new found love for gray cremes.  This may not have been the best match for my skin tone but there was something sort of chic to it.  Made me feel a little fancy.  This needed 3 coats as it isn't very opaque but I'm a pretty habitual 3-coater.  I think you could get away with two coats.

I bought these at Ulta for $2.  I believe they are still having the sale but this bottle was $2 because it was in the discontinued bottle. While the newer bottles may look nicer, there is actually more polish in the old bottles.  New bottles have .33 fl oz while the old ones have .40 fl oz.

NOTD: Color Club Space Case

OH I LOVE IT.  It's obnoxious and bright and livened up a rainy day for me.  I felt twelve while wearing it but it is definitely a unique polish and a one-of-a-kind in my collection.  I realize this may not be everyone's cup of tea, it has a bold personality, but it so different.

Two coats of 'Space Case', No TC

There is holographic glitter in there, but it doesn't show too much.  When I was removing it, however, the holo finally showed its face and was everywhere.  It also shows holo in the bottle too.  It didn't show much on my nails in any sort of light, though.  But that's OK, I really love it despite that.

Two coats, no TC.

Two coats plus one coat of
Hard Candy Matte Top Coat

OPI "Swimsuit... Nailed It!" + haul!

I did some shopping on the same day my online order came.  I was crazy overwhelmed by my choices but decided on "Swimsuit...Nailed It!" with some accents and stuff.

One coat of OPI "Swimsuit... Nailed It!" topped with
Funky Fingers "Down to Earth"

I tried doing a half moon mani but had the guides up too high.  I don't hate the result though, it was a different look for sure.  I only put one coat of "Down to Earth" so it's a little splotchy and there are some bare spots that you can see the blue peeking through.  The finish is the same though so the contrast really popped!

Before I did that though, I had "Crown Me Already!" as an accent.

Three coats of "Crown Me Already!" on ring finger

I have a truly difficult time wearing glitters.  I habitually peel it off almost as soon as it sets.  It is such a unique and pretty color though, it is a great addition to my collection.

"Swimsuit... Nailed It!" is a one coater which means its great for a quick mani.  It is super pigmented though which also means it stains.  It penetrated my NailTekII Foundation base coat and I had to buff away the stains.  The strange part about it was that only a few nails were stained?  I don't know what that means but it does have the potential to stain.  I suggest doubling up on a basecoat or wear this around the same time you're due for a buffing.

"Crown Me Already!" is such a show stealer!  It has multiple sized silver glitters but application was a tiny bit tricky; it is so densely packed with glitter that some will inevitably hang off the edge of your nail.  I had to push it back with the brush to keep them from dangling.  I am thinking this would make a great New Year's Eve manicure.

On to the new additions.  I feel like a horrific blogger because I cannot remember where my online order came from.  I think it was head2toe, but I could be wrong.  I had placed it a while ago, before Irene, had sort of forgotten about it.  Anyways:

ChG "Strawberry Fields"
ChG "Shower Together"
Essie "Smooth Sailing"
Essie "Turquoise and Caicos"

Color Club "Untamed Luxury"
Color Club "Space Case"
essence colour & go "You Belong To Me"

The essence polish is from Ulta actually, I grouped it wrong.  And speaking of Ulta, for once the clueless SA actually benefited me.  I was asking about a sale in the flyer I saw and she thought I wanted to look at the discontinued bottles. She went in back and wheeled out trays of the old bottles that were still for sale. They have the same polish in them but Ulta has since changed their bottles.  I got my Ulta polishes shown here for $2 AND they have more in the bottles.  The new bottles have .33 fl oz while the old bottles have .4 fl oz.  I love a bargain (=

From Left To Right:
Concrete Evidence - Sunset Bronze - Mint Condition - Material Girl
Tutu Cute - Alter Ego - Little Black Dress - Pink-A-Boo - X-dry (topcoat)

Material Girl, Little Black Dress and Alter Ego bottle shots.
So pretty!

I also (obviously) grabbed these two.  A different SA from the confused one excitedly grabbed these from the back for me.


*exhale* That is all!

Irene Aftermath

It has been a really bizarre, rough week.  I didn't have power until Tuesday.  That was annoying, but not devastating. I live in a little town in North-Central NJ that is bound by rivers and gets hit hard.  The day after Irene, we were stranded in town, people who needed medical attention were being lifted out by helicopters and everyone had lifeless expressions on their faces.

I fortunately didn't flood, we live on a hill.  But the town was hit with lots of water that took a few days to recede.  This was the view down my street:

Boats in the street.  My heart goes out to all the people who were affected by this.  Normalcy is finally returning.  No more military check points checking ID's to get into town, the sirens and alarms have ceased, power has mostly returned, stores are opening again - but those were all inconveniences compared to the devastation some people experienced.  People's whole material lives are on the curbs waiting to be picked up by garbage men. There are anti-looting and trash picking signs everywhere, too.  The evacuation shelter behind down the road still has people at it.

This was about 3 blocks up from me.  I am just so very fortunate all we dealt with was a few basement puddles and a refrigerator of bad food.  My thoughts go out to the East Coast.  I hope any of you who were affected by Irene make a speedy recovery.