OPI DS "Elegance" + Sinful Colors "Pinky Glitter"

The mani I am showing you today was actually one I did on one of the Counselors in Training at work.  I brought some polish with me and did a couple quick paint jobs on my break and when I finished this one I decided it actually needed to be on my nails.

I had never heard of the OPI DS colors until I stumbled upon a goldmine at my local Harmon.  They had an absolute boatload of them all on sale for $4 due to an huge shipment.  I have a total of 6 of these and I looove them.  This is probably my favorite.

OPI DS Elegance - 2 thin coats

Oh man I love it.  There is nothing bad about a pink holo!

Indoor Flash

And then to add the final touch, I put on one coat of Sinful Colors "Pinky Glitter".  It brought such a fun aspect to the mani.

I have a real love-hate relationship with glitter at the moment.  I love how it looks but I get aggravated with how easily it chips.  And the the removal is always a PITA, even with the foil method.  This was fairly easy to remove though since the base coat and OPI was underneath.  It didn't chip on me either since it was a single, thin coat of "Pinky Glitter".


Just a few things I wanted to mention:

-I've been trying different lighting scenarios.  I really don't have much time by the time I get home from work to get natural sun pictures.  I like to unwind a bit before hitting the nails so what I've been doing is using the Dual-Stabilization mode on my camera and going underneath the fluorescent lights in the basement; that way no flash is used.  The other pictures are indoor + flash.
-I got my first Helmer this week :D :D :D  A gift from Daddy for my birthday.  I got the white one and filled up four drawers and still have a drawer full on my Sterilte drawer set.  I plan to show all of this in an upcoming post.

Avon "Jade" + China Glaze "He's Going In Circles"

As usual I am excited about the post at hand.  My BFF has recently started selling Avon after years of being schooled by her grandmother in the fine craft.  I was browsing through the books and the alarms sounded when I hit the nail polish section.  I got a total of 4 bottles: two were my choice and she picked two to keep here since I always do her nails.  The polish I am showing you today was my first choice!

Avon "Jade" + China Glaze "He's Going In Circles"

I am reaaaally surprised by the formula on this.  For some reason I expected sub-par application and streaking.  This was two thin coats which is a miracle in itself for me, considering most of my manicures involve three at least!  Opacity was reached in two except my thumb but that was my own fault.  I didn't have nearly enough polish on the brush for my gigantic thumbnail and had to patch-polish it in the streaky parts.

Indoor Flash

I plan on posting the additional Avon polishes I got, along with pictures.  I don't think they get all the glory they deserve to be quiet honest.  I am not sure about wear length but I never really touch on that topic too much seeing as I change my polish very often.  If there happens to be major instantaneous chipping I will certainly inform (as I always do!) - but so far so good!

As for where you can find this beauty,  Coryn (my personal Avon lady), has a website which you can visit by clicking HERE.  She doesn't just do local face-to-face orders; she sells online and therefore ships across the continental US.  I got these on sale for $2.99.

And in true cat lady fashion, here is my babylove:

Essence "Irreplaceable"

Just a quick post before I head to bed.  My BFF Coryn picked this polish out at Ulta right before she dropped another one on the floor LOL. Oops.  Anyways I love this one. The formula is INCREDIBLE! This is 3 thin coats.

Essence "Irreplaceable"

There isn't a bad thing to say about this polish.  I am having trouble defining its attributes though, anyone want to give it a shot?  Thanks!

one coat wonder!

I'm always blown away by the concept of a one coat polish.  OPI DS "Fantasy" can certainly be worn with only one coat; I have proof!

OPI DS "Fantasy" - one coat!

 The slight slight slightest bald(ish) spots on my thumb were my own fault.  I was so lazy to fix it.  But this polish is so pigmented and glorious.  I tend to avoid darker colors but I cannot deny this one!

I have meganubbins now, by the way. I'm not thrilled but I don't have a choice.  They were taking a beating so I just trimmed them all.

I went into Harmon Beauty Supply to pick up some acetone and I saw on the bottom of a display some OPI DS bottles on sale for $3.97.  I didn't have this one, so I grabbed it and I am glad I did!  Darker colors usually don't do it for me, but the sparkles and the opacity of this really blow me away.

i caved.. OPI Black Shatter

I caved!!! I totally did.  I've seen TONS of shatter/crackle manicures lately, and to be honest only a few have actually looked like something I would wear.  There's a difference between liking something and liking something enough to wear it.  Most of them are really pretty and unique, but ultimately not for me.

I didn't want to write off shatter/crackle without at least trying it, and I figured somewhere down the line I would pick one up and give it an honest effort.  Well I went to Harmon's on my lunch break and saw one bottle of it left and something inside me went off.  I held it for a while, and walked around with it - debating SO hard.  And obviously, I caved. Here is what I came up with!

Two coats of Orly "Nail Armor" - Two coats of OPI DS "Divine"
One coat of OPI "Black Shatter" - One coat of Sally Hansen
"Hidden Treasure" with a topcoat of SH Insta-Dri

Hidden Treasure doesn't look as nice here as it does in real life.  It realistically adds an extra sparkle and shine that just wouldn't photograph for me.  Since I don't know when the next time I'll be able to have free time during daylight, I had to use indoor flash.

OPI DS "Divine" GORGEOUS.  Almost didn't want to cover it!

A delightful bright magenta holo!

Before HT and the TC - a surprising leathery finish!

The verdict? Well normally I know myself pretty well and know when I won't or will like something, but actually.. I DON'T HATE IT!  It's actually alright!  Black Shatter is a unique finish and I obviously don't have anything like it - so it's a nice addition to my collection.

I've seen the China Glaze crackles and the only one I would consider is the pink one.  The rest are OK, except the white.  I haven't seen anyone pull it off in anything that is even slightly aesthetically pleasing, IMO of course. People with hi-res photos, you can see how its not 100% opaque so the base color tends to poke through.  I don't like wearing white polish except for accents anyways, so no real surprise that I don't care for it.

What is your final opinion on the crackle/shatter craze?

Saint Patrick's Day Mani

Alright, I braved the green for this mani.  Not a fan of full green manicures.  I don't like it on my hands.  Teals and such, OK, but green green makes me squirm.  Even though this isn't 100% green.. well I don't know.  I only did one hand and removed it ASAP. :D

Actually kind of cute right? Please ignore pinky smudge :D

Ingredients:

Funky Fingers "Mint Monatauk" - base color
China Glaze "DV8" - triple shamrock
Funky Fingers "Tribal" - individual shamrock
Wet n Wild "Sunny Side Up" - dots
Art Deco "White" - dots
BM03

3 coats of "Mint Monatauk" No BC or TC.
What a bright, beautiful color! A minty neon.

Little darker image here so you can see the details.
I couldn't get a picture without a glare )=

I thought it looked pretty decent considering I went into this mani with NO idea of what I was doing.  The single shamrocks are sort of in the "background" and can be seen very faintly if you click to enlarge.  They were more noticeable in person.

OPI DS Vintage.. love!

I know, I know! Another holo post.  I think after this one though, I'm going to play with some of the other polishes I've accumulated recently.  This post is about OPI DS Vintage, a beautiful "glow of coppery taffeta".  Well, that's what the brochure said.

I see copper!

3 coats, no BC or TC.

Beautiful!

I surprisingly like this color!  Copper isn't a color I go for, being too close to orange and all.  But I was pleasantly surprised with this one.

Another thought that occured was that DS Vintage and DS Passion look awfully similar next to each other in the bottles.  I know I have horrible lighting in my room but they really look only a fraction of a color different.  So I did  a side-by-side comparison and was once again, proved entirely wrong, lol!

Orange =/= pink. Tricky little things.

Also you may have noticed my blog looks entirely different.  I was suffering from a bout of insomnia last night and evidently felt creative!  I like it though, it's bright and cheery!

Edit: This is my 100th post! YAY (=

OPI DS Ruby and a mini haul

Yesterday was a fabulous day as far as nail polish is concerned.  I went into my local Harmon Discount (like a Sally's but more random crap) and found OPI DS polishes for 3.97$!!  I bought two, but I will be going back for sure because I am in love with the two I got.  Normally polishes on sale are the ugly ones nobody wants; not the case this time around!

Anyways! I couldn't wait to try them out so this post is all about OPI DS Ruby.

OPI DS Ruby with Funky Fingers Moonwalk

"Rich, jeweled red" according to the brochure.
It's a magnificent deep pink holo!

GORGE.

Standard blurry shot for details. Click to enlarge.

& one more for good measure (=

OPI DS Ruby & Vintage

You'll only benefit from clicking to enlarge these pictures.  Ruby is absolutely stunning!  It's like a circus on my nails.  Pictures with the french tip have a topcoat on them (couldn't help it LOL) but the ones with just Ruby only have Nailtek II as a basecoat.

I also picked these up in a 4-pack for 5$ at Five Below.
I love purples.  What a fantastic shopping day!

Pretty sure OPI DS Vintage is going to be my next post; maybe.. maybe not - we'll see :D

pretty pretty pink!

Looooooooooooove me some Sinful Colors.  This color is so pretty.  It's a little goopy but nothing a few drops of thinner won't fix!

This is 3 coats of "Cream pink".  Which kind of irks me because its a shimmer, not a creme.  I know cream =/= creme but still.  It's like the one time I was at Walgreens and the Make Up associate kept calling shimmers, "metallics".  It's like.. "No. Just, no."  Also, do you like my strategically placed heart?  I jumped a whole cap full of acetone all over my hand and my skin looked A MESS but my nails were too wet to lotion up so I got innovative. 

Pretty pretty pretty!

Then I added this holo topcaot, Cover Girl Boundless Color in "City lights".  Two coats. OMG I can't stop looking at my hands.  It's like Barbie got a bedazzler and went nuts!

HA. YOU CAN'T STOP LOOKING EITHER, I KNOW IT.

sally hansen nail prisms "ruby diamond"

How pretty is this color?  I have NO idea where it came from though!  It just wound up on my collection one day and I am guessing my mom just tossed them in there.  While these are discontinued (and I have no clue why!) you can still find them on e-bay and probably google if you just do a little digging.

Ruby Diamond is a pretty magenta holo that covers so nicely in just two thin coats!  There is no topcoat in these pictures.

How many pictures is one supposed to take before they realize there's little to no chance of catching the true beauty of a polish?  I got to about 25 and they all looked the same, sans these two.  They are unfortunately the pick of the crop!  This color is definitely stunning in real person.  I would have considered taking these in natural light but there hasn't been any sun lately.

11 more followers til first giveaway (=

NYE mani; before & aftermath

I am usually a rather decisive person.  I can easily make executive decisions when needed, haha. However my NYE mani was quite the mental debacle.  My first try was Funky Finger’s “Snake Skin” with L.A. Color “Live” as the French tip.  And I stared at it, and stared at it and blinked a few times.  Disgruntled, went to sleep with it anyways.  Next day I removed it and it took almost a HALF HOUR to get the sparkles off of me.  They were everywhere. Up to my wrists and anywhere else I happened to touch.  Under my nails, stuck in my cuticles, on my face. These are pre-cleanup because I wasn't sure if I was going to keep it.  I actually never did the clean up, lol.

Then it was time to pick a new color.  So I stared at my stash. And stared a few more minutes.  Finally decided on my new Funky Fingers “Tribal” which is a bright turquoise.  Which strangely enough dried matte but I wanted some sparkle so two coats of Cover Girl’s “City Lights” which added the perfect amount of what I wanted.  

So pretty! I am in love with this combination!  Tribal is actually a little bit darker than these pictures show, but I couldn't capture it.  So just pretend, k? K :D

I mattefied it this morning for kicks.  LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!!

I was sick for about 4 months with strep and tonsillitis, just had them out mid-December but I was well enough to go out for NYE.  I am 23 years young and went out maybe 4 times this WHOLE year so I unintentionally went balls-to-the-wall last night and consumed roughly 70$ worth of liquor.  (I planned on going out for just one drink, oopsies!)  No hangover though, every third drink have a glass of water; FAIL PROOF.

LOL the damage!  My thumbs were chipped too.  I am not sure how that happened but I am going to go with the excessive dancing xD

off topic;  Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill is one of my favorite albums, ever.  I just this week discovered a hidden track and I am so in love, one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard: Listen to this!

Have a SAFE, HAPPY and HEALTHY new year ladies!!

guest NOTD; naughty & nice

My roommate loves vampy colors so she was immediately drawn to China Glaze’s “Naughty and Nice”.  This was two coats of that with one coat of Cover Girl’s Boundless Colors “City Lights” holographic topcoat.  She wanted some extra sparkle for the holiday.  

 These ARE pre-cleanup so excuse the mess!

Also, got my bundle monster plates from Amazon.com today!  Too bad my stamper is still missing!

Click to enlarge for detail. Happy new year!

china glaze haul

out of all of the brands of nail polish ive used thus far, china glaze is my favorite (=

is it still considered a haul if its from the internet? im not even sure if 6 polishes is considered a haul. i dont think it is, since i didnt have shoppers guilt after buying them LOL

the wonderful nihrida recommended a site for affordable polish, http://head2toebeauty.com/ . let me just say i love this site now, i placed my order on sunday evening and received it by early wednesday! i really had to control myself because there are so many amazing colors out there, i eventually picked out six.



from left to right;
he's going in circles - kaleidoscope collection
good witch? - wizard of ahz collection
dorothy who? - wizard of ahz collection
cowgirl up - rodeo collection
DV8 - holo collection
LOL - holo collection

im absolutely crazy about dorothy who? i dont had a distinct fondness for blues OR glitters but i cannot wait to wear this one as a full mani. i was most excited about good witch? but its sooooo light against my skin )= i still love it though, and will wear it often. the rest of them were ones i saw swatches for and thought were pretty. im most disappointed with cowgirl up. i saw an amazing swatch (dont remember where) and it had all kinda of hues and dimensions to it, but when i put it on and looked at it under regular lighting and fluorescent lighting and daylight.. it was a freaking dark magenta-purple. im a pastel girl. i love bright and light cremes and colors. this isnt my bag, at all. i went out on the limb with it because i was sold by the swatch, but even with multiple coats it still fell short of my expectations - oh well.

they were $3 each, which is a deal in my book. shipping for 1 bottle is $9. shipping for 6$ bottles is 11. my total came to about $27 and some change - which $9 cheaper than if i had purchased them from a beauty supply store. i was excited with the saved money and the new colors and the additions to my collection, so really.. i cant complain!!



i took over 40 pictures of the sample above and i could not, by any means get a good shot. this is the pick of the crop which just emphasizes how sad my selection was lol. this photo doesnt do the colors justice. except cowgirl up, thats pretty much how it looks..

new haul, new technique, new notd!

i went shopping! i went to the dollar tree and walgreens. i got 5 polishes and 5 nail art polishes from the dollar tree and 3 sparkly topcoats from walgreens on sale for $1.09 each! how exciting! my haul;



the three polishes i got from walgreens were absolutely stunning. theyre from the covergirl "boundless color" collection which i had never heard of, and were the last 3 left on the rack. im sure i wouldve bought one of each color given the opportunity. i really like the bottles and brushes too.



from right to left;
-pink twinkle. there is irregular flecks of foil inside this one.
-city lights. a holo topcoat (the little bits of holographic glitter are sparse compared to a typical holo polish)
-amethyst mist. a purple jelly base with hexagon multicolor glitter & teeny tiny bits of glitter as well.

theyre so beautiful and the application is wonderful. i dont have _that_ many drugstore polishes that i actually use but i will definitely be employing these 3 lovelies (=

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in other news, i tried my first marbling last night! i cant say i was too happy with the outcome. in fact, i removed it right after taking the pictures. here is a few things i learned;
-petroleum jelly moves when you insert your finger in the water and often times ended up under polish resulting in a re-do
-aside from a base coat, a base color is needed to bring out the vibrancy of the marbled colors
-scotch tape works relatively well. i used one long piece for the sides and top of my nail, and then secured that piece with another piece of tape around the whole finger and that piece edged off the bottom of the nail.
-for some reason, i could not get 2 different holos to work together, but that just could be me.
-i cannot figure out how to avoid a large gap on my thumb; i retried over 5 times and had a large gap, in the same place, of uncolored nail each time - any advice?



like i said before, i think a white underneath wouldve really made these colors pop. i used orly "liquid vinyl" and funky fingers "punch". the black came out mostly gray.. i wonder if it just isnt marbling compatible or it wouldve been brighter with white underneath. not TOO bad for my first attempt!

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my NOTD has got to be one of my new favorites. i used my new colors for this;
-sally hansen insta-grip base coat
-maybelline wet shine "pink splash"
-covergirl boundless color "pink twinkle"
-seche vite topcoat

the golden/pink flecks look so much cuter irl. i had a hard time capturing the color of the flecks and i tried all 20 different camera settings with different flashes.. the best ive found so far is the flower/soft flash option. i had some luck with the food/soft flash too. i think its because these are both meant to capture fine detail. without a doubt the worst setting was one for text, DARK, blurry and spotty. anyways, here it is;