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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
Velvet Rope is a shiny, somewhat metallic, but not entirely rich purple with itty bitty silver glitters mixed in.
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
Showing posts with label orly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label orly. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Orly Velvet Rope Swatches
I feel like every polish I've tried lately has been a winner. Either I've refined my tastes and choices to the point where I don't pick out stuff that I end up not liking anymore or my horizons have broadened and I just love everything. Either way, not complaining.
Shown is two coats of Velvet Rope, they went on so smoothly too. I realized this is only my 9th Orly.. where have I been?! I did something a little differently this time with my treatments. I got to try some new ones, so far so good! This is two coats over NailTek II and sealed with Barielle Manicure Extender. No chips yet, just some tipwear that's painfully visible, sorry.
Velvet Rope is a shiny, somewhat metallic, but not entirely rich purple with itty bitty silver glitters mixed in.
Velvet Rope is a shiny, somewhat metallic, but not entirely rich purple with itty bitty silver glitters mixed in.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Gradient Nails
Soooooooooo I'm not quite sure what is about gradients and my inability to do them nicely, but I pretty much cannot create a subtle effect with multiple colors. Maybe it was my color choice. After looking at this when I was done, I thought it might've been a better idea to have orange in the middle instead of a pink. If I did that, maybe the color change would've been more subtle and effective.
I built this on top of yesterday's Revlon Lemon Fizz manicure - FYI, the bumps are still visible even with all the extra layers of polish.
I did a layer of Orly Basket Case (one of my favorites!) and then for the darkest color, I used China Glaze Ahoy! Like I said before, I think it would've been more gradual had I done an orange and then maybe Basket Case. It's a visually rough transition from pink to yellow.
I added a layer of Sally Hansen Diamonds for extra sparkle and sealed with Brucci Nail Dryer. I mentioned in a previous post that Brucci Nail Dryer is their version of a QDTC but it's not spectacular enough for the $5 price tag. However, I've got it so I'm trying to use it up.
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
I added a layer of Sally Hansen Diamonds for extra sparkle and sealed with Brucci Nail Dryer. I mentioned in a previous post that Brucci Nail Dryer is their version of a QDTC but it's not spectacular enough for the $5 price tag. However, I've got it so I'm trying to use it up.
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| Flash |
Friday, March 9, 2012
An Old Favorite: Orly Basket Case
Basket Case was one of my first non-Sally Hansen or WnW polishes so I hold it dearly. In fact, my first bottle of it is actually destroyed because my dumb ass poured remover in it to thin it. DO NOT DO. I got myself another bottle of it because I do love it so much.
I wanted to do a funky french with it. It worked SO well as it only needed one coat, so I painted it on and was able to remove the guides right away.
I used Konad Special White for the dots, and cute little sticker my sister got me for Christmas (=
It's quite fabulous on its own, too.
This was two coats, but I could've gotten away with one thick one. It's over Orly Bonder and sealed with OTD. LOVE!
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| "Natural" Light |
I wanted to do a funky french with it. It worked SO well as it only needed one coat, so I painted it on and was able to remove the guides right away.
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| "Natural" Light |
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| Flash |
It's quite fabulous on its own, too.
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
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| Flash |
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Orly Fowl Play & Gold Stamping
I decided to break out the Fowl Play again and spice it up with some gold stamping. It played very nicely with the design and color I chose. The combination was also forgiving and hid stamping errors as well.
This is 2 coats of Fowl Play with Funky Fingers Platinum Record stamped from BM225. I'm not sure if it was the grittiness of the polish that prevented the full image from being picked up or my fault from lack of practice, but as I said before the busyness of Fowl Play sort of hid the errors, especially to the naked eye.
It was weird for me to be wearing a dark polish after months of bright ones, but this color is pretty spectacular, you can't go wrong with flakies, either!
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| "Natural" Light |
This is 2 coats of Fowl Play with Funky Fingers Platinum Record stamped from BM225. I'm not sure if it was the grittiness of the polish that prevented the full image from being picked up or my fault from lack of practice, but as I said before the busyness of Fowl Play sort of hid the errors, especially to the naked eye.
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| "Natural" Light |
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Orly Nail Rescue Step by Step Tutorial
It's not rocket science, its actually super simple and effective but I thought since I just had a minor break today on my pinky that I'd document it and make a post out of it for anyone who is curious.
Inside the box is a brush on nail glue, the repair powder and a square file/buffer. Lets be real, I lost the buffer after my first use. You can use your own files or buffers since the one they include is small and awkward anyways.
So I somehow chipped my nail this morning, it wasn't drastic by any means - but to have cut at the break and then file would mean I would've had to even out my other nails and shorten them to match.
This is the chipped/broken nail. It was still attached so I was able to use that as base for the Nail Rescue. It was super bendy and ready to break off.
Now, I don't have a photo of my nail with the glue on it because the glue dries quickly and I needed to get the powder on as soon as possible. But just imagine that same fingernail all shiny and you get the basic idea.
Then you dip your nail into the powder - I personally apply the glue to my WHOLE nail and then dip my WHOLE nail into the powder. The directions tell you to do it that way too, even though the step-by-step photos on the side of the box shown it done differently. I prefer to put my entire nail in to make sure I'm being thorough.
Ok that looks a mess, I know. Brush or blow off the excess powder. Your nail will feel grainy after that. To smooth it out, use your files and buffers to smooth it down. You'll know its good when it FEELS smooth. It won't look smooth but it will definitely feel very smooth to the touch.
It doesn't look "finished" but it actually felt just fine at this point. I used the file to smooth the edges and sides of my nails and my buffer to get the surface area nice and smooth.
I love and recommend this product. I've used it 3 times total and its done exactly what it is supposed to each time. I don't suppose it would work in the event that you actually snap part of your nail off - at least, I've never attempted reattaching it. I hope this was helpful! (=
Edit to add additional info: I bought this at Sally's for around $6 or $7. I think it is also worth mentioning, that in my personal experience, once on the nail, the powder does not dissolve in acetone (even 100% acetone). After removing nail polish with it, the powder is still holding my nail together nicely.
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| Packaging |
Inside the box is a brush on nail glue, the repair powder and a square file/buffer. Lets be real, I lost the buffer after my first use. You can use your own files or buffers since the one they include is small and awkward anyways.
So I somehow chipped my nail this morning, it wasn't drastic by any means - but to have cut at the break and then file would mean I would've had to even out my other nails and shorten them to match.
This is the chipped/broken nail. It was still attached so I was able to use that as base for the Nail Rescue. It was super bendy and ready to break off.
Now, I don't have a photo of my nail with the glue on it because the glue dries quickly and I needed to get the powder on as soon as possible. But just imagine that same fingernail all shiny and you get the basic idea.
Then you dip your nail into the powder - I personally apply the glue to my WHOLE nail and then dip my WHOLE nail into the powder. The directions tell you to do it that way too, even though the step-by-step photos on the side of the box shown it done differently. I prefer to put my entire nail in to make sure I'm being thorough.
Ok that looks a mess, I know. Brush or blow off the excess powder. Your nail will feel grainy after that. To smooth it out, use your files and buffers to smooth it down. You'll know its good when it FEELS smooth. It won't look smooth but it will definitely feel very smooth to the touch.
It doesn't look "finished" but it actually felt just fine at this point. I used the file to smooth the edges and sides of my nails and my buffer to get the surface area nice and smooth.
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| My "Rescued" Nail |
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| All polished and good as new! |
Edit to add additional info: I bought this at Sally's for around $6 or $7. I think it is also worth mentioning, that in my personal experience, once on the nail, the powder does not dissolve in acetone (even 100% acetone). After removing nail polish with it, the powder is still holding my nail together nicely.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Halloween Shatter
Black Shatter is such a harsh looking finish; I really think it only works for Halloween. I like my pink shatter, the rest I could do without. I wanted to create a Halloween color scheme for this mani so I used Orly Green Apple and Orly Life's A Peach with OPI Black Shatter. Topped with a coat of OTD TC, and this was a simple and quick manicure!
The green and black look inherently Frankenstein-y. I removed this after about 12 hours of wear; I have a hard time loving the Black Shatter, really. Blarghork.
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| I used 3 coats of both Orlys to obtain opacity. |
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Halloween Dotticure
Some of my favorite holiday inspired manicures have more to do with color themes than more literal designs. I love colors and I love playing with colors, so I decided to make somewhat of a Halloween dotticure for the occasion.
It's not deliberate in your face Halloween, but I think the colors give a nice nod to the holiday! I started out with two coats of Revlon Royal Cloak. Such a pretty color, I really do think it could place in my Top 20.
I wore RC for a day before I added the dots, so there is a bit of tipwear.
For the white pattern, I used BM209 with Konad Special White. After it dried, I used 3 additional colors and covered up some of the white dots. I used Orly Green Apple, Orly Liquid Vinyl and OPI A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find for the dots. Then I added another coat of OTD TC. I love my dotting tools. So much.
It's not deliberate in your face Halloween, but I think the colors give a nice nod to the holiday! I started out with two coats of Revlon Royal Cloak. Such a pretty color, I really do think it could place in my Top 20.
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| Two coats of Royal Cloak, OTD TC. |
I wore RC for a day before I added the dots, so there is a bit of tipwear.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
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.
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..
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.
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.
The Utlas were from me too, but dear Daddy got me GiTA! It's incredible and my first high end polish!
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!
I got Fowl Play for my birthday from my dear BFF Coryn. IT'S GORGEOUS.
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| Three coats of Fowl Play + OTD TC |
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| It's just perfect! |
And then I got some presents..
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| China Glaze Frosty Orly Fowl Play OPI I Eat Mainely Lobster |
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| No More Waity, Katie Primrose Hill Picnic Victoriana All Hail the Queen |
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| Ulta Envy Ulta Army of One Debora Lippmann Glitter in the Air |
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| My sister got me this chic grown up looking case for my not so grown up DSi XL. |
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| And this cutesy mouse pad (I haven't had one in years!) |
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| !!!!!!!!!! |
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
flowery french & some recommendations
Every once in a while I do a mani that I really really like, this ladies, is one of those times, haha. I loooooove the look of a french manicure and then add a cutesy little flower and a rhinestone.. oh it can't get better for me, really!
For this manicure I used two coats of Orly Nail Armor as a basecoat (I really love it by the way! It has these little fibers in it that for a sort of mask over your nails) I used L.A. Colors "Energy Source" for the tips, its just a relatively opaque white creme. Then I put another coat of Nail Armor ON TOP of the tip. For the flower I used my favorite color ever, Orly "Basket Case". Sealed with a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri topcoat.
I just wanted to make a few suggestions and recommendations and share some things I've tried over the past year or so that often times are overlooked because they're so commonly used!
Top Coat: I've tried a bunch of topcoats, from dollar store finds to Seche Vite. The only one I am really 100% satisfied with (OK, maybe 99%) is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Topcoat. The one in the red bottle. The biggest thing for me is that while it does get goopy, it restores really easily with a few drops of thinner. I have 1/2 of a bottle of SV that I can't bring back to life, and after spending nearly 8$ on a bottle of topcoat, it kills me to think of spending another 8$ on a bottle of thinner to fix it! What are we paying for if it has such major flaws? I know A LOT of people love SV, and it works great for them, but I haven't always had the same experience! It has caused tip-pull shrinkage that caused me to have to re-do a mani within a few hours. I see girls asking all the time on the Nail Board over at MUA what other alternatives are, and this is definitely my #1 suggestion. It's half the price of SV (and other expensive topcoats) and worth a shot. That all being said, SV is not the worst thing in the world and I certainly don't want to offend its fans. But it falls short for me and my biggest issue is really the price.
Strengthener: NailTekII without a doubt! It's simply a miracle worker. My nails aren't TOO bad when naked, but this turns them into fortresses, I swear. I really only have positive things to say about this one. Even though the bottle is nearly empty, it is still liquid-y and no sign of gooping up- which is something that really concerned me at first. I bought this for almost 10$ and had very high expectations for the price and it has met and surpassed them all. It also makes an excellent base coat, and dries super quickly so there's no treacherous waiting.
I am not sure what Orly Nail Armor is, maybe it is a strengthener, too. It has ridge fillers which is something I need from time to time in between buffering sessions, etc. I've only used it a few times but I am happy with its performance so far. I think this normally runs about 7$-8$ but I got it on sale for 4$. As far as ridge fillers go, I tried China Glaze Ridge Filling Base Coat. There are no reviews for it on MUA, and I've searched.. if anyone finds anything please let me know. It a total PITA. It never dried - even over night. It stayed tacky. I tried to do a mani over it to see what would happen, and that also stayed tacky for a day. I can't figure out if it was a bad batch or the product is legitimately garbage, maybe it just doesn't work with my body chemistry. I have no idea!
Ok, that's it for now, I've rambled enough! Happy polishing (=
For this manicure I used two coats of Orly Nail Armor as a basecoat (I really love it by the way! It has these little fibers in it that for a sort of mask over your nails) I used L.A. Colors "Energy Source" for the tips, its just a relatively opaque white creme. Then I put another coat of Nail Armor ON TOP of the tip. For the flower I used my favorite color ever, Orly "Basket Case". Sealed with a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri topcoat.
I just wanted to make a few suggestions and recommendations and share some things I've tried over the past year or so that often times are overlooked because they're so commonly used!
Top Coat: I've tried a bunch of topcoats, from dollar store finds to Seche Vite. The only one I am really 100% satisfied with (OK, maybe 99%) is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Topcoat. The one in the red bottle. The biggest thing for me is that while it does get goopy, it restores really easily with a few drops of thinner. I have 1/2 of a bottle of SV that I can't bring back to life, and after spending nearly 8$ on a bottle of topcoat, it kills me to think of spending another 8$ on a bottle of thinner to fix it! What are we paying for if it has such major flaws? I know A LOT of people love SV, and it works great for them, but I haven't always had the same experience! It has caused tip-pull shrinkage that caused me to have to re-do a mani within a few hours. I see girls asking all the time on the Nail Board over at MUA what other alternatives are, and this is definitely my #1 suggestion. It's half the price of SV (and other expensive topcoats) and worth a shot. That all being said, SV is not the worst thing in the world and I certainly don't want to offend its fans. But it falls short for me and my biggest issue is really the price.
Strengthener: NailTekII without a doubt! It's simply a miracle worker. My nails aren't TOO bad when naked, but this turns them into fortresses, I swear. I really only have positive things to say about this one. Even though the bottle is nearly empty, it is still liquid-y and no sign of gooping up- which is something that really concerned me at first. I bought this for almost 10$ and had very high expectations for the price and it has met and surpassed them all. It also makes an excellent base coat, and dries super quickly so there's no treacherous waiting.
I am not sure what Orly Nail Armor is, maybe it is a strengthener, too. It has ridge fillers which is something I need from time to time in between buffering sessions, etc. I've only used it a few times but I am happy with its performance so far. I think this normally runs about 7$-8$ but I got it on sale for 4$. As far as ridge fillers go, I tried China Glaze Ridge Filling Base Coat. There are no reviews for it on MUA, and I've searched.. if anyone finds anything please let me know. It a total PITA. It never dried - even over night. It stayed tacky. I tried to do a mani over it to see what would happen, and that also stayed tacky for a day. I can't figure out if it was a bad batch or the product is legitimately garbage, maybe it just doesn't work with my body chemistry. I have no idea!
Ok, that's it for now, I've rambled enough! Happy polishing (=
Monday, March 7, 2011
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!
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.
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?
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!
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| 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.
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| OPI DS "Divine" GORGEOUS. Almost didn't want to cover it! |
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| A delightful bright magenta holo! |
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| 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?
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
guest nails x3
Well I haven't posted at all this weekend, so to make up for that and to ease my guilty conscience, I am posting 3 guest nails that I've accumulated over the past few weeks. I took the pictures right when I was finished but not showing them til now. I hope you enjoy these pretties!
These are the roomie's nails. A base color of Funky Fingers "Mad Hatter", three coats I believe.
Pretty blues (= We topped it off with two coats of a sparkly topcoat of China Glaze "Blue Hawaiian".
As cute as this was, it chipped the next day when she was washing dishes. Not just a little chip, but basically sheeted right off her nails. Sad sad!
These are my sister's nubbins. She expressed interest in growing them out and asked me how to. I explained to her she needed a constant manicure and before she knew it, they'd be longer than she expected!
This is 3 coats of Funky Fingers "Cheshire" and I used some Art Club polishes to the little designy lines on her ring finger.
Last but not least is my BFF from grade school.
This is two (or three?) coats of China Glaze "Ruby Pumps" with Orly "Liquid Vinyl" for the tips.
Incredibly, I am only 3 followers away from my milestone making 50! As promised, there will be a giveaway once 50 is reached. However, it will have to be scheduled around my pay period, lol. So if 50 is reached before I get paid again, then I will make a notice about the giveaway being stalled a little bit until that day comes. I have most of the stuff for the giveaway already, but I've never sent nail polish before and I haven't a clue how much shipping will be. It was also be a USA only since it is my first and I don't want to overwhelm myself quite so soon!
Also a TOTAL DOLLFACE from MUA sent me a polish I've been FIENDING for! Much more then a lemming, much much more. I'll keep you on the edge of your seats until it arrives.
Thanks for reading & as always, images are clickable for enlarged detail!
These are the roomie's nails. A base color of Funky Fingers "Mad Hatter", three coats I believe.
Pretty blues (= We topped it off with two coats of a sparkly topcoat of China Glaze "Blue Hawaiian".
As cute as this was, it chipped the next day when she was washing dishes. Not just a little chip, but basically sheeted right off her nails. Sad sad!
These are my sister's nubbins. She expressed interest in growing them out and asked me how to. I explained to her she needed a constant manicure and before she knew it, they'd be longer than she expected!
This is 3 coats of Funky Fingers "Cheshire" and I used some Art Club polishes to the little designy lines on her ring finger.
Last but not least is my BFF from grade school.
This is two (or three?) coats of China Glaze "Ruby Pumps" with Orly "Liquid Vinyl" for the tips.
Incredibly, I am only 3 followers away from my milestone making 50! As promised, there will be a giveaway once 50 is reached. However, it will have to be scheduled around my pay period, lol. So if 50 is reached before I get paid again, then I will make a notice about the giveaway being stalled a little bit until that day comes. I have most of the stuff for the giveaway already, but I've never sent nail polish before and I haven't a clue how much shipping will be. It was also be a USA only since it is my first and I don't want to overwhelm myself quite so soon!
Also a TOTAL DOLLFACE from MUA sent me a polish I've been FIENDING for! Much more then a lemming, much much more. I'll keep you on the edge of your seats until it arrives.
Thanks for reading & as always, images are clickable for enlarged detail!
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