Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Perplex and Naughty

Today I will be sharing a polish that lost it's "spark" for most because everyone pretty much has already covered it. That polish is Perplex/Naughty. When Perplex first came out I hunted every store in my area to locate it and was completely devastated when I could not find it. I thought it would never grace my fingertips. I gave up on it but then lo and behold, Revlon re-released it under a new name, Naughty. Imagine my excitement when I saw it on display in Walgreens.


So I was finally the proud owner of Naughty. Then I saw Perplex in Big Lots, I was crunchy. I left it there because why would I possibly need to have both Naughty and Perplex. Yet it kept eating at me...and I finally broke down and went to get Perplex "for the blog"to see if they really are one in the same...

AND they are. On my pinky and 1/2 ring finger is Naughty, the other 1/2 of ring finger and my middle finger is Perplex. Then on my pointer I decided to compare Color Club Rad Nomad (It's close but doesn't have the shimmer like Perplex) So unless you are  crazy like me, you do not have to get both Perplex and Naughty.

Below is Naughty with a Finger Paints Flakie over, I believe this was Asylum.
 

Monday, January 30, 2012

Showgirl Chic

 A polish I really wanted from China Glaze's Eye Candy collection was Lorelai's Tiara (and Love Marilyn, but that's another post).My friend Ashleigh told me I could me that Sally Hansen's Gem Crush collection had the dupe for Love Marilyn so when I went to pick up that dupe I saw Showgirl Chic on the shelf but didn't purchase it that day. Soon after I saw Glitter Obsession's post comparing Lorelai's Tiara and Showgirl Chic. I honestly could not tell the difference between the two and was kicking myself for not picking it up when I saw it. Luckily when I went back to CVS they still had it. I paid $6.79 (plus tax) for Showgirl Chic and while I could have got it online for $3.50, I'd end up paying more for shipping. So to me the $6.79 is justifiable (this time).
 On my accent nail, I am wearing Sinful Colors Love Nails. Showgirl Chic is not that gritty. The formula of Showgirl is runny so it can be a little difficult to apply. I recommend letting the polish drip off the big paddle brush before painting the nail.
Brand: Sally Hansen
Line: Gem Crush
Color Name/Number: Showgirl Chic 01
Finish: Glitter
Number of Coats: 3
Top Coat: Not at time of picture



Do you own Showgirl Chic or Lorelai's Tiara? Is Lorelai's Tiara as runny as Showgirl Chic?

Sunday, January 29, 2012

52 week challenge - Week 5 - Newspaper Mani

 I was looking forward to doing this week's challenge because it was one I wanted to try. I had a little trouble at first because the first newspaper I used would not transfer to my nail. I think it was because it was not a "traditional" newspaper. I then found a section of "traditional" newspaper on a top shelf of a closet (side note: newspaper is great for cleaning mirrors) and didn't have any more trouble.
 For my mani, I sponged on a franken gray to half of my nail and then painted 4 coats of WnW 2% Milk over my whole nail. I was going for an "old faded yellow newspaper" look.
 This was an easy mani and I would probably try this again.



Check out some of the newspaper manis for this week's challenge!





Saturday, January 28, 2012

Added 2 new Zoyas to my collection

If you don't follow Zoya's blog, Nouveau Cheap or any other nail blogger (gasp, get on that!), then you missed the announcement that Zoya was having a promo at the beginning of January. That promo was 2 free bottles (excluding the True & Fleck Collection) and all you had to pay was shipping ($6.95).

I got 2 bottles that were on my wish list, Caitlin and Yara.

Swatch/Review:


Brand: Zoya
Original Collection: Intimates
Color Name: Caitlin
Finish: Cream
Number of Coats: 2
Top Coat: no
 Caitlin is described on the Zoya site as "smoky purple/medium gray". It was opaque in 2 coats and applies nicely.


Brand: Zoya
Original Collection: Mirrors
Color Name: Yara
Finish: Shimmer (Metallic)
Number of Coats: 2
Top Coat: no
 Yara was a color I fell for when seeing Nightly Nails post about it. Yara is an olive green loaded with gold shimmer. It's absolutely beautiful and was also opaque in 2 coats. The Zoya website describes the finish as "metallic" but I would say Yara is a shimmer.

I am so happy with my new Zoyas. I highly suggest following Zoya's blog or Twitter so you can be aware of future promotions.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Franken: Black Knight Dupe

I became intrigued by this concoction after seeing Polish Amor, Nails Made Simple and a few other bloggers post about this franken and how easy it was to make. I went through the process twice though. The first time it was successful but then I messed it up. Shame on me. I made it again and I like the second version better. Here's all the pics of both versions of "black knight".





A video about the failed knight...
And the swatch of the second version...





Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Pink Wednesday - Digital Pink Diamond

 Ah, I love PINK Wednesdays. Today I am wearing Essie Pink Diamonds with Milani 3D Digital over it. I don't have a lot of holographic polish in my collection but it's good to start somewhere. Digital does not have that intense holo effect like the ever famous China Glaze OMG collection and HITS No Olimpio Collection but it's still pretty.

 Swatch Details
Brand: Milani
Line: 3D Holographic
Color Name/Number: Digital/513
Number of Coats: 2 coats over 2 coats of Essie Pink Diamond
 Top Coat: OTD Northern Lights "Silver"

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

52 Week Challenge - Week 4 - Plaid Mani

 Every time I do nail art, the first person I show is Loro. He's really supportive of my hobby and he will let me know whether or not my nail art looks like what it should be. So even when I think it looks terrible, if he says it looks good, that makes me happy to post it on my blog and not label it a failed attempt.

This was my first successful plaid mani. So when I showed him my plaid nails last night and he said they turned out good, my response was "really?" I fully intended on "cheating" with this weeks challenge and using my stamper but sadly I did not have a plaid on any of my plates.




Check out some of the plaid manis for this week's challenge!





Monday, January 23, 2012

52 Week Challenge - Week 3 - Color Block Mani

I had an idea of what color blocking was. I've wanted to try wearing color blocking in my wardrobe but I never got around to it because I didn't think I could pull it off. Now to incorporate it into a mani, that was going to be somewhat difficult. I was inspired by this picture I found when I searched Google for a color block mani. This is my take on it. I'm not that happy with it but it is worthy of posting.




And with that, I am all caught up with the 1st three weeks of this challenge. I'll post my Plaid Mani later this week.

Check out some of the other participants of this challenge!





Sunday, January 22, 2012

52 Week Challenge - Week 2 - French Tip Mani

no flash, sunlight from window
 The last time I did a French Tip Mani was for job observation/follow up interview. I went with the "pink and white" look and used tape to achieve my straight lines. For this challenge, I opted to go without the tape and just use a paintbrush (seen in the last picture). Considering that, I don't think this French Tip turned out that bad.
open window & computer screen glare

no flash, open window

no flash, ceiling light and open window

 The little bottle of pink polish was from the Dollar Tree in a set of 3 designed for French Manicures. It's on the thick side and brush strokes can be seen.

Check out some of the other participants of this challenge!





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