Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates the holiday!

Here's what I will be rocking on Christmas Eve & day. I used Sinful's sugar sugar with China Glaze's glistening snow in the tips. The snowman is black creme with Sally hansen's hard to get and china glaze Cha Cha Cha for his little buttons and wet n wilds sunny side up for his carrot nose.

Snowflakes falling, church bells calling. It's Christmas time, again

In continuing with my Christmas themed manicures, I bring you this:
It's black creme with white snowflakes. The tree is china glaze Cha Cha Cha with the bulbs being sinful colors sugar sugar with a dash of china glaze angel wings for the star.

All dotted, n'at

Here's the mani I did last night. It's Sally Hansen hard as nails white (forgot the exact name) dotted with Avon olive and Avon ruby (again, forget the name). I saw this on another blog last week, so I decided to give it a try. I used a bobby pin for the dots.

It's so Christmassy, dude. You'll freak

So, yeah, I've become a bit obsessed with NOPI's Rainbow in the S-Kylie. It may be one of my fave glitters ever, if not my favorite. I missed out on the OPI muppets collection last year, but this seems to be a dupe for Rainbow Connection.

Today I have it over China Glaze Cha Cha Cha. It looks über festive.

Gggggggglitter Bomb!!!!!!!!!!

So, I decided to go all out and do the Rainbow in the S-Kylie on all my nails over Sugar Sugar. Yeah. I went there. I also have glittery Christmas trees on my toes, but you're not gonna see that!

Sugar, sugar

Today I have Sinful's Sugar Sugar. The pic below is 2 coats with a topcoat. The formula was great on this. It could have probably been a 1-coater, but I always do 2. I used 2 coats of Nicole OPI Karsashian Color Rainbow in the S-Kylie on my ring finger. I may do that on all my nails eventually.

First mobile post

I'm trying to post this from my phone's blogger app, so we will see how this goes.

Today I have Orly's Mermaid Tale over Wet n Wild's Black Creme.

I absolutely love this! Seriously cannot stop staring at it. I think it's great for this time of year. Very festive!

Buried alive

Creative title for my post right? This is Orly's Buried Alive. It is from the "Dark Shadows" collection that wads released earlier this year. It's a dark brown with shimmer. It wore pretty well. I used Orly's Top 2 Bottom as both base and topcoat.

Sorry the application is kind of messy. I really need to start cleaning up the manicures a little bit better. When I did remove this polish it did stain a bit which kind of bummed me out. So, I had to re-polish them because my nails were a yellowy-brown color that looked like poo. Lovely!

 

Scandalous

Here's what I wore on my nails for a few days last week. It is Pure Ice Scandal with Color Club's Snow Flakes over it. I was able to get Snow Flakes at Sally Beauty for $3.59 b/c I have a Sally's card. I think it's $3.99 without it, which is still not a bad deal. I have seen Color Club for $5 a piece at Rite Aid. Not sure if they have the winter collection from them yet or not. I love Snow Flakes! It is sooo pretty. My first foray into a "flaky" polish. Will you be getting any of the new Color Club winter colors?

No flash

 

I think flash but who knows.

 

On the "prowl"

Here's a recent manicure I did using Wet N Wild's Night Prowl. It is a black base with purple shimmery, glittery flecks. It looked pretty sweet for a day or two. Sorry for the messiness of the polish application. I think I was in a hurry when I did this right before heading out to a meeting. Not sure if you can see the purple flecks in the photo. It may just look shiny. I bought this at Rite Aid a while back when the polishes were on sale for 69 cents. I think for that price it is a decent polish even if it did not wear super well. I did use three coats and a topcoat for the photos.

Spidey sense

Here's my current Mani. These are Sally Hansen Salon Effects in "Spun for You."

I really like them. And that's all I have to say about that.

Totally unrelated to nail polish

I'm taking a bit of a break from nails as mine look like they've been gnawed off by weevils or something. I think it's a combo of yard work and too much polishing that have taken a toll. I was really working it with a saw today cutting branches off our pine trees. I was wonder woman.

I know I haven't posted anything for a while, so I thought I would post this random photo.

 

Does anyone else find it funny that my sub "MAY CONTAIN" all of the the ingredients normally found in a sub? I found it amusing. Maybe I'm just weird. It was a good sub, though. I can't believe it contained a bun. Crazy.

Polish Fest

OK. Be honest. When you read that title did you think "polish" as in nail polish? Or, did you think "Polish" as in someone from Poland?

If you're like me, then you thought the former. That's exactly what I thought when driving to lunch today with my husband. I saw a sign that said "Polish Fest" and I was like "Hey, a polish fest!" all excited about the notion of a festival for nail polish. Then I realized that the sign was advertising a Polish Festival featuring Polish food, which does not sound as appealing as my version of a polish festival.

Holo, holo, holo

So, I couldn't resist the Coterie deal about a week and a half ago for 3 Butter London polishes and a topcoat for $11. Even with the shipping it was more than a steal. Here is one of the shades of the new polish. It is called Knackered. I put a light grey color on my ring finger and then layered Knackered over it. I think I should have done that on all my nails because you can definitely see some VNL (visible nail line) on the rest of the fingers. I do love the holographic and color-change effect of this polish. It goes from blue to pink and then the holo shimmer is all different colors. I have already received comments on this - from my doctor of all people - at a check-up today. She was also rocking light blue nails but she said she liked my polish better. Too bad that did nothing to lower my BP while I was there lol.

Now...on to the photos:

No flash

 

I know this is blurry but you really see the holo in this photo

 

See the VNL on my first 2 fingers and no VNL on my ring finger. Next time I use this I will def. use gray as a base on all my nails.

Recent NOTD (nail of the day)

I recently picked up Orly's Mysterious Curse at Sally Beauty when they had their 1/2 off clearance sale. It was uber cheap which is why I got it. I have to say that I like this way better on the nail than in the bottle. It has a color shift from blue to purple and from purple to blue - imagine that. There's also a shimmering effect that I found quite lovely. I have to say that I am pleased with this polish. What do you think?

 

Hook and Line

Here's a swatch of what I'm currently wearing. It's China Glaze's Hook and Line. It is from The Hunger Games collection which was released in the spring. I really like this color. Sometimes it reads grey, and sometimes it reads taupe or smoky brown depending on the light. This is 2 coats with Seche Vite.

Yes, it's true

Found this over on Icy Nails. Need I say more?

13 Questions

 
I was reading Nouveau Cheap as I often do and saw this so I thought I would participate. Yes, I know this is not in any way related to nails or n'at. Oh well.
 
1. What's one thing that most people don't know about you?I was a DJ at my college radio station. Most people in my life now probably don't know that.

 

2. What's your favorite quote?

"Light a candle and take a seat for the ride." -Live

3. What's one food that you can't live without?

Jalapeno peppers

 

4. What's your song of the week?

I don't really have one. When I listen to the radio 90 percent of the time it's either NPR or a baseball game.

5. What movies could you watch over and over and still love?

Clueless, Office Space, Taken, Love Actually, Forrest Gump, Little Miss Sunshine

 

6. Can you change the oil on a car?

Nope. I leave that to the men in my family.

 

7. Favorite kind of sandwich?

I love a good Ruben - actually my mom makes the best ones I've ever had.

 

8. Can you knit or crochet?

Negative. You have to have patience for something like that. I am definitely deficient in the patience department.

9. How many languages can you speak?

Just English. I can understand a little bit of Spanish, but can't really speak it.

 

10. Be honest: do you ever forget your reusable shopping bags when you go to the grocery store?
Yes! I really  need to make a point of it to put some bags in my car. I have tons of those reusable bags. The worst thing is when you forget them at stores that make you buy bags!

11. Favorite type of pie?

Apple pie - my mom's

12. What do you wear to bed?

Short-sleeve night shirts. I look like a hot mess when I am ready to go to bed. I do have a fab night shirt w/martini glasses on it that I really like.

13. Ever been in love?

Duh. What do you think? Of course!


If you have a blog, consider yourself tagged. If not, leave your responses in the comments! Yay!

Gleam me up, Scotty!

I know, so cliche, right? Today I have China Glaze's Gleam me Up glitter crackle over Wet N Wild Black Creme. I've been wearing it since Monday night and so far the crackle still looks good. I did put a topcoat on it because the crackle actually dries matte and not shiny. I like shiny better. I got 2 of the glitter crackles at Sally Beauty's clearance sale last week. They were $1.34 each. I also got 3 from the Hunger Games collection from China Glaze for 75 cents each and 2 Orly Flash Glam's for $2.99 each. Score.

 

No flash

 

Flash

Physicians Formula Find

So, I've been reading Nouveau Cheap for a bit now and there was recently talk of Physicians Formula Healthy Wear foundation being at Big Lots for really cheap. After scouring 3 local Big Lots I finally scored it. I had never tried it before but heard that it was really good and I love that it has SPF 50 in it. I bought 2 of them and opened one the other day just to try it and I am really impressed with the coverage. I bought the Translucent Medium shade and it is really a good match for my skin tone. For $4 a pop you can't beat it.

I'm finally (somewhat) organized

As my plastic bin that I keep my polish in keeps getting fuller and fuller, I decided it was time for a change. Plus, the bin was starting to crack from all the polish in it. So, I was at Big Lots and saw this:

It is actually a jewelry organizer, but I thought, "Hey this will work for nail polish, too." This is basically my whole collection in one convenient place. You wouldn't know it to look at it but (counting the tiny Sally Girl polishes) I have about 70+ polishes in this organizer, which is hanging off of a closet. Plus, you gotta love the zebra at the top! This organizer was $7 at Big Lots and is working nicely for me as a polish organizer. I now have a way to "shop my stash" and avoid buying similar colors (which I have done). Go me.

What I'm rocking today

Here's what I'm wearing on my nails today. Both colors are from the Color Club Take Wing Collection. The green is Come Fly with Me and the blue is Sky High. I absolutely love this collection. If you recall I got the whole collection at Burlington for super cheap. The colors are all fab with their lovely shimmery glass flecks and hint of duochrome in the right light. I was wearing another color from this collection (forgive me I don't recall the name) and was out to dinner on Saturday night and our server complimented me on my nails and I was so excited! Yay!

A walk on the wild side

Another foray into stamping today - well last night. I did 3 coats of Color Club's Wing Fling from the Take Wing Collection and stamped with Wet N Wild Black Creme. Here are the results (they look cooler in person):

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

OK. So, I was going for Pirates Themed nails as we went to a baseball game on Saturday night, hence the black and gold. However, my hubby said that they looked more like taxi-cab nails, so there ya go. I think they are neato. My middle finger one is a little wonky, but oh well. This was done using Spoiled's Mind Your Own Beeswax as a base and stamped with Wet n Wild Black Creme. Seche Vite topcoat. It is holding up rather well as I did this on Saturday afternoon and so far no chips!

Flash - don't look at wonky middle finger

No flash

Olympic mani

I thought I'd do a patriotic mani for the on-going Olympics. I've been watching some of it on TV, but am glad swimming is finally over. Anywho, for this mani I used Sally Hansen Salon Effects in You're a Star" as well as Spoiled's I Tripped on the Red Carpet. For the tips I used NYC Starry Silver Glitter. Sealed it all w/ Seche Vite, including the strips.

Flash

No flash

Big Lots find

I found these Sally Hansen Salon Effects strips at my local Big Lots for $3 - like you can't see the price. Duh. This is a spiderweb design that I saw in drugstores last fall around Halloween time. I figured for $3 I will give them a try. I am not spending $10! I bought some last year in a different design and they did not work for me at all. Maybe I did them wrong or something. I hope these work a bit better. I have used strips from Five Below and those worked awesomely.

Also at Big Lots I found a ginormous bottle of "Double Bubble" brand scented bubble bath - scented like, you guessed it - bubblegum. Yummy! It was a whole liter of it (A liter of cola - if you get that reference you get bonus points) for $2.50. I don't take bubble baths, but I have been using it as body wash and it smells awesome. The scent doesn't linger after you use it either which is nice and it's paraben free. Score.

Eggies

I attempted to play with the fish egg beads I got at Dollar Tree. They actually lasted OK for about a day and a half, but then basically peeled off. Weird. Oh well. I may attempt this again today if I am feeling ambitious.

Sorry this picture isn't that good and that there is a shadow, but you get the idea I guess.

Dolla Tree Score

Yeah, I said "dolla."

Wanna fight about it?

I found these at my local Dollar Tree today and obviously they were $1:

These are like mini (and I mean mini) fish eggie type of beads. They are super cute, but frankly look like they are gonna be super messy, but we shall see.

Close-up of fish eggies

These are glittery type shape thingies. Some are hearts, some are stars and some are flowery-shaped and still others are just hex-shaped.

Same as above closer-up

If I'm feeling adventurous tonight, I may try the fish eggie ones. We shall see. Wish me luck!

Happy 5th of July

How weird is it to have a holiday like the 4th in the middle of the week? I guess it gives folks a chance to both party on the day of and then party again on the weekend. I'm not much for parties, but I'll take a vodka and cranberry (or six) from time to time.

Since I purchased the Take Wing collection from Color Club the other day, I decided to use  the most patriotic color in the bunch for my 4th of July mani.

This is "Sky High"

Sorry for the bad shape of my cuticles :( Pulling weeds in the garden does a number on the nails fo sho.

Anywho, I liked this color - this was my first experience with the brand and I liked the formula. It was a bit more sheer than I had expected it to be. I think I used three coats and Seche Vite topcoat. You can still see the nail through it, though, but I like it. I have another from the collection called "Metamorphosis" on my toes, but I don't think that anyone wants to see my wonky feet.

Yikes - it's been way too long

Sorry for my lack of posting - I know - I suck. I've just not had the inspiration I guess - plus my nails were wrecked and I was waiting for them to grow back!
I do have a find I wanted to post. In an effort to de-stress, I went to one of my fave stores - Burlington - today. I bought way too many shoes as well as some jewelry, but wanted to post my nail find.

Color Club's "take wing" collection! Whoot! The whole bloody thing was $7.99. I saw ONE bottle at Rite Aid for $4.99, so yeah, I think I gots me a good deal.

"Take Wing"

Here's the tag from the back

My store also had a full set of the metallics - which I resisted and also sets of 4 smaller bottles for $3.99 (I think that's what it was).

Happy Friday!

It's Friday yet again - yay! And tomorrow's Cinco de Mayo. Someone better buy me tacos.

The other day I did my nails with Sinful Colors Rise and Shine and did my ring finger with Rise and Shine w/ a topcoat of Nail Junkie. I also have the Rise and Shine and Nail Junkie on my toes. I love glitter!

When I first applied Rise and Shine I was surprised that it dried to a satiny-matte finish. Weird for a polish called Rise and Shine, but I digress. The color is a tealish-green color more going toward green than blue. It also has the slightest shimmer to it, even though it's satiny-matte. Weird again. You have to look super hard to see the shimmer. You may need a microscope for it. The formula was a bit thick - I had to load up the brush a lot for it to show up. I did two coats of it for the photos below.

I love the Nail Junkie glitter. It's got as far as I can tell green, blue, silver and gold glitter in it in a tealish colored base. This may be one of my fave glitters ever. It looks super good with the Rise and Shine.

Here are the pics:

The bottles. This was taken with the flash.

With the flash

Without the flash



Sun Safety!

Taking a bit of a break from nails today - mostly because I have not had a chance to polish them today. Anywho, I picked up Sephora's Sun Safety Kit and am sooo excited to use it this summer. I will probably have a chance to use something from it tomorrow as I am going to be outside for a bit. The only trouble is deciding on which product to use. For those not familiar, the Sun Safety kit for this year is a 17-piece kit of several sunscreen and tanning products. I have never picked up one before so that's why I'm so excited about it.

It's $30 at Sephora, but all of the profits go to the Skin Cancer Foundation, which I think is neato. The retail value is $193! Sold! It says it's a 17-piece kit, but really it's 19 because the brush for the mineral veil is included as well as a fab train case (which I really needed anyway for my overflow of makeup).

Here's a complete list (mind you - these products are small in size):
-Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free UV Protector SPF 42 PA+++
- Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15
- Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15 with Dermaxyl Complex
- Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Defense Moisture Lotion SPF 30
- Ole Henriksen Protect The Truth SPF 50+ Sunscreen
- Philosophy Hope Oil-Free SPF 30
- Boscia Oil-free Daily Hydration SPF 15
- St. Tropez Gradual Tan
- Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45 PA+++
- Supergoop! SPF 30+ Everyday UV Lotion for Face and Body Cream Oil-free
- Origins VitaZing SPF 15
- Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15
- Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 25 Mineral Veil and brush
- Sephora Collection Age Defy Moisture Cream SPF 15
- Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 60 PA +++
- Kate Somerville Somerville 360° Face Self Tanning Pad
- TanTowel Classic Self-Tan Towelette for Face & Body

I gotta say that I'm super excited to try the St. Tropez and the Tan Towel. I am also excited to try the BB from Dr. Jart - haven't tried a BB yet. I also want to use the Photo Finish. I use Avon's primer now and like it, but always wanted to try the Photo Finish. I already know I love Mineral Veil. I doubt I'll use the tiny brush included. That brush seems better suited for blush or something. I have to say I have never heard of Supergoop! before. I guess that's what kits are all about - trying new things. I am kind of wary of the self-tanning face pad, though. Sounds scary.

Here are pictures:

I just love the packaging - it is on all four sides of the train case! Cute!

Another side of the case. I really am looking forward to trying the Fresh Sugar balm. My upper lip always gets burnt at baseball games!

The complete collection out of the box

These are the tanning supplies. St. Tropez!! Yay!!