NOTW: Aquamarine Skittles!

Hello and happy Friday!

I got some nail mail from Elevation Polish on Tuesday, and I was inspired by Stay Behind, Catch a Wave. I started with a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote followed by two coats of China Glaze Re-fresh Mint topped by one coat of Seche Vite. I layered one slightly manipulated coat of Elevation Polish Catch a Wave on my ring finger and thumb, which then got topped with the usual Gelous + Seche Vite.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

On my middle finger, I stamped the chevron image from Bundle Monster plate BM-201 with Zoya Robyn (which was not thick enough to stamp cleanly or I used too much pressure) and topped that with NYC In a New York Minute. Lastly, I layered one coat of Zoya Maisie over my pinkie and pointer fingers and topped that off with the NYC topcoat.

Hope your week has gone swimmingly! More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Caribbean Blue

Hello!

China Glaze Caribbean Blue. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

The China Glaze love continues today with Caribbean Blue.

China Glaze Caribbean Blue. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Caribbean Blue was one of the first polishes I ordered online, and therefore, one of the first of my current stash... and it's only taken me a year and a half to swatch it! It is a gorgeous light blue polish with silver shimmer.

China Glaze Caribbean Blue. Outdoors, sunlight, no flash/

Swatches today are a base coat of Seche Clear, three coats of Caribbean Blue, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. The formula is just okay on this one. It is sheerer than I expected and a bit streaky. I needed three coats to reach even opacity, but it was really quite manageable. Not perfect, but manageable.
 

China Glaze Caribbean Blue. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Razzle Me Dazzle Me

Hello!

This is China Glaze Razzle Me Dazzle Me!

China Glaze Razzle Me Dazzle Me. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Razzle Me Dazzle Me is a glitter topper in a clear base. I see three sizes of light pink hexes (tiny, small and medium), three sizes of black hexes (tiny, medium, and giant), and black bar glitter.

China Glaze Razzle Me Dazzle Me. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are one swiped coat over yesterday's Immortal swatch plus one coat of Gelous and one of NYC In a New York Minute. Formula on this is fantastic. One swiped on coat -- no manipulation of the glitter and it didn't want to clump together! Spot on, China Glaze!

China Glaze Razzle Me Dazzle Me. Outdoors, sunlight, no flash.

This is really close to the classic black and white glitter for me. Those pink hexes are so light of hue that they could really be considered neutral. I went with pink in my description because who's ever heard of a neutral glitter? Haha! Anyway, I think this could work over any base polish you'd care to use it on, so I'm quite glad I snagged this at Sally's when this collection was freshly out on the shelves. My only regret is that it sat so long untried because I really love the way it looks!

China Glaze Razzle Me Dazzle Me. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Immortal

Hello!

Today's post is a quick one on China Glaze Immortal.

China Glaze Immortal. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Immortal is a lovely, concrete grey polish with tons of shimmer. I see predominately silver glitter, but blue and purple/pink shimmer is in there as well. It pops especially well in direct sunlight.

China Glaze Immortal. Outdoors, sunlight, no flash.

Swatches today are one coat of Duri Rejuvacote, two coats of Immortal, and one coat of NYC In a New York  Minute. This was sheerer than I expected it to be, so I needed two rather thick coats to reach opacity. You'd probably need three to four thin/regular coats to get the same. Aside from that, the formula gave me no issues. It self-levels and is easy to work with.

China Glaze Immortal. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

This was from China Glaze's Halloween collection for 2012. I found my bottle in the clearance bin at Sally Beauty, but Head2Toe Beauty still has it.

China Glaze Immortal. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

  More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Pretty & Polished House of Heroes

Hello!

Today I have Pretty & Polished's House of Heroes.

Pretty & Polished House of Heroes. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

This is a fun glitter topper in a very lightly tinted green base. It's so lightly tinted that it did not affect the color of my base polish. So, onto the glitter! We've got tiny green, shiny hexes; small shiny, coppery-brown hexes, medium-sized matte, pastel hexes in green and blue; and, finally, large, white rectangular glitter pieces. Over orange, it has fall feel, but I think it would work over bright blue or any shade of green.

Pretty & Polished House of Heroes. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are quite honestly a lot of layers: one coat Duri Rejuvacote, one coat Sinful Colors Nail Hardener, one coat of Elmer's Glue, two coats of Zoya Arizona, one coat House of Heroes, one coat of Gelous, and, finally, one coat of Seche Vite.

Pretty & Polished House of Heroes. Outdoors, sunlight, no flash.

Formula on this one is quite nice. I didn't have any issues getting the glitter out of the bottle. One slightly manipulated coat was good for me, though I did take care to place those big rectangles where I wanted them. It's not a very dense glitter, but as I've mentioned before, those are my favorite! I like when the individual shapes can be easily seen on the nail rather than getting lost in the 'noise' of a glitter bomb.

Pretty & Polished House of Heroes. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

NOTW: Mango Tips!

Hello! I'm writing this from the PAST! It's Sunday evening! lol Hopefully, I've made it through the week and can enjoy this upcoming long weekend! Since you saw what I planned to wear this week on Sunday evening, I've got an older notw I wore a month or so ago but didn't have the opportunity to post it as I was busy with the 31 Day Challenge.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I started this look off with two coats of Duri Rejuvacote. Once that was dry, I used french tip guides and Zoya Arizona. I added one coat of INM Northern Lights to that and waited until it was all dry before starting to work with more french tip guides and Color Club Wildflower to make the double-french tip. One final topcoat of NYC In a New York Minute, and I was finished. I really enjoyed wearing these and the color combination reminded me of tropical fruit!

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Nail Pattern Boldness Boop-Oop-A-Dupe

[Oops! Never hit "publish"! Here is yesterday's post a day late!]

Hello!

I have another indie polish great for layering today. This is Nail Pattern Boldness Boop-Oop-A-Dupe!

Nail Pattern Boldness Boop-Oop-A-Dupe. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Boop-Oop-A-Dupe is a magical layering polish packed with shimmer. The base is slightly tinted red. It's hard for me to tell, but I'd say the shimmer is red with a slight duochrome lean towards gold.

Nail Pattern Boldness Boop-Oop-A-Dupe. Indoors, artificial light, with flash.

Swatches today are a layering of Boop-Oop-A-Dupe over yesterday's Brash Denim Doll swatch. I've used two coats of Boop-Oop-A-Dupe over all but my ring finger, which I left alone for comparison. I added one coat of NYC In a New York Minute to all but my ring finger as well. Formula is fantastic -- no issues at all.

Nail Pattern Boldness Boop-Oop-A-Dupe. Outdoors, natural light, no flash.

Over blue, the red tinted base turns the overall look purple. I've also shown this over red in this post, here. It is equally as gorgeous there, but it gives a much different appearance. It's more subtle over red and the warm gold shift positively glows off the red. With the blue polish, the shimmer makes a gorgeous contrast of colors.

I bought my bottle from llarowe.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Brash Denim Doll

Hello!

Brash Denim Doll. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Today I have the other Brash polish I was gifted for my birthday. If I remember correctly, the two were packaged together as a set. This one is Denim Doll.

Brash Denim Doll. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Denim Doll is a deep blue with awesome blue shimmer. It is really pretty, and again, I'm pleased with it despite the less than desirable formula. I didn't have sun for swatching this one, which is unfortunate because I think it would really glow in natural light. May I substitute some flash instead?

Brash Denim Doll. Indoors, artificial light, with flash.

Swatches today are a base coat of Seche Clear, three coats of Denim Doll, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. Like Blue Dream, the formula on this polish is thin and watery. I was surprised at how it did build up over three coats, and it did self-level nicely, as well. So, it really isn't so bad!

Brash Denim Doll. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: CrowsToes Her Goose Got Cooked

Hello!

No challenge post for Tuesday, so we're back to swatches! I need to catch up! And I may have been bad this month and made an epic haul... stay tuned for that guilt-ridden post later next week. On to today's polish:   CrowToes Her Goose Got Cooked!

CrowsToes Her Goose Got Cooked. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Like Absolum, Her Goose Got Cooked is a super flashy glitter topper. Absolum is one of my favorite polishes of all time, and this is nearly as good. I love the warm mix of glitter. It is really shiny, and most of it shines holographic as well. Check out the close-up!

CrowsToes Her Goose Got Cooked. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are one dabbed coat of Her Goose Got Cooked over yesterday's Brash Blue Dream plus one coat of Gelous and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. I love the color contrast between these two polishes!

CrowsToes Her Goose Got Cooked. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Her Goose Got Cooked has large, gold holo hexes; medium orange and pink holo hexes; and both small and tiny gold hexes all in a clear base. As is usually stated with CrowToes listings, the polish is thick. I did add a few drops of thinner to mine to make it easier to handle. Otherwise, no issues with this. It is gorgeous!

CrowsToes Her Goose Got Cooked. Outdoors, natural light, no flash.

CrowToes can be found at llarowe, which is where I purchased this bottle. Her Goose Got Cooked was originally part of last year's holiday offering from CrowsToes. Fortunately, this one was made a permanent part of the line-up!

CrowsToes Her Goose Got Cooked. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Brash Blue Dream

Hello!

Today I have a new-to-me brand. This is Brash Blue Dream.

Brash Blue Dream. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

This polish was a birthday gift, and I'm quite pleased with it! It's a lovely bright blue creme. Swatches today are a base coat of Seche Clear, two thick coats of Blue Dream, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute.

Brash Blue Dream. Outdoors, natural light, no flash.

The formula leaves a little to be desired. It is thin, not well-pigmented, and a bit runny. It is streaky too. However, it self-levels wonderfully, and I was able to get away with using two very thick coats. Otherwise, I'd think you'd need to use three or four thin coats. The brush on this bottle is strange. It's cut at an angle so it's tapered to one side. Once I got the hang of it, it worked out nicely. I was able to use the narrow end for good control close to my cuticles.

Brash Blue Dream. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

A quick internet search tells me this is Payless Shoe Stores' brand of cosmetics, which are available in select Payless stores. I'd never think to look for nail polish there! Even with it's tricky formula, Blue Dream was a nice surprise. I love the color!

Brash Blue Dream. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Crumpet's Laid-Back 31DC: Recreate Someone Else's Mani

Hello!

I've done it! I've completed the 31 Day Challenge! ^_^

The final challenge prompt is "Recreate Someone Else's Mani". I picked the simple design from Joyluscious' Day Six post to recreate. She used her toes for this one, which is awesome, but I did my fingers. I've got some things coming up at work this week that I'm not looking forward to, so I wanted to use a bold, strong color to hopefully boost my confidence. I also needed a simple look that would be office appropriate. Normally, I don't need to mind what's on my nails, but this coming week is different. Joyluscious' design fit what I had in mind perfectly.

Copycat Challenge Prompt!

I started with a one-two punch base coat combination of Duri Rejuvacote and Sinful Colors Nail Hardener. I layered on two coats of my favorite bright red creme, Zoya Sooki, after that was dry. Then, I used one coat of Orly Sec n' Dry for the topcoat. I stamped part of the floral design from Konad plate m60 with Konad Special Polish in white. The glitter dots were fished out of my bottle of Candy Lacquer Candy Dots with a toothpick. I sealed everything with a final coat of NYC In a New York Minute.

Hopefully, this mani will get me through the week! Can it be the weekend all over again? At least Game of Thrones is on in a few minutes!

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing

Hello! Yay! Almost weekend time again!

Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing is an iridescent glitterbomb!

Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Today's swatches are one coat of The Worst Possiible Thing over OPI Russian Navy from Wednesday and one coat of Gelous plus one of NYC In a New York Minute. The formula on this one is a bit thick, but it's so packed with shimmer and glitter. I didn't find the thicker formula a problem. It went on well, and one coat provided a fabulous amount of bling. I didn't need to adjust or manipulate any of the glitter.

Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

It was hard for me to determine just what makes it up. The clear base is so packed with glitter, and shimmer, and gorgeous. I see small light blue hexes, larger light pink hexes, very tiny silver hexes, and a load of iridescent shimmer and holo dust... I think. This one plays tricks on my eyes. Here's a macro shot of the bottle -- see what you can make of it!

Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing. Indoors, artificial light, no flash. Never mind the red-tinge -- my camera is red and reflecting on the bottle!

Anyway, it is a GORGEOUS topper. There's holographic flash off the glitters and the lovely iridescent sheen. It looks great over dark colors and more subtle over lighter ones.

Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing. Outdoors, sunlight, no flash.

I honestly added this to my order just to reach the $50 mark to qualify for the bonus polish (Dearly Beloved), but I'm really glad I went with this one. Every Rainbow Honey polish I've tried so far has been wickedly complex but beautiful. Check them out here!

Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: OPI Party In My Cabana

Hello!

Quickie post today! This is OPI Party In My Cabana.

OPI Party In My Cabana. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Party In My Cabana is a simple, medium-pink creme. This lovely color is a great basic addition to any stash.

OPI Party In My Cabana. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are a base coat of Seche Clear, two coats of Party In My Cabana, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. Good formula -- perfect in two coats.

OPI Party In My Cabana. Outdoors, sunlight, no flash.

I found this on clearance a while back in a random mall salon.

OPI Party In My Cabana. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: OPI Russian Navy

Hello again!

OPI Russian Navy. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Back in March, I found this inky pretty in my home town salon. It is OPI Russian Navy.

OPI Russian Navy. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

On the nail, Russian Navy is a very dark, navy blue polish. The deep blue base is sort of jelly-like, but so loaded with shimmer that it is quite opaque. It's the pink and blue shimmer that makes this polish so pretty. It's nearly imperceptible indoors, but you can see a pink flash every now and then when the light is right. It's more visible in the bottle, but outdoors, though, it's wonderful.

OPI Russian Navy. Outdoors, sunlight, no flash.

Swatches today are a base coat of Seche Clear, two coats of Russian Navy, and one coat of NYC In A New York Minute. Great formula here - no issues for me. Two coats did the job nicely.

OPI Russian Navy. Outdoors, sunlight, no flash.

I'm not sure on the availability of this, and, actually, I was quite surprised to find when I did. So, happy hunting!

OPI Russian Navy. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^