NOTW: Pretty in Pink

Hello!

Like yesterday, I'm dusting off this look to show you today. I wore this one the week after yesterday's pretty.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

This delicate look started with Duri Rejuvacote, Sinful Colors Nail Hardener, two coats of Zoya Brigitte, and the Qtica Extending Topcoat. The stamps were added the next day to ensure the base color was dry, and I used Essie Nothing Else Metals. I added a pink rhinestone to my ring finger, and sealed everything with one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. It's another mani that I absolutely adored!

More soon! ^_^

NOTW: Secret Garden

Hello!

I am fail blogger again! But I regret nothing, Azeroth needed me! I'm a hero, don't you know? ^_^

So, since I've been playing too much World of Warcraft and don't have any pictures edited for this week, let's go all the way back to January in Maryland when I wore this beautiful mani.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

This started with my normal base coat combination. Then, I used two coats of Zoya Odette, which was then topcoated with Qtica Extending Topcoat. After a lot of dry time, I stamped the swirls with AEngland St. George. The glitter accents are the fabulous, Rainbow Honey Metalmark. Lastly, I used one coat of NYC In a New York Minute to seal everything in. I totally loved this look so much. I might have to revisit it!

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Bonus NOTW: Blush!

Hello!

Today's look is another one from a few month's ago. This one started with my usual base coat combination, and two coats of Orly Naked Canvas. To that I sponged on Rainbow Honey Sword Lily to create a soft gradient. I stamped the scroll work image from FUN #3 Stamping Plate with Konad Special Polish in Black over my gradient and sealed it with a quick coat of NYC In a New York Minute. Voila!

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

NOTW: Aqua Skittles

Hello!

I have another old mani to show you today. This one is from the beginning of May, and I still absolutely love it!

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I started out with my usual base coat combination of Duri Rejuvacote and Sinful Colors Nail Hardener. Then I put on two easy coats of China Glaze For Audrey. To my middle finger, I added one coat of Color Club Galactic Garden, from the Luminous Lacquer Collection. My ring finger got one coat of Emily de Molly Majestic Flight. Everything was then topped with Seche Vite. Perfection!

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Ghoulish Glow

Hello!

Today's swatch is a bit different - this is China Glaze Ghoulish Glow. I love the name and the ghost on the bottle!

China Glaze Ghoulish Glow. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Ghoulish Glow is a glow in the dark topcoat that leaves a slightly matte finish. I used two coats of this over yesterday's China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy swatch. It glows faintly yellow, but my camera picked up orange, which I thought was weird. Anyway, this applies easily without any issues. But, I was a bit disappointed in this one. The glow is weak and fades pretty quickly, especially compared some of the other brands out on the market today. Maybe I'm just not doing it right? I placed my fingers right next to a bright light bulb for a few minutes, but I still only got a weak luminescence from the polish. Oh well, it's still fun (if only for a short time!).

China Glaze Ghoulish Glow. Indoors, no light.

I purchased my bottle last year around Halloween from Sally Beauty supply. I seem to remember hearing that it will be back out this year as well.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

Hello!

Today I have a gorgeous neon for you to see! This is China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy!

Flip Flop Fantasy is a crazy light (pastel?) orange/coral (melon?) neon polish. It is hard to describe and even harder to photograph, so keep that in mind...

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today started with one coat of Sinful Colors Base coat. Then I used three coats of Flip Flop Fantasy, and finished that with one coat of NYC In New York Minute. This polish is far more opaque than I expected, so there is no need to use a white base coat. However, the first coat goes on streaky. Patience is needed during application because it will bald and drag. I've heard that this polish has been reformulated and is different from the original version. I think I have the latest rendition, because I picked it up recently from the re-promote display of the collection.

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

This is really bright, and it tweaked my camera out for pretty much every shot. This deep shade capture is the best I got. The rest of my lightbox pictures are too washed out.

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I purchased my bottle recently from Sally Beauty. It's a unique and welcome addition to my collection.

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Pure Ice Sparks Fly

Hello!

Pure Ice Sparks Fly. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Today's polish is Sparks Fly from Pure Ice!

Pure Ice Sparks Fly. Indoors, sunlight, no flash.

Sparks Fly is a sparse glitter topper made up of blue microglitter, small copper hexes, and the occasional silver holographic star.

Pure Ice Sparks Fly. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are two coats of Sparks Fly over yesterday's OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby swatch plus topcoat. Application was smooth, and I did not need to dab this on. I did, however, strategically place the stars when I managed to get one, but otherwise this is swiped on like normal polish.

Pure Ice Sparks Fly (matte). Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I purchased my bottle recently from Wal-mart.

Pure Ice Sparks Fly. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby

Hello!

I have OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby swatched for today!

OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Love.Angel.Music.Baby is This Gown Needs a Crown's golden sister. It's a pretty satin-finish gold.

OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are a coat of Sinful Colors Base Coat and two coats of Love.Angel.Music.Baby. This polish applies perfectly and didn't have any issues. For normal every day wear, I think you could get away with one coat - it's that opaque.

OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I purchased this bottle at Sally Beauty, I believe. This was part of the Gwen Stefani Collection from a few months ago, so it probably isn't easy to find now. I did see some in the clearance bin at Sally's about a month ago, so good luck!

OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Bonus NOTW: Red and Sparkly

Hello!

Here is yet another mani from a few months ago. It was one of those times when I was craving bright red nails. But I wanted to use one of my new polishes too, and the resulting combination isn't really the best...

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

This is my usual base coat combination (Duri + Sinful Colors Nail Hardener), and two coats of Zoya Sooki for the red polish. On my accent nails, I started with a coat of OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest and layered one coat each of Rainbow Honey The Bubbly and Rainbow Honey Dearly Beloved over my middle and ring finger nails, respectively. One coat of topcoat, and this was finished.

I'm not crazy about the bright red mixed with the darker polishes. I was expecting the burgundy of Every Month is Oktoberfest to play against the red a little better, but even so, I rocked this one for a few days.

More soon ! ^_^

Preview: Rainbow Honey Summer Mixtape! Collection

***Products in this post were sent for review!***

Hiya!!

Omigosh you guys!! It's been a big week for Never Without Polish! The blog turned two on Tuesday, July 15th, and just today, I received my very first product for review! I was not expecting this at all, and I'm honored to have a review for one of my favorite brands, Rainbow Honey!

Rainbow Honey sent me three polishes from their brand new Summer Mixtape! Collection, which comes out today at 10 p.m. eastern time. So, like right now!! They also sent along a promo code, which I was encouraged to share. So, if you're shopping at Rainbow Honey between now and August, 31st, 2014, use this code for 20% off: MIXTAPE20   Awesome, right?

I was sent Elevate, One Minute More, and Work It Out. Onward to the swatches!

Elevate is a fun glitter topper in a clear base full of iridescent shimmer. I chose to show this over black, Cult Nails Nevermore, so you could see that pretty shimmer in full glory. This one is so fun!

Rainbow Honey Elevate. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

One Minute More is a yellow polish packed with pink shimmer. Totally unique!

Rainbow Honey One Minute More. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Lastly, Work It Out is a perfect coral creme with a vintage feel. I love this one!

Rainbow Honey Work It Out. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Look for my normal, full swatches and review on these in the next few weeks. I wanted to get these on the blog as soon as possible, so you could all see them just in time for the launch.

Remember, the promo code! MIXTAPE20

Happy shopping! More soon! ^_^

***Products in this post were sent for review!***

NOTW: Strawberry Lazerbeams!

Hello!

Another nail of the week from March! This one finally saw a long held idea come to life!

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I started with my usual "long-wear mani" base combination of Duri Rejuvacote and Sinful Colors Nail Hardener. Then, I layered two coats of Revlon Pink Pineapple on my ring finger and topped that with Seche Vite. I used two coats of Zoya Kimber on all my other fingers, topped that with Seche Vite, and waited for my ringer fingers to dry completely. Once that happened, some striping tape, one coat of Kimber, some careful peeling off of the striping tape, and a final coat of Seche Vite went on to create this berry mani.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Simple but cute! Loved this -- it's a shame I let Kimber sit in a drawer so long. It's a beauty!

More soon! ^_^

Preview: China Glaze The Giver Collection, My Picks

Hiya!!

So, I just got back from Sally's and look what I have to show you!!

My picks from the new China Glaze collection, The Giver!

I did really quick swatches of these as soon as I got home, so I could show them to you. I haven't seen these swatched up by the big-name bloggers yet, so I was surprised to see them out on the shelf.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

My picks are Friends Forever, Right?, the palest of pink cremes; History of the World, a dusty blue-purple; and Boundary of Memory, a black, silver, and copper microglitter. I used three coats of Friends Forever, Right? and Boundary of Memory. History of the World only needed two. Formula on these is impressive, especially the pale, Friends Forever, Right?. It doesn't have any of the normal problems we usually see with such pale colors. It self-levels really well. It's not streaky, and it is applies very smoothly. I could've gotten away with two coats, but I nicked it at the last second and did a quick fix with a third coat.

I didn't think to snap a picture of the display or swatch wheel, however... but I do remember seeing one other microglitter, a white one, in this collection. The rest looked to be cremes. There are some interesting shades here, but very subdued and fall-like.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: OPI Black Shatter

Hello!

I picked up OPI Black Shatter a long time ago, and now it's turn on the blog has finally come.

OPI Black Shatter. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Black Shatter is exactly that - a black, shatter effect polish. I'm not super in love with shatter/crackle polish, so I usually only whip this baby out around Halloween. For some reason, it has an eerie feel to me.

OPI Black Shatter. Indoors, artificial light, no flash (natural finish).

Swatches today are one thin coat of Black Shatter over yesterday's Sally Hansen Lava swatch, which I thought worked out nicely. In the above picture, I left the natural finish, and the rest have the combination topped with NYC In a New York Minute. Depending on how you apply this, you can get different shatter patterns. A thin application will look like my swatches -- with thin shatter lines. Use a thicker coat, and it will look more like the design on the cap, which you can start to see on my ring finger where I used a bit more polish. This is easy to use, but you do need to be quick since it will crackle as it dries, and it dries pretty fast.

OPI Black Shatter. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I really don't remember where my bottle came from, but I have seen it recently for sale in the independent salon I go to.

OPI Black Shatter. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Sally Hansen Lava

Hello!

Today's swatch is Sally Hansen Lava.

Sally Hansen Lava. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Lava is a pretty glass-fleck, duochrome polish that shifts from orange to pink. It wants to shift to red, but doesn't quite get there. The final look is bright and metallic.

Sally Hansen Lava. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are one coat of Sinful Colors Base Coat, three coats of Lava, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. This polish is much sheerer than I expected, so I used three coats. It will bald and streak if you are not patient and start on another coat if the first isn't dry, but once applied, it's stunning.

Sally Hansen Lava. Indoors, natural light, no flash.

I purchased my bottle recently on clearance at either Wal-greens or Wal-mart... my memory fails me! Happy hunting!

Sally Hansen Lava. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Rainbow Honey Sea Star

Hello!

Today I have a fantastic polish to show you! This is Rainbow Honey Sea Star - June's Limited Edition!

Rainbow Honey Sea Star. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Sea Star is a phenomenal glitter topper in a clear base packed with iridescent shimmer. The glitter mix in this is perfectly aquatic: Aqua and mint hexes, circles, and squares. A few small, yellow hexes are in there as well, and the finishing touch, coral stars. Sea Star brings to mind images of a tropical lagoon and sandy beaches. It's perfect for a cute beachy mani!

Rainbow Honey Sea Star. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are one and a half coats of Sea Star over Zoya Chantal plus two coats of topcoat. I applied this by swiping one coat of polish on then going back to dab on and place the stars and larger glitter where I wanted it. The formula is good, and I had no problems with application.

Rainbow Honey Sea Star. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I purchased my bottle from Rainbow Honey, where it is still available.

Rainbow Honey Sea Star. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Zoya Chantal

Hello!

Today I have Zoya Chantal swatched up for you. This is the last of my picks from the Naturel Collection.

Zoya Chantal. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Chantal is a neutral creme polish, which might be a little boring, but it's the perfect base for nail art.

Zoya Chantal. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, one coat of Sinful Colors Nail Hardener, two coats of Chantal, and one coat of Qtica topcoat. This polish has a slightly more finicky formula than the others from this collection that I've had on the blog. It requires patience because it will drag and bald, so wait between coats!

I purchased my bottle directly from Zoya.

Zoya Chantal. Indoors, artificial light, no flash./mo

More soon! ^_^

Bonus NOTW: Lilac Skittles

Hello again!

I've got so many manis from my hiatus earlier this year that we're doing extra posts until the blog is caught up! This pretty lilac number was on my fingers for our roadtrip to South Carolina a few months ago. In fact, I snapped the last picture outside in downtown Charleston, near the South Carolina Aquarium. It was a beautiful day!

Lilac Skittles. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I started with my base coat combination of Duri Rejuvacote and Sinful Colors Nail Hardener. My middle finger got two coats of Color Club Fashion Addict, while the rest got two coats of OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around. I used some striping tape and Color Club Fashion Addict with Color Club Wild At Heart for my ring finger. The stamps were done with Wild at Heart. The geometric images are from BM-202 and BM-213, and the hippo you can barely see on my thumb, is from the FUN stamping plate #3. One coat of NYC In a New York Minute and off we went!

Lilac Skittles. Outdoors, sunlight, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

NOTW: Blustery Night

Hello!

I wore my combination of Nyx Algae and Aqua Glitter for a few days, then stamped this bushy image from Bundle Monster Plate BM-310 over it with Konad Special Polish Black. This mani reminds me of one of the rare, warm balmy nights when the moon is full and the breeze is tussling the branches about. The night feels alive, and it seems as if anything can happen...

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Shining Stars

Hello!

A different kind of post for today - a sampling, if you will! A friend of mine recently got her hands on the mini set of OPI's Coca-Cola collection, and while visiting, I played with two of the shades. I used OPI Get Cherried Away for all my fingers but the ring finger, which got painted with OPI A Grape Affair. I think I used two coats of each over Sinful Colors Base Coat with Seche Vite on top.

OPI Get Cherried Away with OPI A Grape Affair. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

After a few days, I livened things up with some nail art. I stamped the cascading star image from Bundle Monster plate BM-H25 with Zoya Trixie and added one coat of Black Cat Lacquer Discotraxx on my accent nails. This then got topped with one coat of NYC In a New York Minute.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: NYX Aqua Glitter

Hello!

Following up from yesterday's post, I have Nyx Algae's perfect pairing -- This is Nyx Aqua Glitter!

Nyx Aqua Glitter. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Aqua Glitter is a perfect glitter topper of iridescent and shiny aqua microglitter in a weakly-tinted aqua-colored base. As simple as it sounds, it is really gorgeous.

Nyx Aqua Glitter. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

For these swatches, I simply layered one coat of Aqua Glitter over yesterday's swatch and added another coat of Seche Vite. Like Algae, Aqua Glitter applied nicely, and it provided a nice glitter density in one easy coat.

Nyx Aqua Glitter. Indoors, natural light, no flash.

I love the sparkle this adds to Algae! I bought this at the same store as yesterday's polish, so I'm not sure where to find another bottle.

Nyx Aqua Glitter. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^