Haul: February and March!!

Hello!

I'm not super happy with my set up here, and I feel that my picture quality is a little less than what I want... maybe it's the lighting? I think it's the lighting inside, and I know it's the lack of direct sunlight shots. I think those really show the polish well, and our apartment doesn't have a good place for those kind of shots. Anyway, I'll be back more frequently once I can get my photos back up to speed. Probably not until fall or winter however -- we're currently building a house and will be moving before summer is over (hopefully)! All that will keep us pretty busy, but the new house has space for a craft/polish room! I'll post what I wear in mean time.

So first, an update and rant about the Nerdlacquer situation from the January haul. I never did get my order or hear from the seller. Since she did not respond to the PayPal dispute process either, the dispute was decided in my favor, and PayPal was able to refund the money to me. Thanks, PayPal, you rock! So... NerdLacquer... I am disappoint! I've read her previous explanations as to what happened the last time she disappeared, and what she went through was terrible. I am sorry all that happened, but at this point, it doesn't excuse you from your obligations. At the very least, you should know when you can't function enough to continue running your business. Leaving the store active with inventory you can't fulfill and just letting people send you money for orders that you won't send out is deplorable. At the least, the store should have been made inactive and the outstanding orders finished. I will find it very hard to support the brand again (but, damn, those polishes are awesome!).
****Update**** I eventually did get my order! It was sometime in late summer of 2015. It came with a note of apology, extra polish, and some cute extras as well. It was a nice surprise, and I will likely give this brand another shot. I appreciate the attempt to own up and make things right.

Here's a look at what I hauled in February and March!

A quick stop into Ulta saw me bringing home some clearance nail stickers!

Ulta loot.

And, three shimmery pretties from the China Glaze spring collection Dashboard Dreamer, Pack Lightly, and the lilac one, Wanderlust (not pictured).

China Glaze Road Trip picks.

Here is the February mystery bag from Rainbow Honey:

Rainbow Honey February 2015 Mystery Bag - mini.

Even though March was birthday month, my only polish purchase was March's mystery bag:

Rainbow Honey March 2015 Mystery Bag - mini.

More eventually! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Rainbow Honey Petit Four

Hello!

I'm still here! I wanted to show you this swatch of Rainbow Honey Petit Four, since it is part of the brand new collection, La Patisserie, that launches tonight!

Rainbow Honey Petit Four. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Petit Four is a cute, glitter polish with a pale yellow base. I love the glitter mix here. I see light blue, coral, and pink glitter in a variety of shapes along with a sprinkle of pink shimmer. Swatches today are one coat of Petit Four over a base of Sinful Colors Unicorn, then one coat of Seche Vite. I didn't have any problems with the application, and I thought this was the perfect glitter coverage.

Rainbow Honey Petit Four. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

My mini bottle came in the mystery bag from May of last year, and while I haven't seen any swatches of the new collection yet, I would assume that this is the same polish. The new collection launches in just a few hours over at Rainbow Honey!

 

Rainbow Honey Petit Four. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soo-... uhm, eventually! ^_^

NOTD: Distressed Valentine's

Hello!

Here's a cute Valentine's Day look I just finished.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I started with a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, two coats of China Glaze Friends Forever, Right? on all my fingers but my thumb, which got two coats of Zoya Shelby. This was all topped with one coat of Seche Vite before stamping the chevron pattern from BM-201 with Zoya Geneviev, then again with Pure Ice Gossip and the hearts from BM-317. I added one coat of NYC In a New York Minute topcoat to add shine.

I didn't intend for it to be so grey and distressed, but it worked out well anyway.

Hope your day is great!

More soon! ^_^

Haul: January!

Hello!

Let's take a look at January's haul!

I should be showing you my first purchase of the year right here, but I have not received my order yet. On the first, I checked in on the Nerdlacquer site and saw a couple of polishes from my wishlist were available, so I placed an order. I purchased a bottle of The Lando System and a bottle of Alecto. When they failed to arrive a month later, I sent an email to the listed support address kindly asking for an update on my order. I understand if my order got overlooked or in line behind a bunch of others, but I have yet to hear anything.  :(  I am hoping the creator hasn't disappeared again, but I did start the dispute process on Paypal just in case... it stated I had 45 days from the date of the transaction to do so. Now, the seller has a month to respond. Has anyone else been having problems with Nerdlacquer lately?

****Update****

I just wanted to update this post because Nerdlacquer fulfilled my order. I think it was a year and several months later, but I did get the polishes I ordered (yes, even after I was granted a refund by PayPal), plus a bonus polish and a few cute extras. The order included a note of apology as well. So, I think that's awesome. Shit happens and the seller attempted to make it right. Good on her.

Moving on to the items I do have in my possession, here are the random Sally Hansen polishes I bought on clearance. Some of these came from Target, some from Wal-greens. I snagged I Lilac You, Peach Fuzz, All Yarned Up, and Berried Under.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Next, China Glaze! The glitters, Pine-ing for Glitter and Chillin' With My Snow-mies, were on clearance at Ulta, and I picked up the red, Seduce Me, at Sally Beauty during a promo (I think it was buy a bottle of Seche Vite or Base and get a China Glaze free).

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Next, Zoya! These were also on clearance at Ulta for less than half price! Haven, Margo, Yuna, and Geneviev. I was surprised to see these on clearance so soon since they are from very recent collections. Happy day!

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Lastly, Rainbow Honey's January Mystery bag. Three pretty polishes, a sugar lip scrub, lip balm, and soap!

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

 More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Milani Jewel FX Lavender

Hello!

Milani Jewel FX Lavender. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Today, I have another simple glitter to show you. This one is from Milani's Jewel FX Line and is called Lavender.

Lavender has two sizes of lavender-colored hex glitters in a clear base.

Milani Jewel FX Lavender. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are one swiped on coat of Lavender over yesterday's Sally Hansen I Lilac You swatch plus one coat of NYC In a New York Minute topcoat. Unlike Tuesday's glitter polish, Essie Set in Stones, I found this one had an excess of the clear base. I let some of the base drain back into the bottle before applying this, and I found that with this little trick, it applied easily.

Milani Jewel FX Lavender, matte. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I've had this one for quite some time, but I think I bought it at CVS.

Milani Jewel FX Lavender. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Sally Hansen I Lilac You

Hello!

Today, I have a quick swatch of a polish I just picked up a few days ago. This is Sally Hansen I Lilac You - a pale, lilac creme.

Sally Hansen I Lilac You. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are one coat of Sinful Colors Base Coat, two coats of I Lilac You, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. For the most part, this polish applies well. It is just a little finicky when it comes to over-manipulation - it will drag and bald just a bit if overworked. My only other complaint is Sally Hansen's terrible, paddle-brush. I have never been a fan, but this is a gorgeous color despite that.

Sally Hansen I Lilac You. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I purchased this polish just last weekend on clearance at Ulta for less than $2! I did see it on clearance at Walgreens prior to that as well, so this might be a discontinued shade. I love it's muted tone. It's just the most perfect shade of lilac.

Sally Hansen I Lilac You. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Essie Set in Stones

Hello!

Essie Set in Stones. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Today, I have a quick swatch of a polish I've been using quite a bit of lately. This is Essie Set in Stones.

Set in Stones is simply a mix of three different sizes of silver hex glitters in a clear base. I always want to call this Nothing Else Metals, so pardon my previous and future errors, please.

Essie Set in Stones. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are one swiped on coat of Set in Stones over yesterday's Rainbow Honey 488nm swatch plus one coat of NYC In a New York Minute Topcoat. This provides a nice glitter density, and I found it had the right clear base-to-glitter ratio for easy application.

Essie Set in Stones, matte. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I believe this was a part of the first Luxeffects line Essie came out with a few years ago. I've had this one for a long time, but I would bet I purchased my bottle at CVS back in Maryland. It's a solid, staple polish, and I think this is still available.

Essie Set in Stones. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Rainbow Honey 488nm

Hello!

Rainbow Honey 488nm. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Today's polish is from one of Rainbow Honey's Mystery Bags, so I do not believe this is available at the moment. This is 488nm - a bright, aqua-blue creme.

Rainbow Honey 488nm. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are one coat of Sinful Colors Base Coat, two coats of 488nm, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. This applies beautifully. It flows nicely onto the nail and stands up to quite a bit of manipulation. I had no problems with it whatsoever.

Rainbow Honey 488nm. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

As I mentioned above, this polish is not available at the moment. It was part of Rainbow Honey's Mystery bag that I purchased in August and may or may not be released at a future date. Zoya Robyn looks to be a very close match to it, however.

Rainbow Honey 488nm. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

NOTW: New Year's Glam

Hello!

Lacquer Lust A Toast to the Good Life looked like the perfect New Year's Eve polish to me, so I just upped the glam for this simple look.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I wore my swatch for a few days, then did a gradient with Essie Set in Stones and added just a touch of Milani Jewel FX Fuchsia for a pop of color. A coat of Gelous plus a coat of Seche Vite had this glass smooth and super shiny! Just in time for New Year's Eve.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

NOTW: September to December Overview

Hello!

I'm going to take this opportunity to catch up on some nails of the week I wore during the last three months of shoddy blogging.

First, here is the mani I wore for our one year anniversary celebration in September. I started with three coats of OPI Don't Touch My Tutu over my base coat combination of Duri Rejuvacote plus Sinful Colors Nail Hardener. I added one coat of INM Northern Lights. I used a decal and then painted a tiny red heart, and finally, sealed that with one coat of NYC In a New York Minute.

Second, I tried out this beautiful peachy shimmer gel polish. My sister went the gel polish way, but I like changing mine up more often. Gel was fun to try, but it's definitely not for me. I think this was a Sally Hansen color, and the decal came from the clearance section at ShopKo.

Next, I wore this pretty autumn look on our long weekend trip to Duluth in October. We had great weather and beautiful fall color! My base here is OPI Sleigh Ride for Two.

Zoya re-released Harlow, from their Matte Velvet collection this past fall, and I had been lemming it forever. I put it on immediately once it arrived and added a coat of Rainbow Honey XOXO over my ring and middle fingers. I did use topcoat to make it shine and last a bit longer.

Last, I did this rather simple stamped looked. Sally Hansen Wet Cement is the grey, and I stamped with Pure Ice Gossip and BM-321. The darker grey on my ring finger was an experiment - I tried one coat of Dance Legend Albion over a creme-base, but preferred the look without.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Lacquer Lust A Toast to the Good Life

Hello!

Lacquer Lust A Toast to the Good Life. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I could not wait to wear the polishes I received at Christmas, so here's the first one I tried. This is Lacquer Lust A Toast to the Good Life.

Lacquer Lust A Toast to the Good Life. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

A Toast to the Good Life is a gorgeous mix of fine holographic gold glitter and small iridescent black hexes in a grey-tinted base. Pictures hardly do this one justice as it sparkles and flares rainbows like a diamond-encrusted ring. My camera just can't translate the beauty into digital form. The best I could do was some intentionally blurry captures.

Lacquer Lust A Toast to the Good Life. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are one coat of Duri Rejuvacote, one coat of Sinful Colors Nail Hardener, two coats of Zoya Normani, one coat of A Toast to the Good Life, and one coat of Seche Vite. I chose to layer this, but I'm not sure I needed to. I think two coats on it's own would have been sufficient now that I've used it. This polish applies wonderfully. It dries surprisingly smooth, and I only needed a normal topcoat to finish it off.

Lacquer Lust A Toast to the Good Life. Indoors, filtered sun light, no flash.

This polish was part of a limited-edition holiday collaboration set between Polished by KPT, Lacquer Lust, and Serum No. 5 for the 2014 holiday season and was given to me by my awesome parents. This is not available any longer, which is a shame. I'm sorry to be a tease! But take a look at some of their other offerings - my goodness some of those look incredible!

A Toast to the Good Life is my first Lacquer Lust polish, and I'm quite pleased with it. The logo is adorable too!

Lacquer Lust A Toast to the Good Life. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Dance Legend Be Mine

Hello!

Today's polish is Dance Legend Be Mine from the Mist Way collection.

Dance Legend Be Mine. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Be Mine is the softest lilac jelly with translucent gold flakies. This is so delicate and wonderful.

Dance Legend Be Mine. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are one coat of Duri Rejuvacote, one coat of Sinful Colors Nail Hardener, three coats of Be Mine topped with one coat of Seche Vite. This polish is rather sheer and will bald if not dry enough. It does need a little patience during application, but otherwise, a beautiful polish.

Dance Legend Be Mine. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I purchased my bottle from Llarowe.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: L'Oreal Sexy in Sequins

Hello!

I'm back with a few swatches this week finally! Here is one from L'Oreal's Hidden Gems Collection from fall of last year. This is Sexy in Sequins.

L'Oreal Sexy in Sequins. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Sexy in Sequins is a deep purple texture polish with small silver hex glitters (which show up purple on the nail from the purple-colored texture base tinting them). It also has the most incredible shimmer of any texture I think I have. It's got gold, orange, and purple shimmer bits that make this polish so interesting to wear.

L'Oreal Sexy in Sequins. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are simply two coats of Sexy in Sequins over a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote. Formula was not problematic, and application was a breeze.

L'Oreal Sexy in Sequins. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I am pretty sure I bought this at CVS back in Maryland well over a year ago now. It disappeared from shelves out there quickly, but I have actually seen the display here in the Midwest recently (at ShopKo, I think!). So, if you missed out on any of these, they are still out there, but by now, are probably pretty elusive. Good luck!

L'Oreal Sexy in Sequins. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Haul: December!

Hello!

Another year has nearly come to a close. I spent some time today reading through the last two years' worth of haul posts, and I'm glad to have them. As I read them, I remembered the days around those posts and they're perfect little snippets of the way every day life was at that point in time.

This year has seen a lot of change for us here outside of the blog, and, sadly, my posting has been neglected as a result. We made the big move from Maryland to Minnesota, I changed jobs, my husband went through a crazy five-month long 'ordeal' over whether or not he would get the job he's waited three years for (We basically put everything on hold until we new the answer, so we are very happy to report that he has accepted the position and finally started!), celebrated our one year anniversary, said goodbye to one of the best dogs anyone could ask for, and have just started the process of building our new home. It's been a roller coaster of a year. I am excited for 2015, and I hope that in the next year I will be able to pick back up to more frequent postings.

For now, here is December's haul!

First, Rainbow Honey's Mystery Bag for December included larger mini polishes, lotion, solid perfume, and a jumbo cuticle balm (not pictured because I gifted for Christmas).

RH's mini Mystery Bag for December.

Second, I received the holiday collaboration gift pack from Serum No. 5, Polished by KPT, and Lacquer Lust as a Christmas gift. This included three polishes, one from each brand represented that showcased the type of polish they are typically known for (For example, Polished by KPT is known for thermal polishes, which is the type of polish in this set.) and another product from each brand. Polished by KPT made a lavender salt soak, cuticle balm from Lacquer Lust, and a lip serum from Serum No. 5.

2014 Holiday Collaboration Set.

I was so excited about these polishes! They are so pretty! Here is a better shot of the three polishes, Serum No. 5 New You, Lacquer Lust A Toast to the Good Life, and Polished by KPT Live the Night:

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Finally, I came across Sally Hansen High n' Dry in a clearance bin at Shopko. This is from the Insta-Dri line, which I've read is good for stamping, so we'll see if this one is as well.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

That's all for now!

More soon! ^_^