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New Years Eve Nails & Julie G Texture!
✯ PR Samples Mentioned ✯
Happy New Year's Eve everyone! I wanted to share my New Year's Eve nails with everyone. I really like how they turned out. (This was after several idea fails, lol).
I started with a base of NYC Color: Prince Street (press sample). Then I did french tips with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Style Steel which is a new color I recently picked up. It's a silver/gold metallic color, I stamped with it too. Essie Set in Stones is on my nail tips. I did 1 coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust over everything and I used Winstonia Store plates: W117, W107, W110. I used 1 coat of HK Girl Fast Dry topcoat. I love how festive they turned out! Super sparkly in person!
This was the first time I got to try my new HK Girl Fast Dry topcoat (purchased myself). It is definitely equal to Seche Vite Dry Fast, but it takes a little longer to dry for me than I like. (Sorry... I'm a Seche Vite Whore). :-p
My husband and I are just hanging out at home for New Years Eve. We splurged on sushi from Wegman's and we also have Martinelli's sparkling apple cider to celebrate tonight. :-)
Happy New Year's Eve everyone! I wanted to share my New Year's Eve nails with everyone. I really like how they turned out. (This was after several idea fails, lol).
I started with a base of NYC Color: Prince Street (press sample). Then I did french tips with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Style Steel which is a new color I recently picked up. It's a silver/gold metallic color, I stamped with it too. Essie Set in Stones is on my nail tips. I did 1 coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust over everything and I used Winstonia Store plates: W117, W107, W110. I used 1 coat of HK Girl Fast Dry topcoat. I love how festive they turned out! Super sparkly in person!
This was the first time I got to try my new HK Girl Fast Dry topcoat (purchased myself). It is definitely equal to Seche Vite Dry Fast, but it takes a little longer to dry for me than I like. (Sorry... I'm a Seche Vite Whore). :-p
Another thing I picked up at Wegman's was OPI Nail Envy for Dry & Brittle Nails. I really need something to protect my nails because I don't normally use a base coat. Having my nails painted almost constantly has taken a beaten on them. The tips keep peeling lately which is leading to more breaks, so here's hoping Nail Envy can help my nails out.
A few weeks ago I got nail mail from The Mercurial Magpie! She had gotten a Julie G texture polish in her last Ipsy bag that she didn't love so much & when I was disappointed she didn't swatch it on her blog, she offered to send it to me. She also sent some other goodies which was sweet. I sent her back a little nail mail as well, as a thank you.
This is Sugar Plum Fairy, my first Julie G polish. Sugar Plum Fairy is a gorgeous deep purple with silver and purple glitter. It's a big rougher than Zoya Pixie Dust texture polish, but still really pretty. I only did two coats for the photos below. I believe you can find Julie G polishes at Rite Aid.
And last but not least before I go and we say goodbye to 2013. Here is a preview of some more press samples Sally Hansen sent to me. I will be sharing these Salon Effects on the blog soon! Happy New Year!
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Sally Hansen Triple Shine: Part 3
✯ PR Sample ✯
I was generously sent ten of the new Sally Hansen Triple Shine's for review and this is part three of the review. I'll be reviewing 4 colors and the topcoat today.
Dive In is a bright creamy aqua with a high shine finish. I did not use the Triple Shine topcoat with this, because it's quite shiny on it's own. Formula was easy to work with and evens out nicely. I used three coats for the photos, but you can do two and it's still opaque.
Oyster Bar, a silver metallic. This does show brush strokes, but the formula is nice. Just the right amount of thickness without being a goopy and you could get away with one coat, though I did two for the photos. (You will want to do thin coats with this color, because I had some bubbling the first time I tried to apply a thicker coat). I did one coat of the SH Triple Shine topcoat.
Pool Party is an iridescent pale blue shimmer. This is a very very sheer polish. It is probably best layered over another polish. I needed 5 coats to make it opaque.
Fanta-Sea is a pretty micro glitter with blue, green, silver. I layered 1 coat over Pool Party. I used one coat of the SH Triple Shine topcoat.
I was also sent the Triple Shine Topcoat. I did not use the topcoat on every color, because some of the polishes dried with a high shine finish on their own. When I did use the Triple Shine topcoat, the formula wasn't too runny and it applied nice and even. You do need to be careful to do a thin coat though, or else you will get little air bubbles. It dries with a nice glossy finish.
I wanted to do a test on the Triple Shine topcoat to see how it held up against no topcoat and other topcoats. For the test I painted my nails with Sally Hansen Triple Shine Vanity Flare which I purchased myself. My pinky has no topcoat, my ring finger has the Triple Shine topcoat, middle finger no topcoat, pointer finger has Seche Vite topcoat. I wore this for 24 hours, and as you can see there's really not a big difference! All are equally shiny.
The Triple Shine line is formulated with an ultimate shield complex which gives your nails daily protection from water and wear and non stop shine. There are 29 colors and 1 topcoat. They retail for $4.99. You can find them at chain drugstores, food stores and mass retailers like Walmart, Target, etc.
Related Blog Posts:
I was generously sent ten of the new Sally Hansen Triple Shine's for review and this is part three of the review. I'll be reviewing 4 colors and the topcoat today.
Dive In is a bright creamy aqua with a high shine finish. I did not use the Triple Shine topcoat with this, because it's quite shiny on it's own. Formula was easy to work with and evens out nicely. I used three coats for the photos, but you can do two and it's still opaque.
Oyster Bar, a silver metallic. This does show brush strokes, but the formula is nice. Just the right amount of thickness without being a goopy and you could get away with one coat, though I did two for the photos. (You will want to do thin coats with this color, because I had some bubbling the first time I tried to apply a thicker coat). I did one coat of the SH Triple Shine topcoat.
Pool Party is an iridescent pale blue shimmer. This is a very very sheer polish. It is probably best layered over another polish. I needed 5 coats to make it opaque.
I was also sent the Triple Shine Topcoat. I did not use the topcoat on every color, because some of the polishes dried with a high shine finish on their own. When I did use the Triple Shine topcoat, the formula wasn't too runny and it applied nice and even. You do need to be careful to do a thin coat though, or else you will get little air bubbles. It dries with a nice glossy finish.
I wanted to do a test on the Triple Shine topcoat to see how it held up against no topcoat and other topcoats. For the test I painted my nails with Sally Hansen Triple Shine Vanity Flare which I purchased myself. My pinky has no topcoat, my ring finger has the Triple Shine topcoat, middle finger no topcoat, pointer finger has Seche Vite topcoat. I wore this for 24 hours, and as you can see there's really not a big difference! All are equally shiny.
The Triple Shine line is formulated with an ultimate shield complex which gives your nails daily protection from water and wear and non stop shine. There are 29 colors and 1 topcoat. They retail for $4.99. You can find them at chain drugstores, food stores and mass retailers like Walmart, Target, etc.
What do you think of of the Triple Shine Line?
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PRSample
SallyHansen
Sally Hansen Triple Shine: Part 2
✯ PR Sample ✯
I was generously sent ten of the new Sally Hansen Triple Shine's for review. Since I already shared a post before with eight of the new colors that I purchased myself, I'm going to be breaking these next posts up into part two and three. Today I'll be reviewing 5 colors, plus the Triple Shine topcoat.
Flame On is a magenta iridescent color with a pearl like finish. It has some blue/purple shimmer in it. The formula is nice. Not too runny or thick and you can get it opaque in just 2-3 thin coats. I used 1 coat of Triple Shine topcoat. (In real life you couldn't see my nail line, but under the bright lighting in my light tent you can see it in the photos.)
Reef-Raf is a bright, almost neon hot pink cream polish. The formula is thick but not goopy. I only needed two coats to make it opaque, but because I'm a perfectionist I did 3 coats for the photos. It dried with a nice glossy finish so I did not use a topcoat.
Pixie Slicks is a bubble gum pink. The formula was thinner than I expected. It's much thinner than the other 'Pop' colors in the collection. I needed 4 coats to get it even & opaque. You could probably get away with 3 coats, but I still had streaks at 3 coats. Also, because it's runny you have to be careful when applying, so you don't flood your cuticles. I needed to use the Triple Shine topcoat with this, because it wasn't as glossy on it's own.
Twinkled Pink has pink, silver, copper, iridescent and micro glitters. It's really pretty glitter topper. The formula was a little bit thick, but not hard to apply. I used 2 coats over Vanity Flare which I purchased myself.
Red Snapper is a gorgeous bright fire engine red. Formula was perfect. Not too thick, not too runny. It applied nice and even and opaque in two coats, though I did three for pictures. It dried with a super glossy finish, so I did not need the topcoat. I love this color! Even my husband said, "Wow! That's bright."
I was also sent the Triple Shine Topcoat. I didn't need to use the topcoat on every color, because some of the polishes dried with a high shine finish on their own. When I did use the Triple Shine topcoat, the formula wasn't too runny and it applied nice and even. You do need to be careful to do a thin coat though, or else you will get little air bubbles. It dries with a nice glossy finish.
I've heard a lot of the people say they don't like the wider brush with the Triple Shine collection, but I find no issues using it. It's wide enough that you can cover your nail in one swipe once you're used to it. The Triple Shine line is formulated with an ultimate shield complex which gives your nails daily protection from water and wear and non stop shine. There are 29 colors and 1 topcoat and they retail for $4.99. You can find them at chain drugstores, food stores and mass retailers like Walmart, Target, etc.
Related Blog Posts:
Flame On is a magenta iridescent color with a pearl like finish. It has some blue/purple shimmer in it. The formula is nice. Not too runny or thick and you can get it opaque in just 2-3 thin coats. I used 1 coat of Triple Shine topcoat. (In real life you couldn't see my nail line, but under the bright lighting in my light tent you can see it in the photos.)
Reef-Raf is a bright, almost neon hot pink cream polish. The formula is thick but not goopy. I only needed two coats to make it opaque, but because I'm a perfectionist I did 3 coats for the photos. It dried with a nice glossy finish so I did not use a topcoat.
Pixie Slicks is a bubble gum pink. The formula was thinner than I expected. It's much thinner than the other 'Pop' colors in the collection. I needed 4 coats to get it even & opaque. You could probably get away with 3 coats, but I still had streaks at 3 coats. Also, because it's runny you have to be careful when applying, so you don't flood your cuticles. I needed to use the Triple Shine topcoat with this, because it wasn't as glossy on it's own.
Twinkled Pink has pink, silver, copper, iridescent and micro glitters. It's really pretty glitter topper. The formula was a little bit thick, but not hard to apply. I used 2 coats over Vanity Flare which I purchased myself.
Red Snapper is a gorgeous bright fire engine red. Formula was perfect. Not too thick, not too runny. It applied nice and even and opaque in two coats, though I did three for pictures. It dried with a super glossy finish, so I did not need the topcoat. I love this color! Even my husband said, "Wow! That's bright."
I was also sent the Triple Shine Topcoat. I didn't need to use the topcoat on every color, because some of the polishes dried with a high shine finish on their own. When I did use the Triple Shine topcoat, the formula wasn't too runny and it applied nice and even. You do need to be careful to do a thin coat though, or else you will get little air bubbles. It dries with a nice glossy finish.
I've heard a lot of the people say they don't like the wider brush with the Triple Shine collection, but I find no issues using it. It's wide enough that you can cover your nail in one swipe once you're used to it. The Triple Shine line is formulated with an ultimate shield complex which gives your nails daily protection from water and wear and non stop shine. There are 29 colors and 1 topcoat and they retail for $4.99. You can find them at chain drugstores, food stores and mass retailers like Walmart, Target, etc.
What do you think of of the Triple Shine Line?
Related Blog Posts:
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NYC Color Swatches
✯ PR Sample ✯
I have some NYC Color polishes to share with you today! These polishes were sent to me for review. I have some colors from the Long Wearing line and the Quick Dry Line.
NYC Colors, in A New York Minute: Prince Street is a beautiful royal purple with a metallic finish. The formula is nice and thick (but not goopy) and you could get away with 2 coats, though I did 3 for the photos below. It also dries with a nice shiny finish. I did not have to use a topcoat.
NYC Colors in A New York Minute: Big City Dazzle is on my ring finger, it's a really pretty glitter with pink, blue and silver. 3 coats of the glitter.
NYC Matte Topcoat: Matte Me Crazy. I was impressed with this matte coat. It applies evenly with the wide brush and it doesn't have a strong odor. The matte effect is really nice. Matte About You, retails for $1.99.
This is Prince Street & Big City Dazzle with the Matte Topcoat.
NYC Long Wearing: Lexington Lilac is a gorgeous lilac. The formula was a bit thin, you have to apply carefully so you don't flood your cuticles. I used 3 coats. This polish dries with a high shine finish, I'm not wearing a topcoat in the photo below.
NYC Long Wearing: Pink Bling is on my ring finger. It has pink and silver glitter. I did 3 coats of the glitter.
This is Lexington Lilac & Pink Bling with the Matte Topcoat.
NYC In A New York Minute: Precious Peacock is a lovely dark turquoise with a metallic finish. I absolutely love the color, but I had a lot of trouble applying this. It's incredibly sheer. I needed 4-5 coats to make it opaque. Also, whenever I would try to put on another coat, I would swipe off some of the polish underneath, so it was very frustrating. Since I was stamping over this I used Seche Vite Topcoat. I used Messy Mansion plate MM21 & Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Style Steel to stamp with. The color was perfect for my dragon scale nails!
Now, I did do a test on my thumb. If you put a coat of black polish first, you can get away with just 2 coats of Precious Peacock and it will look like the color in the bottle! It really is a beautiful color, and that makes it much easier to work with!
NYC In A New York Minute Quick Dry: Spring Street is a bright, almost neon orange. The formula is thick, but you still have to be careful not to flood your cuticles. I could have done two coats, but for pictures I did three. I did use Seche Vite topcoat since I was stamping, but this polish normally dries with a shiny finish on it's own. I used Messy Mansion Chevron plate MM12 & Konad Special White stamping polish.
What do you think of these colors? NYC Color nail polishes can be found for retail at: Rite Aid, CVS, Walmart, Target, K-Mart.
I have some NYC Color polishes to share with you today! These polishes were sent to me for review. I have some colors from the Long Wearing line and the Quick Dry Line.
NYC Colors, in A New York Minute: Prince Street is a beautiful royal purple with a metallic finish. The formula is nice and thick (but not goopy) and you could get away with 2 coats, though I did 3 for the photos below. It also dries with a nice shiny finish. I did not have to use a topcoat.
NYC Colors in A New York Minute: Big City Dazzle is on my ring finger, it's a really pretty glitter with pink, blue and silver. 3 coats of the glitter.
NYC Matte Topcoat: Matte Me Crazy. I was impressed with this matte coat. It applies evenly with the wide brush and it doesn't have a strong odor. The matte effect is really nice. Matte About You, retails for $1.99.
This is Prince Street & Big City Dazzle with the Matte Topcoat.
NYC Long Wearing: Lexington Lilac is a gorgeous lilac. The formula was a bit thin, you have to apply carefully so you don't flood your cuticles. I used 3 coats. This polish dries with a high shine finish, I'm not wearing a topcoat in the photo below.
NYC Long Wearing: Pink Bling is on my ring finger. It has pink and silver glitter. I did 3 coats of the glitter.
This is Lexington Lilac & Pink Bling with the Matte Topcoat.
The Long Wearing Line retails for .99 cent.
The Quick Dry line retails for $1.99. To be honest, these did not dry that fast for me. Two coats took about 5 minutes and it was longer with each additional coat... but then again I've been spoiled with using Seche Vite Dry Fast Topcoat for the past few years.
NYC In A New York Minute: Precious Peacock is a lovely dark turquoise with a metallic finish. I absolutely love the color, but I had a lot of trouble applying this. It's incredibly sheer. I needed 4-5 coats to make it opaque. Also, whenever I would try to put on another coat, I would swipe off some of the polish underneath, so it was very frustrating. Since I was stamping over this I used Seche Vite Topcoat. I used Messy Mansion plate MM21 & Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Style Steel to stamp with. The color was perfect for my dragon scale nails!
Now, I did do a test on my thumb. If you put a coat of black polish first, you can get away with just 2 coats of Precious Peacock and it will look like the color in the bottle! It really is a beautiful color, and that makes it much easier to work with!
NYC In A New York Minute Quick Dry: Spring Street is a bright, almost neon orange. The formula is thick, but you still have to be careful not to flood your cuticles. I could have done two coats, but for pictures I did three. I did use Seche Vite topcoat since I was stamping, but this polish normally dries with a shiny finish on it's own. I used Messy Mansion Chevron plate MM12 & Konad Special White stamping polish.
What do you think of these colors? NYC Color nail polishes can be found for retail at: Rite Aid, CVS, Walmart, Target, K-Mart.
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Painted Polish & Happy Holidays!
These are early Christmas presents from my husband. They arrived today and I couldn't wait to play with them, especially because I wanted to do holiday nails for tomorrow when we go out to lunch and go over my parents house for Christmas Eve. After seeing gorgeous swatches on Instagram, I needed 'Girl on Fire' and 'Kiss me Teal Midnight'.
'Girl on Fire' is from the Painted Polish Hunger Games collection. (I still want Effie & District 12!) It's a gorgeous red jelly polish with red glitter and holographic circle glitter. I needed 3 coats, and one thick coat of Seche Vite to give it that gorgeous shiny look. I did have to go fishing for the circle glitters. I placed a few on each of my nails in between coats. Isn't it gorgeous? I stamped snowflakes with Winstonia Store plate W120.
'Kiss Me Teal Midnight' is a turquoise jelly, with all different colors of glitter. Blue, Green, Purple, Orange... it reminds me of confetti on New Year's Eve! There's also different colors of holographic circles. I used 3 coats & placed the circle glitters in between coats, plus 1 coat of Seche Vite.
Also, 12/19/2013 was my 4th wedding anniversary.
I got my husband & I new titanium wedding bands (I like titanium because it's light and doesn't tarnish. Our original bands are titanium too). On the inside of the rings they are engraved with 'Tunay Na Mahal' and our wedding date: 12/19/09. Tunay Na Mahal means "True Love" in Tagalog, my husband is Filipino and we were married in the Philippines.
Happy Holidays!
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Zoya
Zoya Naturel's Collection
✯ PR Sample ✯
I was recently sent the Zoya Naturel's collection. This is my first official press sample from a company and I'm super excited to share the collection with you today. The Zoya Naturel's collection is six neutral colors. They retail for $9 each. These also seem like they would be nice work appropriate colors, if your office has a dress code. My favorites from this collection are Rue, Bridgette & Odette. What do you think of the new collection?
I used Odette as the base and stamped with Taylor using Messy Mansion plate MM06. The rhinestones are from the new I Heart Nail Art collection from Sally Hansen.
Rue was the base for this and I used Normani to stamp using Messy Mansion plate MM18.
I was recently sent the Zoya Naturel's collection. This is my first official press sample from a company and I'm super excited to share the collection with you today. The Zoya Naturel's collection is six neutral colors. They retail for $9 each. These also seem like they would be nice work appropriate colors, if your office has a dress code. My favorites from this collection are Rue, Bridgette & Odette. What do you think of the new collection?
Chantal is a lovely nude polish that's described on Zoya.com as a french vanilla cream color.
I needed three coats to make this fully opaque.
Taylor is just a shade darker than Chantal. More of a beige, I find it a little more flattering. It's described as a toffee cream color on Zoya.com. I also needed 3 coats for this shade.
Rue is a gorgeous blush pink. It reminds me of ballet slippers. I've actually never worn a pink this color, but it's become one of my favorites out of the collection. I needed two coats.
Bridgette is a pink mauve rose color. This is another of my favorites. I only needed two coats.
Odette is my favorite out of the entire collection, but I have a thing for purple. This color is described as an orchid maroon. I needed two coats.
Normani is a sable mauve color. Sometimes it looks brown, and other times it has a hint of purple gray. I needed three coats for this polish.
I also did nail art with the entire collection.
I used Bridgette as a base and stamped with Taylor.
I used the Chevron stamping plate from Messy Mansion, MM12.
I used Odette as the base and stamped with Taylor using Messy Mansion plate MM06. The rhinestones are from the new I Heart Nail Art collection from Sally Hansen.
I used Odette as the base and stamped with Taylor using MM12. The gold studs are from the new I Heart Nail Art collection from Sally Hansen.
And last but not least, I used Rue as a base and Normani to stamp with Messy Mansion plate MM20. The rhinestones are from the new I Heart Nail Art collection from Sally Hansen.
