BOO! - Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all of you that celebrate! 

I have a fun mani for you today - one that took me quite a while to complete but, luckily, I actually ended up really liking.  I received some of the large "sequins" from the Born Pretty Store and was really excited to try them out. I will admit that these take a lot of time and, most of all, patience. But I was expecting that going into it. I am not a very patient person - that is probably quite an understatement. For me to take on something like this, I REALLY have to like the look of it. Anyway, this design (not including the ghosts) took me somewhere between an hour to an hour and a half to complete. Not TOO bad. The most frustrating part was trying to get them in just the right spot. I applied them with a pointy metal cuticle pusher (I use this for just about everything EXCEPT pushing my cuticles! LOL) dipped in water. I originally tried a dotting tool but it didn't work as well for me. I used 2 coats of Poshe on top of the sequins and they are perfectly smooth. 

I was originally planning on doing the ghosts with the white sequins but I found out the are very translucent and didn't show up over the black. I just ended up painting the ghosts on with Milani White on the Spot, over Nails Inc. Paddington. (The base for my "Boo" fingers is Milani Black Swift.) 

I do apologize for the photos, they aren't very good. I had a really hard time photographing these because when you get them in the sun they SHINE. Big time. I ended up taking these in the shade and they are pretty dark and kind of blurry. This mani looks much better in person.

Halloween Mani

 Here are what the sequins look like....

Born Pretty Store Sequins

And a few more pics with some props...

Halloween Mani

Halloween Mani

Halloween Mani

I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween!

The sequins can be purchased from the Born Pretty Store (click here for a direct link). Make sure to check out the code on my left sidebar for 10% off your order!

Thanks for reading! ♥


*PR product provided to me for my honest review.

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Joby Nail Art Stickers - Halloween Style!

I have a quick but fun post to show you this afternoon! If you saw my first post on Joby Nail Art Stickers you may remember that I said I had some Halloween ones to try out. So, without further adieu, here they are!

Halloween Nail Art Decals

I used Darling Lovey Dovey as my base and only needed one coat of Poshe to "set" the stickers and make them smooth.

Halloween Nail Art Decals

Halloween Nail Art Decals

What do you think of nail art stickers? Yay or nay? I am really glad I had them since I haven't had time to attempt any Halloween-themed nail art! They are great for pedis too!

Joby Nail Art Stickers retail for around $2 per sheet and can be purchased at Overall Beauty. There are many more designs to choose from so make sure you take a look! Also make sure to follow Overall Beauty on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest news and stock info!


Thanks for reading! ♥


*PR samples provided to me for my honest review.

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Girly Bits Monster Mash - Swatches and Review

Good evening everyone! Here we are only 2 nights away from All Hallow's Eve and I haven't even had the opportunity to do any Halloween nail art attempts. Boo. I am going to try to squeeze in a couple in the next couple of days though! But for tonight let's get in the mood for Halloween with a polish from Girly Bits' Halloween Collection!

Monster Mash is described by its creator, Pam, as "a clear (but very slightly tinted green, for extra creepiness) base packed with green, gold and black hexes, squares and shreds." I LOVE the slightly tinted green base, it really does add something special!

 I layered this one over Nails Inc. Paddington (my new favorite grey creme!) and over Nails Inc. Wesminster on my ring finger. This is two easy coats, no problems with application whatsoever. It was not gritty or topcoat-hungry either. One coat of Poshe and everything was perfectly smooth! I love this one and can see it being worn all year, not just on Halloween.

Girly Bits Monster Mash

Girly Bits Monster Mash

Girly Bits Monster Mash

Girly Bits Monster Mash

Girly Bits Monster Mash

Girly Bits Monster Mash

And because I've had this song in my head all day, now you can too. Hehehe

What do you think of this one? I really love it! Pam does such an amazing job with her polishes.

Girly Bits is available on Big Cartel and also available at llarowe.com and Harlow & Co. for $10 to $13 retail for full .5 oz bottles.Don't forget to follow Pam at Girly Bits on Facebook and on her blog for updates and info!


Thanks for reading! ♥

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Pure Ice Velvet Collection - Swatches and Review

Happy Sunday! I hope you have all had a fantabulous weekend!

This weekend I started hearing about some new lines available from Pure Ice. I decided to check my Walmart - not really expecting them to have them here because we are the last to get everything - but to my surprise they actually did have them! The display was near the hair color, not near the other Pure Ice products or even by the other cosmetics, and it was completely disorganized, with all 4 new collections mixed in with each other. But they were there so I can't complain too much - LOL! I looked briefly at the other collections but they were crowded so I didn't get a chance to take a photo. There was a metallic collection and two different glitter collections (one was more of a shimmer/subtle glitter collection while the other was more chunky glitter.) I decided to just grab a few of the "Velvets" to start.

These have a finish very similar to the Zoya Velvet Mattes line and the OPI Suede line - matte but with a shimmer. The formula was nice - as with all polishes with this type of finish you DO have to make sure the first coat is completely dry before you add another coat. They do not like to be messed with or over-manipulated. I am very impressed with these and will definitely go back for more! You can't beat $1.97 for a polish with a great formula and a finish that is hard to come by!

First up is Stunning. This one is a true pink and actually seems a little bit metallic, but still matte, if that makes any sense at all. I had the most trouble applying this one BUT it was also the first one I used so I think it was just user error and not the polish itself. This is two coats and no top coat.

Pure Ice Stunning

Pure Ice Stunning

Pure Ice Stunning

Pure Ice Stunning

Pure Ice Stunning

Next up is Blue Midnight. This is a is a medium bright blue with a bit of green in the base, but not enough to make it teal. This one has a really great depth to it! I love this one more than I expected to. Also 2 coats and no top coat.

Pure Ice Blue Midnight

Pure Ice Blue Midnight

Pure Ice Blue Midnight

Pure Ice Blue Midnight

Pure Ice Blue Midnight

Pure Ice Blue Midnight

Lastly we have Touch Me Softly. This one is a warm-toned berry/violet color and my favorite of the three (although Blue Midnight is a close second). It reminded me a lot of Zoya Harlow and OPI We'll Always Have Paris Suede. Unfortunately I recently got rid of my OPI Suedes but I do have Harlow so I included a comparison pic at the end of this post. :) This is 2 coats and no top coat.

Pure Ice Touch Me Softly

Pure Ice Touch Me Softly

Pure Ice Touch Me Softly

Pure Ice Touch Me Softly

Pure Ice Touch Me Softly

And for the comparison (I also threw Zoya Savita in there too, just for the heck of it).

Pure Ice Velvets and Zoya Matte Velvets Comparison

As you can see, none of them are dupes. But if you have been hunting Harlow and can't find it, the Pure Ice might help a little. Like a Band-Aid. LOL

Pure Ice polishes are available at Walmart and baricosmetics.com for just under $2 each. They were recently acquired by Revlon so maybe they will be available at a wider range of stores soon!


Thanks for reading! ♥

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The Nail Junkie Fish - Swatches and Review

Happy Friday everyone!

 I apologize for the sporadic posts lately. I started school a couple of weeks ago and it is much more time-consuming than I thought it would be. I haven't even had time to attempt any Halloween-themed nail art. :( Heck, I have only painted my nails twice in the past week. That is unheard of for me. Anyway, please know that I do miss my readers and my blog and will post every chance I get!

Now, let's get to the goodies! The Nail Junkie Fish is a shimmery silver/light blue base with a  gold/bronze shimmer running throughout. It is packed with blue, green and silver hex and round glitters, as well as some holographic glitter. That's what I see, anyway. There could be more glittery goodness packed in there that I can't see with my naked eye. Application was very nice and perfectly smooth. I did not have to place the glitter at all and all of the glitter laid perfectly flat on the nail. No curling. 

I used 2 coats by itself on all nails except for my accent nail. I layered one coat over Ulta Howl At The Moon on my ring finger. It really made the gold/bronze shimmer POP! I topped all nails off with one coat of Poshe.

The Nail Junkie Fish

The Nail Junkie Fish

The Nail Junkie Fish

The Nail Junkie Fish

The Nail Junkie Fish

You can purchase this polish, as well as the rest of The Nail Junkie's polishes, through her store for $10 for a 15 ml bottle. She offers free domestic shipping and $5 flat rate international shipping. $1 of the proceeds from the purchase of each bottle goes to charity. You can read more about that on her blog.  Don't forget to follow her on Facebook  to stay up-to-date on new collections and more!

Thanks for reading! ♥

*PR product provided to me for my honest, unbiased review.

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Shimmer Polish Nichole - Swatches and Review

Happy hump day everyone! I have another Shimmer Polish for you tonight. This one is special because my middle name is Nichole. I was so thrilled when I saw the name of this polish AND  noticed that it is spelled correctly! :D 

I have tried several Shimmer Polishes (as you have all seen) and I couldn't be happier with these polishes. They are very good quality - no sinking, no bleeding, absolutely no curling glitters and application was a breeze. 

All Shimmer Polishes have names that come from the creator, Cindy's, own life. Here is what Cindy has to say about that:

"My polishes are named after my wonderful friends and family. Each and every name has an important significance to me. Each shade of Shimmer is inspired by that person, from favorite colors, things that are reminiscent of that person, and even personal requests from these great ladies. Each and everyone of my Shimmers have shaped and influenced me to become who I am today. In a way, this is my tribute and gratitude towards having so many amazing people in my life." 

Nichole is quite a patriotic polish, having red, silver and blue glitters as the main components. There is also a holographic shimmer (or maybe it's densely packed small glitter?) running through this one - so stunning. I have used this one over a plain black creme so that the other colors really pop. I used one coat on all fingers except my ring finger where I used two. I topped it all off with one coat of Poshe.

Shimmer Polish Nichole 

Shimmer Polish Nichole

Shimmer Polish Nichole

Shimmer Polish Nichole

Shimmer Polish Nichole

Shimmer Polish retails for $12 for a full size (0.5 oz.) bottle. Shimmer Polish links:

www.shimmyshimmer.com

www.facebook.com/shimmerpolish

www.etsy.com/shop/shimmerpolish

Thanks for reading!  ♥

*This polish was provided to me for my honest, unbiased opinion.

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Darling Diva Polish Sophia - Swatches and Review

Hello lovelies! I hope your week is going well so far! I have a very pretty combo to show you tonight!

Darling Diva Sophia is from her Golden Girls Collection. (I happen to love The Golden Girls so I think this is a really sweet collection.) Sophia is matte periwinkle micro-glitter in a clear base with a slight blue shimmer - and I even think I see a few sparse gold glitters in there. I really love this one. It is such a pretty color and looks great over so many different colors! 

I layered ONE coat of Sophia over Ulta Howl At The Moon and had no issues with application. I topped it with one coat of Poshe and it was perfectly smooth.

Darling Diva Polish Sophia

Darling Diva Polish Sophia

Darling Diva Polish Sophia

Darling Diva Polish Sophia

Darling Diva Polish Sophia

Darling Diva Polish Sophia

What do you think of this one? I really love it! You can see it over a ton of other colors at Pointless Cafe's post here. 

Darling Diva Polishes can be purchased at her Etsy Store and range in price from $8 - $12. Also make sure to follow her on Facebook to stay up-to-date!


Thanks for reading! ♥

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Ulta Vampire Kiss and Howl At The Moon - Swatches and Review

Hello everyone! For the second Monday in a row it has been "a true Monday." LOL So let's relax and look at some pretty polish! I have a different take on "Halloween polish" tonight. 

I picked up both of these polishes in a set at Ulta sometime this past February or March, put them in my stash and promptly forgot about them. I do remember that it was $5.95 for both of them, how could I possibly pass that up? I couldn't. LOL I ran across them a couple of weeks ago when I was looking for a base for some of my indies and wondered why in the world haven't I worn these yet?  I decided it was past time to blog about them! While the colors are not "Halloween" colors, the names are very Halloween-themed so I am going with it. Hahaha

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First up is Vampire Kiss. This one is MUCH prettier in person than it looks in my photos. It is what I would describe as a "raspberry" and is somewhere between a creme and a crelly finish. It was a little on the thin side - I used 3 coats in the photos and you can still see visible nail line (although it was not as apparent in person as it is in the photos). I do suggest making sure each coat is dry before doing the next one to avoid cuticle drag. It is much richer and slightly deeper in person than in my photos. (This is also what I used as my base under Maya Kung Fu Treachery.)

Ulta Vampire Kiss

Ulta Vampire Kiss

Ulta Vampire Kiss

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Now we have Howling At The Moon. This is a gorgeous purple-based deep blue. I did not capture any of the purple in the pics but in some lighting it is a true "blurple" color. This one had a better formula than Vampire Kiss but was still a little on the thin side. I only used 2 coats in the photos and no topcoat. Again, you do need to be careful of cuticle drag.

Ulta Howl At The Moon

Ulta Howl At The Moon

Ulta Howl At The Moon

Ulta Howl At The Moon

These are both from the Ulta Professional line and retail for $7.50 each at Ulta locations and Ulta.com. They are currently on sale - buy 2, get 1 free!

Thanks for reading! ♥

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