Introducing Royal Nail Icing

Hiya dolls!

I meant to have this post up on Saturday but life seriously got in the way :\  Today I would like to share a new indie brand with you.  The name is Royal Nail Icing and it is a project that 10 year old JaJa and her mother started....

 Colors Used: Royal Nail Icing - Sweet Concrete and Strawberry Lava, Daisy Nail Lacquer - White Diamond

I've been wanting to do a plaid or patchwork mani for a while now (it's been so long!) so when JaJa asked me if I would create some nail art using her polishes, I knew exactly what I was going to do :)

 I was quite surprised at the ease of which these polishes went on.  I'll get into the formula a little bit later, but I will say that I think I may have found a new fave indie brand of polishes...

Look at how cute the packaging is!  Very, very sweet.

I really love the bottles.  I think the crown is absolutely adorbs haha.  So let's talk formula....

Sweet Concrete is a creme grey polish.  I would describe it as a squirrel/rain cloud grey.  It applies beautifully in 2 coats for opaqueness.  It's not streaky at all

 

 Strawberry Lava is a pink/fuchsia crelly.  It too was really easy to apply.  2 coats would have sufficed but i had a teensy bit of nail line showing thru so 3 coats did the trick for me.  This polish reminds me of a juicy watermelon.  It just looks delicious!

Both of these polishes can be found on Royal Nail Icing's website for $6.50.  A great buy for any polish enthusiast who wants to expand their indie collection without breaking the bank lol.

 One last shot of the nail art ;)

I hope you all have a fabulous week!  I promise not to be a stranger :P

Until next time!

Stef <3

* This product was provided to me for review.  I received no payment or other compensation for the review of this product.  The opinions stated here are completely my own.  The contents of this review are based on my direct experience with this product.

Platonic Love & Popped Tarts

Hiya lovelies!

Today's post is actually a swatch post.  I know I usually reserve swatchings for Sunday's, but I thought these beauties needed a post all their own...

I'm so excited to share this indie brand with you!  Let's get to it...

Platonic Love

This polish it a black jelly base with holo flakies and glitters mixed in...

Definitely reminiscent of outerspace, this is 2 coats over a black base.  This polish was easy to apply/work with.  And I love the way it turned out!  I see a galaxy mani in my future ;)

Popped Tarts

This polish is described as "a creamy off white crelly polish loaded with glitters in several different shapes, colors and sizes."  I was drawn to this polish because of the neon glitter (I looooove neon glitters!!).  But I also really like the idea of an off-white crelly...

The affect is very subtle.  It's not a popping WOW kind of polish.  It's more of a, "Oh!  That's pretty cool..." kind of polish.  Does that make sense?  Haha 2 coats shown and while the formula on this one was thicker than I expected, it was still easy to work with.

I really love both of these polishes, I can't say that I love one more that the other.  At $6.00 a pop, this is a great indie brand to try out (especially if you haven't taken the plunge!).  Tonya is super sweet and I've enjoyed my correspondences with her :)  You can find Fickle Fairy Potions here.

Just to clarify, I did buy these polishes with my own moolah.  I try to be completely honest and transparent in my posts so that you all know exactly what's up :)

Until next time!

Stef <3

Trending Now - Blue & Gold

Hey dolls!

Today's mani is a simple one.  I was debating on whether or not I should even share it.  But then I ran into 3 other girl's rocking similar mani's on Monday and I thought it was just too bizarre of a coincidence to pass up on lol...

 Colors Used: Kleancolor - Blueberry Drama, Julep - Felicity, Love & Beauty - Gold/Multi

Did I miss some sort of memo that stated blue and gold are in for the season??  Because it totally is!  I've been putting together blue and goldenrod outfits unintentionally for the past couple of weeks.  It's like my subconscious is tuned in to the trending gods or something (haha I kid).   I had 3 girls stop me at work on Monday and show me their blue/gold nails and I was blown away!

This is 2 coats of Blueberry Drama, with 3 coats of the gold glitter over Felicity on my ring finger.  I used my striping brush to freehand the stripes on my middle finger and then I top coated with Color Club Clear.  if you look closely you'll see how the blue bled thru the gold stripes.  I was not pleased...

I think blue polishes and I are going to be great friends this winter ;)

Until next time!

Stef <3

SAFS: Mulberry Street & Whipped

Hey dolls!


I've been battling a stomach bug this week and it's left me a little drained.  So this post is going to be short and sweet haha.  Anywhosy, it's that time...

 First up is the "normy"...

 NYC - Mulberry Street

A shimmery champagne polish that  I've had in my collection for quite a while.  It is very sheer, so to speed up the opacity process, I started with 1 coat of a nude polish base and then applied 2 coats of Mulberry Street :)

Retail: $1.99

And now for the good stuff...

 Sinful Colors - Whipped

Whipped is a new polish from SC Leather Luxe collection.  I picked up 3 bottles while out doing domestic shopping this weekend.  I needed a pick me up haha

I'm really loving this polish.  I know a lot of ladies are thinking, "What's the big deal??  Black polishes exist and so do matte toppers."  I was in that same club right along with you.  But this baby is a one coater!  A ONE COATER!!  Which means my nails don't look bulgy/bulbous from mulitple coats of polish.  It also dries incredibly fast.  Overall, this polish is a winner :D

Gah!  I love it!!

Retail: $1.99

Alright ladies, I'm off to do more domestic shtuff haha.

Until next time!

Stef <3

Joby Nail Art's Fight Against Breast Cancer

Hello, dolls!

Today I want share a mani I did in support of the fight against breast cancer.  When I sit back and think about the amount of people that I personally know who have fought (and in some case lost) the battle with cancer... it's mind blowing!  When I was approached by Joby Nail Art to participate in their Think Pink promotion, I immediately accepted :)

 Colors Used: Revlon - Temptress, Daisy Nail Lacquer - Ja-Make-Can-Me-Crazy (pink glitter) and White Diamond, China Glaze - Fairy Dust

Joby Nail Art makes/sells really awesome nail decals.  As most of you know... I loooove decals!  They are great if you want a beautiful look and are pressed for time.  Or if you feel like your nail art skills are struggling, slapping some decals on can spiffy up your mani.  This happens to me all the time! Especially when I'm tired...

These decals retail at $2.99 for a sheet of decals (about 40 stickers) and 100% of all proceeds from the sale of “Pink Ribbon” nail art decals will be donated to The Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation.  A really sweet gesture, in my opinion :)

I really like the way that these decals lay on the nail.  You know how with some decals, they can feel raised or bubbly?  Or sometimes they're difficult to place because they're not very flexible?  I had zero trouble with these.  I'm thinkin' Joby may be my new go to store for nail decals!

 Get some nail decals while contributing to the fight against Breast Cancer this year?  Why not?? :D You can shop Joby Nail Art’s website during the promotion period, 9/21-10/6/2013. 

  Be part of the cure. Join us in the fight! 

 (*donation applies to NA09-32 only during promotion period)

Until next time!

Stef <3

* This product was provided to me for review.  I received no payment or other compensation for the review of this product.  The opinions stated here are completely my own.  The contents of this review are based on my direct experience with this product. 

My Plead for Autumn

Hello, dearies!

I have a quick post for you today.  I've been feeling nauseous for the past couple of days and sitting here typing is giving my head the spins :(  Anywhosy...

I'm ready for For Autumn/Fall to come.  I'm over the hot weather, I'm tired of running the AC, I'm even over the iced drinks.  It's time for the season to change danggit!  So, I've set aside my bright/neon polishes in the hopes that better weather will be coming soon ;)

 Colors Used: Julep - Karmen, Otte and Daria

I received Karmen (shimmery red) in my September Maven Box and quite honestly I wasn't thrilled.  I thought to myself, "Well, what the heck am I going to do with that?".  It almost ended up in the giveaway pile, but something clicked yesterday and I suddenly realized it had great potential for being a leaf color...

 I did 2 coats each of Karmen and Otte (camel/tan) and then with my striping brush I applied my red leaves.  I outlined them with a black striping polish and then as an after thought I used Daria (a grey polish that accompanied Karmen in my Maven Box) to make  wispy wind swirls.  I top coated with Color Club Clear.

I'm surprised at how much I like this mani.  I'm not sure if Karmen is my favorite polish in the whole wide world, but she can stay for now haha.

Hopefully I'll be feeling better soon and there won't be a long break between postings.  Please forgive me if that is a complete lie...

Until next time!

Stef <3

SAFS: Catherine & Oh Splat!

Hello, dolls!

It once again is Sunday (I feel like the last 7 days have just flown by!) and you know what that means...

The "normy" I wore to church today is...

 Julep - Catherine

Catherine is described as "the original classic, go-to red crème".  I'm almost positive that this is the first color Julep came out with.  While the formula was nice, I had to apply 3 thin coats for evenness of color.  Top coated with Color Club Clear (a new favorite of mine).  It definitely is a classic reminiscent of the 1950's :)

Retail: $14.00 ($11.20 Maven Price)

 

Now onto the fun polish...

KBShimmer - Oh Splat!

This is my first ever KBShimmer Polish.  I have loved this brand from afar for a while now and finally decided I had to have a bottle of my own.  Op Splat! is a white jelly base with rainbow glitter mixed in.  I love it!  It makes my little polishing heart happy to wear it hahaha.  This is 3 thin coats with Color Club Clear on top.

Retail:  $8.75

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blurb!  Check-in again tomorrow for some Autumn inspired nail artsy-ness ;)

Until next time!

Stef <3

This Flamingo's Not Sari!

Hello, lovelies!

Today's mani is another simple one because I've been stretched a little thin this week.  I'm fighting to keep my eyes open as I'm typing right now lol.  The creative juices just have not been flowing because I'm so stinkin' tired *sigh*...

 Colors Used: Color Club - Pink Flamingo, Sephora by OPI - I'm So Sari!, Daisy Nail Lacquer - Diamond White

I did a mini retail therapy session the other day and picked up the Color Club Fiesta Collection.  I've been drooling over photos of this collection for months and finally got around to purchasing them.  And I have not been disappointed!

2 coats of Flamingo and 2 coats of I'm So Sari! over a no name teal polish.  I used a medium and a small sized dotting tool to create the cascading dotticure.  I top coated with Color Club Clear.

I really love the way this one turned out.  I have embraced pink as an acceptable color to be worn on my nails...

Happy Friday y'all!  I hope you enjoy your weekend immensely.... 

Until next time!

Stef <3

Sweet Sally

Hello, dearies!

I have a simple manicure to share with you today.  Surprisingly, as simple as this mani looks, it was a challenge that I took up.  I was determined to make this polish work for me...

 Colors Used: Sally Hansen Insta Dri - Petal Pusher, Sally Hansen Extreme Wear - Mint Sorbet

I have had Petal Pusher in my collection for about 4 or 5 months now and half the bottle is already gone.  You're probably thinking, "Wow! She must really love that polish!".  Nope!  This polish is a pain in the rear-end to apply.  Not only is it thick, leaning towards goopy, it is also very streaky *sigh*.  But I am of the mindset that you can make any polish work, so work work work I did...

First and foremost I have to tell you that I have added polish thinner to my bottle of Petal Pusher to make it more manageable.  I've found that I've had to do it with the majority of the Insta Dri's that I own.

I started with one thin, streaky coat on all of my nails.  I then went back and added a second thicker coat to add coverage/opaqueness.  I then went back over them again with a third thin coat to even out the streaks and color.  With a large dotting tool I added polka dots to my ring finger using Mint Sorbet.  I then top coated with Color Club Clear.

I have to say that I do not hate this polish.  I love the delicate color and  I figured out how to make it work for me so I wouldn't have to throw it in the garbage bin haha.  

I'm curious to know how you ladies have faired with the Insta Dri line of polishes?  Love it or hate it?

Until next time!

Stef <3

I Did It!!

Good morning, dolls!

Today's post is centered around a nail art tool that I have always struggled with... striping tape.

 Colors Used: Zoya - Morgan, Maybelline - Pretty In Polka, Rimmel - Black Satin

Striping tape been the bane of my nail experience for quite a long time.  I bought a whole pack of the stuff over a year ago and have never been able to manage the clean lines that they're supposed to create.  I'd utilized all of the tips and tricks that fellow blogger's have posted about, and yet no matter how hard I'd try it would end up a big ol' mess.  So I shoved the tapes in the back of my nail art drawer and gave up.  And then last week I read a post from Casey Lane Loves Polish where she talked about struggling with tape manis.  I was inspired to try again...

I started with my ring finger.  Once my base coat dried, I put down my 5 strips of tape and painted a thick coat of Black Satin.  I then very quickly removed the strips of tape and viola!  Clean-ish lines!  Haha :)  I then did 2 coats of Pretty in Polka (a newbie in my collection) on my middle finger and 2 coats of the lovely Morgan  on the rest of my nails.

While it's still not perfect, it's leaps and bounds better than how my tape manis used to be.  So I'm deeming this a nail success :D

Do any of you struggle with tape manis?  Have you thrown in the towel??  I highly suggest keeping at it.  You'll get there, I promise.

Until next time!

Stef <3