PBBC September Challenge - Black & White

Hello lovies!

Back again with my current NOTD :) I am participating in the Proud Beauty Bloggers of Color's Monthly Challenge and this month's theme is Black & White!  But because I have been swamped the last couple of weeks with swatching and getting the giveaway put together, I really haven't had time to sit and get creative for this challenge.  So... instead... I "cheated" and used a set of Sally Hansen's nail wraps I recently bought...

 Color Used: Sally Hansen Salon Effects - 235 Check, Please!

I seriously love nail wraps.  They're very easy to apply (after a very short learning curve) and are especially convenient when you're in a pinch!

I wasn't sure how I was going to like the checkered look; I was afraid it was going to be too busy.  What I really wanted was the houndstooth pattern, but I haven't seen that set in a while.  Either way i am pleased with how they turned out :)

I feel like I should be waving down racers in NASCAR lol.

Please be sure to check out the other ladies that participated in this challenge :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Until next time!

Stef <3

Autumn's In Full Swing!

Hello dolls!

While the weather in Southern California refuses to accept that it's now Fall, I won't let it keep me down!!  Haha my home is decorated, my candles are burning and I already have my favorite soup recipes lined up and ready to go.  I also have a new favorite polish that sums up this season for me...

 Colors Used: Noodles Nail Polish - Pumpkin Spice And Everything Nice, American Apparel - Manila, Acrylic Paints

I am so in love with this crelly!  A mix of peach, caramel, bronze, and orange hexes in a nude crelly base... this polish just screams warm-fuzzy-goodness!  It applied easily with an even disbursement of glitters.  2 coats is all that's needed to achieve opaqueness.

On my ring finger, I free-handed  a tree branch with some acrylic paints and a thin striping brush.

Come on weather, get it together!  (Ha! That rhymes...)

Natalie (owner of Noodles Nail Polish) put the sweetest note in the package along with my polish which really made my day.  It's the little things like that which keep me buying from indies.  I will definitely be continued customer of this brand :)

Anywhosy, stay tuned for a challenge post later this afternoon :)

Until next time!

Stef <3

* This product was purchased by 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.

Fairly Operatic Giveaway!

Hello lovelies!

So, I hinted around about the fact that I had a giveaway in the works for you.  Well... I am so so so happy to announce that I am hosting a fantabulous giveaway with a very dear and talented friend of mine, Danielle of @operaticmakeup!

Danielle and I met while rehearsing to go on a tour of Germany and Austria years ago and we've been singin' and beautifyin' together ever since (hence her IG name)!.  She and I have a serious love for our followers and thought what better way to show our appreciation than a BIG giveaway!!

We're kind of treading new territory here since Danielle doesn't have a blog, so social media is what will be dominating the entries in this giveaway (I apologize if this isn't a doable option for you :\)

PLEASE READ THIS NEXT SECTION IN IT'S ENTIRETY!

• You must be 18 yrs or older to enter.
• I have made it mandatory that you follow us on Facebook by liking the Fairly Charming Facebook Page and the Operatic Makeup Facebook Page. "Liking" the page will get you 1 entry for each in the giveaway.  
• I have made it mandatory that you follow @fairlycharming and @operaticmakeup on Instagram.  This will get you 5 entries for each.
•  Following @fairlycharming on Twitter gets you 3 entries.
• Tweeting about the giveaway gets you 5 entries.   You have the option of tweeting this giveaway daily. 
• Sharing the giveaway collage on Instagram gets you 5 entries.
• If you do all of these things just once, that makes a total of 30 possible entries for you in this giveaway!!  :D 
•  YOU MUST PRESS THE "ENTER' BUTTON ON THE WIDGET TO SUMBIT YOUR ETRIES.  RAFFLE COPTER WILL PICK A WINNER FOR US. IF YOU DON'T PRESS THE BUTTON, YOUR ENTRIES WILL NOT BE IN THE DRAWING.
• The giveaway ends on Monday, October 6th at 12:00 a.m. PST.
• Unfortunately we are unable to open this to any followers outside of the U.S. and for that we apologize.  
• This contest is not affiliated to any company/organization.  All items in this giveaway were purchased by us. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Again, thank you so much for being amazing followers and readers.  Without you this whole nail/makeup thing would be pointless.  Good luck!  May the beauty goddesses look upon you with favor ;)

Until next time!

Stef <3

Dotted Frenchie

Hello dolls!

Happy Sunday to you all :)  Sorry I've been MIA the last few days, I've been putting in some serious quality time with the hubs, my family (immediate and in-law's) and close friends (who might as well just be family lol).  Very fun and very exhausting!  So I'm cheating this evening and pulling some nail art I did a couple of weeks ago but never got around to posting :P

 Colors Used: Daisy Nail Lacquer - White Diamond

First off let me that you all for you're lovely comments and feedback in my last post!  It's sometimes difficult for me to get back to blogger to comment on replies, but I read all of the emails and it really does make my day.  Thank you thank you thank you!!  Also I'm very grateful for your tips and suggestions regarding my watermark.  It is a work in progress as I am still getting used to this new-to-me-photo editor, but I did change the color to white (it totally looks much better than the black haha).

This mani was pretty quick and simple.  I was in the mood for a french tip, so I painted all of my tips white and then shaped them with a french brush and acetone.  I buy my french brushes from Jolie Polish because I'm a big supporter of indie brands, but you can also find french brushes at Sally's and other beauty supply stores.  

I took a medium sized dotting tool and with the same white polish to created my polka dots.  I top coated and that was it!

I've got some exciting stuff coming up this week to share with you... and by share I mean give... away.  Ooops that's still supposed to be a secret!  ;)

Until next time!

Stef <3

Hooray for George!

Hello dolls!

I can't believe it's already Wednesday.  Where has the time gone??  Well I have a random-and-needs-some-explanation post for you today haha.  Last week I read an article on BuzzFeed about a goldfish named George.  This fish (who lives in Australia) had to have an operation to remove a tumor that was life threatening.  Needless to say the surgery was a success and George is expected to live a very long life :)  After reading the article, I just couldn't get fish off my mind.  So, I painted one (*disclaimer)...

 Colors Used: China Glaze - Capacity To See Beyond, Shimmer Polish - Trisha, Acrylic Paints

First off... I friggin' love this blue!  It's from China Glaze's LE The Give Collection and it's a beauty.  I started with it and Shimmer Polish's Trisha as my base colors, 2 coats for both.  I forgot how magical Shimmer's are.  Trisha applied so easily!

Then with a detail brush, I painted George using acrylic paints (orange, gold and black).  I was pretty much just winging it and hoping for the best lol.  Once my fishy dried, I top coated.

When life gets you down, do you wanna know what you've gotta do?

Be like George and just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming!

I hope you enjoyed this mani.  I had considered adding more details (coral, kelp, etc.), but I really wanted the pretty polishes to shine thru :)  As a side note... how do we all feel about the new watermark?  I am "testing the waters" you could say haha.  Feedback would be greatly appreciated *hugs*.

Until next time!

Stef <3

* Shimmer Polish's Trisha 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.

Water Color Striping

Hello lovelies!

For today's mani, I decied to try some watercolor striping in Fall-ish colors :)

 Colors Used: Daisy Nail Lacquer - White Diamond, Julep - Donna, Nic, Felicia and Parker

While this mani didn't turn out the way I necessarily wanted, I do kind of like the way it turned out (kind of)...

 I started with a white base.  Once that dried, I thinned out a dollop of polish with acetone and used a striping brush to apply my stripes.  Layering, thinning, overlapping... over and over and over again.  Haha that pretty much sums this one up ;)

Meh... still on the "kind of" fence...

Super short post, I know.  But simple is ok sometimes right?

Until next time!

Stef <3

SAFS: She Nail Polish Fall Collection

Hello dolls!

I hope you all have enjoyed your weekend!  Today I have another edition of "Sunday's Are For Swatching" for you :D  This Sunday I have the Fall Collection from a newer indie, She Nail Polish (*disclaimer)...

I'm so excited to share these polishes with you, so let's get started!

 Unbothered

This stormy grey creme stole my heart!  I just think it's so beautiful; the perfect grey that every girl needs in her collection.  I love how reminiscent it is of cool Fall days.  Very "sweater weather"-esque.  This applied in 2 easy coats with top coat.

 Oh, Tiff!

You can't do wrong with a Tiffany's blue!  This is another beautiful creme polish in this collection.  I think this color complimented me best of all the polishes.  It's just a bright and happy polish :)  Although slightly streaky, this applied to full opaqueness in 3 thin coats with top coat.

 Chances

Oh, I am a sucker for yellow polish!  This yellow creme has so opalescent flakies goin' on that I really loved (you can see is best if you click on the bottle shot).  The trouble with yellows is they love to be streaky!  I used 3 thin coats for full opaqueness with very little trouble.  Top coat helped to smoth everything out.

 Cocoa Creme

Now, I'm not usually a fan of browns but this creme is a stunner!  It is just pure chocolate goodness!!  I seriously wanted to eat my fingers just looking at it haha.  2 easy coats and top coat shown :)

Before Midnight

This polish.  Oh. This. Polish!  This one is magic!!  One coat wonder and all.  The color is gorgeous and it applied like butter.  I almost didn't top coat it because it dried super shiny on it's own, but I wanted to be consistent.  This is a new favorite in my collection :D

 Dirty Red

A classic red that is ever so ruddy, I love love love this one!  I have seen a few swatches of this polish and I really do think it's a perfect red; it just looks classically beautiful on everyone.  This applied in 2 easy coats with top coat :)

She Nail Polish can be purchased online and retail at $6.00 per bottle (a steal for a quality indie!).

I really hope you enjoyed this post :)  My goal with the Sunday swatch segment is to share polishes that I am excited about and think are worth the money you're paying.  It's kind of like being a guinea pig lol.

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.

Matchy Matchy Dotticure

Hello lovies!

Happy Friday to you all :)  For today's post I have a dotticure that I did about a week ago.  I had recently broken the corner off of my middle nail and had to do some serious filing (sad day).  To cheer myself up, I decided to paint my nails to match my purse.

I am obsessed with the design on this purse!  I stalked the Fossil store for months hoping for some good fortune (i.e. a sale haha).  I randomly found it marked down significantly at a Ross and snatched it up :D

Colors Used: Julep - Gunta, OPI - The "It" Color and Amazon... Amazoff,  Revlon - Bordeaux, Love & Beauty - Strawberry, Wet n' Wild - Club Havana, Rimmel - Steel Grey

I used a LOT of polishes for this mani.  My poor nail station looked like a storm hit it by the time I finished lol.

 This mani was super simple to create.  I used 2 coats of Gunta as my base and then went thru with a large dotting tool and randomly placed my dots.  I tried to do an even mix of overlapping and open space on each nail. 

It's at times like this (when I really love a design) that I hear Thor's voice in my head... "Another!".

Thankfully my nails tend to recover quickly from trauma (I know... I'm so dramatic lol), so they're back to a presentable length.  I'll have another edition of "Sunday's Are For Swatching" up this weekend :)

Until next time!

Stef <3

Spellbound Nails' Give Up the Ghost Collection!

Hello dolls!

It's that time of year again when the air starts to chill, the sun goes to bed sooner and the spooky-scary's come out to play.  It's also the time of year when the Indies release their Halloween collections!

I'm pretty sure I look forward to Indie holiday releases more than anything else.  And no other Indie get's me swooning like Spellbound Nails ;)  Last year Ashley just about killed me with her "Hocus Pocus" inspired collection and this year is even better... she chose Casper!!  I have 2 of the Glow-In-The-Dark's to share with you (*disclaimer)...

 

 Spellbound Nails - Instant Primordial Soup Mix

Fist up I have Instant Primordial Soup Mix (you know, the goo that Casper's Father came up with to bring ghosts back to life). This polish is a red-orange jelly with orange holo glitter mixed in.  How perfect is this??!

!

  

I applied 2 easy coats with topcoat.  This beauty glows orange when charged (about 3 minutes)

  

 Love it!

 

 Spellbound Nails - Get An Afterlife

Get an Afterlife was the tagline used in promos for the movie!  This polish is a sheer baby blue crelly with holo blue and black hexes, holo silver squares and fuscia dot glitters.

 

 While this polish is very sheer, application was a cinch.  the glitters dispersed evenly and without issue.  I applied 3 coats with top coat.  Now bust out your sunglasses, because this stunner GLOWS bright blue...

 It's like staring at the sun!! If the sun were blue haha ;)

I know I say this all the time, but I seriously am in love with Spellbound Nails!  The quality of the polishes is always consistent, Ashley's customer service is unmatched and I go gaga for every collection she releases!  Give Up the Ghost Collection is currently available for pre-orders at Spellbound Nails' online store, with the full release being on September 27th. 

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.

Arrows!

Hello lovelies!

I have a super simple mani to share with you today :)  One polish, one acrylic paint, one detail brush and one dotting tool (altho a toothpick and bobby pin could definitely be used instead)...

 Colors Used: China Glaze - Friends Forever, Right?, Acrylic Paint

I started with 2 coats of FFR, from China Glaze's new The Giver Collection.  It's a really pretty pale pink polish that surprised me with it's application.  the first coat was quite streaky but then the second coat made everything all better haha.

With my detail brush, I painted vertical lines for my arrows.  Just like I do with dotting, I started with the center and worked my way out, being sure to keep them symetrical.  I was in a bit of a hurry because I had somewhere to be, so the arrows aren't quite as neat as I wanted *sigh*...

I keep wanting to say, "Pew, pew, pew!" lol...

Nailspiration credit goes to the lovely Gianna over at Nailstorming :)  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend...

Until next time!

Stef <3