A Skittlette of Fun!

Hello lovelies!

Long time no see ;)  I am finally all moved, the internet is once again hooked up and altho I just got home from a 12 hr work day... I promised you a blog post!  Haha it's a labor of love; honestly it just feels great to have some "me time" and I can't think of a better way to spend it...

 Colors Used: Painted Polish - Drunk on Holo, Daisy Nail Lacqcuer - White Diamond,

 KBShimmer - Eclipse, China Glaze - Son of a Peach

I... love... thiiiiiissss!!!  First off, I finally got around to using the Otte light that I got at a steal (thanks to Dani of From Polish, With Love who shared a sale Joanna's Fabric was having... thanks again girl!).  I understand now why everyone is gaga over these lamps/bulbs.  Wowza!

I have been dying to get some decent holo pics in my portfolio and there honestly isn't a better holo to play with than "Drunk on Holo" by Painted Polish.  I also tried "Eclipse" from KBShimmer for the first time and have fallen in love; it is going to be my new go to black for sure.  And the ever popular "Son of a Peach"... neon heaven is what it is *sigh*.

The fleur de lis is a decal from Make It Stick and I used chevron guides from Nail Vinyls.

I love everything about this mani.  I'm thinking I want to do an entire many of framed chevron nails... the ideas are bubbling!  Keep your eyes peeled for some Sunday Swatches tomorrow; indie cremes you won't want to miss ;)

Until next time!

Stef <3

* These 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.

This & That

Good morning, dolls!

Today's mani is a mixture of colors and textures.  I'm trying really really hard to get thru the untried polishes I've managed to pile up.  A lot of them are Julep's, which is a little bit surprising.  I didn't realize I had been neglecting them so :\  Anywhosy, onto the mani!

 Colors Used:  Julep Dianna, China Glaze - Of Coarse!, Orly - Dazzle, OPI - Save Me

I was hesitant when I put the bottles of polish next to eachother.  I wasn't sure if what I envisioned in my head as the color scheme would really work out well.  I'm glad I was wrong :)

 

 Dianna and Of Coarse! were 2 coaters each.  For my middle finger I did one coat of Dazzle as the base and then 2 coats of Save Me (From OPI's Niki Minaj Collection).  I still don't know if I'm sold on this glitter polish.  Stripe glitters just aren't that apealing to me.  I like them just fine if they are mixed with round/hex glitters like Hard Candy's Black Tie Optional.  But by itself... yuck!  *sigh*

I bought the stinkin' polish so I'm determined to make it work lol.

I alomost forgot to mention the stud!  This square stud is one that I got in a wheel from Claire's.  I just pressed it on immediately after applying my stripe with a striping brush.

Well, that's all I've got for you today!  I hope you all have a wonderful and happy Friday :)

Until next time!

Stef <3

Born Pretty Drop Studs

Good evening, lovelies!

As promised, here is my second product review of the day!

 Colors Used: Julep - Blakely, Kylie, Sephora by OPI - Spark-tacular!, Orly - Dazzle

I was contacted by a rep from the Born Pretty Store about a month ago and it was an OMG moment.  A lot of the major nail blogger that I admire have done a plethora of reviews for Born Pretty and I was definitely taken aback.  I decided to start with something simple to review...

I applied these studs the same way I do any other stud, with clear/top coat.  I put a dot of top coat down with my dotting tool, apply the stud and then top it with a coat of top coat.  Once it's dry, it is stuck.  Like really stuck!  I have not lost a stud yet using this method.  And I have no fear of ruining my natural nails with nail glue :)

  As you can see above, these studs are pretty flat.  No pointy edges to snag on anything.  This is a plus for me, because I'm totally a weirdo when it comes to textures and if something sticks up on my nail too much, I freak out lol.  These studs have a lot of potential when it comes to nail art.  I kept this mani simple to showcase the stud, but I definitely see art deco in it's future ;)

 Name: Drop Stud Rhinestone Acrylic UV Gel Nail Art Decoration #2

Item #: 6880

Quantity: Approx. 150 pcs

Cost: $4.99 USD

These studs came be found here at Born Pretty's store!

How do you feel about studs?  Something you'd rock or something that would drive you crazy??

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.

Step Into Summer - 3D

Hi there, lovlies!

I want to apologize for the infrequency of my posts.  Summer is the busiest time for me at work with summer camp.  By the time I get home, the last thing I want to do is paint my nails and post.  Usually I'll just pass out on the couch until my hubby comes and puts me to bed lol.  I have fallen really behind on my summer nail challenge because of it... Ooops!

Today I'm knocking out the "3D" mani...

 Colors Used: Love & Beauty - Strawberry (scented), Rimmel - Black Satin, Essie - Beyond Cozy

Originally I wanted to do a mani with fimo slices.  I have a ton of them, so the sky would be the limit.  But it was swim day at camp and I was afraid of them falling off in the pools and such.  This summer is ruining my life lol...

I opted for studs instead.  I picked these ones up over a month ago while perusing nail stuff at Claire's.  it came in a variety wheel that also includes micro beads, rhinestones and pearls.  Again, because of summer, I haven't gotten a chance to really play with them.

For application, I would topcoat 1 nail, apply the stud(s) and move on the the next nail.  I them applied a 2nd layer of topcoat once all of the studs had set, for extra security.

I think my thumb's my favorite haha :)

Here's hoping I can muster up the energy to do my nails again tonight...

Be sure to check out all of the awesome nail art in the links below.  You're bound to find something that suits your fancy :D

Until next time!

Stef <3

A Green-Wish

Hello all!

It's Summer.  Wanna know how I know that?  Because is so ridiculously hot and humid!!  I've never understood this "looking forward to Summer" mentality.  Summer stinks and it makes me cranky.  It also makes me very lethargic.  At this point I'm just ranting... my apologies.  Moving on!  :D

Today's mani is focused around a polish that I was given for free during a recent haul at my fave nail supply store, A Green-Wish...

Colors Used: Daisy Nail Lacquer - A Green-Wish. Love & Beauty - Purple, Orly - Dazzle, Love & Beauty - Highlighter Glitter, China Glaze - Fairy Dust

A Green-Wish photographed turquoise but in person leans more towards kelly green.  If kelly green and turquoise had a baby... this would be their offspring lol.  It's a beautiful 2 coater that dries with a satin finish...

This mani was just an excuse for me to use one of my "untried" polishes and to practice my striping.  It's good to brush up on techniques from time to time ;)

I'd expound some more but I think I'll just let the pictures do the talking...

Until next time!

Stef <3

Some Current Faves

Yellow!

 How are you doing on this fine Wednesday?  Me... I'm pooped as usual lol, which is why today's post is coming from out of the vault...

 Colors Used: China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy, OPI - Coronation, Sally Hansen - White On, Lush Lacquer - Clowning Around, China Glaze - Fairy Dust

I don't remember when I did this, but I do remember deciding to do a mish-mash of my current faves in one manicure :)

 Flip Flop Fantasy is actually a lot brighter in person.  My light tent seems to soften all of my neon polishes :\  I'm going to have to play with the white balance settings on my camera or something *sigh*.  

Anywhosy... Coronation is actually a subtle scattered holo, but just looks like a grainy silver in these pics.  Clowning Around is a polish I've been wearing a lot recently because I just luuuurrrrrvs it!  It stayed on my nails all weekend :D

I'm digging the subtle glitter that Fairy Dust added to this look ;)

Expect to see Clowning Around again soon (seriously... I'm obsessed!).  Lol I hope you all have a loverly day...

Until next time!

Stef <3

I'm Back!

Hello, dolls!

I'm back from my San Diego getaway and I'm feeling refreshed :)  It was exactly what I needed to reboot and get ready for summer camp craziness.  I did a couple of mani's while on vacation but I forgot my camera at home (silly me!).  They are available for viewing on my Instagram if you're curious tho ;)  So, today's mani comes from the "vault". It's also pre light-tent...

 Colors Used: Revlon - Bubblegum, OPI - Coronation, Sally Hansen - White On, Rimmel - Black Satin, Hard Candy - Black Tie Optional

It's been quite a while since I did this mani, but I do know that I lightly sponged Bubblegum and Black Satin over the white base on my middle finger.  Also, Coronation took 3 coats to get to opacity...

I think I put Hard Candy's matte topcoat on my ring finger?  Not too sure...

That's all for now!  Thankfully I have a few more mani's tucked away in the vault that I can pull out while I catch up on nail art/challenge stuff.  There shouldn't bee a blogging break (unless I get swamped at work haha).

Until next time!

Stef <3

Not All Nail Stickers Are Created Equal

Hello, dearies!

Quick post for you today.  I decided to play with some nail stickers that I had stashed away in a drawer...

 

 Colors Used: China Glaze - Turned Up Turquoise, Rimmel - Black Satin, OPI - DS Coronation

So my thumb is a nail sticker from Kiss.  I picked this up last July at a CVS.  The other sticker is the glittery ombre on my ring finger.  This is an H&M product that I picked up a couple of months ago.  

The reason for this posts title is that although the blingy Kiss sticker feels much more solid on the nail, the H&M stickers are extremely pliable and easy to shape. I just like the look of them better...

As a side note... I'm so glad I bought Turned Up Turquoise!  It's incredibly versatile and gorgeous with every pairing I've done :)

Short and to the point today haha...

I'll have my final mani for the May TPC up tomorrow, yay! (Hint: The force is strong with this one...)

Until next time!

Stef <3

I Got My Light Tent!!!!

Yaaaaaaayyyyyy!!!  It's here, it's here, it's heeeeeeerrrre!!!!!  I'm just going to show you pictures now hahaha...

 Colors Used: Julep - Denver, China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy, Orly - Dazzle, Sally Hansen - White On, Hard Candy - Black Tie Optional

My photos are drastically different from before and I'm going to have to adjust BIG time!  I'm not comepltely sold with what I've done here but it's a step in the right direction :)

Denver and Fantasy both got 3 coats for base colors because they were a little streaky, while Dazzle and White On were 2 coaters.  The bow is a nail art sticker that I got from my local nail supply store.  All of the righting is in a language I can't read, so I don't have any onther info to offer about them :\  I free handed the striping and then applied my black/white glitter as accents...

I love this mani so much that I'm going to wear it for another day hahaha

Yayyy pretty picture!!

I have to say a huge thank you to my a,azingly wonderful husband for supporting me and loving me enough to put up with my crazy obsession <3

 Until next time!

Stef <3

An Orly Ruffian

Good day, dear hearts!

I have yet another bright/neon polish to share with you today (Shocking... I know!).  I was at Sally's almost a month ago looking for a good silver foil polish and stumbled across neon goodness...

 Colors Used:  Orly - Dazzle (silver) and Mayhem Mentality (neon orange)

Having a foil polish really helped with my ruffian design this go around.  It was easier to smoth out the edges with this silver polish than it was with my Sally Hansen Golden-I.  Photographing this mani, however, was a nightmare!  The above photo was taken in my usual lighting... at my desk, with a desk lamp, using flash.

This photo with the greenish tinge was take in my bathroom.  Fluorescent lighting, no flash.

This last photo I feel is closest to the true color of the polish and I took it in my car.  Don't worry, I wasn't driving!  The hubby was lol.

All in all this mani was 1 coat of dazzle and 2 coats of Mayhem Mentality.  Two new faves in my ever growing collection :D

Just an fyi... I know I had said that the TPC for May would be starting this week.  I was very off lol.  It starts up next Tuesday.  it will give me a chance to do the final mani for the Hobby Polish Blogger challenge... Re-create Your Favorite :)

Until next time!

Stef <3

It's My Bloggiversary!!

Happt Saturday!!

It is a very happy day indeed.  I'm about to run out the door to a dress fitting for a certain someone special who apparently isn't letting the proverbial cat out of said proverbial bag yet (sneaky!).  But.... IT'S MY BLOGGIVERSARY!! :D :D :D  One year ago today I dove head-first into this crazy world of nail polish.  I didn't expect to make it this far or to have connected with as many people as I have.  I'm just so thankful for all of you who follow and support my blog <3

The mani I've chosen to do represents all of the things I said I hated/would never do when I first started doing nail art.  It's pink, it's glittery, it's girly....

Colors Used: China Glaze - For Audrey, Claire's - Candy Shop, Sally Hansen - Pumping Iron and Mint Sorbet, Spoiled - I Have No Reception, Julep - Scarlett

It's been a looooong time since I did a cupcake on myself.  it's the first real nail art that I attempted and I still think it's so cute!

 I was so proud of this mani when I finished and then... top coat disaster!  My thumb streaked like CRAZY!!  While I'm a little disappointed, I'm still plesed with how this turned out :)

I've elected not to have a giveaway, even tho it is the "thing to do".  To be honest, I don't have the sponsorship for it and I just can't pay for it out of pocket.  I wish I could but alas... earwax! 

Until next time!

Stef <3

Under Lock & Key

Hello, dolls!

I hope you all had a very happy weekend :)  I would like to say a big WELCOME to my new followers!  You ladies are the reason why I have continued blogging.  Thank you all so much for your recent comments.  it really is encouraging and it's helping me to tweak the things I'm doing as a blogger.  You all are amazing!!

Well, it's been gloomy here in SoCal the last few days (no April showers tho).  The weather put me in a bit of a somber mood over the weekend so, I busted out one of my favorite polish to cheer myself up...

 Colors Used: Zoya - Blaze, Avon - Mosaic Mica

Fitting for a gloomy day, but I LOVE the way it came out!

I started with 2 coats of Blaze.  Cannot get enough of this polish!  Then I applied the "Mosaic Effect" polish.  It doesn't really come across in the pics, but it's very very shimmery and pretty.  Lastly I applied my nail art stickers that I picked up from H&M, truly the best I've ever used to date.  I topped them off with my new fave Nutra Nail Speed Dry Top Coat and viola!

"Look at the pretties!"

My work/rehearsal week is looking a little bit crazy.  I am now partially running the children's choirs at my job along with everything else I've got going on.  I don't know why I do these things to myself lol.  April TPC starts up tomorrow and I've got a couple of other surpirses coming along the way *sigh*.  Busy, busy, busy!  I hope you will bear with me ;)

Until next time!

Stef <3

A Vampy Plaid?

Good mornin'!  How is everyone fairing this week??  I for one am ready for it to be Friday ;)

My post today is going to be short and sweet because... well, I'm just not that crazy about this nail art.  I had an idea in my head and I just don't think I executed it well.  It took about an hour for this inspiration to even come to me in the first place!  I'm a little rusty I guess :\

The idea I had in my head was a vampy plaid.  Like if Elvira were to suddenly decided she wanted plaid nails or something.  They came out a hot mess...

 Colors Used: Sinful Colors Nail Art - My Day (red) Time Off (black), Sally Hansen - Pumping Iron

 What I cannot stand is that the black pops off of the nail and looks like a weather vein/telephone pole!  It's seriously driving me crazy!!  

I feel compelled to fix it... right now... brb...

Yeeeaaaahhh... not any better.  Gaaaaaaahhhh!!!

C'est la vie hahaha.  Just a reminder that there's only a few more hours to get your entries in, so get to it ladies :D

Until next time!

Stef <3