Monday, January 30, 2012

NOTD: Illamasqua Load & OPI What's Dune?

Hello Everyone!

The NOTD I have for you today is a layering combination using Illamasqua Load and OPI What's Dune?. Load is one of my favorite Illamasqua polishes. I knew I wanted it as soon as I saw swatches. Personally, I find yellows a little difficult to wear, and I feel Load is the perfect soft yellow creme for my skintone. What's Dune? is from the 2003 OPI Summer For Shore collection. I'd describe What's Dune? as an opalescent holo. It is definitely a holo but it is extremely sheer. I would say What's Dune? is best used as a layering polish. I can't wait to try What's Dune? over more polishes. I had no application or removal issues with Load or What's Dune? I love this combination, and I feel it's perfect for spring.  Pictures shown are two coats of Load topped with two coats of What's Dune?


Blurry to show the holo



Saturday, January 28, 2012

NOTD: China Glaze Coconut Kiss

Hello Everyone!

Have you ever continuously seen a polish in the store and pick it up and then put it back? That's how I was with Coconut Kiss. I kept seeing Coconut Kiss in Sally's Beauty Supply and i shamefully admit it just didn't look that special to me. I kept seeing swatches and oohing and ahhing over them. I finally decided it must be one of those colors you cant judge by the bottle so I picked it up. Coconut Kiss is a rich, but not vampy, almost metallic royal purple. I'm in love with this polish- there I said it. I had a small issue with bald spots, but I was in a little bit of a rush. I had no removal issues or staining. Pictures shown are three coats over Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator topped with China Glaze Fast Forward.





Thursday, January 26, 2012

NOTD: Essie Fiesta & Essie As Gold As It Gets

Hello Everyone!

The NOTD I have for you today I created with Valentine's Day in mind. Nothing says Valentine's Day like pink and sparkly glitter! I started off with Essie Fiesta. Fiesta is a bright medium pink creme. It was very self leveling. I then added one of the newish Essie Luxeffects polishes in As Gold As It Gets. As Gold As It Gets is small gold irregular shaped glitter, and red to green flashing micro glitter suspended in a clear base. I used two coats of Fiesta and one coat of As Gold As It Gets over Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator and topped it off with China Glaze Fast Forward.




Tuesday, January 24, 2012

NOTD: OPI Sapphires In The Snow & Fingerpaints Twisted

Hello Everyone!

The NOTD I have for you uses one of the new Fingerpaints flakies. I was so excited to get my hands on these flakies. I haven't tried them all out yet, but I intend to soon. Stay tuned for more manis using the flakies. The mani I will be showing you today is OPI Sapphires In The Snow topped with Fingerpaints Twisted. Sapphires In The Snow is a blue/purple creme polish. I found it to be quite opaque and it could be a one coater if you're careful with your application. I always have trouble stopping at one coat, especially when I know I'll be photographing the mani. Twisted is an amazing flakie glitter polish. It starts with a milky base and the flakes flash a rainbow of colors. I see flashes of blue, purple, green, red, and gold. The flakes in Twisted are medium sized, cover well and really come to life over darker polishes. The milky base did not distort the base color at all. Application was a breeze and the flakies are smooth with a normal topcoat. Unlike other flakies I've tried, I have zero removal issues. Pictures shown are two coats Sapphires In The Snow and two coats Twisted.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

NOTD: NYX Girls Frizz Spots & Super Funk

Hello Everyone!

The NOTD I have for you today is NYX Girls Frizz Spots. Frizz Spots is a sheer black jelly base jam packed with small and large silver hex glitter. Super Funk is a clear base with small and large purple hex glitter. I have such a weak spot for Frizz Spots. I'm sure it would look great over black but since this was the first time I've worn it I chose to wear it as it is intended to be. I had no application issues, and no removal issues when using the foil method. Pictures shown are three coats Frizz Spots topped with one coat Super Funk.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

NOTD: Claire's Mood Polish Happy/Earthy

Hello Everyone!

The NOTD I have for you today is something I picked up at a blog sale but is readily available for purchase in Claire's. It is a mood polish, meaning it changes colors. I really love these mood polishes from Claire's. Every one I've tried has such an obvious color change. Happy/Earthy is a grassy green in the bottle. It changes highlighter neon yellow with heat and a darker blue toned green with cold. At room temperature Happy/Earthy shows a lovely gradient from yellow to green on my nails. This, of course, will vary from person to person depending on the length of your nail bed, how much free edge you have, and the temperature. I've had way too much fun playing with the color change of this polish. Happy/Earthy was quite sheer, but it is a neon and neons are usually sheer. While I'm not happy to have visible nail line, the effect of this polish is cool enough for me to live with it. Pictures shown are four coats over CND Stickey and topped with China Glaze Fast Forward.

With Lukewarm Water

With Cold Water


With Hot Water


Cooling Down
Room Temperature

Sunday, January 15, 2012

NOTD- Black & Gold Pittsburgh Penguins Inspired

Hello everyone!

About a week ago (January 6th) my husband and I went to a Pittsburgh Penguins game. I'm a huge hockey fan, in fact it's the only sport I can pay attention to. Every time we go to a sporting event I always paint my nails to coordinate with the team colors. I will usually also to an eye look using the team colors (I'm a dork, I don't care). This was my very first Penguins game and my first NHL game so I was very excited to go and see my favorite team take the ice. The fact that I also got to see my favorite player play (wooo Fleury) was just a bonus.

Since I was so excited to go to the game I had so many NOTD ideas going through my head and i just could not decide..... so i did them all.

Thumb- China Glaze Liquid Leather (2 coats) stamped with Bundlemonster plate #BM-209 using China Glaze GR8


Index- China Glaze Liquid Leather (2 coats) Topped with OPI Gold Shatter (which did not shatter at all for me) topped with Wet n' Wild Tangled In My Web (1coat)


Middle- China Glaze Liquid Leather (2 coats) topped with China Glaze Golden Enchantment (2 coats)


Ring- China Glaze GR8 (2 coats) stamped with Bundlemonster plate # BM-223 using Wet n' Wild Black Creme


Pinky- China Glaze 5 Golden Rings (3 coats) topped with China Glaze Black Mesh
I know it's a little much but I. Love. It !!!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

NOTD: OPI Sugar Plum Yum

Hello everyone!

The NOTD I have for you today is OPI Sugar Plum Yum and all I can say is the "yum" part is right on! This duochrome polish is absolutely stunning. Sugar Plum Yum is a dusty blue based polish that shifts to pink and to gold. I've actually had this polish on for three days now because I just can't get enough of its gorgeousness and I've beeb staring at it constantly, moving my hand in the light, and continuing to be simply amazed by the obvious color change.  Sugar Plum Yum is very sheer. The pictures shown are four coats over CND Stickey and topped with China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat.

On to WAY too many pictures of Sugar Plum Yum...

Gorgeous Gold Shift
Starting to see the Pink Shift
Showing more pink

All her gorgeousness


YUM!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Things I Love: Rimmel Red Action Moisture Renew Cream Lipgloss

Hello Everyone!

Today I have a beauty item that is not polish. I know the name of the blog is Starlet's Nails but I love all things beauty.  Recently I've really been getting into lip color. Red Action, to me, is the perfect " I just ate a cherry popsicle and my lips are stained from it" red. This is a color I've been lemming for a long time. Red Action is a gorgeous warm toned red with very faint gold micro glitter. The glitter is not gritty at all and the gloss feels silky smooth on my lips. I feel the gloss lasts longer than most other glosses I've tried.

If you're interested in Red Action check your local CVS drugstore. I picked up this beauty for 75% off!

Monday, January 9, 2012

NOTD: Essie Sew Psyched & Essie Kisses & Bises

Hello Everyone!

The NOTD I have for you today is a layering combination. I really love layering my polishes. I'm amazed sometimes by the combinations. I am very guilty of being very safe when layering. I tend to stay very monochromatic when I layer. I've decided to push my own limits and force myself to think outside the box. You don't have to put a red glitter over a red polish. Why not put that red glitter over a purple polish or a silver polish? The fact of the matter is, you never know what's going to work together if you're too afraid to experiment. In the spirit of thinking outside the box I came up with this mani. I really like how it turned out.

Essie Sew Psyched is a very dusty "army" green. The opacity of this polish is unbelievable! Sew Psyched was almost a one coater for me. I always have trouble stopping at one coat. Sew Psyched went on as smooth as can be and was incredibly self leveling.

Kisses & Bises is a lovely sheer polish with pink shimmer. Quite frankly I haven't found a polish I haven't liked Kisses & Bises over. Be prepared to see more layering combinations with Kisses & Bises.

Pictures shown are two coats Sew Psyched topped with one coat Kisses & Bises over CND Stickey topped with China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat.




Saturday, January 7, 2012

NOTD: China Glaze Cleopatra & China Glaze Golden Enchantment

Hello Everyone!

The NOTD I have for you is my New Year's Mani. I really wanted a glitterbomb of a mani. I've gotta say China Glaze gets me every time with their glitters. Cleopatra is a gorgeous gold glitter with a sprinkling of holographic glitter in a clear base. I have to admit Cleopatra is a little dangerous. It's one of those polishes you find yourself involuntarily staring at when you're stopped at a red light. Golden Enchantment is a gold toned fine holo graphic glitter top coat. Golden Enchantment is great over just about any polish. I especially love it over black. Golden Enchantment gives just the right amount of "oomph" to a day old mani to make it feel new again. It's one of my favorite ways to extend wear time on a mani when I don't have time to start from scratch. Pictures shown are two coats of Cleopatra topped with two coats of Golden Enchantment over CND Stickey and topped with a generous coat of Seche Vite to smooth everything out. I had no application or removal issues when using the foil method for removal.


And a blurry picture to show off all that fiery sparkle

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

NOTD: Zoya Rea

Hello Everyone!

The NOTD I have for you today is Zoya Rea. Zoya Rea is a purple foil. I really love the metallic finish of this polish. It's not your basic metallic polish, there are lovely bits of glittery pieces that give this polish so much depth. I've left the pictures huge so please feel free to click for more detail. Pictures shown are two coats Zoya Rea over CND Stickey and topped with Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender. I had no application or removal issues.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Part Deux: Essie Coat Azure

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a fabulous holiday season. Around the holidays I'm so busy I don't always get to do a whole new mani as often as I'd like. What's a girl to do? Between holiday shopping, meeting with friends that are coming home for the holidays, and family gatherings I was exhausted this year (and perhaps a little lazy). I will admit on occasion I will "spice up" a day old mani. It makes me feel like it's shiny & new. My favorite ways to spice up manis are to add a glitter top coat- like China Glaze Fairy Dust- or to add a french tip or a little bit of stamping. I did the latter in this case. You all remember my post on Essie Coat Azure, right? This polish just begged to be stamped so I obliged. I used my Bundle Monster stamping plate number BM14, Sally Hansen Chrome Nail Makeup in Sapphire Chrome, and Wet n' Wild French White Creme. Here are the results over two coats of Essie Coat Azure.  I left the picture huge so go ahead and click for more detail.