Merry Christmas - Santa Belts!

I know I've been MIA and will most likely continue to be for the next month or so, but I had to drop in and show you my Christmas Mani. For those of you who celebrate it, I hope that you've had a very Merry Christmas with your family and friends! I'm probably about to O.D. on wine and grapenut custard...how sweet the holidays are.

I hand drew these little Santa belts on my ring and index fingers and candy canes on my thumb and pinky. My middle finger is a flashy green scattered holographic glitter!

I used the following colors in this mani: KleanColor Bite Me, Layla Mercury Twilight, Color Club Holiday Splendor, Zoya Purity and Orly Liquid Vinyl.

Enjoy the Holidays!

~Linda

Zoya Gradient

Hi lovelies! Today I am wearing three gorgeous shades from Zoya. I started with a base of Song and the gradient is using Charla and Ivanka. The gradient polishes are categorized as metallic but they have visible particles rather than a smooth finish. It also seems to me like these both have a hint of duo-chrome to them.

Song, Charla, Ivanka

Song is from the 2012 NYFW Diva Collection and is described as a 'vibrant primary blue with silver and blue glittery metallic sparkle'. Charla is described as 'tropical blue' while Ivanka is described as 'mermaid green'. They both seem to have hints of blue and green in them which is why they look so freakin amazing together.

 

This is two coats of Song which applied nice with no streaking. I used a makeup sponge with a stripe of Ivanka at the very tip then Charla and then Song. Having all three colors on the sponge helps the gradient to be quite smooth rather than distinct lines of each color.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Zoya Gilty Pleasures Gift Set - Back in Stock! Limited Time Offer

Zoya Gilty Pleasures Gift Set - Back in Stock! Limited Time Offer!

The Golden Zoya Fairy made a special delivery for another round of the 18K Gold Gilty Pleasures Trio. If you didn't get your hands on it the first time around, don't miss out on it now! Once these sell out they will be gone forever. Unless you have $80 to buy it on Ebay.

The price has gone up to $35 from the pre-order price of $30 but that's the price you pay (no pun intended) for limited offer awesome sauce! 

Check out this cute post on the Zoya Blog or run straight over to the Zoya website and add this Trio to your shopping cart.  

~Linda

*Picture is courtsey of the Zoya Blog

Layla Hologram Effect - Cloudy Violet & Ocean Rush

Happy Friday!! Today I'm wearing two of my new Layla Hologram polishes that I ordered from Hautelook a few weeks back. The Hologram polishes were on sale for $9 each which is pretty amazing since they are usually $15 bucks. Plus each polish came with the Base File that is supposed to prep your nails for a better holographic effect. If memory serves correctly, I believe these files were $5 at Ulta and I passed since I already have Nfu-Oh Aqua Base.

Today I have on Cloudy Violet and Ocean Rush!

I started with a coat of Aqua Base and then one coat of Cloudy Violet. I then layered on the Aqua Base again before a second coat of Cloudy Violet. I find that this gives an extra kick of holo! Once the second coat was completely dry I used some striping tape to place some off centered and geometric tips. This is one coat of Ocean Rush on my tips. I was impressed with the color quality in only one coat. It might not be as deep if it weren't already over another color...but still.

I did add a coat of Seche Vite since without it my mani wouldn't have lasted a day. I don't find that the holo is diminished enough to not use it when I want my mani to last.

I can never get enough of the Layla polishes. They dry super fast, have a great formula and a really great holographic effect. What's your favorite Hologram polish?

~Linda

Spooktastic Mani

Hello lovelies, today I'm rockin a simple Halloween mani using my new spooktastic orange polish that I received in my Julep Trick or Treat Mystery Box.

This is Julep Parker and it's a tangerine orange creme polish that was made for Halloween! Parker was thin so it took 4 coats for an even opaque finish. I taped off my tips and used Orly Liquid Vinyl.

Using Konad black stamping polish I stamped the creepy trees and bats using Bundle Monster plates #224 and 213. The spider was stamped with Mash plate #38. 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Julep Mystery Box

Hi Ladies! I ended up jumping at the Julep Trick or Treat Mystery Box and it has arrived at my doorstep (and rather quickly I might add). The Mystery Box mentioned that you'd get at least two polishes and another special item which were all Halloween related. Wanna see what I got?

 

Upon opening my box I saw the iconic Halloween treat, Candy Corn, smiling up at me. I don't eat them but they always scream Halloween to me! I received two glitter pots, in red and pink. Pink seemed a bit odd...it's not what I think of when someone says Halloween. I also received the nail water decals and a skull bracelet. Unfortunately the bracelet was snapped in half. I couldn't tell you what the material is, but it's definitely cheap costume jewelry. Not to mention it looks as though it will only fit someone with small wrists. I did send an email to Julep mentioning the broken bracelet and they responded promptly that they would send me another bracelet or a polish of my choice. I have so say that is some amazing customer service! Julep never lets me down! I will be choosing another polish since I didn't get what I was hoping for in my mystery box....any suggestions?

So here are the two polishes I received in my box: Parker and Morgan. 

Parker is a flat looking orange in the bottle but I've used it for my Halloween mani and it's much brighter and a touch more neon out of the bottle. Julep describes it as a golden tangerine creme. I would say that description is good for what it looks like in the bottle but it's not golden at all on my nails and I'm happy it's not. It's a good orange for all your spooky manis.

Morgan is a bright purple with blue and pink micro-shimmer particles. It looks much like the zillion other purples with micro-shimmer. I will probably try to swap this polish for something else on the Julep Swap Facebook page. If you haven't heard of it you can check it out here.

I had been hoping to get the orange/pinkish shimmer polish they had in their Mystery Box email, or possibly the glow in the dark Sofia, but I'm happy with Parker since I can't say I have many orange creme polishes.

What did you get in your Mystery Box?

~Linda

Julep Trick or Treat Mystery Box

Trick or Treat Mystery Boxes are available until October 19th with Free Shipping and delivery for U.S customers by Halloween!

Seems like you could get a variety of different items in this mystery box from accessories to nail decals and at least two polishes! Boxes have a $46 value and cost $19.99.


Make sure you stop by Julep.com and grab your mystery box before they are all gone. If you could kindly use my link I'd love you forever!!

I hope I get whatever that orange/pink polish shown is and the skull bracelet! Hey, maybe they will even include Sophia, the glow in the dark nail polish that so many people missed out on with the October upgrades.

Are you hoping on this Mystery Box or passing?

~Linda

Fall Inspired Mani

Today I have a fall inspired mani with some colors that I really love. To me fall means colorful leaves, cool air and rich desserts. I love snuggling up on a cold night with a blanket and a cup of coffee or a delicious piece of pumpkin chocolate chip cake. YUM.

Anywho, this is my take on a fall mani. I used a base of China Glaze Instant Chemistry from the Magnetix Collection. This color is deep and rich and I love it! I didn't use the magnet so I just applied two coats and let it dry. The two accent colors are Kleancolor Metallic Orange and Color Club Put a Pin In It.

This first picture was taken indoors under artificial lighting but it shows the true purple-mahogany color of Instant Chemistry.

This is my final mani. On my thumb and ring finger I applied Put A Pin In It (PAPII) on a diagonal and then stamped some fern leaves from RA-115 using Metallic Orange. On my index and pinky finger I simply added some more fern leaves.  PAPII is a foil described as a 'gilded rose gold' and looks like a washed out rosey gold color. Not something I would wear on it's own, but good for an accent color. 

It was a major pain to photograph the beauty of Instant Chemistry. It mostly looks brown in these pics rather than the rich purple-ish mahogany color it truly is. The first picture shows the true color pretty well but still looks just a hair too purple. It's a gorgeous color though. I prefer using this polish without the magnetic effects.

What are your favorite things about fall?

~Linda

Anise Urban Angels (Part 2)

It's been quite a while since I've had a sunny day to show you the last three Anise polishes that I have from the Urban Angels collection. I wanted sunlight rather than artificial light since all three of these have micro glitter and I always think you get to see them the best in sunlight.

Wee Hours is a rich purple loaded with blue and purple micro shimmer.  The shimmer is everywhere! It definitely shows on the nail and makes is seem as though the shimmer makes the color, rather than a shimmer within a purple polish.

This is Smokeshow and it was a pain in the A$$ to photograph. There is silver micro shimmer that sometimes looks blue. I've realized that I don't really wear grey at all but this is a pretty nice color that I would wear alone or with some nail art. This is two coats with top coat.

Total Temptress is a grayed out purple with a reddish pink micro shimmer. This is two coats with top coat. This polish applied very smooth and had a good dry time. I love the contrast of the purple and red/pink. It pops more so than just a plain silver micro shimmer.  Plus look how shiny it is!!

As I mentioned in my last Anise post, these are the first polishes I have from this brand and I didn't know what to expect. They wear all pretty good in consistency and application. The Urban Angel Collection consists of 12 polishes and can be purchased at your local DSW shoe store. 

Any thoughts on these polishes? 

~Linda

ManGlaze ILF

Today I have my first ManGlaze polish to show you. I've been wanting to try this brand for a while now since I love me some matte polish! ManGlaze had a sale a little while back on Facebook and I picked up ILF and some Franken Juggs empty nail polish bottles.

ILF is a gorgeous teal polish with a silver micro shimmer. The polish is obviously a matte but the shimmer takes this polish to a new level! I think what I love most about this polish is that although it's teal which is always a favorite of mine, it has a hint of sea foam green which mellows it out rather than a teal bitch slap to the retina. That combined with the matte effect makes this an office appropriate color. At least for my office...but I tend to wear whatever I want since I do not work with the public.

The consistency of this polish was great and it applied like butter in thin coats. This polish went above and beyond expectations!

The artwork on these bottles are always kick ass! Zombie chicks with big tits, Raunchy Eye Balls and middle fingers...what else could you ask for? Check these bottle shots out!

 

They included some stickers, temporary tattoos and a guitar pick that I believe is intended to be a can opener. They wouldn't want you to chip a nail!

ManGlaze polishes can be purchased on Amazon or on their 'crappy website'.
 
Mink Mitten is next on my must have list from ManGlaze! What's your favorite ManGlaze polish?

~Linda  

Chrono Cross Samplings

Today I have two polishes from Rainbow Honey's 2012 Chrono Cross Collection. These are Snake Eyes and Siren Song in their adorable little packaging.

Snake Eyes is described as "a sheer but shimmery sea foam green makes up the base of this polish; sprinkled throughout are loads of sea foam glitter accented by hints of purple, magenta, gold, and some searing dark eyes".

Siren Song is described as "Inspired by Marbule’s loveliest mermaid, this polish consists of a shimmering aqua color loaded with glitter, tinsel, and holographic sparkle to boot!"

Snake Eyes and Siren Song

To be honest my first impression of these polishes was not the greatest. I swatched them on a nail wheel and sighed. I didn't even really want to swatch them but pulled out a few base colors to play around and see what would look the best under these. They are both very sheer but Snake Eyes especially.

This is two coats of Julep Harley a silver metallic/chrome and two thin coats of Snake Eyes. The sheer green color in the base of this polish was hidden a bit over the silver, but shows over black and other colors. The glitter spreads nicely and I do like the different size glitter pieces as well as the glitter color combo.

This is two coats of Pop Beauty Mint Magic and two coats of Siren Song. This polish is packed with glitter but the tinsel and larger hexagon pieces of glitter do not apply as evenly as Snake Eyes. I had to apply this in patches and the glitter dries a bit bumpier than I like, but it grew on my the longer I wore it.

Outside Shade

Outside Shade

Indoor Artificial Light

These were the only two that I bought from this collection and although they grew on me they were not what I was expecting. I think I was expecting a smoother application and a deeper color to the base. Obviously polish can look different in the bottle compared to on the nail, but if there were more swatches online I might not have bought these.

Rainbow Honey was born out of a love for color and a penchant for creativity. All of their custom-designed products are always free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, and Dibutyl Phthalate (the “big 3”). They never test their products on animals and are hand-crafted and hand-packaged in the USA. 

They offer mini sized bottles (7ml) for $5 and full sized bottles (15ml) for $10 which is an awesome option. You can check out all their collections on their website.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Today I have a mani inspired by one of my favorite movies...The Nightmare Before Christmas. I've seen this movie more times than I can count and always find myself jones'n to watch it around Halloween and Christmas time. What's better than a movie you can watch for two different holidays...and it make sense?

The other morning while drinking my coffee I looked down at my Sally mug and smiled. This lovely lady has inspired my mani.

 

Sally is an amazingly sweet girl who has on an iconic patchwork dress as she herself has been pieced together by her 'father' Dr. Finklestein. I've decided to use her dress for my mani. 

I've used the following polishes in this mani:

• Orly - Steel Your Heart
• KleanColor - Funky Yellow
• China Glaze - Riveting
• Essence - You Belong To Me
• e.l.f. - Lilac
• Orly - Liquid Vinyl
• Milani - White On The Spot

I started with a white base, taped off the patches and generally did 2 coats for each color block. I drew the stitches with the black polish and then topped off with Essie Matte About You.  

What do you think? Did I represent Sally well?

~Linda

Julep Sale on HauteLook

Hello Hello! Julep is having a sale on HauteLook that ends on Wednesday at 8AM Pacific.

Don't miss your chance for some great little bundles that are on average 52% off! They have some really great options that include various different products like Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Drops, Pomegranate body scrubs, Sicilian Orange Foot Soak, Cuticle Oil, Julep Glow On Age Defying Hand Brightener, Nail Polish Remover Pumps and of course...polish!

Don't miss your chance for some fantastic pairings of polish!
Check out the HauteLook Sale now!

~Linda

Franken Polish - Neptune Moon

"Waaasssuuuppp?!?!?!" "Nuthin, havin some milk...watchin the game." "True True"   This makes me laugh soo hard! Hope you are enjoying a day full of football.

Anywho, Today I have a franken polish that I created using a suspension base and some multi-colored blue glitter with a small kick of semi holographic topaz blue glitter. Her name is Neptune Moon.

This polish ended up a bit thicker than I prefer, so what I've done is add some underpants to 2 of my nails to add a tint of purple and allow for a much thinner application of the glitter in order to obtain a fully opaque look. I think I prefer this over just the glitter.

This is three thick coats of Neptune Moon on my middle finger and pinky and two thin coats of China Glaze Secret Peri-winkle and two coats of Neptune Moon on my pointer and index fingers. All nails have on layer top coat which did pretty well at smoothing out this glitter bomb.

I do truly love the sparkle and bright color of this polish. What's fun is that the semi-holographic particles look pink until it dries, and then it turns blue (You can see the pink sparkles in the bottle photo but none of my nails). It's fun to watch it change colors. ☺

What do you think of the polish? Is it something you would wear?

 ~Linda

Urban Angels

Good morning darlings! Today I'm showing off some swag I won from Cosmetic Sanctuary's giveaway of some colors from the Anise Urban Angel 2012 Collection. The collection consists of 12 colors and Anise gave Lisa 6 colors to give away to 12 lucky winners. ☺ 

Today I have three colors to show you - Money to Burn, Deep Attraction and Wildcat.

Money to Burn (my favorite) is a deep teal metallic that has a golden shimmer. This is two coats and one coat of a cheap fast dry top coat.

Deep Attraction is a rich purple metallic with golden shimmer. This is three coats with top coat.
 

Wildcat is a buttery copper/bronze metallic that looks a bit more gold indoors. This was three thin coats to obtain full richness. Wildcat dried the slowest of the three and was thicker than the others so make sure to let each coat dry completely.

Outside - Sunlight

Outside - Cloudy

Wildcat applied the least smooth and brush strokes were more visible than with the others. This color also had the most difference in finish/color from sunlight to cloud cover. This is my least favorite mostly because it doesn't look good with my skin tone. 

Money to Burn and Deep Attraction both have a golden shimmer in the bottle that can be seen on the nail with only one coat, but once you build it up to completely opaque (generally 3 coats) that shimmer tends to get lost. I did notice that when using a cheap topcoat, it almost 'ate away' at the top layer of polish and the shimmer reappeared. It didn't mess up the finish of the final coat so this might be something you can do if you're looking for that golden shimmer on the nail. The golden shimmer didn't necessarily show in my pictures but is visible in real life.

Overall these polishes are pretty good. I've never used this brand before but it will definitely be a brand I pick up if the colors capture my attention.

Anise polish can be purchased at your local DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) for $6.00 per bottle. 

~Linda