Sea Lore "A-Dory-Ble" and "Arista"

Hi, there!

It's about time for a new post, right? It's also about time for a post featuring some polishes made by a very good nail buddy of mine. First off, let me just say that this time of year is not my friend. 

It never fails; I can almost always count on being sick around this time of the year. I want to say I started feeling under the weather the day before Christmas, and I am just starting to get better now. At least I'm not battling the flu like I was at this very same time last year! Not fun... Any ways I have a couple of polishes to show you today from my nail friend Jamie, who is the creator of Sea Lore nail polishes. She comes up with the cutest glitter combinations every year, and I'm glad to say that some of hers are a part of my indie stash. Here are "A-Dory-Ble" and "Arista" in the pics below. 

"A-Dory-Ble" (inspired by "Finding Nemo") is a super cute blend of blue, yellow, and black glitters in a thin blue base. This is one of Jamie's latest polishes. I decided to layer two coats of this polish over two coats Loreal "Jet set to Paris" to preserve my mini bottle. 

This is "Arista". I ordered her quite a while ago, but decided to save her for the holidays. She's an amazing combination of red glitters, some of them square-shaped, in a squishy red jelly base. I got so many compliments when I wore her to a holiday get-together for work. I once again layered over a creme color, a basic cherry red, to save on the Sea Lore goodness! ;) 

If you like what you see above as much as I do, check out Sea Lore's online store. I love Jamie's creativity and passion for all things related to the sea! She's also one of the sweetest people out there, and more than deserving of all the support in the world from the nail polish community. Stay tuned for another Sea Lore post from me soon, with two more fun glitter combinations that are perfect for any time of the year. See ya next time!

                                                                      - Tiff 

Scratch Nail Wraps in "Total Flake"

Hello, everyone, and Merry Christmas!

I wanted to get this post up for you earlier, but unfortunately I have a bit of a cold and haven't been feeling too well. I was able to muster up enough energy to take some nail pics and put together this post for you; hope you like it!

If you saw my last post, you might remember me not being too sure about which Scratch and Emily Wagner nail wraps I wanted to use next. My little brother suggested to go with the snow flakes that the design "Total Flake" has, and here is how they turned out on me in the pics below!

As usual, I am a total fan of Scratch and their nail wraps. Their monthly mani box subscription is perfect for all the nail wraps fanatics out there, and they are thin and flexible, and stay on very well with your favorite  top coat. Just think of these as Sally Hansen Salon Effects, but with more artsy designs.

Well, there's just a little over an hour left of Christmas over here on the east coast, and I am glad I was able to get this post up. I hope you had a better Christmas than I did; I am going to try to get some rest and get over this nagging cough. Hopefully I'll be better next time!


                                                                         - Tiff

Scratch nail wraps in "Deer Gold, I heart U"

Hello,

I hope you are having a great time in between getting ready for the holidays! It can be stressful at times, but hopefully you are done with the crazy mall crowds and are able to just relax and enjoy your friends and family.

One of my favorite nail wraps companies, Scratch, has collaborated with artist and designer Emily Wagner to design a collection of nail wraps for the holidays. I am showing you "Deer Gold, I heart U" in the photos below, along with some gold studs a nail blogger buddy gave me. I hope you enjoy!

When I first saw this design, I couldn't really tell there were deer shapes incorporated in them. I think it's really cool that you have to look closely in order to tell! The wraps look cool from far away, and up close... Don't you think?

Check out Scratch here, on their website, so you can get all the info on how you can subscribe to their monthly mani box and purchase individual nail wraps. With Christmas coming up in a couple of days, you will be seeing another post from me featuring another Emily Wagner collaboration. I just can't decide between snowflakes and red with gold plaid at the moment. I guess you'll see soon! LOL. Until next time...

                                                                     - Tiff

Rescue Beauty Lounge "Turn it Around"

Hello, everyone!

I am so happy about this post today, because it features a nail polish brand that I had been wanting to try for so long (years); but wasn't able to until now.

You are probably well aware of the brand Rescue Beauty Lounge (often abbreviated RBL), and the beautiful polishes Ji, the mastermind behind the brand has to offer. At $18-20 a bottle, it might be difficult to bring one to take the plunge on some of these, but luckily Ji was really feeling the holiday spirit and offered a super 50% off sale a few weeks ago. I, like many nail polish lovers, took advantage of this rare opportunity and grabbed the number one polish atop my wish list of RBL colors; "Turn it Around". Hopefully you can tell why this one is a must-have from the pics below! :) 

So, how amazing is this one? I am a huge fan of green, and the incredible shimmer this polish has really makes it unique. What you see here is two easy coats, and a very nice consistent formula. 

How do you feel about "Turn it Around"? If you're interested in RBL polishes, check out their website to see all of Ji's must-have products. Thanks for taking a look, and I'll see ya next time!

-Tiff

Scratch Nail Wraps in Harajuku Kawaii

Hello, everyone!

I would have had this post up and ready for you a few days ago, but thanks to a cut near one of my nails I wasn't able to take off what I had been wearing (don't want to get acetone near an open wound!).  Anyways, I'm excited to show you these super fun nail wraps designed by Scratch and nail artist Britney Tokyo.These wraps had been left over from the Monthly Mani Box they came in a while back, and I thought this week would be a great week to wear them. Here they are the "Harajuku Kawaii" nail wraps!

I love that Scratch uses clear nail wraps in most of their monthly mani box collections. I thought the stars and heart would look really cute over glitter polish, so I painted a coat of the glitter polish you see above, waited for it to dry and applied the wraps on top. This design is so fun, and is perfect for parties, going out with friends, or concerts. For some reason these remind me of Miley Cyrus... Random, I know. Maybe you should wear them to her Bangerz tour shows if you're a fan of hers and are planning on going! You can purchase these "Harajuku Kawaii" nail wraps individually, or sign up for the next monthly mani box (January) while you're at it.

What do you think about these? I just can't get over the cute Unicorn face! See ya next time.

                                                               - Tiff 

Sally Hansen Salon Effects "Hide And Peek"

Hello!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend, and aren't having too hard of a time getting back into the swing of your everyday lives (as if Mondays aren't bad enough!). I was able to get another mani prepared for you to see today, between the holiday and taking a look at all the sales going on online. 

I was able to pick up another set of Sally Hansen Salon Effects from their "Rent the Runway" lineup, and I really like this one called "Hide And Peek". It's another play on the clear nail wraps trend, and the design is just so fancy. I painted my nails with a French manicure pink (Nuance by Salma Hayek "Blush Peony"), and then brushed on "I'm not Lion", a golden holographic glitter from China Glaze. I think this look is perfect for any holiday party, so I took some pics by the tree! ...With a nail polish ornament of course ;) 

So, I told you guys that I got a new camera a couple of weeks ago, and that I'm still experimenting with all the different settings it has. I hope you can somewhat see the glitter on the tips of my nails in at least one of these pics. 

What do you think of this look? If you don't want to bother with painting your nails before applying these, I think they would look great on their own too. Try to see if you could find these and the other Rent the Runway Salon Effects at a Walgreens, as I did. They will probably mixed in with the display containing the Salon Effects that are in Sally Hansen's permanent line up. I hope you enjoyed this post, and I'll see ya next time!

                                                                  - Tiff 

Scratch Nail Wraps in "Eclectic Boulevard"

Hello, everyone!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, filled with family, friends, rest, and good food! I know I did. I also had just enough time to put together a mani using one of the nail wraps from the latest Scratch monthly mani box. This collection was created along with three Pose fashion bloggers, and I have to say that this collaboration is one of my favorites so far.

I decided to go with the design from Anna of FashBoulevard first, as I love the clear wraps idea and how they can be layered over any desired polish (a Scratch signature). As usual, I love the idea of using these over holographic nail polish because, well... who doesn't love a pretty holo polish? My nail friends thought the purple, white, and silver elements of the designs from the wraps would really pop over a teal polish; so I went with their suggestion. Here's how Scratch & FashBoulevard's "Eclectic Boulevard" clear wraps look over Hits Holografico in "Hera". I hope you also like the new direction I'm starting to take my photos in as well...I thought it would be nice to go back to my art/photo magnet-kid roots! ;)

Didn't this mani come out great? When you sign up for the MMB with Scratch, they send you three nail wraps along with some nail art goodies (I hope you can see the little stone I have on my ring finger).

Check out Scratch on their website, to get more info about how you can purchase individual nail wraps, and subscribe to their MMB. You might want to do that today, as they are having their first ever Black Friday sale! Have fun! See ya next time, and I hope you enjoyed this post :)

                                                                     - Tiff

Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Empress-ive

Hi!

I have some super artsy nail appliques to show you from Sally Hansen today. Sally Hansen created a collection of limited edition Salon Effects earlier this year called "Rent the Runway", that featured some designs that were very out side of the box for them (koi fish, black and gold glitter tiger stripes, peacock feather-inspired...). These super cool designs are what drew me in to grabbing a couple, including "Empress-ive", which you are about to see below.

I am loving the blue illustrations against the pure white base. This design just screams work-of-art to me!

I grabbed this quite some time ago, but I do believe that they are still available at Ulta and Walgreens; mixed in with the same displays as their permanent line-up. If you have an Ulta store near you, I would check there first, as they have been marked down in price.

How do you like "Empress-ive"? Did you pick up any Salon Effects from the Rent the Runway collection? See ya next time...

                                                                       - Tiff

Happy Hands Nail Polish in Sandcastles in the Sand

Hello, nail polish fans!

I am back with a new post featuring a polish from an indie brand that I am trying for the first time. I have seen swatches of Happy Hands Nail Polish from quite a few bloggers out there, and I decided that it was time to give them a try. One of my nail friends was nice enough to send me a gift card to Etsy via the Wrapp shopping app, so it was the perfect opportunity to pick up a new indie polish. Though it was hard to choose which one to go with, "Sandcastles in the Sand" kept calling my name. Check out the photos below to see how it turned out on me, with two coats over one coat of OPI "Did you ear about Van Gough?" .

Beautiful, right? I just love a great nude-based polish that is both fun and perfectly appropriate for work! The formula was also great for a glitter-packed polish; not too thick whatsoever. Removal was also a piece of cake (we all know how awful it is trying to remove glitter nail polish!).

You can purchase Happy Hands Nail Polish from Etsy and their Big Cartel stores, but they are currently on  break for now. I definitely have my eye on other polishes in their line-up, and plan to snag some more soon.

How do you like "Sandcastles in the Sand"? Do you have any Happy Hands polishes in your stash? See ya next time!

                                                                          - Tiff

KBShimmer Teal Another Tail

Hi, everyone!

I hope you had a great weekend. Mine sure did go by fast. Today I have a beautiful indie nail polish from KBShimmer's Fall collection named "Teal Another Tail". This polish had been on my wish list for so long, and I hope you will be able to see why from the pictures below.

Sometimes amazingly complex polishes are difficult to photograph. I tried numerous times to capture the pink shimmer this polish has, that contrasts perfectly with the teal you can easily see. These pics were the best I got out of the many attempts I made. "Teal Another Tail"  is much more vibrant, and the pink shimmer is much more visible in person. I may not love the photos all too much, but I do love this nail polish, and feel it makes a great addition to my indies. You can purchase this beauty online here, Do you have any KBShimmer polishes in your stash? What do you think? See ya next time with a new post! Have a great week!

                                                                       - Tiff

Cult Nails You're My Dandy Lion

Hi there!

A few weeks ago, I picked up some polishes from Cult Nails during their latest sale. Among my mini haul was this adorable yellow polish appropriately named "You're My Dandy Lion". Most nail polish enthusiasts are aware of how difficult yellow nail polishes can be. They're always super streaky, and hard to even out, despite using at least three coats (I may have used up to four coats with a yellow once, and took it off immediately after ward). There's something about the pigmentation of yellows that makes most polishes of this color nearly impossible to use... that is until Maria, the mastermind behind Cult Nails, was determined to make a formula-friendly version part of her line-up.

I am glad to say that I have finally found a yellow that not only has a great formula, but one that I also like with my skin tone! Here's how "You're My Dandy Lion" turned out on me, with a bit of nail art to go with it!

I used three coats of this polish, but if you're not as much of an obsessed nail perfectionist as I am, you could very well get away with two. Also, this polish is fairly brighter in person, and has a very nice subtle yellow shimmer to it. As I said above, most yellows are still quite streaky after the same amount of coats, but I would say this one is perfect. You could purchase Cult Nails polishes on their website, and they have free shipping always. What do you think of this polish?Ahh... Finally, an easy going yellow nail polish! Do you have a yellow polish that you love? I'd love to know about it! See ya next time!

                                                                        - Tiff 

       

Scratch Nail Wraps in Midnight Floral

Hello!

Sorry for such a late post. I have been so extremely busy these days, but there's always enough time for a nice mani, right? I was able to squeeze in a mani using my very last set of Scratch nail wraps from the One Nail to Rule Them All collaboration, called "Midnight Floral". I decided to make it a bit sparkly by adding Northern Lights top coat, and some green rhinestones I got from a nail blogger friend. I hope you like how it came out!

My camera (just got it this past weekend) may or may not have freaked out a bit by all the sparkly-ness. Hopefully you can still see the look I was going for with these, and know that they looked much more amazing in person. These wraps have unfortunately been retired by Scratch, and the remaining stock has  sold out (boy did they go fast!), but they still have plenty of amazing designs to choose from, and three new designs every month. Check out goscratchit.com for details. What do you think about this look? Have you seen any designs from Scratch that are calling your name? See ya next time, and thanks for taking a look!

                                                                     - Tiff

Scratch Nail Wraps in Sublime Sapphire

Hello, everyone!

I have been having such a busy week, and it's only going on Wednesday! Anyways, I thought I'd try to squeeze in a blog post about these amazing nail wraps from Scratch that I wore to a show this past weekend. You guys already know that I'm a huge fan of Scratch nail wraps, so I'm just going to let the pics do the talking!

Beautiful, right? The main thing I love about Scratch is the fact that they work to create such awesomely unique designs, like works of art for the nail. Being an artist myself, I love seeing what they come up with every month, and always look forward to getting my monthly mani box from them. Do you love "Sublime Sapphire" as much as I do? Check these wraps out, and other great designs available from Scratch here, and tell me what you think! See ya next time with a new post, and hopefully a new digital camera! 'Til then...

                                                          - Tiff

1-year blogaversary post: SOFLAJO Spider Funk

Hello, everyone, and happy Halloween!

Can you believe that today marks the one year anniversary of my blog? I can't either! Today I have a super cute indie nail polish to show you from SOFLAJO. Jody, a fellow south Floridian and the creator of this indie brand, was nice enough to give me a bottle of this amazingly sparkly orange number at a nail bloggers meet up a couple of months ago. I knew this one would be perfect for Halloween, so here it is on the blog today! Enjoy! 

This polish looks great on its own after two to three coats, but I decided to layer it over some undies. I layered two coats of "Spider Funk" over Bettina "Pumpkin Pie", and I love how it turned out. You can purchase SOFLAJO nail polishes here, and be sure to follow Jody on Facebook too! I hope you guys have a safe Halloween! The dance studio where I teach at is closed today, and I'm wondering if I should go on my evening jog while dodging trick-or-treat-ers! What to do, what to do... lol. Anyways, let me figure that out and  I'll see ya next time with a new post!

                                                                         - Tiff

Sally Hansen Salon Effects "Patch-O-Lanterns"

Hello, there!

I hope you are having a good Monday so far. I have quite a busy nail week ahead, with Halloween, the UM vs FSU fottball game, and a dance show I'm attending on Friday... This should be fun, none the less! Anyways, here's another Halloween look for you below. I decided to go through my nail polish strips stash for this cute Jack-O-Lantern  design from Sally Hansen.

I believe this design came out last year, but it may also be part of the current Halloween line up. Walgreens has had the best selection of the Halloween Salon Effects, and I have also heard that you can find them at Big Lots; in case you decide you want to dress up your nails with these in the next couple of days. What do you think of "Patch-O-Lanterns"? I think these would make a great addition to any Halloween costume! See ya with a new post soon!

                                                                       - Tiff

Halloween Mani 2013 #1: Sinful Colors "Black Magic"

Hi, guys!


This up and coming Halloween will mark my being in the blogging world for a year...already! I can't believe it! I've learned so much from so many of my amazing nail friends, and I still have tons to learn in order to take my blog to the next level. Anyways, it's about time I show you guys a Halloween-related mani, right? I stopped by a Walgreens one day and found a Halloween display from Sinful Colors. This dark grey and orange glitter mix is called "Black Magic", and here's how it turned out on me over two coats of Zoya Kelly.

The formula of both polishes was great, and I think "Kelly" is a great grey to layer "Black Magic" over. I've seen "Black Magic" worn on its own, but I feel it looks much better when layered. Would you agree? Do you have any go-to polishes for Halloween? If you're a working girl and want something festive that doesn't draw too much attention while you're on the job, then I would think this Sinful Colors polish would work just great. See ya next time with a new post!

                                                                             - Tiff

Camo Ruffian mani with Incoco "Tailored Fit" nail polish strips

Hello, everyone!


I am really liking the post I have lined up for you today. I have noticed that camouflage colors are very much in right now, and I love how some nail companies are featuring them in different nail products. Being the huge fan of nail polish strips that I am, I had to snag a set of these camo-inspired hounds tooth appliques from Incoco's Fall line. I thought it would be cool to layer them over nail polish, so I applied them a little higher than my cuticle over Essence "Walk on the wild side" to create the look you'll see below.

This is my second time creating a look like this. The Essence polish is from their "Colour & go" line, which dries quickly. I loved how I did not have to wait too long for the polish to dry before applying the Incoco appliques. You can find a great selection of these Essence polishes at Ulta stores, for $1.99, and Incoco nail polish appliques from their website for around $8.99 per set. What do you think of this look? Are you into the camo trend too? I'll see ya next time!

                                                                     - Tiff

Scratch Roppongi Glam nail wraps over holographic gradient

Hello, everyone!

I have another exciting post to show you featuring one of my favorite nail wraps brands, Scratch. The brand new nail wraps company teamed up with nail artist Britney Tokyo for their over-the-top October monthly mani box, with three amazing designs.  I once again had a very hard time figuring out which set of nail wraps to go with first. Last month's box featured the idea of clear nail polish wraps that you layer over any polish or your bare nails, and this month's box has the same idea. I decided to go ahead and continue with holographic gradients, as I'm really starting to get the hang of them, and layered Scratch's "Roppongi Glam" wraps on top. I hope you like how this came out!

I used three holographic polishes from Layla's Hologram Effect line (all of which I found on clearance at Ulta!). I started off with Fnug aqua fix base coat (some holographic polishes need an aqua based base coat), then used two coats of Layla "Mercury Twilight" silver holo. I then sponged on "Flash Black" and "Ocean Rush" acouple of times for the colors to really pop. Once everything was dry, I layered the "Roppongi Glam" nail wraps on top, just as I would a regular nail wraps manicure. I then topped everything off with Seche Vite top coat, and voila!

I just love the idea behind Scratch and the fun and unique nail wraps designs they offer every month. Visit their website to find out how you can order individual nail wraps and sign up for their Monthly Mani Box. What do you think about how this look came out? Have you tried Scratch yet? See ya next time!

                                                                         - Tiff

Sally Hansen InstaGel Salon Effects in "Croc me up"

Hi there!

I hope your Monday is off to a great start. I have another Sally Hansen InstaGel Salon Effects post for you today. Remember that these InstaGel strips are just like the regular Salon Effects strips, but with a gel top coat that has to be cured with a led lamp. I had a hard time choosing from my stash of these this past weekend. My choices were between this crocodile print that you're about to see, and a shimmery leopard print (both by Sally Hansen). I asked my nail buddies in a nail group I'm in on Facebook to help me decide which design to go with, and the croc design got a couple more votes than the other. I'm glad I ended up putting on this set because it's not so often you see crocodile print on nails, and this one just screams "Fall" to me. Anyways, here's how "Croc me up" turned out on my nails...

What do you guys think? I really like the shimmer behind the crocodile scales (spots?). It really makes it pop, and it makes me think of a nice designer bag. I got this set at an Ulta store a while ago, and these surprisingly were in the clearance section. Sally Hansen must be coming out with new designs very soon. You can also find InstaGel strips and their led lamps at CVS, Target, and Walgreens. Now on to some good news...

This upcoming Halloween marks my one year anniversary in the blogging world, and though I'm still a newbie blogger, I thought I'd celebrate somehow. I will be making an announcement on my Facebook page this week, so make sure you are connected with me on Facebook so you will be able to find out! Thanks, and I hope to see ya there!

                                                                       - Tiff

Cult Nails "Flushed"

Hello, and happy Friday!

Today I have a super quick post featuring this beautiful nail polish from indie brand Cult Nails. I'm normally not a big fan of purple, but this polish was just too pretty to pass up! Take a look at the photos below to see why... I used two coats of the polish with top coat in all of the pics.

See? I told you this one is a winner. I just can't get over that glowing flash of pink shimmer and how well it contrasts with the purple base. It looks like today was a great day to do a Cult Nails post (check out their Facebook page to find out why!). You can purchase from their website, and they also offer free domestic shipping. Have fun taking a look at all the awesomeness Cult Nails has to offer! If you plan on going for the sale, I hope you don't have too much of a hard time deciding! ;) If you could only get one, then I would recommend "Flushed" for sure. See ya next time!


                                                                           - Tiff 

Breast Cancer Awareness Mani 2013

Hi there, everyone!

Today I have a manicure dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness. I am joining other nail bloggers who are painting their nails in honor of the many lives affected by this illness. You will see in the pictures below that I created my look in a couple of different steps, completely changing up what I had originally planned. I hope you like how it turned out!

What you see here is two coats of Essie "Off the Shoulder" with Sally Hansen Salon Effects in "Booty Camp" layered on top :)

My original plan was to just use the Salon Effects strips for a full mani, but I thought it would be neat to layer them over pink nail polish to create a ruffian look. I thought the pink camouflage design was perfect for a Breast Cancer Awareness mani, as the millions of people who have or are currently fighting this cancer are true fighters. When I got this set of Salon Effects from a nail group swap last year, I knew I had to save them just for this. My mani is dedicated to all of the women, men, and their families and friends who have been affected by Breast Cancer.


                                                                     - Tiff