I have another nail polish appliques post for ya. I got these from a nail polish buddy during a "Secret Valentines Swap" from a Facebook nail polish lovers group I'm in. It was my first time participating in a big swap, and it was so much fun. I loved everything my "Secret Valentine" got me, especially these Salon Effects from Sally Hansen. Here's "Spring Fever"...
As usual, I absolutely love this product from Sally Hansen. Another beautiful and fun design; got lots of compliments on them. I finished these up with a coat of their Xtreme wear top coat. You can find Salon Effects appliques at Walgreens, CVS, Target, and Ulta. What do you think about this floral design? See ya next time!
I have another quick post for you, featuring a super cute indie polish. This one is called "Chilling with Mike & Ike" from Dollish Polish.
My camera wanted so badly for this color to photograph blue, but it's more on the minty green side than anything. I love the minty green base paired with the multiple colors and sizes of glitters. I used three thin coats here.
This is my first bottle of Dollish Polish. I really like it. The formula is great, and I really like how this color looks on my skin tone. I only wish that I was able to get some of the square-shaped purple and white hex glitters on my nail... that would have been awesome. Other than that, it's a great addition to my indie polishes, which has been growing little by little. Ha ha ;) You can purchase nail polish and even nail art goodies from Dollish Polish on her website. Do you have any Dollish Polishes in your collection? If not, which ones are on your wish list?
Today I have my first NCLA nail polish in "Rock Solid" on the blog. I have been wanting this color for quite a long time now. I've used NCLA's nail wraps before, but had yet to try their nail polish. To be honest, there are quite a few colors of theirs that I would really like to add to my collection, but I chose to get this one first, as it's my favorite of the bunch. Thanks to a nice little promo code I received via email, I was able to snag this and a couple of other goodies from them last week ;)
"Rock Solid" is a beautiful grey creme packed with silver glitter. I used two coats, followed by one coat of Out The Door top coat.
There ya have it. I really have a thing for grey polishes, and how they look on my skin tone. This one may end up in my top 5 grey polishes. The formula of this polish was a little thick, but not difficult to work with. What I found surprising was that each coat dried quite fast despite it's slightly thick consistency. That's a big plus in my book. You can buy NCLA products on their website, and even at some local retailers. If you make an account with them, they will send you a promo code for 15% off your first order. South Florida girls can find NCLA goodies at Ricky's NYC in the Miami Beach area. I can't wait to try more of their nail polishes. What do you guys think of this color? I love it! See ya next time.
You basketball fans know that it's playoff time. I am a Miami girl, so I have to support my home team, the Miami Heat! They are doing the "White Hot" theme again this year, and today is their first game against the Milwaukee Bucks of round one. I decided to have some fun with this and do a Heat-themed mani for each round of the playoffs. Here's my round one mani with Hard Candy "Black tie Optional" over three coats of Nicole by OPI "All about the Glam" (Kardashian Kolors).
So, I started off a bit simple, but simple can be a good thing. I am so glad I was able to snag this Hard Candy glitter (and a bunch of others) when I was at a Walmart the other week. Hard Candy is really bringing indie trends to the fore front. If you take a look at their new line of polishes, you will be amazed at the variety of color combinations they have; and apparently other non-polish fanatics are too... I got quite a few compliments on this look from strangers when I was out and about ;)
Well, that's about all for now, I have a busy day ahead: a tap master class with one of my tap dance idols this afternoon, then the Heat game! I'll see you guys next time, and go Heat!
I have another NerdLacquer polish to show you today. This one is gorgeous to look at in the bottle, and even more amazing on the nail! Here is "Hyperspace Bypass".
Hyperspace Bypass has a bright yellow jelly-ish base, packed with different sizes of black, gold and holographic glitters. Despite the finish of the base, this covered quite nicely with just two coats. I followed it up with Gelous and my favorite quick top coat to smooth out the glitter.
As I mentioned in my last post, I had the polish "The Eye" from the LOTR series Amanda made in my cart, hoping to get all three LOTR polishes at once during her last restock. During the mad rush, "The Eye" disappeared, and "Hyperspace Bypass" ended up in it's place instead...Weird, but I wasn't going to walk away from the restock with only two NL polishes when I could get three. I am glad I decided to roll with it and keep this one! I am not a huge fan of how yellows look on my skin tone, but this one just seems to work. The glitters are too amazing, and I wish the sun was out long enough here today in FL so I could have snapped a pic of this mani in some sunlight.
According to her google+, there is supposed to be another restock around the middle or end of this month. I hope you can get your hands on the ones you want, if you are interested in taking part of this nail polish frenzy. I can say that despite how hectic scoring NerdLacquer polishes can be at times, the ones I own are a great part of my collection. I say go for them if you're a huge indie fan. I hope you liked this post, and I'll see you next time!
I have a super quick post featuring the second out of the three LOTR-themed polishes from NerdLacquer. Here is "The Ring".
Amanda describes this polish as an "antique gold with a flash of fire red, and plenty of opalescent, gold, and red glitter". I say that description fits this polish very well. It is a very pretty gold, and I absolutely love the red glitter in it. I also got quite a few compliments on this polish today ;) This is two coats, followed by a coat of Gelous and top coat.
I tried to get the best close-up shot I could, so you can better see the different shades of glitter this polish has. Pretty!
Those of you who have NL's know the drill when it comes to getting these. It's a bit of a mix of fun, excitement, and often times disappointment (if you end up getting cart-jacked...lol). I say it's more fun than anything, and I will continue to try to collect these polishes. Do you have any NerdLaqcuer polishes? See you for my next post. Thanks for taking a look!
Today I have a quick post featuring a polish from one of the most sought after indie brands ever, NerdLacquer. During one of her latest restocks, I was lucky enough (and I do mean lucky) to grab three out of the four colors I have been dying to get from Amanda (the creator of NL). I got "cart-jacked" and one of my back-up choices magically appeared in place of the polish I really wanted. Don't get me wrong, I am very glad I was able to get the ones I got, considering she always sells out in a matter of seconds...yes, SECONDS. I am hopeful that I will get the one I am stalking NL for during the next restock, which is supposed to happen some time this month. Follow her google + page for updates. Anyways, here's one of the polishes I was able to snag, in "TDBSLWCHSHITD". For those of you who did not get into the Lord of the Rings films and books, that stands for "The Dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark".
Amanda describes this shade as a "soft gold-flecked spring green of Lothlorien. A sunny green shimmer plus
loads of white, golden, and leaf-green glitter on your fingertips [that] will
make you feel like you're in Galadriel's own garden...with a snotty elf
making snide remarks about your lack of intrusion skills". Ha! Being that I am a huge LOTR fan, I absolutely love this polish and the name! I used two coats of the polish, followed by one coat of Gelous and "Out the Door" topcoat.
So, I am super happy that someone finally made a LOTR-related polish. The LOTR nerd in me is almost completely satisfied... I was also able to grab "The Ring" from the LOTR series Amanda created, but didn't move quick enough to get "The Eye" also. If I can get that one during her next restock, my LOTR polish collection will be complete, and I will be jumping for joy!... No judging me, please...lol. I will have a post featuring "The Ring" in my next post, and then the backup polish "Hyperspace Bypass" next. For those who are curious about the name "TDBSLWCHSHITD" and where that line came from, here's the best link I could find on Youtube of the scene. I'll see ya next time!
-Tiff
Today, I have another nail wraps mani to show you, featuring the Bibhu Mohapatra design from NCLA. I've tried these nail wraps once before, and couldn't quite get them to work out the way I wanted to. The second try was the charm for me, as I was very happy with how they came out this time. I thought I would do something a little different by pairing them up with a solid color; I used three nail wraps on each hand, and painted the remaining four fingers with "Who the Shrek are you?" from OPI. I thought that color, though a bit intense, went perfectly with the nail wraps.
NCLA recommends trimming your nails after applying the wraps; if you get a little bit of wrinkling at the tips. I say this suggestion really helps, as the wraps came out much smoother this time. My nails just happened to be at a longer-than-usual length before I applied these, so I still had a very decent amount of length after trimming them once they were in place. Finish off the wraps with a regular-drying top coat. Quick-drying top coats tend to make nail wraps/ polish strips lift at the edges.
I really like how these came out this time. I got so many compliments on my nails when I wore them. This particular design seems to be unavailable at the moment, but you can purchase other designed nail wraps and nail polishes from the NCLA website. I am dying to get the Galaxy and "I dont play nice" wraps next, and I am also wanting to try their nail polish in "Rock Solid"... On the wish list they go! ;) See ya next time!
I'm in central Florida for the rest of the week, for a tap dance workshop I've been wanting to attend. For those who don't know, I've been a dancer for just about 20 years, and have been teaching for the past six. It's been fun.
I like wearing polish strips all the time, as you all know, but they really come in handy when I'm planning to go away for a few days. They tend to last longer on my nails than regular polish, hence the reason why I like to put them on the night before I leave somehere or even take them with me. Here's the super cute "Citrus Twist" design from China Glaze.
I love using Northern Lights topcoat with polish strips. I think it really brings out the design!
I decided to do a matching pedi too ;) I used OPI "Kiss me on my Tulips" and "A roll in the Hague".I got the idea of doing a pedi with two colors from Cristina at LTHP, but I can't seem to find the post from when she did that.
I purchased my first round of China Glaze polish strips from Amazon but you can also buy them at Sally's, if you're lucky enough to have one in your area. Thanks for taking a look, and I'll see you next time!
Today, I have a very special nail polish from one of my nail polish buddies, Jody Alu, of SOFLAJO to show you. I don't want to get too much into the Newtown CT tragedy, but Jody has done an amazing thing in creating a polish aimed to help one of the victim's dreams come true. A precious little redhead, Catherine Hubbard, dreamed of opening an animal shelter one day. Her parents are trying to make this happen, and with the purchase of Jody's creation you can help them do so. 100% of the proceeds from the sales of this polish will go towards this cause. Here are photos from a few days ago when I wore "Watch Over Me".
Isn't this color pretty? I love the green base with the gold shimmer, and how it looks in the sun. This was two easy coats, and the formula was great!
You can purchase this color and Jody's other creations from her website. I encourage all of you nail polish lovers to purchase "Watch Over Me". You will be adding a beautiful polish to your collection, and donating to a great cause at the same time. Thanks for taking a look, and I'll see you next time!
Sorry I've been sort of M.I.A. I have had a very busy few days since my last post. Anyways, what better way to make up for that than with some awesome holos? Here are some Layla Hologram Effect polishes I was able to grab on clearance at Ulta (Which makes it all so much better...) a few weeks ago.
Ultra Violet: A vibrant purple holo. This one may be a great option for those who are not able to get their hands on the very popular OPI DS Original. This is two coats.
Jade Groove: A light, sea foam green holo. This one ended up being a little too delicate for me. It's pretty, but when I think off holos, I prefer intense and vibrant. Perhaps this would be an appropriate holo to wear to work. I used three coats for this one.
Flash Black: This one is my favorite of the bunch. I couldn't stop looking at my nails when I was outside in the sunlight. This was just two coats.
If you have used these holos or any holos that tend to go on very streaky before, you're probably wondering how I was able to pull off these polishes in just two or three coats. Have you ever heard of a thing called "aqua base"? Well, it is definitely something you will need if you're wanting to use Layla and NFU-Oh holographics. I'm not sure what it is about the formula of some holos that make them go on so streaky and uneven, and how aqua base coats fix it. All I know is that aqua bases work. I found an aqua base by the brand FNUG on llarowe, and as you can see in the photos, it helps. I highly recommend it. How do you like these holos? Were you lucky enough to find these marked down at an Ulta like me? See ya next time!
