NCLA Bibhu Mohapatra Nail Wraps

Hello!

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!

                                                                        -Tiff

China Glaze "Citrus Twist"

Hi guys!

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!

                                                                    -Tiff

SOFLAJO "Watch Over Me"

Hello, everyone.

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!

                                                                        - Tiff

Layla Holos!

Hi everyone!

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!

                                                                     -Tiff

Jade "Extasy"

Hi, guys!

I planned on writing up this post last night, but strangely my wifi wasn't working; leaving me unable to use my laptop and iPad. Such a pain... Anyways, here's a quick post featuring a mani I did with a new blue/grey Jade holographic polish called "Extasy".

 

 

 

I used two easy coats of "Extasy" in these photos, along with a quick dry top coat that does NOT kill the hologram effect ("out the door")...YAYYY!!!I think this color is so beautiful.

I love my holographic polishes, and it's obvious that most nail polish-lovers do. This type of polish is always a hit in our community, and my blog posts that have the highest number of views just so happen to be holographic related. Hmmmm.... You can get this beautiful polish and other Jade holos here, on llarowe. It appears that "Extasy" is currently sold out, but Leah Anne always has restocks. "Like" the llarowe Facebook page to keep updated on when certain products are back in stock! See ya guys later! Happy polishing!

                                                                      - Tiff

NCLA "Secession Strikes"

Hi Guys!

I had a great birthday. I spent the day relaxing, watching some basketball, and topped it off with dinner at Flanagan's with the family. Overall, I would say that the day went very well. I've been having so much fun with all this basketball going on. The University of Miami (the []_[])  won the ACC championship game, and the Miami Heat just beat the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight (in a nail-biter), keeping their winning streak going at 24 games! So exciting!

On to nails... I used this pack of NCLA nail wraps a few days ago, in the Seccession Strikes design, and here's how they came out on me.

I absolutely love the ikat design, but I'm not sure these came out perfect on me. These nail wraps are stickers; they are not nail polish strips. If you look closely, you can see some wrinkles here and there. I have seen these on other people, perhaps with much flatter nail beds than mine, and they looked absolutely perfect on them. People with curved nail beds like me, may have the same trouble I did when trying to get them perfectly flat. Maybe stickers don't work for people with curvier nail beds? Obviously, these didn't come out atrocious, but they could look better on me. I say, if you're lucky enough to have flatter nail beds, definitely go for it; and if you have super curved nail beds like me, then it'll take some skill to make them nice and smooth- if possible.

Nail polish apps definitely work better on me, but NCLA's designs are too beautiful to ignore. I ordered another set a couple of days ago when they had certain designs on sale, and I'm willing to give them another try. Perhaps I'll use them for accent nails, and really concentrate on getting two wraps per hand perfectly smooth instead of trying to do a full mani. It would be so nice if these were made from actual polish! Speaking of actual polish, NCLA also has a good amount of nail polish to choose from. You can go here for a full view off all of their products and a tutorial on how to apply the nail wraps if you've been wanting to try them out. Have you used any NCLA products before? What did you think? See you next time!

                                                                - Tiff

Incoco "Kiss Me I'm Irish"

Hello everyone!

I can't believe I'm saying this right now, but, I am 25 years old today! Oh Boy! The years really do go by fast. I remember wondering what life would be like at around this age when I was a little kid, and here I am! Does anyone else feel like this? Anyways, I am thankful that I can say that I lived to see another birthday and Saint Patty's, and that's whats most important.

Here's my last green mani for the week, and it comes courtesy of another set of nail polish strips from Incoco. A few weeks ago, the company released a set of Saint Patrick's day designs, and I decided to buy the bundle of three designs, and save the ones I didn't use yet for next year. I had a hard time deciding which one to use first, but I finally went with "Kiss me I'm Irish", a glowing gold and green gradient.

 Isn't this pretty? I'm so glad I decided to go with these. I am really liking a lot of the designs Incoco has been coming out with lately. Their Easter and spring collections are super cute.  I hope you guys have some fun on this Saint Patrick's Day! See ya next week!

                                                                      - Tiff