4.30.2013

A Holo Half Moon

I found the LA Girl 3D Effects holos at Rite Aid a while back and picked up a few. Even if these aren't linear in finish, I love 'em anyway! The collection dupes last year's holiday Zoya holos (Aurora, Storm, Blaze). In fact, there are dupes for those 3 in the LA Girl collection, plus more! 

This half moon mani is done using China Glaze Sexagon and LA Girl Brilliant Blue. 




I love how this turned out! I wore this for maybe 4 days and had no wear, which is worth mentioning since holos can sometimes chip quickly.

Are you eyeing any of the LA Girl 3D Effects? At half the price of Zoya, they are definitely worth it!
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4.29.2013

New Items Added to My Blog Sale!


Just added a lot of makeup items to my blog sale! Most items are $1-$1.50 and brand new! Click *here* to check it out!

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Even More Shimmer Polish Swatches!

 Hey hey!

Hope you have all had a great weekend. Mine was very rainy but relaxing.

I've got more Shimmer polishes to show you today. I am almost through the samples I was sent for review and then there will be a little surprise. ;)

First up is Lorene. One coat over Dr.'s Remedy Passion Purple. I can see this having much more dimension with topcoat.




This is Marilyn. This particular Shimmer required no underwear...very different from most of the others but I like it! And check out the shine it has even with out top coat. This is 2 coats.




Next, is my personal favorite of the bunch: Lucie. SUPER blingy...I am already planning on this being my next pedi. I layered one coat over LA Colors Metallic Silver. Obsessed!




And finally, we have Natalie. This is one coat over Bondi New York Blue Skies. This has got some of those awesome iridescent color shifting glitters in it.




Which ones are you loving from this bunch?


I have reviewed a bunch of other Shimmer in the past and you can see them all *here* in previous posts.
You can visit Shimmer's Etsy shop *here* and on their blog *here* and like them on Facebook *here*!

Remember how I told you about the upcoming Shimmer sale after their FB page reached 4,000 likes? Well, the sale is ON! Use code Facebook20 to get 20% off your order! This sale will end tomorrow!


*Polish was sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.




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4.26.2013

Still Playing Catch Up - St Patty's Day Mani!

Hey everyone! 

I am still trying to catch up on manis from my little blogging hiatus a last month. So you get a flash back to St. Patrick's Day today! ;)

Once again, I kept it simple. This is an all Orly mani! Probably a first that I used all one brand in the same mani? haha I used: Fresh, Luxe, Sashay My Way and Monster Mash!



I am slowly getting caught up...I think you that's the last belated holiday post you will have to read. ;)

Have a great weekend!
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4.24.2013

Sinful Colors Dazzle + Nail Art!

I don't get to do nail art nearly as much as I would like, mainly because most good nail art takes time, of which I don't have much lately. haha I still get around to it occasionally, thanks to the help of my sweet husband. 

 I started with a base of Sinful Colors Dazzle from the Holiday 2012 collection. This is very Zoya-esque with the glass fleck-y shimmer...it gives some pretty depth to it. Next, we added stamping with Orly Luxe and the accent nail includes a gradient with OPI Sparkle-icous.


Feels refreshing to have some nail art after it being a while!
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4.22.2013

More Shimmer Polish Swatches!

Hi everyone!

Another week has begun whether we are ready or not! I'm kicking mine off with more Shimmer polish swatches. ;) There's lots of pics, so I will keep it short on words.

First, we have Jovie. I layered one coat over Banana Republic French Navy. This is a very versatile topper with sweet color shifting iridescent glitter!





Next is Katie. I layered one coat over China Glaze Elephant Walk. Very cute and girly. 





And finally, we have Vivian. One coat over Sally Hansen Insta Dri Speedy Sunburst. This makes my nails look like they are coated with sugar!





Any faves from this bunch? 

More Shimmer to come this week!

I have reviewed a bunch of other Shimmer in the past and you can see them all *here* in previous posts.
You can visit Shimmer's Etsy shop *here* and on their blog *here* and like them on Facebook *here*!

And guys! Shimmer's Facebook page is only 10 likes away from a 20% off sale! Spread the word!


*Polish was sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

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4.19.2013

Shimmer Polish Josephine and Crystal

Happy Friday!

This week flew by for me but I am always happy for the weekend!

I have reviewed Shimmer Polish many times before here, but I never tire of seeing the new creations Cindy comes up with. So today I have 2 of her newer polishes to share with you.

I always have a hard time capturing how detailed Shimmers are, so I am posting more than one pic of these so you can hopefully get their full majesty! 

This is Josephine over Pure Ice Stunning. One coat gives nice, even coverage. This is a lightly pink tinted base. With all Shimmers, you can add more coats for full coverage. I do some awesome glitter bomb pedis using Shimmers that way! 




 And this is Crystal. One coat over Zoya Minka. This one was a little more thick than the typical Shimmer formula, but a few drops of thinner can take care of that no problem. This one also has a slightly tinted base. What's so awesome about Crystal is the iridescent color shifting glitters she has! Hard to capture in pics on the nail but I think you will be able to tell better in my bottle shot.


This pic is a bit blurry but it shows the shift off a little better.



Look how cool it is in the bottle! Reminds me of a rainbow trout, how fish scales look in the sunlight.



 So that's all the Shimmer for now, but don't worry, there is a lot more where that came from over the next little bit!

I have reviewed a bunch of other Shimmer in the past and you can see them all *here* in previous posts.
You can visit Shimmer's Etsy shop *here* and on their blog *here* and like them on Facebook *here*!

At the time of this post, the Shimmer Facebook page is exactly 50 likes from 4,000. Once that number is reached, there will be 20% off! Good incentive, right?


*Polish was sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.









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4.18.2013

My Ridiculously Overdue Valentine's Mani

Hello!

Welcome to possibly the most belated mani post...ever? I was dealing with morning sickeness and a lack of motivation to blog during February and March, so I am still playing catch-up with the few manis I did do and take the time to photograph. 

So you get my Valentine's Day mani today! haha I usually like to go all out for holiday manis but at the time, stamping was as good as it was gonna get! I used *this plate* from Born Pretty store. I actually really like this plate. The designs are all right up my alley...think bows, polka dots, and lace!


I've got a 10% off code that can be used at Born Pretty: AJ10W21. Plus free shipping worldwide, everyday!



*Product in this post was sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.
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4.17.2013

University Nail Pax Nail Wrap Review

Hello again!

I am back with my normal post for the day. It's been a while since I did a review, so that's what you get today. :)

I was contacted recently by University Nail Pax to try out their new line of nail wraps that feature college logos and mascots. Cool idea! 

I liked how these came packaged. It doesn't seem cheap like some other brands can.


The package folds open to reveal instructions on top with the wraps beneath. One package actually comes with 2 sheets of wraps but there is one hiding in a little flap behind the instructions (these are the ones visible from the front).


So this is what you get: 2 sheets of wraps like this one as well as a coarse nail file. The file is a good size, much bigger than the ones that come with most nail appliqués I have tried. I can definitely keep the file and be able to get a lot more use out of it. 


I wanted to give extra emphasis to the instructions because there is a key part that makes a HUGE difference in how easily and neatly these strips will apply.  I highlighted it below. Maybe I am the only one who didn't already know this, but I couldn't believe how much easier and faster these applied the second time I tried just by starting application from the cuticle up instead of pushing down from the middle to the sides of the nail. I am sure this is great to know for other nail strips as well! 


I am really not proud of how these turned out. But since it's my first attempt, I'm sure you'll forgive me. ;) This is pre-paying attention to the directions. haha (These are the North Carolina State wraps by the way.)You can see that there are a ton of bubbly wrinkles and it's just not looking good. It probably took me a good 45 minutes to get them this way.


Out of frustration at how badly my first attempt turned out, I went back to the instructions to see if I was missing any important details. It seems like every brand of nail strip has variances in their application process. That's when I saw that I needed to try applying them from the cuticle up! I had another design to try out (this one from Kansas State University) and I am happy to say it took me only 10-15 minutes to apply these with MUCH neater results! Still not completely perfect, but I'm happy with it!



Overall I would definitely recommend these wraps. They are a fun, extra way to show some school spirit and pride. Just follow the directions and you'll be good. ;)

Right now, there are 24 schools offered with more on the way in the coming weeks. I look forward to there being a larger selection since there weren't any currently available that I personal identify with. 

The University Nail Pax can be found *here* and retail for $12.


Tell me what you think of these new nail wraps!


*Products sent to me for review in exchange for my honest opinions.






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Announcing: Glitter Mix Boutique on Etsy!

Hello!

I just wanted to share with you that You Mix, my husband and I's glitter shop, now has a spin-off shop that is exclusively glitter mixes called Glitter Mix Boutique! We wanted to reach a larger audience and cater to the Etsy crowd, too. This shop is perfect for all you personal frankeners out there! There are currently over 50 mixes in the store. The picture below shows just a few that you can find there. 


You can find the Glitter Mix Boutique *HERE* on Etsy. Go take a look and tell me what you think! :)

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4.16.2013

Zoya Minka+ Daring Digits Mix My Matte Up

Hello readers!

Today is one of those days where my 2 year old wants to see just how far she can take me because it's not even 10am and I am so over it! Makes me wonder why I am doing this all over again in a few months... :)

Anyway, this mani is a little different than what I normally go for. I like nude polish a lot, but I definitely prefer bright colors to wear. Maybe this is the best of both worlds? This is Zoya Minka with Daring Digits Mix My Matte Up. 



In other news, I posted this on my Facebook page last night, but I added some things as well as lowered some prices in my blog sale yesterday. I would really love to get rid of all these polishes I have no use for! :)
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4.15.2013

Daring Digits: More Dots!

Hi polish lovers!

This is a swatch of an indie I wore recently. It's called More Dots! from Daring Digits polish. It's got got a sheer black crelly base so I layered it over a black creme. I like dot glitter a lot, and it's a classic combo with the black!





This polish isn't actually in stock at the moment, but I am sure that it will be brought back soon. In the meantime the Daring Digits shop is on sale for $6.50 and you can see that *here*.

Are you loving dot glitters that are popping up in indies lately? 
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