Greyscale Nails

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's post finishes out this month's NCC's theme of Monochrome.  I just couldn't resist doing the ultimate monochrome nailart - greyscale.  But, with a glittery twist!

The Only Ice I See Is In My Drink...

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge is, "Snow & Ice."  Ha.  hahahahaha.  It's been in the 90's this week in Florida.  We've had record-breaking temperatures for November.  Snow and Ice.  Well, about the only place I could have that is on my nails, so here goes!

All Blue, All The Time

Hello, Fireflies!

Wow, it's November already.  I wish it felt like it a little bit here in Florida, but the temps are still in the high 80's and we're breaking record temps.  Maybe a little splash of blue will cool me off...

Sunday Stamping: Red and Black

Hello, Fireflies!

The day after Halloween is the day to start putting up Christmas stuff, right?  I'm not quite ready to do that, but today's challenge of red and black is starting to get me in the mood!  I picked a glowy, glittery red that is holiday-ready!

Naturally Charming Eyes #ButterLondon

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

No matter how many neutral eyeshadow palettes I own, I can't seem to get enough.  And when it is neutral with a pop of color, well, that makes me weak in the knees!  The new Butter London Shadow Clutch is so versatile, I can slide in my fave neutral shades, and then use their duos to add in some fun colors! Then, I can change out the colors and create a whole new look.

Arm Candy? More like Nail Candy! #butterlondon

Press Samples (except Violet's Revenge).  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I know I usually post nail art with my reviews anyway, but if you like my nail art, you're going to love today's post! I had the opportunity to try Butter London and Allure's collab collex - Arm Candy, and it's full of great Fall shades, and I did lots of nail art looks, to boot!

Buttery Bloody Brilliant Lip Crayons #ButterLondon

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I am obsessed with lippies - all kinds - lipsticks, lip gloss, lip balm, liquid lipstick, matte, glossy, satin, creamy, I want to try it.  So I was thrilled that Butter London sent me their new Lippy Bloody Brilliant Lip Crayons!

Riddle Me This

Hello, Fireflies!

It's a new month, and a new challenge for The Nail Challenge Collaborative!  This month is all about Super Heroes and Villains!  I've already done nail art for some of my faves, so I went looking for a villain that is one of my husband's favorites.

Butter London - Shine Out Loud

Press Sample. All opinions are my own.

 Hello, Fireflies!

I have a lot of Butter London polishes that I've bought over the years.  I love the, well, buttery, formula, the fun colors, and the square packaging.  But I hadn't really delved into their new cosmetics line much.  So, when Butter London offered to send me a few things to try, I was cautiously optimistic - could they live up to the love I had for the nail polish?

Flower Fashion

Hello, Fireflies!

This month, the NCC challenge prompt is, 'inspired by fashion.'  I'm going to interpret this loosely as 'clothes' because I know nothing about fashion, and I like doing manis that match my outfits.  I also share my FOTD and EOTD, too!

Trifle - goooood!

Hello, Fireflies!

Whew, what a busy week.  Things just start getting a little crazy in the Fall, don't they?  It's been raining this week to the point of flooding, and while I'd like a little more sunshine, I'm okay with the temperature backing down a little.

Not that it's cool yet here in Florida, but it's got me in the mood for Fall colors - berry, wine, and ... brown.  One of my fave browns right now is this metallic coppery-brown from Butter London - Trifle.

I added a funky French tip with Different Dimension It Rubs The Lotion On Its Skin, a brown and red glitter from last year's Halloween collection.  Have you seen her new one for this year?  I need Ghostbusters. 

 And, because you know I like sticking things on my nails, a golden metal stud.

I love that golden marbling in the Trifle bottle.

But, really, who can think of Trifle without thinking of the famous Friends episode?  "What's not to like? Custard - good! Jam - good! Meat - goooood!"

Bottle shot:  Butter London Trifle, and Different Dimension It Rubs The Lotion On Its Skin.

This mani - gooooood!

I TRI-ed to Do Another Needle Marble...

Hello, Fireflies!

The end of another month, the end of another set of Tri-Polish challenges.  Let's finish this month with an awesome, awesome blue - Lilypad Lacquer Sherbet, said to be a dupe for Enchanted Water For Unicorns.  I don't know for sure, because that's one I could never get my hands on.  I'm happy with this, though, it's so beautiful, pigmented, and bright.

I keep trying to do those darn marbled nail arts.  Neither with nor without water seems to work for me.  I was going for a look inspired by a needle drag mani by I Can Do That.  Mine is called, I Tried To Do That, but No.  *sigh*

What do you do with a mess? Slap on some more polish! I added dots with Butter London Old Blighty, a creamy brick red, and my trusty white and black stripers.

I think it looks kinda aquatic, with bubbles or something.

Like I say, when it doubt, add dots.  If it looks abstract enough, no one can tell you screwed up.

Bottle shot:  Lilypad Lacquer Sherbet, Butter London Old Blighty, and nail art stripers in yellow, white, and black.

Any helpful hints for doing marbled nails?  I seem to be perpetually blocked with that technique! Is there some makeup or nail art technique you are just hopelessly fumbling with?

An InLinkz Link-up

Billy No Mates Got Some Bright Mates

Hello, Fireflies!

It's time for the June Challenge Your Nail Art Summer Time Challenge! As it falls on today's GOT Free Choice challenge, I thought I'd combine the two for a flash back to some good ol' Butter London brights I have in my collection.

But, I'm not starting with one... I thought Butter London Billy No Mates was the perfect backdrop to all these gorgeous colors.  Just didn't want to do white, but this dove-grey gorgeous creme is worth pulling out of my stash and taking for another spin. 

I thought I'd just let the polish tell me what it wanted to do.  Here's a step-by-step of each polish! First up, Butter London Squatter, an acid yellow-green.  Am I crazy, or does it look amazing against the grey?  Whooda thunk.

A little Squatter, now a little Slapper.  Then, maybe a little liquor.. "Lick her?  I hardly even know her!"

Brummie is a matte purple, but topcoat will make it all come together.

That poppin' pink is Butter London Primrose Hill Picnic.

Touch it up here and there, and add topcoat, and Billy's got bright!

Billy No Mates suddenly got quite popular, I'd say.

My Butter London babies:  Billy No Mates, Squatter, Slapper, Brummie, and Primrose Hill Picnic.

Are you going back in your stash for any bright colors for the summer?

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

Simple Saturday - Coral & Glitter, Two Ways

Hello, Fireflies!

Ever find yourself reaching for the same colors or combinations of colors for your makeup or nails?  When going through the vault, I found two sets of coral and glitter nails that I thought might make a nice post together.

I would call Butter London MacBeth a red-leaning coral, I suppose.  Dark pink?

I remember hearing about the fuss OPI I Lily Love You made when it came out, but I could never find a bottle.  I found this one in a blog sale not too long ago.  Now I get it.  It's pretty gorgeous, but I do have a thing for iridescent glitter/flakies.

It's such a squishy, glowy topcoat.

Look, ma! Two hands!

LA Colors Flash Pop in Mad Duo has a completely different kind of coral - almost a neon, orange-leaning one.

The glitter has mylar shards as well as regular glitter, and has a little bit of that glowy effect, but its not as refined as OPI I Lily Love You.  This is a Punk Rock version!

Perfect for summer fun.

Which coral and glitter is more your style?  The soft, romantic pink with iridescent flakies, or the semi-neon orange with shards?

I GOT Coral and a fan brush, now what?

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Golden Oldie Thursday challenge is Coral.  Well, I'll never forget the excitement I had over getting Butter London Trout Pout.

This polish is a sneaky li'l thing.  How beautiful and cool it looks in pictures, almost serene.  In Real Life, this baby is bright and neon.  I was soo unprepared for that.  I've seen tons of pictures, and no one captures that brightness - it photographs like a Lady, but it's a Freak on the nails.

I was feeling a little 80's vibe, so I got out my fan brush and used Cult Nails Nevermore and Tempest to make some zebra-esque stripes.  Bright and Bold, Baby!

Messy, messy, messy! Nail art does require getting your hands a little dirty.  Down and dirty.  Topcoat makes it all shiny and new!

Bottle Shot:  Butter London Trout Pout, Cult Nails Tempest and Nevermore, and my fan brush.

Sometimes, it's fun to let your hair down and wear something bright and fun... and messy.  What's your favorite messy style? I really love a messy bun.

An InLinkz Link-up

Stay tuned!  At 9am, my post collaborating with the Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida supporting Autism Awareness goes live!

Guest Post on Glitterfists!

Hello, Fireflies!

I have a guest post on Glitterfists! 

Please click HERE to see my post!  Find out what this creamy peach polish is, and check out what I did with it and two other Butter London polishes.

I have a huge post with a great GIVEAWAY going live at 9am today, so I hope you'll come back and enter to win a Reviva Labs prize package.

Coat of Kaleidoscope Flakies

Hello, Fireflies!

Y'all know how much I love flakies.  I wish I had gotten several sets of the original Finger Paints flakies collex instead of having to piece together the one set from blog sales and the like.  So, when the Kaleidoscope collection came out, I ran to Sally's and bought them all.

The employees thought I was crazy.  They also thought these were all the same polish! They weren't far off, though, as you'll see.  They're just not as spectacular as the original flakies.

In the bottles, from left to right - Psychedelic Hue (green and blue), Symmetrical Symphony (blue, green, purple, gold, copper, pink), Colorful Dream (pink, copper, green), Abstract Attraction (blue, green, purple, copper), and Vivid Reflection (pink, purple, copper, gold).

Word on the street was that these flakies were meant to pair with more pastel colors, so I first reached for a light greyed-out blue - Color Club Sheer Disguise.

From thumb to pinky, I applied the flakie topcoats: Vivid Reflection, Abstract Attraction, Colorful Dream, Symmetrical Symphony, and Psychedelic Hue.

Symmetrical Symphony (ring finger) has the most colors, and the blue from Abstract Attraction (index) has the most punch, but they all look pretty similar.  In daylight, they remind me of Illamasqua Raindrops on this color blue.

So, I thought to myself, "Self," I said, "surely there is more to this.  I need to try a different color."  So, I put on the sunflower yellow that is Butter London Cheeky Chops.

Again, the same flakie topcoats, in the same order:  from thumb to pinky, Vivid Reflection, Abstract Attraction, Colorful Dream, Symmetrical Symphony, and Psychedelic Hue.

Whomp, whomp.  There was much sadness.

Finally, I gave in and went with the Flakie Tried-n-True - Black.  In this case, Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.   Same topcoats, in the same order: from thumb to pinky, Vivid Reflection, Abstract Attraction, Colorful Dream, Symmetrical Symphony, and Psychedelic Hue.

Finally, SOMETHING.  Still, not the same impact as the original Finger Paints flakies.

The blue and green flakies are the easiest to see, but I do love the purple and pink ones.

My choices are Symmetrical Symphony and Vivid Reflection.  Which, if any, are yours?