I know why the caged bird sings...

Hello, Fireflies!

Sunday Stamping is back with actual themes! I was enjoying clearing out the vault of stamping manis, but now there are rules 'n stuff.  RULES. This week, the theme was double stamping, so I took a glitter, and stamped twice over it.

"Art Nouveau" Stamping

 Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge is Art Nouveau.  Guess we're getting fancy all up in here.  I had to Google it. 

Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida Wear Pink!

Hello, Fireflies!

This month, the Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida decided to think Pink! So, we all did some kind of look with pink.  I have a head to tips pink extravaganza to share!

I don't have a full picture of the dress I wore, but the dress is black with a fuchsia top that is has a sort of starburst pattern. I based the majority of my look today off that fun pink!

I know that not everyone was able to get the Lorac Mega Pro eyeshadow palette, but if you wanted it, I hope you got it! I really like Lorac shadows.  I used a few of the mulberry-type shades to create this look.

I had also just gotten the It Cosmetics new QVC collection, so I'm wearing their new Hello mascara with the melted fiber technology.  I don't get crazy long lashes with it, but that's fine with me.  If my lashes are too long, they touch my glasses, which makes me cray-cray.  I'm also wearing the It Cosmetics Black/Brown gel liner and I'm in love.  Really great liner, and the color matches my eyes.

Perfect ensemble to pair with a bright pink lip!  I picked up the new colors from the ELF matte lipstick line, and they are all fabulous.  This is ELF Fuchsia.

This nail look turned out a little more neon than expected, but I still liked it.  I started out with China Glaze Strike a Rose, which was so bright! Layering Wing Dust Feel The Burn over it gave it a little bit of a neon coral feel. 

I used Dashika Big SdP-D to make the stamp.  I like how they include reverse images of the same pattern!

I like stamping over glitter and seeing the little flashes peek through.  I wish my stamping had come out a little clearer, though.  I used Cult Nails Nevermore to stamp, and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

Bottle shot:  China Glaze Strike A Rose, WingDust Feel The Burn, and Cult Nails Nevermore.

I'm also wearing the new It Cosmetics Celebration Illumination Foundation in Light, and the ombre' pink blush.  I'm a fan!

Need a pick-me-up? Try hot pink! How do you rock pink?

Hanukkah Blue and Sparkles

Shalom, Fireflies!

If you're celebrating Hanukkah today, I have a blue mani for you today!  If you're not celebrating, I...still have a blue mani for you today!

This sparkly holo is Colors by Llarowe Beam Me Up, Scotty.  So very sparkly and hard to capture, just like a transporter beam.

It's holo, but it's also just glittery and sparkly. 

I was inspired by a mani on Didolene's Nails, but I don't like the 'feather' glitter polishes, so I changed it up a little.  I made thick, diagonal stripes with GAP Constellation Blue, which looks more green in the bottle, but comes out a teal creme on the nail.  It's lovely.

In the center of the stripe, I dabbed some WingDust Shake Ya Tailfeathers.  Such a pretty glitter! WingDust makes some awesome polishes.

The gold glitter reminded me of the gold chocolate coins that are often given to the children this time of year.

Bottle shot:  Colors by Llarowe Beam Me Up, Scotty, GAP Constellation Blue, and WingDust Shake Ya Tailfeathers.

I love chocolate, but I may love this glitter combo better! 

Spring Fever Voxbox - Part I #SpringVoxBox

I am so excited to tell you about my Influenster Spring Fever Voxbox! Today is part one of all the coolness.

First up, the Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure in Space Cadet.

Pretty cool, huh?  There is gold glitter that flashes when you move your hands, too.  To put these on, I just removed the backing, like pulling off a piece of tape, and stuck it on.  That's it.

The major complaint I've heard about these nails is that they're too small for many of the bloggers.  Well, here's one time my teeny nubbins have come in handy.  These fit me perfectly.  Here's a side view where you can see that they lay nice, and not too thick. You can see some of the gold shimmer, too.

Here's the only problem I had - my nails are thin and a little bendy, so there was a gap in between the Impress nails and my own.  I was worried about the possibility of moisture or dirt getting stuck in there.  Also, it's hard to tell from the pix, but the ends were a little rough.  I just took a nail file to them to smooth them out.

I would definitely wear these for a fun outing, or when I didn't have time for a full mani.  They were so easy, and they stuck really well.  And, they're affordable, at $5.99 - $7.99 a set. I couldn't do a longevity test, though... such is the life of a nail blogger!  Gotta change that polish!

Next up, NYC New York Color Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm in Big Apple Red.

See?  I had to change my polish to match my awesome new lip balm.  (This is WingDust Zambezi Sunset with a silver nail art striper)

You may notice that the top of my balm is a little mangled.  *hangs head in shame*  I took my BRAND NEW lip balm, used it once, and then I accidentally left it on my car's dashboard while I had dinner.  In Florida.  In summer.  When I went to use it after dinner, it kinda smushed.

The good news is that once I brought it inside, it solidified very nicely again.  The cute apple on top is deformed, but the balm is good to go!

I thought this balm had great color payoff, especially for the price ($2.99).  I was expecting sheer with a little tint, but this actually gave my lips a nice color!  And, it felt nice, not sticky or gooey.  It is a balm, so it doesn't last that long, but it is very moisturizing.

What do you think?  I'm impressed so far!  I'll have some more reviews and nail art tomorrow, too!

If you'd like more information about Influenster, you can find them on Facebook or on Twitter @InfluensterVox .  You can find Broadway Nails on Facebook, too.  NYC New York Color has a Facebook page as well.

Not all glitterbombs are the same, a comparison of three blues

As many polishes as I now own, and as many Indies as I've seen, I'm still often surprised by how different a polish can look on the nail as opposed to in the bottle.  I decided to take three blue Indies that were similar in color and compare them.

From L to R:  Harlow & Co Sparkling Waters, Wingdust Ocean Tears, and Feenix... well, the label fell off, and they are out of business anyway.  But the lesson still works, I think.

Harlow & Co. Sparkling Waters.  This is two or three coats, no undies.  This one has no shimmer, only glitter in a clear base, but it still comes together as a cohesive polish.  It can be hard to tell which polishes are only toppers and which ones can be build to opacity from looking at a bottle.

WingDust Ocean Tears.  This one is much more teal, has a colored jelly base, and also builds up to opacity, but with a much different look.  The glitter is swimming in layers of the colored base, and isn't nearly as shiny as Sparkling Waters.

Feenix ??.  I didn't realize how metallic this polish would appear on the nail.  These types of bases tend to hide the glitter a little more, and have more of a gritty, bumpy look that requires a thick topcoat.  I love the iridescent, almost foil look to this polish, though.  The glitters are more of a scattered holo, just to catch the light.

This is one of the reasons I like being a beauty blogger and why I like looking at nail polish swatches.  Some of these things are hard to see in the bottle - the finish of the polish, the distribution of glitter, the finickiness of the formula.  I hope that's part of why you like reading my blog, too!

If you want more information on these brands, Harlow & Co still has one of their polishes listed on their site, but I don't know if they are discontinuing their own line and focusing on selling other Indie brands.  Feenix has closed up shop, but WingDust is still around, and you can find her on FaceBook and her shop.

Indie January - Wing Dust

I like a little surprise in my life, so I bought a couple of polish grab bags last year.  One of them contained these two pretty polishes from Wing Dust, but no labels for the names.  I went over to Wing Dust's Facebook page with a pix, and within minutes I had an answer from the creator herself. 

This first one is called A Day Without Rain.  Turquoise base with white and gold glitters, it's very subtle and delicate and pretty.  I do usually like my glitters to be a bit more pronounced, but the gold shimmer in the polish helps to draw attention to the gold glitters, at least. 

To emphasize the gold, but continue with the delicate nature of the polish, I stamped subtle, rolling clouds with Maybelline Bold Gold.  I love the effect!

The second polish is Crazy For You.  This has had me singing Heart's song by the same name for *days*.  This is my type of glitter - dark blue/black jelly base, and bright glitter.  I really am crazy for this polish.

I wanted to emphasize the spots of color, so I dotted a diagonal stripe with Revlon After Party (sage green) and Dress Code (shimmery purple).

Are you a fan of the subtle, hidden glitters, or do you like them to jump out at you?

Wing Dust Collections can be found on her Facebook Page or her Etsy shop.