Glitter Before and After

Hello, Fireflies!

Yesterday, I had a HUGE post with all the goodies from four different subscription boxes in August.  Today, I want to focus on the two nail polishes I got from those boxes, and some before and after pix.

So, you saw this pix of the gorgeous Nailtini Mango-Rita:

 Gorgeous peach/creamsicle with a hint of gold shimmer.

Afterwards, I decided to pair it with this fun, pastel glitter in greens and oranges from Sally Hansen's Color Frenzy line called, Fruit Spritz....and apparently, I tried some of the Style Essentials on my ring finger, first.  Usually, iridescent glitters just show up better over a darker base, but you gotta experiment sometimes!

Don't these just compliment each other?

I also showed you Style Essentials iridescent glitter over Ulta Green And Wear It.

I love how iridescent glitters catch the light and show off different colors. My own private light show!

I thought you might like to see how gorgeous Ulta Green And Wear It is on it's own.  It's an emerald green crelly, opaque in two coats, but with a slightly squishy look to it.  Perfect for Fall.

I love that more subscription boxes are introducing nail polish, and you can still get some pretty interesting colors and finishes close to home, too.

So, what's your preference? Plain, or glittered?

Syrupy Gradient #NailArtForNubs

Hello, Fireflies!

Two posts today!  If you're interested, I did a review of FutureDerm collaboration products My Beauty Bunny All-Natural AHA Facial Moisturizer, and Phyrra's Pretty Little Elixir.  Click here, or there will also be a link at the end of the post.

Jellies.  People love 'em or hate 'em, or only want them on their PB&J, not their nails.  I found a way to do a 'syrup' type-ombre with L'Oreal Berry Nice, a royal purple jelly polish.  Here's one coat:

So thin! But watch what happens when I apply more layers - each one starting a little farther away from the nail bed.  Instant gradient!

Topcoat helps smooth out the lines.  It's not so obvious when you're not in macro-mode, anyway.

For fun, I decided to see what would happen with a layer of The Shift Me, an iridescent topcoat from L'Oreal.  Pink and blue!

The gradient isn't as strong, but how fun that it changed all the colors, yet you can still tell that there is a royal purple in there.

This is definitely an easy nail art! No special tools - and if you don't have a jelly polish, mix a few drops of any regular creme polish in with some clear polish, and make your own! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Ready to read my review and see my hair and makeup look?  Click here!

Not Your Typical Graduation Manis

Hello, Fireflies!

When I started preparing for this challenge, I starting thinking about nail art like mortar boards and diplomas.  Then, I realized I had the *perfect* nail art to show you.  A few weeks ago, one of my friends graduated with her Masters' degree, and the day before the big ceremony, she had a little party.  I did a few manis for the graduate and her friends and family, and in return, I got to eat some of the best grilled chicken I'd ever had.

None of the girls had experienced stamped nails before, so most of them were eager to try it! Their reactions were priceless - like I had just done some wand-waving magic over their nails!

The graduate, Chelsea, loves purple, so she chose Sinful Colors Enchanted as her base, and Essie No Place Like Chrome for the stamp. 

Our friend, Carolyn. wanted seahorses over a glittery blue base, so I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Blue By! with OPI In True Stefani Fashion for most of the nails.

Again, I used Essie No Place Like Chrome for the stamp.  Sea horsies!

The Mother-of-the-Graduate had a gorgeous floral blouse with blues and purples, so I painted her nails with Sally Hansen Salon Trouble Maker, a soft blue-toned violet, and dabbed some L'Oreal The Shift Me, a pink iridescent color-changing topcoat over it.  POP Beauty purple glitter went over everything.  So festive!

Last, but not least, was the Graduate's sister.  She wanted a gradient, but I forgot my sponges, so I did a dabbing gradient of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Jumping Jade (which is really more teal to me, than jade..) over Sinful Colors Nice Stems, a light blue.  I used Milani White On The Spot to stamp some simple flowers.

It felt great to give my friend a very unique and special graduation present! We all had a great time chatting and doing nails, and I'm going to miss her now that she's graduated!

An InLinkz Link-up

NYE Pretty Peach Party Nails!

Hello, Fireflies!

It's here, the last day of 2013!

I'm wrapping this year up with a soft, pretty, glittery mani that should work for all occasions.

I started with Lacquer Lust Sweet Georgia Peach.  Unlike my other Lacquer Lusts, this one isn't a holo! Color me surprised.  Peach surprise.  Yum!

Not absolutely in love with the formula, actually.  You can see that I had a little trouble getting a smooth, opaque nail.

I love this new color from Mariah Carey's OPI Holiday collection.  Ski Slope Sweetie is sheer, but with a heavy gold shimmer.  You can be looking at it one way, and not see much at all, and then when the light hits it from a different direction, the shimmer is so opaque, the polish just looks gold!

Darling Diva Polish The Big "O" is chock full of iridescent glitter.  They're not flakies, per se, but they're not mylar shards, either.  They are closer to the awesomeness of flakies, but in a glitter.  I love them, and they look spectacular when they catch the light.

There is something about the iridescent glitter over the gold shimmer over the delicate peach.  It's like I'm riding a unicorn out of 2013! Onward and upward!

Bottle shot:  Lacquer Lust Sweet Georgia Peach, OPI Ski Slope Sweetie, and Darling Diva Polish The Big "O".

How are you bringing in the New Year?  I love to watch the holiday special Rudolph's Shiny New Year every NYE! 

I wish all my Fireflies a wonderful and happy New Year! Thanks for being with me this year on my journey!

First Frost #FallingForNailArt

Hello, Fireflies!

I got a little busy with Real Life (what's that?) and totally forgot about this challenge!  I don't like bailing, though, so I've doubled up on some of the posts to make sure I finish before month's end.

That's right - you get two, TWO posts today.  Lucky you.

The first challenge mani today is "First Frost".  So, I went looking for something green - because here in Florida, everything is still green when/if we get a frosty morning.

Imagine my surprise to find that this glitter turned green!  I don't even know who made this Indie, but I remember it used to be a pretty good dupe for OPI Absolutely Alice...which is blue.  This is what a bleeding glitter looks like - all the formerly blue glitter is now silver, and the base, which used to be clear, is now a blue/green.

Luckily, I still like it, and it seemed perfect for today's mani. But I'm kinda bummed that it's no longer Alice-like.

I am absolutely loving this OPI Ski Slope Sweetie from the Mariah Carey holiday collection.  It's iridescent, with a gold shift.  The gold becomes opaque at times, and sometimes it just frosts whatever color is underneath.  Very unique!

Even though the OPI makes the mani look 'frosted,' I wanted to add a little more frost and texture.  So, I took a bottle of glitter and dusted parts of my nails with it.  The glitter catches the light like ice would, and it gave the mani a 3-D textured effect, like sugar crystals on top!

This angle makes it a little easier to see the 'frost'.

Bottle shot:  Alice Who? (Unknown Indie), OPI Ski Slope Sweetie, and some glitter.

Do you know who created that Indie?  Would you be upset that it changed so dramatically?

Don't forget - there's another #FallingForNailArt today!

Happy Halloween!

Hi, Fireflies!

I love Halloween! I have had so much fun with my crazy Halloween manis, and I'm a little sad that this is the last one for this year.

Because unlike Christmas, once Halloween is over, that's IT.  With a quickness.  You don't get until the next holiday to take down your Halloween decorations. You take that stuff down right away, and then go to Target to buy all the Halloween candy for half off.

So, I started off with  - you'll never believe it - Cult Nails Nevermore.  I know. That's just crazy talk.  But then I put this cool iridescent topper, Nightshifter, from Sindie Pop, on top.  I painted my whole thumb with it, and then made little wisps of it on my other fingers.

I picked several images from these two Shany plates - SH01 and SH02.

I made the moon with Cult Nails Tempest, and stamped the other images with it, or with Nevermore.

Screaming, and witches, and spiders, and black cats! (Oh, my!)

Bottle shot:  Cult Nails Nevermore, Cult Nails Tempest, and Sindie Pop Nightshifter.

I hope y'all have a safe, spoopy, and creppy Halloween!

EcoPolo Challenge - Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth...I mean 8th of July! Um, well, I don't set the challenges.  I did, however, make a multi-purpose celebratory mani.

Fireworks!  Abstract fireworks.  This is LynBDesigns Ugly Sweater Party over OPI Black Onyx.

Technically, this is a Christmas polish, but I just loved how all the different colors looked like fireworks in the night sky.  To add a little shimmer, I  dabbed on some A-England Morgan Le Fay.

Bottle shot:   A-England Morgan Le Fay. LynBDesigns Ugly Sweater Party, and OPI Black Onyx

This is my version of a classic cartoon mani.  What makes a GREAT cartoon is that, on the surface, it's a great story for kids... but, there's a secret adult story that you only understand if you're an adult.  This is a great, fun, easy mani that can be good for any occasion, but you and I secretly know that it's fireworks.

What's your favorite mani with subtext?  Share it on my Facebook wall!

If you'd like more information about LynBDesigns, you can find her on Facebook and her Etsy shop.

Northern Outfitters.. or Urban Star?

I picked up most of the Northern Star As You Wish collex (inspired by the Princess Bride) at a blog sale, luckily!  I love them.  I paired each of them with a polish I picked up from Urban Outfitters.  Some of these combos work better than others, but some were surprisingly great!

Moonstone.  This UO polish was impossible to photograph.  It's iridescent, but also has a nude base, so enough coats would become opaque on the nail.  It has a gold-pink tone to it.

I paired Moonstone with Northern Star Storybook Love, which has a pale yellow base.  On my thumb, there are no undies under Storybook Love.  It does build to an almost-opaque (but really glitter-packed) density, so you don't *need* undies.  I liked it both ways, actually.  It's lighter and brighter by itself, more golden with the undies.

UO La Ciel.  Oh, teal, you are a tease.  I love this color.  It was so shiny I couldn't get a good pix, too.
  

One of these nails is not like the other!  Can you tell which nail has Northern Star Inconceivable by itself?  The rest are layered over La Ciel.  I could hardly tell in Real Life, too.  The thumb polish went commando in this pix.  If I was going to get just one polish from this collex, it would have to be this one.  Look at that golden shimmer.

UO Hot tub!  It's a neon pink, matte finish and all.  Searingly bright!

I paired this with Wuv... Twoo Wuv.. and it surprised me how much I loved it!  I actually love it both sans undies (on my thumb) and with the hot pink.  On my pointer finger, I only went with one coat of WTW, and the pink base is still bright.  On the rest of my fingers, I have two coats, and it makes the pink more of a bubblegum color.  Two polishes - multiple looks!

UO Voodoo.  Metallic gunmetal, but with micro holo glitter.

I forgot to get a pix of Drop. Your. Sword with no undies.  The sheer black jelly base probably would build up on its own to opacity, but look how much glitter is in just one coat!  I think the undies help this polish be even more gorgeous.  I love the subtle red and blue glitters that support the large silver glitters. 

This was my first experience with Northern Star polishes, and I have to say, I'll be back!  These aren't boring glitterbombs that I've seen over and over again. 

If you'd like more information about Northern Star Polish, you can find them on Facebook, and on Etsy.