International Follower Giveaway Winner!

My International Follower Giveaway is now closed and the winner is...

SANGITA NAMMAGADDA of Lipgloss Affairs

I have contacted her and hope to hear back shortly.  Congratulations to Sangy and thank you all who entered.  I hope you continue to follow me because I do appreciate every one of you, and I love all your comments.

Have a great night!

D

Wednesday Water Marble

Hello there!

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever.  I mean, I really haven't.  I just haven't felt very motivated to much of anything, let alone change my nail polish.  I did it though.  I figured you were all anticipating the Wednesday Water Marble.  I'm still mad at myself for missing the one from a couple weeks ago.  It was the "Boyfriend's Pick" from what I recall.  He sure did pick, but it just never happened.  I really need to make that one up to you guys...or girls.  lol.  So I've been wanting to do an all yellow water marble, but I don't own so many different yellows that you'd even be able to see the contrast.  Soooo, instead Ashley and I agreed on a sunset inspired marble.  That was I still get to use my yellows, but it will have a little something extra.  Here is my inspiration photo.

Nothing special.  Just a lovely yellow/orange sky with a pop of purple or pink.  Whatever.  So here's what I came up with.

See it's "sunset-y.  Like a sunset.  I'm really digging it."  If you know what that's from then awesome.  If not, then I'll tell you it's one of my fave movies of all time.  Don't think I'm a nerd or anything, but Baby Mama is one of the most hilarious movies I've ever seen a hundred times.  But back to the mani.

I tried to make the purple really subtle and light so I used mostly yellows and only the one drop of purple every 4 rings.  Make sense?  lol

WHAT I USED:
Sinful Colors Firefly - 1 coat for base
Sinful Colors Firefly
China Glaze Lighthouse
OPI Peach-a-Boo! - 3 drops for each time
China Glaze Señorita Bonita

I totally messed up my pointer finger.  I have no idea what I smudged it on or that I had even smudged it all. I used the same technique as the Fire Marble just cuz I wanted to.  lol And then I used a swirl on my thumb just to see how it would turn out.  I'm very happy with this one and I hope you all are too.
D

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Product Review

*This product was provided to me from Influenster for review*

So I know we've all read product reviews on these and heard all the hype, but you haven't read mine.  My first attempt at any nail strips was with Sally Hansen (the ones with the skull and crossbones) and it was a disaster.  I figured it being my first time, I probably f'ed it up somehow because they we "chipped" and falling off within the hour.  This was not a good sign and I basically vowed to never buy them again.  Well, I still haven't, but I did get my Influenster Spring Beauty VoxBox (review/video coming soon) and low and behold, Sally Hansen Salon Effects were included.  So I guess I'll give them another go.

CLAIMS (from sallyhansen.com):

Nothing feels or wears like real nail polish. Now Sally makes it easy to get Salon Effects anytime, any place using real nail polish – with no dry time! Don’t settle for plastic imitations that peel off. We’re the real thing. Just peel, apply & file! Learn more at www.sallyhansen.com

• No dry time

• Lasts up to 10 days
• Removes easily with nail polish remover

• 40 must-have styles

Ok so 3 out of 4 ain't bad.  I agree that they have some amazing styles and yes they do remove easily.  However,  I have yet to see them last up to 1 day, let along 10 days.  I was lucky to get 5 days out of my Kiss Nail Strips and those I buy all the time.

APPLICATION:

I followed the instructions to the T and wiped my nails down with polish remover to get rid of the excess oils.  I applied them one by one to my nails, each one tearing so easily.  They tore so far back that I couldn't get them to cover the tips of my nails now.  STRIKE ONE!  I tried to pick the correct size for each of my nails, but that was a struggle in and of itself.  The smallest was too skinny for my pinky, the medium sized ones were too fat for my other fingers.  I did the best I could but that was definitely STRIKE TWO!  I then tried to use the file to remove the excess strip but again they kept tearing leaving small chips on my tips, and since they are glitter, they wouldn't file off evenly.  The tips of my nails look and feel rough and have chunks of glitter sticking out, and they are starting to peel up at the tips already.  STRIKE THREE!

I won't even show you all the photos because they are just terrible.  This is exactly why I vowed to never buy them again and I'm glad I did.  NEVER AGAIN!  I will stick with using my Kiss Nail Strips.  You can see my review on those HERE.  Have a great night everyone.

D

Water Marble Wednesday

Hey Ladies!

I hope you all are having a better week than I am.  It's been terrible, and I just hate my job more and more everyday.  I really want it to work out, but I'm just not sure this is the job for me.  IDK but anyway, I won't burden you all with all that shit.  (:

Today, Ashley and I are using water as our theme for the water marble.  Clever, huh?  Chock that up to Ashley. (:  I can't believe I never thought of it sooner.  So obviously I chose blue, but I added some teal in there  to make it look a little tropical and summery.  It didn't work (lol) but it still looks like water to me.

I used a half swirl pattern to create the effect of waves and I marbled over white.  Ya know when the waves crash and the water gets that white foam of bubbles?  That's why I used white.  I think my pointer finger came out the best.

WHAT I USED:
white base coat
Orly Snowcone - baby blue
Jesse's Girl Julie G Mermaid's Lagoon - turquoise w/ gold shimmer
See Sarah Swatch Franken Angel's Stream - teal  w/ flakies and glitter

I hope you all enjoy this and that it makes you want to go to the beach.  I know I do, but the beach here is nasty.  At least I didn't do one inspired by Galveston water...ew. :\  This many would be shit brown.  lol.
D

butterLONDON No More Waity, Katie

Hey Everyone!

Happy Sunday!  I hope it's been good to you all so far.  I'm trying to catch up on my shows today, and so I'm watching Grey's Anatomy right now.  I've cried about 6 times already.  It gets me everytime.  But besides me being a whiny butt, I also have butterLONDON No More Waity, Katie.

I have had this forever it seems.  It was my first butterLONDON polish ever.  I think it was a pretty good choice.  I wonder if anyone wore this while they watched the Royal Wedding?  NMWK is a grayed out lavender/lilac with lavender glitter.  I really hate how it feels when it dries, but I LOVE the color and the glitter, so I guess I have to sacrifice something. 

Today is gonna be a lazy day.
D

OPI Swimsuit...Nailed It! Revisited

Hey Everyone!

I know I've been a bad blogger lately, but trying to fit anything in between work and sleep is difficult.  I hardly have time to eat!  I've lost 5 pounds though. (:  I decided since I have time today, I would swatch some polishes, and then I have a party to go to.  After that I'll probably (hopefully) swatch more or do some nail art.  THEN...my bestie wants to go out tonight.  I just don't know if I can make it.  lol.  We went to Dave Matthews Band last night, and it was just AMAZING, but I don't think I can do another late night.  I sure will try though.  What I managed to accomplish so far was reswatching Swimsuit...Nailed It!

Over time, I want to reswatch all the polishes from when I first started blogging because I was using a camera phone and they look like shit.  Just saying...but anyway, I love, love, LOVE this color.  It is a cobalt blue foil that practically glows.  I'm not sure if anyone else had this issue, but it stains really bad so I used 2 base coats instead of one this time.  Hopefully that helps.

Now I'm gonna prep tomorrow's post so that I don't get behind again.  lol.  Have a great Saturday.
D

Water Marble Wednesday

Hey!  This is gonna be super quick because I'm running into my Diablo 3 time.  lol.  Today's theme was "Grab Bag" water marble.  Basically I have boxes of nail polish.  I closed my eyes and chose 1 from each box.  Literally my eyes were closed.  This is what I made out with.

The clean up was a nightmare because the random colors were so dark.  I wish you all could see it IRL becuase it looks pretty awesome.  These photos don't do it justice.  Don't for get to check out Ashley's water marble today too.  I'm in such a hurry, I haven't even seen it. (:

WHAT I USED:
OPI Animalistic - 1 base coat and red in marble
OPI Lincoln Park After Dark
Sinful Colors What's Your Name?

So, you like?
D

Sonia Kashuk Limited Edition Mini Set

Hey Everyone!

So I've been in a pretty shitty mood the past few days so to cheer myself up, I went shopping.  I picked up another prize for my International Giveaway.  It's Color Club Magnetic Force Electro-Midnight.  I also got one for myself called Sci-Fi, and today I went to Target and saw this awesome mini collection from Sonia Kashuk for only $9.99.

I just love these colors and the names, but what really caught my eye was Khaki Shorts.  So I will show you that one first.

I thought this was a really unique tan color in my collection.  I don't even think I've seen another like it in person.  It actually has a bit more green in it than the photo shows.  On my nails IRL, it's an olive brown color.

Making Waves reminds me a lot of butterLONDON Slapper but only at a glance.  This is actually a true turquoise whereas Slapper is a bit more green.

Ooh La La indeed.  I think this such a rich, gorgeous color and though it looks similar to the fuchsias I've been showing, it is not.  It is not a neon at all as I'm sure you can tell.  This was also the only one that dried super shiny.

Lastly is the most popular color of the season.  Tutti Frutti is a pinky coral which is always perfect for the Summer season.  I have a pair of shoes this color so I'm really excited to coordinate them in an outfit one day.  This was the only one in the set that I applied 2 coats of.  That's only because this is the one I want to wear for the next couple days.

All of the others, I only did one coat simply to make my swatching a bit easier.  The formulas were fantastic, but the brushes were a pain.  These are my first Sonia Kashuk polishes so I wonder if the full size bottles have the same long, thin brush.  Let me know about your experience with this brand of polish and have a great night.

D

Gradient Mani

Ok so I totally jumped on the gradient bandwagon.  I wanted to use my new popBeauty polish, Ablaze, and I thought this would be a fun mani with such a super bright orange.  I'm extremely happy with how this turned out, and so is everyone else.  The sales girl at Sephora actually asked if I could do her nails like this with their polish.  Well...yes!  I did it today on my lunch break in the middle of the shop.  It was pretty funny.  The only issue I had was that the Sephora polish dried way too fast.  I don't own any, but are they all like that?  Let me know.

WHAT I USED:
white base coat
China Glaze Lighthouse
popBeauty Ablaze


I am so sorry that I didn't get to do Water Marble Wednesday, but like I said on my FB.  I don't have the time, patience, or energy to fuck around with a marble that might not work on the first try.  I am off on Friday, so we'll see if I can make it up to you all.  However, Ashley DID post her marble.  What we chose to do was have our Mr.s pick the colors and design.  Hers came out pretty awesome so check it out HERE.


Have a great night!
D

International Follower Giveaway Update

Hey guys!


I'm not sure if I made it clear or not, but I am going to reiterate the rules one more time.

RULES:

You must be a public GFC follower.

[This means you have to follow my blog with Google Friend Connect.]

The giveaway is ONLY open to INTERNATIONAL followers (outside the US).

[I live in the US so this means that if you live in the United States, you cannot enter. I already held a US giveaway.  This is for my INTERNATIONAL followers ONLY.  That means OUTSIDE of the US.]

The giveaway ends at 12:01am EST on May 31, 2012.

The winner has 24 hours to respond; then I will choose another winner.

I really hope the rules are perfectly clear now.  If you live in the US and entered the giveaway, I did remove your entries.

Thanks and have a good night!

D

Comparison - Zoya Charisma/popBeauty Violetta

Ok so this doesn't need much explanation.  I had mentioned in my last post that these two were very similar but not dupes.  Here is the proof!

Zoya Charisma - 2 coats

Sorry about the VNL. ):  You can't tell with the naked eye.

popBeauty Violetta

Sorry about the bad lighting.  I just can't win today.

And now to compare the two...

pinky and middle: Violetta; ring and pointer: Charisma

pointer and ring: Charisma; middle and pinky: Violetta

Clearly I don't need more proof than that.  With Violetta I used 2 coats and Charisma is greedy with 3 coats.  I'm not sure which I like better.  Charisma is such a gorgeous color and is a true neon fuchsia while Violetta has a fantastic formula and needed less coats.  Which to choose.

Oh yeah and no comments on my tip wear and dents and scratches on Violetta.  I wore it for a whole day before I did the comparison.  (:  So which one do you all like best?

D

International Follower Giveaway! *CLOSED*

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*

Hey Guys!

Now I know I just had a giveaway and it was totally amazing.  But it was only available for my US followers.  That's because I was broke, but now I'm not.  That means the giveaway I promised to my international followers is here!

YOUR PRIZE:

I put up a little poll on my blog and had you all vote on the brand you would like to win.  Well you spoke, and I listened.  Color Club is the winner!

Backstage Pass and Foil Me Once

RULES:

You must be a public GFC follower.

The giveaway is ONLY open to INTERNATIONAL followers (outside the US).

The giveaway ends at 12:01am EST on May 31, 2012.

The winner has 24 hours to respond; then I will choose another winner.

popBeauty Violetta

Aren't these AMAZING?!

Ablaze, Flamingo Hollar, Violetta, Aquatic Glitz

I have been waiting for these 4 polishes since I started my new job.  Yes I could have bought them online and paid a million dollars.  Yes I could have bought them at Ulta for 10 bucks a bottle.  But no!  I bought all 4 of them at my new job for $16.  They came paired together (orange and pink, purple and glitter) retailing for $9.98 and then of course I got my discount.  They are super gorgeous and now they are mine.  Since it is such a bright, sunny day, I thought I would start with Violetta since she looks so damn good in the sun.

Violetta is a neon fuchsia that looks dangerously similar to my new Zoya Charisma.  I can tell you that they are not the same color.  However the difference is so slight they might as well be.  I will post a comparison for you all later.  I used 2 coats for this and the best part about these popBeauty neons...they don't dry completely matte.  I love the formula on these too.  If you don't have any pop polish, get some.  It's worth the price and Ulta does a BOGO free on them sometimes.

Now I have to get out of here.  I'm having dinner with my bestie and some margaritas for Cinco de Mayo.  Please be safe tonight and have a great weekend.

D

Comparison - Zoya Avery/Zoya Minka

I usually don't wear nude polish.  Mainly because I just love color, but I figured if I found the perfect one, it would be worth it.  I thought I had found the perfect one for me when I bought Zoya Minka, but not quite.  Don't get me wrong, Minka is beautiful, but I wasn't looking for a nude with shimmer.  So I went back on the search and found Zoya Avery...perfection!

This was the exact shade and tone I was looking for.  This is 2 coats of Avery.  I usually have a tough time when applying creams in light shades, but this one was a breeze.  It's a very cool nude which I love.  I think the warmer tones make my skin look funny.  The site describes it as a "blond-beige".  I can see that little bit of yellow.


I knew when I opened the bottle it looked a little too much like Minka.

 L: Minka R: Avery

My pinky and middle fingers are 2 coats of Minka and my ring and pointer fingers are Avery.  Now I see a huge difference.  Minka is lighter due to the pearl shimmer and also has a bit of a yellow undertone (according to the site).  Avery is exactly what I was looking for, but I will continue to use Minka in my more feminine or romantic manis.

Have a great Monday...if that's possible.

D

Water Marble Wednesday

Yea!  I finally finished my water marble.  The clean up was a nightmare because I ran out of tape.  And of course I had to use the most saturated polishes I own, right?

WHAT I USED:

white base coat

CG Kiwi Cool-ada

Zoya Dannii

Zoya Charisma

Zoya Zuza

Ashley of Smashley Sparkles suggested we do a water marble with our favorite colors together.  Hers is purple and mine is green so there you go.  I really love how it came out, however Zoya Zuza is no bueno for water marbling.  It spread really well, but when I started to make my design, it spread even more.  I was trying to do stripes, but the lines were getting thicker and jagged.  You can see what I'm talking about on my thumb.  I also got a lot of bubbles on my ring finger and when I applied my top coat, they all popped and left white spots.  With all the issues I had, like I said, I love how it turned out.

Don't forget to stop by Smashley Sparkles blog and see what she came up with.

D

Zoya Pippa

Hey Everyone!  OMG today was a long day.  It was pretty good though.  I got a lot of training done and a lot of projects completed.  I think I'm finally started to really like my new job.  Since it was a pretty good day, I thought it called for a happy color.

Zoya Pippa is a long-time lemming for me, and now it's all mine.  I used 2 coats eventhough I should have done 3.  I just put them on a little too thick.  It's actually a bit brighter than this, but there was no sunlight when I took this photo.  Only lamplight.


See you all tomorrow for Water Marble Wednesday! (:
D

100 Follower Giveaway WINNER!

I have announce the winner on the giveaway page, but just in case you didn't look at it, the winner is...

...drum roll please!!

KRISTEN NAVARRO

Congratulations Kristen!  I have already contacted you through email so reply back soon so I don't have to choose another winner. (: