Orly After Party Revisited

 So I'm not sure if you all remember me talking about how a lot of my photos from old posts were deleted somehow.  You can also see what I'm talking about if you try to check out any of my old posts from when I started blogging.  Well I've been trying to either replace them or just reblog the swatch so that's what I have today.  I'm reswatching Orly After Party.

After Party is really cool.  It's a blackened blue creme base with blue and purple shimmer or glass flecks (it's difficult to tell) packed inside.  It's almost like it could be a duo-chrome but it's not.  lol The formula was pretty thick so you really have to be careful how much you load onto your brush.  However it's so dark that it's definitely a one coater.  I just loooooovve one coaters.  If just makes my life so easy.

I tried to get the best angles and lighting I could on this one because it really is beautiful once you see what it's got to offer.  I don't really have much else to say on it.

And before I go, if you haven't 'Liked' my page on Facebook yet, head on over there now.  I made an offer to my readers.  When my Facebook page can get to 500 Likes, I will have a GIVEAWAY!!  Everyone loves free goodies and it's been too long since I've had one.  Don't forget to share my page as well so your friends can help out.  (:

BeYu 386

Ok super quick post tonight.  I am exhausted from work today and then I have to work tomorrow to so I should actually already be in bed.  I know what you're thinking.  It's only 9pm her time...yeah well.  I'm an old lady at heart.  lol

This is a polish that my uncle brought back from Germany awhile ago.  The brand is BeYu which I've seen on a lot of blogs but I'm not sure if I can get in the US.  The only thing I don't like about this brand is that there are no names.  I like clever polish names but these are just numbers.

386 is a darker silver polish with gorgeous silver flecks.  I only needed two coats for full opacity.  This is one of those colors that I absolutely love but that I don't wear all the time so I'm glad the bottle is not a full size.  It's about the size of an essence polish bottle except it's shaped like a mini Zoya.  lol

 And that's it.  Now it's time for me to wash my face, brush my teeth, and snuggle into bed with the TV remote.  I probably won't even make it past the first 10 minutes of whatever I decide to watch.  That's usually how it goes.  lol

Fun With a Pastel Gradient

I wasn't really sure what else to title this post since I have a few things going on with this mani, but it is super cute nonetheless.  Check it out!

Yeah so like I said, there is a lot going on here.  lol I wanted to do something fun and different (for me anyway) and I think is not like anything I've ever done.  I started with a white base to make the pastel colors stand out.  Then I started with the chevron nails.  I taped off the pattern using striping tape.  I could have bought some zig-zag craft scissors but that seems too easy.  I like a challenge.  (:  Then I used four different pastel cremes to gradient over the tape.  The lavender is Sinful Colors Sweet Tooth, the blue is Orly Snowcone, the yellow (which is kinda tough to see) is Sinful Colors Unicorn, and the pink is Sinful Colors Soul Mate.  I only needed two layers of sponging to get the colors almost opaque.

The I took the same colors and then Color Club Blue-ming to create gradient polka dots on my pinky and pointer fingers.  Then I topped it all off with my top coat which for some reason wanted to give me lots of bubbles today.  I really love this print and color combo but I just really hope it doesn't look like clown pants or something.  lol  I wanted it to be a little funky and a little whimsical but not ridiculous. 

So how do you all feel about this mani?  You can tell me the truth if you think it looks like clown pants.  lol I asked the boyfriend if it looked like unicorn tears and he said, "No babe!  You know unicorns cry jelly beans."  OMG I laughed to hard.  I thought you all would enjoy that.  (:

Water Marble Wednesday

And I'm back with another Water Marble Wednesday.  I think people are starting to catch on...right?  lol  For some reason this one was a super duper tough.  The colors didn't want to work together and then I was fumbling with everything.  I think I got more polish on my left hand than the actual nails.  It was just a disaster getting it done but it came out pretty good.

I used the starburst design and for most of my nails it worked out.  Yeah I'm look at your middle finger!  The colors I chose were Jesse's Girl Julie G Party Dress which is an orange-y red color.  I used Ulta Blue Streak for the blue (duh), OPI Big Apple Red for the red (duh again) and Color Club Blue-ming for the mint color.  

Just a heads up, I'm most likely going to do this same design next week with different polishes of course because I don't feel like I perfected it.  I like it, but it's not amazing IMO.  I also don't know why I chose a color combo that I absolutely hate.  lol It's just not my day for water marbling.

Have a great Hump Day!

Product Review - Born Pretty Store Water Nail Decals

**I received this product complimentary for testing and review purposes from Born Pretty Store**

Today's product review is for water decals from Born Pretty Store.  I've never used these before this post so I'm excited to show you all something new.  If you don't know what water decals are, they are basically temporary tattoos for your nails.  You know like the ones you used to get out of the quarter machines at the grocery store when you were a kid?  Yeah!  Like that.

BPS sent me a funny cow print.  Some have words like Fashion and Concise (I don't get that one) and the others are just the spots.  The instructions are printed right on the back but in case you can't see it, here they are again.

1. Trim, clean, and polish the fingernails; paint the background color on the fingernails and dry it out.
2. Remove the film of product, cut out the pattern and plunge it into water 10~20 seconds (use warm water in winter).
3. Moisten the fingernails; stick the pattern in position.
4. Sop up the water with a paper towel and blow dry.
5. Apply top coat and blow dry.

And that's it!  It was just that simple.

I chose to paint my nails with two coats of Color Club Lavendarling because who ever saw a purple cow?  I love it!  I cut out the designs I wanted and dipped them in water for only about 5 seconds and then stuck it to my nails.

And voila!  They applied so quickly to my nails I thought they might not stick very well or have some lifting but they didn't.  The design is cute and the color is very opaque.  On my pinky some of the paper backing transferred with the design but I just scraped at it gently and it came right off.  I applied my top coat and that was it.  It took the same about of time, if not less, to apply these decals than when I did regular nail art.  I think for a lazy nail art day, these are great.

BPS also sent me a cutesy little ring.  It has black rhinestones in the shape of a bow and the back is adjustable which I like simply because I wanted to make it a knuckle ring.

Here it is again on my very rarely seen left hand.  It's totally my style and I'm glad it's black and not pink or something.  (:  To purchase your bow ring click HERE. 

Review Wrap-Up
Price: $ - $0.99.  You can't beat that especially if you are purchasing multiple items.  I think BPS has a lot of really great products that are really inexpensive.
Variety: There are tons of these water decals in so many different designs from this silly cow print to skulls or watermelons.  You can view them all HERE.
Quality:  I thought these held up well.  The edges were flush to the nail and didn't peel up and the decals weren't too thin or tough to work with.
Would I Purchase Again: I think I would.  The decals were much easier to put on than I thought and super cute.  If you like them you can purchase yours HERE.  And don't forget to use my Born Pretty Store code DRJ61 to get 10% off your order.  Once 10 orders are placed, BPS will host a giveaway for all of you.  You all want to win free goodies right?! 

OPI Bond Girls Liquid Sand Collection

Good Afternoon Lovelies!  Today is supposed to by lazy day, but I thought it was the best day to get a lot of posts done.  I am finally getting these beautiful swatches up too.  I wanted to wait until all the hype had worn down because I know even I was getting tired of see swatches of them.  Also I know I won't get my hands on the new Zoya PixieDusts (besides Carter) for awhile so what better time than now to show a fresh take on some of the most beautiful textured polishes around.

I'll start by saying that I didn't show any of these with top coat like I did with the other textured collections I've shown because it didn't change the look of them at all.  They just weren't textured anymore.  As far as formula goes, all of them were about the same...fabulous!  I know some textured polishes can get thick or goopy and sometimes unmanageable but that is not the case here.  Now for swatches!

Starting with the lightest, this is Solitaire.  It is a frosty, pearly white with silver glitter.  I don't think this is the most flattering color for me however it's going to be great for Winter/Holiday nail art.  I used three thin coats.

Honey Ryder is definitely one of my faves out of the collection.  I used two thin coats but could have easily got away with one.  It is a warm, super metallic gold with silver glitter and everyone should own it.  I feel like it would look great on any skin tone.

Pussy Galore is a frosty, pearly powder pink with pink shimmer throughout.  My camera wouldn't capture the shimmer but I promise it's there.  This is one that I thought I would hate simply because it's baby pink, but it's not that bad.  I may not wear it that often but I think I may reach for it now and again.  This is two coat.

Jinx!  Ahhh Jinx.  I am always drawn to coral-y colors and this one is the perfect fit.  It's a red/orange/coral base with a sugary golden shimmer along the same caliber as the Zoya PixieDusts.  The colors is also very saturated so I only needed two coats.  This is another collection favorite if you couldn't tell.  (:

Tiffany Case is another polish I thought I may not like, but I actually love it.  The same as Honey Ryder, this is a super metallic light blue with silver glitter.  I could have got away with one coat but used two for good measure.  When this dries down completely it really is stunning.  I've also read (only a few blogs) that it stains but I didn't have that issue any time I've worn it. *shrugs shoulders*

And finally Vesper.  Tied with Honey Ryder and Jinx for a collection favorite, I absolutely love this color.  I should have shown you all what it looked like in two coats but I always wear it with three so that's what we have here.  This is the only one without any kind of glitter/shimmer or metallic undertone.  It's a pretty "flat", straight-forward dark plum.  I love the finish on this one when it's completely dry too.  The photos above came out much glossier than in real life.

I hope you all enjoyed my take on the Bond Girls collection.  Which one is your favorite?  Are you torn between a few like me?  Let me know in the comments below.  Happy Lazy Sunday!

Black Cat Appreciation Day!

Yes, you read that right.  Today is the day to give your tiny house panthers black kitties the love they deserve and probably continuously ask for.  My fur baby's name is Monster so I've pulled some of my favorite photos of her to show you how adorable she is.  I think I actually have more photos of her in my camera and phone than my own boyfriend AND nails combined.  lol

This is the first thing I see everyday when I walk in the door.  She basically saying, "Drop everything and rub my belly...then feed me".

"Oh you want to put the sheets back on?  Too bad."

This is her enjoying a chilly winter night by the fire.  She was freaked by the flash.  lol

Just another lazy day on the couch.

"Ugh just put that thing away and give me the treats already, Mom."

Chillin' in the window on my bag of giveaway clothes.  I wonder if Goodwill takes cat hair covered clothing?

Monster in her favorite blanket.  If I use it when I'm on the couch, she's passed out in my lap in less than 10 minutes.

 Is she behind bars?  Nope.  Just hangin' out on the swivel bar stool making her "fat face".

 And my mani to show appreciation for not only black cats but all cats in the world.  In case you didn't know black cats are the least adopted of all cats because of the "superstition" around the world.  With that being said, here a few statistics that may help your decision making process in your next pet adoption.

• 6–8 million pets end up in shelters each year; half of those will probably not be adopted.
• Most pets end up homeless through no fault of their own—"moving" and "landlord issues" are the top reasons people give for relinquishing their pets, meaning shelters and rescue groups are full of wonderful, family-ready pets.
• Pets adopted from shelters and rescue groups typically cost less than pets purchased or even acquired for free—once you add in the cost of vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery, microchip, deworming, and other "extras" included in your adoption fee, you'll probably be surprised what a bargain an adopted pet really is!
• Most shelters and rescue groups conduct through behavioral analysis of each pet to ensure that they will be the right fit for your family, dramatically improving the chances your new pet will fit right in.
• Shelters and rescue groups can provide advice on making your relationship with your pet the best it can be for the rest of his or her life, so you’ll never have to go it alone!
• 25 percent of pets in shelters are purebreds. Breed-specific rescue groups always have purebred dogs and puppies looking for new homes.

(source: http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/adopt/tips/adopting_from_shelter_rescue.html)

Now that the serious stuff is over, go find your fur baby, be it cat or dog, and love the crap out of them.  Give them all the treats they want and play until their heart's content.  ♥

Urban Outfitter Ombre Sets

Afternoon!  I've noticed over the past past couple of months that Urban Outfitters has fun polish goodies from nail art stickers and brushes (which I own and are awesome) to these ombre sets I picked up for just $10 each.  Sadly I don't think they have them on their site anymore but I saw them in-store and on clearance I believe.

They don't have names but this one is a grey/silver combination with a scattered holo glitter.

This one is a combination of different teal/turquoise colors and one glitter as well.

My pinky has a steely grey satin polish.  My ring finger is more of a pewter silver satin polish  My middle finger has a light grey creme polish that looks a lot like Zoya Dove.  My pointer finger is a metallic silver polish with silver glitter bits.  And my thumb (excuse the staining) is the scattered holo glitter.  As far as these colors being cohesive in some nail art, I think they would work, but they don't look very ombre to me.  I think the glitter would be best layered over each one and not used as a part of the ombre look.

The teal set really surprised me because the colors are much more vibrant than they look in the bottles and they were matte!  That was totally unexpected and I love them.  I added a top coat for you all as well eventhough I prefer them matte.  ;)

My pinky has a darker teal creme polish.  My ring finger is a turquoise/teal creme with silver shimmer/glitter bits.  My middle finger is a turquoise creme with a slight shimmer and maybe my fave of the set.  My pointer has a lighter teal creme polish.  My thumb is a scattered holo glitter in a shimmery teal base.  This whole set really reminds of mermaids.  It's so pretty.  Again I think these would work in some nail art together, but as far as being ombre, they are not.  Maybe if I switched the colors on my middle and ring finger they would blend better, but I just used them as they were packaged.

Each set has it's ups and downs apart from the color/finish selection.  Each polish only needed two coats except both glitters I used three.  The teal/turquoise set had fabulous formulas for being tiny, no-name bottles.  The darkest shade from the grey/silver set was goopy and had a few application issues but it self-leveled.  The color on my ring finger from the grey/silver set was actually almost dried out in the bottle.  The lid wasn't closed all the way.   /:  Luckily I was still able to use it and it was more manageable than I thought it would be.

So will I be doing another ombre mani with these?  Probably not.  Will I be using these for some awesome nail art?  YES!  I feel like $10 is a bit much for these set unless I can get great use out of them.  Mermaid-inspired mani here I come!!