Metallic Matte Ruffian

So I saw this mani on Pinterest and unfortunately I can't find the original pin (because I was lame and forgot to pin it) but I saw it and loved it!  You also get a little sneak peek of the polish you can win in my giveaway.  You can find more info on that if you click through the photo in the upper right hand corner of my blog.

I started with a base of OPI Lay Down That Base because I don't think the effect will work if you don't.  Next I applied one coat of OPI Push and Shove which is the silver foil you see peeking out from under the black.  After that was dry I carefully made the ruffian design using Zoya Dovima.  Then I applied a second coat when the first was dry.  I didn't use a top coat because I didn't want to ruin the matte effect so of course this mani lasted only a day.  I still loved it though.  I just hate how my middle finger looks...short and fat.  Wah!  lol

So what do you all think?  Is this your kind of mani?  Oh and aren't you super excited that you entered to win a bottle of OPI Push and Shove (because I know you clicked the photo and went to the giveaway page, right?)  ;)

Sinful Colors Crystal Crushes Treasure Chest

You all know how much I love textured polish so of course I had to buy this one when Sinful released them.  I always try to not to buy dupes so this was the only one that really caught my eye when I was on the hunt for them.

This is two coats of Sinful Treasure Chest.  It actually has a bit of a golden shimmer to it in the right light.  Each coat dried pretty quickly and very matte.  In the photos above it wasn't 100% dry but almost there.  Isn't this such a gorgeous color?  I get more compliments on this than almost any other polish I've worn.  How about you?  Do you own any of the Crystal Crushes and what do you think of them?

Kiss Gel Dress Sugar & Spice

Good Evening.

I hope everyone is staying warm and dry with all this crazy weather right now.  I know when I left for work at 7am this morning it was about 37 degrees and then later on it started raining and sleeting.  Everything was freezing over.  It was cool because I didn't have to drive in it.  I just hope those that did made it home safely.

Now onto the fun stuff.  I was at Walgreen's this past weekend and I found these Kiss nail strips that are different than their normal ones.  They are made of a gel polish solution which means they are supposed to last longer.  Also if you have an LED lamp for gel manicures (I do not) you can cure them to last longer.  I just have to do the regular application.

This is what they look like outside of the package.  It not only comes with all of the full size nail strips but also french tips.  That's part of the reason why I bought them.  I thought that was really cool to add that.  The other reason is the floral print.  I can't stay away from floral anything.  I just love it.

So usually when I use nail strips I only do accent nails and not full manicures with them which it what I did here.  I used three coats of Sephora by OPI Mermaid to Order on my pinky, pointer, and thumb.  On my middle and ring fingers I used the Kiss Gel Dress strips.  I didn't apply any base coat.  I just made sure my nails were well prepped by wiping them down with Zoya Remove+ and then I applied them like you would any other.  I wanted to try out the french tips but I think I'll save those for another mani.

So far these have stayed on all day without peeling up on the edges.  I did apply a top coat to them so I'm guessing that's helping a bit, but the package says they last up to a week without using the LED lamp so I guess I will keep you all updated on how they wear.  I might not do a full post on it, but I can add an update to this post and post it to my Facebook page as well.

Have a great night and keep warm!  ♥

UPDATE 1.29.14 : So these only ended up lasting one full day and then half a day.  Keep in mind I work in retail and I am constantly using my hands for typing, unpacking boxes, moving merchandise, etc. so the fact that they lasted a full day without lifting or peeling is great and then another half day.  Pretty good in my opinion.

Zoya Micky

I know I've probably said about a hundred times that I hate pink and I don't ever wear it.  BUT there are some exceptions to that rule.  When it comes to cosmetics, pink is just too cute to pass up.  I love pink eyeliner, pink lips, and of course pink nails.

I kind of just wanted Zoya Micky so I could sing the song "Hey Mickey (You're So Fine)" while I paint my nails.  lol.  Above is two coats and it applies so easily.  I didn't realize from other swatches until I bought it that it had a slight pearly finish, but it's not too bad.  I've worn this multiple times already so I didn't sway my opinion on Micky at all.

Well that's all for tonight.  I have some fun new items to show you all in the upcoming weeks.  I will also be trying to come up with some Valentine's manis that I didn't do in my last V-day series.  Oh and hey!  Don't forget to enter my giveaway.  Just click through the photo in the upper right corner of my blog.  (:

*CLOSED* 500 Likes Giveaway!

Hey Everyone!  Isn't this super exciting?  The first giveaway of the year and the first one in quite a while.  I thought my Facebook page receiving 500 likes because of the amazing Share the Love "event" that happened was deserving of a giveaway but also I hit 500 blog posts.  So seeing as how 5s are pretty popular 'round here lately, I thought I would have 5 winners!  Ooh snap!

Here is your prize:  OPI Push and Shove with mini Lay Down that Base.  I'm sure you all have seen amazing photos from other bloggers featuring this beauty.  If you haven't, look it up.  You won't be disappointed.

Rules of the giveaway:

• You must be a follower by either GFC (publicly) or Bloglovin'.
• You must provide an email so I can contact you if you win.
• The giveaway is open to US and International followers.
• The giveaway begins January 26 at midnight
• The giveaway ends February 8 at 11:59pm
• There will be 5 winners.
• I will contact the winners via email and they have 24 hours to claim their prize.

Now go and enter that giveaway!  When it starts that is.  lol.  Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pink Matte Glitter

So I haven't really been motivated or inspired to do any nail art lately.  I've been in kind of a funk so instead of just doing a solid color polish, I've been slapping on glitter and then moving on.  Here is my recent glitter mani.

I started with two coats of Zoya Micky which you will see swatched on the blog soon.  I used one coat of my black and white glitter Cover Band Sticks 'n' Stones and then one coat of OPI I Snow You Love Me which is the holo cirlces.  I just can't get enough of those holo circles!  When all was finally dry (yes it took a while) I added my Sally Hansen Big Matte top coat and away I went.  I received more compliments on this mani than any others recently.  I think it was just so Bubblegum Barbie and who doesn't love Barbie, right?

So what do you think?  Glitter manis for the win?  Let me know in the comments below! 

Darling Diva Killer Queen

I am really excited to show you this polish today.  I was super excited to get my hands on it when one of my dear friends sent it in a surprise package.  It's like she could read my mind because I don't think I told her I wanted it and I didn't add it to my wishlist yet.  But somehow, she knew.

This is Darling Diva Killer Queen.  It's such a great color with amazing effects.  Not only is this a duo-chrome but in the right light, you get a glimpse of a beautiful linear holo effect.  It's like all things amazing put in a bottle just for me...or anyone that also loves duel effect polishes.  I used three coats for full opacity but if you layer if over a black polish, you would only need one coat.

Do you own and Darling Divas?  If so, what's your favorite?  Let me know in the comments below. (:

Superficially Colorful Thermal Polish

Today's swatches are one's I'm super excited about.  They are fun and girly and they make me feel 13 again which, in my opinion, is not always a bad thing.  I received a super sweet ROAK package all the way from Isreal from Jin of Superficially Colorful.

First up is Giggly.  This one is soooooo pretty.  This is one of those shades of purple that just kill me with how beautiful they are.  There are some bits of magenta pink shimmers in there as well.  Oh and it's a one-coater!  This is the color it is when your hands are cool.

This is Giggly after running my hands under warm water.  Unfortunately all of my warm photos are covered in water because my hands are always freezing unless I'm at work.  So these all had to be taken extremely fast before they cooled back down.  lol Just keep that in mind going forward.

This is Meditative.  What a perfect name.  This color is so calming and beautiful of course.  This is the cool shade with just two coats.

Here is Meditative's warm color.  Again, a very calming, sparkly olive green.  I just couldn't get to the camera fast enough which is why my pinky is already back to teal.

This is by far my favorite of the four.  I don't usually like or even wear orange but it's this awesome?! It's such a happy bright shade and I love the sparkle in it.

This is the reason I love Daring.  The warm color is this gorgeous bright yellow.  I mean even if you don't like yellow, you have to love this!  It's just so fun and when it starts to change from cool to warm, it's super fun.

Lastly we have Fascinated.  This is another one of those beautiful purple shades but it doesn't change to pink.  Oh no no.

Fascinated changes to this gorgeous cornflower blue.  This is such a fun warm color for the summer.  I can't wait to wear this one again.

Thank you, thank you Jin.  These are so amazing and I always get excited when I look down and they are different than when I looked before.  I can't wait for other people to get their hands on these.  ;)