Absolute Mia

Last year my uncle went on vacation to Germany and the only thing I could think was, "I wonder if he would be able to buy some nail polish for me?"  lol And of course he did.  This is one of my all-time favorite polishes.  Everything about it is flawless.

There are stores in Germany called Douglas and I believe this is their brand.  It's called Mia.  Mia is an almost black, deep burgundy creme.  Actually it's more of a crelly which is one of my favorite formulas.  It dries with a high gloss which is wonderful.  I don't even need a top coat but of course I used one anyway.

I tried my hardest to show the red and not so much black so I had to brighten the photo a bit for you.  However it didn't alter the true color at all.  It's actually a bit less black than the photos show.  I know this is such a fall color, but I have to say I'm really ready for fall.  I hate hot weather so I NEED fall to come.  lol

I really love this polish so much that I think I need a polish contact in Germany.  *cough cough*  lol Have a wonderful night and don't forget to leave your questions and comments below.  (:

Tribal Stamped Mani

Happy Saturday Everyone!  Today I have a pretty fun mani for you all.  It's a little different from my usual mani.  Jacki from Adventures in Acetone mentioned in a conversation that she wanted to use some of Target's swimwear as inspiration.  With that being said, I had to try it myself.  This is the one I found and HERE is the link.

*7.21 UPDATE: THIS is the link to Jacki's Target swimsuit post.  I got to see it before she posted to her blog today.  Enjoy!*

Not only do I love this as a mani, but I want to own this swimsuit as well.  I love the design and the simple color choice.  Yeah.  I need it.

So there you have it.  I know on the swimsuit the tribal goes across and not the green but I stamped this so I couldn't figure out how to make that happen.  lol Even still I loved this mani so much I wore it for a good 3 days or so.  I started with the white base coat and then I did the stamping first using a sparkly black polish.  The stamp is curved on my middle and ring fingers because it's a design that is meant for a "funky french" mani.  For the other two, I just taped off my nail in a diagonal and used the same design.  Then I applied my neon green over the remaining white and done.

It was a lot simpler than I thought it would be.  Of course if I had freehanded the tribal design, it would have been more difficult and it also would have turned out sloppy.  I know that from past designs I've attempted.  lol

WHAT I USED:
Sally Hansen White Tip - white base
BBCouture Dark Knight - black
China Glaze I'm With the Lifeguard - green
Bundle Monster plate bm-219

Mint Mani for Talia Joy

Hey Everyone!  Today is going to be a short post but meaningful.  The inspiration for today's mint manis comes from Talia Joy's last instagram post which was a mint mani using popBeauty Mint Magic.  While I don't have that color, I do have a pretty mint of my own.

First I used two coats of Green With Envy by Maybelline Color Show.  I did a gradient with Julep Oscar and then added some larger gold glitters from Milani Jewel FX Gold and a few white square glitters from OPI Lights of Emerald City.  Also if you notice there is a gold ribbon on my ring finger.  Well, the gold awareness ribbon is for children with cancer.  Seeing as how Talia was only 13 and diagnosed with not one, but two types of cancer I thought it was appropriate to show it.  I don't think it dons on a lot of people that anyone, even children, can become terminally ill.

To show your support for Talia and her family and friends, show off your mani through the inlinkz below or even Instagram and Facebook.  Just use #mintmanisfortaliajoy and #taliaslegacy so they are seen.

Product Review - Born Pretty Store QA37 Stamping Plate

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

Today I have a wonderful product review from Born Pretty Store.  I got a super cute stamping plate with really fun designs.

I love all the different designs of bows.  I especially love the ones that just have the outline and are blank inside so I could actually create my own nail decals.  More on that to come.  I also thought this plate was really great because I get 12 designs whereas the plates I already own only have between 6 and 10.

So I guess you all want to see what they look like on the nail.

I used two of the bow designs and applied a nail gem in the center...sorry for the glare.  lol I'm not crazy about the checkered bow because it has no outline.  I would have attempted to add one but I'm sure I would have ruined the entire mani.

And another...

Most of the designs reminded me of things I may be doodled in class when I was in Jr. High so I thought "scratch paper" was appropriate.  I was able to fit five on my nails.  Isn't this just the cutest mani?  I'm pretty in love with it.

Review Wrap-Up
Price: $ - $2.99.  I think BPS has a lot of really great products that are really inexpensive so kudos for that.
Variety: Born Pretty Store has a ton of stamping plates with amazing designs as well as stamping accessories including stamping polish and rubber stamper sets.  You can see them HERE.
Quality: I thought most of the designs were etched perfectly which made them stamp perfectly as well.  I did have some trouble with the full nail design getting bald spots or not picking up all the dots.  I even used two different types of stampers but to no avail.  Luckily that is not one that I will ever use.  It's just not for me.  (:
Would I Purchase Again: of course!  Yes this plate was sent to me for review, but I would definitely look into purchasing more stamping plates from BPS.  If you like this plate, you 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 help me host a giveaway for all of you.  You all want to win free goodies right?! 

Water Marble Wednesday - Blue

This week's Water Marble Wednesday is brought to you by the color BLUE!  I really thought it would be fun to do one the color of water since it happen's in water.  I used four different types of blue but all the polishes are cremes.  I honestly don't think I've ever done one with all cremes before.  It was different.

I started with one coat of the lightest blue which is the periwinkle color and then I started my design.  I just made the bulls eye in the water and then made "stripes" in by pulling the toothpick in opposite directions.  I guess it's more of a chevron type design...I don't really know what to call it.

I did screw up my pinky a bit because I thought I had cleaned up all of the excess polish from the water.  However I didn't see the tiny bit on the other side of my finger so when I took my finger out, there was a huge glob stuck there.  Gross.  lol  I would have redone it, but honestly it was 10pm and I was super sleepy.  Besides, I'm only human so I'm bound to screw up.  I like to think that's why you all keep coming back.  Because of my quirk and honesty about my imperfections.  (:

So don't mind the dirty looking cuticles either.  It's actually just the navy polish I used.  It stained my cuticles just a bit and I could not for the life of me get it cleaned up properly.  Sorry!

WHAT I USED:

Julep Eloise - navy

China Glaze Four Leaf Clover - teal

Color Club Blue-ming - light blue

Color Club Hydrangea Kiss - periwinkle

Now I have to get ready for work so I will talk to you all later.  Have a great Wednesday!

Kleancolor Metallic Black

Here I am again with just another swatch, but it's a great one.  I got this so long ago and I've worn it a hundred times but never thought to take a picture of it.  What was I thinking?  I had asked a bunch of amazing ladies if they knew where I could find the perfect metallic black.  They threw out some suggestions but I never actually found one that I loved.  Then one day this shows up in my mailbox and low and behold...THE PERFECT METALLIC BLACK!

I needed only one coat of Kleancolor Metallic black for full opacity.  The formula is a bit thick but nothing I couldn't handle.  The brush is wide enough that I only needed a few strokes per nail.  

It has a gorgeous silver, metallic shine to it and it dries semi-matte.  Is that what they call it?  It's not super glossy.  There.  lol

The only issue I had with this polish (and most Kleancolors) is that the smell is soooooo strong.  I'm glad it's a one-coater because I don't think I could have handled it any longer.  

Claire's Electric Avenue

Alright Ladies!  I was a Claire's yesterday and I happened to see a lot of new nail polishes and nail art accessories.  Of course all of the cosmetics are always BOGO 50% off so I bought 4 new polishes...well 3.  One was a matte top coat.  Anyway, I tried to Google swatches of the new ones, but I couldn't find them anywhere.  Nothing and I mean nothing came up.  So I'm not gonna say that I'm the first to post this, but I think I'm the first to post this.  lol Please correct me if I'm wrong.

This is called Electric Avenue.  It is a beautiful teal jelly packed full of black and white glitters in all different sizes.  I had to use 3 coats for (almost) full opacity.  The formula was a bit on the thick side but not unmanageable.  I had to place a few of the larger glitters so they wouldn't slide off but the smaller and bar glitters stuck perfectly.  And speaking of bar glitters, some of them are starting to curve.  I'm sure that's not supposed to happen, but it didn't create any problems and to me it doesn't look bad so I left it alone.

Here is a close up bottle shot for your viewing pleasure.  At first glace I really thought I could just create this polish look with Zoya Frida and any black and white glitter using the glitter sandwich technique, but how much easier is it just to put on a couple of coats and go?  Besides, I'd rather use Frida and my black and white glitters for more fun manis.

I have two more colors to show you soon so please check back.  Don't forget to check out your local Claire's or Icing stores to see the rollout of new goodies.  Oh and if you purchase $20+ between today and August 24, you will get $10 off your next $20+ starting on August 25.  I'm keeping mine in a safe place until I can redeem it for all the other polishes and accessories I saw.

Sinful Colors Truth or Dare

I hate that I continue to put up blog posts so late in the evening but at least they are up right?  I worked on my nails all day long and completely forgot that I had a blog to keep up.  (:

No this is not anything I swatched today but I can't get it out of my brain ever since I took it off.  Sinful Color Truth or Dare from the Kiss and Tell collection is sooooo gorgeous!  It's a deep berry/wine creme polish and believe it or not, this is one coat.

I could have done two coats to even out some of my brushstrokes but I really, really wanted you all to see that it can totally be a one coater for everyday wear.  I think the color is also flattering on any skin tone.  It just really makes me think of Fall and Winter, and I really wish it was Fall and Winter already.  We have such a long Summer ahead of us here in Texas and it will be hot until December.  lol  Come on cold weather!!

If you don't have this color or anything like it, please go out and find it.  It really is amazing.  Have a great night!

Pink and Black Attack

I didn't really know what else to call it and no, it has nothing to do with Bret Hart.  If you don't know what that means, no stress.  Google it.  lol  So pink and black are not really colors that I particularly like together, mainly because I don't like pink.  However, I wanted to do something fun with Orly Oh Cabana Boy.

So there it is.  This was a really fun mani for me eventhough it's definitely different.  I used striping tape over my bare nail (with base coat actually) in a diamond pattern and then painted two quick and thick coats of Orly Oh Cabana Boy over that.  Where the lines cross I just put black dots and couple of black "pearls" on each nail just for fun.  On my pinky and pointer fingers I painted one coat of Zoya Avery and while it was still wet I dipped my nails in some black beads from Finger Paints.  I think it's called Sweet Tooth.  They were available at Sally's a while ago but I haven't seen them recently.

So yeah!  That's my quick, fun mani that I got to wear for about 2 hours before all the beads fell off.  lol  That's just what happens I guess.

Water Marble Wednesday - Purple

For this week's water marble I wanted to do something a little different than I normally do.  So instead of multiple colors, I chose just one color in 5 different shades.  I wanted to stay monochromatic but still bright and fun.

I really love how this turned out.  The colors I chose worked perfectly together in the water and I think they look so good together.  I started with one thin coat of Sinful Colors Sweet Tooth just to help the colors pop.   The only issue I had was a few bubbles on a couple of my nails which I'm sure you can see when you enlarge the photos.  Other than that, like I said, it was very easy.  It was like all conditions were perfect today which is normally not the case for me.  lol

WHAT I USED:
Sinful Colors Sweet Tooth
Color Club Lavendarling
Zoya Zara
China Glaze Señorita Bonita
Essie Sexy Divide

I listed the polishes in order from lightest to darkest which is how I used them in the mani.  I really enjoy this mani and just don't want to take it off, but tomorrow is another day and another blog post so we'll see what happens.  (: