Sinful Enchanted

So I'm back from my mini break.  I just needed some time to do other things in my life.  I got to see my sister and she only lives 10 minutes away, but we've been so busy that we just don't get to spend them time together.  It was my 7 year anniversary with my boyfriend so we celebrated with The Walking Dead and nice juicy steak...for him anyway.  I'm a vegetarian but I will cook a steak for him.  ♥  I also have a lot going on at work so I just needed my down time to not be blog time.  Ya feel me?

Anyway this is not my best swatch but it's pretty good.  About 90% of the time I have issues with creme polish.  They just aren't my favorite but this color is too pretty to let that be a factor.  Sinful Enchanted is a blue-based purple creme that finishes super glossy.  It is self-leveling and I only needed two coats for full opacity.

There's not much else to say so I guess I'll be seeing you all tomorrow.  Night!

My Grungy Valentine

I figured since I haven't done any Valentine's manis yet and Valentine's Day is Friday, I should probably get on the ball.  Honestly I hate Valentine's Day and the whole hype around it.  It's not because I'm single or bitter about the so-called holiday.  As I got older I just didn't like it anymore.  This makes it really easy on the boyfriend though because he doesn't have to get me anything.  lol

Since I'm not that into it, I figured doing a grungy looking mani using Valentine's appropriate colors would be a fun alternative for me.  I started by prepping my nails with one coat of Color Club Blushing Rose which is a super light baby pink creme.  Then I used the dry brushstroke technique to apply the other colors.  If you aren't familiar with this technique, basically apply the polish using the brush from the polish bottle but with almost all of the polish wiped off.  This is what creates the effect you see.  If you are looking for a great tutorial, here is one from Sarah of Chalkboard Nails.  The other colors I used were a lavender purple, Zoya Malia, and an orchid, Color Club Sweet Pea.  When it was all dry I used Sinful Black on Black to do the grungy black brushstrokes.

I hope you all enjoy this mani.  I do because I know I can wear it for more than just Valentine's Day and it's so easy to accomplish.  I think I might be able to bust out some more love-y dove-y manis before Friday so make sure you check back.  (:

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?

Product Review - Born Pretty Store Cat Water Decals

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

Afternoon Everyone!

Today's post is a review of some super cute water decals.  I have reviewed them before, but this is a different design with a different outcome.  To see my first post, click HERE.

For those who don't know, water decals are basically just temporary tattoos for your nails and they apply the same way.  The instructions are also printed on the back.

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.

To be completely honest, it's a lot more simple than the instructions even imply.  What I did was paint my nails with two coats of Sinful Unicorn and let that dry.  I chose my design and dipped it in room temperature water for literally 2 - 3 seconds.  Once you stick the design to your nail, it's almost instantly transferred.  There is no need to hold it down or rub the backing.  It's super easy.

Here we go...

uuummmm...what?  lol So this is my first attempt at using this particular design.  It transferred quickly and easily but it was backwards.  The actual details are on the other side.  So I'm gonna try again.

Hmmm.  I have come to the realization that these don't apply the same way as the cow print did.  For some reason the back of the design is not transparent.  It's white which means when the design is reversed I can't see anything.  So one last time and then I give up.

Success!  Wanna know how I did it?  I used steps 1 - 2 but instead of sticking the design to my nail in step 3, I stuck it to a nail art stamper.  Then I immediately stamped the design onto my nail and voila!

Review Wrap-Up
Price: $ - $3.99.  A great price for such adorable, realistic kitty cat designs.
Variety: There are tons of water decals in so many different designs.  You can view them all HERE.
Quality:  Just like the ones I reviewed before, the design was flush to the nail and didn't peel up.  The realism is great too.  The only thing I was not thrilled about was the decal applying backwards.
Would I Purchase Again:  Now that I know I can work around the transfer issue, yes, I would definitely purchase these again.  The designs are just way too cute to pass up and the stamping method is still easy.  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 using my cope, BPS will host a giveaway for all of you.  You all want to win free goodies right?!

Sinful Holiday Rebel

I know right now there are a lot of holiday manis popping up on blogs and some of them are pretty tame, but others are elaborate.  They are definitely amazing for someone like me that works in retail, but for those that can't go all crazy on their nails for work purposes or you just don't want to take the time to attempt the nail art, there are always less extensive manis.  I have one for you today.

From indie makers to dollar stores, you can find holiday glitters almost anywhere this time of year.  One of my favorites is Sinful Holiday Rebel.  It's a clear base with red and green glitters and even some holo glitters, but just a few.  I didn't realize until one reflected the light just right.  I used two coats over Zoya Trixie for a fun non-traditional holiday mani.

So what do you think?  Is something you think everyone could pull off?  Let me know in the comments below. (:

Random Trip Haul

Hey lovelies!  Today's post is going to be short and sweet because I'm not even home. My bf and I decided to take a spur of the moment mini weekend vacation to Louisiana. There is something great (to me) that we don't have in Houston and that's Rite Aide.

From L to R: Silver Bells, Gift of Gold, Sugar Plum Fairy

From L to R: Sleigh Ride, Mistletoe, Ho Ho Ho

From L to R: On a Silver Platter, Autumn Spice, Black on Black, Treasure Chest

I think I did a pretty good haul considering it was unplanned. What do you think?  Let me know in the comments below. (:

Neon Grunge

Sorry this post is kinda late but I just got back from my fitness class.  Luckily this mani was already done so I just have to whip of the post.  (:

I was inspired by Sarah of Chalkboard Nails' distressed nail art tutorial, specifically her neon version.  Instead of using a black creme polish over the neons, I used OPI Spotted which has failed me once again.

If you all happened to see a guest post I did for Nail Polish Addiction awhile ago, I briefly explain the technique I used for the "radioactive" mani and how my OPI Spotted was a bust.  I used that same process this time except with neon shades in China Glaze Kiwi Cool-ada (green), China Glaze Creative Fantasy (purple), Color Club Lava Lamp (orange), Sinful Colors Pink (pink), Ulta Blue Streak (blue), and of course a white base - Zoya Purity.  I applied OPI Spotted and I can't say it was a complete fail.  I mean, it did separate but the colors were not as visible as I would have liked so I dipped a cotton swab in acetone and gently removed or smeared some of the black to create that grungy look.

Thanks to Sarah for making a great tutorial eventhough I didn't follow it to a tee.  lol I really enjoy both versions of this mani and I hope you all do too.  Let me know what you think in the comments below!

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

Hey Everyone!

Another edition of Water Marble Wednesday is here and it's kind of a boring one.  lol I only wanted to use two colors this time so I tried to make it interesting.

How interesting can two colors get?  Well if I did an ombre water marble, that could be interesting right?  I don't even know why I didn't go all the way ombre but I did use three different shades of pink and not just the two that you see above.  I messed up my thumb so there is no photo of it unfortunately.  On it I used a darker pink, Jesse's Girl JulieG Cupcake Frosting.  The lightest pink is OPI Sweet Memories and the darker pink is Sinful Soul Mate and then the silver is Zoya Trixie.

Have a great night! (:

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!

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.  (:

Product Review - essence Nail Art Stampy Set Review

So I've been using this a lot since I got it about 2 weeks ago and I think it's about time you all got in on the fun.  I'm going to a little review on the essence Nail Art Stampy Set which I picked up at Ulta for only $3.49.

So here is what it looks like in the box in case you want to go pick it up.  I think in every Ulta (as far as I've seen) all of the essence products are on an end cap somewhere near all the "drugstore brand" beauty products.  The photo on the right shows what comes with the set.  I was pretty impressed that the designs were not lame.    I would actually use more than one of them.  lol

This is the best photo of the plate I could get but I stamped them on a white piece of paper for you to really see the designs.  This was my first time using a stamper like the one in the set so I had a bit of trouble getting them on the paper completely as you can see with the heart and the polka dots.  The stamper is super squishy and didn't want to pick up all the way.  Eventually I got the hang of it.  All of the designs (after more practice) came out with no bald spots.  The only "problem" design is the butterfly in the center.  To me it looks like all the color ran together or it's smushed, but I feel like the lines should be more defined inside the wings.

Ready to see them on my nails?!

I tried to fit all of the designs on all my fingers (in no particular order) just so you could see what they look like.  As you can see some of them, like the ones on my middle finger didn't come out so well.  I tried them over and over on paper first and they kept coming up with missing spots.  I think the heart and bow are my favorites from the whole plate.

These are the other two designs.  Ummm ewww.  These look terrible.  I'm definitely no stamping expert (yes it is super crooked...lol) but for some reason the full design wouldn't pick up.  As for the hearts (yes those are hearts), they kept coming out smushed like that butterfly design.  I tried a different polish, a different stamper, and they just kept coming out ugly.  Another thing that I don't like about the set is that the scraper scratched the crap out of my plate so I threw it away.  Now I just use an old credit card.

Now for some real nail art!

There we go.  Finally something that looks halfway decent.  I used the polka dot and bow design from the plate and just free-handed the stripes on my pointer finger.

WHAT I USED:

Sinful Colors Unicorn - yellow

Zoya Cynthia - dark teal

Ulta High Roller - gold

So was this worth my money?  Yes!  I think if I had paid double the price I might even still be happy with it.  But considering that I won't use half of these designs, $3.49 was the perfect price.