Oh, the weather outside is frightful!

Do you ever look peek at a blog sale and find yourself wanting something so bad, but knowing that you shouldn't buy it?  I have to keep telling myself "Repeat after me: 'I will not spent $50+ on a few bottles of Lippmann polish, I will NOT spend $50+ on a few bottles of Lippmann polish!!!'"

...Though they're three great colors that I really want........

I WILL NOT SPEND $50+ ON LIPPMANN POLISH!!!

...... *cough*

Apparently Snowpocalypse is in the process of hitting us.  What is my reaction to this?  Do I rush out to the superstores and stock up, or fill my car with blankets and emergency rations just in case of a slide off?

Psssh, of course not!  I was too busy giving myself a cute snow manicure!

Here's both my right and left hand.  I used Nicole by OPI Midnight Snowfall (which has a ridiculously appropriate name, by the way) for the base.  Like all blurples, the color in the photo is, of course, inaccurate.  I like this polish a lot because it's simply the most straight forward blue violet cream I've seen, I think.  I used two coats here, but ladies with longer nails will likely want three.  It's a little thin for being such a dark polish, but the end color is totally worth it!  For the snowflakes, I used Nicole by OPI Positive Energy.  I used one snowflake on each nail (not bothering to line them up nicely, obv), and two flakes on each thumb.

Sorry for no bottle or plate pictures.  They're all over at Bradley's apartment, which is far across the frozen tundra. :P

Considering that I managed to do this manicure and watch Lost at the same time, I think it turned out pretty well!


I have a question for you ladies!  Outside of the China Glaze Khrome and Romantique polishes, what others work very well for stamping?  I've been using Nicole by OPI Positive Energy and Light a Candle a lot lately, and I also just picked up a metallic pink from Orly.  Also, what's the best opaque white polish to use for stamping, outside of the special polishes?  Please share any and all suggestions!


Thank you for reading! :D

Heeelp... :(

Adorable sad kitty for your troubles.

I have a BIG problem with my nails peeling.  They're almost always peeling to a certain extent, but a huge chunk almost half the size of my entire nail just flaked off of my thumb, and it makes me sad. :(  I understand that a way to reduce peeling is to not expose your hands to so much water, but I'm sorry to say that less exposure to water isn't an option for me, so I need a different solution.

I think that Sally Hansen's Miracle Cure base coat might have been helping, but my bottle got awfully thick about half way through, and I stopped using it.  My new base coat does jack, though, and the peelies are back.  I've considered buying more Miracle Cure, but it doesn't seem to be worth the $7.00 if I can't use the second half of it. :/

Anyone that has peeling nails and a great base coat that treats them well, I want to hear from you!  I definitely prefer something that I can buy in a store as opposed to online, but I'm open to every suggestion.

Getting older.

I decided a couple weeks ago that it was time to break down and try some nail stamping.  I went with the Bundle Monster plates from Amazon (which you can find here).  At twenty-one plates for $17.99, it was definitely worth a shot.  My first few attempts were pretty disappointing, but I think that's to be expected.  And then I got this:

Thankfully this particular manicure worked out very well.  I love houndstooth.  It wouldn't be a stretch to say that it's my favorite pattern. :)  This was two coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Black Out (I believe that's what it's called) with a stamped coat of Studio M French Tip.

 

You can tell that I didn't clean the plate before doing the index and middle finger on the second picture.  I know better now, hehe...  I stamped every finger vertically, and then stamped each thumb horizontally.  Since the stamping color was white, cleanup was the easiest thing. :)

I adored this manicure!  I believe that I wore it for three full days before I forced myself to take it off and put something new on, just so I wouldn't get out of the habit.  It hadn't even chipped, though. :)  A definite success, if you ask me.

As for the title of this entry, I am getting older.  Today is my birthday. :)  I don't yet know how I feel about turning twenty-five.  I don't feel like I've achieved the accomplishments that I thought I would have by now.  Shouldn't I have an actual profession?  Some sort of road map detailing the plans for the rest of my life?

Though I'm not always sure of where I'm going, I am always certain of this:  I love the life I've been given, no matter how uncertain I become.  I am blessed every single day, even when I'm being too self-absorbed to see it.  The good in my life outweighs the bad in an outstanding way.

I have parents that love me, and sibling that I connect with, and family that looks out for my well being.  I have friends that always listen and persevere, even if I'm the one that's made things hard.  I have an amazing man in my life that overfills my heart with joy every time I see his smile.

Even if twenty-five is uncertain, I do know.  If this year to come is as richly blessed as the year that's passed, I am fully ready for it.

 

:)

Thank you for reading!

Awards out the wahoozie!

Sorry to be so absent of late, ladies. :(  I only get sick a couple times a year, and this is one of those times.  So to all of the kind gals notifying me of awards, I wasn't ignoring you, promise!

I received the Stylish Blogger award from Morgan at Pass the Polish, Please!, Kari from Once Bitten, Carissa from Love, Carissa, Eva from Evakke Beauty, Lindsay from Yacking about Lacquer, Dori from Kiss my Acetone, Belle from J'adore Lacquer, and Lois from Nail York City!  Thank you so much! :D  It's encouraging to know that people read my blog.  And *gasp!* they... might even like it! :O

 

1. Thank and link the person who gave you this award. (check!)

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers

4. Contact these bloggers to tell them about this award


Seven random things about me:

1.  You will almost always find me with a book on my person.  Even when I'm carrying a small purse, there will most likely be a paperback jammed inside. :)

2.  I'm not quite as violently nerdy as I used to be, but there's certainly still things that I nerd out about from time to time.  I absolutely love Joss Whedon's work, and I still play video games when I can make them my main focus.  I've also come to really enjoy strategic board games.

3.  I hate needles more than almost anything else!  I doubt that I'll ever be able to get a tattoo, even if I really, really want one.  I was also too afraid of the needles to muster up the courage to get any other piercings, so I decided instead to stretch the lobe piercings that I have.  I'm sitting pretty at a 0g, and I'm very pleased with them. :)

4.  I used to wear contacts, but a few years ago, I opted to go back to glasses.  Why?  I was very irresponsible about making sure that my contacts came out every night.  Also?  I look pretty great in glasses. lol

5.  A couple random things that make my skin crawl that might not bother other people are utensils or straws scraping against Styrofoam, and just the thought of chewing on a wool glove or mitten.  Weird, right?  I've got shivers thinking about how unsettling those things are, though.

6.  One of my favorite things to listen to is a podcast called Stuff You Should Know.  The hosts are always informative and entertaining, and there isn't much than I love more than learning new and interesting things!

7.  I never really thought that I would keep writing in this blog.  Posts may be few-ish and far-ish between, sure, but the writing is still happening.  I can't thank you, my readers, enough for motivating me! <3

1. Why did you make this blog?
I don't know how I originally ran across it, but sometime last Spring I fell absolutely head over heels for the China Glaze Up and Away collection.  I found swatches of it on Gina's blog Prim and Polished, and and needed to have the collection.  After spending almost $40 on nail polish in one day (a number that doesn't always seem so small now... lol) I decided that I couldn't spend that much money without sharing my polishes with people.  So I started a blog. :)

2. What kind of blogs do you read?
I mainly read nail blogs.  Beauty blogs are sometimes fun to read as well.  I also enjoy cooking blogs on occasion.

3. Do you have a favorite make-up brand?
I don't really have a favorite brand.  I very rarey wear makeup.  On the odd occasion that I do wear it, it's never more than eyeshadow, mascara, and maybe some tinted lip balm.

4. What about the favorite clothing brand?
Again, I don't really have a favorite brand.  If it fits and looks good, I'm in.  I do most of my shopping at a secondhand boutique called Clothes Mentor.  I spend so much time in my work clothes every week that I have a very hard time dropping lots of money on clothes that I know will just sit in my closet gathering dust.  Plus, I have this crazy nail polish addiction.  Something had to give!

5. What piece in you make-up bag is the most important to you?
My nail polish!  Haha!  Like I said, I don't wear makeup often enough to care.  As far as my nails go, though, I have a little container with acetone and plastic scrubby bristles inside.  This is quite possibly my favorite nail-related toy.  No more scrubbing at glitter!  Let your finger soak a moment and then move it up and down to let the bristles do the work.  How nice is it to idly watch television while you remove stubborn nail polish?  Sooooo nice. <3

6. Your favorite color?
My favorites are green, teal, and purple.  I'm a little more picky about my blues, but honestly, I'm pretty much in love with the whole cool side of the color spectrum.

7. Favorite perfume?
I'm also not a big perfume wearer.  Gah!  I fail as a beauty blogger! D:  I do enjoy some scents, though.  I really like Bath and Body Works' Vanilla Noir perfume.

8. Your favorite movie?
I really like Serenity, Braveheart, A Tale of Two Sisters, [REC], Garden State, (500) Days of Summer...  I'm pretty flexible about movies that I'll watch and enjoy.

9. What countries would you like to visit?
I would really like to visit Europe someday.  I know that Europe consists of several countries. :)  But I would like to see them.

The rules are: copy the picture, answer the questions and send it to your favorite blogs!

 1. Thank and link back to the giver of the award.  (Thank you, Morgan!  Hoosier Power!)

2. Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using 5 words:  Gotta flaunt them digits, yo!  (Or, "Sole purpose: to induce lemmings.")

3. Pass it on to other bloggers that you feel have substance in their blogs.

I’m tagging these blogs for both of the above awards: If you already posted about these awards - don't worry about re-posting :)

1. !Kendal
2. Bonny Binnacle
3. Canadian Nail Fanatic
4. Glitzkrieg
5. J'adore Lacquer
6. Just Peachy
7. Laquerish
8. Let Them Have Polish!
9. My Lucid Bubble
10. Normal Girl Nails
11. Polish of the Day. Ish.
12. Polish Pauper


I didn't fill in all fifteen spots because I want to give this award to my readers as well!  If you haven't received these awards, please consider yourself tagged, and spread the love!

Make sure you check out the blogs of the lovely ladies that tagged me as well! :)

Swapapalooza!!!!!

My favorite thing about nail polish collecting is the treasure hunt aspect of it.  It's a lot of fun to stumble across rare gems in nail salons, but I find swapping even more fun.  And what's better than giving nice things you've found to people that want them?  Especially when they give you a treasure that you've been seeking in return!  Genius!


These are three swaps that I've conducted lately with some very special ladies.  I love everything that I've received from them!  I'm putting them in chronological order.

This is my swap with Barbara from Biba's Beauty Corner.  She's a darling lady from Slovenia, and I was extremely eager to engage in this swap.

I originally requested the swap so that I could get my hands on S-he Stylezone #466, the gray polish.  I'll post my mani sometime, but it's absolutely gorgeous.  It's a gray with a touch of blue, and filled with a subtle golden shimmer.  I've found that it looks different in almost every light.  Gorgeous!

Aren't they beautiful?  I'm saving the pink holo polish for when it's more sunny out.  The brown there on the left is incredibly stunning as well.  It's going to be a wonderful winter polish!

Barbara also added some of my polishes to her Barry M order!  Wow! <3

I got Mushroom, Raspberry, Dusky Mauve, and Nail Effects. :)

These were a bit of a surprise!  I had wanted Back to Paradise (the middle polish), but the other two were new to me! :)

Sooo pretty!  The Twilight Essense polish is going to be gorge for winter, too!


My second swap is from Tammy, author of Canadian Nail Fanatic.  Let me tell you, I was very anxious to receive this swap!

Along with the polishes that she sent me, she also sent along the little booklet from CND (which of course makes me wish I could have more!) along with a little baggie filled with a generous number of multicolored nail art gems.  I'm not huge into nail art now, but I'm looking forward to using these whenever I get around to buying Bundle Monster and Konad plates!

Can you see why?  I've been lemming the CND Night Factory duo since I first saw them swatched, but as far as I know, there's nowhere to buy them here in town.  Tammy very generously swapped these with me.  And wait... can you see...?

That's right!  Merry Midnight! <3 <3 <3 <3  This has been another huge item on my wish list!  Oooo la la, and isn't it gorgeous?!  Even though this wasn't a big swap a la number of polishes, it was definitely a worthwhile swap for me.  I am in love with these polishes!

And check out these great extras!  She sent me two beautiful Colorama flakie topcoats!


This last swap here is from Jill over at Just Peachy!  After seeing Cosmetic Arts All the Trimmings, I contacted her to see if she could find it for me.  Our small polish swap morphed into a bigger, more exciting and polish-filled endeavor!

Check out these goodies!  I'm super psyched to wear all of these!

These are the three Cosmetic Arts polishes she sent me (All the Trimmings in the middle!), along with a tube of Jesse's Girl primer.  Thank you again for finding these for me, Jill!

She also sent me LA Splash Golden seahorse, this neat Oke Doke polish, and a little tube of Jesse's Girl lip gloss.  And do you see those little pods?  They're eyeshadows!  Jill is such a dear, mixing up a couple eyeshadows for me!  From what I can see from the outside (I don't want to open them until I use them.  Spilling them on accident would be a tragedy!), the top one is a purple-gold mix and the bottom one appears to be a stronger pink-peach with a hint of gold as well.  These are both gorgeous colors that I can't wait to wear with the primer she sent! :)


I had a wonderful time swapping with these three fantastic ladies, and I'm looking forward to future swaps with each of them. :D  I encourage all of you to check out their blogs and follow them, if you aren't already!

Thank you for reading!

We have a winner! :D

Thanks to everyone for being so patient with my giveaway extension.  After tallying up all of the entries (118 entries in total!  You guys are awesome!), I popped it into Random.org.  Winner, #111!


Congratulations, Sarah!
(I'll be emailing you shortly!)

Go check out her blog at www.lacquerish.com!


Thank you to everyone that entered!  I'll surely be throwing another giveaway soon. :)

TRONICA SWATCHES!!! *pic heavy post!*

What what!!!

My girl Janet sent me a text yesterday to say that she'd been to a beautician supply shop in town and that they had new nail polish.  Thinking that it was China Glaze's On Deck collection, I wasn't overwhelmingly excited.  The colors look nice, but nothing that I'm impatient for.  When she replied, though, she said that they had Tronica.

WHAT.

I had a miniature freakout before begging her to take me to pick them up today.  So this is a massive shout out to the totally awesome gal that never seems to get tired of feeding my polish habit.  Janet, hugs, kisses, and massive squishes to you!  Thank you!

My two little lovelies.  I may or may not have squealed like a wee girl in my car after I bought them.

Here is the China Glaze Tronica collection all together.  Don't mind the bracelets holding them in place.  Turns out polishes in round bottles like to roll over and hide their labels.


I'll apologize before I start for a few things.
A) It's winter in Indiana and I wash my hands 234238923 times a day.  All the lotion in the world can't save my skin right now, especially if I'm swatching.
B) Being winter in Indiana, there's no sun out. :(  I'm happy with a collection of holo polishes regardless, but you'll have to wait for another blogger to post sunny pictures.
C) Between my OttLite, my camera, and all of the negative sun going on here, I know that I didn't do these justice.  I really wanted to share the collection with everyone, though! :)

All of the pictures you see are two coats of polish with no top coat, in an effort to make the holo effect stand out more prominently.

Techno Teal

This is maybe my favorite polish of the bunch, but it's very hard to pick just one!  I feel as if this color is comparable to DV8, but I also believe that it's a darker hue of teal.

Hyper Haute

I really loved this color as well!  This was a deep, gorgeous raspberry holo that I can't wait to see out in the sunshine!  Comparable to QT.

 

Virtual Violet

A nice, dark purple holo.  This picture even picked up a bit of the holo effect.  I feel that this polish is comparable to LOL or Color Club's Wild at Heart.

 

Hologram

Silver holo.  This is the only one that I had some issues with.  I didn't feel that the holo effect in this one was as evident as the others.  Also, with such a light color, I did have some balding.  Comparable to OMG.

 

Laser Lime

Lime green holo.  Goes on a bit sheer at first, but can be layered up.  There will still be a bit of VNL with only two coats of the lighter colors, but an extra coat would do the trick.  Comparable to L8R G8R.

 

3D Fantasy

Mmmm, red holo. :)  Comparable to TMI.

 

Cyberspace

This is a light taupe holo.  Very work appropriate.  I wonder how it compares to Butter London All Hail McQueen?  Comparable to (though not a total dupe, in my opinion) FYI.

 

Electra Magenta

I don't know if I would call this one magenta.  I'd be more willing to call Hyper Haute magenta, not this.  I found this one to be a pinky-purple shade.  A purplink. :3  Comparable to BFF.

 

Digital Dawn

I suppose that this is a dusty rose color, but there was so much copper in it that it reminded me more of a certain brand of battery than of a rosy shade.  Not my type of color, but like the rest, the formula is nice and even.  Comparable to TTYL.

 

High Def

I would say that this is more of a medium blue holo.  It's not standard blue, but it's not dusty, light, or sky, either.  Comparable to 2NITE.

 

Gamer Glam

Light purple/saturated lavender holo.  Comparable to IDK.

 

Mega Bite

A gold holo.  Again, not my cup of tea as far as color goes, but everything else about it is just right.  Comparable to GR8.

I haven't yet seen these colors compared to the polishes in the OMG collection, but as I pointed out with each polish I swatched, I feel that they're basically either the same, or so similar that you don't need both.  I own most of the OMG collection, so it's a slight disappointment for me.  However, I think that the Tronica collection is going to be a great way for people to pick up colors that they missed out on when OMG was readily available.  Also, these China Glaze holo polishes look like they're fantastic for stamping, and I've seen some really amazing nail art where they're used.  For avid stampers, having this new-old collection back will probably be very nice.

I personally feel like the formula on these new Tronica holos is better than the formula from the OMG collection.  Maybe I'm imagining things?  I had many issues with streaking and balding with the OMG colors, and I didn't have those issues with these polishes.

Don't forget your holo polish basics!  Wearing a base coat with this formula of polish can be the cause of bald spots and drag, so it's advisable to not wear one at all.  Don't worry about nail staining, though.  Holo polishes seem to have a different pigmentation that doesn't (so far as I know) stain.  Two coats is sufficient for a dark color, maybe three for a lighter shade.  Wearing a top coat over the polish will reduce the rainbow effects, so if you can keep yourself from wearing a top coat, the polish will give you a greater show.

Which Tronica polishes will you be picking up?

Thank you for reading!