Folly

Good morning!! Sorry that I have been MIA. My husband left for deployment on Friday. So it has been a little rough around my house. My eldest has been acting out negatively from this deployment...so it has been pretty hard on momma!

I do have a pretty cute manicure for you all today. This manicure is a few days old, so I do have tip wear and a chip and broken corner on my index finger, all thanks to peeling potatoes.

Here's what I did:
2 coats of Sinful Colors Folly
Then I took every orange/coral/salmon/light pink/yellow I owned and used my dotter tools to add the dots.
Then I did a thick coat of Seche Vite.

I wanted the dots to be flat..and not look like paint over paint. I think I achieved that with the thick coat of Seche Vite.

I really like Folly. It could have gone on in one coat...which is a win in my book!!

I have never done polka dots before. I wanted them to be different sizes...and I think I did a pretty good job for my first polka dot job. :)

What do you all think? Do you like the color combo? The dots? Folly??

Until next time....

Christina


Disclosure *I was not paid for this review. I was not given the polish for this review. I paid for the polish with my own money. This is purely my own opinion, thoughts, and suggestions about this polish.*

I don't give a Rotterdam!

I purchased a few new polishes recently. Two of them were: OPI's I don't give a Rotterdam! (which now I can cross off my wishlist!) and Layla Mercury Twilight. I have been searching for a hologram effect polish for a while now...and $15.50 later, I found one. Sigh.

On to the photos.

Here is OPI's I don't give a Rotterdam! Sorry for the blurry photos...if you see that white skin up on the left upper corner...that's my daughter Seyhan. She was trying to get into all of the photos. Sigh. LOL.

I really like this polish, as I knew I would. It is a light blue with sprinkles, as Seyhan calls them. :)

I used:
1 coat Sally Hansen's Double Duty base coat
1 coat Orly's base coat
2 coats OPI I don't give a Rotterdam!
(I should have used three, to patch up bald spots, but I knew I was painting over it...so I didn't)
1 coat of Seche Vite.

 I really like how this isn't BLUE. It is subtle..and kind of greyish...I love love love it.

Then I decided to try out my Layla Mercury Twilight.

I used:
1 coat Layla Mercury Twilight
1 coat Seche Vite

Ok. I really like this polish...but I do not like it as a one coater. In the house, I can see brush strokes. I wanted this hologram to be a little more sheer to go over other polishes....but that is not the case. You can barely see my beautiful Rotterdam blue.

Out in the sun, it is gorgeous. You can't see brush strokes. No bald spots. Just rainbow goodness.

I think this polish will be amazing by itself. And it better be! For freaking $15.50. SHEESH.

I think this was a great manicure....given my lack of knowledge on these polishes. Next time I will use Mercury Twilight by itself, and do three coats instead of two of I don't give a Rotterdam.

What do you all think of this manicure? Do you know where I can find a sheer hologram polish that layers over polishes well??

Until next time....

Christina



Disclosure *I was not paid for this review. I was not given the polish for this review. I paid for the polish with my own money. This is purely my own opinion, thoughts, and suggestions about this polish.*

Galaxy

I am sure you all are SO sick of seeing Galaxy nails...but I have never tried it...so here we go!

I would have loved to take photos with all the polishes I used...but I would end up with a lot of photos. If you are interested in the colors, I can photograph them together, and list them. But for now we will just call them by their color. Any combination of these colors will work!

Here's my process:
1 coat Sally Henson's Double Duty base coat.
1 coat Orly's base coat.
2 coats Pure Ice Black Rage.
I sponged on the design.
1 coat of Sinful Colors Queen of Beauty
1 coat of Seche Vite

 I used a white, yellow, pink, teal glitter, and a little bit of Hard Candy Beetle. I used my dotter for the white stars. Then added the silver glitter on top for more stars.

I learned how to do this manicure on Youtube. The link to the tutorial is HERE.

It was SOOO easy! Easier than I thought it would be. And I think it turned out beautifully! :D

And the surprising part of it all, this manicure does not feel thick at all. I was worried it would feel like I had a billion coats on...but not at all!!!!

I also found a new cure all for my yuck cuticles. As my readers, you know I have been fighting with them for about a month or so now. I found my cure!!!

Sally Hansen's Instant Cuticle Remover! This stuff is STRONG, so I only use it MAYBE once a week. I don't like to be harsh on my skin...so I try for once every other week. I love it! I follow the directions on the bottle, and this stuff just takes away all the cuticle grossness. I love it! I wash my hands after use, and then apply Solar Oil and lotion. I am so so so happy I found this stuff!!!



Since it is like 10am here in Oklahoma, I thought I would share my morning routine with you all.

I literally sit in front of this computer reading the 70 blogs I am subscribed to. I drink my coffee, and read everything on my reading list. I make breakfast for my munchkins, and then get to work on planning my next manicure, looking at nail polishes, searching for the coveted Connect The Dots polish (which can be bought on ebay for a low price of $89.95!!!), and read read read, comment comment comment. I try so hard to cheer on other nail blogs, comment on new discoveries or awesome manicures, and give any advice if it is asked for. I am working very hard to get this blog going. So I hope all the people I follow do the same thing. Because what I have found in searching for nail blogs: The people with the smallest number of followers always have awesome stuff! No lie. I'm not saying people with a billion followers have lame blogs. They have AMAZING blogs, which is why they have a billion followers. I'm just saying that people like me, who have a few followers, usually have very interesting blogs.

To all you small blogs out there in interweb world: Keep on blogging!! I know I am! Keep up with the dedication and great work! If I have found you, I'm reading!!! If I haven't found you....I WILL!!!

Until next time.....

Christina


Disclosure *I was not paid for this review. I was not given the polish for this review. I paid for the polish with my own money. This is purely my own opinion, thoughts, and suggestions about this polish.*

Beetle Juice

After the crazy thick Whimsical, I decided to swatch another polish that I have been DYING to share.

I recently discovered the Wal-mart near my house carries Hard Candy beauty products. My heart skipped a beat when I noticed the VERY small polish selection. I have seen SO many beautiful Hard Candy polishes, I was delighted to be able to see them in person!

The one I decided to purchase is called Beetle. It was $4.00 and 100% worth every single penny.

Wanna know why??

BAM!

Here's what I did:
1 coat Sally Henson's Double Duty base coat
1 coat Orly's base coat
2 coats Hard Candy Beetle
1 coat Seche Vite top coat

On my ring fingers, or accent fingers, as they are fancily called, I did add a stamping pattern using my Konad Special black polish, with Bundle Monster plate BM-208.

I am SO in love. Inside my house, the polish looks more purple/vintaj brassy. But outside it looks more reddish/greenish. I love how the colors change with each angle. I've never had a polish like this before, and I am SO happy Beetle was my first!

I use Solar Oil as my cuticle oil. Like I have said in previous posts, I swear by this stuff. I love it! I even love its weird smell. :)

All of my photos were taken inside, by a window, with my Nikon D5000.

This polish did come with a metallic plastic heart ring. As cheesy as it looks, I will TOTALLY wear that ring!!! <3

Look at that green! YUM!!

I hope you all enjoyed this manicure. It was super easy and I can't stop staring at my nails!!! The application was sooo smooth. I seriously could have just done one coat of this stuff, but I wanted to make sure it was pretty opaque. I am happy it goes on so beautifully in two coats...I think I will be a bit selfish with this polish! ;)

Is this something you would try? Don't forget to check out Wal-mart for Hard Candy polishes! <3

Until next time....

Christina


Disclosure *I was not paid for this review. I was not given the polish for this review. I paid for the polish with my own money. This is purely my own opinion, thoughts, and suggestions about this polish.*

Milky

Hello all! I am happy to announce we have one more follower! WELCOME Cuti-clue-les! You can find her blog HERE! :D

I have a pretty rad manicure to show you all today! I have been dying to use my Revlon's Whimsical polish, so I did just that today.

I will say, next time I use it, I will put a blue base polish on. Using a pinky one was not the best idea.

Here is my process:
1 coat Sally Hansen Base Coat
1 coat Orly's Base Coat
2 coats OPI's Sweet Heart
3 coats Revlon's Whimsical
1  coat Seche Vite Top Coat.


Here's how it turned out:

My OPI Sweet Heart is literally about a billion years old. It is streaky, thin, and I need to do something about it. I love this color, and it is GREAT for french manicures...but with the consistency it is now...I cannot wear it alone.

 I bought this polish when I was in cosmetology school....about 7 years ago. Lol

Because of the several coats I did....this manicure is a bit thick for my taste. I might re do it right after I post this and try a bright blue under the polish.

I am so in love with this milky color. Yum yum yum.

What do you all think of this polish? Any base colors you can suggest?

Until next time...

Christina


Disclosure *I was not paid for this review. I was not given the polish for this review. I paid for the polish with my own money. This is purely my own opinion, thoughts, and suggestions about this polish.*

Something I like.

Ok, after the last post, I HAD to do a manicure that I would like, and immediately post it!!

So here we go:

About a billion years ago, I bought this China Glaze Shocking Pink. It is still one of my favorites in my collection. It is literally shocking. It is the brightest color I own. It is a neon pink. I love love love love it. Like a lot.

This shot was done with the flash. It is so bright, it hurts your eyes.

Here is my application process:
One coat of Sally Hansen strengthening base coat.
One coat of Orly's base coat.
Two coats of China Glaze Shocking Pink.
I used Konad's special black polish. With Bundle Monster Plate BM-203(I caved and bought it. I'm glad I did, this black polish shows up SO much better than any other polish I've used for stamping.)
A coat of Seche Vite.

Have I already mentioned how much I love this color?

I LOVE  this pattern too! So mod! ;)

The only problem I had with this manicure is: The Konad Special Polish smeared a little when I applied my top coat. Nothing too crazy, but just a little warning to you Konad stampers out there. I think using a thick coat of polish helps the special polish not smear so much. And a delicate hand.

You can kind of see the smear on my middle finger. No biggie though. I will say the clean up with this Konad Polish is a pain. It was tough to get the black off my cuticles and skin. I still have a little bit of black residue on my right hand. But I'm sure that'll come off with washing my hands and such.

Also, I cannot express my love for my Bundle Monster plates enough. I still have yet to find a stamp that didn't work. I'm sure there is one out there...but I haven't found it. I think they are such a great deal!!

Another flash shot.

What did you guys think of this manicure? Would you ever try it?

Until next time....

Christina


Disclosure *I was not paid for this review. I was not given the polish for this review. I paid for the polish with my own money. This is purely my own opinion, thoughts, and suggestions about this polish.*

I fail.

Ok, so I totally fail at not polishing my nails. :( Boo.

Yesterday, my daughter Seyhan and I went to Walgreens, and she helped me pick out some new polish! We got four polishes, but I'm saving two of the names for future posts. ;)

The two I just COULD not wait to try were: Sinful Colors: Big Daddy and Savage.

Oh my golly goodness. I freaking LOVE these colors!

Doesn't that look like some summer yummy goodness??? MMMM. After purchasing these two, I knew I HAD to try something. I loooove love love looooved my manicure I posted yesterday...but can you blame me? Really? Who could resist these beauties?

This photo is with the flash. The pattern and colors kinda make my eyes go bonkers...but I think that is why I love it so much!

No flash.

Here's what I did:
A coat of Sally Hansen's Strengthening base coat.
A coat of Orly's base coat.
Two coats of Sinful Colors Big Daddy.
I used my Bundle Monster plate BM-201 for the pattern. (Isn't it amazing?)
For the pattern: Sinful Colors Savage.
 Then I did a coat of Seche Vite.

 Again, with the flash. Isn't Savage goooorgeous????

No flash.
I am so happy I did this manicure. And I cannot express how much I love these polishes. The application was amazing. The brush is just perfect. And Big Daddy could have gone on in one coat, I just did two to even out any bald patches. I love how opaque both polishes are. It is hard to find solid colors that aren't too sheer these days.

Would you guys try this manicure? What do you think of the color combo?? I want to hear from ya!

Until next time....

Christina

Disclosure *I was not paid for this review. I was not given the polish for this review. I paid for the polish with my own money. This is purely my own opinion, thoughts, and suggestions about this polish.*

Fancy Dots

Hello readers! I've got a fantastic manicure for you! Seriously, I am SO in love with this one!!

Here's what I did:
I used Sally Hensen's strengthening base coat, Orly's base coat, two coats of Essie's Sand Tropez.
Then with my Bundle Monster plate: BM-212 (You can buy this awesome bundle HERE), I added the print with Essie's Merino Cool. After that was dry, I decided to fancy it up a bit, and used my new dotters (TOTALLY worth the $4.50 I spent on Amazon: you can buy them HERE. And let me tell you how amazing their customer service is! I accidentally ordered two packages of these bad boys, and one dotter was missing! So they're having it sent out to me asap! Which then, I will give to a good friend of mine.) and added some gold dots with my Pure Ice Jaguar. I then topped it all off with a coat of Seche Vite.

I did this manicure yesterday, so sorry for any tip wear. After several doctor appointments today, my hands are screaming at me! "Don't use your nails to open that box of matzah bread!" "I can't believe you are scraping stickers off things without a tool!" "YOUR NAILS ARE NOT TOOLS!" (They actually said these things to me.)

I am just so impressed with how well this came out! I wanted a manicure that wasn't too flashy or bright....we are having family photos taken tomorrow...and I don't want to look back and say "OH MY GOSH Christina! Why did you wear that BRIGHT green polish with that outfit!!!" This way, I am safe!

All in all, a great manicure!! I highly suggest the Bundle Monster plates for your Konad stamper, or other brand of stamper! Some reviews have said that some of the stamps don't work very well...but I have not found a pattern that didn't work well! But I still have a ton of other plates to go through, so who knows. For the price, I can't complain! :D

Being a nail polish addict, I am trying NOT to paint my nails again until after the shoot tomorrow....wish me luck!

Until next time....

Christina

Disclosure *I was not paid for this review. I was not given the polish for this review. I paid for the polish with my own money. This is purely my own opinion, thoughts, and suggestions about this polish.*

Konad

Saturday I received my Konad stamper and two plates (m57 & m60) that I ordered!! I cannot explain how happy I am to finally have this awesomeness!! It is uber easy to use, fast, and it looks awesome. I will say that you do need to practice practice practice to get the stamps to look okay.

I got the double stamper, mainly because of my children and their tiny fingers. I did some dots on my daughter, Seyhan's nails last night, and it looked so awesome. The best part, it dried crazy fast. So I didn't have to worry about her little fingers getting polish all over my house.

Last night I tried out different polishes, and different designs on my nails. I will admit that I was getting very frustrated. It is hard for me to get the pattern straight onto my nail. The stamps aren't big enough for my fat thumbs, so I need to figure out what to do there. (Any suggestions?)

ALSO, I did not buy the Konad special polish. I'm thinking that I might HAVE to at least buy the white and the black. My white polish isn't goopy enough, and doesn't show up as well as I'm sure the special polish would. I was trying to avoid buying the special polish, because it is kind of expensive. $6.00 for polish that is goopy like old polish? Sheesh. So maybe I will have to goop up my black and white and see how that works.

After receiving my Julep polishes, I could not wait to use them! So here is Alicia. I think it looks great with my skins. I used a basecoat (Orly), two coats of Julep Alicia, the pattern, and a coat of Seche Vite.

Now, with my cuticles, I have been having one heck of a time getting them used to all the pampering that I have been giving them. They've been peeling and cracking. And I have been using oils, lotions, and scrubs. I think they're just like "whoa, we had no attention for years, and now all of a sudden you want to love us again???" I think they're rebelling. Typical.

For this look I used the dot pattern on my m60 plate. I think these nails turned out adorable. I will for sure be doing it again.

Until next time...

Christina

Disclosure *I was not paid for this review. I was not given the polish for this review. I paid for the polish with my own money. This is purely my own opinion, thoughts, and suggestions about this polish.*

HAPPY MAIL!

I just checked the mail, and it wasn't my Konad....but it was my Julep Maven order!!! I became a Maven, and I will be getting a box of nail goodies every month! I have been CRAZY excited about these products!! If you would like to become a Maven, go HERE. You won't regret it, I know I don't! For $19.99 a month, you can get $40.00 worth of product sent to your door! Amazing, huh??

Here is what I received today!!

Why some of my photos uploaded sideways, I will never know. I'm no computer whiz. Boo.

Any who, I received the colors Alicia and Portia. I also received a nail file, and a glycolic hand scrub. If you guys have not used glycolic products, you are missing out. Glycolic is an acid that penetrates the skin very well. It sloughs off dead skin cells, exposing new ones. Seriously, this stuff will make your hands feel like a baby's behind! ;) I am SO very excited about all of these products! I have been oohing and ahhing at Julep products for a while now, and I am FINALLY able to purchase them!! I can't wait to write a review on the polish and hand scrub!!! <3

Until next time...

Christina