Happy New Year!

My New Year's Eve mani... It's soooooooo sparkly!

 

 

Black - Who Are You Calling Bossy?!? by OPI

Silver - This Gown Needs A Crown by OPI

Glitter - Desperately Seeking Sequins by OPI

Star Wars Lightsaber Mani

I'm going to see Star Wars today.  This is the "Lightsaber" mani that I did for the occasion.

Black - Storm by Zoya
Blue - UV Meant To Be by China Glaze
Silver - Sci-Fi by China Glaze

Merry Christmas!

Red - Phat Santa by China Glaze
Glitter WHAM! by Formula X

Holo-day Cheer

Tips - Christmas Gone Plaid by OPI
Glitter - Holo-day Cheer by Cirque

I did it again, Just Be-Claws I liked it.

I enjoyed my last mani so much that I decided to do it again using different colors.

 

Black - Who Are You Calling Bossy?!? by OPI

Red - Just Be-Claws by China Glaze

Glitter - Holiday by Darling Diva

Santa Red My List.... is Pink!

While going through my "haven't worn yet" stash I found this pretty pink foil polish, Santa Red My List.  It's from the 2013 Happy HoliGlaze Collection by China Glaze.  The name puzzles me.  There is absolutely nothing red about this color.  It's a beautiful fuchsia pink. But, the name aside it's an awesome one coater.  I can't believe that I let this sit around unused for so long.  The silver foil that I used is Cheers To You. It's from the 2010 Tis The Season To Be Naughty And Nice Collection by China Glaze.  It's my favorite silver polish EVER.  I've used it so much that the bottle is almost empty! As with all holiday collections, it was a limited edition.  So, I'm going to have to go hunting around on ebay or Amazon for another one.  The glitter polish is Call The Doctor by Darling Diva.

Silver - Cheers To You by China Glaze
Pink - Santa Red My List by China Glaze
Glitter - Call The Doctor by Darling Diva

Friday Funnies

Christmas Pudding

Hello!  It's been a while but, I'm back.  Just in time for my favorite season for nail art, CHRISTMAS!  I've seen many versions of this "Christmas Pudding" manicure and I wanted to try it out. 

Brown - Suzi Loves Cowboys by OPI
White - White Out by China Glaze
Red - Got The Blues For Red by OPI
Green - Christmas Gone Plaid by OPI

Review - Mont Bleu Glass Nail Files

*Product sent to me for review*

I am a huge fan of glass nail files (also known as crystal nail files).  I first tried one 6 years ago and haven't used a standard cardboard nail file since.  Glass files are so much better for your nails than traditional files.  They seal the layers of the nail which prevents peeling and chipping, a big difference from those cardboard nail files which seem to shred the nail apart.  Glass files are way more cost effective since they last practically forever and don't wear out (just don't drop it because it may break) and I love that they can be washed and sanitized.

Recently, I was contacted by The Mont Bleu Company.  The company is based in Prague, Czech Republic and they have been making beautiful glass nail files for more than 10 years.  They also produce a range of other cosmetic tools decorated with Swarovski crystals. They contacted me and asked if I would be willing to review their glass nail files and of course I responded with an enthusiastic YES! They sent two nail files for me to try.  One is beautifully hand painted and the other is decorated with Swarovski crystals.  These files are gorgeous!

 

I was curious to see how long it would take for the files to arrive considering that they were coming from the Czech Republic, but to my surprise the package was here pretty quickly.  They arrived in a sturdy gift box and each file has its own velvet sheath.

 

These are great quality files.  I'll admit that filing is my least favorite part of nail maintenance, but using these pretty files made it much more enjoyable. They feel very durable and file the nail softly and smoothly. 

Here is a close up of the Swarovski crystals.  I really love the color combination and the way they sparkle.

The hand painted file is beautiful as well.  The design goes down a bit far on to the filing surface, but the reverse side doesn't have the design on it, so that is the side that I used.

 

 Here's a close up of the hand painting.

 

 

I really love these files.  It may be early, but these would make great Christmas/Holiday gifts for friends.  There are many designs and color combinations to choose from, so there is something for everyone's taste. 

If you've never tried a glass nail file, you should and I would recommend that you try Mont Bleu files.  Here are just a few reasons why:

Hygiene  
Glass nail files do not absorb and can be easily sterilized.
Durability
Glass nail files made of Czech hardened glass are almost unbreakable in everyday use.
Longevity
Filing surface has a lifelong guarantee.
Safety 
The ends of glass nail files have been polished by hand.

You can find Mont Bleu files and cosmetic tools here:

http://www.design-glassware.com/

You can also find them on instagram, Facebook and twitter.

http://instagram.com/montbleueu

http://www.facebook.com/MontBleu

https://twitter.com/montblue

Happy Filing!

*Product sent to me for review*

Friday Funnies

Essie Bridal 2015 Collection - My Picks

Each year Essie releases a bridal collection just in time for wedding season.  The 2015 collection has 6 polishes, 4 sheers and 2 cremes.  Here are my picks:   

 

Tying The Knotie is a classic sheer pink.

Hubby For Dessert was my favorite.  It's a sheer pale lavender and different than anything that I have in my collection.  It's beautiful and I love how unique it is.  This is a must have.

 

Brides No Grooms is a bright "bachelorette" pink.  Pretty, but nothing unique.

Desert Escape Collection - My Picks

The Desert Escape Collection by China Glaze is a collection of 6 polishes for summer 2015.  At first I wasn't "wowed" by this collection.  I saw several swatches online and just wasn't impressed.  BUT, while I was away on vacation I spotted the display and HAD to have these two.

Don't Desert Me is a fuchsia metallic shimmer.  It was a bit brush strokey, but it wasn't too noticeable.  It does leans a tiny bit on the frosty side, but not enough to bother me.  I'm not of fan of frosty finish polishes.  This one I actually really loved.

 

The Heat Is On is a bright orange red polish with a jelly like finish.  I loved this color.  It was SO shiny!  This would be a great color for a summer pedicure too!

Friday Funnies

This week's Friday Funny is dedicated to my number 1 follower.  (They know who they are.)

Forget Me Not

Forget me not is a vibrant periwinkle blue polish with scatter holographic sparkles.

 

Picture Polish - Forget Me Not

Butterfly Queen

I always wear Shellac when I travel.  So, I was super excited when I saw this new shade from their summer 2015 Garden Muse collection.  I scooped it up and set it aside to wear on my June vacation.  It's a bright fuchsia with pink and purple sparkles.  I loved this!  It wore extremely well.  Two weeks without any tip wear or chips! 

 

Shellac - Butterfly Queen

Happy 4th of July!

I'm back!  I've been away on a summer vacation, but I'm here just in time to post my 4th of July mani.  I normally do a fun red, white and blue design.  This year I wanted something different and "Lady Liberty" by Cirque was just perfect!  I topped it of with a coat of "Fairy Dust" by China Glaze to add some sparkle.  Have a safe and happy 4th of July!!!

 

Nails - China Glaze, Fairy Dust

Tips - Cirque, Lady Liberty

Design - Nail Sticker

Friday Funnies

Orly Sweet Dreams and Candy Shop

Here's another mani that I did using polishes from Orly's Sugar High Collection.  Sweet Dreams is a gray-ish taupe with pink and purple shimmer.  Candy Shop is a dark mauve crème (which was also used in the previous post).

 

Nails - Orly Sweet Dreams

Tips - Orly Candy Shop

Orly Sugar High

This spring Orly released the Sugar High Collection of 6 polishes.   Orly's description of this collection is,  "Deliciously whimsical colors take your inner girly girl on a candy-coated romp through the incredibly edible treats of childhood. Buttery frosting, delicate pink, a twist of lime, licorice and raspberry indulge your innermost cravings."

In addition to the full size polishes, they offered a set of 4 mini's which is what I chose to purchase.  I did a gradient using 3 of them. 

Cake Pop is a very pale pink toned crème. 
Key Lime Twist is a yellow pastel neon crème. 
Candy Shop is dark mauve crème.
  

 

Orly - Cake Pop

Orly - Key Lime Twist

Orly - Candy Shop

Design - KSP White, Image Plate BM310

Friday Funnies

Givers Theme and History Of The World

Here are the final two polishes that I chose from the Giver Collection.  Givers Theme is a medium purple crème polish.  History Of The World is a dusty navy blue crème polish.  I added a little bit of Sally Hansen glitter polish to the index finger just for fun. 

 

China Glaze - Givers Theme (Purple)

China Glaze - History Of The World (Blue)

Sally Hansen - Grape Shifter (Glitter)

Boundary Of Memory

Boundary Of Memory is another shade from the Giver Collection.  It's a black, silver and copper full coverage glitter polish.  It was opaque in two coats!

 

China Glaze - Boundary Of Memory

The Outer Edge

The Outer Edge is another polish that I chose from the Giver Collection by China Glaze.  It's a white and silver glitter topper in a clear base.  I'm wearing it over Friends Forever, Right (which was featured in the previous post) on the tips.

China Glaze - The Outer Edge

Friends Forever, Right?

Recently the movie, The Giver was on TV.  I didn't see it when it was in theaters, but I did purchase several of the nail polishes from The Giver Collection that was released in conjunction with the film.  It was a limited edition collection of 12 polishes (10 crème and 2 glitter).  I chose to purchase 5 of them.  The polishes have been sitting in my "haven't worn yet" stash for quite some time.  Watching the movie inspired me to get them out and wear them.  The first one I chose to wear was, Friends Forever, Right? 

Friends Forever, Right? is a very, very pale pink crème.  It's so pale that some might mistake it for white, but it's not.  When compared to a pure white, you can definitely see the pink tone.  It's subtle, but it's there.  I love the look if this polish.  I don't have anything quite like it in my collection.

  

Memorial Day Mani

 

China Glaze - Bermuda Breakaway

Friday Funnies

OPI - That's Hula-rious

That's Hula-rious is the second shade that I chose from the Spring/Summer 2015 Hawaii Collection from OPI.  It's a light mint green cream that I am in love with.  The name is pretty cute too!  It was a bit streaky on the first coat, but evened out after the second. 

 

OPI - That's Hula-rious

OPI - This Color's Making Waves

This is one of the two polishes that I chose from OPI's Hawaii Collection that was released for Spring/Summer 2015.  It's a blue/green shimmer with tiny pink and gold flecks.  It went on very sheer and took three coats.  I'm not loving it that much.  It's a bit too frosty for me. 

 

OPI - This Color's Making Waves

Mary Kay Paradise Calling Collection Spring 2015

This Spring Mary Kay launched its Paradise Calling Collection.  It consists of three nail polishes that are inspired by warm tropical destinations.

Lagoon is a blue-ish green cream and was my favorite formula wise.  It went on smoothly and covered evenly in two thin coats.

 

 

Tropical Paradise was my least favorite when it comes to formula.  The color is a beautiful, bright reddish orange crème, but the polish itself was very thick making it difficult to work with.  It stained my cuticles during clean up (as you can see in the photo below... NOT pretty) and also stained them horribly upon removal.

 

 

Exotic Orchid is a beautiful, bright orchid crème and it's my favorite shade of the collection.  The formula was easy to work with.  It applied smoothly and evenly in two thin coats. 

 

Friday Funnies

Essie Flowerista

Flowerista is the only polish that I chose from the Essie spring 2015 collection.  It's described as a "passionate plum dahlia."  I've read that it is THEE pedicure color for this spring.  I love this shade!  You can bet that this will be going on my toes next. 

Essie - Flowerista

Essie Cashmere Matte Collection - My Picks

The Cashmere Matte Collection by Essie is made up of 6 polishes with a satin-matte finish. I didn't like the look of these polishes matte so, I added top coat.  Here are my picks:

 

Coat Couture is a blue-ish gray with blue shimmer.

Comfy In Cashmere is a taupe shade with blue shimmer.

Just Stitched is a pale baby pink with blue shimmer. 

Friday Funnies

Limited Edition Picture Polish Vampy Chameleons Collection - My Picks

Picture Polish recently released their limited addition Vampy Chameleons collection.  The collection consists of 6 mulitchrome polishes, some with scatter holographics and some without.  I chose the following 4.  Get these while you can!!!

Desire is a red scatter holographic with a blue and purple multichrome effect.

 

Obsession is a blood red polish with a blue and purple multichrome effect.

 

 

Scandal is a blood red scatter holographic with a pink and green multichrome effect.

 

 

Poison is a blood red polish with a pink and green multichrome effect.

 

 

NARS - Algonquin and Sherwood

Algonquin and Sherwood are from the NARS Holiday 2014 collection.  The collection was released with three shades, but I only chose to purchase two.  The colors didn't seem very "holiday" to me, so I put them away until now.  I enjoyed them both very much and actually wore them for several days, which is rare since I usually change my polish daily.  

Algonquin is a grey-ish lavender with pink, blue and silver sparkles.

 

Sherwood is a coppery, shimmery mauve.  I've been looking for a nail color like this for quite a long time.  I'm thrilled to have finally found it!