I think I read a blog post or tweet once that said bloggers shouldn't apologize for being absent but just come back when they're ready to with an explanation. I don't know if you guys agree with that, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging, thinking I just wasn't coming back - I am! This weekend I'm hoping to swatch some polishes on my little baby nubs (sounds awkward, whatever) and then have some posts next week. Hopefully. If not, I have time off from the 17th-27th between jobs and can absolutely catch up then! Thanks for sticking with me, guys.

xoxo,
Amanda

Technical Difficulties!

Hey everyone, sorry for the radio silence. My computer crashed last week in the midst of an already very stressful week and I lost all of the swatches and manis I had to show you guys. Until I have time and energy to swatch again, it'll be quiet here. Don't forget though, you can comment on my posts once each per person and each will count as an entry in my giveaway (you will just have to enter them one per day in the Rafflecopter widget) - this post counts for commenting as well!

xoxo,
Amanda

Leftover Rainbows

Well, in all the hullabaloo of trying to keep up with challenges, I swatched far more rainbow-themed polishes than I'd realized. I'm only now finding the hidden folders of rainbows! Here's a few for today :)

Nfu Oh 66, which is the green holo. This is two coats and I took these in my lightbox, no base coat or top coat. The formula on these is tricky: WAIT between coats and you should be fine, but I was a bit impatient and you may notice some bald/thin spots. Or maybe you won't, because you'll be mesmerized by the holo.

I swear I also swatched the light blue one (65) but the swatch eludes me. I'm losing it. Anyway, it's like the green one but baby blue. :)

Deborah Lippmann Let's Go Crazy is a deep purple based rainbow glitter jelly. I got this for a ridiculously good deal on HSN for $8 back in the day (Amanda did too, because I told her about the deal. she's welcome.) I have to own pretty much all of DL's versions of rainbow glitter because she really started all of these shenanigans, and I love it.

These pictures are three coats and it's still pretty sheer but the glitter takes away from that, I think. I stopped at 3 coats because IRL this wasn't as patchy but, of course, lightboxes and bright lights are bound to show all the flaws.

Okay, done with rainbows for now... probably for a little while but believe it or not, I have even MORE swatches saved up. Rainy day vault photos, someday.

xoxo,
Amanda

Glimmer by Erica Sweethearts

Hey everyone! Happy Tuesday! Today is my one day of outreach so this morning I'll be driving all over and then at work later for a bit, still out at 4 so I can't complain! The weather is getting nicer here which is making it so much easier to be a New Englander :)

Today I have a quick swatch for you of a Valentine's Day polish I bought, but it's actually pretty appropriate for any time of year. Glimmer by Erica Sweethearts is below, layered over white undies. There's a whole rainbow of hexes in here and pink matte hearts (my main reason for loving this, obviously).

I used two coats of Sweethearts just because with milky-based glitters, I prefer to use two layers to still get some of the layering effect of glitter and the base color. I love the combination of glitters in this and think it's sheer enough that it could easily be used over a base color and just mute it while incorporating the glitter. I also LOVE the label - I'm a sucker when there's a custom label that's different for each polish (versus a brand's logo and then a separate label with the polish name).

xoxo,
Amanda

Nails Inc Sprinkles!

Happy Easter! (if you celebrate, if not, Happy Sunday!) Today I have two of the Nails Inc Sprinkles for you guys. A Lacquered Affair and I were talking on twitter and realized we both had two of them, and neither of us had tried them. Of course, this became a challenge for us to try them and post together. I'm not sure which two she has, so it'll be interesting to see if our tastes matched up ;)

Pudding Lane is a blue base with purple and gold glitter scattered in. I used about 2.5 coats: two full coats then I went back over to fill in any bald spots. This glitter GOT ALL OVER ME. Glitter herpes to the max. Also, you can see my bottle is deformed somehow... nobody else has had their bottle look like mine but c'est la vie!

My other pick from this collection was Sweets Way, a white crelly base with pink and blue glitter. This is three coats and in the future I'd probably start with a white creme base since you can still see some VNL, though the glitter distracts you from seeing it IRL. This was super delicate and I loved it!

What do you think? Don't forget to stop over at A Lacquered Affair to see her choices!

xoxo,
Amanda

Quick Post and Plug

Hey everyone! First up: I'm having a blog sale, I've made a list rather than taking photos since this will be easier to keep up with so please check it out. I have some black label OPI, lots of indies, some limited edition China Glazes, etc. I didn't list shipping because I'll figure it out on a case-by-case basis depending on country, how many you want, etc. but I'll be reasonable (starting around $2). Email me at az270890@yahoo.com if you're interested in anything! The document is here.

Onto the swatch of the day, an old one from when I was growing my nails out and apparently my cuticles rebelled. This is 2 coats of Julep Charlotte, a pretty purple creme.

I added Pretty and Polished Hello Dolly. There's two photos because the first one is the most awkward hand pose ever but shows the polish better than the second where my hand is normal *shrugs*

xoxo,
Amanda

Rainbows: Candy Lacquer Spam!

Happy Thursday! Today is my Friday since I don't work Fridays so I'm pretty pumped for that. Today I have about a million Candy Lacquer swatches because I apparently have been hoarding them in my vault not to mention some recent ones so go grab some popcorn or another snack, get some water, and go potty before we begin. Go ahead, I'll wait. The polishes will be under the cut whenever you're ready (I have EIGHT to show you).

Color Club Linear Holos!

Hey guys. No secret that I've been TERRIBLE about challenges this month so I'll be taking a break from them next month. It was getting discouraging to have so many obligations when I was behind on blogging so I am going to take a break and get some blogging mojo back before I pick up again in May (hopefully). Here's a few rainbow manis to catch me up and satisfy the March requirements ;) These are all from Color Club's 2012 Halo Hues.

First up is Harp on It and Blue Heaven. You probably didn't even realize this is two different polishes in this swatch at first glance but the left side is Harp on It and right is Blue Heaven. The second photo shows the difference a little better but it's still pretty close. I included a bottle shot too so you can see the colors in the bottle, which look different.

And secondly (and finally) is Cloud Nine which is one of the pinks. The linear holo is so strong in these you can't even tell what the base color is sometimes! This was pretty, I should really wear holos more often.

There we go! Did you guys get any of the Halo Hues? I got Eternal Beauty from the new ones and that's it.

xoxo,
Amanda

Inspired by... Pinterest!

Hi everyone, sorry I've been so lazy with these lately. I tried a gradient recently and I think it was enough for me to swear off nail art forever lol. Anyway, my Pinterest nails today are inspired by Dressed Up Nails' Dotty Hearts post. She did hers in a number of colors so each nail was different but I just chose two colors to alternate. Basically, the technique here is to use dots to create dot shapes and then outline it in another color. I used the same dotting tool but applied different amounts of pressure to get varying sizes and then went back with a tiny one to fill in gaps. The teal ones came out pretty cool but the purple on pink is a bit more subtle than I'd hoped.

Oh! The base color is Julep Carrie and the dots are Sinful Colors Sweet Nothing and Sweet Tooth. Go see what Amanda's got for you! (PS this entry counts for additional comments for my giveaway I posted earlier if you comment and let me know in the Rafflecopter widget!)

xoxo,
Amanda

Spring Giveaway!

Hi everyone! I promised a March giveaway but never posted the prize, so the March giveaway will run over into April. The prize is very springy so it fits for both months and some surprises will also be included :)

China Glaze Pink-ie Promise, Sally Hansen Glass Slipper, Claire's Candy Shop, China Glaze Ray-diant, and Different Dimensions Rainbows & Butterflies 

Please note: these prizes have been swatched once, if you do not want to win used polishes please do not enter.

This is available to US only - sorry international followers :( If you are under 18, must have parent's permission to enter except in special exceptions according to your state. Multiple entries for the same person will be disqualified. Begins 3/25/13 at midnight and ends 4/30/13 at midnight EST. Winner will have 48 hours to respond by email or another winner will be chosen.

NOTE: YOU MUST COMMENT ON THIS POST TO ENTER. Lots of entries, only 6 comments!



 a Rafflecopter giveaway

xoxo,
Amanda