Valentine's Day Nail Ideas

Hey everybody. You may or may not know that I love Valentine's Day. I love hearts, pink, purple, and candy so it's the perfect time of year for me to get all of that in one day! I tend to look at it more like a day to express fondness for others and not just a significant other so it's kind of like Thanksgiving for people... if that makes any sense. Anyway, the big day is tomorrow so I did some nail art (ha. loosely using the term) and wanted to show you!

First up was a really easy look I did using glequins. I started with a base of Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely in Love (very apropos name, right?). Like its name sake, this polish was a little tough to work with and sheer. (Just kidding, low blow? I don't really have any feelings towards Kim Kardashian but I couldn't resist.) I think this was 3 coats. Then I made the red glequins into a heart shape on my accent nails - voila! Instant easy nail art!

 Next up, I tried to get a little more creative. My base color here is Catherine Arley Hologram (I'm not sure if that's the name or the collection name but it's the only identifier I found on the bottle) which is a red scattered holo. Then I grabbed my white Migi pen and went to work with some different heart designs. I really grew fond of my middle finger's design but wasn't sure if anyone would know what it was. And I realize some of my hearts on my pinky look like Mickey Mouse. Shut up.

Finally I have another simple mani if you have heart glitters. I used OPI DC Cherry Blossom as a base and put a row of heart glitters across in a couple patterns. The alternate nails are just topped with I Lily Love You (another apropos name) which I'm pretty meh about. Super simple and I love the base color!

What do you plan for your nails this Valentine's Day?

xoxo,
Amanda

Pink Wednesday & Hello Kitty!

Hey everyone, happy belated Christmas and happy Kwanzaa and happy festivus! Christmas Eve and Day were so busy for me I completely forgot about posting, oops! I did show you my Christmas nails if you follow me on Instagram, though... not a total fail. (Ok, it still is.)

To make it up to you, I have some more of the Hello Kitty collection from Hits. I'm pretty much obsessed with these and if they ever release another trio I'll certainly buy it. One of my swatches is also a pink base so that TOTALLY counts for Pink Wednesday, right?! (See, sometimes being late is awesome.)

First up is Blueberry, a nice periwinkle-blue creme. This was 1-2 coats (I forgot, ahhhhh!) and it applied really easily, like all the cremes in this collection.

Next up, I used Julep Reese for the base:

And did a gradient of Hits Fizzy on top, which was the only glitter of the HK collection. I always do my gradients using Orly Smudge Fixer... basically I dab the glitter on the tip and use Smudge Fixer to "smudge" the glitter across the nail, like you see here :)

So Hello Kitty? Win. Hits? Win. Glitter and awesome cremes? Win win win! Now go check out some other winners for their glitter swatches from yesterday, Amanda and Madeline!

xoxo,
Amanda

Lazy 15: Favorite Color (bonus: Pink Wednesday)

Hey guys and gals! Happy Hump Day :) Not too much to say today so let's jump right in!

Today's challenge is your favorite color, and mine happens to be purple... but I also love pink. I was torn, what do I choose? And then I remembered a certain indie brand's spring/summer duo I purchased and realized I could cheat and show you both under the guise of being thorough and showing you a full collection at once. I'm sneaky, aren't I?

First up is Hare Rad Cloud, which is a purple base with pink, orange, blue, and purple glitter in it.  The glitter on this was incredible! I couldn't believe how much glitter was in that base considering how comparably sparse it looks in the bottle! Application was really easy, no fishing or pushing - just apply like you would any creme. This is two (or possibly 3?) coats with no base color.

Here's where Pink Wednesday comes in: The other half of the duo is Magic Mist, which is a pink base with pink, orange, blue, and purple glitter (she might have used the same glitters but different bases? whatever. looks good to me! haha). This base seems more like a creme to me and Rad Cloud looks more like a jelly. Both were easy to work with though Magic Mist was a little thick and I'll have to thin it in the future. This is three coats with no base. Also, excuse the glitter herpes, or GLERPES, as Amanda and I like to call them.

 

So there's my cheating way of showing you both my favorite colors. Check out what the other challengees came up with!


xoxo,
Amanda

Pink Wednesday & Lazy 15: Dots

Hello everyone. Not feeling so chatty... quite a few things have me a bit upset lately but not getting into that here. Just understand my posts might be a bit quiet for a little while.

I'm back with another day of the Lazy 15 challenge and today's challenge is dots.

I started off with China Glaze Sexy Lady (one of my untrieds, I should get extra credit for mine and Madeline's November Untried Challenge, too) which was two coats of pink perfection (AND it's a pink... on a Wednesday!). Also, yes. My nails are complete nubbins right now and no, I don't want to talk about it.

Then, I got creative and made a "subliminal" message in my dots. I used my neon orange and yellow Migi pens and there's a little message in there in my dots!

I wasn't too impressed with myself because moments after making my dots, I managed to smudge a couple nails on a stray hair that miraculously dove off my head into my manicure. (You might also see my middle finger dots are no where near straight lines but... when you see what the shape on that nail was subliminally, you'll understand why I was struggling. Also, it was late.) I added some matte top coat which did anything but disguise the mistakes...

If you want to see the "subliminal" message (I admit, it's tricky to see...) check below the cut, after the pictures of all my fellow challengers manis!

xoxo,
Amanda

Pink Wednesday: Swatches and Review Styler Design

Hi girls! I'm writing this post at 11pm on Sunday so please excuse me if I sound a) depressed or b) sleepy, because I am both. (Depressed because tomorrow - today - is Monday, and that means I have a work week ahead of me starting today, boo!)

Today I am lucky enough to have some polishes sent to me by Sarah at Styler Design. Sarah makes really unique polishes and I'm really excited to show you what she sent me for review. Here we go!

Someone remind me to stop trying to be artsy with my photos.

 First up is Fire Dog, which is a clear base with black and white hex glitters. I layered this over my new Hits Hello Kitty collection Apple (I was seriously dying to try it, and this was a perfect opportunity).

Just Apple. It's so squishy and prettyyyy! 2 coats

 Then I added two coats of Fire Dog. The application on this was tricky because I had to do some fishing since the glitter kept settling to the bottom (you can see in the photos). Swirling the 3 balls inside helped a bit but the white ones were stubborn! I'm going to add some Fix a Flat and I think it'll perk it right up :)

But, I do LOVE the combination of this one. You may know from Twitter that I am constantly on the search for a good black and white glitter and this fit the bill. It was definitely unique in my stash, where I tend to have B&W glitter with bars, hexes, hearts, etc. and it was nice to see just a plain B&W hex one that will work over so many bases and let the color scheme really stand out. I loved it against Apple! It's also SUPER shiny!

Next up is Coral Splash which I LOVE. Coral Splash is a jelly base with multicolored small glitters in it. I applied two coats by itself (no base coat) and it went on like butter. It's basically an instant jelly sandwich. The glitter in this one was sparse at times but definitely makes for a fun effect and I loved it. I wanted to wear this as my NOTD but it didn't match my costume so I couldn't :( It'll be perfect for summer!

Finally, I have Kiley.  This is a sheer, jelly-ish pink base with varying colors of pink glitters in it. It reminds me a lot of Lex Cosmetics Tuilleries (which is a huge compliment, since, you know, Tuilleries was based on my color story!). This was really easy to work with. It self leveled so I didn't have any issues with bumps or globbing and it was very subtle; this could definitely work for work. I didn't know the best look so I layered it over different colors to show it in an ombre. Left to right (or pointer to pinky): over Mattese Elite neon pink, Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream, Sinful Colors white, and 3 coats by itself.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Coral Splash was definitely my favorite of the three but they're all so great! Styler Design is available via her Etsy shop and are $8.75 for full size or you can buy 3 minis for $14.25.

xoxo,
Amanda

Pink Wednesday Featuring Aquadaisy Kesha's Floor Sweepings

Hi girls! Another week is upon us but most of us Americans have a short week Labor Day! Weeee! Did you guys do anything fun over the weekend? I tend to use my weekends for a lot of relaxing lately, which makes me feel very ancient since I catch myself saying things like, "She's way too young to dress like that!" or "I don't really feel like drinking, I think I might go to bed." Ahhh, aging. So fun. ;)

Today's polish is very special to me because a) it's related to one of my heroes, Ke$ha, and b) a dear dear friend, Jamie, gave it to me! It's Ke$ha's Floor Sweepings by Aquadaisy! This is the only polish I have from Aquadaisy and somehow it sat untried for a while. I admit, this is a swatch and not a NOTD but it definitely convinced me to wear it more!

I wore KFS over two coats of Essie French Affair (one of my favorite pinks, can you tell?) and application was flawless. One easy coat, no fishing, dabbing, or pushing around. Just pure glitter awesomeness. Also, I can imagine this is exactly what Ke$ha's floor must look like. Or what I wish my tiles looked like in my bathroom or kitchen.

Low light to show the colors and holo glitter

Flash

Under my "natural light" lamp

I'm not usually a fan of holo glitter, but this polish was perfect. The combination of holo glitter with colors of glitter and the easy application completely sold me! Aquadaisy is available via her Etsy shop and retails for $9 each plus shipping.

xoxo,
Amanda

Pink Wednesday Comparison: Lex Cosmetics vs. Ulta

Hey girls! Quick comparison swatches today! For a while, I was stuck on finding the perfect pale pink polish (this all began with OPI Play the Peonies). In this process, I've acquired quite a few similar pinks, and unfortunately, quite a few super-sheer ones I have no use for. As I searched through my stash here at my apartment (I took only two shoe-boxes of my stash from my dad's) I realized I brought two pale pinks that were nearly identical and thought you guys might want to see. If you don't, avert your eyes now...jerk.

On the left, we have Lex Cosmetics Sweetie Pie and on the right is Ulta Baby Doll. I swear, the nicknames are just a coincidence!

Two coats; both are streaky and not evened out

Three coats; opaque, VNL might be showing on a natural nail, though

Three coats

As you can see, they are fairly similar. Lex Cosmetics is a touch less opaque, but they could be built up to the same opacity easily. The main difference is that Ulta's is a hair pinker than Lex's, but similar enough I'd say you don't need both. If I had to choose, I'd choose Lex just because I like that she donates to charity and has colors created by the fans with stories behind them. Lex Cosmetics is available online at www.lexcosmetics.com for $10 per bottle, with $1 going to a charity picked by the inspiration (BTW, my color is on there too, check out Tuilleries!). Ulta is found, obviously, in Ulta stores and at www.ulta.com for around $2-6, depending on sales.

xoxo,
Amanda

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink: Zoya Renee

Hello hello! How is everyone's week going? I'm noticing my makeup and jewelry posts aren't viewed or commented too often; I've heard you loud and clear! LOL I'm going to include them from time-to-time but I'll be more focused on nails from here on out... or at least I'll do my best as long as my nails cooperate :)

Today I have for you a very lovely crelly polish by Zoya: Renee! I got this on clearance at Ulta way back when and there were literally three nearly identical colors and my ex had to help me narrow it down to pick just one, which was Renee. I just got around to wearing it recently and here she is in all her glory (my cuticles, though, are in no glory. Ignore those scene-stealing jerks.)

I only have one photo of this lovely because a) it was nighttime so there was no natural light to speak of b) I have no room in my apartment for a lightbox and c) it was the only one where I wasn't completely dissatisfied with my photography skills. Okay, I'm done with my self-criticism.

Here I used two coats and no top coat. I ended up going back to add another coat and TC because I just wanted to make sure it was all even and perfect. This is a crelly type finish; it was more opaque than a jelly, but not quite creme and very squishy looking IRL. It's much more magenta IRL as well, this makes it look like a mauve-y pink.

What do you ladies think?

Pink Wednesday; Vidanail Sugar Peach

Happy Pink Wednesday! Today's post is an old NOTD using this polish I got on Amazon.com. The brand is produced in Korea (I believe, it's an Asian country but don't quote me on Korea...) but sold from California. It was $2.99 with free shipping, so I bought this and a purple one! Here's one coat of Vidanail Sugar Peach:

Upon closer inspection, I really should have done two coats, but one did just fine to the naked eye. As you can see, Sugar Peach is a pale peach-pink creme. The formula was good, although I should mention that it didn't smell B3F. I've been really into colors like this lately, and this was no exception! Shiny, cheap, good formula, cute writing on the bottle - I'm sold! What do you think?

xoxo,
Amanda

Pink Wednesday: Nicole by OPI Wear Something Spar-Kylie

Hey everyone! Happy Hump Day, hope your week is going well! It's weird being back to work for a normal work week after Thanksgiving break, but in a good way I guess - I need to make that moolah! Anyway...
Today I have NOPI Wear Something Spar-Kylie from the Kardashian Kollection (ew, I hate when people change letters to look cutesy like that). This is a lovely, medium pink which leans a little orange/coral. I used two coats and it was pretty easy application. Removal, however, was a nightmare, as you can all probably imagine. The pictures below are before top coat; this one was a top coat eater so it needed a few to get rid of the grittiness, but I don't mind some grit so I left it at just one :)

So there you have it! A glitter... how unusual for me ;)

xoxo,
Amanda

Pink Wednesday!

Hey ladies, seems like forever since I've participated in Pink Wednesday! I have for you OPI Chapel of Love. Blogger flipped ALL my pictures for me (um, thanks? but not really?) so they are all tilted awkwardly if you think my hand is actually holding the bottle this way haha. Anyway...

Here's Chapel of Love in natural sunlight at three coats.

Then, being the glitter fiend I am, I added accent nails of Color Club Backstage Pass, which is a chunky purple and silver hex glitter.

Here's a close up... ignore the fact my stupid middle finger got dented.

Please excuse the cuticles - blegh! These imperfections are so clear on camera but I don't even notice them IRL!

I liked this color combo, I struggled for a while on what color to wear this over, but I think pink works so well with it without being super over-the-top girly. Thoughts?

xoxo,
Amanda

Pink Wednesday/Work Inappropriate #2

Hey dolls! I'm still on my glitter kick while I can, but I wanted to post for Pink Wednesday, so the only logical decision was pink glitter! I got Pop Pink Glitz at Ulta not long ago on clearance for $5 and I was really impressed that it was opaque on its own. This is three thick coats:

Sorry for the glitter on my cuticles, it was all over the place! I don't notice it on my actual finger but, man, it's clear as day on here!

As you can see, Pink Glitz is small pink, silver, and holo glitter suspended in a clear base. It's dense, so it could be worn on its own (like here), or a thin coat could go over a polish to use it like a topcoat. What do you think?

xoxo,
Amanda

Pink Wednesday: Ulta Sweetheart Pink

Hi again! Here's a really nice Barbie pink color, Ulta Sweetheart Pink. I picked this one out randomly when Ulta had the spend $17.50, get a free bag of goodies promo, and I'm glad I did because it is a perfect Barbie pink. I just have to be careful where I wear it because people will think I am trying to be Barbie LOL.

The above picture is three coats. It could have been done in two, but I wasn't patient and didn't let each coat dry so I kept streaking it with the second coat and had to go back. As you can see, it's a creme pink with no shimmer, which is something I like. I've recently come to grips with the fact that shimmer is among my least favorite finishes; and I know that's something very controversial to say in the nail polish community LOL

What do you think? Are you a Barbie pink girl or no?

xoxo,
Amanda

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink

Hi again my lovelies! Hope all is well with you guys! I'm up to 25 followers now: thanks everyone! It's so rewarding to see that people are interested in my polishes and what I have to say. :)

Many of you have probably seen the trend for nail bloggers to do pink nails on Wednesdays, thanks to onwednesdayswewearpink.com. I couldn't hold out on the trend much longer and I LOVED this polish, so I thought it was fitting to show everyone. I picked a polish I have been holding off on for a bit: China Glaze Outrageous. The title itself made me think it might be a stretch for work, but it turned out not to be as bright as I expected and I did wear it to work one day. It's a bright, corally pink and looked so squishy! (You can see my pointer finger still refuses to grow and has been collecting polish under him. Sorry for the smudge of polish I failed to clean up!)

I really loved everything about this color, and off it went to live in my favorite nail polishes bin with my other soulmates. For the next day, I added Claire's Bedazzled, which you've seen before in my comparison to Milani Gems. It's a little hard to work with (hence sparkles besides on my nails) because it's a bit thick, but it's definitely workable and worthwhile. I actually have been considering a backup bottle of this polish because I love it so much and I turn to it often (read: whenever my polish is chipping or boring me).

This is two coats of Bedazzled and it just looked so fun. It reminded me of Funfetti cupcakes, which are by far my favorite. Do they remind you of anything?

xoxo,
Amanda