Guest Post: Dolores from Colorful Bottle

Hey ladies, today I have a post from my lovely friend Dolores in Slovenia who swaps with me all the time so I can get international goodies :) We decided to do guest posts for each other to show off some of the stuff we got in our swaps, so check out what Dolores did and then check out her blog Colorful Bottle!

 

Hi!

I'm Dolores from Colorfulbottle and I got honoured to prepare a guest post for The Nail Polish Enthusiast!

When me and Amanda completed our last swap package we got a really crazy idea. We decided to prepare guest post for each other with our new goodies =). I really couldn't wait to make this post, but I sadly had some other obligations so I couldn't prepare my post as fast as I wanted to prepare it. Now I finally made it, and I'm really happy with the result =). 

It was really difficult for me to pick one polish out of so many new pretties in my stash, because of my BIG problem I decided to do a gradient( I got to use 2 colours and not all polishes match, so I ended up with only 3 possible gradient combinations), I used pastel colour for the base because Amanda once said to me, that it is probably my fault that she started liking pastel polishes. I also wanted to include glitter in my manicure, but glitter really isn't my thing. I also have to admit that I cheated a bit. I wanted to do soft stamping on top, but out of all gorgeous nail polishes that Amanda sent to me, there wasn't a pastel polish that would stamp great, this is why I ended up using KONAD special polish, 

Here is what I prepared:

 

 

For this gradient I used Orly Lollipop as a base ( 2 coats) and then I made a gradient using Color Club Mr. Socialite and Orly Lollipop

I upgraded my manicure with KONAD polish in pastel violet and BM 16

 

I was really satisfied with what I ended up with and I hope Amanda likes it too =)

This is all from me!

Thank you all for reading my post and big thanks to Amanda for hosting my post!

Have a lovely day!

 

 -----

xoxo,
Amanda

 

Amanda Does Fauxnad

Hi all! I know a whilleeeee ago I asked you all what you'd like to see more of, and the resounding answer was nail art and stamping. I've slacked on that, but this mani reminded me why STAMPING IS AWESOME AND YELLING ON THE INTERNET IS NOT. Sorry for your little virtual eardrums.

My base color was two coats of Orly Frisky which I snatched up on clearance at Ulta recently. My nails are little nubbins here which always means my cleanup process suffers... sorry. I just hate to look at them so much I avoid thorough cleanup, I guess ;) Anyway, so, yeah... Orly Frisky. A lovely blue creme which is sooooo much more mint green than it shows up here.

Then I thought, "Oh! My readers! They want stamping!" and so I found the single Bundle Monster plate sitting within reach - BM210. (hey, how did he get out of his dungeon?!) I used my favorite design from the plate and Icing Chrome Teal and voila! My favorite mani of the longest time was born. (it's a newborn here, that's why the cleanup is so messy. see how I made it work?)

xoxo,
Amanda

The Evolution of Man...i.

Oh my god. The title of this post is almost too much for me, even. And I'm the one who wrote it! Also, Merry Christmas to my followers who celebrate! Santa Amanda thinks you've all been very good this year, and she's planning a giveaway for you guys to prove it (hint: it's going to include some fauxnad plates).

So, basically, I have a few transformations of the same mani, and I hope you're ready! I'm going to tell you a story.

Once upon a time, there was a polish named Zoya Kristen. Kristen was a lovely blue-gray pastel creme that covered very well in one coat. Her mommy, Amanda, has been having trouble moisturizing her cuticles and asks that you be kind for these photos. Here's Kristen without flash:

And here she is with flash:

So, although Kristen was very nice all alone, Mommy wanted to add something wintry to her, so she decided to do some snowflakes with her Migi pens.

Unfortunately for the evil witch UNA (untalented at nail art), Mommy's right hand didn't turn out as well as the left, and the snowflakes were removed and Kristen was once again alone until a lovely polish sent by Mommy's friend Jacqui came to the rescue, and her name was Revlon Whimsical:

Whimsical and Kristen spent a lovely day alone together, but Mommy was again seeking a friend for them, so she added some fauxnad snowflakes to make them happy and joyful on this Christmas Day (by the way, no, this isn't my Christmas mani... but it made for good reading...) and to complement the sparse glitter from Whimsical.

So, hopefully you enjoyed my little story. If you skipped over it, that's fine too. I'm apparently feeling very punny and rambly tonight, but I hope you enjoy this mani nonetheless!

xoxo,
Amanda

Amanda does konad/fauxnad?! Well... not always well.

Hi ladies! Hope your weekend is off to a great start! I just came back from a Zumba class and I am exhausted! Have any of you tried it before?

Anyway, I was perusing my past posts and realized I very rarely, if ever, post manis with konad or fauxnad. Well, that is all about to change! I found this mani I did with BM-208. I was inspired from my friend Jamie on twitter who did a mani with that plate and this is what came of it:

So, this is not quite a nail fail, but pretty close. The pink is OPI Sparrow Me the Drama and the yellow is China Glaze Lemon Fizz. SPTD looks awful on me, I absolutely hated it. It's a weird pinky purple shade that is so light it nearly blends into my skin tone and makes me look sickly. Furthermore, it didn't stamp very well, as you can see on the ring finger that there are some bare spots where it didn't quite pick up the pattern. Plus, it was a little more sheer than I anticipated and from far away it just looked kind of orangey.

I wasn't very satisfied with this mani, so it barely lasted a day before I peeled, yes, peeled it off. *blushes* I am aware this is entirely against nail code to peel off polish, but I just could not help it. It started lifting and then suddenly I was peeling it all off. What's worse to you: chipped nail polish or peeling the remainder off?

xoxo,
Amanda

Golden Rose Holo, China Glaze Harmony, and Bundle Monster

Hi ladies! How is everyone doing? Here in Massachusetts, we're recovering from a string of tornadoes (you read that right, tornadoes) that destroyed many towns and cities in our state. It's been a tough road, especially since us Massachusettsians are not at all prepared for tornadoes, so it's a big shock on top of all the devastation. Ok, enough of the heavy...

Funny that I'm writing this post because Rachel Marie just posted the same line of polishes a few hours ago! I actually wore this about a week ago, but it only lasted one day because I stupidly smudged them about an hour after painting them and when you have 200+ nail polishes, you don't usually feel like taking polish off to put the same color back on when there are so many options!

Anyway, here is Golden Rose Paris 109, a light purple holo.

 I couldn't accurately show you the color of this and the holo if I tried all day, but it was really nice on. Golden Rose is a Turkish brand with a branch here in the US. Their polishes are super cheap, shipping was quick, and customer service is awesome. One thing though: these polishes smell. I'm not convinced this brand is big 3 free, but it seems like with the good holos, they never are. Sigh.

Next up is China Glaze Harmony, an older polish that I ordered online a while back. I must say, this polish applied like butter. Probably the best application experience I have had in a long time, maybe ever! Color was awesome too and I loved the metallic finish. Why three fingers in this post? My pointer had a HUGE chip in it. Meaning half the polish was missing. Far too embarassing to post here, so instead you get an awkward three finger pose!

Next up: I got the new Bundle Monster plates! I was on a no-buy after my vacation but these are just too irrestible. Plus, I figured anything that might make me touch up old manis and find old polishes interesting is a good investment for not buying new polishes. Right? Here they all are with the blue film they put on them to protect them.

If you have the originals, you'll know the first round the film was clear and people often forgot to remove it. These are much more noticeable and much easier to take off.

 Since Harmony had majorly chipped off one nail and I was going to remove it, I decided to fool around with some of the designs I was more excited about. (There's a lot more, but I'll spare you!)

 Swirls, one of my favorite patterns! And I must say, these plates have a much larger size to the full-nail patterns, this fit really easily without the hassle of double stamping.

 These were a surprise that I really liked them after I saw a picture my twitter friend posted of these. Very cool, geometric pattern that almost reminds me of the shatter/crackle topcoats.

And finally, not to sound too pluggy, but if you're reading this, leave a comment! You can also find me on twitter - Amanda_NPE. I love talking to readers and checking out new blogs. And if you read regularly, please share me with a friend. It's nice to have readers out there with a common interest.

xoxo,
Amanda

Past week of manis

Hi girls! Sorry I went another span without any posts. I figure you'd rather wait for the real thing than read excuses. Here's my past week of manis, starting with my Valentine's mani inspired by Danielle's Valentine's mani. This is Zoya Reece with Sinful Colors Show Me White, Finger Paints Easel Come, Easel Go!, and Zoya KI layered over each other on the accent fingers with Bundle Monster plate (I forget the number, but it's the three hearts!):

Next up is Color Club Gossip Column. This is about 12 hours of wear and there are huge chips all over. I forgot a picture earlier in the process, so unfortunately this is all I've got! Sorry. Formula was good on this and I loved the color, but wasn't impressed with the wear (obviously).

Next up I have two Milani Holos, Hi Def (purple) and Digital (pink). They were scattered, beautiful, pigmented holo and I adored them. 

Next was Petites Figi. I imagined from the bottle this was holo too, but instead I got metallic. Highly disappointed by that! It was pretty easy to use and lasted forever, but I didn't like the color on me so it didn't last long. Into the swap bin!

And finally, I got in my China Glaze Crackles (!!!!) and couldn't resist. This is Cracked Pavement over China Glaze Ahoy! which I forgot to take a picture of on its own. This was amazing all in all, even though I didn't expect to be layering over this color since it was beautiful on its own.

More crackles are in for the next post as I made some swatches, but I have to run for now! What did you guys think of my manis? My nails are naked right now, so perhaps I could use some advice for the next mani?

xoxo,
Amanda

Nail Art for Dummies

Hi ladies! We just got hit with a major storm here in Massachusetts (about 18 inches of snow!) so I'm going to be in all day. The good news is that means I'll probably be doing manis, playing with nail art, and taking pictures :) Today I thought I'd show you guys my guide of "Nail Art for Dummies". You see, I have the artistic talent of... a snail. I can manage maybe some lines on my nails with a nail art pen, and that's about it. What's a girl to do?!

Well, here are my solutions, my "cheat sheet" for nail art for the artistically challenged:

1. Fimo sticks:

So as I showed you the other day, these are fimo sticks (also called fimo canes, nail art sticks/canes, etc.) in the process of being cut for use. You can see the full stick on the left, the small slices I already cut up, and my razorblade on the right for cutting. I started cutting these up and, I kid you not, I have a blister on my hand from it. It's work to cut these tiny little pieces! But, as you can see, the results are great (and cute)!

Fimo sticks are available online, you can buy them through Amazon.com pretty cheap, usually sold in bundles of 25-100. Bundle Monster (more on them in a bit!) sells 100 sticks for $17.99 with free shipping, which is the deal I decided on with my gift card. Once they arrive, they are flexible and can be cut into small pieces. It requires a little force, but it can be done! To make them softer, you can dip them in warm water, but that can warp the designs, so you really need to cut the whole stick once you do that. You can also buy pre-cut fimo designs, but they tend to run you a bit more money and you get much less (usually about $5 per 100 little decorations).

The next challenge for me was storage. What do I store these tiny little nail designs in? I checked around at craft stores and the small containers were 10 for $5, and would not have fit all the designs, even if I mixed them together. So my creative solution?:

I decided to use a pill organizer. You know, those things that you can buy at the pharmacy that have days and times listed to put your pills in for the week, so you can keep track of what to take at what time? Well, at $4.14 at Walmart, this pill organizer was the perfect solution! (Can't say I'm not creative!)

Here are some of my fimo sticks, all cut up. I've been busy! I decided to color code them by "type". Top row is fruits, and weird designs on the end that I don't intend to use. The second row is flowers (3 different kinds mixed into each compartment). Third row is (currently) butterflies and hearts. The bottom row is for holidays and I have one little compartment of clown fish on the left. So far I have Halloween, Valentine's Day, snow flakes, birthday, and Easter.

To attach these, you can either imbed them in gel or acrylic nails or stick them in wet polish on natural nails. For natural nails, the thinner they are, the better. They're more flexible when they're thin, so you can contour them to your nail. You can also use nail glue to apply them to real or fake nails.

2. Nail Stickers: 

On the left, I have nail stickers. We have all used these since we were little girls. Very simple: unpeel from backing, stick onto nail. Voila! Easy and self-explanatory. I got these from Transdesign.com for about $2, but they are available pretty much everywhere (Walmart, Sallys, etc.).

3. Nail Sprinkles

(On the right in the picture above in the round containers)

These are much like fimo decorations in that they are small, slightly flexible, and you can stick them right into nail polish or gel/acrylic, or glue them on. These are white holo stars (top) and holo silver hearts (bottom). I got these at Sally's, where they run about $3 for the small containers. However, Dollarnailart.com also has them for, what else, $1. I can't vouch for how big the containers of those are since I haven't ordered from there yet, but I can say they are currently having a buy one get one free sale on heart shaped designs until February 14th - go snatch some up!

The only downside to these are their inflexibility. I have used them on my nails before and despite clear polish and sticking them in wet polish, they weren't bendable and so the edges stuck up from my nail. This resulted in losing some of them overnight, and then many more the following day. They look really cool, but they don't last very long (especially if they are pointy) unless you can contour them to your nail.

4. Finally, Konad/Fauxnad: 

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Konad plates. They are small metal plates with designs imprinted on them, so you can apply polish, scrape off the excess, and use a soft stamper to transfer the design from the plate onto your nail. If anyone would like further explanation, please let me know!

These are the Bundle Monster plates, available on Amazon.com for $17.99 (free shipping). Great deal to get a ton of designs (I believe it includes 21 plates). Now, lots of other companies have caught on and these plates are available all over the place in a variety of patterns. Original Konad plates cost about $5-6 each, but lots of places have them cheaper or in larger bundles with similar patterns to the Konad plates. Check out WowSoCool.com, BornPretty.com, Transdesign.com, and Amazon.com for some examples (and if you know of any other places, let me know so I can link them too!).

For me, I had trouble storing them. What to do with tiny metal plates with sharp edges that I didn't want to scratch? As you can see above, I borrowed some of my nephew's trading card sheets (the ones you stick in a binder to display/collect) and slid them in - they fit perfectly and it protects them well. I fold them in third and store them that way. The only downside is that they slide out fairly easily, so if you happen to hold the sheet upside down, you can get pelted with sharp metal disks!

So what do you ladies think? Any other suggestions or ideas? There are also foils out there, but I have yet to try those since I've heard they really only last a couple hours or so. Water marbling is also an option but that might require a whole new post...

xoxo,

Amanda