New Year's Nails

Happy New Year's Eve Eve!!

So... I wanted to show off my New Year's mani, which was to be the flyyest (yep, two "y"s!) mani of the year.

HOWEVER!

Spoiler Alert: it's not :-(

I've been working on this nail art for hours throughout the day, but things just kept going wrong. I wanted to do a sort of sampler- a gradient nail, a glitter nail, a 2013 nail, a half- moon mani, maybe a NYE countdown ball, and a countdown nail, featuring numbers 10-1... so many plans. So. many. plans.

This manicure was so full of struggle, y'all.

I used Rimmel's 420 Midnight Blue as the theme of this mani. It's a shimmery, almost-black navy blue. I bought it a couple years ago when I first started my polish adventures. It was my intention to use it to decorate my nails festively for... New Years 2011! My friend, Rachael, and I went to a NYE party at a bowling alley/ bar where The Roots were helping is ring in the new year RIGHT!

Much like this foray, my original attempt was a disaster.

Let's start with the thumb.

I used Orly's Sashay My Way to top Midnight Blue. That part was fine. I decided to get fancy and used my brand new e.l.f. Matte Finisher top coat. That's where things began to go horribly wrong. The topcoat cracked upon application, giving my nail a crackle effect.

For the record, I was NOT going for a crackle effect.

On to the pointer!

This nail was originally supposed to be the half-moon mani nail, but things went horribly wrong somewhere along the road. I ended up doing a tape mani which didn't turn out half bad. The base is one of my new favorite polishes, Milani's 3D Holographic in 509 HD.

Please don't think I'm rude... if this blog were on TV the next image would be pixelated...

Also, my middle finger is a little weird. Just noticed that.

Anyway, I did a little gradient with Ulta Professional Nail in 14K. It came out kinda cool looking. This is the only nail I didn't have to redo or rescue in some weird way.

This is another fail nail^3.

The first attempt featured me writing 2013 with one of my fancy new metallic gold Sharpie markers. Everything was going fine until I tried to topcoat it with the e.l.f. Matte Finisher. The topcoat wiped the 2013 right off.

Undaunted, I acetone'd my nail and slathered on another coat of Midnight Blue. My intention was to recreate the Times Square glittery light ball that they drop on NYE to bring in the new year. I decided to use one of those paper hole protecter things to get the ball perfectly round. I used Milani HD for the ball. It was gonna be so boss. When I pulled the protecter off, a little of the base color came off with it.

After drying my tears, I decided to go with my original plan, a simple 2013, no topcoat. I felt so smart- I felt like I beat the system. I decided to use a little moisturizer to make my hands not look like I've been throwing clay pots all day. When I looked at my freshly moisturized paws, 2013 was gone. I was too defeated to try anything else.

This nail was supposed to be like confetti. It kinda does, I suppose. I used Spoiled's Trust Fund Baby and Wet n' Wild's Party of Five Glitters. I also attempted to the Matte Finisher (when will I learn????), but ended up turning to my ever faithful Seche Vite.

Well, polishists, there you have it. My last mani of 2012, also a complete fail. I can only take this as a sign that things will only go up from here!!

Have you ever failed so hard on high- stakes nail art? What happened? How did you save it?

Happy 2013, everyone!!

Merry Christmas!

Hello, Polishists!!!

I just wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas!!

I hope Santa brought you all of the lacquers, top coats, bases, files, rhinestones, Helmers, plates, stickers, clippers, removers, and display cases your little heart desires!

Stay tuned: the next few posts will give you some fun ideas for fancy New Years nails!

Rea, Rea, Rea...

Hello, polishists!

So, I guess we're about 6 days from Christmas...

::It's the FINAL COUNTDOWN!::

Are you ready???

Today I want to share Part 2 of my Black Friday haul (FINALLY arrived...) and another polish from my Zoya haul (Black Friday haul Part 1).

On to the polish!

E.l.f. had a fantabulous Black Friday sale and I couldn't help myself! I got this 14-piece set...

...flat eyeliner brush, cuticle pen and matte top coat!

I planned on using the brush for cleaning up my cuticles after I polish, but I'm not sure the bristles are stiff enough :( I currently use a concealer brush, dipped in pure acetone, to do my clean-up.

I'm really excited about using the matte top coat. I have another brand that tends to be a bit fickle. Hopefully this one will not disappoint!

Now for this week's nails-

I used Zoya's Rea and e.l.f.'s Misty Haze (for the accent nails).

Rea is a beautiful pinkish- purple opaque shimmer. It went on opaque in just one coat! The formula was smooth and easy to work with.

Misty Haze, on the other hand (no pun intended) was goopy and thick. It was not as easy to work with, but also went on relatively opaque in one shade. Misty Haze is a light, creamy gray with bluish undertones. I love the color, and feel like there are endless combinations that can be made using this polish.

I still like the color, and I love the combination. Rea has a silver shimmer to it, so it goes with the gray hue of the Misty Haze. I would definitely wear them both again.

I actually bought the 14-piece set for another polishist friend of mine (hope she's not reading this! ;) ). The colors are beautiful and trendy, AND the polishes are FREE of Toluene, Formaldehyde, and Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP). That means you won't have to apply your gas mask to put on your polish!

So, polishists, are the ingredients in nail polish important to you? Do you notice a difference between using polishes with certain ingredients?

Now you see green... Now you don't!

Wow. Just, wow.

I'm sharing the first swatch from my Zoya Black Friday haul... and it is GORGEOUS!

It's called Adina, and it may be the new love of my life!

Adina is a lavender/ green duochrome from Zoya. Zoya first caught my eye because of their awesome commitment to not polluting our bodies with toxic chemicals! From their website:

"Zoya Nail Polish has been awarded as the longest wearing natural nail polish by an independent panel in Women’s Health Magazine. Zoya Nail Polish is a nail polish free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor. Nail Polish by Zoya offers over 300 gorgeous nail polish colors to choose from, plus 4 seasonalcollections of nail polish every year. Zoya Nail Polish was specifically formulated to deliver the longest wear possible on natural nails. Zoya Nail Polish can be found in better beauty salons, spas and online at www.zoya.com."

What's more, they have about a billion gorgeous shades that I can't WAIT to try. Each polish retails for $8 on the site, but they have been advertising quite a few promotions on their blog, Facebook page, and Instagram account. I definitely recommend that you subscribe to all three so that you don't miss out on the deals!

Back to the polish at hand...

I just love this polish. The formula was smooth and easy to work with. Adina was opaque on my nails in just two coats. It was even easy to clean up afterwards!

I think this picture best shows the two colors, although the lavender is not as dark in real life. This photo was taken under artificial light with camera flash.

This photo was taken without flash in artificial light. It really shows off the green shimmer in the polish.

I did have one small issue with this polish, and I think it's an issue that many other polish bloggers have written about. I call it The Seche Vite Creep.

You can kind of see here, on my thumb, how the top coat (Seche Vite) has shrunk and no longer covers the whole painted surface of the nail! This, of course, causes me much anguish and many sleepless nights.

I love to use Seche Vite as a top coat because it dries so fast and shiny. However, it is pretty stinky, gets thick as it gets older, and has the creeping issue.

What say ye, polishists? Have you ever experienced The Seche Vite Creep? How did you combat it?

Black and Gold Nails... and Black Friday Haul (Pt. 1)

Hello, Friends!

I'm back to share my newest mani AND Part 1 of my Black Friday (polish) haul! I am expecting Part 2 any day now.

Anyway, on to the NAILS!

I have to say, I'm not the biggest fan of this nail adventure.

It was my intention to do nail art inspired by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. They were founded on December 4, 1906, and I wanted to do a little something to commemorate their 106th anniversary! I am a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, and our organizations are considered brother and sister orgs. Happy Founders Day, Alpha Phi Alpha!

On to the polish adventures...

This look features three polishes: Cult Nails' In a Trance as the base color, and Sinful Colors' Black on Black and Ulta Professional Lacquer's 14 Carat as the cloud pattern.

In a Trance is a rich, olive-gold creme polish with a little shimmer. At first, I had a little bit of trouble with the application- I found this formula to be thick and a little hard to work with. However, when I applied the second coat, I noticed that it went on pretty smoothly.

Black on Black is an inky, creamy black polish. It was pretty runny and a bit messy. The color, however, is awesome. Many black polishes that I've used in the past have a brown or blue tinge to them, but this goes on jet black.

14 Carat is one of my go-to stamping polishes. It is a brilliant, shimmery soft gold. I find this formula pretty easy to work with, and it stamps really well.

OK- so I generally liked/ loved all three polishes.

So, where did things go wrong?

I'm not sure. I just don't think the colors go together. I'm not quite sure. Meh.

Part 2... on to the HAUL!!

I was relatively tame on Black Friday. I focused mainly on getting gifts for family and friends.

HOWEVER....

I was sure to treat myself ;)

Zoya had a pretty great promotion going on during Black Friday- $20 Dream Boxes with free shipping! I have never ordered anything from Zoya, so I decided I would strike while the sales were hot! The cool thing about Zoya is that they give you a ton of stuff if you order enough merchandise. Here's what I received with my order.

First, the Dream Box...

What's inside?

Yay, polishes!! I ordered Adina, Blaze, and Rea... and they look gorgeous!

I can't wait to try these out!

I also bought Dree, but didn't photograph it :(

I also received quite a few goodies. First, some nail spoon things so that you can test the new colors on your nails and then spend your whole paycheck on new polishes!!

I added so many of these to my Wish List ;)

In addition to these swatches, I received a sample of their remover, Zoya Remove Plus. Lots of bloggers rave about this remover, so I'll have to try it and let you know how I feel about it. They also sent a tube of their lipgloss, Hot Lips, in Disguise. Finally, I got a tube of Mandarin body wash. Pretty cool, right?

Squee!!

I haven't tried anything yet, but I simply cannot WAIT to. I'm pleased as punch with Zoya so far... and I haven't even applied any of their products!

Have any of you tried Zoya products? What has your experience been like?

I'm so excited!!

Oooooh, friends, I'm so EXCITED ::in my Jesse Spano voice::!!!

I LOVE my latest polish job!! Check it out.

It reminds me of Tibetan jewelry.

To create this look I again turned to Bronze Ablaze for the stamping polish, and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Mint Sprint for the base. Despite the name, Mint Sprint is not a minty green, but more towards a creamy jade on the green spectrum.

I used Cheeky Jumbo Plate "C" for the stamp.

I love the larger stamping plates because I still haven't mastered the art of stamping yet! The larger design provides more coverage and thus a smaller margin of error. Even still, I had to redo about 50% of my nails :(

Oh, well, I still love this design.

So, polishists, are you the Master of the Stamp? Do you have any tips for a struggling polishist like moi??