Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Orly Nailtrition - Day 2

I added 1 coat, so now we're up to 3 coats total!  Is this not the most interesting post you've read all day??

Monday, April 29, 2013

Orly Nailtrition



I had 3 nails break on April 18, it is now April 29, a full 11 days later, and my nails really have not grown that much.  Which is kind of weird to me, they had been growing pretty quickly, especially after filing them down.  I've been taking Biotin supplements, which is supposed to help with nail growth, but maybe it works the opposite way in me!!  Whatever the case, I figured it was a good time to do a round of Orly Nailtrition.  I'm also going on vacation in exactly 2 weeks, which is the length of time Orly suggests for the regimen of Nailtrition.

The bottles reads: "Nailtrition helps strengthen peeling and splitting nails. Collagen, protein, keratin, and bamboo extract help stimulate healthier, faster growth."
The directions: "Week 1 - apply 1-2 coats daily. Remove at end of week.  Week 2 - Repeat.  Repeat 2 week program as necessary, waiting 1 week before reapplication."



I've used this before, but not for the 2 week period it suggests. I had used it for maybe 4 or 5 days.  I get antsy to use a nail color or nail art!  Luckily, this treatment has a very pretty pinkish sheen to it.  It does look a little like a polish color, not just clear.

Ok, so here are my bare nails, lefty and righty:
They look really dry and peely and filed weirdly..just a mess!

Here is with 1 coat of Orly Nailtrition:

And here are 2 coats:
I know it's kind of hard to tell from these pics, but there is such a pretty pink shimmer; when I think of nail treatments, I think of clear polish that makes my nails look really stark. This is pretty!  When I used this treatment previously, I remember the polish holding up really well; there was not a lot of chipping or tipwear. Although, when you are putting 1-2 coats on a day, any tipwear will be covered up!  

I'm going to try to post everyday, just to show the coats, and if there is any chipping or basic wear/tear.  I'm really hoping for some stronger and longer nails by the end of 2 weeks!  I have a mani in mind that I want to try for vacation!  

Has anyone else tried out this treatment? Has it worked for you? I'd love to know!
Thanks for reading!

Friday, April 26, 2013

OPI Liquid Sand - The Impossible

I finally used one of the polishes I won from Captivating Claws.  It's from the Mariah Carey collection by OPI, a liquid sand called The Impossible.  This is such a pretty color, it's pink and coral, with pink and silver glitter, at least I think they are silver!  There are also silver stars!  I usually don't have luck with star glitters, my nail beds are very rounded, and they just do not lay nicely.  They tend to pop up and snag on everything, and I end up picking them off.  Gotta say though that they look really pretty in the bottle!






I REALLY like this color, I think it looks great on my transparent (ha!) skin.
Oh yeah, and it's liquid sand!  It feels like super-fine sandpaper, but in a good way. It does not snag or catch on my clothes, it's just textured enough to feel cool.   Even though it has a matte finish, because of the glitter, it really shines.  I'll probably put a top coat on it just to make it last a little longer, and I bet that added shine will look superb!!

**All polishes in this post were WON by me** ;)

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Hard Candy swatches

Well I still have sad little nubbins, but they're growing!!  I have here the 2 Hard Candy polishes I won a few weeks ago.
The first one is Peach Pop:

Not sure if this goes well with my skin tone, or my shorty nails, but I really like this polish! This was actually over 3 coats of Sally Hansen - Fog.  I screwed up some light nail art over Fog, and decided just to cover it up with Peach Pop!!

This one is Birthday Bash..how appropriate!!  In the bottle, the polish looks like a black-based, glitter bomb, full of silver hexes, black and aqua glitter, and black bars. But it actually has a super-light aqua base.  I put 1 coat of Birthday Bash over 2 coats of Sally Hansen - Celeb City.  I really like how the base of Celeb City made this polish look really foil-y.




Thanks for reading!!:)

**All polishes in this post were WON by me** ;)

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Nubbins

Well I'm down to nubbins. :(  I broke 3 (THREE!) nails today, I probably could have saved them, but figured that's so nerve-wracking, might as well just cut them all down. And they are MAJOR nubbins! I can't even post a pic, my daughter somehow canceled out the wi-fi on my phone, and I can't remember the password (it's maintained by my husband, who is at work).  Gah.   Oh well, I'll post some (sad) pics when I can!!  :)

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Finger Paints: Wild About Spring 2013

These are 2 polishes that I bought right before Easter, and even though they are perfect Easter colors, I had a different mani in mind.  I've finally gotten around to using these 2 colors though!  I made the mistake of looking on the internet for the full collection, and found that each one of these polishes came with a matching insect or animal ring. I knew that you got a ring when you bought these colors, but my Sally's was all out of the rings, and I really missed out. :( The rings were pretty darn awesome.  I did win Owlin' At The Moon that had the owl ring, so that is a bit of a consolation! :)
Isn't it special?


This is 2 coats of Itsy Bitsy Spider, a realy sheer medium purple with a gorgeous blue shimmer.  And the blue shimmer does translate on the nail! I hate when a polish has a lovely shimmer that stays in the bottle. I want it on my nail!  I then used a thick-ish coat of Fishin' for Fun, a clear-based polish full of pink and fuchsia/ magenta shards.  When I purchased the polish, I mistakenly thought these were flakies, which lie flat against the nail.  Some of these shards, while not in the "taco" realm, did pop up.  That drives me crazy!  I pulled those off and put another top coat on (Seche Vite used first, then Sally Hansen Diamond Flash) and all is well. Some spots are still a little bumply, but I can deal with that.  It's nothing that will catch on clothes or my hair.   I hope you like!!


Holding Finger Paints - Itsy Bitsy Spider


Holding Finger Paints - Fishin' for Fun

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Nail Art Society Review - March 2013


I guess I posted these out of order!  This is the first package I received from the Nail Art Society in March 2013.  I didn't really know what to expect, but I had heard some good things about it.  The cost was only $9.95, so I figured if I didn't like it/didn't want to continue to receive it, I'm only out 10 bucks. Not to bad right? Well I DID like it!
This is the really crappy picture I took of everything:
It's really hard to see what was receive, sorry about that!  What I received was: one pack of Nail Fraud nail decals, a pot of caviar beads in green, a pot of iridescent blue flowers, a pot of iridescent beads, a pot of fimo apple slices, and a little baggie of flowers.

I really love nail polish strips, like Sally Hansen. I love that it is actual polish that "dries" and cures.  These Nail Fraud strips were basically stickers for your nails. They did stick really firmly and didn't slide around or anything like that.  The best thing with these stickers is that they fit my nails PERFECTLY. Better than any other nail strips/decals I've ever used. And I really love the print!  I was really hoping they would last well.  Unfortunately, they ended up with major tipwear (even though I used a topcoat), and in some places, peeled back on the sides of my nail.  I was really sad about that, but kind of figured that would happen on account of them being stickers rather than actual nail polish.  All that said, if given the chance to try them out again, I would! They would at least be good for a day, or an evening out.   Here is how they looked:




I have not had a chance to use any of the other items received, mainly because they just aren't practical for my life! I have a 19 month old, and work full time during the week. So beads/flowers/anything that sticks out on my nails I just can't rock right now!  That doesn't mean I don't want to hoard those things though... ;)

What do you think? Has anyone else used these Nail Fraud stickers?


Nail Art Society Review - April 2013

 I received my second package from the Nail Art Society today, and boy was it a good one!!  I liked the one from March, but a lot of people seemed to complain.  I liked it just fine; for $9.95, you really get a good variety. And hey, some months are maybe not going to be as good as others.  It's ten bucks!  If you don't like it, cancel it.  ANYWAY, here is what I received!!

3 Striping polishes from Kiss
Here is the back of the above pack, it includes tip guides and some rhinestones!

Striping (or string, as they call it) tape - the color is Aqua!
Some nail glue
And some "Love Stones"!! Lol, they are the cutest little polka dot bows!
Super cute!

I took a close-up of the polishes and the tips guides; there was actually regular french AND chevron!


I am really pleased with everything I received this month, and I cannot wait to use it!
I also received a "sneak preview" of May's package, and it is a TON of stuff!!  I'll post that one when I receive it. :)  

Does anyone else belong to the Nail Art Society? What do you think of this month's pack? I'd love to hear from you!  

My Other Giveaway Win!! (OPI - Mariah Carey Liquid Sand)

I won another giveaway a few weeks ago, by Jodi @ Captivating Claws, and received the polishes yesterday (4/12/13).  The polishes I won were all 4 OPI Mariah Carey Liquid Sands!!  Isn't that cool?  I hope these polishes aren't as..catchy as the China Glaze Texture polish was (although to be honest, once I threw a topcoat on the CG Texture polish, it was fine).

Here's what I won!!
The Impossible

Stay the Night

Can't Let Go

Get Your Number
I am really excited to try these out..the colors are amazing and I've completely jumped on the texture/sand/pixie dust wagon!!

**All polishes in this post were WON by me** ;)

Bloglovin

Well GFC is being discontinued..so let's go with Bloglovin!!  (Yeah I know this is a weird post, but this is what Bloglovin told me to do!!!)
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6987307/?claim=9a36ttxbqkt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

China Glaze Texture

I bought this online Trans Design, Inc.  I had looked at polish on this website before, because obviously you can get some usually pricier polish for less, or hard to find, or even sale/clearance.  What always stopped me from going through with my order was the following warning that popped up when I clicked on "checkout":
This scared me, and kept me from ordering many times! But this time, I went through with it. Numerous other bloggers have referenced this website, so I figured it must be safe. And it was.

I bought one of the new China Glaze Texture polishes, called Itty, Bitty & Gritty!


What do you think? I know this textured polish is probably a fad, with a lot of brands jumping on the wagon.  I like this one though, it's a pretty color, and the texture is interesting. I did use topcoat with this because the "texture" tended to catch on my clothes.  I don't think it would have damaged my clothes, but the feeling was annoying!

**All polishes in this post were purchased by me**

Some randoms..


I tend to just post pics of manicures on Facebook because it's so quick to do (and I get immediate feedback!) So here are some that I posted there, and some that I didn't.  My cuticles have been a real PITA for a while now, so please don't be too grossed out!

Also, after looking through my pics, I realized, a snapshot of my mani is not complete until I hold something in my hand. What is up with that? Lol! :)

Sally Hansen CSM - Red Zin

Sally Hansen CSM - Red Zin, layered with
China Glaze - Whirled Away

Sally Hansen CSM - Red Zin, layered with
China Glaze - Whirled Away

Sally Hansen CSM - Red Zin, layered with
China Glaze - Whirled Away

Revlon - Snow Bunny, with an accent of
Orly - Bubbly Bombshell

Zoya - Aurora

Color Club - Berry and Bright (pretty sure anyway!)

Color Club - Berry and Bright

Color Club - Berry and Bright

Ulta - Alter Ego, layered over ?? (something dark)

Index: Sinful - Cinderella, dotted with China Glaze - Sexy in the City
Middle: Maybelline - Passing By Pink, dotted with China Glaze - Naked
Ring: Maybelline - Green with Envy, dotted with Wet n Wild - Sage in the City
Pinky: Sinful - Unicorn, dotted with Revlon - Electric


**All polishes in this post were purchased by me**