OPI DS Diamond

Hello Lovelies!

Continuing the OPI DS swatches today is Diamond. Diamond is a bit of a holographic ugly duckling. It's too silver to be a purple, too purple to be silver, too dusty to be lavender, with a touch of taupe in certain lights... I've determined it's probably best to call it a thistle color. The holo is strong, but not super linear, and it really doesn't show well in the bottle.

 Initially when I bought this color I was sort of underwhelmed. Yes, it's a fairly strong holo, yes it's unique, but it was sort of... safe? Something about the kind of dusty thistle color of it didn't really appeal that much to me, so into the drawer it went, never really brought out again until it needed swatching. Then something odd happened... I put it on, and it was like a completely different color than I remember. It suddenly seemed chic, and a little edgy with it's dusky looks. I honestly didn't take it off for about 3 days, and so many different people commented on how pretty it was. I sort of love when a polish surprises me like that.

Have you ever had a polish that deserved a second look?

Until next time,

HeatherS

OPI Designer Series: Desire

Hello Lovelies!

So I have decided that I want to start off 2013 swatching all of my OPI Designer Series polishes. I have already shown you Sapphire, but I may redo that one. As I mentioned, I collect the old school DS polishes, with the really linear gorgeous holographic details. I have a few from the second series with the more scattered holo and metallic effects, but I'll be saving those for towards the end.

To kick-start, here is Desire... and what a pretty thing it is. Desire is a milk chocolate-y holographic brown shown here with 3 coats. I usually layer this over a brown creme like Essie's Little Brown Dress, but I wanted to show it to it's full potential on it's own. The first photo below shows it in shade to give you a better idea of it's color.

*Please pardon the beagle hair... I didn't see them until uploading.

 *sigh* So pretty. I really hope with China Glaze and Color Club releasing new holographic collections that OPI will do the same.

Until next time!

HeatherS

That 70's Mani.

Hello Lovelies!

Today I have my last manicure from 2012. It's another gradient mani using China Glaze Westside Warrior, a very 1970's drab avocado green creme, China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway, a deep navy creme, and Zoya Kelly, a stormy dark grey with bluish undertones. I then stamped it using Color Club Lumin-Icent and Cheeky XL Plate A.

It was a fun look, but under low light the gradient is almost impossible to see. I may try this again sometime in the future with lighter colors and see how it turns out.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year. Please feel free to leave feedback about what you'd like to see more of... I love suggestions!

Until next time,

HeatherS

Sunset Hounds-tooth Gradient

Hello Lovlies.

Today I have another bright nail design that would probably be more appropriate for summer. I decided on a color scheme that reminded me of the sky at sunset, and I think the results turned out really pretty. I'm still sort of getting used to gradient manicures, so until I'm really comfortable I think I prefer to stamp over them.

This is a combination of Wet & Wild Megalast in Club Havana, a bright sorbet orange, China Glaze Surreal Appeal a pretty coral leaning pink, and Wet & Wild Megalast On A Trip, a super saturated lilac purple stamped using Konad plate m63 and Wet & Wild Root of All Evil, an ultra-saturated royal blue with beautiful shimmer. The second photo is the most color accurate, the first makes Club Havana look too dark orange. 

Until next time,

HeatherS

Gothic Lolita + DV8

Hello Lovelies!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season, whatever you may celebrate.

Now that the obligatory Holiday nails are done with I wanted to bring you some out of season brightness. For some odd reason I always tend to gravitate towards nail colors that are the opposite of the season, i.e. vampy colors in summer, neons and brights in winter. It's an odd quirk, but it leads to some pretty combinations like today's.

This is China Glaze Gothic Lolita stamped using China Glaze DV8 on Cheeky XL plate C. In low light the design is really subtle, but I love the combo in the sun. Gothic Lolita is a pretty hyacinth purple with a lovely blue shimmer, and DV8 is a super linear holographic teal that works so wonderfully for stamping.

Until next time!

HeatherS

The Zombies Are Coming...

Hello Lovelies!

Well for the "End of the World" I wanted to do a manicure for my favorite sub-genre of apocalypse: Zombies. I was planning out a nice, normal zombie manicure when I looked up at what my mother was doing on her computer... then it hit me... PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES.

If you aren't familiar with PVZ, it's a super addictive tower defense game available for tablets, smartphones, and computers. The point is to plant plants in your front and back yard to keep zombies out of your home and away from your brains.

Here is the result of that brainstorm:

Left Hand: Brain, Peashooter, Sunflower, Torchwood, Wall-Nut 

Right Hand: Potato Mine, Flaming Pea, Flaming Pea, Flaming Pea

Right Thumb: Zombie

These took a long time and a lot of polishes to do.

 For the left hand the brain is Zoya Areej stamped with China Glaze Something Sweet. using my Cheeky XL Plate D. The base of every other nail is either China Glaze Starboard or Essie Mojito Madness. The Peashooter is OPI Who The Shrek Are You dotted with Wet N Wild Black Creme. The Sunflower is OPI San-tan-tonio, China Glaze Happy Go Lucky, a mix of Who The Shrek Are You and Starboard, and Black Creme. The Torchwood is China Glaze Mahogany Magic, Happy Go Lucky and Papaya Punch for the flames, Happy Go Lucky and Merry Berry for the  eyes, and Wet N Wild Black Creme and French White Creme.The Wall-Nut is San-Tan-Tonio, Black Creme, and French White Creme.

For the right hand the bases are also alternating Starboard and Mojito Madness. The Potato Mine is OPI A Taupe The Space Needle, San-Tan-Tonio, Sally Hansen Complete in Dorian Grey, and China Glaze Hey Sailor. All the Flaming Peas are Black Creme with China Glaze Happy Go Lucky and Papaya Punch. Finally, the zombie on the thumb is Sinful Colors Seaweed, China Claze Merry Berry, and Black Creme and French White Creme.

For the first really detailed freehand nail art I've done in a long time I'm really happy with how these turned out... Especially the zombie, considering I wasn't using my dominant hand to paint him!

Until next time,

HeatherS

March of the Penguins

Hello Lovelies!

Today I have a cute little design for winter. If I'm being honest, I really don't like Christmas that much. I have some strange aversion to red and green together, I never know what to get people, and I hate Christmas music. That being said, this year I have been trying to be more festive, so I came up with this cute design for winter.

This mani consisted of Essie One Day Without Blues (aka Coat Azure), Wet 'N' Wild White French Creme for the snowflake stamping (using a Shany plate if I recall correctly), with Color Club Lumin-Icent dotted in the center of each snowflake. For my little penguin accent nails I used Wet 'N' Wild French White Creme and Wet 'N' Wild Black Creme for the body, Essie's Vermillionaire for the beak and feet, and Essie One Day Without Shoes for the scarf.

Overall I was really pleased with this design. Free-handing the penguins was not as difficult as I expected it to be when I thought up these.  I am also finding I really like the wear time of Essie polishes (the above was after 4 days with only a little tip wear).

Until next time,

HeatherS

I'm Back!

Hello All,

It has been a crazy year for me. Between opening and subsequently having to close a business, family issues, and a vast array health issues it's not surprising that I haven't been able to keep up with my blogging. I am very happy to return to it though, and I have lots of lovely new manicures planned to show everyone!

Today I have a pretty combination of two of my favorite OPI's... What's With The Cattitude from the Shrek Collection and  You Don't Know Jacques.  WWTC is a beautiful bright sky blue that covers in 3 coats, and YDKJ is a rich chocolate-y taupe that's perfect in two. To get the design I used the Cheeky XL Jumbo Plate C which I got in a 3 pack available on Amazon. I have had the XL plates for less than a week and I'm already so in love with them... I've become very addicted to full nail images, and these have so many different patterns, and I never have to double stamp because the images are considerably bigger than Konad or Bundle Monster.

Are you a fan of nail stamping? If so, do you prefer subtler combinations or in-you-face contrast?

Let me know!

Until next time,

Heather.

Getting To Know You (No Swatches, But A Tag)

Hello, Hello, Hello.

A thousand apologies for the long hiatus, lovelies. As much as I would love to just blame it on real life work business, I really can't. The truth is I got into a bit of a funk and didn't feel like connecting with people on any level really. 

Which sort of brings me to the point on today's post. I started this blog to share my love of nail polish, but I think to effectively do that I need to inject a little bit of sharing who I am as a person past the bull description that makes up the first post of this blog. I found this random tag over at the fabulous Nouveau Cheap, and have always been a random loving girl, so thought it would be a great way to put myself out there. Likewise, I would love if you my dear readers would comment with your answers, or post this on your own blog. So here's a few random things about me!

What's a nickname only your family calls you? Bee... This came from a speech impediment I had as a child where I pronounced the beginning of every word except "yellow" with a B. 

What's a weird habit of yours? Ask my friends and boyfriend and they will say polishing my nails every day, lol. I would say it's that I fold origami cranes obsessively when I'm nervous or stressed. 

Do you have any weird phobias? I am TERRIFIED of swans, geese, and loons. I was attacked by a black swan when I was six, even the Swarovski logo makes me nervous. Geese are mean, and loons are like creepy demonic ducks with red eyes, sharp teeth, and haunting calls.


What's a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you're alone?  

Elton John... so incredible. 


What's one of your biggest pet peeves?

People who open food in grocery stores before they pay for it... Just because they intend to buy it doesn't make it theirs.





What's one of your nervous habits?


I mentioned the origami above, but I also bite my bottom lip A LOT when I'm nervous.


What side of the bed do you sleep on?


I don't care which side I sleep on, I'm a stomach sleep, so sides don't matter that much.


What was your first stuffed animal and its name?



I have a pink stuffed Hippopotamus from when I was a baby that I named Henrietta. I still have her, she's been sown up so many times over the years from when I would take her literally everywhere. When I had my appendix out when I was 17 I tucked her into my purse before I went to the hospital just so she would be close.


What's the drink you always order at Starbucks?


I actually can't stand Starbucks, and I don't drink coffee, so I can't really say.


What's the beauty rule you preach, but never actually practice?


Applying foundation properly. I have really really temperamental skin, so I really rarely wear foundation, but I am always telling my friends how to apply it.


Which way do you face in the shower?



Front towards the water mostly.



Do you have any weird body skills?


My fingers bend backwards. All of them. Three of them can actually touch the back of my hands.


YOU ARE WARNED THIS IS KIND OF GROSS!!!!

What's your favorite comfort food thats 'bad', but you love to eat it anyways?



I have had to stop eating traditional "Comfort Foods" when I was told 3 years ago that I can't have gluten (the protein in wheat, barley, and rye), but I indulge by baking cupcakes with So'Fella Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix... it's so delicious.


What's a phrase or exclamation you always say?


"Gorram It!" - I love me some Firefly and Serenity.


Time to sleep - what are you actually wearing?


My oversized comfy T-Shirt that says "Dating a vampire is a pain in the neck" and my Eeyore sleep shorts :D






So there you have it dear readers, a few random crazy things that allow me to feel like I'm putting myself out there. Looking forward to see responses... for the record the questions are:


What's a nickname only your family calls you?
What's a weird habit of yours?
Do you have any weird phobias?
What's a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you're alone?
What's one of your biggest pet peeves?
What's one of your nervous habits?
What side of the bed do you sleep on?
What was your first stuffed animal and its name?
What's the drink you always order at Starbucks?
What's the beauty rule you preach, but never actually practice?
Which way do you face in the shower?
Do you have any weird body skills?
What's your favorite comfort food thats 'bad', but you love to eat it anyways?
What's a phrase or exclamation you always say?
Time to sleep - what are you actually wearing?


Until next time.

He's Going In Circle's Under Water

Hello Hello Hello.

I recently was stocking up on some cotton balls at Dollar Tree (because we all know how fast us polish lovers go through them) and I saw that my local had restocked all the 2 packs of nail polish that they sometimes have. This time it was tons of the old Maybelline express finishes, and I scooped up some beautiful shimmers, one of the matte finished ones, and a bunch of the water polishes (the super sheer jellies).

Now here is a confession... I kind of hate jellies. Now don't get me wrong, I adore the super shininess of them, and the OPI "sorbet" finishes are gorgeous, but in general I hate that they never seem to dry quickly and ALWAYS show nail line. So naturally it kind of surprised me that I got a bunch of super super sheer jellies, but immediately upon returning home I realized an awesome way to wear them... layered over pale holographic polishes.

This is my first attempt: China Glaze's He's Going In Circles (a super pale seafoam green holographic) topped with 2 layers of Maybelline Express Emerald Water (a very blue leaning green ridiculously sheer jelly).

Layering these two polishes just amped up the color of HGIC but didn't take away any of the holo effect.

What do you think? Are you a fan of jellies on their own or do you have to layer them?

Until next time :)