Piggy Polish Mani (Plus a Bonus Pinterest Project)

Today's post is going to be short. I haven't been feeling well today so I wasn't even going to do a new post, but my mani desperately needed an update. So I kept it simple.

I used Essie Lilacism as a creamy lilac base. I then layered Piggy Polish Among The Stars over it for the beautiful glitter. Anyone who knows me, knows I love anything pink, purple or glitter. This polish has all three, so of course I was in love!

You can see the mini purple glitters and the small pink circle glitters. I wanted to include a close up shot but my camera does not have that setting. One day, I will invest in a better camera.

Very pretty. For being a simple mani, I am very pleased with it.

I also want to show you the fun DIY project I found on Pinterest.

I used OPI Pink Friday and then used Essie A Cut Above to glitterfy.

OPI Fireflies & Stamping

A friend of mine let me borrow a polish of hers called FIREFLIES by OPI. It is a beautiful irridescent pearly polish. I had to see what I could do with it.

I decided to try my hand at stamping. I haven't been very successful in the past with this, but thought I would try again. I used 4 coats of Fireflies and then I actually used my Sally Hansen Magnetic polish- IONIC INDIGO to stamp. It worked pretty well. It went on smoothly and covered nicely.

I took a nice picture outdoors as well. I used my Bundle Monster plate #221. This plate also has a fun cheetah print that I might try next.

This is my lovely kitty, Maddie, sleeping in the sun. I just wanted to include this picture because she is just so darn cute!

Have a great Monday everyone!

China Glaze Glitter Crackle

Hey everyone! I hope everybody is having a great weekend!
I was shopping at my local Sally Beauty store recently and saw some new crackle polishes from China Glaze. I don't normally care much for crackle polishes, but these were different. They were crackle GLITTERS!!!

I picked up LUMINOUS LAVENDER and layered it over OPI- ALPINE SNOW.

I still am not crazy about crackles. I think they are fun the first time, but I find I never really use them again. But I do like the look of the purple glitters in this one.

I apologize for the quality of my photos. I still haven't quite figured out the settings on my camera and which one to use. I will get it soon though.

I hope everyone enjoyed. Have a great weekend.

Layla Hologram Effect

Hello!!!! I have been absolutely DYING to try some new holo polishes. I have seen them everywhere, and I love the look of them. I have been trying to find one on the cheaper end of the price scale, but no luck. So I caved and picked up a bottle of Layla Hologram Effect in 08 FLASH BLACK. This brand runs for about $15 so it was a little heart wrenching as I swiped my debit card. But, I believe now that it was well worth it.

This is how it looks indoors under my dining room light. Looks just like a dark silvery sparkle.

And this is outside, in the shade. You can see it looks a little duller. But..........

 When you get it out into direct sunlight, it becomes this gorgeous holographic polish. You can see all the different colors popping out at every angle. Simply stunning!

So I think I will definitely have to get some more holos as this is absolutely gorgeous.

Zoya Pinterest Trio: Beach & Surf Collection

I received some awesome Nail Mail yesterday that I was pretty excited about. I participated in the Zoya Take Three "Contest" on Pinterest, in which the top 3 colors from their Beach & Surf Collection would be made into a mini trio and given to the first 2000 customers. They then posted a code to be used at checkout on their online store. They only had 2000 trios to give away and they sold out in less than 16 hours. Luckily, I was online at 11:56pm Sunday night waiting for the code to go active at 12:01am so I could get mine.

The colors that were pinned the most were Kimber, Zuza and Myrta.

For being minis I was actually quite impressed with the size. Here, I included a photo of the mini Zoya next to a full size Zoya as well as next to a mini OPI compared to a full sized OPI.

I did one color on each of my first three nails, starting with Kimber on my pointer, Zuza on my middle finger and Myrta on my ring finger.

 Kimber is a lovely magenta shimmer, Zuza is a gorgeous beachy turquoise blue shimmer and Myrta is a very pretty coppery-orange shimmer.

 .
 They all went on very smoothly, although Zuza got a little clumpy during the first coat. Zuza and Myrta only needed 2 coats, which is great

 I only used 2 coats on Kimber, but I can still see a little of my nail line through the polish and will probably use 3 coats next time.

I decide I loved Zuza so much I did the rest of my nails in the beautiful blue and I haven't decided if I will replace the 2 other colors yet. :)

Sally Hansen Magnetic Swatch

So I have been dying to try the new magnetic polishes ever since I saw them at Sephora a few months ago. But they are all so expensive, I never could justify spending $17-22 out of my budget on a polish. THEN, Sally Hansen came out with their own magnetic polish line that retails for only $8.99 at Target/Wal-Mart so of course I had to pick one up. I tried IONIC INDIGO. I really loved the blue color. (Plus, Target was out of the other colors except brown).

I was very impressed with the polish itself. It went on great, very smooth. I also loved the color before the magnet was applied and would consider wearing it that way as well. The magnet-top also has a small ridge along it, which you use as a guide to keep the magnet from touching the nail and this really made the entire process very easy and nearly fool proof. And the pictures do not really do it justice. The "lines" almost seem to move in the light as you shift your hand. Very pretty.

On to the Fun Stuff! (This One is Just a Bit Long)

Sorry this one is going to be a little long, but it is only because we are getting up to date. Since I am new to this, I thought I would just put up some designs I have already done. Next time, it will be just a regular post (promise). Please forgive the picture quality and also the cuticle quality. I didn't expect to ever be putting these on the World Wide Web (except for Facebook, of course). Also, I apologize that I do not know which polishes I used for some of them anymore. However, the ones I do know, when I say the base color I mean the main color or the color I put down first. I used Ulta Salon Formula Base Coat under all my manis to keep my nails from turning yellow. And then I used OPI Top Coat or Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat. (SV is great if I need them to dry super fast, but it's a little pricey so I try not to use it every time. That's when I use OPI).

 First I wanted to start with a photo of my collection. I just counted them and came up with 146 (including base coats and top coats). No, I don't have a super organized filing cabinet system. I just keep them all in a big storage bin and dig through it every time I do my nails. I have tried keeping them organized within the bin, but they just keep ending up like this. Now onto the polishes. I will start with my older designs to my most recent.

This was my very first design I ever did with my dotting tool.I think the base is Ulta Salon formula- TUTU CUTE and the dots are Ulta Salon Formula- FLAMINGO and Orly- WHITE TIPS (part of their French Tips line).

 I'm pretty sure the base of this is China Glaze- FLYIN' HIGH. Not sure what the dots are.

I did these for a MN Wild hockey game that Tim and I went to. I searched all day for a green that matched the Wild and finally settled on Ulta Salon Formula- ENVY.

This was Nicole by OPI- KOURT IS RED-Y FOR A PEDI, and Orly- WHITE TIPS

This pretty sparkle was Essie Luxe Effects- A CUT ABOVE

My first attempt with lines. I don't know what the base is (I think OPI- PINK FRIDAY), but I used Orly Instant Artist- JET BLACK for the lines (they have a range of colors that come in a bottle with a striping brush instead of a regular brush) and Butter London- CHANCER for the heart.

This one was really fun to do. I used a white base, probably Orly-WHITE TIPS, or OPI- ALPINE SNOW and then "sponged" on Orly- LEMONADE and Sally Hansen Hard as Nails- SUN KISSED using saran wrap. I put just a small drop of the color on a piece of paper, and used about a 1 inch by 1 inch piece of saran wrap balled up and dipped in the polish to "sponge" the polish on.

This was my first Gradient attempt. I loved the look of this. I feel so bad I can't remember which polish I used for the tips. I know I used Julep- ANNE for the base. (That's my Ulta Base Coat in my hand)

I loved doing this paint drop manicure. I used OPI- ALPINE SNOW for the base. and then thumb to pinky for the tips: Ulta Salon Formula- CELEBUTANTE, Ulta Salon Formula- LIMELIGHT, Piggy Polish-I PINK DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHERS, China Glaze- FLYIN' HIGH, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails- MELLOW YELLOW. I painted a stripe across the tip, then made some dots with my dotting tool. Then I used my dotting tool to drag some of the larger dots down into the stripe. (There is the amazing Seche Vite in my hand)

 My first tape mani. I used Wet n' Wild Fast Dry- GRAY'S ANATOMY as the base, then I taped it off and used China Glaze- LIQUID LEATHER. And added a few rhinestones to the ring finger.

So that brings us up to date. I did not include the manis I did for my mom and my sister. I will use them for a later post. I really hope everyone liked what I have done so far and I am really hoping to get some followers. So follow me if you like what you see. Thanks a lot!!! :)

First Post: About Myself

So this is my first blog post. I have become very fascinated with nail polish and nail polish designs recently (in the last 6 months). It has become almost an obsession. Luckily my husband supports my interest and always comments on my new designs. I realized I have been posting new designs to Facebook weekly, almost twice weekly, and decided to give my Facebook friends a break and turn to blogging instead. So here goes......

I'll start with just saying a little about me and the things that are important to me...

 I am 25 years old and live in Minnesota, USA. I have an amazing husband named Tim. He and I are about to celebrate our first wedding anniversary in two days. <3 This is us on our honeymoon last summer.

Tim has 2 children, son Kevin and daughter Cierra. Here is me and Cierra last fall at a local corn maze.

 
I have the two most amazing nieces an Auntie could ask for. Elliot just turned 2, and Cora is 8 months old.

 I also have some amazing friends. These are my 3 best girlfriends and I enjoying some mini Ice Hole butterscotch schnapps and just being silly. (left to right: me, Nikki, Jocelyn, Krista)

I also go to school part time for my Associate's Degree in Medical Lab Technology and work at Maurice's clothing store also part time. I love spending as much time as I can with my friends and family (and I have also started doing some of their nails too). Tim and I have a wonderful kitty named Maddie and 2 guinea pigs (Piggy and Pearl). And I guess that's about it.

So now you know a little about me, I hope you enjoy my blog!!!! Happy Reading!!