Review: Finger Paints- Santa's Magic

Hi Everyone!  I have a new polish review for you today.  It's Santa's Magic from Finger Paints' 2012 Holiday Collection.  If you're looking for a subtle little sparkle, this is not the polish for you.  This is a gloriously blinding glitter bomb!  As you may know, or have figured out, I LOVE GLITTER!! And I own well over 50 glitter polishes, but this one out sparkles them all!

Santa's Magic is a clear based polish absolutely PACKED with medium and micro round holographic glitter.  The formula was perfect.  So many times glitter polish can be thick and goopy, but this went on very smoothly.  The glitter came out really well, I didn't have to dig or place the glitter. 

The pictures show two THIN coats (yep, only two and definitely thin) over three coats of China Glaze Creative Fantasy.  To see one coat, click on Creative Fantasy.  If you wanted, you could probably get complete coverage with three coats.

Removal was a tad difficult.  I suggest the foil method for removing the polish. 
NOTE:  I have instructions for using the foil method for BOTH ACRYLIC and NATURAL nails.

I LOVE this polish!!  I have found my New Year's Eve polish.  And if you're still looking for yours, just imagine this:  a little wave of your fingers and that guy way, way across the room will see you!  Happy Polishing!!

I added this pic so you can see how much this sparkles.  This was taken in my car at night without a flash, just the dim street light.  Gorgeous!



Santa's Sleigh

Hi Everyone!  You may remember I've entered a Holiday Nail Art Contest being held by Nail Polish Canada. (And if you didn't know, here is my week 1 design Frosty the Snowman)

The theme for week 2 is presents, gifts and stockings.  So I've chosen Santa's Sleigh with all the gifts tumbling out and heading to the chimneys of all the boys and girls.  And if y'all are wondering where all the snow is, it's up north!  I grew up in Florida and now live in Georgia, so snow for Christmas is beyond rare! LOL!

If you like my design, please, please go to Nail Polish Canada and vote for my design!  If you do, I'll be your very, very best friend!! Happy Polishing!! (tools used after pictures)

I Used:
City Color Masquerade- Light Gray
NYC- Skin Tight Denim Creme (dark blue)
Orly- Total Darkness (dark purple)
Orly- Grave Mistake (dark red)
Orly- Halley's Comet (shimmery blue)
Orly- Chocoholic (medium brown with silver shimmer)
Orly- Frolic (pink)
China Glaze- White on White
China Glaze- Liquid Leather (black)
China Glaze- Call of the Wild (dark brown)
China Glaze- Desert Sun (light brown)
essence- Oh My Glitter (shimmery purple)
Sinful Colors- Why Not (light blue)
Ulta- Red Carpet Red
Ulta- Envy (dark shimmery green)
LA Colors- Palm Tree (green)
Wet-N-Wild- SaGreena the Teenage Witch (medium shimmery green)
Pure Ice- Silver Mercedes
Pure Ice- Jaguar (gold)
Liner Brush
Make-up Sponges
Rhinestones
Dotting Tools
Holiday Decals

Review: China Glaze- Creative Fantasy

Hi Everyone!!  And welcome to all my new followers!!  I hope y'all are enjoying what you see.  And be sure to stick around after the "Dark Shadows" giveaway...my birthday is in January and I think we need a giveaway for then too!  Don't you?

Today I have a review of China Glaze's Creative Fantasy from their Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away collection.  This is supposed to hit the stores starting December 1st, but lucky me, my Sally's had them out early!  I can't begin to tell y'all how excited I was to see this collection, or more specifically, to see Creative Fantasy.  Besides being a glitter and sparkle fanatic, I LOVE PURPLE!!! And to me, this looked like the perfect purple!!  So the second I saw it in the store, I grabbed it.

Isn't it gorgeous?  I was not disappointed!  The color is the perfect purple to me.  It is a beautiful creme that leans towards the blue side of purple.  The polish acts as a neon, meaning that it dries very quickly and to a matte finish.  (The pictures show three coats of Creative Fantasy with one coat of top coat, and an accent of Finger Paints Santa's Magic which I will review in a post soon).  The formula was great, but a bit on the think side.  I did need to use three (thin) coats to get the same color that is in the bottle.  The one and only complaint I have is that I got a funky brush in the bottle.  But I just wiped off most of the polish and trimmed the brush with a pair of scissors.

So bottom line?  I LOVE this polish!!!!  I hope you do too!  Happy Polishing!!

Holiday Gradient (Hanakkuh or Christmas)

Good morning Everyone!!  Did you have a fabulous weekend and/or holiday??  I think I gained 10 pounds over Thanksgiving!  Who's bright idea was it to have cheesecake at Thanksgiving??  Not to mention the gravy, mashed potatoes and rolls...ugh!! Well, at least it was all delicious!  But I missed y'all! And I missed doing my nails every other day.  But I'm back now and have a fabulous Holiday manicure for you.

I Used:
China Glaze- Frostbite (bright metallic blue)
Sinful Colors- Heavy Metal (sparkly silver)
Make Up Sponges

There are three ways to do a gradient, or ombre, nail design.  The first is to select a color, and paint each nail a different shade of that color on each nail.  The second is to paint the polish on a sponge and dab it on your nails (I have one like that coming up, I will put the link here when it's done).  And the last way is the way I did this manicure (see tutorial here).

I love how this manicure turned out!  It reminds me of winter, Christmas, Hanukkah, the first snow...just everything to do with this time of year!  I hope y'all enjoy it too!!  Happy Polishing!!

Frosty the Snowman

Hi Everyone!!!  I hope you have are having a fabulous week!!  I have something a little different for you today.  Nail Polish Canada is having a winter nail design contest and I need y'alls help.  The theme for this week is snow, so I did Frosty the Snowman.  The Christmas season always officially started when I saw Frosty on tv.  So here is my entry:

If y'all like it, could you please, please go to Nail Polish Canada and vote for my design?  I would appreciate it ssooo much!!  Here are a couple more pictures along with what I used at the end.  Thank y'all so much!!!  Happy Polishing!!

I Used:
City Color Masquerade- Light Gray (light gray with a silver shimmer) Sky gradient
Ulta- Tutu Cafe (light purple creme) Sky gradient
Orly- Decoded (dark gray) Frosty's hat
Orly- Chocoholic (brown with silver shimmer) the trees
Ulta- Red Carpet Red (bright red creme) Frosty's nose
Orly- Basket Case (pink creme) flower on Frosty's hat
Spoiled- Designated Driver (dark yellow creme) Frosty's broom and pipe
China Glaze- White on White (white creme)
China Glaze- Liquid Leather (black creme)
Orly- Shine On Crazy Diamond (holographic glitter in clear base)
Make-up Sponges
Largest Dotting Tool
Smallest Dotting Tool
Liner Brush
Pro-FX Quick Dry High Gloss Top Coat

Thanksgiving French Tip

Good Morning Every one!!  I hope y'all are having a great week.  For my American readers, are you ready for Thanksgiving?  I'm still trying to get my 22 pound turkey to defrost so I can get it into the brine.  Don't tell the food police, but it looks like it's going on the counter to defrost.

Anyway, I have one more Thanksgiving manicure for y'all.  Or if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, this is perfect for fall too!  Here's the final look:

Y'all know I started to do a traditional french tip, but I just don't seem capable of doing that...I have to change it and glitter it up!

I Used:
Finger Paints- Vermillion $ Painting (shimmery Orange)
Ulta- My Two Cents (copper glitter in brown jelly base)
Scotch Tape

I started with two coats of Finger Paints Vermillion $ Painting, a beautiful, shimmery, but really thin Orange:

To help in clean up, I placed one small piece of tape on the side of my nail that the "tail" goes down:

Then you are just going to make a swoosh...start at the bottom of your nail, at the cuticle, and using the brush that came with the polish, slowly move up and over.  You are basically aiming for the top of your swoosh to be at your finger tip line.  The tape will allow you to put just a small part of the brush on your nail, the majority will be on the tape.  Don't panic!  There is no right or wrong to this manicure.  It's just a free-hand design.  Have fun with it!!  I hope y'all enjoy my funky french tip design!  Happy Polishing!!

Red & Silver French Tip

Hi Everybody!! I hope y'all are having a fabulous week.  And I hope y'all will forgive me for rushing the season, but I was so excited to try these polishes, I couldn't help myself!  Plus the next three wees are going to be ridiculously busy.  This week is Thanksgiving.  Then two weeks later my almost teenager is in "The Nutcracker".  So on top of her normal five days a week of classes, we have to add Nutcracker rehearsals.  I'm getting tired just thinking of it.  Although this is her sixth year...nope, still not used to it.

So anyway, enough whining.  Here's my first manicure of the Holiday season, a sparkly french tip.  I think this would be great for a Christmas party.

Right Hand

I Used:
Orly- Torrid
China Glaze- Glistening Snow
Silver Striping Tape

I started with two coats of Orly Torrid.  While that was still tacky, I placed the silver striping tape at my finger tip line.  Applying the tape before the nails completely dry helps the tape to stick to your nails.  I used the tape as my guide for making the french tip, but there are other ways to make the french tip here.

Next I painted all of my nail tips, except the ring finger and thumb with two coats of China Glaze Glistening Snow.  For my thumb and ring finger I used two coats of Glistening Snow on the bottom half of my nail. 

Glistening Snow is very similar to China Glaze Angel Wings.  Both are from their 2012 Holiday Collection.  Glistening Snow is a clear based polish packed with silver holographic micro-glitter.  It is so packed with polish that two coats will give you complete coverage.  It has a very subtle glittery look, perfect for the winter.  Once on the nail, it dries very quickly to an almost matte finish.  It's also pretty gritty and soaked up the top coat.

I used two coats of top coat to seal my design and give it a smooth finish.  I hope y'all enjoy this manicure.  Happy Polishing!!

Left Hand

Review: Torrid by Orly

Hi Everybody!! I have a quick review for you today of Orly Torrid from their 2012 Holiday collection, Naughty or Nice.  Besides having to cook dinner for the family (can you believe they expect to eat THREE times a day??), this polish is so perfect that you just need to see what it looks like.

Orly Torrid is a dark shimmery red that is just breathtaking.  I absolutely love the color!!For some reason it just reminds me of holiday nights.  But it would be gorgeous any day of the year. 

The formula was a dream.  It was smooth and even; it just flowed onto the nail.  And it didn't leave any brush strokes.  It dried in good time.  I just love this color!!  The pictures are two coats and one top coat.

Check back tomorrow for a new nail design using Orly Torrid as my base and China Glaze Glistening Snow as the highlight that would be fabulous for a Holiday party.  Happy Polishing!!

Thanksgiving Water Marble

Hi Everyone!!  Are y'all ready for Thanksgiving?  I just went out and bought my turkey, can't wait to eat! Can you blieve I bought a 22 pound turkey for just 6 people?  But I love the sandwiches with the left overs even more than the turkey!  So does the hubby, so...I got a big turkey!  So today I thought I would do a water marble for Thanksgiving.

Click here for the step-by-step tutorial on water marbling!

I Used:
China Glaze- White on White
Pure Ice- Jaguar (perfect gold color with gold shimmer)
NYC- Times Square Tangerine Creme (orange)
Orly- Chocoholic (dark brown with silver shimmer)
Scotch Tape (for taping fingers, see above link)

So here is the finished water marble:

I started with two coats of China Glaze- White on White:

Then dropped the nail polish into the water.  I tried to draw a design that reminded me of turkey feathers.  How'd I do?  Don't forget to click on the link above to see step-by-step directions and pictures for how to water marble.  Hope y'all enjoy this design!  Happy Polishing!!

Half Moon Tutorial

Hi Everybody!!  I decided to go with a more classic look today, well classic for me.  The half moon design has been popular for a long time.  It originated in the 20's and was the height of fashion in the 40's.  I remember my grandmother wearing her nails like this all the time. (She was so ahead of her time, she always painted the back of her nails, and she knew the secret to white iodine and your nails.)  So I have the steps for the classic half moon, but you know I had to change it up some. (The classic look-half moon color first- is nude and white, black and white or red and black.)  This is a very easy manicure, you just need to know the trick.

I Used:
China Glaze- No Plain Jane (purple/beige duochrome)
Icing- Golden Age of Glitter (gold and black glitter)
Diamond Cosmetics- Black Glitter
Pure Ice- Jaguar (gold)

So here's the finished manicure:

I started by painting two coats of China Glaze No Plain Jane.  This is such a pretty frosted purple with a slight beige shift.  This base color will be the color of your half moons.

Make sure that has dried completely, then grab your secret weapon: hole reinforcements!  Yes, those things you used in school are what you need to make this manicure perfect.  Place them down by your cuticles like in this picture:

Make sure they are down firmly so the polish doesn't leak underneath them.

Then I painted my nails with two coats of Icing Golden Age of Glitter, a gorgeous gold and black glitter in a clear base.  Because I painted two coats of Icing, I kept the hole reinforcements on until I painted the second coat.  Remove them immediately after the second coat.

To really show the half moons, I added black and gold lines.  Start with black and using a liner brush or very thin brush, follow the line made by the half moons.  Then follow the black line with the gold.  I used Pure Ice Jaguar.  It's the perfect gold and matched the glitter perfectly.  Don't forget the top coat!

So what combination are you going to use?  Let me know!  Happy Polishing!!

Review: Revlon Moon Candy Orbit

So, over the summer Revlon released their Moon Candy nail art line.  I thought the flakies were gorgeous, especially Orbit, but I just couldn't justify $8 for basically just the flakies, and such a small amount at that.  I was able to pick up Milky Way (review) and Cosmic (which I haven't tried yet) on clearance a couple of weeks ago, but they were out of Orbit, my favorite.  I thought I was out of luck but I saw this huge, new display in Walmart full of Revlon Nail art combos, for $6.44.  I had to try to Orbit.

Orbit turned out nothing like Milky Way.  Unlike the thick gray polish of Milky Way, the purple in Orbit was thin and gave nice coverage.  But there was one really weird thing, the purple turned out way, way darker on the nail than in the bottle.

In fact, it's so dark you can't even tell it's purple.  You know I've had polishes look lighter than they looked in the bottle, but this is the first time I've had one turn out darker!

The flakies consist of irregular shaped flakes in iridescent blue and purple in a light purple base.  The base was so thick it was a nightmare to work with.  And the flakies, which actually look blue and teal, were extremely hard to place.  Plus it was impossible to get them flat.  Maybe it was because of the thick base.  I used two coats of flakies and two coats of top coat.  And despite my fabulous top coat, the overall look came out looking very lumpy.  My nails felt 12 inches thick!

You can really see how lumpy it is in this picture.

Orbit does seem pretty and I do like the look of the flakies, the overall lumpy look is unattractive.  For a nail polish I was looking so forward to, I'm extremely disappointed.  In fact, I can't wait to get it off.  I will have to try to thin the flakies and try again, but for now, this polish is a fail.  Happy Polishing!!

Fall Glitter Design

Hi Everyone!  I'm sorry this is being posted so late, but it's been a busy day (see the end of the post).  So this is going to be a quick post :)

Here is the final design:

I Used:
Spoiled- Steel the Snow
Orly- Buried Alive
Finger Paints- Fall of Surprises
Scotch Tape

I started with two coats of Spoiled- Steel the Snow, a dark taupe.  Once that has dried completely, use scotch tape diagonally across your nails:

Ok, that picture is for 2nd part, but you get the idea.  I used Orly- Buried Alive, a dark shimmery brown, for the bottom stripe.  As soon as you paint the color remove the tape.  Let the polish dry completely before the next step.

For the last stripe, tape your nails like the picture above.  For the glitter, I used Finger Paints- Fall of Surprises, a pretty copper glitter in a clear base.  This required two coats of polish so leave the tape on your nail until you've completed the second coat.  Don't forget to top the design with a top coat.  I used two coats to get a smooth finish.

So my poor daughter, who shall remain nameless by her order (lol), has been sick for a week and felt horrible today.  And then her baby brother, Count Damon, and baby sister, Countess Delilah weren't feeling well.  My almost teenager won't let me post her picture, but here are her baby siblings:

Count Damon

Countess Delilah

Yes, these are my precious babies (don't judge me) and they rule the house.  So a day with them all feeling yucky meant it took me 12 hours to get this posted.  I hope y'all enjoy the design!!  Happy Polishing!!