Seize the Sparkle

Spotted at WalMart last evening... Hard Candy Nail Polish Display! Wish it would've been full of polishy goodness, but at least I know my local store will carry it! I asked an associate working in the beauty section if she had any idea when the polishes would be coming, but she couldn't tell me. She did however inform me that some of the other polishes were getting complete display revamps. I believe Pure Ice might've been one of them, but she's not a regular in that section, so don't quote me on that! I also have no idea if the revamp is exclusive to my particular store, or all stores in general. Either way, I'm super excited... I can't tell you how much I love hitting these displays when they are super fresh and full of choices!!! My wallet on the other hand... Let the beauty department stalking begin!

In the nail polish world, Hard Candy is iconic. Infamous even. When Sky debuted, a revolution began. No, seriously! Hard Candy was among the first of the nail polish companies to think outside of reds and pinks. When their new spring line debuts, they're introducing a completely restyled bottle, minus the gummy/plastic ring we've all come to know and love. The new line boasts 45 nail polishes... some of which you really should be excited about! Take a look at my picks... (L to R:) Party Central, Jubilee, Black Tie Optional, Peach Pop, Piece of Papaya, Little Bo Pink, Masquerade, Sugar Rush, Gummy Green, Hip Hip Hooray, Pink Taffy, Crush on Gold, Crush on Lava, Fun 'N Festive, Fireworks, Cotton Candy Pink, Fire Flash, and Glitter Jam.  And here they are in alphabetical order: Black Tie Optional Cotton Candy Pink Crush on Gold Crush on Lava Fire Flash Fireworks Fun 'N Festive Glitter Jam Gummy Green Hip Hip Hooray

I apologize for the lack of pics on this one... Initially I wasn't too thrilled with how this polish turned out, but it's growing on me the longer I wear it! If you've ever hunted for the perfect yellow... I'm sure you understand my plight!   So I don't have pics of either of these polishes on their own, and this is the only pic I took, because I didn't really like how this turned out at first. Yellows are known to be streaky little buggers, and Unicorn by Sinful Colors is no exception. I really wanted to wear yellow polish, so I originally tried Designated Driver by Spoiled. I remember loving that shade when I bought it, but it was doing absolutely nothing for me this time around. So I reached for Unicorn by Sinful Colors. Unicorn is a chalky pastel yellow color. Very pastel, chalky, and cool-toned. It did absolutely nothing for my nails or skin tone. Recently I picked up Revlon Crystal Glow, a yellow jelly that's super sheer. It has a warmer vib

This mani is brought to you by my OTHER Valentine presents... two bottles of BlackHeart Nail Polish... The one I wore over the weekend is Copper... a dark brown metallic polish with a copperish tint. Fitting, huh? Skull! Blackheart Cosmetics are sold at Spencer's Gift Stores. They have a bunch of interesting colors, and something they call "stack" polish. Basically three polishes layered in the same bottle, so you get a little of each color with each dip. While a nice idea in theory, I've never owned a polish like this. I would probably accidentally shake the bottle up or something, completely ruining the concept! Copper is a shade that was definitely lacking in my collection. I have a few darker brown-toned reds, but no real brown polishes to speak of. Since I could only go a whole two days before picking up Essie As Gold As It Gets again, I layered that and SOPI Traffic Stopper Copper to make a gradient. (Someone just needs to take that polis

Loved this mani so much... I wore it for 2 whole days! Turquoise + Gold = J'Adore! Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 2 Coats Spoiled Toad-Ally 1 Coat Essie As Gold as it Gets 1 Coat Revlon Sheer Seafoam Hard to believe that I've had Revlon Sheer Seafoam for over 6 months and only got to wearing it recently. I don't even want to think how many other untried polishes are crying out from my Helmer for some love! I remember seeing turquoise paired with gold and just loving that combination. And about me not using As Gold as it Gets... Well... Maybe once I get another gold flake glitter, I'm sure I'll be obsessed with using that. I must find one in silver also. Something about irregular flakies in nail polish makes me all giddy inside. I received a couple of compliments on this manicure, something that always makes my day! Sheer Seafoam is an interesting polish. It's a super-sheer blue-green that lends itself to jelly san

Since I've lived in the wonderful little apartment I live in... My closet has been giving me fits. FITS I tell you! It's a decent size and everything, but we live in an older home with seriously outdated closets that we can't change. Mine goes on for a while behind the wall, but it has a standard size door, so a LOOOOOOOT of my clothes are completely hidden. No lie, I sometimes find clothes back there and do a little happy dance because I forgot I owned them. Sigh. First world problems... I have puzzled and agonized over my closet. I feel slightly ashamed admitting that, because, well... Who does that? Apparently me! I've been soul-searching and hunting around the blogosphere for kindred spirits, and I stumbled onto this blog . Not only is her style similar to mine, she has this series she did on organizing and remixing your closet. She calls it her Timeless Capsule Wardrobe Series. While I love reading fashion blogs and appreciate super trendy people... That'

Peanut had her 4 month check up last Friday... Not only did she get a new round of shots (and learn to hit some new high notes) she got the okay to start solid food! Rice cereal here we come!!! Looks like glue. Smells like glue. Tastes like glue. Blech. In her big girl chair staring at that biiiiiiiiiiig bowl. Cereal Mustaches are the new black. I'm not so sure about this mom... Final Verdict: Ate half. Wore half. While I still haven't tasted her formula, I did actually sample this to try and make a point that it was yummy and she should eat it. It was not yummy, but thankfully Peanut seemed to think it was! She did really well. And by really well, I mean that half of it made it into her stomach. Not bad for her first try! Not sure what was cuter, her grabbing the spoon and trying to feed herself, or trying to shove her hand in her mouth at the same time that the spoon was going in. Little girl, you have no idea how entertaining and funny you are wit

Another day... another layering! This time around, I decided to do a gradient manicure, because it's been a while since I last tried one. I've worn this combo before, but this time around, I added some Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Big Money in between my larger glitter layers. I think it gave this mani a lot of depth, but in hindsight, I would've made it the bottom layer. Also, I would've taken pics in natural light. Oo. Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 2 Coats Revlon Bare Bones 2 Coats SOPI Sugar Plum Faeries Gone Wild 1 Coat Sally Hansen Gem Crush Big Money 1 Coat SOPI Sugar Plum Faeries Gone Wild 1 Coat Seche Vite Big Money is an ideal polish for a gradient manicure like this. I've tried to get into other shades of the Gem Crush collection, but none of them jumped out at me like this one did. It paired beautifully with Sugar Plum Faeries Gone Wild.  Gradient manicures are a fun take on glitter... A bit more sophisticated

I know it's a little late, but this is my Valentine Weekend manicure. My Valentine's Day manicure was a bit of a disaster, so this one definitely made up for it. In the pics, my accent nail looks red, but it was really a hot pink. Artificial Lighting just doesn't do Conquistadorable Color justice. Sigh. Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 2 Coats OPI Black Onyx (Non-Accent Nails) 2 Coats OPI Conquistadorable Color 2 Coats Revlon Sparkling 2 Coats OPI Do You Think I'm Tex-Y? 1 Coat Seche Vite This is a pretty simple manicure. Black and pink, very similar to the very first accent mani I ever saw. I can't tell you the exact season or episode, but Hanna's character on Pretty Little Liars wore black nail polish with red accent fingers. That very night, I mimicked the look with two of my all time favorite polishes, OPI You Don't Know Jacques! and Paint My Moji-toes Red. I've been hooked on accent manicures ever since! 

I'm not normally the type to brag... But sometimes someone does something so thoughtful and sweet that it just has to be mentioned! My husband and I have had all kinds of different Valentines. If you've read the about me section, you know I've had a tough year and I'm on a bit of a personal quest. That being said, this gift was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. PERIOD.   I've always wanted a cocktail ring, and now I'm the proud owner of this sparkling Green Amethyst beauty. But that's not the coolest part. First of all, I was completely surprised to receive jewelry, let alone a ring. It's cool that this is something I love, but probably wouldn't have picked for myself. I've been necklace hunting lately, so that's where my sparkly little head has been at. The stone in this ring has some incredibly fitting meanings for everything that's been going on in my life lately. I don't believe in crystal power or anything like that, but Green