Seize the Sparkle

Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 3 Coats NYC Tudor City Teal 1 Coat Borghese Clear 1 Coat Essie Good To Go Not gonna lie. I've been at a loss for layering ideas lately. And my last one was a TOTAL failicure . But I picked this shade up recently, so I figured I should probably swatch it. :) Let me just start out by saying that I love finishes like this. Tudor City Teal has a sheer milky finish that radiates shine. Milky finishes are the close cousins to jellies, and it's no surprise that I'm all about the shinies... I'm not sure why, but I don't have too many NYC polishes in my collection. Sadly, I chipped my right index already, and I haven't had this polish on for a full day yet! So, that's disappointing, but I'm thinking it was probably more user error than anything. I don't mind too much, because I know I'll be repainting tonight. I can't really complain about application, 3 easy coats gave me the fi

Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 3 Coats Zoya Paloma 2 Coats China Glaze Your Present Required 2 Coats Zoya Paloma 1 Coat Borghese Clear Coat 1 Coat Seche Vite This layering was pretty much a given when Paloma arrived... it just took a little while to make it happen! I think I needed to step back from the pink and purple, wear black for almost a week, then come running back to pink with this sparklebomb of a jelly glitter sandwich. And that's exactly what I did. :) Your Present Required has been begging to be part of a jelly glitter sandwich since I added it to my stash. It's a mix of blue, gold, orange, white, and fuschia glitter in various sizes. I did my best to leave out the huuuge white pieces of glitter, but two of them made it onto my thumb. Thankfully, they don't look as large on my thumb as they would had they landed on my pinky. As much as I love the unique blend of colors in Your Present Required... I like them covere

Have you heard of Distressed Nails? It's a look that Sarah from Chalkboard Nails came up with... She did two versions using metallics , then neons , before posting this awesome tutorial. So, this is my attempt to create a similar look... Sunlight Natural Light Natural Light Natural Light Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 2 Coats OPI Black Onyx (base) Sinful Colors Charmed (distress effect) Spoiled Champagne Siren (distress effect) OPI Black Onyx (distress effect) 2 Coats Borghese Clear Coat 1 Coat Seche Vite Definitely filing this one under attempt #1. I can't quite file it as a failicure, because I actually like the way it turned out. Although, it did turn out differently than expected. If you look at the distressed manicures posted over at Chalkboard Nails , they're definitely more precisely messy. I think I had waaaaay too much paint on my brush for each one of the distressed colors, resulting in my having to add more B

Today's polish is actually part of a boxed set from OPI. Every October, OPI releases polish to benefit breast cancer research. I posted this on Instagram right after the Holidays, so my apologies for the deja vu... Pink of Hearts 2013 came with a bottle of More than a Glimmer, (which I've yet to try) and Pink-ing of You. The set also came with 10 pink ribbon nail decals and 10 rhinestones. (Haven't tried those yet, either!) Alas, on to the swatches! Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 4 Coats OPI Pink-ing Of You 1 Coat Borghese Clear Coat 1 Coat Seche Vite Pink-ing Of You is a bubblegum pink creme polish... the very same hue as those pink breast cancer research ribbons. It's a pretty color, but I feel like the formula on mine was off. 4 coats, and I can still see some streaks. Blech. I know, I know... I'm probably expecting too much considering this is a pastel polish, and they just love streaking. But... OPI has done pl