Butter London Muggins

Good afternoon! Recently I went to my local Butter London counter to pick up a couple of the new spring shades; unfortunately, one I wanted was out of stock and the other didn't look the same in person as online swatches. Oh well! I did end up leaving with two polishes none the less: one being Muggins!

Below I used 2 coats of Muggins, without topcoat

Butter London Muggins

Butter London Muggins

Butter London Muggins

Muggins is a super subtle lavender creme, with a lot of grey in it. It's basically an even more exaggerated Light as Air. The application was a breeze. Some BL polishes, in my opinion, have tricky formulas, but Muggins didn't give me any problems! 2 coats made this polish perfectly opaque. Also, sorry for my wonky cuticles, it's been windy/dry here lately in Davis. Although I look a tad orange, the polish is pretty color-accurate.

What do you think of Muggins?

-Shelby

Few of my most recent Manis!

Hello again, ladies! Yes, I am back with a post after who knows how long! Like I said before, life gets in the way. I am a first-year college student and timing is never perfect for photos, but now that spring and summer are approaching, I plan on doing a lot more nail posts, especially once I move home for the summer :) I still have a lot of untried polishes in my stash and I want to purchase a couple of polishes from the spring 2013 collections as well! Side note with that...I am in love with EVERY color from the new Butter London collection...my wallet is already crying.

So I thought to make up for my ultimate lameness, I could show you guys a few of the manicures I've done lately. I don't remember all of the polish names and the photo settings are not ideal, but I'm going to give it a whirl anyway!

China Glaze It's a Trap-eze

 This first mani is a combo of 3 different colors: a lavender (possibly Essie St. Lucia Lilac or China Glaze Light as Air), a Sally Hansen nail art pen in white and China Glaze It's a Trap-eze to top off the white. I loved the effect of this design, but I wish I had made the white area in the center thinner. That way the lavender would've shined through more!

SOPI Seriously, It's a Naan-Issue
Nails Inc. Warwick Way & The Thames

SOPI Seriously, It's a Naan-Issue
Nails Inc. Warwick Way & The Thames

I love dot manis! I wish I used lighter colors for the dots or a lighter base for the polish, but whatevs. I just used alternating dotting tool sizes to create a little pattern. Warwick Way is a little on the thin side. Seriously, It's a Naan-Issue is perfection! 

Revlon Coastal Surf

I love Revlon Coastal Surf! It is such a gorgeous shade of blue- this makeshift photo does not do the color justice! Also, the formulation was great! Barely needed two coats :)

Unfortunately, I can only remember 1 polish from this mani- Zoya Ziv. Ziv has been my recent go-to gold polish and it just looks great with every type of mani! I used a nude base and sponged on Ziv as well as an Indie glitter on the tips. I love the effect this created! I will definitely recreate this for an actual post!

Revlon Provence
Confetti Lonesome Dove

Yet another poor photo, but I love this design! It's the "puzzle piece" design. I painted half my nail Revlon Provence and the other half Confetti Lonesome Dove. Then I took large dotting tools and did purple on the gray half and gray on the purple half, spacing the dots out to create this look! I love Revlon Provence, its formulation is great. I also really like Lonesome Dove, it is a great neutral gray and wallet-friendly!

I hope you guys enjoyed this!

-Shelby

China Glaze Light as Air and Color Club Magic Attraction!

Hello ladies! I know, it's been quite a while since I last made a blog post. I'm not going to make any excuses, life just gets in the way and making blog posts was my last priority to be quite honest. I am a full-time student. I commute home every weekend (which a huge ordeal and process haha). But I thought I'd pop in and share a mani I did last weekend and actually had a chance to photograph!

Below is 2 coats of Light as Air and the glitter used is by Color Club (it was unmarked in a set), but I believe it to be Magic Attraction!

China Glaze Light as Air
Color Club Magic Attraction

China Glaze Light as Air
Color Club Magic Attraction

Light as Air is a gorgeous light lavender creme! It's from China Glaze's Up & Away collection, which I am obsessed with. The application was great; 2 careful coats was perfect for full opacity. I then took Magic Attraction and did a bit of a reverse glitter gradient at the cuticle. 

I hope you guys enjoyed! Glad to be back to post here and there! 

-Shelby

Night Sky Gradient

Good morning lovely ladies! Today I have for you gradient nails! This is a scheduled post since I am headed off to my boyfriend's family picnic/reunion today (that means my post coming up for this afternoon is also scheduled)! I wanted to do something fun for the occasion, so I went with a gradient!

It looks like a night sky to me with the different shades of blues, purples and glitter like the stars. I hope you guys like it!

Polishes used:
China Glaze Bahamian Escape
Nubar Lavender
OPI Funky Dunkey
Nicole by OPI Listen to Your Momager!
Sinful Colors See You Soon
Shimmer Polish Jenny

Night Sky Gradient

Night Sky Gradient

Night Sky Gradient

Night Sky Gradient

I actually am very pleased with how this gradient turned out! I like how each nail is slightly different and more unique than the last :) I used the sponging method to create this gradient. I didn't have too much of an issue with cleanup this time; I decided to tape my nails. I think next time I'll try a gradient without glitter because that'll help with the cleanup even more! I topped this mani off with 1 coat of Out the Door and 1 coat of Diamond Dry, just so the glitter didn't remain gritty. The last photo is a closeup of the gradient; you can clearly see each color there!

What do you think of this gradient? Have any gradient recommendations/ideas?

Until next time,

-Shelby

Jelly Sandwich: OPI Care to Danse? & Lush Lacquer Party Rockin

Good afternoon ladies! Today I was in the mood to do a jelly sandwich, specifically with OPI Care to Danse?. I adore light purples, so a light purple jelly is right up my alley! I also have been meaning to try Lush Lacquer Party Rockin for quite some time. What happens when you mix the two? You get an awesome jelly sandwich :)

What I used:
2 coats OPI Care to Danse?
1 coat Lush Lacquer Party Rockin
1 coat OPI Care to Danse?

OPI Care to Danse?
Lush Lacquer Party Rockin

OPI Care to Danse?
Lush Lacquer Party Rockin

OPI Care to Danse?
Lush Lacquer Party Rockin

 Care to Danse? is a warm-toned lavender jelly. This polish applies really well! I probably will only use it for jelly sandwiches or with glitter on top due to it's sheer nature, but I like it nonetheless! Party Rockin is a total glitter bomb! It has small orange, yellow, light blue glitters, medium light blue hexes, large dark and light blue hexes and light blue bar glitters all in a clear base with a blue tinge! Dang, that is a mouthful!! The blue tinge caused Care to Danse? to lean more blue than it really is.

OPI Care to Danse?
Lush Lacquer Party Rockin

OPI Care to Danse?
Lush Lacquer Party Rockin

Here's Party Rockin before I applied the last coat of Care to Danse?; I also like how this looks! Here you can really see all the colors of the polish. It didn't give me too many problems, but I found it hard to get even amounts of larger glitters on each nail. Other than that, I liked it :). The only true downfall this polish has is that is makes me think of the song Party Rockin, which I don't like all that much! haha

What do you think of this jelly sandwich? Do you like Lush Lacquer?

Until next time,

-Shelby

Pretty & Polished Spam!

Good afternoon! I hope you all are having a lovely Tuesday :). I spent the evening with my boyfriend last night after not seeing him for almost ten days, so that put me in a good mood for today!

A few weeks ago, Pretty & Polished restocked their inventory on Etsy. Right when they released their inventory, I snatched 4 polishes up: Sand Art, Party on my Yacht, Tart, and PHAT Camp!

Beware, this post is picture heavy...I'm going to show pics of the base colors I used before I added the Pretty & Polished glitters to the manis!

Sally Hansen Blue Me Away!

Sally Hansen Blue Me Away!

 Sally Hansen Blue Me Away! is a perfect bright blue creme! It's vibrant, but not too "in your face". The application was awesome; fully opaque in 2 coats! I thought it was a great base for Sand Art!

Pretty & Polished Sand Art

Pretty & Polished Sand Art

 Sand Art is a lime green, purple, blue and pink glitters in a clear base. This was a truly unique color! The glitters seemed somewhat matte and almost spherical, rather than flat. I used 1 coat over Blue Me Away! and really liked the outcome!

Pretty & Polished Party on my Yacht

Pretty & Polished Party on my Yacht

Pretty & Polished Party on my Yacht

Party on my Yacht is gold, purple, green glitters with hidden blue bar glitters in a white, milky base. This color didn't require a base color, but took 3 coats to reach full opacity. I like this color, but I feel like it'll look especially good around Christmas or Easter since it seems somewhat festive to me. The application was pretty good and I didn't have any problems with it :).

OPI Rumple's Wiggin'

OPI Rumple's Wiggin' is a nice lavender creme from the OPI Shrek Collection. This is a classic lavender, possibly my first ever lavender polish! It's a little sheer and streaky, but totally worth it! I used 2 coats semi-thick coats to reach opacity.

Pretty & Polished Tart

Pretty & Polished Tart

 Tart is micro purple, small gold, pink, magenta, blue hexes, and large white/lavender hexes in a milky lilac base. I probably could've reached opacity with this polish in around 3 coats, but I decided to put 1 coat over Rumple's Wiggin' instead! I had no issues with this polish; the application was good and I didn't have a hard time getting glitter onto my nails!

Sinful Colors Ocean Side

 Sinful Colors Ocean Side is a teal creme with a bit of gray in it! I like this color a lot!! I got it on sale for 99 cents at Walgreens and am really impressed with the formula. When I swatched it on a nail wheel, it was a little sheer, but when applied to the nails, it was perfect! No complaints about this gorgeous, ocean-like teal :).

Pretty & Polished PHAT Camp

Pretty & Polished PHAT Camp

PHAT Camp is teal and purple large glitters and pink/purple small glitters in a clear base. This color was really hard to capture in the sun; the teal glitters were kind of invisible in the teal polish! I had no issues with the application, but I'd say this is my least favorite of the bunch, which is funny since I thought I'd like it the most! I still like this combo though :)

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with Pretty & Polished! I didn't have a problem getting the glitter to go onto my nails evenly, which was nice for a change! I would buy from them again :)

What do you think of Pretty & Polished?

Until next time,

-Shelby

Sephora by OPI It's Hippo to Be Square

Hello again! I was looking through my stash and pulled out a favorite of mine from earlier this year: Sephora by OPI It's  It'Hippo to Be Square. I originally had a mini version of this polish (from the Sephora by OPI holiday set), but caved in and bought the full-size a while back! Man, I'm sure glad I did!

Below I did 2 coats of It's Hippo to Be Square

Sephora by OPI It's Hippo to Be Square

Sephora by OPI It's Hippo to Be Square

Sephora by OPI It's Hippo to Be Square

Sephora by OPI It's Hippo to Be Square

It's Hippo to Be Square is a pink-leaning lilac creme. This is an ah-mazing color & polish! The formula is great; it is fully opaque in 2 coats and there wasn't streaking during application. Picture #2 is the best depiction of the color; it shows more purple than the other three photos. This color is a typical Easter egg color, but I like to wear pastels anytime! The name is adorable too! It reminds me of the game Hungry Hungry Hippos! This color also somewhat reminds me of OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender.

Have you guys tried this polish? What is your favorite pastel purple?

-Shelby

Fishtail Manicure!

Hello! Today I was browsing blogs and I saw someone make a post about a nail tutorial they tried, which was originally from another blog. It is called a "fishtail" manicure, which I think is a cute name for it! It was my first try, so it didn't go the way I wanted to, but I thought I'd share anyways!

You can find the original tutorial with step-by-step instructions (with photos) here!

I used all Sally Hansen polishes for this nail art! I used Sally Hansen because the extreme wears have smaller brushes and I wanted to make it easier for myself :P I used Mint Sorbet, Celeb City and Lacey Lilac!

Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet, Celeb City, Lacey Lilac

Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet, Celeb City, Lacey Lilac

I like the idea of this manicure and hopefully I will do a better job the second time around! I like how I did pastel shades (& my boyfriend likes mint shades on my nails), but next time I think I'll do the darkest color as my base and use lighter colors for the striping.

I hope you guys enjoyed!

-Shelby

Swatches of Untried Polishes!

Happy Wednesday! During the school year, Wednesday was my least favorite day of the week because it wasn't the beginning of the week, but also wasn't Friday. During the summer, though, I'm rather indifferent. I haven't had much to do during this week while my boyfriend works, but hopefully I'll get to see him before the weekend :)

Today I swatched 6 polishes I haven't used yet. They are all creme or jelly finishes, no glitter.

Orly Cotton Candy

Orly Cotton Candy

Orly's Cotton Candy is a bright, peachy pink crelly. It somewhat reminds me of Essie's Van D'Go, but much brighter and a little darker than Van D'Go. I used 3 coats for the photos above; the application was pretty good. Up until the third coat, there was visible nail line. The color is great & the name is really fun! It would look nice with a tan too :)

Orly Bon Bon

Orly's Bon Bon is a light, grey-toned lavender jelly. This polish surprised me! I thought it was going to be a creme, but was surprised by the jelly finish. I like it none the less! It took four coats to reach this opacity above. The application was good, but using four coats is a pain. 

Sephora by OPI Casting Call

Sephora by OPI's Casting Call is a cool nude/mauve creme. The application of this was great! It was almost perfectly opaque in one coat, but I did a second to be on the safe side. I think this is a very wearable color, especially for a work environment. I think I'll get a lot of use out of this in the fall.

Jessica Barely Blueberry

Barely Blueberry is from Jessica's Gelato Mio! summer 2012 collection. This is a gorgeous baby blue creme. Also, I liked all the names from the collection, and this one isn't an exception! It took 3 coats to reach full opacity, but it was worth it! I can't get over how much I like this pastel :). I'm a sucker for pastels, especially blue and purple pastels. 

Sinful Colors Beautiful Girl

Sinful Colors Beautiful Girl

Sinful Colors' Beautiful Girl is a more peachy version of a bubblegum pink. I believe this color is discontinued, but I'm not 100% sure. Beautiful Girl is pink with peach undertones, while Cotton Candy is peach with pink undertones. It took three coats for full opacity and the application was decent. It's a nice summer color!

OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender

OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender

OPI's Lucky Lucky Lavender, from the Hong Kong collection, is a light purple leaning very pink creme. This nail polish is a dream! The application was great and looked wonderful after 2 coats. I had zero streaking and the coverage was even. I like it against my skintone and I can see myself wearing it anytime of the year!

I hope you guys enjoyed! & enjoy the rest of your week!

-Shelby

Essie "Yogaga" Collection Swatches!

Hello! I hope everyone's week is going well :). I am leaving for Disneyland tomorrow with my parents and boyfriend, so I will be gone for the remainder or the week and the duration of the weekend!

Today I wanted to share four polishes I have from Essie's new collection, "Yogaga". I only have four of the six polishes because I ordered them from a seller on ebay in one lot (I only saw these same four polishes at my local Walgreens).

I used two coats for each photo below. The formula of these polishes was ah-mazing. I have no complaints at all with how each applied. Essie always does a good job with their creme-finishes polishes, but lately they've been doing an exceptionally good job!

Essie Yogaga

First is the collection's namesake, Yogaga, a greige nude shade. This color kind of reminds me of a mushroom in a sense. I like the color, but I don't think it served its purpose as the main focus of the collection. This is probably my least favorite of the bunch, but it is a unique nude that is work-appropriate. 

Essie Marathin

Marathin is a dusty rose shade. I think this color is nice for fall, but is a little overdone and "safe". Though I do like the color, I feel like I've seen it a few times before. I also think this, too, could be work-appropriate since it is a subdued pink. Also, I'm not too wild about the name. I'm not sure exactly what message Essie is trying to send to women/girls who use their polishes.

Essie Pilates Hottie

Pilates Hottie is a dusty lilac color. Oh, how I adore this color! I am a sucker for anything lilac/lavender. I think this color could be flattering on many skintones. It naturally is my favorite from the collection, but I am very biased towards purples :P. The name is also very cute, which doesn't hurt!

Essie Boxer Shorts

Boxer Shorts, my runner-up favorite from the collection, is a periwinkle that leans very blue. In person, this polish has more of a purple tinge to it. I like this color a lot. I could see myself wearing it as a transition color from Summer to Autumn. 

Overall, I like "Yogaga", though I did feel that the colors displayed in the collection did not correlate with the collection's theme. Essie chose some beautiful shades and I like them, regardless of my previous comment. I would like to see the other two shades in person, even though I don't think I will be purchasing either (they didn't look as appealing to me online). 

I hope you guys enjoyed these swatches and I hope the rest of your week goes smoothly :)

-Shelby