NailNation 3000 Max A Million

This incredible holographic nail polish is from the indie brand NailNation 3000. It is befittingly called Max A Million. Two coats of the light blue / aqua base glimmers into I-can't-even-count-the-amount of colors. One word:

Insane!

NailNation 3000

 

no, the picture above is not blurry, just incredibly holographic ☼

 

Pressed flower manicure

I'm so pleased to have been included in my first nail polish challenge group - The Nail Challenge on facebook.

This week's challenge was to interpret Spring.

As always, I used a base coat of Nailtiques Formula 2, applied two coats of Essence Forget Me Knot, a few layers of OPI I Juggle Men over real pressed flowers from last Spring with a healthy dose of HKG top coat. These Plumbago Auriculata were a challenge to work with but a learning experience is always worth the effort.

I hope you enjoy my Spring inspiration and thank you for taking the time to look at my blog ☼

HITS Hera Holographic

Holos are my latest obsession. So many companies have their own versions and of the four different one's I've tried, HITS is the clear winner for durability. I can wear a HITS Holo manicure for over 7 days with absolutely NO chipping. It is amazing!

Trust me when I tell you I put my hands through it all...dry desert heat (shrinks/distorts/water "opens" the nails back up), forced air, gardening, wood burning fireplace duty (smiling from ear to ear on this one), package opening (joy), laundry, various other mani treachery including dishes all day long. I never wear gloves for any of these tasks so HITS is insanely amazing. Most of my manis must be removed after 3 days tops because I can't stand chipping.

I extend the holos by glittering the tips to distract from the visible regrowth at the cuticles.

My only concern about HITS is that bubbling occurs when I apply 2 coats. It could be that I am too impatient between coats or that my "undies" are creating havoc. I only use Nailtiques Formula 2 as a base. I know most holos require a special base but I have not bought any. This in no way effects the overall beauty and rainbow insanity that is HITS but because they are my nails, I see the bubbles.

Llarowe carries HITS

The following pictures of HITS Hera were taken with two different cameras. I am still experimenting ☼

 

Candeo Colors Orchid

I promised you color and here it is. I have seen so many beautiful manicures with Candeo Colors Orchid, I just had to buy a bottle and give it a try. It has turned into one of my favorites.

This color is stunning. It is described as a shimmery fuchsia base that is loaded with small copper, light purple, magenta and large silver holographic hex glitter. I'd like to add that it is a fuchsia jelly based polish that can be layered for more depth and sparkle. It would be great for sandwiching (next time!).

For this manicure I applied a base of 2 coats Ulta in Deep Desire, one coat of Candeo Colors Orchid and 1 coat of Hong Kong Girl top coat.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks for stopping by and Happy 2013 to you all ☼

Candeo Colors

Starlight Polish Cocoa Crystal

Happy Holidays to everyone!

This simple but stunning manicure is 2 coats of Starlight Polish in Cocoa Crystal without a top coat. It is a warm brown linear holographic that applied beautifully. 

I promise to deliver some color soon but I think at heart I am a neutral albeit a dazzler neutral/brown girl.

be well & safe & happy

Starlight Polish

 

Nubar Spark with Shimmer Polish Wendy

I recently picked up a bottle of Shimmer Polish in Wendy and thought it would make a nice easy gradient topper over Nubar Spark as the tips started to wear. This gave my mani a two day extension. You can see the regrowth at the bed of my nails but IRL, it just looked like a fun gradient (sans sponge mess).

Thanks for stopping by!

Shimmer Polish

Nubar Spark

Nubar Spark is another lovely nude holographic color. It is such a perfect polish that glided on with ease. I applied two coats without a top coat.

Description from their site: "warm pale caramel with fine rainbow holographic glitter is filled with holographic glitter reflecting every color of the rainbow, with base colors just as varied, ranging from subtle neutrals to vivid pink to pale blue".

Nubar

 

 

Nouba purple 484 LA1521 nail polish

This gorgeous purple Nouba 484 was picked up in the same boutique beauty supply house in California as the post from October 20. It has a stunning purple gel base with many holos - bars and different sizes of round. What a stunner! I've captured it in different lighting situations and various focal points so you can get a better idea of it's beauty. Two coats is all it took. This polish is surprisingly soft to the touch despite all the fun going on but I did use one coat of HKG top coat to give it longevity. I hope you enjoy it!

 

 

OPI My Private Jet

This beautiful neutral brown with many tiny sparkly flecks is OPI My Private Jet non-holo version. I bought a decant from a polish fiend, er, friend - sorry about that little slip up! Great on shorter nails. Thanks for stopping by.

 

 

Nouba Silver Holographic 482 LA1521

Nouba is an Italian brand I discovered while in California. The colors are numbered rather than named. I love a silver holo! This was my first Nouba purchase (482 LA1521). It was a bit pricey at $8.50 for a 7ml bottle from a boutique beauty supply house but I had to have it.

Application was quite easy, requiring only 2 coats. I did not apply a colored base coat and I enjoy the effect of my nail peeking through the glitter. HKG top coat was used but not really necessary as the polish is surprisingly smooth for so much glitter and bars.

I hope you enjoy it!

Fantasy Makers R.I.P. Once Upon a Time Halloween red glittah fest

Fantasy Makers R.I.P. Once Upon a Time Halloween red glittah fest

This color is part of Wet n Wild's Halloween 2012 collection. The bottles are rectangular with a rounded faux granite "headstone" top that reads R.I.P. Adorable.

Stunning dark grey gel base color that keeps building to black and sandwiches the red chunky glitter to your customization. Love the depth you can achieve with one product. This is 2 coats of Fantasy Makers R.I.P. Once Upon a Time over Yellow Stopper base coat with Hong Kong Girl top coat. IRL it reads as a black polish with shots of red but in order to capture the glitter, I had to take the picture in bright sunlight.

Enjoy...

Elevation Polish Everest

I'm back from a three week nail polish break. I had mixed feelings about going bare. Every time I looked at my purposefully extremely short au naturale nails, I cringed. I experienced polish envy when I saw someone with nicely polished nails. I was almost embarrassed to go bare and so short. I didn't even start polishing my nails until June of this year! I discovered that beautiful nail polish is a joy to behold every time you look at your hands. I surprised myself.

My nails are feeling healthy and ready for beautification!

Please enjoy Everest by Elevation Polish. This formula glides and fills beautifully. I applied 3 coats for a more saturated look. The brown base with fine holographic shimmer dances in the sunlight but is appropriate for everyday wear. I wanted to ease back into polish-land and this color worked it's magic. I'm smitten.

Thank you for stopping by!
 
If I have piqued your interest in Elevation Polish, you can follow her blog for updates.

Elevation

Cirque Never Nude

I am taking a short 2 week break so my nails will be au naturale. I have cut them very short and intend to keep my hands and nails super moisturized for the duration.

In the meantime, here is a picture of a nail polish I used a few weeks ago. The simplicity of no "glitter bombs" was refreshing. The color is magnificent.

I hope you enjoy it!

Cirque

Enkelini Shifty Minx

Sunday's manicure is a gorgeous color I picked from a traveling swap box. What a fun experience.  I highly recommend swap boxes because of the variety of brands and colors that can open your eyes to new combinations, color families and most importantly, BRANDS!

I chose a green base to bring out the green of the topper. I am sure a blue base would have amplified the turquoise. Next time I will try it with a blue base.

Base - 2 coats Sinful Colors San Francisco (a metallic emerald green)
Topper - 2 coats Enkelini Shifty Minx (vibrant teal jelly base with holographic and iridescent glitter of turquoise and green) Enkelini
Gelous + HKG topcoats

I hope you enjoy it and thank you for looking!

Yellow Stopper (quick glitter nail polish removal)

Please click on the link to view an updated step by step post - redux-yellow-stopper-pop-off

I'd like to share a happy mistake that happened to me while I was searching for the perfect base coat. Sally Beauty Supply carries a product called Yellow Stopper by American Classics. It has UV protection and looks really pretty on it's own when there is no time for a manicure. It casts a beautiful shade of super light purple over your nails so they look naturally "pumped up" white, similar to a French manicure.

The happy mistake occurred when I attempted to do a manicure over it. This is the best product if you want to have a 2 or 3 day manicure of heavy glitter but don't want to use the acetone/foil method of removal. As you can see in the second picture, the entire manicure peels right off! The more coats you apply under the mani, the more quickly it wants to peel.

What a great find for those of us who don't want the same nails for more than a couple of days. Just be very careful when you peel the entire manicure off - don't rush it. If the polish doesn't want to come off, it's not ready yet and you will need the foil method. If you rush it, your nails may peel with the entire manicure so please be very careful.

Yellow Stopper by American Classics (bought at Sally Beauty Supply)

Cirque Tibetan Nights & Lynnderella When The Moon Was A Star REMOVAL after 3 days. One nail popped off during the day and the rest were gently coerced into coming off later that night. 

Nail Polish Obsession Jelly Sandwich

Welcome!

My first blog post is about my latest obsession...nail polish.

Today I tried my first jelly sandwich.

Base - 1 coat Cirque Tibetan Nights
Cirque
Middle layer - 1 coat Lynnderella When The Moon Was A Star
Lynnderella
Topper - 1 coat Cirque Tibetan Nights
Finishing touch - 2 coats of Hong Kong Girl top coat
HKG top coat

I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for taking a look.