Picture Purge

I have had this growing collection of pictures that I haven't either had time to post, or forgotten about. So, I thought I will "purge" them so I can start fresh. Sound good? I will let you know the polish brand and name. If I remember anything else, I will add that info under the picture. TTFN!

Color Club Snow Flakes over Color Club Glitter Wonderland

Color Club Snow Flakes over Color Club Berry and Bright

Candeo Colors Mallard over Zoya Megan
I absolutely LOVED this manicure!

Essence Choose Me

Sinful Colors Cinderella
Pretty color, but kinda sheer.

Nail Pattern Boldness Boop-Oop-A-Dupe over black.
This flashes red, orange, and green. Very Pretty!
(Ignore the tip wear)

Layla HE-07 Ocean Rush.
I love holographic polishes. Drool!

Nfu Oh 65 Holographic pale blue.
A very nice holo! 

Up Colors Disco Azul. 

If you have any questions about the colors, don't hesitate to post a question below! 

Pop Beauty Radiant Ruby and Purple Plum

*These products were sent to me for review by PR. All opinions are honest, without bias.*

I am back!!!!!! So sorry for the hiatus. I have been extremely busy and needed some time for my family as well as myself. (Nothing wrong with that right?) I have some random pictures I need to post of past manicures, but that will be taken care of later.
   
On with the show! I was recently sent two nail polishes from Pop Beauty. I will be honest, I have never purchased any of their products before. I have walked passed their products many times at Ulta and just not had the urge to splurge. Well, I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised by their Nail Glam. Both colors were beautifully pigmented and leveled out without any help from me. It was nice to have a trouble free manicure for a change. I was sent two of their nail polishes in Radiant Ruby and Purple Plum. They retail for $10 in the US and are sold at Ulta. (One of my favorite stores!) Both colors were stunning! They are definitely fall colors that I can't wait to wear more of.

I lightened this photo so you could see that Purple Plum was purple and not black.

Radiant Ruby

Radiant Ruby is a stunning red that makes me think of the red carpet and Dorothy's ruby slippers. It has a beautiful, subtle gold shimmer that is just breathtaking in the sunlight. This swatch was two coats with no topcoat.

Purple Plum

Purple Plum is a darkened eggplant/plum color that is to die for. Most of my pictures make it look darker that it is in sunlight, but I promise it is purple. I lightened the last picture so you could see more of the purple in the polish. This color had a great shine and almost a jelly quality to it. This swatch is two coats with no topcoat. 

I was really impressed by the formula of the nail polish. I had always assumed that Pop Beauty mainly focused on facial cosmetics when walking past the display. This product is well worth the money, and I think I might have to go to Ulta for some more Pop Beauty Products. What do you think about these colors?

*These products were sent to me for review by PR. All opinions are honest, without bias.*

Layla Velvet Effect in Passion Mood #10: AKA Fuzzy Nails

 * These products were sent to me for review by PR. All opinions are honest, without bias.*

I received this nail art effect from Layla about a month ago and was trying to decide what to do with it. I have said before that I have issues with texture and that is what "Velvet Nails" are. So one evening, I decided to be brave and try it out. It was a definite learning experience. Let me start off by admitting this manicure did not stay on for more than 1-2 hours, mainly because it grossed me out after I washed my hands. NO, they didn't stay soggy, but as a nurse, it was slightly unnerving. I do think it looked really cool and if I could be less weird, I could have kept it on. Well, that's just me...weird. Alright, I need to focus. The flocking powder or "Velvet Effect" comes in their standard bottle with one little modification, there is a little plastic insert that narrows the opening so (I am assuming) all of the powder doesn't fall out. Honestly, I think that made it  a little difficult to get out. I tried doing this by shaking and tapping the bottle over my wet nails to sprinkle the powder over them. This was very frustrating and not very effective. I think my powder was slightly compressed inside the bottle. I did tap and shake it to loosen it but it just wasn't a very efficient delivery system. I decided to go with a more traditional method of putting it on a surface and dipping my wet nail into it. This worked a hundred times better! I was able to achieve full coverage with a lot less effort. As I hope you can assume, this type of manicure is very messy to create. I had red fuzz all over the place. I think I started to resemble a Muppet after a bit. Luckily it was easily brushed off and I was surprised and pleased with the results. It looked pretty cool! I wish I could get past my own idiosyncrasies and truly wear this about, but I just can't do it. Sorry. Besides, I think it disturbed my husband a bit, LOL! I wish I had taken a picture of his face when he saw it. With the pictures, I am also going to show you what I did, step by step. Enjoy!

Don't forget to click on the pictures for a closer look.

Here is what your manicure will look like. I told you it looked cool.

I used OPI Kennebunk-Port as my base color, a piece of paper to work over to minimize mess and the brush provided by Layla. It helps to choose a base color close to the color of the powder.

I started with one coat of OPI to start to build color. I didn't do any clean up around the cuticles yet since I knew I would have quite a mess on my hands (literally) by the time I was done applying the Velvet Effect. 

I applied a second coat of polish and then dipped my nail into a pile of the Velvet Effect powder, while it was still wet.

Yes, you now have a Muppet finger! This is completely normal. Don't be alarmed!  Press down gently, all over the nail, to make sure you have good coverage of the powder.

Using either the Layla brush or a fan brush, gently brush off excess powder into a container or paper, so that it may be used again.

Ta daa! This is what it should look like after "grooming." I still haven't used my acetone and brush to clean up the cuticles at this point. 

Here it is all cleaned up. Do not put a top coat on, and don't forget the nail polish underneath the fuzz needs to still dry, so be careful! My Muppet nails!

What do you think of the Velvet Effect nails? Do you like your nails sleek and shiny or soft and fuzzy? 

You can purchase Layla nail products online at  Ninjapolish.com. The Velvet Effect retails for around $11.50.

* These products were sent to me for review by PR. All opinions are honest, without bias.*