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.*

Layla Red Passion and Burlesque "Caviar Effect"

Now, as you know I have a small issue with texture on my nails. So, I have been hesitant to try one of the "caviar manicures" everyone has been doing since at least last year. I am a picker. If I feel any irregularities , rough spots, or snaggers, I just have to fix it. Saying that, I just knew I would loath any texture other than smooth on my nails. I was surprised when I got sent the Layla Caviar Effect in Burlesque, which is metallic gold balls, to review. I eyed the innocent looking contents with suspicion. They looked harmless enough, but I "knew" it would be a nightmare. I must confess, it wasn't that bad. GASP! I know, I know, "But Kim, you said you couldn't handle any texture." I was wrong (Don't tell my husband I admitted to that!) The beads are so small and packed so tightly together that it isn't nearly as bothersome as I expected it to be. The best way to describe the feel was a smooth ripple. Admittedly, I could not wear this to work (nurse remember) or even wear it daily, but I think this would be a lot of fun to do for a night out. It definitely makes the statement "Look at me!" I left this manicure on overnight to see how many of the beads came off and surprisingly not many did. The area where five tiny beads came off was, unsurprisingly at the tip. What did take them off in greater numbers? Me picking at them the next day. It drove me crazy since there were now ridges and gaps on the tip that would snag on things. I couldn't take it, I took it off. God that felt good. Another big, but pleasant, surprise was the ease it came off. I was prepared for a fight to the death to get the balls of fury off my nail, but it quite easily surrendered to my nail polish remover. It was a bit anti-climactic really. Regardless, I do think this looked neat, would try it out again for a special event. The base color I used is Red Passion in the Ceramic Effect line from Layla. Depending on how heavily you apply it, you will get full coverage with two to three coats. I really like this red creme. It compliments my skin tone and I really liked the shine it dried to. Now, it isn't the glass shine like you get with a clear top coat, but it looks great without assistance.

Depending on how many coats you do of Red Passion, it has a pretty fast drying time . All of these pictures were with no topcoat! I have noticed this color can look darker or lighter depending on what type of lighting you are in.

Burlesque is a great looking gold metallic ball that measures about 1 mm across. These stayed on well with no topcoat needed.

The Caviar Effects come in 12 different shades that include gold, silver, bright colors, and even a multicolor mix called Samba.

You can purchase Layla nail products online at Zappos.com, Aveyou.com, or my favorite Ninjapolish.com. The Caviar Effect retails for around $10.50-11.50 depending on where you purchase it and the Ceramic Effect Polish is around $10.

*These products were sent to me for a honest review.

Halloween Blood Spatter! I say it's an A+ (bah ha ha ha)

Happy Halloween!!!! I just had a great Halloween with my family. Good food, fun watching my four year old get thrilled every time he got candy just by saying trick-or-treat, and having one of the goriest/creepiest/most awesome manicures I have had yet! I have been seeing the blood spatter manicures going around and I could not help myself. First, since I am a nurse at a hospital, I knew I could freak out a few co-workers with my "bloody nails." Second, It just looks BAD A$$! This was so much fun to do. I see myself using this technique over and over again. A quick tip that I should have followed, but I was hasty last night trying to get it done. Tape around your nails before spattering! It will help with clean up immensely. You can see in the pictures that I still have red all around my nails despite diligent clean up. Oh well, I think it adds to the effect. I used Sally Hansen White Out for my base, and Essie Blood Curdling, Orly Ma Cherie, and China Glaze Prey Tell for the blood. The "spatter effect" was created by using a coffee stirrer "straw" dipped in polish, then blown onto the nail. All of that bloody goodness was topped off with on coat of Out The Door. What do you think of this crime scene of a manicure? Have you tried spattering/splattering yet?

 Oh yeah, the mysteriously absent right hand makes an appearance!

 I was going for a Psycho pose here.

All I can think of is CSI when I look at this.

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Gotta Love Chick Flicks

Tons of movies come to mind when the term "Chick Flick" comes up. I had a really hard time deciding what to choose. I finally settled on The Devil Wears Prada. One reason, I just so happened to have watched it this week. Second, it screams FASHION!!! I must admit, the results of my manicure were not exactly what I had pictured. I wanted to do so much more, but I ran out of time. I am a renowned procrastinator that likes to paint her nails late at night, the night before she needs to wake up at 5 am. I do this to myself every week. It's like an addiction. I can't seem to help myself. Well, I kind of gave up on my original idea, and modified it for times sake. I used three coats of Essie Bone Chilling for the white bases. Two coats of Zoya Sookie was used for the red nail and the shoe stamping. Finally, Orly Liquid Vinyl was used for my black pointer finger. I also used Konad polishes in Black Pearl for the Zebra print, and White for the Coco Chanel logo. Everything was stamped except for the Chanel logo. I used Konad plate m57 for the zebra print and Bundle Monster BM 213 for the pumps. I definitely think I could have done better but it is what it is. Oh well. Moving on.

 I think the black background gave the picture more of an edgy feel.

Forgive the poor clean up job. I was a little sleepy.

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Inspired by the Runway

This weeks challenge calls for us to be inspired by the runway. So, I hit the internet searching the latest fashion for the "IT" things for the season. I fell in love with the color oxblood. It is a deep red/burgundy that can look almost black. The other trend that caught my eye was all of the uses of leather and reptile prints/embossing. It looks so chic and edgy. Combined, I think I have found the coolest manicure to date. I feel like one bad mam'a jamm'a. I used the beautiful Prey Tell from China Glaze as my base color. I feel dark and mysterious with it on. Next, I used my ManGlaze Matte Is Murder for the matte black, reptile stamping detail. I think this looks too cool. I had two little problems doing this manicure. First, clean up of Prey Tell left evidence. By "evidence," I mean bloody looking cuticles. No matter what I did, they looked red and irritated. The other problem I had was stamping the matte polish quick enough before it dried on the stamper. Matte polishes dry quickly in general. Having such a thin layer for stamping meant I had to move like the Flash. I think the effect I captured was worth the effort.

Ignore my poor index finger. The nail was involved in a small lawnmower starting accident. It will be missed.

Try not to notice the bloody looking cuticle. :(

Looks so dramatic.

One more for the road.

Prey Tell : This was a little tricky to apply. It was fully opaque in two coats, but it was a little "gloopy" in consistency. Even with it being thicker than I prefer, I will definitely wear this color again. Look at that shine!

 

Color Inspiration: Oxblood            Designer: Peter Som 

Picture obtained at Harpers Bazaar

Texture/Stamp Inspiration : Reptile/Leather        Designer: DKNY 

Picture obtained at Harpers Bazaar

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Delicate and Elegant

Week three of the Girly Girl Challenge asks for delicate and elegant nails. I went with delicate lace. Now, not to toot my own horn, I think this turned out pretty damn sexy! It screams "I'm hot, but not easy." Yes, I know I have problems. Jessica Rabbit and Betty Boop come to mind when looking at these. On to business, I used two coats of butter LONDON Knees Up as my base color. I am telling you, butter LONDON seems to do no wrong. Its sexy and easy to apply. The first coat seems to go on a little sheer, but the second takes it all the way to opaque. For the stamping, I used Konad Black Pearl and the Konad plate m57. This was an easy and dressed up manicure I will definitely be using for a date night with the Hubby in the future.

Grrrrrrrr!

Its alluring without the stamping.

Layla Softouch #07 Queen Bordeaux

I must say I am in love with the Softouch Effect nail polish by Layla. This red is stunning!!!! I like the vampy look when it is a suede finish, and the red carpet glitz you get after adding a top coat! This color went on easily in two coats. If I had been more careful, I could have gotten away with one coat. I really don't know what to say, except that it is gorgeous. The closest color comparison I have to this is ManGlaze Fatty's Got More Blood, but that one is more purple toned. Queen Bordeaux is a deep, blood red. I think this might be my go to color for Halloween this year!! Mwahahahaha! I vant to suck your blood!

Is this not a beautiful blood red?  I know it seems a little creepy that I keep referring to "blood red" but that is just the image that comes to mind, sorry. (Be glad I am not posting a reference picture, LOL!)

Isn't this gorgeous with a topcoat? It just takes my breath away. Red carpet, here I come!

In the USA, you can purchase Layla Softouch products at Fabulous Street and Ninja Polish.

* This was sent to me for review.