I'm back! (again) with Smitten Polish and Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer!

Hello, my lovelies!

I’m going to try this blogging thing again. Work has been so crazy this year that I had to let a couple things slide away, and the blog was one. But, I’m determined in 2014 to make more time for it, so I am really hoping to stick to one post a week, maybe more if I have time.

Today I have two beautiful indies to show you, Smitten Polish and Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer.

Smitten Polish has been a favorite of mine for a while, and I have probably about 9 polishes by her. She does especially beautiful holos, and has amazing customer service. 

Christmas mani drive by posting!

Hello, my lovelies!

I'll be back this Sunday with new, weekly postings but I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas if you celebrate it!

Here's what I'm wearing today! There's a whole bunch of polishes involved but the beauty on my ring finger is by a fabulous, relatively new indie called Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer! I'll have more from her this coming Sunday, but this stunner is called Newborn Solstice Sun and she is gorgeous. This is two coats of beautiful application, topped with Seche Vite. Be sure to check out Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer!

(The Santa hat is upside so I included a second pic to show it correctly!)

Quickie post - Halloween nails!

Hello, my lovelies!

I hope you're all enjoying Hallowe'en night and all the fun of the spooky ooky and wee child beasties!

I did a little art for Hallowe'en (or as I call it, Samhain) so I thought I'd share.

It's Frankenstein! I used Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Parrot ( 3 coats-icky formula!), Milani Black Swift, and Milani White on the Spot, topped with Seche Vite.

Have a safe and fun Halloween! Don't forget to check out my blog sale!

Guest Blogger: Elemental nails!

 I'm so excited to guest post for my good friend Mal of Enchanted Nails and Fluffy Dog Tails.  I wanted to do a mani inspired by her.  What I've come up with is a mani representing the five elements.

Guest blogger - Beetlejuice nails!

I've got a guest blogger today, covering for me! Thank you, Samantha!!!

Hi everyone. I'd like to say thanks to Mal for having me on the blog today.

I started out with Seche Clear as my base coat. I then used Zoya Purity (white) as my base color. I used two coats to make sure there were no streaks in my white stripes. I let that dry for a few hours. After it was dry I used some stripping tape and placed 3 on each nail. Then I covered the nail with Zoya Dahlia.

Sinful Laced Up & Zoya Dhara

Hello, my lovelies!

Another week has flown by but I've had a good weekend, how about you? A friend got married yesterday and today I've been making and canning cherry jam, some with spiced rum, or cinnamon and clove, and other fun flavors. And since it's the official first day of fall, I'm back to my orange graphics for the blog!

And some of you know my favorite thing about Fall - all things pumpkin! I bake pumpkin goodies through out the year but now they're everywhere. Pumpkin spice lattes (though I make my own with less sugar), pumpkin candles, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cake, pumpkin muffins - you get the idea. Bring on the pumpkin!

Sinful Colors: My Turn

Hello, my lovelies!

From high-end to low-end! My mood has matched the cloudy and gray skies, so I have for you today, a new matte by Sinful Colors. Sinful Colors is a great brand, and the best part is that they are only about $2. They have a big core collection and they frequently release smaller collections, though they often recycle colors in those. The main hitch to their new collections is that they tend to be a one-time deal. If you don't catch them right as they come out, you don't get them.

Dior Red Queen Satin!

Hello, my lovelies!

I hope your week is going well. I've got a gorgeous red to share with you today!

It's strange how one's opinions can change. A year or so ago I was a bit shocked at some prices for nail polish. It's just polish, right? A disposable product. Then I got my first Dior at a great price. And oh, my. Suddenly I understood why people pay more for the high-ends. They are my reward for especially difficult times at work! Dior is primo in formula excellence. (Some friends may argue it's Chanel but I don't have any to compare). Dior pretty much applies itself, it's so amazingly smooth. Dior uses the wider brushes, and though I have narrow fingers, it's just about perfect to cover them in one swipe. Warning, pic heavy!

Pahlish: Who Wants Orange Soda

Hello, my lovelies!

I hope you've had a good weekend! I meant to get this up yesterday but got busy and didn't have time. I just made and canned 33 jars of peach jam but am determined to get a post up this weekend! I'm trying for two posts a week currently. 

Today I have Pahlish Who Wants Orange Soda? for you. This is my fourth Pahlish and she's very consistent with good formulas. This is a jelly, so it's a little stickier and thicker. Be sure to let each coat dry before you apply the next one! This is three coats, topped with Out The Door.

Enchanted Polish - Dragon Spit

Hello, my lovelies!

I hope you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend! It was hot and humid out here, and boy, was I busy!

I'm seriously excited about today's polish. It took a while, but a friend finally offered to make a swap with me. Meet Enchanted Polish Dragon Spit, the elusive and awesome pinker sister to Sour Patch Kid!


I've been hunting this for a while and am ecstatic to have finally gotten my hands on it!

Just a warning - this is really picture heavy! But it's so beautiful, I couldn't stop.

Zoya Bobbi and Jindie Femme Fire!

Hello, my lovelies!

Fine weather we're having. A bit crazy for August, but pretty. I just hope these cooler ays aren't indicating and early and hard winter. I hate winter!

Today I have for a pretty pink pairing. I was in the mood for something girly, so I chose Zoya Bobbi and Jindie Nails Femme Fire.

Nerd Lacquer: Warrior Ethos

Hello, my lovelies! How has your weekend been? Mine has been busy, with my mom visiting.

 

I’ve got a stunner of a polish for you today, NerdLacquer Warrior Ethos. This is a most gorgeous red glitter! NerdLacquer is known for gorgeous polishes inspired by sci/fantasy shows (Star Wars, Dr. Who, Firefly, etc).

Blog sale time!

Hello, my lovelies!

I hope to have a real post up for you tomorrow, but in the meantime, I'm destashing a little bit and have a blog sale going on! Please take a look-I have a lot of indies up for sale, most brand new!

SpaRitual and LynBDesigns!

Hello, my lovelies!

We've got a nice break in the heat, yet it's so freaky for August!

Today I have a pretty teal-blue combination for you. SpaRitual Dreams Becoming Reality and LynBDesigns Oh You Beautiful Idiot. I picked up 4 SpaRituals at TJMaxx for $4 each recently, which I thought was neat. these are my first and I know a lot of people really like them. LynBDesigns is an indie maker, whose polishes I am quite fond of.

Enchanted Polish - Sour Patch Kid

Hello, my lovelies!

How are you on this hot sunny August day? I am SO excited about the polish I'm about to share that I  can barely contain myself.

Enchanted Polish is an indie brand that's fast become one of the rising stars of indie polish makers. Her restocks are INSANE and more often than not, you miss the polish within seconds of it going live on the site. It's crazy!! But her polishes are absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately some people grab them just to resell at insane markups because they know people want them so badly. Restocks are limited quantities and it's not unusual for a color to only appear once. I'm not sure that she really has a "core" line. And her polishes are not only gorgeous, but the formulas are a dream. Dhe does both glitter and holos, but has really gained her reputation on her beautiful holos.

Zoya London and Chyna!

Hello, my lovelies!

How is August going for you? Can you believe it's already a week in? Where is this year going?

I've got two more Zoya Pixie Dusts for you today, London and Chyna. My friend Rachael suggested the combo and they are lovely together! I bought them months ago and have yet to use them, And I totally forgot to get bottle shots, sorry about that!

Literary Lacquers Carrots Carrots!

Hello, my lovelies! How is your weekend going? I'm at my yearly reunion with friends, having a blast!

I have for you today another of the Anne of Green Gables collection by Literary lacquers. I can't help them, I love them so much!

If memory serves, Anne was ignoring Gilbert her first day in school, and he got a bit irritated, so he leaned over and whispered, "Carrots! Carrots!" because of her bright red hair. Her response? Smashing her slate over his head, in true redhead fashion!

Illamasqua Bacterium!

Hello, my lovelies! I hope your week is going well. I'm getting ready to take a long weekend off-my first vacation in 8 months! But fear not, I shan't abandon you, there will a post or two!

Today I have Illamasqua's Bacterium. Isn't that's a fun name? It's well known I don't usually wear neutrals, but my friend Dana really loves this one, and I like to know what my friends enjoy! So I picked this up on a recent blog sale for a good price. It's part of their Toxic Nature collection from 2011.

Literary Lacquers: Lake of Shining Waters

Hello, my lovelies!

I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend! I'm in a great mood, I just bought a new (to me) car yesterday, after 14 years. My old one is being semi-retired while we consider doing some of the mechanical work ourselves. Sinking thousands of dollars into a 14 year old car just isn't feasible.

So what have we got on tap today? Another beauty from Literary Lacquers Anne of Green Gables collection! Meet Lake of Shining Waters. A huge part of the magic that was Anne Shirley was her imagination! She was always seeing beyond what her eyes told her. Anne renamed the Barry's pond "The Lake of Shining Waters" on her ride home with Matthew. "Barry's Pond" was just too mundane and sensible for Anne!

Literary Lacquers More Like Fire Than Light

Hello, my lovelies!

At long last, the heat wave seems to be cooling off a bit. I'm a summer heat lover but that was a little too itnense even for me! I do have a most appropriate polish for you though, Literary Lacquer's More Like Fire Than Light!

Literary Lacquer was one my two 'allowed purchases' for July while on a low buy (which I completely blew, by the way). She recently released a collection inspired by Anne of Green Gables, one of my favorite YA series as a child. But even before I saw those beauties, I was lusting for More Like Fire Than Light because it's an orange holo. Yay, orange holos! And luckily for me, Literary Lacquers hit 2000 likes on Facebook this month and had a great sale of 20% off. So I stocked up! I'll review those too, but today I only have time for one.

Zoya Liberty!

Hello, my lovelies!

I hope everyone is staying cool during this ghastly heatwave. The BFD (Big Fluffy Dog) keeps trying to sunbathe when I let her out for a potty break. And I think this extreme heat has helped her blow off her winter coat a little too much- her fur is much thinner than usual and there are tons of fur clumps all over the backyard!

With such heat, I needed something cool to wear. I'm very fond of blue polish but I don't find it's always flattering and it often stains me. But when Zoya ran their Liberty promo around July 4th, I had to grab it. warning, this post is quite picture heavy, it's so beautiful!

Glitter Gal Furnace Glow Soft!

Hello, my lovelies!

I think Mother Nature decided we were getting soft and cranked up the heat in this part of the country this week! I hope everyone's AC is working.

I've got a real beauty of a duochrome this week for you, and it fits with the hot weather. Glitter Gal Furnace Glow Soft. I bought some GG's ages ago and am just now getting to use them (a recurring theme with me lately! Trying to use my untrieds!). Glitter Gal is an Australian brand but can be purchased in the US.

This is a stunning pink to orange duochrome. Application was smooth and easy, and this is three coats. Please ignore the funny dent in my ring finger; not sure what's going on with my nail but I should have used some ridge filler, evidently! I tried to catch all the color shifts by moving my hand around but I am terrible at trying to capture the beauty of these. Out in the sun, it's a full on gorgeous copper! Of course, I failed to get a pic of it. Oops!

Orly Sparkling Garbage!

Hello, my lovelies!

How are you on this rainy day? I’ve got a lovely pairing for you today, Essie Turquoise & Caicos, and Orly Sparkling Garbage. Isn’t that a fun name? Onto the pretty! 

Essie Turquoise & Caicos is a pretty aqua jelly. Nice to look at but what a nightmare to use! I didn’t realize it was a jelly at first, I thought it was a crème. I’ve had it for ages and never wore it but thought it would be a great match with Sparkling Garbage. Color wise, it’s a match made in heaven! Formula wise…yeesh. It’s the sheerest sheer I own. It was thin and runny, dragged and pulled and after the 4^th coat, it was finally wearable. There’s still VNL, as is common with jellies. 

Color Club & Nfu-Oh!

Hello, my lovelies!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Fourth of July! I spent the weekend trekking around DC and visiting landmarks with a friend who was in from out of state. My mani was a simple red, white and blue nails. I was so busy leading up to the fourth that I didn't have much time for a fun mani, but I couldn't have naked nails for the holiday!

But now, I have a combo for you that I am in love with. It's a very fall look, and I'll definitely have to wear it again.

Essie & ILoveNP!

Hello, my lovelies!

Another weekend is upon us, hooray!

Since the weather has been on a warming trend this week, I opted for some refreshing blue.

Zoya Thandie and Amy!

Hello, my lovelies!

Summer is most definitely upon us with the heat and humidity! It’s actually my favorite season. I don’t love the humidity but I love the heat, sunshine, and all the beautiful flowers growing in my garden. Cookouts and trips to the park with the dog, friends visiting-love it!

So, I decided to start summer off with gorgeous hot orange polishes from Zoya – Thandie and Amy. Both are from the Summer 2013 Stunning & Irresistible collections.

Nabi Holograms!

Hello, my lovelies!

I hope you're enjoying the first official weekend of summer! Yesterday was glorious and I'm glad I got some pics of my mani in the sun because today we are drizzly and rainy.

A friend mentioned the Nabi Holograms recently and I liked the swatches, so I ordered a couple. They're only about $4 each and it's a brand I don't have yet. They're all holos (hence the Hologram in the name), and I've really fallen in love with holos. The holo isn't in-your-face linear but it's there.

Indie Review: LynBDesigns Panic Station

Hello, my lovelies!

The sun is shining, the humidity is low and it is beautiful outside today, on the eve of Summer Solstice!

Today I have for you a blindingly bright neon orange by LynBDesigns. I’m a fan of her polishes and have quite a few. They’re always worn well and she has new lines on a regular basis, which is always fun. I bought this one recently and despite good packaging, it was broken on arrival. She replaced it right away without any problems-that’s great customer service!

Zoya Ivanka!

Hello, my lovelies!

How are you all on this rainy Tuesday? My friend Rachael has been wanting me to do a green mani and I finally got to it. So I sifted through my greens and picked out the ever gorgeous and beautiful Zoya Ivanka.

I’ve had Ivanka for a while and usually wear her around Yule time. She is the most perfect, stunning Yule green and is loaded with so much shimmer and shine I can’t stop looking at her. Her formula is the usual Zoya awesomeness, and this is three coats, topped with Out The Door. Just look at that pure, emerald glass fleck/foil beauty!

 Note the fill line, LOL!

Color Club Halo Hues: Miss Bliss!

Hello, my lovelies!

We have a gorgeous, sunny not-too-hot  Saturday here in DC today. And bright sunlight calls for a holographic polish!

Today, I have Miss Bliss from the Color Club Halo Hues 2013 collection. I’m a child of the 80s, so the name “Miss Bliss” automatically made me think of Hayley Mills from Saved By the Bell. Anyone else think of her?

Pahlish: Anticipating and Pacing

Hello, my lovelies!

I’m attempting to see if it’s easier to do more frequent, short posts, than longer posts once a week. I’m hoping this is manageable, so I can get back to blogging more!

Today I have a lovely indie brand called Pahlish. My friend Rachael turned me onto it. I have two colors, a gorgeous fiery orange-red called This New Sun, and now this one, called Anticipating and Pacing, from her Spring 2013 line.

Different Dimension: Amphitrite!

Hello, my lovelies!

Today I have for you a beautiful polish by one of my favorite indie makers, Different Dimension!

I actually bought this quite a while ago but I’m just now wearing it, and wishing I had done it sooner! Meet Amphitrite, a beautiful frosty teal with gold glitter. This baby shimmers in the sun and flashes green at times, which I couldn’t capture with the camera. It's a gorgeous summery color!

OPI Hot & Spicy!

Hello, my lovelies! After days of heavy rain from Tropical Storm Andrea, we finally have a gorgeous day of sunshine and cool temps. Alas, I am stuck inside, as I’m working today.

I’ve been getting a lot of spam in the comments so I set the comments to be approved before they published. Why don’t people have better things to do with their lives than spam people? It’s very irritating. But I don’t want to put the captcha (word verification) back on, so approval it is.

I was a bad girl this week and purchased the two Dior polishes I’ve been lusting for. I’ve never spent so much on two polishes but I consider my reward for all of the extra hard I’ve been putting in for four months! Of course, there are two more now that I want (Sunnies and Tie &Dye from the summer collection). I might get those next month, when we push past the finish line on this project. We’ll see if I think I’ve deserved it!

A week of manis!

Hello, my lovelies! It’s Sunday again. The best thing about Sundays (for more one week) is that there are two Game of Thrones episodes left. Just two, and then an agonizingly long wait of 9 months. Luckily, I’ve read the entire series several times, so I know what happens. Otherwise, the wait would be even worse.

I had hoped to have more of a review for you this week, but it just didn’t happen. So instead, I’ll recap some of the manis I wore this week and recently.

I'm baaaaaack!

Hello, my lovelies!

It’s been far, far too long since we last visited. This pesky thing called work swooped in and took over my life the last few months, and unfortunately, the blog fell to the wayside. Most days I didn’t even have time to do my nails and would wear the same polish for 3 or 4 days (the horror!) ;)

But I think, things are easing up now and I hope to at least get once post in a week for now, and back up to 2-3 postings a week by the end of June.  I think I debuted this blog last year on Memorial Day, so my one year blogaversary should be here!

Indie Review: Amy's Nail Boutique!

Hello, my lovelies!

I have another indie to share with you today, Amy’s Nail Boutique. Amy recently released a HUGE line of gorgeous linear holos and I had to get a couple. Boy, am I glad I did! Of course I got the copper and red, but she has yellow, greens, blues, purples – the whole color spectrum!

The formulas on both were smooth and easy, with tons of holo sparkle. There wasn’t much sun the days I wore these, but I still managed to get a decent holo shot indoors. The bottles are a fun shape, and come with these adorable little charms with different expressions on them. All photos are shown three thin coats with no top coat.

Color Club Halo Hues Spring 2013!

Hello, my lovelies! 

Sorry it’s been so long. I’ve been busy with work and other projects keeping me away from polish. Be sure to stop by the Facebook page in between posts. It’s a public page so you don’t need a Facebook account to see it. I try to post there inbetween posting here and sometimes I can do a quick post of my mani of the day, when I don’t have time to do a full post here!

Today I have a couple of pretties for you from the Color Club 2013 Halo Hues collection! Wait, you say. These aren’t on their website yet! Or in stores! How did you get them? To make a long story short, some were released to various distributors, and you can find them through a few sellers on eBay and Amazon. I got lucky and snagged a couple!

Share The Love! Valentine's Day Collaboration Giveaway!

Since the season of love is right around the corner we thought we'd take the opportunity to Share the Love with you! In honor of Valentine's Day we've joined forces to bring you another Awesome Giveaway.

17 lovely ladies sponsoring = 17 lucky winners!
And more prizes may be added before it's over, you never know. ;)

Indie review: Chirality Nail Polish!

Hello, my lovelies!

Today I have for you another wonderful little indie polish called Chirality Nail Polish. I forget how I heard about these but I liked what I saw in other reviews so I picked up a few during a Black Friday sale (I think). So I decided to try them out and see what I had!

Across the board, the formulas were lovely and shown here in 3 coats, no top coat. Very smooth and easy to apply. All of these are medium-strength linear holographics, as you’ll see! Unfortunately, there was no sun the day I did these, and we all know it takes sunlight to truly bring out holo beauty.

Indie Review: ATC Fallen Angel Collection!

Hello, my lovelies!

Today I have a couple of hot new polishes to share. These babies have been lighting up the indie world for the last couple of weeks and I’ve got them! From Above The Curve’s Fallen Angel Collection, I’ve got Risen and Fallen Angel! I managed to catch these during a recent sale before they sold out. There are several more polishes in this collection, and you might just want them all.

Naughty Nails Art Contest!

Lovelies, we’re going to get serious for a moment. Did you know, it is estimated that 70% of women and men will come into contact with human papillomavirus during their life? That’s the group of viruses that can lead to cervical cancer!

Regular Pap tests, supplemented by appropriate HPV testing, will detect virtually all pre-cancerous changes and cervical cancers, and cervical cancer is completely preventable if pre-cancerous cell changes are detected and treated early. And considering that we can’t exactly look down and examine the cervix by ourselves, it makes it extra important to get that routine exam! You can find out more information at the National Cervic Cancer Coalition site about the virus and how to prevent it.

The lovely ladies of Sassy Nails, Lena Loves Nails, Frugal Polish and myself decided to have a fun nail contest. And since January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness month, we wanted to tie them together. How? With naughty nail art of course!

So we present to you, The Don’t Be A Dick To Your Cervix Giveaway! The name is cheeky but the topic is fun and it’s for a great awareness! Read on to see what AMAZING sponsors and UNBELIEVABLY FANTASTIC prizes we have lined up for you! And even if you don't do nail art, read on because you can still win!

Indie review: Mentality Nail Polish!

Hello, my lovelies! 

Do you like the new graphics? January weather is always so dark and dreary and cold and nasty that I decided to make some pretty snowy graphics for the blog. These were inspired by my friend Mary (not guest blogger Mary, a different Mary!) who is fabulously talented and makes beautiful graphics.. Mine isn’t as pretty as hers was but it’ll do! Then I added some icicles and cool purply blues to the header graphic as well, because I loathe the cold and never feel like I get warm during winter!

Indie Review: Pretty & Polished!

Hello, my lovelies!

Today I have something for special for you! I am very pleased to be able to show you a couple of the soon-to-be released “Save the Dauphine” collection by Pretty & Polished!

This of course, is a reference to Marie Antoinette, who inspired a whole line of beautiful polishes. 

Guest blogger: Christmas mani!

Hello, my lovelies!

I have been sick for several days (first time in almost 5 years!) with a nasty cold so my good friend Mary has offered to guest blog for me again and show off her Christmas looks! Take it away, Mary!

I Survived 12/21/2012 Giveaway!

Welcome to the "I Survived 12/21/2012 New Year's Giveaway"! The lovely and fabulous ladies of Naked Without Polish and Lace & Lacquers put together this amazing multi-blogger and sponsored event that I am very much honored to be a part of! There are TONS of awesome prizes to be won here so read through the rules, follow them and best of luck to you to win!! 

 ***Updated January 16 - we've added more!! There are now 40 prizes to be won!