Miniature Manicure Mommas ...

My daughter, The Divine Miss M (who is 6 years old), has been begging me to take pics of her nails the same way I do mine, so I oblige ...

We went pretty mild on the fingers:


Covergirl Boundless Color Pink Taffy

An icy/frosty, well, taffy pink! Perfect for little girls!




And a little wild on the toes!

OPI Cha Ching Cherry

This is a lot pinker than it photographs. You can sort of see that in the outside pic. It's one of my favs!

OPI Charmed by a Snake

I picked this up recently even though it's not a color I'd normally buy. It was 60% off ... how could I not??

Anyway, it's a mocha/latte sort of color with lots and lots of gold flakes. It's from the India collection. It went on pretty streaky, and I'm thinking I should have done 3 coats. I was really lazy about it last night, and just didn't feel like it, LOL. Now I can see my nail through the polish in some places, and it's irritating me.






I had to LOL at my swatch FAIL, I took pics indoors, and they looked like crap, so I ran outside real quick, and didn't pay attention to how I was holding the bottle (the lcd screen on my camera is broken, so it's not like I saw it that way before uploading) ... yeah ... enjoy looking at that sticker ... LOL! Eh, the nails look good ...

Remover Find!

I can't find where I read about this, but last week someone recommended Studio Tools Nail Polish Remover in the tub and said it was absolutely the best for glittery polish remover. I had on 212 so I definitely needed something good.

Look at the inside! These are little soft plastic brushes that help remove your polish. Genius!

Now, this is straight acetone, so I won't be using it all the time as it can be very drying to your skin and nails. But for polish that is difficult to remove, this is the way to go! It very quickly removed every trace of polish AND glitter from my nails.

I paid $2.59 for this at my local Target and will definitely be purchasing it again.

OPI Color of the Week: DS Shimmer

OPI DS Shimmer

I finally broke down and purchased an OPI DS.
I just had to see what all the fuss was about. :)
Boy am I glad I did!

This stuff is wicked!
It dried so quickly, I couldn't believe it.
The brush made application a total breeze too!
And check out the sparkle...

Would you look at the holographicness
(yup, totes made that word up) of this?
Purely awesome people!

Here's an indoor shot. Notice it looks almost like
the polish is white/gray/silver instead of holographic.

This color isn't available anymore, but you
may still be able to find it at ULTA.

I may just have to buy more DS
polishes if they're all like this! :)

OPI Crim-Sun

This is one of my all time favs. It hails from the 2003 Summer for Shore line. My bottle is getting a bit low, not to mention gloopy. I don't have the nerve to thin it, but I'll tell you, the color is NOT the same now as it was. It's not as dazzling in the sunlight, and the color seems darker. I'll have to work up the nerve ...


And check it! This is what my nails look like after sanding and refinishing a TABLE! Yeah, I had gloves on, but still. Go Seche Vite!





I know it's hard to tell from my crappy pics, LOL, but that is very minor tip wear. I sanded for FOUR HOURS today. The gloves were just cotton. Come on, THAT is impressive! 2 coats color, 1 coat SV.

NOTD: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Plum Power

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Plum Power

I am worn out from tball games all week, so this isn't the best polish job, but this is a gorgeous color! I picked this up at Walgreens for about $3 I think. Very reasonable price.

PSA: Spray on sunscreen and nail polish

Today was beach day for the kids and I, so, naturally I had 3 little bodies plus my own to coat this morning.

Spray on sunscreen (well, Banana Boat Sport SPF 30 at least) may as well be nail polish remover. Or, if only sunscreen was as CHEAP as nail polish remover!!

Anyway, exercise caution this summer. Plan your beach days wisely ... make sure the correspond with mani nights!!

The New Trend: Matte Nail Polish

I am all over this matte nail polish trend and placed my Zoya order today- can't wait to try them out!

It looks like quite a few of the nail polish companies are coming out with matte polishes this summer. Here's a list I found and some links to some swatches.

Nubar Mattes - July 4
OPI Mattes - July
Orly Mattes - September
Zoya Mattes - July 1 (though will be shipped now if you order)
Essie Matte About You topcoat - August

Recap of the 1st Annual SW Nail Polish Convention

Sasha from Manicure Mommas and Brooke from Getcha Nails Did

Brooke and I had been talking about meeting up for drinks for several months and finally found a Friday night we were both free so we met last Friday night and of course, we talked about nail polish a little bit (actually a lot!) It was fabulous to meet her in person and hopefully we can do it again. I'd love to get a Konadicure from her sometime because she has some mad skillz!

I took some polish to give to Brooke and funnily enough, one of them was OPI Soho Nice to Meet You! I didn't even realize the irony of that until she pointed it out on her blog.

Thanks for meeting me Brooke! You were just as cool in person as I figured you'd be!

Enter: Raz!

Hi! I'm Raz, and I'm not very good at introductions. Just know this: I like nail polish, and I guess that's all that counts as far as this blog is concerned, LOL. Oh, and I like ellipses ... <--- see? Oh, and my tastes in polish are rather bold. Oh, and ... j/k! So, I've done a few manis in the last week or so, and I figure I could either post them all at once OR post one and save the others for a week I don't feel like doing my nails. Since I'm not good at keeping things to myself, I guess I'll post them all. Please note that my pictures will most likely ALWAYS suck. It's ok. You'll get the point. Oh, and one other thing ... I've never worked with blogger, so bear with me if I make any boo boos. Thanks a bunch! ;) (and if you're so inclined ... I hang my hat at WordPress <--- click!) On to the PICTURES!! ORLY Green With Envy
I really adore this color. The picture is a little bluer than it really is. This is 2 coats with no top coat.



OPI DS Couture
I love the color, hate the wear. It chips so quickly. I've never used a topcoat with it before, but now I have Seche Vite, so my opinion may change the next time I use it. This was 2 coats.


ORLY Sol Cabana
I. Love. This. Orange. Seriously. It's fantastic. I really like the Orly formula too. I don't like that you can always leave an imprint in the polish with a finger nail, but I think the fact that it remains a bit elastic is what lends to the fantastic wear. It really doesn't chip or flake. Good stuff. I used 2 coats here, but probably should have done a third, as I could see my nail through the polish just a bit. I also used Seche Vite top coat (for the first time ever), and liked it quite well.



ORLY Mint Mojito
OK, so I really LIKE the color, just don't LOVE it on me. I will prob use it once in a while. Green With Envy is really so much better. This is 3 coats and Seche Vite on top. (ignore weird black edges of pic, I have NO idea what my broken camera was doing ...)




So, that's it for now. I suspect I'll be dropping in at a frequency of every few days to every couple of weeks. I'm unpredictable like that ...

NOTD: Sephora by OPI 212-Sephora

Sephora by OPI 212-Sephora

(click to enlarge)

You must view this large - this polish is pretty cool.

It has flakes of copper in it along with multicolored glitter. It almost looks olive green at times indoors.

This is a limited edition color that is only available at their new NYC store or online.

OPI Color of the Week: Piston Packin' Pink

OPI Pistol Packin' Pink


Love this color, LOVE IT!

Like Bubba says (or was that Forrest?), that's all I got to say about that. :)

The 1st Annual SW Nail Polish Convention

is happening today.

Registered: Sasha from Manicure Mommas and Brooke from Getcha Nails Did.

Actually we're just meeting for a beer, but I bet nail polish will come up at some point in the conversation!

I emailed Brooke and told her I have on a navy and white striped shirt and will be the one holding a bottle of nail polish (rather than a rose, get it!).

Report and pictures to come.....

NOTD: Sephora by OPI Queen of Everything

Sephora by OPI Queen of Everything

Sephora describes this as "Sterling Gold", but I think it's more platinum. I do like it, although you can see brush lines. It's something different.

This is two coats.

OPI Color of the Week: Fireflies

Opi Fireflies

I know this is a little late, sorry.

As you can see from the bottle, this is an iridescent color.
It appears white when first applied, but you
can see both green and pink as the light hits it.

Like Sonic Bloom it confuses me, but I like it. :)

Just so's ya know Sasha, I only have 1 more OPI color.
After that, I'll dive into my Zoya's. :)

NOTD: Stila Hebe

Stila Hebe

This has been discontinued for quite some time, I'm sure, but was a favorite of mine for quite a while. I love Stila products!

I was in the mood for a coppery, shimmery, brown and this fit the bill. The application is really nice. My cuticles need some TLC and I see that now that I uploaded my pics.....

NOTD: China Glaze Awaken

China Glaze Awaken

This is ONE coat. It's weirdly thick and I've never had a polish apply quite like this. It wasn't bad, just not what I'm used to. I was afraid to do a second coat, and it looked good after one, so I stopped. I'm getting used to it, but I'm not sure that I love it yet.

OPI Color of the Week: Sonic Bloom

OPI Sonic Bloom


Totally not my normal style. At. All.

It's blue in the sun and the bottle.
It's green indoors.
It's iridescent.
It's confusing. :)

I like it. Go figure.

Yup, this pic is blurry. Sorry.
Seems my camera won't work right indoors.
You get the idea though.

NOTD: China Glaze Raspberry Festival

China Glaze Raspberry Festival

I have picked up a few China Glaze polishes recently, but hadn't tried them since I was slowly making my way through my OPI DS shades (almost there!).

Last night I was feeling like a bright color, so I pulled this out. It's fabulous! The shimmer is so pretty, especially in the sunlight. Application was good- smooth. This is two coats, and you can see a bit of a VNL, but I'm OK with that- it's still pretty.

OPI Color of the Week: Sand in My Suit

OPI Sand in My Suit

I'm a little disappointed in this color.
I expected it to be a little darker than it is.
I was surprised to find it a little metallic looking.
I thought it would be more creme in color.

Maybe I need to pay better attention
to the descriptions on the OPI site.

That and I obviously need to get new
lighting in my master bathroom. :)

NOTD: OPI Think Merry! Pink Merry!

OPI Think Merry! Pink Merry!

I picked this color up over the Christmas holiday and am just now getting around to trying it. I have $OPI Never Enough Shoes on my toes, so I wanted something completely different for my tips, and I think I've got it!

This is really pretty. There's small pieces of glitter that looks gorgeous in the light.