NOTD: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Red Carpet

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Red Carpet

Pictures absolutely do not do this justice- the glitter is much more apparent in person and just fabulous- it's a "lit from within" glitter- it just glows!

This is two coats topped with Seche Vite, and I'm in love. Although this looks similar to China Glaze Ruby Pumps, I suspect it will be much easier to remove since the glitter is much much finer. I'll report back if I'm wrong!

NOTD: MAC So Rich So Pretty

MAC So Rich So Pretty

This shade is from the Alice + Olivia collection from MAC, released earlier this summer. I purchased this online from MAC.

My very first MAC! I am impressed. Although the first coat was terribly streaky, a second coat evened it up, and a third coat completed the opaqueness. The richness of this shade is divine and I can't stop looking at it.

I topped it with Poshe and it dried nicely. I know some people have certain brands they use Poshe with and others they use Seche Vite with, so I'm experimenting with that.

NOTD: Zoya Nova

Zoya Nova (3 coats)

Last fall I saw Scrangie post a preview of the Zoya Ulta Glitters and I knew I had to have the two pinks. I hate that I am just now getting around to trying them, but maybe I buy too much polish? Never!

At any rate, I have to tell you I am a bit disappointed. I am wondering if Scrangie's swatches might be 4-5 coats? My 3 coat mani was just not as poppin' as hers... but I just can't be bothered for more coats!

As with most of my pics, this is a day old mani- I paint before bed and usually don't take pics until I get off work the next day. You can see some tips wear.

Anyone have any experience with the Ultra Glitters? How many coats did you use?

Deborah Lippman Giveaway at Polish & Konad

Visit Polish & Konad for a giveaway for 3 Deborah Lippman polishes of your choice!

NOTD: Avon Vintage Blue

Avon Vintage Blue

This is another one of Avon's new colors, which are on sale right now (see previous post). I am not sure where I stand on this one.... it's kind of "whiteout"-ish.

The first coat looked terribly streaky, but the second coat evened it out just fine.

It's a "notice me" color, but I'm just not sure it's me.

NOTD: Avon Deluxe Chocolate

Avon Deluxe Choclate

I don't know why, but sometimes with dark colors, my gap is HUGE. What gives????

At any rate, this is one of Avon's new fall colors, and I love it! There's a bronze quality when you look at the bottle that doesn't translate to the nail all that well, but I still think it's gorgeous.

I have had great luck with Avon's line of polish- this shade applied great and dried quickly when topped with Seche Vite.

Avon had their polish on sale for $2.99 right now, which is a bargain.

I order from my friend Valeri (email her at bucfanri {at} gmail {dot} com and she may have free shipping codes!)

NOTD: Milani Hi-Res

Milani Hi-Res

(click to enlarge to see the prismatic effect)

This polish is absolutely gorgeous! I haven't purchased many Milani polishes, but I think I will be now. This was $4.99 at my CVS, which isn't bad considering the fabulous application. This was two coats topped with Seche Vite and try time was super fast as usual.

I know most people would refer to a polish like this as a holo, but Smoochiefrog would tell you that it's actually prismatic, not holographic. :-)

Dear Oprah,

From the August 2010 issue of Oprah, page 199 (scan above):

Pick your polish wisely. Many salons use nail polish thinner when
their old polishes start to thicken with age. Thinners compromise both the color and integrity of the formula. If the bottle is less than three-quarters full,
ask for a new one, says Park. A freshly opened bottle of polish can make
your pedicure last weeks longer than an older, and potentially thinner-out,
bottle.

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Thinner does *not* compromise the color, at all. I can't imagine what a nail salon would say if a customer refused to let the the manicurist use a polish that was less than three-quarters full......

Anyone agree with me? Or am I crazy?

The Wild Child's NOTD: Piggy Paint Forever Fancy

The Wild Child is now officially a Nail Blogger. At 4 1/2, she may just be the youngest one out there!

Piggy Paint sent her some nail polish to try and I can't tell you how excited she was for me to paint her nails with it and take some pics. She's a natural!

Piggy Paint Forever Fancy

Piggy Paint was created by a mom who was looking for a more natural alternative than traditional polish for her children. She created a water-based polish that is specially formulated of natural ingredients. Finally, a kid-friendly polish without the accompanying drawbacks of traditional polishes. It is free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, biphenyl A, ethyl acetate and acetone... and made in the USA!

I think their tagline is just adorable, don't you?

The Wild Child LOVED her new polish and sat perfectly still while I painted her nails.

Piggy Paint polish retails for $8.99 per bottle. Visit their website to order or find a retailer in your area.

Follow them on twitter.com/piggypaint & Facebook for secret sales and special offers!

Piggy Paint has also created a coupon code for Manicure Mommas readers: BARELY10L. This code is good for 10% off on anything on their website including sale items and expires Oct 31, 2010.

NOTD: Avon Luxe Lavender

Avon Luxe Lavender

After two weekends at the lake in the water, my poor nails needed a trimming. And I'm not very good at painting short nails! Oh well, they'll grow!

Today I am wearing one of Avon's new shades and I absolutely love it! This is actually just two coats, which is great for a light polish. Application was nice and it dried quickly with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

I've got a few more of their new summer shades to show you soon. I also ordered the new fall shades today and I am anxious to get them, even though it's still over 100 degrees here and still definitely summer.

NOTD: Here Today…Aragon Tomorrow Suede

OPI Here Today…Aragon Tomorrow Suede

I'm making my way through the OPI suedes, which I have so far loved.

But..... I don't love this one as much as the others.

For one thing, I don't think it's got the same shimmer the other suedes do, and it just seems more "matte" than "suede".

I do love how fast these dry.... I painted two coats and within 10 minutes I was working on my crochet. However, compared to the other suedes, this just doesn't have the same effect so I'm not loving it.

The Wild Child

The Wild Child (age 4 1/2) saw my Avon Mambo Melon nails and insisted I paint hers the same color. So cute!

NOTD: Avon Mambo Melon

Avon Mambo Melon

After I got back from the lake, I was in the mood for a summery shade and this color fit the bill.

I continue to be very impressed with Avon's polish line. This color was pretty much opaque in one coat, but I went ahead and added a second coat for good measure. Topped with Seche Vite, this dried in literally seconds. I even have this one on my toes right now.

Right now Avon is running a special- their polishes are two for $6, which is a fabulous deal. I recently purchased three of their new shades (Luxe Lavender, Vintage Blue, and Urban Grey) and I'll have them to show you soon. Steph's Closet has them swatched already and they are gorgeous!

My Avon rep, Valeri, is always so nice to let our readers use a free shipping code! Please follow these steps so you can use the code and give Valeri credit.

1. Visit Valeri's site to make her your default rep
2. Log into ebates to get 5% back and go through them to get to the Avon site
3. Once the Avon site pulls up again, you should see Valeri's name near the top of the site
4. Choose your products and then use code FSANY or REPFS to get free shipping

Happy Shopping!
Disclosure: I purchased the polish shades discussed above. This post contains an ebates referral link, but readers will receive $5 from ebates if they sign up thru this link.