NOTD: Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream (2 coats)

macro shot

My niece loved this polish! It was a top-coat eater after one coat of NYC Grand Central Station, so I added two coats of Gelous and another coat of NYC Grand Central Station in an effort to smooth it out. Totally took care of the problem and I am absolutely loving this.

Details
Brand/Name: Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream
Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats topped with NYC Grand Central Station, followed by 2 coats of Gelous and another coat of NYC GCS to smooth the glitter out
Price: $18
Purchased from: Apothica.com
Collection: Mermaid's Dream is part Deborah Lippmann's Spring 2012 collection, along with On the Beach.

nails inc.: Special Effects and Nail Jewelry

1 coat of nails inc. Kings Cross (from the Special Effects Neon Top Crackle Top Coat line)

over 2 coats of nails inc. Floral Street

Although these are sold separately, the instructions on the crackle effect polish Kings Cross says to apply it over Floral Street, so that's exactly what I did. Floral Street needed two coats for complete coverage, and was sort of thick. Kings Cross was probably the easiest crackle polish I have ever worked it! It was so thin, it was easy to work it and crackled super-fast. It dried somewhat matte, so I applied a coat of topcoat before I took this pic.

 Next, I wanted to re-swatch Royal Arcade from the Nail Jewelry line. When I first swatched it a few weeks ago, I did it by itself and I really liked the coverage I got in two coats.

nails inc. Royal Arcade (Sapphire Nail Jewelry) from the Nail Jewelry line
2 coats

But I had seen several other bloggers swatch it over black, so I thought I'd give that a try.

1 coat of nails inc. Royal Arcade (Sapphire Nail Jewelry) from the Nail Jewelry line

over 1 coat of nails inc. Black Taxi

How pretty is that? I love that you can get two different looks from this Nail Jewelry polish, and I especially like that it has that much glitter in just one coat.

Disclosure: All four shades featured in this post were provided to me for review purposes.

NOTD: butter LONDON Knackered

butter LONDON Knackered

Multichrome (grey, light purple, greenish teal) sheer base with holographic microglitter

This picture does not do this justice. It's really so pretty. I did three coats and it covered pretty well, although the free edge of the nail didn't take the color as well as the rest of the nail.

I've seen quite a few bloggers layer this over a dark shade, and I need to try that.

I purchased this directly from butter LONDON during a sale last month, but regular retail price is $14.

Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color- more swatches

I was so excited to get a few more shades from the Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color collection to try. I noticed that several pairings looked somewhat similar in the bottle and I was interested to see how different they looked on the nail.

 Graphite Gravity, Silver Elements

 

Graphite Gravity on the left, alternated with Silver Elements

 Kinetic Copper, Golden Conduct

Kinetic Copper on the left alternated with Golden Conduct

 

So even though these shades appeared similar in the bottle, the effects were very different on the nail, especially once the magnet was applied.

 

As I said yesterday, I found the magnet pretty easy to use right off the bat and didn't have any problems with it. My nails are quite curved, so the design doesn't quite go to the edges of my nails since the magnet can't reach the sides, but I totally don't mind. I still think it's looks fabulous.

Here's the directions from Sally Hansen's website:

STEP 1: Apply 1 coat of base coat. Shake Magnetic Nail Color to activate. Remove overcap with magnet and set aside. Apply 1 coat of Magnetic Nail Color to all 10 nails and let dry. 

STEP 2: Apply a thick second coat of color to 1 nail and immediately hold the built-in magnet over the nail. Rest the guide just below the cuticle without touching the wet nail polish. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat for all 10 nails and let dry. Finish with top coat.

Disclosure: These four shades were sent to me for review purposes.

Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in Red-y Response

 Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in Red-y Response

How gorgeous is this? I purchased this at Target recently because I knew I would love this color. I found the magnet pretty easy to use right off the bat and didn't have any problems with it. My nails are quite curved, so the design doesn't quite go to the edges of my nails since the magnet can't reach the sides, but I totally don't mind. I still think it's looks fabulous.

Here's the directions from Sally Hansen's website:
STEP 1: Apply 1 coat of base coat. Shake Magnetic Nail Color to activate. Remove overcap with magnet and set aside. Apply 1 coat of Magnetic Nail Color to all 10 nails and let dry. STEP 2: Apply a thick second coat of color to 1 nail and immediately hold the built-in magnet over the nail. Rest the guide just below the cuticle without touching the wet nail polish. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat for all 10 nails and let dry. Finish with top coat.

NOTD: butter LONDON All Hail the Queen

butter LONDON All Hail the Queen

A few weeks ago butter LONDON was having a great sale and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to pick up my first polishes from them.

I chose All Hail the Queen for my first butter LONDON mani, and I really like it. It applied like a dream and I only had to do two coats. I will say the holo is pretty weak in this one.... but still quite pretty and I'm glad to have it in my collection.

What butter LONDON shades do you recommend?

SinfulColors POPTastic Summer 2012 Press Release

A Seriously POPtastic Summer Collection from SINFULCOLORS

Iconic imagery. Bold brights. That's the message this season as the SinfulColors POPTastic Summer 2012 collection pops up everywhere, from pointers to pinkies. These eight eye-popping, jaw-dropping, tip-delighting, pop culture hues take pop beyond an artistic style to a lifestyle that's all the rage. Envision lots of pizazz with super-shiny polish, a whole new way to express yourself, compliments of SinfulColors. The POPtastic collection of 8 shockingly rich color meets serious shine from SinfulColors includes: Citrine: A bold, but wonderfully wearable, slice of juicy delight Why Not: A matte turquoise that pops Let's Meet: Sunshine at its finest Outrageous: A poppy, fresh bubble-gum shade Energetic Red: A classic fire engine red Exotic Green: Move over Grover, a take on the classic tree & plant inspired shade Dressed To Kill: Hello Kitty never had it so good with this shade of pink Clementine: Everything a citrus fruit should be: juicy, bright and zesty SinfulColors surpasses the masses with more than 150 amazing shades of nail polish, including the above-mentioned shades. All hues are available for $1.99 at major drug and mass-market stores nationwide such as Target & Walgreens, by calling 1-800-448-0763 or online at www.walgreens.com.

Sheer Nail Lacquers by American Apparel

To celebrate the Summer weather,  American Apparel has released a limited-edition (for Summer only) line of 6 vibrant-yet-sheer colors inspired, and named after California beaches.  The 6 new shades are: Summerland Beach, Manhattan Beach, Zuma Beach, Moonlight Beach, Redondo Beach, and Pacific Beach.

Today I've got three of those shades to show you. All swatches are shown with topcoat applied because they dry a bit matte.

Summerland Beach

(2 coats)

I stopped at two coats on this one because coverage was already pretty good. I wanted a sheer effect and was afraid it would be too opaque at 3.

American Apparel Pacific Beach

(3 coats)

This was definitely my favorite of the three. It is gorgeous!

American Apparel Zuma Beach

(3 coats)

This one was so squishy..... although I don't think my skin tone is suited to greens like this, if yours is, this is such a neat shade.

American Apparel notes that these are highly pigmented making them perfect for layering art or ombre effects. These lacquers are cruelty-free as well as DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde free!

They are now available online at the American Apparel website for $6 each, as well as in stores across the US (and soon internationally).
 

Disclosure: These shades were sent to me for review purposes.

NOTD: Sally Hansen Smooth & Perfect Color + Care in Fog

 Sally Hansen Smooth & Perfect Color + Care in Fog

I was recently sent some shades from the Smooth & Perfect Color + Care line to try, and after Sorbet and Air, I chose Fog to try next. I think this color looks great with the tan I've gotten this summer.

For this mani, I did a base of Gelous, 3 coats of color and topped it with NYC Grand Central Station. 

The shades in this line retail for about $5.50.

THINK: Let your nails breathe

WHAT IT IS: Creamy color and porcelain-smooth perfection in one beautiful polish. The latest trend to hit your fingertips. Nearly naked, barely-there color with plenty of shine. The ultimate in understated elegance, sheer shades and healthy even shine work for every occasion. That’s why Sally Hansen created a chic collection of nude nail polishes that marries the two, Smooth and Perfect Color + Care, the ultimate fusion of perfecting polish and beautifying care.

Designed to hide ridges and imperfections, the uniquely breathable formula promotes stronger, healthier looking nails with a patented technology that allows for up to 20% more oxygen to reach the nail. The result? Ridges and imperfections are virtually erased and nails are left looking smooth, shiny and porcelain perfect.

Disclosure: This polish was provided to me for review purposes.

NOTD: China Glaze Desert Sun and On Safari Wrap Up

China Glaze Desert Sun

from the On Safari collection

I wasn't sure what this caramel shade would look like against my warm skin tone, but I sort of like it. I would actually call it butterscotch rather than caramel. And now I want a cookie......

The above swatch is just two coats and it applied nicely.

 Since I swatched these one at a time, I thought I'd do a wrap up and post all four swatches from this collection together.

China Glaze Prey Tell

China Glaze Man Hunt

China Glaze Exotic Encounters

I really want to try I Herd That and I'm Not Lion. They both are gorgeous glitters that seem to look pretty on their own as well as used as a topper. Have you tried either of those shades, and what did you think?

Disclosure: These four shades were sent to me for review purposes.

NOTD: China Glaze Prey Tell

China Glaze Prey Tell

from the On Safari collection

 

This is a deep, dark, chocolate brown with red undertones. I did 3 coats to get full coverage.

 

Warning: if you happen to get this pooled onto your cuticle.... well, cleanup is hard. You can see on my ring finger that I couldn't quite get it all off, even though I bet I tried about 8 times.

 

Still a gorgeous vampy shade- perfect for fall- just use a steady hand!

 

Disclosure: This shade was sent to me for review purposes.

NOTD: Accent Nail = Wet n Wild New Years Kiss

China Glaze Man Hunt

ring finger topped with two coats of Wet n Wild New Years Kiss from the Fergie collection

I have to admit I was disappointed by this one! Do you see the holo rectangle pieces in the bottle shot above? I did 2 coats of it and only managed to get about 3-4 of those on my nail. The small silver glitter was not holo at all, so since that's all this turned out to be on the nail, it wasn't too exciting.

I will say that this only needed to be topped with one coat of topcoat to get a smooth surface. It was not bumpy at all.

Have you tried any of the other Fergie colors?

Disclosure: The China Glaze was provided to me for review purposes, and I purchased the Wet n Wild at Walgreens.

NOTD: China Glaze Man Hunt

                                                             China Glaze Man Hunt

                                                         from the On Safari collection

Such a pretty bright blue cream. I did find it necessary to do a third coat to get full coverage. One thing to note: this was super easy to do clean-up on... sometimes blues are hard to clean up and if you happen to get some near your cuticle, it won't come off easily. However, I had no problems get a perfect gap by the cuticle with my clean up brush.

Disclosure: This shade was sent to me for review purposes.

NOTD: China Glaze Exotic Encounters

China Glaze Exotic Encounters

from the On Safari collection

I thought this teal cream was so pretty- and it covered great in two coats. It's quite dusty and I thought it went great with the Safari theme.

Disclosure: This shade was sent to me for review purposes.

NOTD: Essie Bazooka

Essie Bazooka

from the Summer 2012 Lights, Camera, Action neon collection

How pretty is this? I went ahead and did three coats to get even coverage, but since it's a jelly, I knew there would still be VNL. This reminded me of the jellies from last year's OPI Texas collection.

This is the only one I've purchased from this collection. Are there other shades you'd recommend?

 

NOTD: nails inc 4th of July mani

Sasha's 4th of July manicure featuring nails inc.

red = st. james (classic blue red)

blue = baker street (cobalt blue)

Included in my recent samples from nails inc were two shades that I thought would be perfect for the 4th of July holiday. I'm not talented enough to do nail art, but I figured I could definitely manage the accent nail trend!

Each color required only 2 coats to get perfect coverage. I continue to be impressed with nails inc. Creams are usually hard for me to apply for some reason, but I had absolutely no problem with these.

nails inc shades are available at Sephora and retail for $9.50.

Disclosure: The shades featured in this post were provided for review purposes.