Tuesday, June 28, 2016

OPI Show Us Your Tips!

 OPI Show Us Your Tips!
2 coats
from the OPI New Orleans Collection

I got a super surprising coupon for $10 off a $10 purchase at Ulta, so I dashed down and spent a fair amount of time choosing a color from the New Orleans collection. Show Us Your Tips! looked pretty unique, so into my pretty little hands it went.

And I really like it! 3 coats would have probably given better coverage, but I was happy with 2 so I stopped there. It's a shimmery periwinkle, which is one of my favorite colors so I'm super happy with my choice!



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Friday, June 24, 2016

OPI When Monkeys Fly

OPI When Monkeys Fly
one coat over OPI Don't Burst My Bubble

When Monkeys Fly is from OPI's Soft Shades Collection for 2013 called "Oz The Great And Powerful Collection". It was released to go along with Disney's Oz The Great And Powerful movie that came out in March of that year. It has several sizes of silver holographic glitter.

When this collection came out, there was some serious drama over this glitter shade.... most people found that the larger hex glitter would not lay flat against the nail- the term is "taco glitter" and people were seriously irate. I ordered the whole collection right when it came out back in 2013, and am excited to see that 3 years later, the taco problem isn't an issue with my bottle! I have read others have had the same result- I guess the suspension base softened the glitter over time. Good things come to those who wait I guess. :-)



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Thursday, June 23, 2016

OPI Don't Burst My Bubble

OPI Don't Burst My Bubble
4 coats (OMG so many coats!)

Don't Burst My Bubble is from OPI's Soft Shades Collection for 2013 called "Oz The Great And Powerful Collection". It was released to go along with Disney's Oz The Great And Powerful movie that came out in March of that year.

Don't Burst My Bubble is a light, milky pink that has a jelly-like consistency. I tried to stop at 3 coats, but coverage was not at all even, so I added a 4th to try to get it opaque, and NOPE. It's better, but still not completely even if you look close.

Still, it's a nice palate cleanser, and looks really nice with my skin tone.



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Sunday, June 19, 2016

Essie Too Taboo topped with HOLO

Essie Too Taboo
2 coats over a base of Essie Blanc
topped with Cover Girl City Lights

Last year I bought the mini set of Essie Neons from 2014, and I decided to give it a try last week.  I first did a base of the Blanc that was included in the set, and it was no bueno. Very patchy and uneven, but I went ahead and pushed forward with the color. I did two coats of Too Taboo and followed with a coat of NYC Grand Central Station.

The resulting mani was just.... lacking. I had hoped that the color would balance out the uneven white, but it didn't. It just gave me uneven color. 

So I did what I always do with a failed mani, I topped it with holo goodness. Much better!




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Saturday, June 11, 2016

My AWESOME Home Mani Tips

To any new Awesomes visiting today, I'm so glad you stopped by to visit! Megan featured a few of my favorite products today in her newsletter, and I wanted to share a few more in case you've got the home mani bug. I've been doing my own nails for year and it's become quite a passion!



1. Sally Hanson Instant Cuticle Remover. To have a long-lasting mani, you've really got to prep your nails. Removing cuticle overgrowth is a key step. I apply this all around my cuticles, wait a minute or so (you can wait longer that it says), then use the thumbnail of my opposite hand to push back/scrape the cuticles. I typically do this twice. Find this at drug stores and mass-market retailers like Wal-Mart and Target.

2. Orly Bonder. This rubberized basecoat overrides any oily residue on your nails and gives your polish something to stick to, another secret of a long-lasting mani. Find this at Sally Beauty. If you don't have a Sally nearby, Sally Hansen makes great choices for basecoats, so you could always choose one from their line.

3. NYC Grand Central Station. This is my new HG topcoat... it works just as well as the pricy Seche Vite, but it's only $2! You know I love a bargain. Find this at drug stores and mass-market retailers like Wal-Mart and Target.

4. Poshe Cuticle Care.  Keeping your cuticles neat and free of hang-nails is another secret to making your manicure last longer. This product is fabulous and I massage this into my cuticles twice a day to prevent hangnails and prevent cuticle buildup. This is very hard to find these days, but I purchase in bulk from Amazon and would be glad to share my stash with locals- I pay about $6 a tube, so let me know if you'd like one.

5. Nail Polish Remover Dip-It. I change my polish pretty often, and this little treasure makes it quick and easy. Inside this tub are plastic bristles that really help scrub the polish off. Find this at mass-market retailers like Wal-Mart and Target.

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Now, if you are trying to remove a glitterbomb polish, that's another issue, and you'll need to visit this post on my nail blog to see the trick for that.

6. Clean Up Brush. I often have friends ask how I get my polish to look so perfect, especially around the cuticles. The secret is a clean up brush dipped in acetone. You can read a bit more about it here, because I don't have any good pics to show you myself. I recommend the $1 ELF Concealer Brush- you can find this at Wal-Mart or Target.


7. Acetone. Pure acetone works best for clean up- I typically purchase this bottle at Walmart for $2.50.



Here's a list for you to cut and paste and print out for your shopping trip:
1. Sally Hanson Instant Cuticle Remover (WM or Target)
2. Basecoat: Orly Bonder (Sally's) or any base from Sally Hansen (WM or Target)
3. Topcoat: NYC Grand Central Station (WM or Target)
4. Poshe Cuticle Care (get from Amazon or Sasha)
5. Nail Polish Remover Dip-It (WM or Target)
6. Clean Up Brush ($1 ELF concealer brush from WM or Target)
7. Pure Acetone (WM or Target)

Have fun!

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Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Deborah Lippmann Something Blue

Deborah Lippmann Something Blue
2 coats, topcoat added

I had a rough time with Something Blue. It's from the Happily Ever After mini collection and I picked it up at TJ Maxx recently for $10. It's meant to be left matte- described on the box as "mat teen finish" but it looked horrible! Very uneven and chalky and so many brushstrokes so I added some topcoat to salvage it a bit. Still don't love it, but it's much much better!



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