Too Tired but Oh So Lovely

So after working two of the busiest days of the year at my job I was too tired to sit and do nail art. I just wanted to throw something on but of course I always gotta be glammin' it somehow. I used Orly "Fancy Fuchsia" and butterLONDON "Slapper" on the accent, then I topped it with Essie "Set In Stones" for some sparkle. I actually really love this. Sometimes simple is best.

xo, Colleen

Splatter Nails

I've been wanting to try splatter nails for a long time just never really got around to it and then when I saw YoungWildandPolished tutorial for it, I knew exactly what tools I would need and how to do it so I was ready to give it a shot. I recently first tried the splatter technique in one of my Autism Awareness designs and I fell in love!! It was so fun, easy, and quick! It worked so well the first time, I immediately wanted to do it again! But this time, I think my nails fell below the bar.

It's gonna take a little more trial and error but I think I'm already starting to see what type of polishes work well with splatter and which ones don't. And I also feel like I did too many passes this time around, it's feeling a little cluttered to me. Two of the polishes I used today had thinner formulas and they gave me a lot of trouble when trying to do the splatter. As you can see I got some BIG blobs. Instead of it spraying out of the straw I was just getting the whole blob! So annoying! And then because it was this huge blob, I was getting bubbles. Ugh! I think with thinner formulas it doesn't stay in the straw very well and starts to run and then when you go to blow it out the whole thing shoots out. At least that's my theory!! I'll have to test it some more.

I do love this color combination though! I used Zoya "Kelly" as my base and then Colour Gossip "Baby Bump", NYC "Polyester Pink", and Orly "Mirror Mirror" for the splatter.

What do you guys think of the splatter technique? Yay or Nay?

xo, Colleen

Colour Gossip

Today I have some swatches of Colour Gossip Nail Lacquer that were sent to me for being featured on their Instagram page. I love these colors!! I want to get more! I'll do a quick mini review for you. These were great to apply! They're just your typical basic cremes, but no problems with streaking and they're not real thick either. They're really nice to work with. All swatches are 2 coats.

"Fashionista"

The most perfect "Barbie" pink color! Love this for summer.

"Baby Bump"

Perfect minty blue color. I think this is going to be my "go-to" polish for the summer. I know I'll be wearing this a lot! And the name is just friggin adorable!

"All About ME"

A deeper more teal-y blue. Not really sure if I would there a lot on it's own but it'll be great with some nail art or glitters.

You can find Colour Gossip polish here, http://www.colourgossipnails.com/. And a part of the proceeds go to various charities! A list of charities and orginazations is on their website. Certain colors and collections are designated to a specific charity. I think that's awesome!! In the words of Colour Gossip "Don't just wear a color, wear a cause."

xo, Colleen

Untrieds Week

So I decided to swatch some of my untrieds for a whole week or maybe just 5 days. LOL. I thought a week would be no problem but it's only Day 1 and I am itching for some nail art! I have so many ideas in my head just trying to burst out!! Including another design for Autism Awareness. But it will all have to wait. I don't know how often I'll be doing this, I just can't bare it! (Ok miss dramatic, get a hold of yourself!) So, here we go!

First up is Revlon "Popular". This is 3 coats. How have I never worn this before! It is the perfect princess polish. A pale pink jelly base with silver micro-glitter and hex glitter throughout. It is it's own jelly sandwich! 

This was an unexpected look. In the wake of the tragedy that happened in Boston on Monday there was a tag started to paint your nails purple on Tuesday April 16, in support of those wounded or family members lost in the explosions. But I still did use an untried! This is Confetti "Centerstage" I don't know if you can tell but there is an amazing blue duochrome in this. Really pretty! And the accent is a purple Kiss striper which I had also never used before. Admittedly the silver sparkles I have used before, but this was look was an exception. It is a StripeRite stiper. I have used rhinestones many times before but never these colors.

Next up is NYC "Times Square". Such a beautiful red and great formula!!

And lastly is Revlon "Girly". Technically I have tried this once before but it was only on one nail and it was layered over something else. So I wanted to enjoy it it's true beauty! This is 3 coats and then I topped it with China Glaze "Matte Magic" which I am trying for the first time and I quite like it!

Untrieds Week is officially over!!!!! Yes! Haha. Get ready for some nail art guys!!

xo, Colleen

Neon Leopard

Seriously in love with these! But I think I would love it even more if I did them all like the middle nail. I don't know, what do you guys think?

I used Orly "Beach Cruiser" and Lime Crime "Crema De Limon" and the black is Orly "Liquid Vinyl".

xo, Colleen

Winstonia Stamping Plates Review

Today I'll be reviewing the Winstonia store 20pc Nail Art Stamping Plates - First Generation released in 2013. You can find them here http://winstoniastore.com/20-nail-art-stamping-image-plates-first-generation-2013.html. I haven't used every single stamp on here (that would take a lot of time) but I did a few looks with them and they are just so cute!

The set comes with 20 different stamping plates. Stamper and scraper sold separately. The set is $15.99 and I will have a coupon code at the end for you guys to get 10% off!!!

This was my first time stamping and I must say it went pretty well. I had a few mistakes but I think I'm getting the hang of it (form your opinions below.) Haha. As suggested by a lot of my followers I used an old gift card to scrape the excess polish off the plate so not to scratch up the plates and it works quite well! Since I didn't already have a stamper and didn't want to wait to order one. I ran to Sally Beauty Supply and picked up the Salon Express Nail Stamping Kit, which seems to work fine but I don't have any other experience to compare it to.

If you're new to stamping or looking for a new set, try these Winstonia ones out!!!! And why not you can get 10% off! There is a great variety of stamps from, holidays, flowers, animal prints, summer and spring designs, hearts and even a cute little unicorn!! I'm very happy with this being my first set and I can't wait to do more looks with them! Enjoy the designs I've done so far!

Here are the plates themselves. They come packaged tightly in a nice little box and blue film to protect them (which I already removed.)

This is the first look I did with them. I used the lollipop and cupcake design from plate W117 as part of my Autism Awareness design. See full post here.

My second look. I love this one!! So cute! Used Lime Crime "Parfait Day", China Glaze "Razzle Me Dazzle Me" and hot air balloon stamp again from plate W117.

Lastly I did this sort of bubble design. I used OPI "Don't Pretzel My Buttons" and Nicole by OPI "Light A Candle" with stamping plate W112. I'm not sure how much I like this just because I don't think Don't Pretzel My Buttons goes at all with my skin tone but the design is cute!

I still need some practice but it's coming along.

Find the stamping plates here http://winstoniastore.com/20-nail-art-stamping-image-plates-first-generation-2013.html and use 

COUPON CODE: LUSTERLACQUER at checkout to receive 10% off the stamping plate set ONLY. Code valid through May 31, 2013.

DISCLAIMER: These stamping plates were sent to me by Winstonia for review. These are my complete 100% honest opinions. I was not compensated in any way nor am I affiliated with http://winstoniastore.com/. 

Blue Nails For Autism!

As you may have seen lately, there has been a flood of blue nails on Instagram, Facebook, blogger etc, in honor of autism awareness. April is Autism Awareness month and in support of that I have done a couple blue designs. I will update this post as I do more but I wanted to get this up!

Please join us in spreading the word about Autism and supporting the amazing cause! Paint your nails blue and hashtag your photos with #paintitblue #bluenailsforautism #custombluesforautism #autismawareness and LIGHT IT UP BLUE!!!

Also please visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/paintitblue and join this amazing group and share your nail designs!

My first look is using Revlon "Coastal Surf" as my base, glitter is Pure Ice "Never Satisfied" and I used Winstonia stamping plate W117 with OPI "Russian Navy". My first time stamping, what do you guys think?

My second look is a tape mani inspired by @noemihk on Instagram's pink mani. I used Pure Ice "French Kiss" and glitter placement from Fergie "Glamorous".

And for my last look I stayed true to the genuine Autism Awareness logo. I did splatter nails, which was my first time and I must say I loved it and can't wait to do more!! And then I have the Light It Up Blue logo on the accent. This is my favorite look and I love how they came out and I am so happy to help support this cause!

LIGHT IT UP BLUE!!

xo, Colleen

Mirror Mirror, whose nails are fairest of them all?

Okay, so I could not come up with something to name this design!!! (Although I thought of A Purple Scheme of Chevron Dreams) after the fact. So I took inspiration from one of the polish names, Orly "Mirror Mirror". Haha. So now on with the nails. Can I just say I can not stop looking at these!! I absolutely love them!!! Glitter, chevron, and dotticure, OH MY!! Too many Disney movie references? Sorry. Originally I had planned to do a pictorial for HowTo: Make Your Own Chevron Decals with zigzag scissors and tape but that was a total fail!!! The scissors I bought were crap and didn't close properly and wouldn't cut the tape, so I had to freehand the chevron design. But I am so happy with the outcome!! Yes it's not perfect and sharp but I'm impressed with myself. I hope you guys like these! I'm in love!!

Colors used: Orly "Mirror Mirror" "Fancy Fuchsia" "Lollipop", Zoya "Purity", and OPI "Polka.com"

I think this is my new favorite design I've done! Even thought it's not terribly complicated, it's just so pretty!!

xo, Colleen

Serum No.5 (Review & Swatches)

The amazing Victoria from Serum No.5 contacted me to do a review of some of her polishes. I love all of these polishes! They applied like a dream and no fishing required! You can purchase Serum No.5 at http://serumno5.com/ and http://www.etsy.com/shop/serumno5. Worldwide shipping available through Etsy.

TOP L-R: Pretty In Pastel, Forest Lights, Day Glow

BOTTOM L-R: Pink Peonies, Poppy Fields, Pretty Blue, Heartbreaker

I love the packaging that Serum No.5 comes in. Beautiful simple boxes with warning label and ingredient list on the back.. They are Big3Free, which means they do not contain Formaldehyde, Toulene, and Dibutyl Phthalate. Also another amazing thing about this brand, is each month a charitable donation is made in an amount equal to 20% of all lacquers sold!! A+ in my book! Now on with the swatches!



DAY GLOW:
Is a bright flourescent yellow in daylight and it glows in the dark!! To quote my husband "I never thought I'd say this about nail polish, but that's badass!" And he's right! There wasn't any sun the day I swatched this and it still glowed bright in the dark without charging. This can be a bit streaky and requires a topcoat. Below is 3 coats of Day Glow and one coat Seche Vite.

Daytime

Shade

Dark

HEARTBREAKER:

Is a clear base with tiny pink hex glitter, black bar glitter, and pink and red hearts. Did not have to fish at all for the hearts. Very pleased with this. One coat of Heartbreaker over a gradient of Orly "Decades of Dysfunction" and Zoya "Kelly" as inspired by the swatch on Serum No.5 Instagram page.

PRETTY IN PASTEL:

Is a shimmery white base with light blue, green, and pink hex glitter. One coat of Pretty In Pastel over OPI "Mod About You"

PINK PEONIES:

Is a milky shimmery pink base with white, pink, and magenta hex glitters. One coat Pink Peonies over Orly "Fancy Fuchsia"

PRETTY BLUE:

Is packed with tiny blue and purple glitters and medium blue hex glitters in a clear base. One coat of Pretty Blue over Sinful Colors "Candy Coated"

FOREST LIGHTS:

Is a sheer green base with turquoise holo glitter, green hex glitter and tiny white and gold glitters. To be honest with you this one kind of scared me at first. As far as polishes go green is tough for me and not one of my favorites. But I think I found a combination with this that works and I'm quite happy with it! One coat of Forest Lights over China Glaze "For Audrey"

POPPY FIELDS:

Is a sheer red jelly base and packed with varying sizes of red square, circle, and hex glitters, with gold circle glitters, and tiny black glitters. I loved this one!! One coat of Poppy Fields over Sinful Colors "Timbleberry"

I am so pleased with these polishes! There is no way I can pick a favorite and the combinations you can do with these is endless! Please visit http://serumno5.com/ and http://www.etsy.com/shop/serumno5 and support handmade polish and a great cause!

xo, Colleen

DISCLAIMER: These polishes were sent to me by Victoria Dao, the creator and owner of Serum No.5 Love Lacquer.

These are my complete 100% honest opinions. I was not compensated in any way nor am I affiliated with Serum No.5 products.