26-week-challenge Week Four: D

Welcome again!  This week I have my "D" manicure ready for you, as well as a swatch/review.

Last week I decided on Zoya "Delilah" for the Week Four manicure.  This polish is a GORGEOUS shimmery cherry red.  I've had difficulty with most red shimmer/glitter polishes not translating well on the nails, thus looking better in the bottle.  Not so with Delilah!  This polish is just as, if not more, beautiful on the nails than in the bottle.  The subtle shimmer of this polish can be seen even in low lighting, which speaks volumes for this brand.  I've not had such luck with other shimmery polishes (brand names will be withheld), but Zoya surpasses expectations.  Application was very easy, the polish is thin, but not too thin, and is opaque in two coats. 

I was thrilled with this polish, and I'm not really a red polish kind of gal.  I was not disappointed with this at all, and in all honesty, the swatches I've seen of Delilah do not do it justice.  It's a gorgeous and perfect red polish for special occasions, with the shimmer adding just the right touch without being overwhelmingly sparkly.

On to the photos! 

I added a top coat of Gelous to this manicure, and as you can see, it really enhances this polish.  I highly recommend Zoya polishes; they're all gorgeous, have the most delightful names, and the application is so easy.

Thank you for stopping by, see you next week for the "E" manicure!

ABC Challenge Week Three

Hello again!  Today I have the third manicure for the ABC challenge hosted by Erica of Erica's Nails and More.

I had a bit of a hard time figuring out what I would do for today's "C" manicure.  I almost, ALMOST settled for using a China Glaze crackle polish in Candy Crush, but after browsing for cute vintage clothes, settled on cherry nail art!

I used China Glaze Liquid Leather, China Glaze White on White, China Glaze Fairy Dust, Zoya Delilah, and a green striping polish for the cherry stems.

I haven't been feeling well lately thanks to a chronic virus, so being able to do these nails was a bit of an accomplishment.  I took photos before putting on top coat as I want the art to be completely dry first.  The worst thing is to work on gorgeous nail art only to have it streak when top coat is placed on!

On with the photos, enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!  Next week I'll have my "D" nails up and a review of the polish that will be used.  Have a great week!

ABC Challenge Week Two

Good evening everyone!  Today I share with you my Week Two "B" mani.  This didn't stay on long because I had used Elmer's School Glue as a base, and it peeled off fairly quickly.  Using glue as a base for glitter polish is a terrific idea, because that way you can just peel it all off when you're done, without worrying about soaking your nails with acetone-filled cotton balls and waiting forever, with the added bonus of glitter getting EVERYWHERE. 

This week I chose to use Lush Lacquers' Birthday Cake.  I LOVE THIS POLISH.  Lush Lacquers is a favorite indie brand of mine, because their polishes are just so cute and unique.  I got this polish last year as a birthday gift to myself.  It's a beautiful milky-white base with tons of small hex, bar, and medium holographic hex glitters.  I love how the glitter colors are muted enough without being completely hidden.  In the bottle, this definitely looks like the most delicious cake batter ever! 

Here's a shot with the bottle:

The application is just a dream.  As with any glitter-loaded polish, however, some glitter will invade the cuticle area, but that can be taken care of with a bit of cleanup.  In these photos, I did no cleanup at all, as evinced by a rogue cotton fiber hanging from my index finger's free edge.  Two coats accomplished complete opacity, but I really believe one coat could do the trick.  The formula is thick, but not too thick as to be gloppy.  It's loaded with glitter, and I believe it's got a perfect glitter-to-base ratio going on here.  Unfortunately, I don't think this polish is offered any longer, but I do highly recommend Lush Lacquers' polishes.  Once I am able, I think I'll buy one of all their polishes so I can offer them to my clients. 

This was the best closeup I could get of the polish without my camera freaking out and going out of focus.  LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUSNESS!  These ladies certainly made a fantastic polish here.

Birthday Cake gets an A++ from me.  It's rare that I go head over heels for such a polish, but this is one I've used many, many times.  It's versatile and is so cute on its own or used for an accent nail.  I used this polish in my Pinkie Pie manicure last July, and I believe Pinky herself would approve of this!

Thanks for stopping by!

26-week ABC Challenge

It's been way too long since I've done a post!  I've been busy with work and being sick (THANK YOU FLU) and just didn't feel up to doing much nail-art wise.  I think I'm going to begin putting up swatches and reviews as well as doing nail art, so I don't burn out.  Yesterday I was running a stupid fever and feeling really run down, so I didn't get to start on the day I wanted to.  Bummer.

Erica from Erica's Nails and More has brought yet another fun challenge!  This one is going to be a weekly challenge, with each week corresponding with a letter of the alphabet.  The first week is A, second B, and so on.  Here is a link to her rules: ABC challenge rules.  Now this should be fun!

For this week's letter, I almost did animal print; however, with being sick and burned out from nail art, I decided to see if I had a polish that begins with "A".  I looked through my box and sure enough, there was an Orly polish begging to be used!  I bought Orly "Androgynie" a couple of years ago, enchanted by all the sparkly goodness I saw in the bottle.  This being before I came back into doing nail art, and definitely before I started learning about polish formulas and polishing techniques, I quickly became disenchanted.  Not long ago, though, I gave her another try and I'm so glad I did!

The brush is really good for application, especially on toes.  I like the thinner brushes because they are easier to use in doing a French tip.  The formula isn't too thick or too runny, it's right in between.  This took three coats; you can achieve complete coverage in two, but I went with an extra because hey, who doesn't love sparkle?

So here is Androgynie, first with a matte top coat:

On a quick note, I got a matte top coat from Five Below, the brand is Fresh Paint and it was only two dollars!  I'm so happy I got a matte top coat after lemming for one this past year.  It works quickly for such an affordable price.

So I decided that the sparkly goodness didn't translate well when mattified, so I threw on a quick shiny top coat from OPI and LOOK AT THIS GORGEOUSNESS.  You can see the beautiful gold shimmer, the scattered holo, and the iridescent small hex glitters.  Total love with this polish now!

I really wish I had a better camera with macro, because I'd love to see all the sparkles in this polish.  Overall, I give Androgynie a 9 out of 10 on the polish scale.

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon for the next letter of the challenge!