Sunday, May 12, 2013

Sinful Shine - Bottoms Up Part-1

A few days ago, a good friend of mine showed me an Instagram pic of what seemed to be several *new* Sinful Colors polishes, with shiny chrome-like caps, and a new name on the bottle. Being an avid collector of Sinful Colors, I was immediately intrigued! So yesterday while I was out, I stopped in at one of my fave Walgreen's to see if they had these mysterious new colors, and they had a whole new display with more new colors than I had expected! I limited myself to 5, for now, and this is the first one that I have tried so far.


Sinful Shine w/ Gel Tech - Bottoms Up


The new display claims that these new *gel type* formulas are 'more glossy than a patent leather shoe'. Years ago, I used to get gel manicures regularly, but this is the first *gel type* polish I have used from a bottle, that doesn't require a UV light to cure. So I decided to do an experiment to see how long and how well these polishes will last. 



On my Left hand, I have a base coat, one coat of Bottoms Up, and Seche Vite top coat. On my right hand, I have a base coat, two coats of Bottoms Up, and Seche Vite top coat. There two things I find interesting about this side-by-side comparison of both hands. One, is it just me or does the Left side just look *better* with just one coat? Two, the right side has a teeny bit of shrinkage, mostly obvious on my ring finger. I plan to wear these until there's noticeable chipping, I just hope that doesn't take *too* long haha.

Products Used:
One coat Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat
Left hand - One coat Sinful Shine Bottoms Up
Right hand - Two coats Sinful Shine Bottoms Up
One coat Seche Vite Top Coat

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Sparkling Garbage Bubbles

I've been wearing Sparkling Garbage For Audrey for a few days, and today I decided to add some bubble stamps on top.


I used Konad special white stamping polish and stamping plate Mash-43 to create the bubbles, and sealed the design with one coat of Diamond Dry top coat.


Below is a collage of all three steps that create this manicure. China Glaze For Audrey on the left, For Audrey + Orly Sparkling Garbage in the middle, and For Audrey + Sparkling Garbage + Bubble stamps on the right.


Products Used for the Bubbles:
Konad Special White Stamping Polish
Mash Stamping Plate Mash-43
One coat Diamond Dry Top Coat Brilliance



Monday, May 6, 2013

Sparkling Garbage For Audrey

I'm a big fan of blue-green and holographic polishes. So when I walked past an Orly display the other day and spotted Sparkling Garbage, a lovely teal holo glitter, there was no question that it would be the newest addition to my collection.

Since Sparkling Garbage isn't quite opaque on its own, I chose to begin this manicure with two coats of China Glaze For Audrey.



Over that, I layered two coats of Orly Sparkling Garbage, and finished with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.


Polishes like these are infuriating to photograph, they never reveal their true beauty in pictures. Sparkling Garbage is densely packed with very fine holographic glitter that sparkles and shines in any light, and is especially breathtaking in direct sunlight. I tried and tried to capture the amazing holographic nature of this polish, just trust me that it is 100x more stunning in person! Below I have added a shot taken indoors with flash that shows a bit of what I'm attempting to describe. 


Products Used:
One coat Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat
Two coats China Glaze For Audrey
Two coats Orly Sparkling Garbage
One coat Seche Vite Top Coat



Saturday, May 4, 2013

LC's Black Tie

I've been loving the new Hard Candy Crystal Confetti Collection, so today I have another one to show you. This manicure begins with a base coat, two beautiful coats of Zoya LC, and one layer of Zoya Armor top coat. (Be sure to scroll past the before/after at the bottom of this post, for some bonus 'fail' footage.)


I followed that with one, very easy to apply, coat of Hard Candy Black Tie Optional. I just love all the different sizes and shapes of black and white glitter in this polish.



I then added one coat of Gelous gel top coat to smooth out the glitter, and finished with one more coat of Zoya Armor.


Products Used:
One coat Zoya Anchor Base Coat
Two coats Zoya LC
One coat Zoya Armor Top Coat
One coat Hard Candy Black Tie Optional
One coat Gelous Advanced Gel Top Coat
One coat Zoya Armor Top Coat

Bonus 'Fail' Footage


My good friend Soguesswhat11 posted a lovely manicure the other day that had a soft pink base, a metallic green wavy design all over, and red flower stamp accents. This was my attempt to recreate her design with my own twist, see her video tutorial here.

I chose two coats of Zoya Erika as my pink base color, Sinful Colors Moss Have and stamping plate Mash-50 for the vines, and Zoya LC and stamping plate Mash-28 for the flowers. 

In the end, I just didn't think it was as successful as I had hoped it would be. I love the base color, but perhaps should have chosen a darker or more vibrant green for the vines (Moss Have is the only metallic-ish green I own), and maybe a different flower stamp. It's OK, but it isn't a total win in my book. I'll have to give it another try someday!









Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Guest Post at Olive + Hazel's Blog!

Today, I have done a guest post for Jessica from Olive + Hazel, click here to check it out! I've created a cheery and bright stamping design, and all the details are there, including the before and after pic, and a bunch of great stamping tips. Don't forget to browse Jessica's blog and follow her while you are there, she has tons of great beauty reviews, subscription unboxings, nail looks, beauty deals, and more! 



Saturday, April 27, 2013

The Jungle Stand Tasting BAR - April 2013

It's time for another Jungle Stand Tasting BAR! (Please see my original Jungle Stand post for all the subscription details.)


This month's theme is 'The Treasure Hunt'. 


Front of the card: Welcome to the Jungle Stand. Ahoy, me adventurous Tasters! We're about to embark on a tresure hunt. There are hidden riches in this BAR. A taste in here is highly prized. It has a flavor known as the 'Diamond of the kitchen'. Instead of a map, use your taste buds to find it! Arrrr...X marks the spot!


Back of the card: Before you are 6 gourmet appetizers. 5 of the 6 are hand-stuffed w/  creamy fillings so you can experience how texture plays a role in tasting. Pay close attention as you sample each taste. Strong, familiar flavors OR subtle strange ones may provide clues to the hidden 'Diamond'. (Spoiler alert: the inside bottom of this BAR has the X that marks the spot) Will any of these tastes change your life?


The tastes:

Green - Red Mini Peppers: These are red peppers (aka Pepperoncinis) cut into small tips & stuffed with cream cheese. The moisture comes from canola oil. The peppers have a soft texture & are mildly spicy, But don't worry, they won't set your tongue on fire. Perfect as an appetizer with crackers.

Yellow - Blue Cheese Olives: Green olives stuffed with zesty bleu cheese. Once you bite into the olive, you'll taste the intense flavor of the bleu cheese. The subtle saltiness and meaty texture of the olive perfectly complements the savory cream filling of the bleu cheese.

Pink - Stuffed Mushrooms: Jumbo mushrooms stored in canola oil and stuffed with a cream cheese/red pepper mixture. The overwhelming flavor is umami. Mushrooms are high on the umami scale. They're rich, savory and meaty which is why they're often used as a stand-in for meat in vegetarian dishes.

Red - Greek Olives: These Greek olives are flavored with a mixture of feta cheese, capers, and canola oil. This taste packs a punch. It's very firm, tart and slightly bitter. Probably the most intense taste in the BAR.

Blue - Pepperballs: Sweet picante peppers (imported from South Africa) stuffed with cream cheese and moistened with canola oil. It's a crunchy pepper, mildly sweet-and-spicy. A gourmet appetizer usually served next to cold cuts and warm baguettes.

Orange - Fungi-Cheese Stuffed Olives: Green Sicilian olives stuffed with a Fungi-flavored cheese. The briny (of salty water or the sea; salty) olive with the earthy cheese really come together to create a delicious appetizer.


Treasure HO!!! The card in the bottom of your box indicates that the Orange taste is the buried treasure in this BAR!

Real name - Black Truffle Cheese-Stuffed Olives: A truffle is a fungi that flourishes with the roots of certain trees. They have a mysterious allure and are quite expensive. Some have sold for as much as $6,000/lb. Part of that is because they're difficult to find, available only at certain times of the year and are notoriously difficult to cultivate. The other reason is there simply is no food that tastes like a truffle. Some have described an 'earthy' flavor while others have found it 'syrupy sweet'.

Truffle, the Diamond of the Kitchen



This subscription is $9.92 per month, charges at the beginning of the month, and ships your BAR via Priority USPS in the middle of the month.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Camouflage

Today's manicure started with a base coat, two layers of China Glaze Kalahari Kiss, and a coat of Seche Vite top coat.


Using the Mash-38 stamping plate, I stamped the camo design first with Sinful Colors Exotic Green, and then again with China Glaze Below Deck, so that the two stamps offset and overlapped each other on the nail.



You could do this with any colors and it would look great. Shades of blue, pink, or purple would make a cute camo too! I followed the stamps with another coat of Seche Vite to seal the design.


Products Used:
One coat Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat
Two coats China Glaze Kalahari Kiss
One coat Seche Vite Top Coat
Mash-38 Stamping Plate
Stamps in Sinful Colors Exotic green and China Glaze Below Deck
One coat Seche Vite Top Coat