Two from Pretty & Polished

This week I have been wearing two new lovelies from, you guessed it, Pretty & Polished.  I can't seem to get enough of her stuff, they are all so fun and pretty.

This first one is called S'no Mans Land and is a beautiful, shimmery white with tons of small and large white hex glitter, plus tiny iridescent glitter as well.  It really does look like snow, but doesn't melt!

Inside, natural light

I am totally in love with it!  I like white, but just plain white is so... plain white.  This has dimension and interest to it.  And while it is subtle, it is still festive.

 This beauty is called Mannequin Hands, and is also very subtle.  As much as I love to have fun polish that is loud and a little crazy, on occasion I want something a bit more refined.  This delivered perfectly!  It is a wonderful shade of pink that is chalk full of small pink hex glitters.  It has a shimmer to it and is just right for those times when you want low key, but still stunning. 

Note: P&P is on vacation just now, but the shop should open again in  few days *crosses fingers*

French Manicure x2

French manicure... where did that come from?  It's probably something completely obvious, like it was done first in France.  Anyhow, moving on...

For the last few days I have been doing a bit of playing with French tips (oh wait... haven't I done one of these already... yep... oh well...) and, being tired and having LOTS of laundry to do, I only took pictures of my two favorite.

Inside, not sure what kind of lights, but not natural lighting.  Note the green spots on my index, middle and ring fingers, not a problem with the camera, but the result of not using a base coat with Bayou Blitz.

 Classic white with a good clear coat.  Yes, it is NOT ORIGINAL in the least, but it is classic and classy.  And some days, classic is more important than original.  I used a Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen (available most anywhere, from corner drugstores to Walmart) and let me tell you, easiest french tips I have ever done!  This is three applications, with three coats of clear Essie "good-to-go".  One as base coat, one between the second and third layers of white (haden't decided about the third layer) and a last coat to finish it off.

I do have an interesting note on this... the pen has, in very small letters, a TO USE that is kind of interesting: do NOT apply to bare nails.  I haven't tried, so I don't know why.  This is apparently for the people (like myself occasionally) who don't want to take the time to use a base coat.  It is also important to use a good top coat, as this is designed to be washed off with just water if you make mistakes.

This was my other favorite.  I love the taupe of Essie "master plan", but after wearing it alone for a bit, decided it needed a bit more fun.  Enter Essie "turquoise & caicos"!  I love Essie, there is no denying it.  And while the tips are not perfect by any stretch, considering I haven't done tips with a brush in over two years, I think I did pretty well!

Natural light

I really like this combination!  It is a very basic color, with a little pop on the ends.  Not much I will admit, but enough to be fun and make me smile every time I saw my hands during my day full of housework!

Rainy Days

The last few days have been rainy and cold.  We are expecting snow in the next few days, and I am dreading it.   I love rain, don't get me wrong, and I enjoy snow for the first few days, but I am a lizard at heart, I need sunlight or I get slow and nothing gets done.  Today my nails reflect my attitude toward the weather:  rain and snow are sparkly and bright, but tend to dull things around them over time.

I used NYC "Skin Tight Denim" for the base (two coats) and then Essie "Set in Stones" for the french tips.  I then used Essie "Matte about You" topcoat (also two coats).  I will admit that it looks good with a regular shiny top-coat as well, but it didn't quite fit my mood. 

 NYC is available at Walmart (it's super cheap, but for a fun manicure that you don't expect to last for too long, it's worth it), and Essie is available all over the place.  I get mine at Target, Walmart and a place in the mall here called NW Beauty Supply.  You can look up their color options on their site HERE and purchase polishes directly from them as well.

Bayou Blitz ~ Pretty & Polished

This morning, I woke up with a migraine.  I decided that since I was seeing spots and feeling a bit green anyhow, my nails should reflect that.  Enter Bayou Blitz:

This is another fun one from P&P, and it is a statement maker!  I've worn it twice since I got it and it never fails to catch people's attention.  Admittedly, some people think it is a bit too green, but others love the vibrancy of it!

This is three coats, because I wanted it to be really bright, and the more layers you have, the brighter it is. (Please ignore my cuticles, I haven't had time to give myself a manicure!)   Today I didn't add a top coat, I love the ever-so-slightly-bumpy feel of the tiny yellow glitter.  Do make sure that a base coat is used with this polish!  The first time I used it I did not have a base coat, and the large green glitters stained my nails a little bit.  Nothing severe, and completely my own fault for being too lazy to put on a base coat, but something to be aware of.

So, despite the fact that my migraine is not responding to pain killers (you can only take so much Tylenol at one time), my nails are bright and happy.  And that makes me smile.

Bayou Blitz is available at the P&P Etsy store.

Pink Satin ~ Del Sol

Today's lovely is one I love to use in the summer, because it lets me be both demure and a little rocker.

Del Sol is a company dedicated to, no surprise, the sun!  Their products respond to UV rays, and take their lovely , peach-pink shimmer into a purple shimmer instead!

Inside, natural light

Outside, natural light

This is two coats, one is just not enough coverage and even two is a little sheer when it's pink. I didn't use a top coat here and this is three days into it.  For me, no chips at this stage is REALLY GOOD!  I do know you can use a top coat, as long as it doesn't block UV.  =)

You can get their polishes at any of their stores or HERE online.  (The next one I am looking to get from them is called Flirt. It goes from cute pink to an awesome red!)

Jack'o'Lantern Glow Polish ~ Pretty & Polished

I discovered Pretty & Polished a few months ago, and I am in love with most of her polishes.  This one appealed to me as something really fun for Halloween, but could also be fun in the summer as well; I am all about multitasking, especially for polish.

Okay, so this stuff is awesome!  Super pretty yellow base with tiny orange glitters and small orange hex glitters.  It applies fairly matte, so if you want shine, use a good top coat.  I liked it both ways.

This is two coats with Essie top-coat "Good -to-Go".  One coat was okay, but I liked the better coverage of two.

inside, natural light

The other thing two coats did was make the glow-in-the-dark aspect of it much brighter and longer lasting!  Sorry the pic is so blurry... my camera hates to take dark shots.  Obviously the longer you "charge" your polish, the longer it glows.  I got about 15 minutes of glow out of a 1 minute charge.  Super fun!

This, and many other polishes, are for sale at her Etsy store:  Pretty & Polished

To begin!

I love polish.  I don't say I am addicted, that implies something that may need therapy to solve.  Instead, I use polish as therapy.  It is one of those things that gives me time to sit still and do something that is just for me.  Recently I decided that it would be fun to spread the love, so here I am and here you are.  Let the therapy begin!