Jawbreaker ~ Pretty & Polished

Okay, so my adoration for P&P is pretty obvious, so I decided to give a shout-out to the polish that got me started on the brand.  JAWBREAKER.

I love this Polish!  It is a white base with LOTS of different glitters, including (although I may have missed a few) large red squares and small red hexes, large and small dark blue hexes, light blue hexes, yellow hexes, and tiny purple flecks.

Inside, natural light

 This is three coats, no topcoat.  And the cool thing is that the more coats you have, the more depth you get, because the white is just sheer enough to allow glitters from lower layers to still shine through.  Seriously looks good enough to eat!

Pretty & Polished is available on her online shop here, which is due to be restocked with some all new goodies tomorrow!  I'm so excited!

The Young Hero ~ Pretty & Polished

Today we have the other lovely I got from P&P a few weeks ago.  This is The Young Hero, also part of the Mathematical Collection and it is very pretty!  It is not as vibrant as Pebbles, but it is fun and happy all the same.

It is a white base, full of different glitters of varying sizes.  In the small size we have light green hexes and light blue squares. In the tiny size we have yellow, dark blue, and (I think) a mid-range blue.

Inside, natural light

 This is three coats of Young Hero, finished off with two coats of "good-to-go".  Because of the large amount of tiny glitter, it does take more than one coat to get that super shiny/smooth look.

Inside, natural light

This is my favorite nail of the day.  I love the three green glitters in the corner!

Pebbles ~ Pretty & Polished

So, you remember the snow I was hoping would not come?  Yeah, it came anyway.  And with the snow came temperatures that drive me to wear sweaters and socks in multiples as well as leggings under my jeans.  I have been in great need of cheering up, and I realized I had just the thing: Pebbles!

 

This bright, eye-catching polish is another by P&P, part of her new Mathematical Collection.  It is a pink jelly base with pink and orange hex glitters and, thanks to tiny iridescent glitter, is very sparkly!

Inside, natural light

This is two (THICK) coats.  I am really bad at waiting for polish to dry, so I tend to do thicker coats than you really should (and while I am aware that really, the drying time is probably longer, I still tend to do it when I am feeling rushed).  I am reasonably sure that you could get the same affect with three coats done properly.  I finished up with one coat of Essi "good-to-go" fast drying top coat.

(Random note:  My poor nails!  They were so long at Thanksgiving, and then I ripped two of them down past the quick.  The only way to deal with it was to cut them all short, and they have not quite grown out again!)

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.