VDay Manicure part 3, all finished!

Happy Valentine's Day! Finally, this three part manicure is all finished. If you remember, I didn't intend on making a Valentine's mani, and I originally started with Barry M Buzz Nail Paint. I felt it could use a little something, so I then used the curly heart design on my Salon Express SE18 plate with Konad special white polish, and got this effect:

After realizing this had great potential to be a Vday mani, I topped this manicure with Revlon Blizzard Berry, a Japanese Revlon exclusive. It's a pretty mixed size holo glitter with a pink tinted base. Finally, I put pink and clear stones on the thumb and ring fingers, and sealed it off with Seche Vite. What do you all think?

VDay Manicure part 3, all finished!, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

Barry M Nail Paint Buzz

This is part one of a three part Valentine's Day manicure :) It didn't originally start out that way, I whipped this polish out as I bought it on Kitten Nails' blog sale over the summer (also got Models Own Sherbet and Nails Inc. Diet Coke polishes) and hadn't worn this one yet.

This color is a dark, dusty pink. It is actually nameless, as it was a promo that was included in a makeup set in Buzz Magazine last Feb/March 2011. I wish they gave goodies in American magazines! After I polished my nails, I thought it was a great color but a little too plain, and did some konading, then put a final touch on top of that. I haven't taken the third and final pic, I need to get to that. Hopefully tomorrow is sunny!

Barry M Nail Paint Buzz, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

Unicorn Pee Over Barry M Indigo And My New Nfu Oh

I've swatched the crap out of Unicorn Pee since I received it from a super amazing RAOK friend....I've swatched it over lavender, over hot pink, over burgundy, black, etc. And now you can see it over a deep indigo from one of my favorites out there. Barry M. Gah...Clarins 230 never ceases to amaze me. I just stare at my nails all day when I have it on which can be rather distracting...but ah, whatever :)

Also, below that, I have swatched my newest Nfu Oh #48 - a really pretty and unique sheer pink flaky polish. It's different than most of the other Nfu Flakies because it has shimmer in it, too. I swatched it over a bright pink by OPI. See below.

Oh and before I forget - keep your eyes peeled Tuesday for a sneak peek of what first prize has to offer in our 150 followers giveaway! Oh yes, that's right! We decided to do a first and second prize. This is going to be a good one!! Don't forget to be ahead of the game. Mosey on down to our pre-entry page and register now. We're almost there!

http://apolishedlife.blogspot.com/2011/03/150-followers-giveaway-deborah.html

Here is the Nfu Oh!

an extreme close up to see the sparkles and flakies together :)

Indigo nails and viva la nails :)

As you can see from previous posts, i changed it up! I love love love this Barry M. The color just seems to glow! I mean, from one side it looks blue and then from another it's a purple!

Ive also discovered this freebie from Viva la nails, it's a blogger pack. I am impressed with this website so much! The selection is amazing! I also picked up a few other things from them, that I will blog about soon. Using the white butterfly and flower rhinestone sticker decals I placed three on each ring finger.

I wanted to use something that went well with the that gorgous buttery(is that a good word to use? )blue, and the white decals reminded me of the blue and white danish patterns that you see on a lot of china patterns. I was tempted to do all my nails but stopped at just the ring fingers. I also finally ordered my first Konad! I hopefully will get the gist of it, because my first attempt was so pathetic that I can not even talk about it, forget posting pics!

Speaking of new things, what do you guys think of the new April blog design, a special thanks to Julie for her skills:)

Also Emily's Nail Files is having a giveaway! Her very 1st! Here is what she is giving away(clink picture to enter):

Look..Models Own! Barry M!.. me wants!

Ok, well that's it for now!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things ( Julie )

I was arranging my polishes out of boredom, and started to get creative and take photos of some really beautiful swatches. I grouped them according to type/color/glitter/flakes/etc and made it a bit artsy fartsy....check it out.

Which do you like best? Are there any here that you didn't know about? Any you might want to get your hands on?

(please click on the images to view them in all their glory!)

First grouping are my purples/indigos/eggplants/magentas/etc:

Zoya - Zara, Zoya - Deidra, OPI - Merry Midnight, Barry M - Dusky Mauve, Barry M - Indigo, Sinful Colors - Frenzy, Nubar - Violet Sparkles, Nicole for OPI - Step 2 The Beat of My Heart, Nfu Oh - 51

Next are my HEXAGON Glitters:

Deborah Lippmann - Today Was A Fairytale, Wet & Wild FastDry - Party of 5 Glitters, NYC - Starry Silver Glitter, China Glaze - Solar Flare, Hard Candy - Break Up, Hard Candy - Hot Pants, Deborah Lippmann - Ruby Red Slippers, Deborah Lippmann - Bad Romance, Nfu Oh - GS 05

And now for some Silver/Grey Swatches:

China Glaze: Fairy Dust, Zoya - Luna, China Glaze - Recycle, Deborah Lippmann - Today Was A Fairytale, Nubar - Antiquity Silver, China Glaze - Platinum Silver, Piggy Polish - Grey-T, Laura Mercier - Sterling, Nfu Oh - GS 05, Color Club - High Society

Care for some Powdery Pinks/Neutrals?

Barry M - Pink Iridescent, Zoya - Brenna, China Glaze - Innocence, Orly - Tie The Knot, OPI - Heart Throb, Essie- Pink Glove Service

And Last- this is for you, Erika- AVATAR swatches-

China Glaze - Dorothy, Who?, Piggy Polish - Navy I'm Right, China Glaze - Frost Bite, Chi - Midnight Rendezvous, Barry M - Indigo

Fimo Butterflies For The Ring fingers! SO cute (Julie & Tammy)

I found these on eBay, came out to about $3.00 and they arrived the next day...no joke! I just ordered a bunch more. They're made from fimo clay. These are butterflies, but there are also fruit slices, hearts, stars, flowers, animals, etc. I got mine from a seller in NY, but it seems most are based out of Asia. So if you're in the US and are looking to get them sooner, try this link.

This is what Tammy did - a nice bright pink by OPI with a blue fimo butterfly-

And I did Indigo by Barry M, a blue/black butterfly, and a top coat of China Glaze Golden Enchantment

Here it is blurred so you can see the rainbow sparkles:

Oh and don't forget - there are only 4 days left to sign up for our Nfu Oh & Deborah Lippmann giveaway! So get on moving to that post and enter!!

:)

A Vat of Vite and Essie's Mesmerize (Julie)

Wandered into Diamond Beauty Supply today in Oceanside, NY and saw something I've never seen before. A vat of Vite. For $19.99. 4 fl. oz, and a regular sized .5 oz. vite came in the set! And a little funnel for easy refilling. What a great buy! It's basically for the price of 3 Seches (they're normally $6 to $7 each + tax here) you get 9! Did I do that math right? lol.

And after little self-convincing, I also picked up a bottle of Mesmerize by Essie. What an incredible color and formula. It only needed 1 coat on top of CND Stickey base coat for full and bright coverage.

It's slightly similar to Barry M's Indigo, only this is much bluer. In the bottle, Mesmerized appeared to be a softer more powdery blue, but when applied, proved to be more boastful, which was a pleasant surprise.

If my fingers look odd, it's because my middle nail chipped on the side so it looks REALLY off.

And here is Zoya's Sparkle top coat that I LOVE! Had to bling this up.

Oh! I swatched the Cult Nails "Iconic" and just added to the old post, so you can see my swatches of this fabulous brand here. Also want to mention that on my 3rd day of wear, there was still not even one little chip!! Amazing long-lasting formula. Kudos, Cult!

And don't forget to enter our absolutely free to enter and free to win contest for a bottle of NFU Oh 59, AND Deborah Lippmann's Razzle Dazzle. With such a small group of followers, there's a huge chance you could be the winner. You have nothing to lose so please enter! Click here! Giveaway ends Feb 28th. Winner announced March 1st at 1pm est. time.

Just some nail of the week(Erika)

Sorry about my lack of posts... Sadly I have no reason, but lots of school work and sleeping. I spent the past weekend (well part of the weekend) visiting Julie. We have to make plans about a year in advance because shes a busy gal, and im sorta kinda busy(work, work, work).

We broke out the nail polishes, including the ones that she got for me at Ulta:) And I used her Barry M Indigo that I top coated with Nubar 2010.

This was taken a few days after I painted them, so excuse the tip wear and chipage. I also didnt realize that it could have used another coat, damn you sunlight.
I need to get, yes need, to get Indigo by Barry M. I came close to getting a dupe, Royal by Revlon.

 

 But as you can see, Barry M is more purple, so as order must be placed because this color is just amazing. The end. Tomorrow I shall post my VDAY manicure. It needs some, ahem, fixing. Lets just say, taking a shower after you paint your nails is not a good idea.


Here is the Barry M website:
http://www.barrym.com/

Catching up: Bling Up Your Ring Fingers, My New Favorite Zoya, and Katy Perry OPI (Julie)

Took a bit of a break as I was just vacationing in Lake Placid, and my week was rather busy when I got home and picked up a stray dog on the street! I've devoted this whole week to getting her a new home, and it worked out wonderfully. She has gone home with a great new owner.

SO onto the polish - Blinging up the ring finger! This just about tops any cream swatch manicure and makes it look so much prettier!

This is Barry M's Paradoxal Dupe, called Dusky Mauve. And ring finger is sporting Deborah Lippmann's Today Was A Fairytale.

(please mind my dry fingers, it is a pretty damn cold winter in NY this year and my hands are suffering!)

I had also tried Today was a Fairytale over Zoya's Brenna and uhh....is it just me, or did it end up looking like bugs or speckles of pepper something? I want to like it, but I just don't! I would suggest using this swatch over a darker one. Maybe over a navy. I will try that out next.

And here is my new favorite swatch of all time. Zoya's Zara. It is so feminine and beautiful! Subtle gold sparkles inside a pale lavender base. This swatch just screams "I am feminine!" and I love it!! Zoya, you kinda rock my world.

How about one last disastrous combo before I hit the sack? I did say bling up, not bling down. So my friends, I do NOT recommend the following manicure idea, because instead of this looking unique and awesome like I had hoped, it just looks like I jammed my ring finger in the door or something equally as painful...and my nail is bruised and ready to fall off. Whoops. You win some, you lose some I suppose.

This is from the new OPI Katy Perry line - the sparkly pink beauty of a swatch is called Teenage Dream, and the ring finger disaster is of course the elusive Shatter polish by OPI. Both from the same collection.

To shed some positive light on this mistake, I think Teenage Dream is well, a dream! It's so beyond pretty and sparkly. I laid it on thick with 3 layers. It needed 2 layers of Seche to smooth it out because there's nothing I can't stand more than bumpy nails.

Good night!!

Chanel Paradoxal PERFECT Dupe (Julie)

I know Erika had mentioned a dupe before, the one made by Revlon - and she said the only problem was bubbling. I found a dupe that is amazing! It's absolutely perfect, i see no differences whatsoever. It applies beautifully in one swipe, and bolder in 2. It doesn't bubble, and it is perfect with a seche vite top coat. It's by Barry M and is called Dusky Mauve. They are in the UK, so if you are outside the UK (yes, they do int'l shipping) I would suggest making a slightly larger order to make it worthwhile.