Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Polish Addict by Laura Sanchez

Today one of my IG girls sent me some of her indie polishes!  These are Laura Sanchez Nail Addict polishes from her new spring line.  I have been following Laura since I started nail art and I actually won one of my first nail art contests through her.

The first polish is Cupcake & Kittens.  This polish has a sheer pink pastel base and is chock fullllllll of glitter. I don't think I've ever tried a polish that is so packed!  Here is Cupcake & Kittens in three coats on the nail. Application was smooth and every brush stroke had all kinds of glitter on it.  Because there is a lot of glitter you'll need a top coat to smooth and protect the polish.


This macro shows Cupcake & Kittens in two coats over Butter London Kerfuffle. You can see there are many colors and shapes of glitter and shimmer in this polish!  All are light pastel colors.


I couldn't hear the name Cupcakes & Kittens and not go super sweet on my nail art!  For this mani I used Butter London Kerfuffle as a peachy pink base and then used two coats of Polish Addict Cupcakes & Kittens.  On the accent nail I painted a vanilla cherry cupcake!


Pretty in Pastels in an equally beautiful spring color.  This polish has less glitter but that doesn't make it any less gorgeous!  This polish has a sheer teal base full of shimmer.  The glitters spread evenly on the nail and application was very nice.  Here is Pretty in Pastels on the nail in three coats.  


This macro shows Pretty in Pastels in two coats over Butter London Fiver.  Small hex glitters in yellow and blue remind me of Easter eggs and they are set off by the larger violet hex glitters.  The colors together are very complementary!


For my nail art the blue pastel color reminded me of one of my favorite TV shows as a kid, My Little Ponies!  I slapped Windwhister on the ring finger, she looks like she's loving this polish too.  Pretty in Pastels in on the other fingers in two coats over Butter London Fiver.  


Overall Polish Addict has some really beautiful spring colors here!  Cupcakes & Kittens applied beautifully and is chock full of glitter. You will need a nice glitter topper clear coat to seal all the glitter in on this one.  Pretty in Pastels is perfect on its own!  The application was great and I had no problems picking up all the glitters on the brush for application.  These polishes would look great on their own or topped over other colors making them very versatile.  

You can find Polish Addict on:
and Instagram @polish_addict_34

Please note this polish was sent to me for review and is based on my honest, individual opinion.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Quilted Studded Nails

I've had a great week! Boyfriend was awesome and treated me to a Michael Kors bag I've been going gaga for on Valentine's Day. I love my new bag so much I decided to create an inspired by mani.

 

I experimented with the quilting technique until I found one I liked and then made a tutorial so anyone who wants this designer look can get it! It's actually easier than it looks.



Try it for yourself.  I'd love to see any manis inspired by my tutorial!
<3

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Polish TBH

Today I'm reviewing Polish TBH nail polishes.  I love my Instagram indie makers!

 I started out with Chaotic Peligro.  This polish is a charcoal base full of blue and purple/pink shimmers.  From far away the nail looks dark but in light the shimmers will dance!  The formula had slight shrinkage but that is easily fixed by wrapping the tip of the nail.  This is a sheer polish in one coat and it could add some really nice color and shimmer when layered over other polishes.  I used three coats to get full coverage.


When I saw Chaotic Peligro it reminded me of a night sky.  I used it as the base in my galaxy nail art design. I also used acrylic paint and China Glaze Fairy Dust as a topper.  


Circus is a sky blue base with shimmer and medium red hex glitters.  This also has a bit of shrinkage so wrap those tips!  One coat is sheer so it can be used as a sheer blue glitter topper or you can use three coats for a more robust color.  


For my nail art with this polish I got a little crazy!  I had some red and teal flaky glitters I was playing around with and dipped them on my dual accent nails.  When covered with Juleps Freedom Top Coat to hold it all together I got the effect of rock candy nails!  


Finally is Fantasy.  This polish is just gorgeous.  The shimmery fuchsia/purple base is full of color and dimension.  Adding more complexity are small blue glitters.  Again this is a sheer polish but in three coats becomes almost full coverage.


I added some blue and lavender striped tips to these!


Overall Polish TBH nail polishes have some gorgeous color combos!  All three I tried out were sheer but could be layered.  The formula seems to shrink slightly with all of them and does have a very strong smell but those shouldn't be an issue if you love these bright colors.  

You can find Polish TBH on

Please note this polish was sent for review and is based on my honest, individual opinion.

Polish Me To Go's Glow Polish!

Today I am pleased to bring you swatches of Polish Me To Go's glowing nail polish!  I have seen a few glow in the dark polishes before but these are on a whole new level!

I started with Honey My Dew from her pastel spring glow line.  This is a very creamy opaque formula. The polish was a little thick but you get great coverage!  I used two coats but it didn't really need the second.  You can wear this polish on its own without any under color.  In the light of day it appears a creamsicle orange.


Under black light this polish immediately lights up a brilliant orange.  So fun for going to concerts or parties!


I charged this polish for 30 seconds by holding it under a UV grow lamp for plants to simulate sunlight.  In the dark this polish glowed so bright!  The glow pigments are a mix of yellow and orange which you can see in the dark and actually gives a very nice effect!


My next Polish Me To Go polish was Pretty Girls, a neon pink glow polish from her neon line.  This is a sheer neon color, it looks exactly like a pink highlighter color does.  This one needs a white base to get the full color but it can also be used over other colors and polishes.  The formula was amazingly smooth and easy to apply on this one.  I used one coat of Polish Me To Go's white undie color and two coats of Pretty Girls.


In black light this polish glowed neon pink immediately. My camera couldn't pick up the actual hot pink glow and changed it more to an orange, but rest assured you will have hot Barbie pink glowing nails with this.


This polish did not have the same boom in the dark that Honey My Dew did. It glowed pink but much fainter than the pastel orange did.  Still this was a great polish in black light and an amazing hot pink on its own.


Finally is Sunny Days.This is a neon high lighter yellow from Polish Me To Go's neon line.  Just like Pretty Girls this polish had a smooth easy formula and application. I used two coats of white undie color and two coats of Sunny Days. 


Under black light this polish is AMAZING.  The color is so bright and so neon it almost hurts to look at!


Similarly when charged under a lamp for 30 seconds and left in the dark and equally bright glow emits from this polish.   This polish was bright and glowy all across the board!


To show some of the versatility of this polish I used Polish Me To Go's white undie as a base in two coats and then hand painted some drip nails with Honey My Dew, Sunny Days and Pretty Girls.  In the day they are cool but under black light they come alive with vibrant glowing neon colors.  


I am very excited with Polish Me To Go's glowing polishes and can't wait to see what she's bringing to the near future.  Honey My Dew and Sunny Days were both amazing glow polishes while Pretty Girls was a nice formula but didn't deliver as strongly as the other two.  

Check them out below glowing under black light and in the dark!




You can find Polish Me To Go on

Please note this polish was sent for review and is based on my honest, individual opinion.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Gradient Nail Tutorial

Here is my gradient tutorial!  This is how I complete all my gradient nails.


1.) Paint your nail your lightest color and let dry completely. I used white because my colors were slightly translucent. 
2.) On a makeup sponge (you can buy these for a few bucks for 30 at a drug store) brush your two colors slightly overlapping. (I used China Glaze Aquadelic and Sunshine Pop. The nice green appeared as I blended)
3.) Roll the sponge from right to left over your nail. It will appear patchy and that's ok. Add new paint strokes to your sponge as needed as you do all your nails. Let this layer dry. (It will dry quickly)
4.) Repeat, painting your colors on your sponge and rolling from right to left in a second coat. It will appear less patchy. Let dry. 
5.)Repeat brushing the sponge and rolling from left to right. This time after you've rolled it side to side dab the sponge up and down the nail. This will blend the colors and give it a more natural gradient. If you need more coverage or a smoother gradient repeat this step.
6.) IMPERATIVE! Clean up around the nail and finish with a top coat. This will smooth the gradient and make it look much more natural.


If you're feeling ambitious You can use more than two colors in your gradient.  

If you're feeling extra fancy you can even combine techniques like hand painting some nail art over a gradient. 


Or try a clear and black water marble over the top.