making waves

After seeing the gorgeous set of nail polish called waves by the new black at Sephora and reluctantly putting it down I was determined to convince myself that I didn't need the set to create the pretty ombre look... and voila!

 

I had on Mint Sorbet by Sally Hansen Xtreme wear on which I layered Nicole by OPI's somebody teal love (from the bieber collection) - one coat on my index fingers and two coats on my middle fingers, followed by respect the world also from Nicole by OPI and finally Revlon's over the moon on my pinkies - not exactly a dupe but I think it turned out pretty neat! 

mint sorbet

all the mojitos I had last week reminded me of a pastel green nail color I had that would be perfect for a hot summer day:

 

 

  

Grape going

Purple Teal & Silver

 

Inspired by my dear friend's wedding theme colors - 

I painted my nails with different shades of purple, teal & silver

(well, mostly purples, because I only have one polish that resembles the greenish-bluish-teal that she had in mind) 

 

If I can recall the shades correctly:

Nicole by OPI - the Grape Debate (grape purple)
Nicole by OPI - Respect the World (greenish teal)
Revlon - Rock (royal purple/cooler tone than grape)
Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme - Celeb City (shiny silver)
Revlon - Gum Drop (pastel lilac)

Probably just a tad too funky to wear as bridal nails.

holiday cheers nails

At a dollar a pop in the Lisa's Cosmetic Warehouse Sale, I couldn't resist but to pick up this nail polish in a dark crimson red along with another one in a rich dark chocolate brown - both that would be great for winter wear.  I loved the Real Royal from Sally Hansen's Maximum Growth plus Nourishing nail polish, but was a little disappointed in Always from the Diamond Strength line.  I was really drawn to it because of the crimson color in the bottle, but on the nails the color is closer to a cherry red.  

 

Way too loud and cheerful for the classy understated elegance I was looking for (like the Oxblood that Michelle was wearing on her accent nail) - but with some glitters (a la Nicole by OPI's Love Your Life), it's actually just what would be perfect for adding some holiday cheers :)

 

Haul from Lisa's Cosmetic Warehouse Sale

candy corn crackle nails

I had been wanting to paint my nails for Halloween ever since I saw candy corns at the supermarket.

Well, I finally got down to business today, and here's how I got my candy-corn-inspired nails: 

1. Paint top half of nail with Maybelline Express Finish in French Tip White and bottom half Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear's Mellow Yellow.
2. Paint a stripe of Sun Kissed also from the Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear line across the middle.
3. Apply a very thin layer of Revlon's Powder Puff Matt Suede to mattify the nails.
4. Top with Sally Hansen's Crackle Overcoat in Ink Splatter.
5. Clear top coat optional.

Happy Halloween :) 

Rainbow Crackle!!

Six-color gradient as base coat and black crackle (Sally Hansen's Ink Splatter crackle overcoat) to top - took quite a while because I had to wait for one color to dry before painting the next, but well worth the effort!

Crackle Nails - Part 3

Rexall Pharmaplus is having an awesome buy one get one free deal for Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear nail polishes - how could I pass up when these vibrant colors I've been lusting for came out under 2 bucks a pop?

 
I couldn't wait to play with these colors so I decided to paint each of my nails in a different shade just so I can try them all :)

Since these shades were so bright, I thought they'd make great bases for the crackle polishes:

  ... and it's tough to decide which combination I liked best!

Just for the fun for it, I also tried a rainbow nail:

... although it would probably be more appropriate if it was done for the Pride Parade.

crackled nails, part 2

Base coat - NARS navy blue... what's it called again? Midnight Express maybe?
Top coat - Sally Hansen "Fractured Foil" Crackle Overcoat

crackle nails

After seeing the gorgeous nails Michelle had on, I simply couldn't resist these crackle nail polishes when I saw them on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart (especially since there was a 20x the points promo). Seeing how the layer of nail polish amazingly transforms made it impossible to stop at just one - so I painted all my nails, all over, with it.

B likes the black overcoat called "Ink Splatter" better, while I think the silver overcoat called "fractured foil" would look better paired with a dark base color.  Interestingly, the black crackle polish was easier to apply than the silver one - I find that it "cracks" more evenly, whereas the silver one is more finicky.  My first try with the silver overcoat resulted in a shiny and smooth silver nail with no crack pattern whatsoever, and my second attempt (on my left ring finger) somehow turned out looking like a skull - it reminded B of the mask in the Scream movies.  This will definitely require more experimentation :)

Bridal Nails

More accurately, it's the nail design I wore as a bridesmaid this weekend.  Rather than a boring French manicure, I opted to use silver for the tips as silver is one of the theme colors for this wedding.  Then I used some nail stickers from the dollar store that reminded me of mehndi designs before adding a clear top coat.