For Audrey

Another beautiful polish I'm just now getting around to wearing. Was big for awhile, now there are lots of colors similar to it on the market just about everywhere.

China Glaze For Audrey is a beautiful "Tiffany inspired turquoise." Gorgeous. As in, GAW-jus.

Layers:
Nailtiques Formula 2
Orly Bonder
China Glaze For Audrey (2 coats - didn't need a third!)
Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender

I must confess I did an experiment and for my right hand I used the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel TopCoat to see if it would apply better over regular polish. I did take pictures but they all came out terrible so I scrapped them all. Needless to say, the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Topcoat was shinier but also pulled the nail polish (shrinkage similar to Seche Vite) and chipped before the regular topcoat. I'm not too impressed with that Sally Hansen line so far. I see swatches on line and wonder what I'm doing wrong.

Made me feel fancy wearing this on my long(er) nails. They're getting about that length when I need to take them down. Makes typing difficult.

Cindy

Only one picture today of this one. It was a grander idea than manicure. Ever have that happen?

The polish itself is gorgeous. Red fiery glitter with lots of extras only Shimmer Polish can do. Cindy is fantastic. It was the execution that was the problem.

I wanted red glitter tips. Not too hard, right? I started out my usual tips manicure but I used elmer's glue (per my usual recent routine) as a base coat since glitter can be such a pain to remove. I did a red tip in a red polish by Orly (I forgot the name) but when I went to clean up the tips with acetone (similar to what they do at nail salons with a brush to make a clean edge) the glue underneath had a fit. It started lifting and pulling. If I pulled too much it started to move my french tip. Sigh. #nailpolishproblems

So I cleaned as best I could, then just did the glitter over the tips. It looks good from afar but if you get too close you can see it's a hot mess. Good idea though, I'll have to work on my execution. Hence the kinda far away picture. =)

Layers:
Nailtiques Formula 2 (nail tips only)
Elmer's Glue (for peel off base coat -- nail tips only)
Orly red (forgot name, sorry! -- nail tips only)
Shimmer Cindy (3 coats - nail tips only)
Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender


For those of you who do glitter french tips, what's your secret?

Bubbly Bombshell

Just because I can't get enough glitter - here's another one! Orly Bubbly Bombshell is another one that's been out forever it seems but I'm just now getting it on my nails. 

The color on this baby is so gorgeous. It's a dark hot pink with just enough purple to make it rocker chic! Love.

Very flashy. It looks gorgeous at any angle.

This polish applies well, minimal clean up needed, fast dry time, and wore like a champ for days without chipping.

Layering:
Nailtiques Formula 2
Elmer's Glue (peel off base coat)
Orly Bubbly Bombshell (3 coats)
Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender

Sephora Haul

I've been so good about trying to "shop" in my own makeup drawers lately but it was my birthday this past month and I decided to splurge. I've been trying to find a good foundation since I've moved back to Texas and the weather is drastically different than in Missouri. My skin has uneven tone, large pores, and very oily, and the heat and humidity down here don't help matters. I've gone through 5 (yes, FIVE) different foundations at the drugstore but I gave up and finally ordered through Sephora. I don't mind buying drugstore products if they work well but I've spent three times as much as I would have if I had just purchased a more expensive foundation.

ANYWAY.

I LOVE bareMinerals Bareskin Serum Foundation and finally broke down and bought it. I bought the kit since I also got the full-size brush and a small mineral veil compact for a great deal. I'll buy the larger foundation size later. My color now is Bare Natural 07 (which is kinda crazy since last summer I was Bare Latte 11 - guess I was out gardening more than I realized!). 

CoverFX Mattifying Primer was a love of mine before I moved, but it hasn't been playing nicely with the bareMinerals foundation. Previously I used this primer with Make Up For Ever foundation, maybe I'll go back to it? It was the best combination I found for my skin type down here by the Gulf. I do like that it matifies, smoothes, and has some salicylic acid in it for my troubled skin.

The other stuff are free samples and my birthday gift. 

The birthday gift from Sephora were the NARS pencils. The NARS pencils are fantastic - one in Cruella, a deep matte red, and Rikugien, a beautiful neutral satin pencil. I'd ever tried the pencils before but I really like them!

Buxom Show Me Some Skin and Urban Decay naked foundation samples were free with the order. I'm interested in trying the Buxom foundation since the bareMinerals one is giving me trouble. I remember it covering better (or maybe my skin was better) and if I apply enough for good coverage I can't get it to set, even with lots of powder. Sigh. Oily skin problems.

And of course a small perfume. I love these - easy to travel with so I don't have to take 5 million bottle with me.

Can't wait to share some swatches with yall! And if you have any suggestions on the primer/foundation issue, let me know! I'm all ears!!

Amethyst

Last but not least in the Barielle Bling It On Collection is Amethyst.

Barielle Amethyst is a clear polish with large hexagonal lilac glitter. Application is what you'd expect. Dabbing rather than polishing worked better for glitter placement. There is a ton in there so it's easy to get a good amount per nail, no fishing required. The dabbing made it a little uneven fr me so I used two coats of topcoat to make it a little more even.

I chose to do it on a dark blue background of Sally Hansen Regal. It was a hit at work! Someone mentioned it looked like abstract art. Of course, someone else kept staring at it and asked what it was supposed to spell.

Layering:
Nailtiques Formula 2
Sally Hansen Regal (2 coats)
Barielle Amethyst (1 coat)
Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender

Looking back I wish I had used a peel off base coat (or Elmer's glue!) because even though it's scattered glitter, it was hell taking off, even with acetone. Lesson learned. I bet this would look crazy cool on an even darker polish, like a vampy purple or black, so the glitter really pops.

Regal

Thought I'd mix it up a little but with all this glitter and wear a velvet polish. I found this one on clearance and scooped it up quickly. 

Sally Hansen Velvet Texture is a line of matte polishes that do give the illusion of velvet. They are matte and textured, which is a first for my collection. I picked up Regal, a dark blue.

Sally Hansen Regal dries darker on the nail that it shows in the bottle. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning. It also applies pretty well, doesn't move a lot, but clean up is a problem given that it's a blue that likes to stain.

You can see the texture in the thumb photo. It's not really noticeable but there. 

Layering:
Nailtiques Formula 2
Sally Hansen Regal (2 coats)

Angel Dust

Possibly my favorite polish from the Barielle Bling It On Collection - Angel Dust.

Barielle Angel Dust is a gorgous multichrome glitter in a clear polish. Fantastic over a polish (I'd still keep it neutral underneath but can be very flashy over a dark blue or purple to really bring out the gold and green) but can be work over bare nails for a more neutral look. 

As you can see, I wore if over bare nails without a base color. It doesn't get rid of the nail line but the glitter is so reflective it really softens it so it's not very noticeable. Of course, still pictures make it easier to see, but when you're out and about in life, no one is going to notice. Unless they also do nails like we do!

That glitter is so fantastic. Gold, green, even bits of pink at certain angles. Love it. As you can see, I couldn't take enough pictures.

I ended up putting a coat of matte top coat on it and I LOVED it. Although I didn't take a pic and then it chipped since it was at the end of a few days wear. Trust me though, it was beautiful. If I do it again, which I think I will in the near future, I'll snap a pic quickly. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson at this point to not wait until later to photo my nails. Something always happens. =)

Layers:
Nailtiques Formula 2
Elmer's Blue (peel off base coat)
Barielle Angel Dust (3 coats)
Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender