No Place Like Chrome tips

If you couldn't tell, I'm really into colored french tips right now. Black, holo pink, now chrome...

This top picture shows it the best. It looks like aluminum foil on my nails. The other pictures are a little more yellow and washed out but still show the chrome.

Essie No Place Like Chrome is an awesome silver chrome that cleans up very nicely.

I think it's easier to do tips when I'm in a hurry because the cleaning up of the tip is much quicker than the clean up of the cuticle edge and easier to get a crisp line. I'm trying to find some other colors in my stash to try.

I'm envisioning a skittle french tip mani with all the Essie chrome colors. Now I just need to dig them out of the closet...

Disco Barbie tips

In the french tipping mood but didn't want white, so I went with pink.

Enchanted Polish Disco Barbie is a fun bright, holographic pink. I couldn't get good pictures in low lighting, but that's when it's pretty bland anyway. In the light, it's full of sparkle. Loved it.

Lots of compliments too. Everyone thought I had then done at a salon.

Black Creme tips

Felt like some black nail tips. I've been wanting to do this forever and I'm not sure why I didn't do it before.

Wet N Wild Black Creme is such an amazing one coat black creme. I use it for everything if I need  black nail polish.

Wore it with black clothes, black studs in my ears, black shoes. I was channeling my inner Johnny Cash.

Grey-fitti and I Lilac You

You probably already know from the title I'm talking about Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polishes. Someone at work bought two colors and didn't have a grand go at it, so gave them to me to try out.

I'll start by saying, I don't like them. If you do like them, what's your application secret? I tried them numerous way, base coat, no base coat, different top coat, etc etc and couldn't get a good manicure. The top coat pulled, the colors were chalky (they were two pastels and those are notorious for chalkiness), and cleanup was a hot mess. Someone give me the secret to using these!

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish Grey-fitti (left two fingers), I Lilac You (right two fingers)

Grey-fitty is a nice neutral light gray that doesn't lean blue or silver. Very neutral and work appropriate.

I did my nails all in the Grey-fitti color as I liked the application from this polish better. I liked the color of I Lilac You more but in the end, application won out in color choice.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish Grey-fitti (on a different day for some nail art)

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish Grey-fitti

I'm sure you can tell below the I Lilac You was more streaky and applied like a pastel, very shaky. It pulled like crazy around the cuticle and edges with any top coat I used, I think here I used the Miracle Gel Topcoat to get a sense of the application. The uneven edges were AFTER clean up, I couldn't get a good edge. I should have left it after I applied it, I think it looked better pre-cleanup. I couldn't even do a full manicure with it.

I Lilac You is a soft pink leaning lavender, very chic. Gorgeous color, just wish I could figure out how to apply it to look even.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish I Lilac You

Overall very unimpressed. I gave these back with a heavy heart and haven't purchased any of them. I see so many pictures that are beautiful -- maybe it was the color selection? 

Any advice or suggestions would be great. I used different base coats (proteins, hardeners, bonders) and different top coats (Miracle Gel topcoat, Seche Vite, Posche, Barielle) and I couldn't get a single manicure to look good... Very sad. 

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

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

Sea Urchin

Barielle Sea Urchin is a fantastic densely packed green, blue and gold glitter polish. It was a bit of a pickle (get it? going with the green theme here) to apply and even at three coats wasn't completely opaque. It was hard to get nice edges and clean up was next to impossible, which is why application is important on this one. Like most dense glitters, especially those that are meant to be opaque but have large glitters, placement is key. I've found thicker layers and painting the nail with the brush parallel to the nail is the best, that way you don't take most of the glitter with you when you paint the nail.

Only one pic on this one. It chipped within the first few hours. It was fun though, I don't normally wear a lot of greens but it was so pretty - the name is very appropriate. Made me think of mermaid tails.


Layers:

Nailtiques Formula 2

Elmer's Glue (for peel off base coat)

Barielle Sea Urchin (3 coats)

Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender (2 coats for smoother finish)

Golden Halo

Barielle Golden Halo is a fantastic metallic golden glitter with pink glitter to punch it up. Fantastic color. Very eye catching

This baby covered fantastically in 3 coats for a full opaque nail. Placed really well, quick drying time. I loved every single thing about this polish.

Layers:

Nailtiques Formula 2

Elmer's Glue (for peel of base coat)

Barielle Golden Halo (3 coats)

Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender

You need to get this one. Yes, you! 

Shooting Star

Finally! Barielle Bling It On Collection swatches. I wore these all back to back, I couldn't get enough. Hope you like them too.

Starting with Barielle Shooting Star. Beautiful polish with soft shimmer that morphs between opalescent to pink to purple with blue glitter. 

Look at that shooting color. Gah! Love it.

These color changing polishes are always hard to capture, but you can see in the below pictures in low lighting how the edges are turning pink and purple. Most of the time I'm disappointed with these because they look awesome in the bottle, but I don't have 90 degree angles on my nails to produce the same color shifts. This one was fantastic and everyone who saw it really liked it.

Three coats looked great and soft although I think a single layer on top of a grey polish would be fabulous.

Layers:

Nailtiques Formula 2

Elmer's Glue (for peel off glitter base coat - life saver!)

Barielle Shooting Star (3 coats)

Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender


I just closed the browser and thought I lost this post so I'm signing off before I screw anything up! Hope everyone is having a fabulous day.

Winterberry

In case you're wondering if I wear anything other than Barielle, I do!  See!

Sinful Colors Winterberry is an oldie but a goodie. It came out forever ago but I got my hands on it awhile back and finally put it on. This is what happens when your husband hides your nail polish stash and you come across it months later after moving. 

Beautiful deep purple with a little grey in it. Enough to be dusty without looking dirty.

If you can catch it in indirect light it has a gorgeous silver shimmer.

Love!

Layers: (same old, same old)
Nailtiques Formula 2
Orly Bonder
Sinful Colors Winterberry (3 coats, only 2 really neededO
Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender 

London High Tea

Barielle London High Tea is a fantastic bright pink with soft coral shimmer that is loads of fun. I really love bright pinks against my skin tone, and they just make me happy. Who knew I could be a pink girl?

The above picture really shows the true pink of the polish. The rest of these are trying to catch the shimmer. It seemed to work better in low lighting at an angle, but you know how it goes trying to photograph it. Everything changes.

Don't mind my nail shape. I couldn't decide square or round so I went somewhere in the middle. Don't worry, it's grown out now. 

I really love Barielle polishes. This one went on like a dream with very little movement. Needed 3 coats for full opacity but I bet I could've gotten by with 2 if I hadn't been taking macro pictures. Dry time was average. 

Polishes Used:

Nailtiques Formula 2

Orly Bonder

Barielle London High Tea (3 coats)

Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender 

Hope you have a lovely day. I'm ready for some sun after all this rain we're getting in Texas. I'm going to float away! Things have been so busy here, I'm still painting nails and playing with makeup, just less time to edit pictures and post. I'm sorry, but I appreciate the emails to check on me. Ya'll are the best! =*

Bling It On

Barielle has a new collection out - Bling It On! First, you know I LOVE glitter, so I feel like this collection was made for ME! Second, Bring It On is one of my favorite movies of all time. I can basically recite the entire movie start to finish. 

Don't judge me.

Anyway, this collection is a set of five glitters, ranging from chunky glitters to larger glitters with subtle smaller background glitter, opaque vs topcoat. It's got them all!

Sea Urchin, Angel Dust, Shooting Star, Golden Halo, Amethyst (nail color: Barielle Fifth Avenue Boutique)

No sunlight, sorry, it's been raining here like crazy. I like the picture below because you can see the shifting of the middle color, Shooting Star, which is gorgeous. Can't wait to get it on my nails!

Sea Urchin, Angel Dust, Shooting Star, Golden Halo, Amethyst

Any requests on which to look at first? I can't wait to try them all on!

EDIT: Adding swatches below as I do them.

Barielle Sea Urchin

Barielle Angel Dust

Barielle Shooting Star

Barielle Golden Halo

Barielle Amethyst (over Sally Hansen Regal)

Fifth Avenue Boutique

Barielle has some awesome nail polishes. I love their bright pinks, formulas are a dream and they last a long time. Barielle Fifth Avenue Boutique is no exception. Bright yellow leaning pink almost leaning a bit coral, it really pops!

I couldn't get any sunlight photos but even in the shade you can see that the color is bright but covers really well. It's not quite neon, which means none of the neon application issues.

No streaking, just beautiful opaqueness. This was three coats, which probably the third wasn't needed, but there was still a teeny visible nail line.

So many pictures. I really love this polish.

Available at Barielle.com. Check them out!

Polishes Used:
Nailtiques Formula 2 (1 coat)
Orly Bonder (1 coat)
Barielle Fifth Avenue Boutique (3 coats)
Posche Top Coat (1 coat) -- ready for new top coat! this one is drying out and starting to do funny things to the polish (note side of thumb nail - blah!)

Hope everyone is having a good day!

P.S. Sorry I've been gone for awhile. I've been super busy with work and life and stuff. Still polishing my nails and playing with makeup, just using older stuff and repeating same colors so not very interesting!

For The Twill Of It

Hello lovelies! I'm sorry I've been MIA, been busy with stuff. Still painting my nails, just slacking on posting. Internet is shotty out here in the country and when I have time to post, I have no internet.

ANYWAY.

Essie For The Twill Of It is an awesome multi chrome polish.  Love.  Absolutely Love.  Dark and dirty but still fun and colorful. Most duo/multichromes I have a love/hate relationship with because they look great in the bottle but fall flat on the nail. 

This polish looks great on the nail at ALL angles. Fabulous.

Looks mainly like a dirty silvery grey but at angles looks purplish maroon. In dim lighting it takes on a greenish/turquoise shimmer. You can see a little of it in the pic below on the bottle. I couldn't get a shot of that color.

Please excuse the extremely cold hands. This weather is crazy.

I know this is an oldie but I finally wore it and I love it. Might be a top 10 polish!