Sunday, August 26, 2012

Enchanted Polish Giveaway!

Hi everyone! I'm doing my very first giveaway! As I'm sure a lot of you have seen, I reviewed the fabulous new Beatles and Big City Lights polishes from Enchanted Polish yesterday. Well, lucky for all of you, I received an extra bottle of Magical Mystery Tour in my package so now you guys get a chance to win it! (Big thanks to Leah Ann at Llarowe).





Giveaway is for a brand new, unopened bottle of Enchanted Polish Magical Mystery Tour

Giveaway is open internationally and will run for 1 week (ends 9-2-2012)

Good luck to everyone who enters!
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31 Day Polish Challenge Day 19: Galaxy Nails

I was very excited for this challenge. I have never tried Galaxy nails, but I have wanted to for ages. If I had known just how simple they were to do, I never would have waited this long!





Here are the polishes I used for the Galaxy Mani (yes there were a lot!)

(L-R) OPI Road House Blues, Fingerpaints Paper Mache, Ulta3 Mojito, OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips, Linda Johansen Bikini Bottom, OPI Planks a Lot


I used OPI Road House Blues for the base, and sponged on Fingerpaints Paper Mache for the white base of each "nebula" on each nail with a piece of a makeup sponge. I then randomly sponged on the colored polishes over the white nebulas to create the spacey effect. I finished off the mani with China Glaze Fairy Dust which was the perfect way to pull the galaxy mani together. Unfortunately, Fairy Dust didn't make it long enough for the picture because it took a spill and shattered on my tile floor (whomp, whomp).

So what do you guys think? I have seen a million variations of this mani and I just sort of did what I liked. Have you guys tried a galaxy mani yet?

Saturday, August 25, 2012

31 Day Polish Challenge Day 18: Half Moons

So for this mani, I was feeling a bit like fall (even though it is still hotter than hades here in the deep south). I decided to use two of my favorite releases from last fall to do a half moon mani. This is actually my first time ever doing one of of these manicures successfully. I tried to do one ages ago with the paper reinforcers and it didn't work out too well. I gave it another go and it turned out quite nice this time, I think.

I started with a base of Sparitual Sacred Ground and then used Zoya Petra on top (I did use the paper reinforcements for the "moon").





Here is Sparitual Sacred Ground on its own. This polish is amazingly gorgeous!  Definantly a standout from last year and a must have from Sparitual.




Thanks for looking everyone!

New Enchanted Polish Swatches!

So today I have a very special treat for you all! I had the privilege to preview some new additions to The Enchanted Polish line and they are all just stunning!

First up I have 3 of the color shifting glitters to preview for you. These are very similar to the Ozotic Elytra series so they will be great for those of you who are wanting some from that series now that they have been discontinued. I found that all of the glitters were dense enough for my liking at one coat over a coordinating base color. Note that there are 4 total color shifting glitters in this collection. Ola Rio, the one that I didn't have for this review, is very similar to Ozotic 530/Hits Airglow and will also be available when these go on sale.  

Bonjour Paris (1 coat over Essie No More Film). So pretty! This one has a shift from blue to purple to orange. It looks very similar to Ozotic 529 and Hits Afterglow.




Hello New York (1 coat over black). This reminds me of a glitter version of Chanel Peridot. The color shift isn't as dramatic as the other glitters in this collection, but it is still very nice. I layered it over black in my pictures, but it also looks very blingy and fantastic layered over a coordinating base. I tried it over OPI Just Spotted, the Lizard and it was great! And though I don't own it to compare, this does look very similar to Hits Borealis.



Ciao Milano (1 coat over OPI Road House Blues). The glitters in this one are very similar to the glitters found in Ozotic 528 as well as Hits Moonbow.


In addition to the color shifting glitters, there are also 3 new multichrome holographic shades to be added to the existing Beatles collection. The concept of these polishes reminds me of the Ozotic Mish Mash Series that was recently discontinued. They are absolutely amazing polishes. When you are buying them, do note that they have a thinner consistency that works best with layering over black, as I have done in all of my pictures. This really makes the multichrome nature of the polishes pop.  

Magical Mystery Tour (2 coats over black). WOW! This one is my absolute favorite...I adore it! The multichromatic base of this polish is similar to Ozotic 505 or Sally Hansen Turquoise Opal with holographic particles added. The results are out of this world amazing. It flashes blue, turquoise, pink, and even gold at extreme angles. The bright turquoise flash in this polish is so apparent in real life, yet so elusive in photographs. I haven't seen many photographs of Ozotic 505 type multichrome polishes that have captured the vividness of the turquoise color on film, but trust me when I say that it is awesome.


I Am the Walrus (2 coats over black). Another stunner here. This polish shifts from orangey bronze, russet color, to even a yellowy gold at some angles.  To me it is like fall in a bottle...plus a little holo kick! Just lovely. This one is such a chameleon that it required lots of pictures!




Mean Mr. Mustard (2 coats over black). This polish is Chanel Peridot (and all her dupes) holofied. Quite a gorgeous combination I think. I'm sure some people will be wondering how this one compares to Hey Jude, one of Enchanted Polish's earlier releases in the Beatles Collection. While I don't own this polish to do comparison pictures for you, I will tell you that Hey Jude is more of a holographic version of Ozotic 503 which flashes khaki, green, and a bit of purple while Mean Mr. Mustard has the very gold and gold toned green flashes in it like Chanel Peridot.


Overall I think that these new additions to Enchanted Polish's line are stellar. The glitters will definantly fill the void for those of you who are lacking color shifting glitters of this nature in your collection, especially with the with the recent discontinuation of the Ozotic series. And the multichrome holos well...need I say more? They are must haves in my opinion! 

These will be available starting today (Saturday, August 25) at 1 pm MDT and again at 7 pm MDT on Llarowe.

So what do you guys think? Are you excited for Enchanted Polish's new additions?

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

31 Day Polish Challenge Day 17: GLITTER!

OMG Glitter! It has been so strange to go so long without a huge glitterbomb! Well, I have a real treat for you with this glitterbomb...some CrowsToes!! I got a slew of new CrowsToes polishes in recently and this has been my first chance to try any of them. I decided to go with the one that caught my eye right away...Gomez!

Now you guys heard me gush and gush about CrowsToes Absolum because I absolutely adore it! Well Gomez has certainly given that one a run for its money in my book. I think Gomez is STUNNING! Now, as is true with most CrowsToes polish, it is very thick and I did add a small bit of thinner to mine before using it. Also, I don't apply them like a typical polish, but rather I wipe my brush off well and only leave on a small amount of glitter and then dab it on. I don't find this to be problematic, as I have to do it with most of my glitterbomb indie polishes and it ends up making them look really nice in the end, but it is a disclaimer for those who are expecting it to apply like a conventional polish. I used 1 dabbed coat here over Zoya Ibiza, a lovely deep blue shimmer.





There is just not much else to say besides WOW! Lauri really knows how to make some fantastic glitters. I am so excited for her upcoming polishes as well! Crowstoes polishes are available at Llarowe. Lauri also posts updates and previews for upcoming collections on her blog.

31 Day Polish Challenge Day 16: Tribal

Did I warn you there was more stamping? Yes? Ok...good!

For my tribal mani I first did a base of a nice coral creme, Nails Inc Brook Street. Once that dried I sponged a-England Galahad (THE perfect turquoise creme) about halfway down my nail with a piece of a makeup sponge and allowed it to dry completely. I used Fingerpaints Black Expressionism and an image from Cheeky jumbo plate A for the stamping. I thought it turned out really well! Even my husband, who is a total stick in the mud about nail polish and nail art in general, said "I have to admit...that is cool." Haha! I know that took SO much for him to admit that.




Whew! I can't believe I'm almost caught up! I still have a few more posts to go to get totally caught up with my challenge! I have already decided that a new computer must be purchased soon since my husband is having to take this one to work with him every day now that school has started back and he doesn't get home until about 8:00 each night. Doesn't leave much time for me to do ANYTHING! Thanks for hanging in there with me though!

31 Day Polish Challenge Day 15: Delicate

So for my delicate mani, I decided to give stamping another go. I had all but given up on my stamping abilities BUT...I THINK I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT! Yes...that did require shouty capitals (If you get that reference...then laters baby). I have been so frustrated with stamping for so long and I just sat down determined to figure it out and ended up doing a few things different with my technique. I was so happy to finally have some success. I'm still not great at getting things perfectly centered, but I am going to work on it. I've even ordered some more image plates!

Ok so on to the mani! I used Orly Royal Velvet for the base and stamped with Sally Hansen Celeb City (which I found to be great for stamping). The image is from the Cheeky jumbo image plate C.





Here is Royal Velvet on its own (2 coats). It was from Orly's spring 2011 collection, but I have heard that there is a dupe floating about in the Dark Shadows collection which is still around in most places. Sparitual Health, Wealth, and Happiness is also a dupe (ask me how I know THAT! *sigh*) It is a gorgeous purple with a strong blue shimmer. It has a bit of a color shift, but it isn't terribly dramatic.




Can you guys tell I am excited about stamping? There is more to come...just warning you! Thanks for looking!

31 Day Polish Challenge Day 14: Floral

Today for the floral challenge I decided to practice with dots some more. I can't wait until I get a proper dotting tool in the mail, but for now I just used a bobby pin.

I used a tutorial from the Manicured Monkey found here. It was very easy to do and could be done using any colors that you like. I used Essie No More Film for the base, Finger Paints Paper Mache for my white centers, and Essence Wake Up!, China Glaze Secret Periwinkle, and OPI Planks a Lot for the petals. I thought this color combo looked really cool! Unfortunately I got a little excited and topcoated before my dots were completely dry and ended up smearing a few nails.



There was a little bit of a learning curve for me with this mani, but I think I could do much better next time. Thanks for looking everyone!

Monday, August 20, 2012

31 Day Polish Challenge Day 13: Animal Print

Eeeee..this is my favorite mani so far in this challenge! I absolutely adored how it turned out and I hope that you guys like it. I started out trying to do a leopard print mani with a tutorial, but I wasn't digging it so I decided to use my striping polishes again and attempt a tiger stripe mani free hand. It was actually pretty simple to do.

I started out with a base of Linda Johansen Bikini Bottom which I absolutely adore. It has become one of my favorite blue cremes. The formula and color are both dreamy. I used a purpley pink Kiss Nail Art striping polish for the stripes. I will say that this was easy to use and the brush was good, but the polish was a bit runny so I had to make sure that I wiped the brush really well on the lip of the bottle before making my stripes so I didn't get drips.





What experience do you guys have with nail art stripers? Which ones have you found to be the best? Now that I have started using them I want to get them in many colors and perhaps some glittery ones! Thanks for lookings!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

31 Day Polish Challenge Day 12: Stripes

So today I have for you my "stripes" mani. I will admit that I have been into nail polish for about a year and half and just last week I bought my first nail art stripers. I had no idea how easy they are to use and how many cool things you can do with them!

For this mani I used a base of Ozotic 503 (layered over black to bring out the multichrome) and then used the silver and black Stripe Rite polishes from Sally's for the stripes. I just love how it turned out! Something about it reminded me of a silk tie I saw once.




Here are the stripers I used. I found them to be really easy to control and the formula on the polishes wasn't too drippy (as I found with some others that I purchased this week...but I will discuss those in my next post.)


Here is Ozotic 503 on it's own. I was so happy to be able to purchase this from the recent Llarowe restock before it was discontinued. It is so lovely! This is 1 coat over black.






I hope you guys are enjoying my nail art adventures! There is much more to come and I am having a blast with it!