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Nail Art for Everyone!

Jun7

Provided for Honest Review

Ok Readers, I know that like me some of you struggle with nail art.  I’m getting better but I still have way more fails than I have wins!  Well today I’m going to show you how to get awesome nail art without a lot of fancy skills!  YouPolish has made it easy for us newbs!

I’m talking about Vinyl Nail Decals naturally!!!

YouPolish - Vinyl Nail Decals

YouPolish – Vinyl Nail Decals

As you can see they come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and designs.  Before I spam you with some cute nail art looks I’ll tell you about how I feel about them!  I LOVE THEM.  That is all.  Ok no really they are awesomesauce.  They are super easy to apply, the designs and colors are great and even the the newest nail  polisher can get some super cute nail art without having to try too hard!  I recommend using a pair of needle nose tweezers to apply so you don’t touch the adhesive which could inhibit the decals from sticking firmly to your nails.  You don’t NEED to add topcoat if you don’t want to but I would recommend it in order to keep them on longer!  Now onto the spam!

Dollish Polish - It's So Fluffy, I'm Gonna Die with YouPolish Decal

Dollish Polish – It’s So Fluffy, I’m Gonna Die with YouPolish Decal

Alchemy Lacquers - Kelpie Seaweed with YouPolish Decal

Alchemy Lacquers – Kelpie Seaweed with YouPolish Decal

 

Alchemy Lacquers - Naiad of the Spring with YouPolish decals

Alchemy Lacquers – Naiad of the Spring with YouPolish decals

This last one is my favorite and I actually show BOTH of my hands.  It’s a Festivus Miracle…wait…wrong time of year right?  So anyway this one I got a little creative with so that you could see that there are also a lot of possibilities outside of just peeling and sticking them on your nails!

Knockout Lacquers - Gogoplata with YouPolish Decals (Left hand)

Knockout Lacquers – Gogoplata with YouPolish Decals (Left hand)

and now for the deliberately different right hand…

Knockout Lacquers - Gogoplata with YouPolish Decals (right hand)

Knockout Lacquers – Gogoplata with YouPolish Decals (right hand)

I mean I was totally in love with this mani!  It’s so elegant and feminine!  It also is the exact same three decals, I just cut them and placed them differently!  The possiblities are really excellent and I can’t wait to play around with more!

So it’s a little outside my normal style of posting but I really wanted you to see some things that could be done easily and quickly with these wonderful nail decals.  You can get your own vinyl nail decals at YouPolish’s Site.  You can also keep up to date on all the happenings and new designs and also find out about YouPolish’s Subscription box on Facebook and Twitter!

 

 

 

 

I’m Back and Ready to Rock!

May22

Some Polishes May Have Been Provided for Previous Review

Hello my lovely readers.  I am so heartbroken that I’ve been away from you for so long!  I successfully finished the semester and I have just two more to go before I have my Bachelor’s Degree – I’m quite excited about that!  Then I will go on to grad school but it will be such a sense of accomplishment to have that degree!  I have also had a few health problems but I’m not letting them keep me down so let’s not dwell!  I’m here now and I want to rock some cute nails!

Actually let me reword that last sentence..I didn’t let life keep me from rocking some cute nails.  So I have some of my nail art looks that I was really happy with over the past several weeks that I wanted to share with you.  I’ve reviewed most of these polishes before and you know I’ll link you up in case you missed it!

First I’m going to show you a lovely Pipe Dream Polish with some nail art stamping  (Actually not stamping, it’s been a few weeks and I had a brain fart) – now this polish was actually on loan to me from a friend.  I had never tried Pipe Dream Polish before but wowzers what a blue marvel this one was!

Stamped with Butter London - Dodgy Barnett

Stamped with Butter London – Dodgy Barnett

Pipe Dream Polish – Rhythm and Blues is a deep blue jelly filled to the brim with holographic glitters.  They just sparkle like crazy!  I decided to pair it with Butter London – Dodgy Barnett.  I’m so sorry I reported that I stamped this mani.  I think I’ve gone completely crazy – I did TRY to stamp this one but Dodgy Barnett was too sheer for that.

I ended up using for THIS mani Love, Angeline Nail Shields in the mermaid scale pattern.  They work like a charm and are super easy!  You can either just stick them on and trim to your nail OR you can use them as a mask (as I did here) and place them on your nail, paint over with the opposite color than the base, then while the polish is STILL WET remove carefully.  It’s important to do this when the base color is completely dry and the color you paint over the nail shield is wet to assure best results.

Polishes used:  Sally Hansen – Complete Care 4-in-1 Treatment; Pipe Dream Polish – Rhythm and Blues; Butter London – Dodgy Barnett; Carpe Noctem – Glitter Slayer; Glisten & Glow – HK Girl Topcoat

Next up I have a mani that I really adored!  One of my favorites of the Alchemy Lacquer’s Spring Shimmer Crellies was the most unlikely since I’m usually a blue/teal/green girl and that was Nasturtium which I reviewed here.  Some of the glitters in Nasturtium EXACTLY matched Aly’s Dream Polish – Spicy Sriracha which I reviewed here.

Alchemy Lacquers - Nasturtium with Aly's Dream Lacquer - Spicy Sriracha

I first painted my middle, ring, and pinky fingers with Alchemy Lacquers – Nasturtium and then I painted the fore finger with Aly’s Dream Polish – Spicy Sriracha.  I then stamped my “communication” finger with Spicy Sriracha using MoYou London plate Sailor – 04.  I topped off the ring and pinky fingers with some cute little golden hex studs from Winstonia.

A word about MoYou London plates…AWESOMESAUCE.  Is that word enough for you?  I could go on and on.  I’m hoping I’ll be able to acquire some more plates and really experiment with them and I assure you I’ll be sharing those results with you!

Polishes Used:  Sally Hansen – Complete Care 4-in-1 Treatment; Alchemy Lacquers – Nasturtium; Aly’s Dream Polish – Spicy Sriracha; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That

Last but not least I have another nail art stamping look to show you!  I know I’ve mentioned before that this polish is the most TARDIS blue polish I have even though it’s based on the Sherlock fandom.  That’s ok I’m an equal opportunity fangirl so it works for me.

Stamped with Sally Hansen - Silver Sweep

Stamped with Sally Hansen – Silver Sweep

This is A Study in Polish – Not Our Division which is just so great and I have reviewed it right here!  I stamped with Sally Hansen – Silver Sweep using MoYou London plate Pro – 01.  I got a little excited with the pressure on the stamping that’s why it looks more like an outline in places but I’m still trying to get really good at stamping and sometimes it’s not a total win.  I still ADORED this mani and got so many compliments on it!  I added a cute little Winstonia star stud (because, STARS) on my ring finger to finish off the whole look.

Polishes used:  Sally Hansen – Complete Care 4-in-1 Treatment; A Study in Polish – Not Our Division; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That

There you have it some of the nail art I’ve been doing.  I’ve done some plain manis too of course, I don’t keep anything on too long but I was really pleased with these.  I do have some new swatches and reviews coming up and I have heard some whispers about the new Alchemy Lacquers summer line.

I’m going to include some stalker links for the brands I mentioned here:

A Study in Polish – Facebook, Store

Alchemy Lacquers – Facebook, Store, Instagram

Aly’s Dream Polish – Facebook, Store, Instagram

Love, Angeline – Facebook, Store, Instagram

MoYou London – Facebook, Store, Instagram

Pipe Dream Polish – Facebook, Store, Instagram

 

New to me Brand! Emerald & Ash

Mar26

Giveaway Prize

Darling readers, have you noticed?  It’s SPRING.  That’s right it’s starting to get warmer, the flowers are blooming, pollen is wreaking havoc with allergy sufferers everywhere.  Ah, yes one of my favorite times of year!  I’m delighted that my post today is going to fit RIGHT in with this Spring feeling!  I have a beautiful glitter topper duo to share with you!  I recently won a giveaway celebrating the 1 year anniversary of Emerald & Ash.  An indie polish company that clearly thinks about every little detail, I’ll share more about that later.  These are my first Emerald & Ash polishes but I have a sneaky suspicion that they aren’t going to be my last!

First up allow me to introduce you to Deconstructed Daisy.  I was so excited to win because Daisies are HANDS DOWN my favorite flower of all time, as evidenced by my cute little daisy tattoo.

Deconstructed Daisy (over Spellbound Nails - Leave the Brakes On)

Deconstructed Daisy (over Spellbound Nails – Leave the Brakes On)

Look look look!!  It’s like a daisy explosion.  Really, I would have instantly thought of daisies even if I didn’t know what this polish was named.  This clear-based glitter topper is filled to the brim with matte white and emerald hexes and microglitter in various sizes along with yellow microglitter that so perfectly represents pollen!

Deconstructed Daisy (over Spellbound Nails - Leave the Brakes On)

Deconstructed Daisy (over Spellbound Nails – Leave the Brakes On)

Formula…let me tell you, I’ve said before that a glitter topper was easy to work with, and I meant it.  Trouble is that I find glitter toppers in general easy to work with because I am experienced with them, I know that novice polishers might have a little trouble here and there.  They would not have trouble with this one.  Picture shows one coat over undies.  ONE COAT.  I did push around some of the larger white hexes (they wanted to hang out together on the nail) but it was not difficult and I just did it with the polish brush.  Honestly, very little manipulation at all was necessary.

Polishes Used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Spellbound Nails – Leave the Brakes On; Emerald & Ash – Deconstructed Daisy; Nail Pattern Boldness – Glitter Food; Glisten & Glow – HK Girl Topcoat

Next up is the fraternal twin of this polish!  It is ALMOST the same polish, exept that it’s been given a little dressing up in order to celebrate Emerald & Ash’s first anniversary!

Deconstructed Daisy - LE Holo Edition

Deconstructed Daisy – LE Holo Edition

Ok rather than blah blah say the same thing about this polish because they are extremely close I’m going to share some thoughts about this.  This version is the same as Deconstructed Daisy but with the added bonus of some holographic shimmer!  It just adds that touch of something special to make it more festive!  Both of them do dry with a glitter texture and need a glitter smoothing top coat to even things out but that’s pretty standard.  Second, if you can get both, get both.  This is probably the only polish I have ever received that once I put it on I realized I was heartily glad that I had a “backup” bottle.  Now for run of the mill manis I can use my Deconstructed Daisy and save my Deconstructed Daisy LE Holo Edition for special stuffs!  I have never felt the urge or need to have a “backup” bottle.  This is one that I do think I need both!

Deconstructed Daisy - LE Holo Edition

Deconstructed Daisy – LE Holo Edition

 

Deconstructed Daisy - LE Holo Edition

Deconstructed Daisy – LE Holo Edition

Look there’s a sneaky peak of my thumb so you can see I used a different undie for every nail.  Look how wonderful it looks over all of them!  I actually tested it over 9 different polishes on a nail wheel before deciding which to use for my skittle mani.  The versatility on this polish is amazing.  I would not have expected a VERY white and green and yellow glitter topper to look good over so many different colors!  I also dressed up my accent nail with some little dot daisies and added some little leaves.

Polishes Used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Julep – Joelle; Barielle – Positive Zen-ergy; Zoya – Odette; Ruby White Tips – Constance; Emerald & Ash – Deconstructed Daisy – LE Holo Edition; Julep – Julianne; Sally Hansen – White On; Barielle – Unknown Green; Bondi NY – Brick Road; Nail Pattern Boldness – Glitter Food; Glisten & Glow – HK Girl Topcoat

I didn’t write down all the names of the polishes I used for my tester wheel but I did want to show you how it looks over a variety of different colors:

Deconstructed Daisy - LE Holo Edition (Over a variety of undies)

Deconstructed Daisy – LE Holo Edition (Over a variety of undies)

Deconstructed Daisy - LE Holo Edition (Over a variety of undies)

Deconstructed Daisy – LE Holo Edition (Over a variety of undies)

Another couple of things before I wrap up and provide you with all the store and stalker links you will ever need to get your own Emerald & Ash goodies.  My prize came with a bottle of Daisy cuticle oil.  This stuff is AMAZING.  I don’t generally rave about or review cuticle oils because, well, to me they are mostly the same.  This one though is different than most I’ve used.  The oil soaks in quickly but is moisturizing and it smells divine!  A lot of oils just sit on my skin and make a mess but this one is just great!  Emerald & Ash have a HUGE library of scents that you can choose from, and I think they will even do unscented if you prefer.

Second, the packaging.  Again, something I don’t really talk a lot about.  I checked with a friend of mine who is familiar with Emerald & Ash and she confirmed that this level of care with packaging is the standard and not the exception.  I really felt like I was opening a high end present!  Everything was packaged with so much care and attention to detail.  They even include a little stack of felt squares for polish removal (So cool!  How have I missed the boat on felt for removal?  I may be a convert!).   Not to mention the bottles are heavy and I really like the cap and brushes as well and they really lend to that high-end feel, even the logo on the bottles is perfectly suited.  I think it really shows the level of care that these makers put into their product and their business!  I really appreciated the feeling of opening a gift and there are only a few indies out there that I know of who make me feel that way and E&A is one of them!

Super Cute Packaging!

Super Cute Packaging!

 

Super Cute Packaging!

Super Cute Packaging!

So by now you’re biting at the bit and ready to go and stock up on a bunch of wonderful smelling cuticle oil and pretty polishes right?  I know I’m right!  So you can find Emerald & Ash for sale at their online shop.  You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date on all the news and happenings.  It looks like they are also on Twitter and Google + If you prefer those social media formats!  I already have my eye on the next Emerald & Ash polishes that are going to be making their way to my doorstep!