In support of Chalkboard Nails!

Today I decided to make a tribute to one of my favorite nail blogs: Chalkboard Nails.

The blog owner, Sarah, is incredibly talented in the realm of nail art, and has provided inspiration to so many nail polish fanatics, including me. I'm actually lucky enough to live in the same neighborhood with Sarah, and get to hang out with her every once in awhile. She's very sweet, social, and just plain fun to be around.

I decided to try one of Sarah's signature hand poses, though my hands don't look nearly as graceful as hers do...  *sigh*  :o)

Chalkboard Nails Houndstooth

(American Apparel L'Esprit and OPI Just Groovy)

I kinda of suck at stamping, but I'm determined to practice and get better at it. I was pretty happy with the results this time, even though they didn't come out perfectly.

Here is a picture of the inspiration (just in case she changes the background in the future. She's had quite a few really awesome ones so far!):

Sarah has actually had a bit of backlash of hateful comments and emails after having requested that a particular Instagram user credit her when using her pictures. Not an unreasonable request, but the IG user retaliated in a disgusting manner, and I feel so bad for Sarah having to deal with the aftermath. She works so hard not just on coming up with original creative designs, but also in the execution AND superb photography of them. She definitely deserves to be cited when her pictures are shared. 

So I wanted to show her my support, and tell her just how much I personally love her blog and nail art.

You're amazing, Sarah!

Pixi Polishes: Swatches and Review

This is the first I'd heard of Pixi polishes. Here are three that are perfect summer colors:

(no topcoat)

(with topcoat)

Pixi - Vivid Coral

Vivid Coral is my favorite of the three. It's bright neon watermelon red-coral jelly that is mostly opaque in three coats and dries with a satin finish. The formula is nice and easy to work with, but it IS a jelly so it still shows a bit of VNL at three coats. But isn't it just SOO juicy? It makes me crave a watermelon Jolly Rancher!

Pixi - Very Violet

Very Violet is bright magenta purple creme that's completely opaque in two coats. A typical neon purple, but I actually don't have any in my collection to compare it to! It's extremely vibrant - much more that the photo shows.

Pixi Very Violet with one coat Max Factor Fantasy Fire

This makes an excellent base for Fantasy Fire that varies from the typical dark blues and purples. It is really glowy in person; you'll have to try it to see what I mean.

Pixi - Paradise Pink

The last one is Paradise Pink, a bubblegum pink creme. This one is quite cool toned and therefore doesn't really flatter my skin. The formula is wonderful: two easy coats and fully opaque. Nice color and application, just not my type.

Overall, I liked two of the three Pixi polishes I tried. I'd really like to see Pixi come out with a wider range of colors, though (greens, golds, and glitters please!).

Pixi polishes are available for $8 each on Target.com but they appear to be on backorder at the moment. Zappos has Pixi polishes as well, but none of the names seem to match, so I'm not sure if they carry these colors.

Zoya Beach and Surf: Accent Nails

The first thing I noticed about the Zoya Beach and Surf collections was that they all seem to have a "match" in the other collection. There are plenty of swatches out there for Beach and Surf already, so I wanted to give it a twist and show how wonderfully these work for multi-finger accent manicures! I like more contrast for single-finger accents, but prefer the colors to be more closely related for the multi-finger accents.

Check out how well these go together!

Zoya - Wednesday and Zuza

Zoya - Tracie and Meg

Zoya - Arizona and Myrta

Zoya - Shelby and Rory

Zoya - Lara and Kimber

Zoya - Reagan and Carly

Of course, you don't have to pair them up with the most matching color. You can also pair random ones together. For instance, I loved the look of the orange and teal together so I paired Arizona with Zuza for this single-accent:

Zoya - Arizona and Zuza

Overall, while the colors are quite pretty and beach-y and summery, I have to admit that I was disappointed in the collections.  After the killer Sparkle (Summer 2010) and Sunshine (Summer 2011) collections, I was REALLY hoping for more spectacular bling from Zoya for this year.  I know that many others love shimmers and cremes and will be delighted with this collection, but I can't help but feel let down a bit.

I think Arizona was my favorite even though I don't own or like very many orange polishes.  It is the perfect soft, yet bright creamsicle orange that I think would be perfect on finger or toes at the beach!  Carly was also a standout.  It's a rich, intense purple foil that I have nothing even close to in my collection, and it's nearly a one-coater!  Some of the others I liked, some I didn't, but all had excellent formula.  Most are slightly thick and cover in two coats.

The Zoya Beach and Surf collections are both available now at the Zoya website.  They retail for $8 each or $48 for each sampler set.


(These products were sent for review.)

butter LONDON - Bumster and Flawless Basecoat: Swatches and Review

Today we have butter LONDON Bumster:

butter LONDON - Bumster

Bumster is a peanutbutter/mustard creme that is fully opaque in two coats. It has a marvelous formula and glides on very easily. This is one of those colors that looks good on some and not on others, though. The warm tones in it tend to clash on cooler skin tones. I personally love how it looks on me! Very chic, egdy, and out of the norm.

I was excited to try Bumster, but once I actually got it I noticed that it looks quite familiar. Bumster is a near dead-on dupe for American Apparel Trenchcoat (which in turn is a dupe for Finger Paints Catwalk Queen).

butter LONDON Bumster and American Apparel Trenchcoat

Trenchoat is a tiny bit cooler than Bumster, but if I didn't know I had two different polishes on I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.  Also, you can see the orange pigment has separated in my bottle of Trenchcoat, so it could be even closer than you see here!

butter LONDON also sent me the base and top coats to try out.  I'm not too big of a fan of the top coat.  It dries on the surface fairly quickly, but it tends to leave brushstrokes in the shiny finish as it dries (you can actually see them if you click on the first picture of Bumster above)

However, I'm kind of in love with the base coat (Nail Foundation Flawless Basecoat).

butter LONDON - Nail Foundation Flawless Basecoat

First of all, it's a GREAT ridge-filler.  It fills in all imperfections and gives you a nice smooth base for under your nail color of choice...  if you choose to wear one.  Which brings me to my next point:  I love how this looks on it's own.  It's a nude jelly that dries to a silky finish.  The bottle claims "matte results so beautiful, you can wear it alone."  And I have, and it looks so elegant!  It's a wonderful palette cleanser in between all the crazy colors and glitters that I wear!

I'm notoriously bad at testing wear (because I like to change my nail polish so often), so I don't have a good grasp yet for how well this holds on nail polish.  I have had it on under Expecto Patronum (with a coat of SV on top) for three days now with no chips or tipwear at all, though!

butter LONDON polishes can be purchased off of their website or at Ulta (in stores and online).


(These products were sent to me for review.)

Zoya - NYFW Peter Som Collection: Swatches and Review

I'm not really sure what made me spontaneously buy the Peter Som collection from Zoya during NYFW (probably the fact that it was LE and had free shipping), but I'm glad I did!

Zoya - Audrey

Audrey is a pale, sheer pink jelly that has a nice glossy finish. This was the one I was most excited about because of its "revolutionary magical gel look." And the finish IS very nice, but the color is a bit uneven on its own. Not really streaky, but just more sheer in some spots and more opaque in others. Very light and feminine, and I like how it looks with three coats (shown).

Zoya - Katharine

My favorite of the collection. Katharine is a subdued plum/raisin jelly (it looks more eggplant in the bottle though) that is quite sheer on the first two coats, but builds up into a nice squishy jelly finish. For this swatch I used three thin coats, but I think it looked a little better the night before when I tried it with slightly thicker coats. Either way, it looks more even in person than in the pictures.  I love that this is a more dusty/greyed shade of red purple.  So chic and juicy.

Zoya - Evvie

Evvie is a very opaque dark sage grey creme. The only creme in the collection, it is completely opaque in two easy, thin coats. Again, very chic with a little bit of edge. Zoya really hits it home with their greens and this is no exception. I think it is also neutral enough to complement a variety of skin tones from cool to warm. Simple, but quite flattering.

Overall I'm quite impressed with this whole set. All of the shades are nice, and Audrey is so unique! Unfortunately, the set was limited edition for NYFW and is currently sold out, but I've heard rumors of these colors making it into the Zoya core line this fall or so.

Pure Ice Yellow Polka and Catwalk: Swatches and Review

Here is another "set" from Pure Ice: a sunny yellow creme called Yellow Polka, and a yellow shimmer crackle named Catwalk.

Pure Ice - Yellow Polka

Wow. This is the perfect sunny yellow creme in my opinion. More warm and soft but still striking and lit up. All I can think of is summer and how much this color would look awesome with a bikini and a tan on a beach towel in the sun. My new favorite yellow creme.

The formula is pretty good on this one as well. I had only a tiny bit of cuticle drag and it was probably my own fault for not waiting in between coats. I did a thin third coat just to even it out and make it perfect, but it's probably not necessary if you wait for each coat to dry.

Pure Ice - Catwalk (over Yellow Polka)

Here is the yellow shimmer crackle called Catwalk. To be honest, I'm not sure I get this so much. I'm not even sure if it's supposed to be a "set" that's worn together like the Chinese New Year set. It's pretty, but I can't help feeling like anything added to Yellow Polka would take away from the creamy, dreamy yellow finish.

Pure Ice polishes retail for $1.99 and can be found at most Wal-Marts and on the Pure Ice Cosmetics site. If you don't have a perfect yellow creme yet, you may want to pick up Yellow Polka!

(This product was sent to me for review.)

500 Follower Giveaway - SensatioNail Starter Kit + Extra Color - CLOSED

My last giveaway went really well, so I was super excited to put up one for 500 followers (which I hit sometime on Wednesday night)!

I have had such success with SensatioNail that I decided a while back that I wanted to give away a Starter Kit for those who might like to try soak off gels, so here it is!

The winner will receive a SensatioNail Starter Kit with either Scarlet Red or Raspberry Wine, and one extra color from the choices below.  The names for the colors can be seen on the SensatioNail website.  I have found both Starter Kits and all the colors available in my local Wal-Mart and CVS so I shouldn't have a problem finding them for the winner.

Here is a swatch of Taupe Tulips.  It's a nice slightly greyed nude color and makes great underwear for jelly or sheer polishes!  So far I've found the colors to be pretty accurate to those presented on their website and boxes.

If you'd like to read my full review of SensatioNail or see a swatch of Scarlet Red, you can check it out here.

All entries from the giveaway must be entered using the rafflecopter widget below.  No tweets, shares, or blog posts will be counted unless a link is provided in the widget.

Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

SensatioNail Starter Kit Review

Recently, Nailene came out with a new DIY at-home soak off gel system called SensatioNail. I was hesitant to try it, but the $50 price tag for the entire starter kit (including lamp) won me over in the end and I decided to give it a shot.

The SensatioNail website advertises "2 weeks of dazzling, damage-proof wear," and "super gloss shine, no dry time" which are what you'd expect from a soak off gel, but the kicker here is "professional salon quality nails at home." I've been wanting to try soak of gels for a while, but I don't like going to salons because of the cost, and also because I don't quite trust others with my nails. I know that Shellac and Gelish have been available on Transdesign.com, but the expensive lamps and all the equipment are still such an investment! Like I said, it was really the $50 price tag that convinced me to try SensatioNail.

Here is a picture of the starter kit and all that it includes:

SensatioNail Starter Kit

The starter kit includes everything you need to do a complete gel manicure (actually, it says enough for 10 manicures): a Pro3060 LED lamp, primer, cleanser, clear base/top coat, color coat (Scarlet Red or Raspberry Wine), lint free wipes, buffer file, and orange stick.

A note on the lamp:  it's wonderful.  It is small enough that I feel like I could take it with me if I was going on vacation, and because it's an LED lamp instead of a UV fluorescent lamp, it cures gel polishes in half the time or less.

The process is pretty simple:

1. Clean nails of all nail polish and debris with acetone, then wipe off with cleanser and lint-free wipe
2. Apply primer around edges of nail (cuticle edges and free edge)
3. Apply one THIN coat of clear base/top coat and cure for 30 secs (until the beep) in the LED lamp
4. Apply one THIN coat of color gel and cure for 60 sec (until light turns off).  Repeat for a second coat
5. Apply one THIN coat of clear base/top coat and cure for 30 sec
6. Wipe off the tacky layer that's left after curing final coat with cleanser and lint-free wipe

While it's really simple and easy, it does take some time to do a full manicure.  On myself (I can't paint my other hand while one is curing in the lamp), it takes me a good half hour to finish the whole thing.  But the results are pretty spectacular!

SensatioNail - Scarlet Red

This was my first time ever trying a gel manicure, and I was pretty pleased with the results.  However, there is a slight learning curve.

Tips for Application:

• I found it easiest to do my nails in twos because the gel sometimes runs into my cuticles while I'm doing my other nails because it stays in fluid gel form until it's cured in the lamp.  It's possible to do all four fingers on a hand at a time if you work quickly and/or do thin enough coats so that it doesn't run.  Thumbs are best done separately from fingers (but both thumbs can cure at the same time).
• If you get any gel on your cuticles, make sure to wipe it off with the orange stick (I found a brush and acetone to work as well) before curing.  If any is stuck to your cuticles it can cause lifting and decrease the wear time of the manicure.
• If you apply too thick of a coat, over time (while doing the rest of your nails before curing) it will run all over into your cuticles.  At this point I think it's easiest to wipe off the entire product with the wipes and cleanser and start over on that nail.  Remember that it will not dry AT ALL until it's cured in the lamp.
• Applying primer is essential (I learned the hard way), but removal is easier if you only apply it around the edges of your nail (including the free edge!).

The removal is very important as well.  If you try and peel the product off without soaking it in acetone correctly (the instructions say 15 min), it can cause damage to your natural nails (I learned this the hard way as well).  After buffing off the shine, I find it easiest to put bits of cotton soaked in acetone on each nail and wrap them in foil to keep the acetone from evaporating.  After soaking for several minutes, you can just "push" the product off with the orange stick or cuticle pusher.

Besides the two starter kit colors (which are also available in full size), there are ten other colors in their current line that retail for $10 each:

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with the system!  I like to change my polish every other day or so, so it's not perfect for my lifestyle, but it will be great for those who want a manicure to last for a week or longer.

Pros:

• No dry time - enough said
• Super shine that lasts for longer than quick dry top coats like Seche Vite
• Some added strength but not bulky feeling at all
• Not just reds and pinks - we get some interesting colors, too!
• Pretty easy to apply once you get the hang of it
• Only $50 for the whole system including an LED lamp!!
• Mini LED lamp is compact AND cures very quickly
• Manicures last 1-2 weeks easily

Cons:

• Manicures last 1-2 weeks...  I get bored with a color and like to change my polish about every other day
• Removal is more time intensive and more difficult than traditional nail polish
• Could be even more interesting colors (green!) and maybe some glitter.  Also, some French tip colors (white and sheer pink)
• Little bit of a learning curve to get the right thickness so it doesn't spill into cuticles
• Limited colors in the Starter Kit - I would have skipped the red and pink and started with one of the blues or purples

SensatioNail Starter Kit and colors are available at Wal-Mart and CVS, but their list of retailers may be expanding.  For more product info, you can visit the SensatioNail website.

 Stay tuned for my upcoming 500 follower giveaway!  I'll be giving away a SensatioNail Starter Kit as well as an extra color of the winner's choice!

As a side note:  I've tested Red Carpet Manicure gel polish (from Ulta) and Harmony Gelish and both APPEAR to cure correctly in the Pro3060 lamp.  I'm NOT a professional or licensed tech, so I cannot say for sure whether the systems are ACUALLY compatible or whether they can be used in conjunction with each other. 

My picks from Zoya Feel and True Collections

I wasn't all too excited about the Feel or the True & Flecked collections (so many flakies everywhere!), but when Zoya had their "Get two bottles, just pay shipping" deal, I figured I'd try a few of them that looked interesting.

Zoya - Avery

Avery is ALMOST the perfect nude for me, but it's slightly lighter and pinker than my skin (doesn't really show in the picture).  I guess I have kind of funny hands, because my fingertips are more pink than the rest of my fingers and hand which is much more of an olive tone.  Oh well.  Avery is pretty, but for some reason I have trouble with Zoya cremes.  They tend to be very opaque, but kind of dry out as I'm applying it, so it ends up looking a little "lumpy" in the end.  Top coat usually fixes it, though.

Zoya - Kendal

Kendal is a really soft dusty purple that leans warmer than other pastel purples I own (like Essie Lilacism), so I actually really love this one.  The cooler blues make my hands look "dirty," so I usually avoid them.  I'm certainly going to wear this for Easter (even though I don't really celebrate Easter much... I just like coloring eggs with my family!).

Zoya - Bevin

I know I love dusty olive greens, so I figured I'd try a dusty teal (most of the teals in my collection are super bright).  It's quite nice and actually goes well with Avery and Kendal, even though they are in different collections.  I hear it's similar to OPI Mermaid Tears, but it's a bit more dusty, so I chose the Zoya.  This one was easier to apply but maybe not quite as opaque on the first coat.  Two coats and it was perfect!

Zoya - Tru

Tru was my instant favorite from the True collection when I first saw swatches.  I love red grape purples, and the gold shimmer looked so beautiful!  I always thought it looked more vibrant in pictures, but I think it's shown close to Lotus, which is a very greyed-out dusty lavender.  You can see a little bit of a bald spot on my pinky at two coats, so maybe waiting in between coats is a good idea to avoid cuticle drag.

Overall I'm really happy with my picks from these two collections.  I can actually see myself wearing all of these.  Also, I love Zoya as a company.  They have super helpful customer service and offer many promos and deals for their customers and facebook fans!  I think I have pretty much every Zoya color I want (I have a LOT), but they keep coming out with new awesome colors so I keep ordering more!  All of these are available on Zoya's website for $8 each.

As a side note... For some reason lately I'm not satisfied with anything on my nails unless it's really attention-grabbing.  Since I don't do much nail art, that usually means glitter.  Every time I put on a shimmer or creme I'm bored with it within a few hours and have to either add glitter or take it off and put something more "interesting" on.  It's kinda frustrating...

Some Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors

Here are my picks from the Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors collection. I find myself buying a LOT of glitters lately, and I'm actually WEARING them all, despite the dreaded removal. (If I'm completely honest...  I peel glitter off a lot of times.  I know it's not good, but it actually doesn't seem do do much damage at all, or I wouldn't keep doing it).

Nicole by OPI - Kendall on the Katwalk (over Khloe Had...)

What an awesome blend of glitters! How had someone not done this combo before (that I've seen)?! I used to think glitters were best on their own (built up to be opaque), but lately I think that they seem to have more depth over a similar base color. Plus they're easier to remove that way. This is stunning in person. Super shiny and eye catching!

Nicole by OPI - Disco Dolls

We all know how much I LOVE gold glitter, and this is no exception. The multicolor glitter in this and it's bronze-gold glitter base just set this one apart. This is two easy coats and it's perfectly opaque. My favorite here, and I knew it would be. *swoon*

Nicole by OPI - Follow Me on Glitter

Seems to be the same formula as Disco Dolls, but with pewter color glitter instead of gold. And somehow, the colors seem to be a little "lost" in this. It is still an awesome color (along with every other charcoal grey glitter), but just not as showy as Disco Dolls. This was two coats on it's own.

Nicole by OPI - Follow Me on Glitter & Wet'n'Wild Diamond in the Rough

I managed to compare this to Diamond in the Rough before I took it off the other day. I think this is the reason I feel that Follow Me is a bit... dull. The holo glitter amongst the grey is just so much more flashy than the colored glitter. Diamond in the Rough also had a slightly bluer base glitter.

Nicole by OPI - Khloe Had a Little Lam Lam

Not sure why I liked this one so much to get it, but it's an awesome teal. Smooth and glossy on it's own, and just plain pretty. Two easy coats.

Nicole by OPI - Khloe Had..., OCC Blackboard, and RBL Teal

I thought I might have a dupe in my collection, but I don't. The two closest I had were Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Blackboard and Rescue Beauty Lounge Teal. Blackboard is obviously much lighter and much greener. Teal looked like a dupe in the bottle, but on the nail it is obviously a tad bit lighter (hard to tell here) and more blue. The funny thing was that Khloe got darker and greener when it dried than when it was first applied. Both Blackboard and Khloe had more of a jelly formula than Teal, which is a very opaque creme. I think my favorite of them was Khloe, because I like green base tones with the darker shade.

Which were your favorites from the Kardashian Kolors?


If you haven't already, be sure to enter my giveaway here to win Essence Nail Art Twins Bonnie and Clyde!