First Guest Post!!!

 Hey Everyone! Today I will be posting some special content for you! What makes it so special? Well, I think it's special because it's from one of the winners of our first giveaway :D Isn't that exciting? When I first notified Isabel that she was a winner, she asked me if we would consider posting her manicure and input when she received the package, which I honestly thought was an amazing idea! So these are her pictures and a copy and paste of what she e-mailed me for everyone to enjoy.

Isabel wrote:
First of all, thank you so much again for the wonderful polishes. They arrived really fast (I received them the last week of October), and there was no trouble with customs at all, they just got delivered.

And last Sunday was the day to my first mani with one of the colour-shifting pigments (which indeed were the highlight of this giveaway for me) and to take photos of it.

Here’s what I did:
'First of all, I used a small sample of Art Deco Nail Wonder as a base coat. As I wanted to use quite a dark polish as my base colour, I wanted to make sure to avoid staining. (And by the way – it was okay when I removed that mani yesterday, no staining at all).

After that had dried (which just took a few moments) I put on a polish that’s not a colour I would usually wear, a dark vampy red with lots of brownish tones. Not very “me”, although I quite liked it when it was ready. The polish I used was a very old one; I must have bought it in a collection of polishes at evilbay years ago and had to thin it a bit with polish thinner. Anyway, it’s Margaret Astor No. 21 (no name, unfortunately), and I decided to put on three coats as it seemed a bit patchy after the second coat. The bottle says it’s a polish that dries within 60 seconds, well, in fact it seemed to dry quite fast, but to make sure I just added one coat of essence studio nails better than gel nails top sealer. It’s a really good quick-drying top coat you can get for little money in many shops in Germany. It did its job, and in the first picture you can see the until-now finished result (done under artificial light, as it was already dark outside).

I let this settle for one or two hours and then added one coat of the colour-shifting pigment (in clear base) “copper red to green” to it. Great base, it was wonderfully easy to apply. I finished all of it off (remember – it was five layers of polish altogether) with one thick coat of Seche Vite (it was time for bed, and I didn’t want to wake up with nails loaded with sheet marks the next morning). It did its work very well, the manicure was still perfect the next morning.

The result is – well, like unicorn pee at its best. I didn’t compare them, but I think there’s absolutely no need to spend lots of money for the famous Clarins polish if you can get your hands on this colour-shifting pigments! Absolutely gorgeous, thus I did three photos to show the many colours it flashes (taken under the same artificial light).

 The mani held up quite well, although I started to have some tipwear on the third day. Well, the polish I used as base colour didn’t seem to hold up too well, but at least there were no chips.

For the last photo just a shot of the polishes I used.

So – many hugs from Germany again for these wonderful pigments and all the other polishes you gave away – Isabel

And the pictures:

Thank you again Isabel for doing this. I think it's safe to say that we all appreciate you taking the time to write out your thoughts, what you did and take pictures of it for everyone to enjoy! 

That's it for today, I hope you've enjoyed the special post and I'll see you guys again in a couple of days. Until then, have a wonderful and safe evening!

Butter London The Black Knight

Hello :D While getting some of my Christmas List shopping done, I went ahead and stopped by Ulta. I ended up getting a few things. But for now I wanted to show you quite possibly the favorite thing I ended up getting myself. Butter London had a set with 2 of the holiday polishes, The Black Knight and Tart With A Heart. As soon as I saw the glitter in them, I had to have them. I ended up doing only 1 coat of The Black Knight over 1 coat of American Apparel's Hassid. I also did my thumbnail differently by trying out 1 coat of Tart With A Heart over Hassid. I think that will be my next manicure, but I'm not sure yet.

Regardless, here is The Black Knight in all it's glory :D

Direct Sunlight

In the shade

Then here's a quick pic of Tart With A Heart. I couldn't quite capture this too well, so my apologies. It's a lot more beautiful in real life. I know I say that a lot, but it's very true!

Quick Video of the 2

Well, that's it from me for today! I hope you're all doing well, enjoying the cool weather and shopping deals! Thanks for stopping by and have a great week :D

Lady Muck's Glass Slipper!

Recently I found Sally Hansen's Glass Slipper at Walmart, so I thought to try it on over Rumple's Wiggin'. Of course, I did 2 layers and it left me a bunch of bubbles. Not cool. So I took it off and tried over with Butter London's Lady Muck. I did only 1 layer of Glass Slipper this time and although I saw a couple of bubbles, it was nothing compared to the amount when I had 2 coats.

Lady Muck and Glass Slipper

Quick Video

I really like this combo. I think the reason for the bubbles is too many strokes on my behalf? But I had a heck of a time trying to get the flecks to go on in a somewhat even amount with less strokes. Perhaps it's just my method of application sucks? Regardless, I am loving the flecks! I wish Sally Hansen would release more of these in different colors.

Here is 2 coats of Glass Slipper over OPI Rumple's Wiggin'. Notice all the bubbles? Also, I apologize right now for the lighting, it was in my lightbox. I planned to not take pictures of it because the sunlight accentuated the bubbles a lot more. But decided it'd be better just to show you guys so you can see what the flecks look like over this color :)

Well, that's it from me for today! Thanks so much for stopping by, hope you're all doing well and getting preparations for Thanksgiving out of the way!

Let It Glow with Nicole by OPI's Holiday glitters!

So, when I went to Ulta, I was under the impression that they didn't have the holiday Nicoles because I called before I left the house and that's what they said. I went anyway to pick up the exclusives and was pleasantly surprised to see that they did indeed have the holiday glitters from Nicole. Of course, it's my luck that they ran out of the one color I really wanted. But I suppose it worked out better for my wallet this way. Why? Because right now Nicole by OPI polishes are B2G1F (buy 2 get 1 free). It's supposedly ending on the 19th, but the girl at the register told me that they're possibly extending that promotion until Black Friday. Don't quote me on that though, because she said she was still unsure. So I ended up getting the other 3 that they did still have - Orna-Ment for Each Other, Glitter in My Stocking and My Sleigh's in The Shop.

 There were also 3 shatters or 'textures' on that same display, a gold, silver and black. I didn't get any of those though. I was kind of bummed they didn't have Snowman of My Dreams as it's the one I was looking most forward to. Still, I'm happy I was able to get any at all. They told me they didn't have them, so now I'm wondering how long they sat there before I showed up? Regardless, the 3 I got are BEAUTIFUL! So sparkly and pretty!

Let's start off with Orna-Ment For Each Other. I love the color, but not the name. I know it's a small thing to be annoyed by, but wouldn't Orna-Meant make more sense than Orna-Ment? Because Ornament is already spelled Ornament, adding a hyphen is not all that creative. WTH does Ment mean, anyway? Regardless, this color is beautiful. I'd describe it as a bright orangey red glitter with gold bits of glitter in it. Of the 3 I got, this is the only one that gave me any problems as far as application goes. It was thick and goopy and nearly impossible to apply evenly before it began to dry. Some thinner might whip it into shape. But I might have just gotten a bad bottle.

Orna-Ment For Each Other in direct sunlight

Orna-Ment For Each Other in the shade

Quick Video showing off it's sparkly goodness and it's even more sparkly in real life!

Next is Glitter In My Stocking. I'd describe this as a predominantly gold glitter with bits of silver and red glitter in it. I actually compared it to OPI's Gift of Gold (one of last year's Ulta exclusives) and they are really similar. The only difference I could see is that Glitter In My Stocking has more red glitter in it than Gift of Gold does. So, it's like Gift of Gold, but on steroids. I think I prefer the Nicole over the OPI just for the simple fact that the red stands out more. But you guys see for yourselves which you think is prettier :) In all the pictures and video Gift of Gold is on my index and ring fingers while Glitter In My Stocking is on my middle finger and pinky.

Gift of Gold, Glitter In My Stocking, Gift of Gold, Glitter In My Stocking in direct sunlight

This picture probably shows their difference off the best

In the shade

Quick Video

Lastly, My Sleigh's In The Shop. I'm horrible at describing things, colors especially. I'd call this a pinky purple, but just to be a butthead, let's say it's heliotrope! Yes, heliotrope. This heliotrope glitter has tiny bits of silver glitter in it. The formula on this one was smoother than the other 2 I tried, but still required 3 coats to eliminate any visible nail line.

Quick Video

Overall, these are all great and worth getting in my opinion, especially at B2G1F. I paid $7.99 each at Ulta (minus the 1 free one because of the promo), so who wouldn't rather pay $16 instead of $24, right? What makes these so great in my opinion is the glitter. It's so small (microglitter) that it picks up light at so many different angles, making it look sort of like it's backlit or glowing. Hard for me to explain, but in short, these are sparklebombs and if you like that sort of thing, don't miss out on these! Of course, there's always hope they'll show up at Marshall's in 2 packs for $5.99 in about 10 months, right?? Anyhow, that's it from me for today. Thanks for stopping by and hope you all have a safe and fun weekend!

OPI Deck Your Nails - Ulta Holiday Exclusives

This year OPI stopped the red, gold and purple holiday exclusives and put out a red, silver and pink with multi glitter. Of course, and very conveniently my Ulta seemed to have run out of all the Muppet OPI's, so I couldn't compare A Sparkle Yule Love and Excuse Moi! in store. My suspicions were confirmed once I got home though, they are basically the same color with a different name. So, if you already have Excuse Moi! and you're looking to save money and avoid dupes, you can probably skip A Sparkle Yule Love.

 I also felt like the beautiful silver glitter looked familiar and sure enough, it's extremely similar to Nina Ultra Pro's Glamrock. The only one that really stood out to me this year was the red one. Speak For Your-Elf! is a beautiful deep red jelly with tons of micro glitter. It is so sparkly. I'm so disappointed I couldn't capture it on film. This is one you have to see in real life, it's so amazing.

Nothing new, I mean, red jelly with microglitter, sure, you could possibly find a dupe in the BBC line or other ones. In fact, I think this might be similar to China Glaze's Ruby Pumps. But I don't own that to compare. Sorry :( Regardless, it's my favorite of the 3 this year with How's It Snowin? coming in 2nd. 

L-R: Speak For Your-Elf!, How's It Snowin?, A Sparkle Yule Love

A Sparkle Yule Love next to Excuse Moi!

 In these pictures you can see my comparison of A Sparkle Yule Love (on my pinky and middle finger) and Excuse Moi! (on my ring and index fingers) out in direct sunlight and then in the shade. I did 2 coats of each and honestly, I can't tell the difference.

Excuse Moi!, A Sparkle Yule Love, Excuse Moi!, A Sparkle Yule Love

Quick Video

Nina Ultra Pro's Glamrock next to OPI's How's It Snowin?

Next I compared Glamrock to How's It Snowin? At first I thought the OPI might be a tad bit lighter, but it dried a bit darker than it applied. I think their base is similar and they have the same glitter, but the OPI has a bit more glitter in it which can make it look a bit lighter. Or maybe they're the same and I'm crazy? It's very possible, I suppose. They may even be completely different and it'll all come back to me just being a sandwich short of a picnic? Regardless, this is like a silver version of China Glaze's It's Alive. It's the same shapes of glitter, just different color. Same type of glitter as China Glaze's Ring In The Red as well.

 It's really beautiful. But when it comes down to it, the OPI is an Ulta Holiday Exclusive, which means it's Limited Edition and it's $8.50. The Nina is a core color at Sally's. If you're a Beauty Club member, you only pay $3.79 for the Nina Ultra Pro polishes and they're 15ml just like the OPIs. So if you're not too hung up on getting the OPI just for the name, you can get the look for less at Sally's with Nina Ultra Pro's Glamrock.

How's It Snowin?, Glamrock, How's It Snowin?, Glamrock

Quick Video

Lastly, today I have for you Speak For Your-Elf! This is such a beautiful color, I can't even begin to explain my frustration out of not being able to properly photograph or film this for you. Believe me when I say that this is so much more sparkly and beautiful in real life!

Quick Video

I'm actually considering getting Ruby Pumps now. If only to compare the two. I'm ashamed to say I've never even seen it in real life. It's always out of stock when I go nail polish hunting. Must be a great color, huh? But then again, I am a sucker for reds. One day it shall be mine. But for now, patience.

That's it from me for today. Thanks so much for stopping by, hopefully this saves someone some time and money. Have a great day!