BLOG UPDATE AND POLISH SALE

Hello all!

    I know it has been a ridiculous amount of time since I have blogged. Some would say all good things come to an end at some point and I think that is what has happened. I highly enjoyed blogging and keeping up with my Instagram for as long as I did. But, I was just at the point where it was hard to do my nails for fun and felt as if it was a burden to try and get blog content out to you all. I didn't want to keep doing something that I just didn't enjoy. I still paint my nails every now and then, but now it is just for me to feel good about how my nails look. Thank you to everyone who read and commented on my blog posts and for the support I got! It still seriously means so much to me to look back and read all of the nice words and conversations I had. I am so grateful to have been able to work with some of the amazing indie polish makers that I did. It was so fun while it lasted!!
    Now because I don't use all of the polish that I own as much as I use to, I have decided to destash my collection! I am currently working on organizing all of the polish that I want to get rid of. I think I am going to put all of the polish up on store envy, or do and auction on my Instagram. Which do you all think would be better? Whenever  I decide and start putting polish up for sale I will for sure let you all know where you can browse my collection! I will have a wide spectrum of brands from drugstore to semi-high end to some indie polishes. Please please please let me know if you guys would be interested in something like that! Thanks so much!

Thank you all again for all the support!
Rachel

Blue Swirl Mani

Hello everyone!

Today I have a simple blue mani for you guys! I'm not quite sure what the actual pattern is called, but I am going to call it swirls! I used Essie Where's My Chauffeur and Julie G Rock Candy. The swirls were made with a small detail brush.

I really like how the pattern turned out! I will definitely be doing it again sometime in the future! I also like the element of a textured polish! What do you think of this mani? Do you like textured polishes? I hope you all have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Rachel

Spring Mani: Purple Flowers

Hello everyone!

Sorry it has been so long! I have so many designs that I am itching to paint! Today, I decided to go with some purple themed nails. Nothing too extravagant, but I like the simplicity of it!

On all my nails except the ring finger, I started with a base of Pure Ice Fairy Godmother. Then on my ring finger, I added some studs from Winstonia Store and some small silver hex glitters. I started with two coats of Sinful Colors Snow Me White on my ring finger. The small flowers were made using a detail brush and Pure Ice Fairy Godmother, Essie Go Ginza, and Sinful Colors Sweet Tooth. I added some leaves using an unnamed green polish from Garage.

This was my very first attempt at flowers, and I think they turned out ok for a beginner. I definitely want to do more flower designs for spring! What are your favorite kind of flower nails? Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Rachel

Essie - Cute as a Button

Hello everyone!

The weather has been a tease the past couple of weeks, going from warm to cold and over again. The days that are warm make me want Spring and Summer so much more! To keep my spirits up, I decided to paint my nails a nice springy color! Essie Cute as a Button is the perfect color for spring!

Shown here is two coats. The formula was very easy to work with and went on so smooth. Some Essie formulas are quite questionable, but this is one I like.

So pretty! Are you ready for spring to be here? Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Rachel

Lust Nail Lacquer- T.N.T., Halo, and Supernova!

Hello everyone!!

As I type this, I am watching The 56th Grammy Awards! I absolutely love seeing everyone's beautiful dresses! Ok, onto the polish!

Recently I found a newer indie polish called Lust Nail Lacquer! Her polishes looked beautiful and I new I had to have a few! I decided to pick up T.N.T., Halo, and Supernova, all beautiful glitter polishes! I love the formula of these polishes, not too thick but not too thin. All of them also dry in a pretty good amount of time! I'll have to say, I really do love these!

T.N.T. is a beautiful glitter packed polish! The description of this polish reads, "Explosive holographic glitter bomb. Purple , pink, gold, silver and teal holo glitters make up this wonderfully sparkling polish." I started with a base of Sinful Colors Sugar N' Spice and then used two coats of T.N.T. on top. Words can't even explain how beautiful this polish is! 

Next up is Halo! This polish is a gorgeous gold glitter topper with small gold hexes and micro gold holographic glitters! I decided to layer this polish over Color Club Blue Ming.

Last but not least is Supernova! This holographic glitter topper is filled with small silver holographic glitters! I layered one coat of Supernova over Essie Go Ginza. This was hard to capture on camera, but it super pretty!

I would highly recommend Lust Nail Lacquer! You can visit her site at lustpolish.com or go directly to her shop to purchase some of her polishes! Super great customer service and I am super happy with my polishes! 

Thank you so much for stopping by!! 

XOXO
Rachel

Snake Skin Stamp

Hey everyone!

I haven't blogged in FOREVER! Nails have fallen by the wayside lately. I am going to try my best to get back into it! I got the urge to do my nails again the other day and I went for something new and ambitious! I decided to pull out my Winstonia Store stamping plates!

Snakeskin!! I love the way that they turned out!!

On my thumb, pointer, and pinkie I started with a base of Essie School of Hard Rocks. Then on my middle and ring I used a base of OPI Number One Nemesis. Then I stamped with the Winstonia Store plate W101, withe the reverse color. If that makes sense?.?.? :p

I love these two colors together! I think they work together and are perfect for the fall season! What do you think about these?

Thanks for stopping by!

Xoxo
Rachel

Essie Splash of Grenadine and Shine of the TImes

Hey everyone!!!

I feel soooo out of the loop!!! I haven't posted in about 2 weeks!! Why?!?!? I miss blogging and nails so much! I have just been really busy lately! Also, I finally got a new computer! I was computerless for about a week though! But I'm back now! I will try to be blogging as much as possible now!

Today I have one of the prettiest combinations to show you all! First off I started with a base of Essie Splash of Grenadine. Then I added one coat of Shine of the Times, which has to be one of the awesomest polishes of all times!

I absolutely love the way these two look!! I think Shine of the Times looks really neat!

Thanks for stopping by!!

TIOT- Revlon Dreamer and Essie Stroke of Brilliance

Hey everyone!

So I didn't have a TIOT post up last week due to my computer difficulties, but I'm back on track this week!

Today I decided to use Revlon Dreamer! I had to use 3 coats for full opacity. Then I added top coat!
I absolutely love this color! It is just gorgeous!!

Next I added 1 coat of Essie Stroke of Brilliance! I've never found something that I wanted to pair this with, so I decided to try it over Dreamer!

I really love these two!! Especially paired together! What do you think about these two? Thank you for stopping by!

Monthly Haul- July!

Hey everyone!

Today I have another haul to show you guys! Almost everything that I bought in July was on sale!! For everything that I am about to show you, I paid approx. $38.00! Retail value of these polishes is about $94.00! I saved a total of $56.00! Thats impressive if I do say so myself!!

First up we have Sally Hansen Fuzz-Sea, Sinful Colors Sail La Vie, Essie Naughty Nautical and The Girls Are Out, and Pure Ice Private Show

I purchased all these at Sally's Beauty Supply for $10!!!! Top to bottom we have China Glaze White Cap, Blue Iguana, Hanging in the Balance, Running in Circles, Water You Waiting For?, and Aquadelic, Orly Spazmatic and Can't Be Tamed, and Finger Paints Fishin' For Fun

Lastly we have the Wet n' Wild Pop Art Collection! These were on sale and I purchased them all for about 4 dollars. Left to right, Teal Slowly and See, Listening to Blue Reed, Stand the Test of Lime, Who is Ultra Violet?, A Blank Canvas, and The Clock Strikes Orange

I'm pretty happy with this haul!! Thanks for stopping by!!

Julie G Crushed Candy and Essie The Girls Are Out

Hey everyone!

I'm so glad that I got my computer working and I can now access the pictures I need! Sorry about that little bump in the road!

Today I have two beautiful polishes to show you all! Essie The Girls Are Out looks so good paired with Julie G Crushed Candy! And thats what I did! Paired them up!

Just look how gorgeous it is!! I used two coats for each polish.

I absolutely love this combo!! What do you think of it? Thanks for stopping by!!

Geometric Skittlette

Hey everyone!

I really have been wanting to expand on the amount of nail art that I do! Right now I'm sticking to simple things, but at least I'm trying something! Today I have a really awesome mani for you all! I decided to try a skittlette, of which Marta from Chit Chat Nails created and is known for!

I love the way the geometric nails came out! They could use some work, but it looks pretty good for a first try! On my thumb and pointer I have 3 coats of Essie Where's My Chauffeur? On my middle and ring fingers I started with a base of OPI Alpine Snow and then using a small striping brush to make the triangles, I used Essie Where's My Chauffeur?, Sinful Colors Sugar n' Spice, and Wet n' Wild Black Creme. Then for my pinkie I started with a base of Pure Ice Beware and topped it with OPI Which is Witch? 

What do you think of this mani? Would you wear it? Thanks for reading!!

Monthly Haul! June!

Hey everyone!

Today I have my monthly haul for you all! I can't even believe that June is coming to a close! It just flew by!

 Well Lets jump right into it!

First up we have the Kleancolor Candy Cast mini collection! The names are just neon and then the color of the polish, (ex. neon blue, neon yellow, etc).

Just look at that!! This is Urban Outfitters Mystic! It is absolutely gorgeous!!

LtoR: Essie Splash of Grenadine, Cute as a Button, and Sally Hansen Sun Kissed. I absolutely love these colors!

Last but not least we have Kleancolor Chunky Holo Candy, Chunky Holo Purple, and Sangria Burst.

What do you guys think about me posting hauls? Do you like it? What colors would you like to see me use in a mani? Thanks for reading!

Nail Care Series! Part 4- Top Coats

Good morning everyone! Today I have the last installment of my nail care series. Top coats!

Just like base coats, top coats are also essential! They will make your manicure last longer and give your nails a beautiful shine!

INM Out The Door

I'm going to start off with my all time favorite top coat at the moment, Out The Door! I absolutely love this stuff! It is a fast drying top coat that dries nail color in less than 60 seconds! Out The Door is also one of the thinner fast drying top coats, so it doesn't get thick and hard to work with half way through the bottle! I have never used Seche Vite, but I've heard that it shrinks your polish, meaning after application, the nail polish pulls away from the tips of your nail. Out The Door does not have that downside! No shrinkage here! I absolutely love this and would recommend it to anyone! This can be purchased at your local beauty store, such as Sally Beauty Supply, and online. Recently I have seen this product at my local Walmart  too!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

This top coat is another one of my top picks! I used this top coat before I discovered Out The Door. When I was using this for every mani that I did, I went through at least 4 bottles, maybe 5. I only made it through about half of the bottle though because it would get thick and clumpy, which was a downside. This is a fast drying top coat, but I find that since it was on the thicker side to begin with, it took a little longer to completely dry. In about a minute it would be dry to the touch, but I would wait at least an hour before I did some thing that could potentially mess up my nails, the reason being that my polish/top coat would get little dents in them. Other than that I love this topcoat and I would recommend it! This can be purchased at your local Walmart, or online.

Essie No Chips Ahead

This top coat by Essie is another one of the many top coats I have tried. I can't say that I loved this product, but it was ok. It did dry fast which was a good thing. The name of this product is No Chips Ahead, which I found odd. This being that that was the problem I had. I would notice chips in my polish within at least 24 hours of application, which was disappointing. I also found that there would be tiny scratches in my polish, which would give my nails a weird texture to them. I don't know if you would have the same problems, so why not give it a shot! This can be purchased at any drugstore, or online.

NYC Matte Me Crazy

A matte top coat!! This product can be used over any polish and will take that shine away to give it a matte look! I think that this one gets the job done! It also retail for about 2 dollars, which is almost a steal! I've never tried any other matte top coats, but I don't plan on it because this one does the trick for me! A plus side to any matte top coat is that they dry super fast! You can also play around with a matte top coat and get some really cool designs on your nails! This can be purchased at your local drugstore, Walmart, or online!

Gelous

This topcoat will give you the look of gel nails without having to go to the salon! Use a coat of this under your nail polish, and a coat over your polish, and your good to go! This topcoat is also super shiny, and will make your mani last longer! I really have no idea what brand this is. It is just the top coat with the green lid! :P If anyone knows, tell me in the comments below! I purchased this at my local Sally Beauty Supply, but this can also be found online!

So that is my two cents about top coats! I think they are essential for any mani, plus they add some super shine! This was the last part of my nail care series! I really hope that you all enjoyed this! I had fun typing everything up! Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Nail Care Series! Part 3- Base Coats

Hello everyone! Today I have part three of my nail care series for you all!

Base coats! These little guys are essential, but there are ups and downs to some of them! Keep reading to find out what I think of these base coats!

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Base Coat

As we all know, Sally Hansen makes about fifty-thousand different base and topcoats. The Hard as Nails base coat is the one I ended up with! I actually really like this base coat. In fact, I have two! This base helps prevent splitting, chipping, and cracking. It also hardens your nails, which is one thing that I really like about this product. Sometimes my nails feel quite thin and brittle, so I slap a coat or two on my nails, and they immediately feel stronger. This product can also be used as a top coat, but I prefer to just use it as a base. I have nothing but good to say about this base coat! This product can be purchased at your local Walmart, or online.

Duri Rejuvacote

Two words. Duri. Rejuvacote. I absolutely love this product! A couple months back, some ladies on Instagram had been raving about it, so I thought I would give it a shot! The Duri Cosmetics website says that Rejuvacote will heal and cure your split, cracked and acrylic eaten nails. In a matter of weeks you will enjoy the look and feel of strong, vital, natural nails. I use this before every mani that I do. Although this product looks pink in the bottle, it dries clear after application. This product can also be used as a top coat, but like I said about the previous product, I like to use this one as a base. You can buy this product at Walmart or online for about 15 dollars. Even though it might be a little steep, it is worth every penny!

Essie Grow Stronger

Whenever I first started to take base coats seriously, this is what I used. I love this base! It's like most base coats, strengthening, damage repair and prevention, the usual. I used this until it got gloopy and I couldn't get any product on my brush because it was almost completely empty. As you can see in the bottle, it looks a little milky. The milkiness of this product does transfer onto the nail, but the opacity isn't as strong. I would definitely recommend this product to someone! This can be purchased at Walgreens, CVS, most drugstores, and online. 

OPI Nail Envy

OPI has about 7 or 8 different versions of Nail Envy, but when I purchased this, I just picked up the original version. I love this product, and after about two or three weeks of using this, I could tell a difference in the health of my nails. Like seriously. I had tried various nail treatments, and this product started to make a difference. Just like Grow Stronger, I used this baby up! I literally did everything I could to get the last little bit of product out! Again I say, I would recommend this product to anyone. If you don't like shiny nails, then try the matte version! Go get you some!! This does retail kinda pricey, but you get the bang for your buck! This can be purchased at select salons, Ulta, and online.

Essie All In One 

This was one of the many nail treatments I tried while trying to get my nails healthy. All In One can be a base or top coat, and is a strengthener. I personally have had a bad experience with this product. I used it as a base, and I noticed that every time I used it, my polish would chip faster than normal. This also made my nails worse. My nails were pretty bad, and then they worsened. I was like nooooo!!! I still continued to use it, to see if it was the kind of thing that got worse before it got better, but no, that wasn't the case. Feel free to try this out for yourself, because not everyone has the same results. This can be purchased at drugstores and online.

Another base that I like to use, is PVA glue, a.k.a Elmer's Glue. This is excellent to use under glitter polishes. Remember when you were a kid and you put glue on your hands just so you could peel it off when it dried? Well the same effect happens here. Use a thin base of glue, then use polish and topcoat. Use a cuticle pusher to get under the glue and it pops right off! Click here for an awesome tutorial at Wacky Laki! This method doesn't have to be used for just glitter, it will work with regular polish too! 

Thank you so much for reading this! Stay tuned for next week's part of the series! I'll be talking about my favorite top coats! I hope you enjoyed this post!

Mix n' Match!

Hey everyone!

Recently I received my Julie G Frosted Gumdrops order from a deal Groupon had! I wanted to just try one out to see what it was like, but I didn't want to do my full hand, so I did an accent nail! I have really been into mix n' match nails lately, so why not keep it up? I went with a simple black, blue, and glitter mani!

I really love these! And I also like the texture of the Julie G polish! now for some colors!
black- Wet n' Wild Black Creme
silver glitter- Essie Set in Stones
glitter on middle finger- loose glitter that can be found in any craft store
blue- Julie G Blueberry Fizz

I am so excited to try the rest of the Frosted Gumdrops collection! What do you think about the polishes?

Thanks for stopping by!

Blue Nails for Autism- #2

Hello all!!

First I just want to apologize for not posting anything all week and then not posting this yesterday (Friday) when it was supposed to go up. I have had a crazy week and time got away from me. Also, 2 of my nails broke so I had to cut them all :( so I will be trying to let them grow out! Ok, onto the blue nails!!

This mani is kind of a mix n' match mani I guess you could say! It is quite similar to my pink and holographic nails. Ok, nevermind that, they are almost the exact same mani! Whoops!! I didn't mean to do that!

Although my nails are short, I'm kinda diggin' the length and the shape!

For the blue I used Pure Ice- French Kiss, which I might add is perfect! The silver on my middle finger is Sally Hansen- Celeb City and the glitter is Essie- Set in Stones.

I love this mani!! What about you? Thanks for stopping by!!