Giraffe on Safari Manicure

Just a quick manicure picture for today. My hands were feeling better and I decided to do a new manicure with two of the On Safari collection polishes that I have had for a couple weeks but haven't been able to do anything with till now. This is not a tutorial but if you would like one for it, let me know by commenting below and I will make one for you guys. And don't worry I used Gaussian blur so you can't see what remains of my recent DE outbreak. Which luckily is in the final stage (which just looks like dry extra pink/red skin) and is almost unnoticeable to anyone but me at this point. Plus the bottle is blocking most of my palm and that's where the outbreak was mostly confined to. Yet another perk of taking good care of your skin. When something cause an DE flare it recovers so much faster when well cared for than when it's neglected. Any way hear's my Giraffe On Safari manicure.

Polishes used: (All China Glaze) Kalahari Kiss, Desert Sun, and Street Chic

Stamping Plate Used: Mash plate M61

And in case you are wondering that's the back of a page from my novel in the background. 

What do you guys think? Do you like it? Let me know. Until next time stay classy and stay polished.

My first Julep Maven Box!!!

     I know this is a little late but it's been kind of a crazy month for me and I am just now getting around to the post. Plus I wanted to try everything in the box before I posted about it so I could review all the items as well. I was super excited to get my first Maven box and try Julep polish for the first time...not to mention the awesome price ($0.01). So here's what was included in my first Maven Box.

Two nail polishes Courteney (pale green creme) & Hayden (Medium Peach creme) The Best Pedi Creme Ever and two toe spacers.

     The first thing that struck me when I opened the box was how nicely everything was wrapped and that they had even tossed in two free two spacer for painting my toes. That was pretty awesome. And then I opened the nicely wrapped package inside the box and was struck by how small the bottles are. I know they are only 8mL-.27 Fl. Oz but seriously they are tiny when you are used to OPI, Finger Paints, and China Glaze (all 15mL-0.5 Fl. Oz). They almost seem precious by comparison. Here's a pic of them next to a ruler and some other common everyday objects.

     The Julep bottles come in at just over 3 inches only a half inch bigger than my Burt's Bee's lip balm. Which is pretty small in the nail polish world. So after I got over how tiny the bottles are I got busy and painted my nails with Hayden. And that's when I started to get annoyed. My polish didn't even last 4 hours before I chipped the polish on my thumb. I was not happy about it. So I took off the polish and re-polished them with Courteney and this time got a full day's wear out of them before they chipped. Which is better but still irritating to me. Not to mention I had to use 3 coats of Courteney for it to be opaque. Which used 1/4 of the tiny bottle. 

Here's what was left after 1 manicure from each bottle.

Which means I could at best get maybe 4 more manicures out of each bottle.

     Here is where I am glad that I only paid a penny for my box if I had paid $20 (the regular price for a Maven box) or $14.99 (The regular price for a single bottle) I would have hit the roof. And someone it their complaints department would have had to deal with me about the quality of the polish I received. But since it was only a penny I just said "Note to self don't buy Julep polish again." Easy as that. 

     After a not so happy experience with the polish I decided to try out the pedicure creme. I mean it says "The Best Pedi Creme Ever!" right on the tube. So it must be awesome...right? Which brings me to the other reason why this post went up this week and not sooner. Because I tried the creme...and regretted it almost immediately. As you ladies know I have a skin condition called Dyshidrotic Eczema (DE) and this is what triggered my flareup this past week. Even though I washed my feet and hands after the burning itch of DE (which is an indicator of an impending flareup) it was to late. My immune system went on the attack and I had a DE outbreak. And that's why no finger pictures this week. I guess I could call Julep and complain but really what's the point I only paid a penny it's not like I am out much. The fact that I'm allergic to the pedicure creme coupled with the fact that the polish failed to perform well for me just tells me to avoid this brand in the future. And I guess if you are only wanting to wear your polish for a day or so then repaint them, then you may not mind the easy chipping. But for me if I am going to pay $20 for nail polish I would rather pick up 4 China Glaze (they are $4.99 at Sally Beauty Supply with a Sally Card), or 3 OPI for the same amount. I also reaffirmed my fear of trying new lotions and will stick with my normal lotion (Vaseline Intensive Care), because having my hands and feet covered in DE is not my idea of a good time. But hey if you don't have delicate hypersensitive (pain in the butt) skin that freaks out at new products, you may love the pedi creme. It does smell really good (Mint and Cucumber). Oh well I will just pass it along to my friend Marcie and let her have feet that are smell like cucumbers and mint.

     Has anyone else had a problem with Julep polish chipping so easily? Or with being allergic to the Pedicure creme? Any way I know I won't be buying Julep polish anytime in the near future that's for sure. Until next time stay classy and stay polished. 

XOXO

Debunking Internet Nail Care Myths

     This week I will not be doing a tutorial. Sorry if you were expecting one I had a pretty unpleasant flare up of my Dyshidrotic Eczema at the beginning of the week and while the blisters have receded by now the skin on my hands is really tight at the moment and make it hard to do small muscle skills such as nail art. Plus...they just look gross and no one wants to see that...even I don't want to see them. But they are healing up fast and should be good to go for next week. So instead I decided to do a post about debunking internet nail care myths.

     This post was inspired by my inability to sleep the other night do to the DE itchiness. Instead of sleeping (like normal people) I was up late the other night watching "tutorials" (In quotations because some of them should be call misinformation extravaganza but more on that in a minute) on YouTube and realized how much misinformation there is out there about nails, nail care, and all thing manicure related.  Let me just start by saying I do not have a nail tech or beauty license but due to my skin condition that affect primarily my hands, and feet and even my nails (much to my dismay) I have had a lot of discussions about skin and nail care with  many MD's (Or "Mini Deities" as a my favorite Psych professor Dr. Joe calls them) about the topic. I don't know about you but I'm more willing to believe the person with the medical degree than some of the people who post "tutorials" on YouTube. Don't get me wrong there are some brilliant vloggers out there who legitimately know their stuff (off the top of my head 'SimpleLIttlePleasures' is Freaking amazing and I love her videos) but the bulk of them just seem to feed people misinformation.  And that makes me sad. Because if people get the wrong advice it could do more harm than good or put them off nail care, nail art, and nail polish, all together. And those are three of my favorite things in the world I don't want to see them tarnished.

     So, ok yeah I blathered a bit up there. I'm prone to that so sorry but I thought I'd do a post about some of this misinformation and maybe try to clear up the craptacular advice that some people are giving out.  But before I get into it I would just like to say I am not a medical professional, or a nail tech. What I am about to tell you is what I have been told (sometimes a plethora of times) by medical professionals (MD's, NP's and RN's), nutritionists, and nail techs that I have personally visited and paid for their counsel and input. I am just passing what I have learned from them on to you guys.

Myth One: Nails need to breathe.

Myth Busted: Seriously why do people still believe this? The human finger nail is made up of Keratin that's the same stuff that your hair is made up of. Does your hair breath? No, no it doesn't. It doesn't have tiny little lungs and it certainly doesn't breathe. The keratin that makes up your nails (and hair) is dead. Dead things by nature do not breath. Go turn on True Blood and see for yourself I'll be right here when you get back. Okay, I know I can be a little sarcastic and blunt but come on why do people still think dead cells breath? I found so many "tutorials" that said it was important to let nails breath...and well ladies it's so much crap. I've asked many a doctor and they all say emphatically no nails don't breath.  So there is no need to remove your fake nails, or to make sure you leave your nails unpolished for any length of time to allow for them to breath.  As a matter of fact leaving your nails to breath could result in breakage, peeling, and overall weakening of the nail due to chemical exposure and everyday wear and tear.

Myth Two: Use salt to exfoliate/whiten your nails

Myth Busted: I don't know who started this idea but I don't know where to start with the bad. Salt really? Okay whoever follows this hasn't paid attention in history class. Before the invention of the refrigerator salt was used to preserve meat because it dried the moisture out of the meat. Are you trying to turn your nails and hands into preserved meat? Using salt on your nails will only dry both your nails and your skin on your hands out.  And as any nail tech, beautician or doctor will tell you, when skin in overly dried out you run the risk of cuts, peels, tears, and infections. This goes for your nails too. The enemy of nails and indeed skin in dryness. You want your nails moisturized, not dried out. Dry nails peel, chip, show poor growth, split and are more prone to bacterial and fungus infections.  Applying anything that is drying on a regular basis can be damaging to your nails. Salt is one of the worst things you could use on your nails. Also it's worth mentioning that it's also a good idea to have a good pair of Rubber gloves to clean with because cleaning chemicals also dry out and weaken your nails.  I personally have had my nails polished almost every day for the past 19 months and my nails are strong, grow fast and have  stopped peeling as they used to PNPE (that's Pre Nail Polish Era). Just ask anyone I know . I give the best back scratches in town and they are my natural nails, no gel overlays, no acrylic. So please feel free to wear whatever you wish whenever you wish and don't worry about a dead cell breathing.

     On a similar area to using salt is the over use of whitening that seems to run rampant in "tutorials" if you have a good base coat you shouldn't need to whiten your nails more than once a month (Unless you are a smoker because that causes yellowing of the nails). And even then you should whiten sparingly as it dries out the nails and always, always moisturize like crazy afterward. I rarely whiten my nails but after I do I do an Olive Oil soak for 15 minutes per hand and that replenishes all the moisture that the whitening caused.

Myth Three: Nail treatments make your nails grow faster, stop peeling, and/or somehow improve your nails in some way.

Myth Busted: As I stated before your nails are dead cells. They are done getting better. The only way a polish can make your nails stronger is by adding another layer for strength while they are physically on your nail. Once the polish or treatment is removed from the nail the help it says is provides is over and done with. Dead cells don't get stronger, they don't peal less and nothing you apply to the nail surface is going to make your nails grow faster. I know total buzz kill right. Sorry. I'm only telling this so you don't waste your money on claims polish can't deliver. But there is hope if you have problem nails. If you want to have stronger, healthier nails it needs to start in the nail matrix. By the time you see the nail plate emerge from under your cuticle it's already too late to make it stronger. To get better nails you have to start with good nutrition. Lots of vitamin A, H, and E, as well as lots of B vitamins. Also drink a lot of water, you need to keep the moisture level in your body up. You can also take a good multi-vitamin and a Biotin supplement.

Myth Four: The more you take (i.e. higher mcg) a supplement the better.

Myth Busted: I've been over this with doctors a lot...and I mean a lot. As soon as I tell a doctor I am a vegetarian I immediately get to have a vitamin supplement conversation with them.  And I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years and have discussed it with more doctors than I could count on my fingers and toes combined times 2.  Not sure why all doctors feel the need to discuss this with me, maybe they are used to newbie Veggies. But like a good little patient I smile and listen and go over the same thing every doctor has told me since I was kid and first decided to forgo eating meat (with the help and guidance of my wonderful loving mother who was a regular old meat eater but understood me better than just about anyone). Anyway I digress...I have had the supplement discussion so many times I should have it memorized by now. But don't worry I'll give you the short, short version. No matter how high the dose your body will only take from it what it needs and you will pee out the rest. That's right there is no need to take high dosages of any supplement because it's not going to pile up in your system and super charge anything. Your body says 'hmm I need some vitamin A' it goes to the digestive track takes the amount of vitamin A that it needs and then you eliminate the rest. It's also worth mentioning that high doses of some vitamins can also be dangerous so don't go crazy ladies. Be sensible. The one over dosage that seems most rampant in the nail community (at least that I've seen) is that so many people take really high doses of Biotin (which is also known as Vitamin H or coenzyme R). So called super high potency 5,000mcg (micrograms) supplements are by far and away more biotin than you are going to need and taking more biotin (while it won't harm or so I have been able to find out thus far) than you need means you are just passing it through you unused. According to The U.S. Food and Drug Administration an adult should take between 100-300mcg a day of Biotin a day. So if you are taking 5,000mcg of Biotin your body is absorbing at most 300mcg and you are eliminating the extraneous 4700mcg of Biotin. So go with the lower dosage doubling up isn't going to help you any. Plus as an added bonus the lower mcg Biotin is cheaper than the higher mcg biotin. I scored my 1,000mcg (the lowest mcg I could find) at Target the UP & Up (In store) brand 100 tablets for around $2. While the higher mcg Biotin supplements went for around $8-$12 (varies by brand). It just seems silly to me to pay more for extra mcg when you body won't use it anyway.

Myth Five: You should see the evidence of supplements working right away.

Myth Debunked: Okay so I did some research and found out that it can take from five to seven months for a nail to grow from nail matrix to the free edge of the nail. This varies from person to person and could be less or more time than this. Most people's nails only grow 1/2mm to 1mm (millimeter) a week. So you should expect at least 5-7 months (possibly longer) of taking a supplement before you see any improvement in your nails. Yes I know this seems like forever but you will be glad you started once you see the change it will make in your nails a way down the road. It took me almost a full year before I started to see a difference in my nails. But they are stronger, and longer at this point in time than they have ever been in my life. The funny thing about taking supplements (such as Biotin) is that you will most likely see the difference in your hair before you notice it in your nails. For example my leg hair seems to grow faster now and I have to shave it more frequently...Don't say I didn't warn you.

Myth Six: Cut/remove your cuticles they just get in the way.

Myth Debunked: I still can't get over how much misinformation is out there about cuticle care. I found a ton of videos on YouTube that stated you should cut your cuticles. Gah! WHY!?!?! The humanity!!!! You're cuticle is what stands between you and all the germs, bacteria, fungi, ameba, microbes, viruses, and dirt that your hands come in contact with on a daily basis. It's your tinny little infection protection flak jacket. I can't stress this enough, how very important your cuticles are and there roll in keeping things that want to infect you out of your body. Don't ever and I mean ever cut your cuticles and for the love of nail beds everywhere don't ever let anyone cut your cuticles either. Need some incentive to not cut your cuticles do a Google picture search for 'fingernail infections,' or 'fingernail fungus' and get ready to get queasy. I'll wait go ahead I'll be here when you get back....Did you go look? Nasty right? Not only do they look painful in the extreme, but they can permanently change the nail bed or lead to full removal of the nail plate all together by a medical professional. I don't think anyone wants that. I know I don't. So cherish your cuticles they keep all manner of evil invading nastiness out of your skin.

     Associated with this is that I found a disturbingly large amount of YouTube videos that said to not push your cuticles back...Okay that's just silly. Cuticles can grow up onto the nail further than they should be and can be pushed back without any damage. So long as you use a clean sterile cuticle pusher or orange stick. This will not damage your nails, or cuticles so long as you are gentle. To ensure cuticles push back easily, wash your hands, and apply lotion before pushing back cuticles to soften them first. Pushing your cuticles back will not harm you. The belief that it will do so is just silly. Every nail tech I have ever worked with has pushed my cuticles back and I push them back regularly and have never had a problem. Just don't use dirty tools and don't be aggressive with it. A gentle push is all it should take.

     Okay rant over I discussed everything I jotted down while watching Youtube videos that made me crazy. I just get so upset with how much misinformation is out there and I don't want anyone to think that because this faulty information didn't work nothing will work. I love my nails, nail polish, and nail art I don't want anyone to turn against it because they got some bad advice from people who are misinformed.  Any way I hope this helps I know it's a little ranty and I'm sorry for that I just want the best for my readers and thought the best way to do that is to debunk the nail myths that can do more harm than good. If anyone has any other nail related questions let me know and I will try to answer them as best I can. Just leave me a comment below and I'll get back to you on it. Until next time, stay classy and stay polished.

(CLOSED) CND Shellac Giveaway From NailPolishCanada.com (CLOSED)

I received an email today asking very nicely if I would post on my blog about about a giveaway from Nail Polish Canada. They are giving away a lifetime supply of CND Shellac and that's pretty awesome. But it seems they are having some trouble getting the word out so I thought that I would help them out since they asked so nicely.

Here's the grand prize:

• 33 bottles of CND Shellac
• 36-Watt UV Lamp
• 5 Shellac Topcoat
• 5 Shellac Basecoat
• Scrub Fresh

Technically it's not a lifetime supply it's a 25 year supply but that's still pretty freaking awesome in my book. Even if it's not a lifetime supply of shellac, this giveaway is a total value of $1266 worth of free shellac. According to the press release they sent me this is how they calculated the number of bottles to giveaway "1300 (weeks in 25 years) / 2 (weeks application lasts) / 20 (applications per bottle) = 33 bottles of Shellac color." And all you have to do to win it is go Here and click the link at the top of the page that says "Enter to Win a Lifetime Supply of CND Shellac (click here +/-)," then enter your name, email, website (if you have one), and then give them a brief description of how winning a lifetime supply of CND Shellac would change your life. So it's super easy to enter and becuase everyone is limited to only one entry everyone has an equal chance of winning. Now I have never tried CND Shellac but I have heard a lot of really great things about it. I know I entered, and I would die to win any shellac much less all this awesome shellac and a UV lamp. What are you waiting for? Follow the link and go enter. What have you got to loose? Nothing. What have you got to win? Awesomeness that's what.

Now the technical stuff. All the rules and regulations of the giveaway. The contest is open to Canadian and United States residents only. You must be 18 years of age or older to enter. The winner will be chosen using a random draw. You can only enter once. The lucky winner will get some input as to the final color selections (but you are restricted by what colors are currently available at that time). The winner will be selected on August 7th  2012 and must respond to Nail Polish Canada within 7 days after they notify you of winning, you will need to answer with a valid shipping address and the answer to a skill question. For the full rules go Contest Rules and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Still here??? What are you waiting for? Go enter Over Here. Until next time stay classy and stay polished.
XOXO

Blue Glitter Gradient Tutorial

So a friend of mine asked...no that's not quite right more like insisted that I do a glitter gradient manicure tutorial. So I figured now was a good a time as any to do this tutorial for her. I decided to go with a blue glitter gradient because blue is my favorite color and I just like the way it looks on my fingers. I'm also going to share with you my trick for making dry time fly by so stay tuned.

Here's what you will need.

Base coat (Orly Bonder), top coat (Diamond Dry), a makeup sponge (or 2), something to mix polish on, and (not pictured), a dotting tool for mixing polish, and even though they are not pictured Q-tips (because there will be a lot of clean up on this one).

This too.

Finger Paints Easel Come, Easel Go!, Finger Paints Art You Blue?, Finger Paints Easel-Y Entertained, Finger Paints Laugh My Art Off, and China Glaze Fairy Dust.

This chart may also be helpful for when we get to sponging so you know where to put the polish.

Each line denotes where you should apply polish to. As in from the line noted and up toward the tip. 

Start with a clean dry nail with the cuticles pushed back.

And yes that's a band aide on my finger I have a gross blister and no one wants to see that so I covered it with a bandage to spare you all the ickyness. Just pretend it's not there.

Apply a Base coat.

This is where this gradient gets a little tricky. To achieve the look I wanted I had to mix and match colors. Here's the mixture I used for the first layer of polish. 6 drops of Laugh My Art Off, and 2 drops of Easel Come, Easel Go.

Then mix it with your a dotting tool until they looked like this. If you don't have a dotting tool you could use a tooth pick instead. After all we are just mixing here it's really doesn't matter what you use to mix the polish so long as it gets mixed.

Then dip the sponge into the polish mixture.

It should look like this on your sponge.

Then apply polish mixture over 3/4 of the nail leaving the bottom portion of the nail bare.

Wait for it to dry. And this is very important because rushing will only gum up the works later on. Here's my secret for making dry times fly by. Music. That's right the key to avoiding watching the clock is music. I'm a huge music buff and will listen to literally anything except country music (I won't give on this one don't ask me to or it won't end well for anyone involved). To pass the time while I do my nails I like to put on some music it keeps me from being bored while I am not able to use my hands. So I'll give you my play list as I made this tutorial, but you can make your own playlist I'll never tell. It's the spirit of the play list that's important here. While I waited I listened to She's So Mean by Matchbox Twenty and Wide Awake by Katy Perry (About 8 minutes).

To make the second layer I used 5 drops of Laugh My Art Off, 2 drops of Easel-Y Entertained, and 1 drop of Easel Come, Easel Go. It should look like this.

Then mix it with your dotting tool.

Apply with the makeup sponge as before. Cover top 1/2 of the nail with this polish mixture.

Wait for it to dry. Again give it the same amount of time to dry. Put on some tunes it makes the dry time go by faster. I listened to Blow Me (One Last Kiss) and Raise Your Glass both by P!nk.

Third coat of glitter is also a mixture. 5 drops of  Laugh My Art Off, and 5 drops of Easel-Y Entertained.

Then mix it together.

Apply with a sponge. Cover top 1/4 of the nail with this polish mixture.

Wait for it to dry. Again put some music on, Finger Paints makes great polishes but they dry at a snails pace so at least enjoy yourself as it takes it's sweet time to dry. This round I listened to This Is What Rock N Roll Looks Like, and Naughty, Naughty both by Porcelain Black.

Forth coat of polish. This one is not a mixture. Apply Art You Blue? to the narrow edge of your makeup sponge like this.

Then apply it only to the very tip of the nail.

Wait for it to dry. You're listening to some tunes by now right? You should be, I am. I'm listening to Alive by Atrium and Broken Music by A Kiss Could Be Deadly.

Clean up the cuticles.

Apply a micro holographic polish over whole nail (China Glaze Fairy Dust). 

Again wait for it to dry. This will take the longest to dry. Sorry guys but we have a lot of polish on our nails at this point and if we rush now we will have smudges or a total polish mess that will look nothing like we want. I listened to Shut Up And Let Me Go by The Ting Tings, The Best Damn Thing by Avril Lavigne, and Tainted Love by Marilyn Manson (Not a Manson fan try the original by Soft Cell). Added an extra song here because with this much polish it needs longer to set up.

Apply a top coat. Don't forget to get the free edge. And if you waited an appropriate amount of time for the past layers to dry the top coat should set fairly quickly for you. I don't know if I've mentioned this before but it's also a good idea to put some cuticle oil on after your nails are one, to re-hydrate the skin around your nails. And a picture of the finished product.

And there you have it a blue glitter gradient. You can try this with any polish or shades of polish you want. I hope you feel like you can try this now. If there is any gradients that I have done or that someone else has done that you would like to see a tutorial on leave me a comment below and let me know (plus a link to the picture you want me to duplicate). Also I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and the play list that inadvertently got tangled up in it. And as always stay classy and stay polished.

Longer Lasting Manicures

Since my new job didn't work out so well I decided to console myself with a new way to polish my nails. Because polishing my nails brings me joy and I kinda need that right now. But enough of my boring personal crap, on with the new mani. So as a blogger it's important to keep up with what other bloggers are doing. So I was over at The Small Things Blog and noticed that she had a post called I Broke The Rules. In the post she shows you how to make a manicure last way longer using the Activator from the Nutra Nail Gel Perfect nail kit. So I thought, I needed to try it and report back. And since I have a Nutra Nail Gel Perfect kit already I was already half way there. I decided to use a different base and top coat than she used but here's  how it fared after 4 days, four showers, four shampoos, and four homemade dinners.

In case you are wondering that's China Glaze Black Diamond and China Glaze Tinsel Town on my nails.

Want to know how I did it? Of course you do. Here's what I used and how I made my mani last four whole days.

You will need Nutra Nail Activator, a top coat, a base coat, and a polish of your choice. Since I just got Mermaids Tears and was dying to try it out that's what I used. 

First you will need to start out with clean dry nails. Cuticles pushed back and nails filed. 

 Next apply a coat of the Nutra Nail Activator (don't forget the free edge) and let it dry completely. It may not be perfectly flat but that's okay because after a base coat and polish it will smooth right out and you won't notice any ridges or bumps.

Apply a base coat and don't forget the free edge. Then let it dry as usual.

Apply two coats of nail polish and let dry. Then add a top coat making sure to get the free edge. And because I totally spaced a picture post-polish but pre-top coat here's a pic of my nails after top coat. 

Then if you are like me and want some kind of pattern you can add a stamped pattern (I used Shany plate SH18). Or you could do a sparkly glitter covered accent nail. Maybe a coat or two of China Glaze Lux and Lush on the ring finger or something. For me though I felt like stamping because I haven't done it in a while. And by a while I mean well over a month and my nails missed having patterns on them. 

It was while I was waiting for my nails to dry that I noticed something interesting about the Nutra Nail Activator. The smell of the Activator reminded me of a product I already had. So as I was drying my nails I decided to figure out where I knew that smell from. Turns out it was my nail glue. They had the exact same smell. The reason why the two smell exactly alike, is because they are exactly alike. Activator is glue, glue is Activator.

Here's the ingredients for the Nutra Nail Activator. Taken right from the side of the box. 

 And here is the ingredients for my Nail Bliss Pro Brush-On Nail Glue.

See all the same stuff in each bottle. So essentially the Activator is really just nail glue.

So you could easily use a coat of brush on nail glue in place of activator and get the same effects. 

So you decide. Buy the Nutra Nail Activator in the Gel perfect kit ($11.99 -13.99 depending on where you buy it) or if you are only interested in the Activator buy the Nail Bliss Pro Brush-On Glue (I got mine on sale at Sally Beauty for $1.99) or any other brand of nail glue with the same  ingredients and bam 4 day manicure. Either way you have a manicure that will last for several days, plus you can use any color you already have. Just remember that you will need 100% acetone to remove the polish because both the glue and the Activator are pretty tough stuff. Has anyone else tried this method? Do you like it? Leave me a comment below and let me know how it worked for you after you've tried it. And as always stay classy and stay polished. XOXO

            

Nail Polish Jewelry, Mermaids Tears and a New Job. Oh, My!

Yeah, okay I know the title is cheesy but I'm pretty excited that I got a new job after being unemployed for so long. I start next Tuesday and it's a life changing kind of job...let's just say that I have never made as much as I will be making vary soon and I couldn't be happier about it. So don't be surprised if there are more nail polish hauls in future posts. And in celebration of getting hired to my new job I bought a little celebration gift for myself on Ebay. A certain OPI Polish called Mermaids Tears that I have been wanting for quite some time. It should come next week, so I'm sure there will be a post about that when it gets here. I have also been meddling in nail polish jewelry. I bought some cabochons and have been playing with making some nail polish jewelry. I still have to buy the settings and what not but right now they are just pretty stones. Want to see? I thought that might be the case. Here's what I have been up to.

All of them so far

 1/2 the collection

Second half of the collection

 Closeup #1. I love the black and red one 

Closeup #2. I am in love with the orange glitter one. 

Closeup #3. The red and gold one is so much prettier in real life

Closeup #4. I love the ones with flakie polish and of course the one with stars

So that's what I have been up to this week. Playing with polish figuring out which colors work for making jewelry and which ones don't. I can also see a lot of nail art related possibilities as far as designs for future pieces that will be made into jewelry. Especially after how the stone with the stars turned out...that one will definitely end up as a ring in the future. I used a lot of different colors and brands if you ladies want to know which polish was used on a specific stone leave me a comment below with at least a vague idea of which stone you are talking about and I will tell you what I used. And who knows some day they may end up for sale or something or as a giveaway or whatever. Which of the stones do you guys like the best? I think the glitters are my favorites they will make nice rings. Any way that's all I have for my post today. As always stay classy and stay polished. XOXO

Quick 4th of July Manicure

I just wanted to quickly upload a picture of my 4th of July mani. It's a taping mani in red and blue glitter. I had to redo the red nails 3 times and I am still not happy with how the stripes turned out...probably something I will have to practice more on...I never was good at drawing a straight line. Crooked lines are so much more interesting anyway. Or at least that's what I tell myself so I feel better about my inability to paint straight lines. XD

I used China Glaze Ruby Slippers, White on White, and Dorthy Who?

Buy them here: China Glaze Nail Lacquer

Happy 4th of July everyone. Have a safe and fun holiday. What do you ladies have on your nails for Independence Day? Let me know in comments below. As always stay classy and stay polished. XOXO

Mini Sally Beauty Supply Haul

This is going to be a short little post for today. I had a Sally Beauty Supply gift card that I got for graduation and a coupon for 15% off so I decided to go pick up some new polish. I was so excited to see that they had received the newest China Glaze collection "On Safari" and decided to pick a couple of them up. Not as many as I thought I wanted...that's a long(ish) story...I wanted several of them...until I saw them in person. For example I really wanted Jungle Queen but once I saw it in person I was like "meh..." it looked really bad next to my pale skin but if you are not among the tan-challenged (I'm white as a ghost over here) it might look better on you.  But I did pick up three from that line.

Here's a pic of my mini haul

From Left to Right: Orly Spazmatic, (Next 3 all China Glaze) Man Hunt, Kalahari Kiss, Desert Sun and Diamond Dry Top Coat.

I wouldn't mind getting the two glitters from the "On Safari" line (maybe if they end up on clearance) but at full price they look way to similar to the glitters I already own...and I own a lot of glitter polish. I think my inner Valkyrie is showing (You have to read Kresley Cole to get that). I also picked up a Diamond Dry top coat as it was free with purchase of any two China Glaze nail polishes. Then I decided that I also had to have this Orly Polish it's called Spazmatic and it is the prettiest teal hexagonal glitter. I think I'm in love with this glitter. The best part of this haul is that after my coupon and my $15 gift card it only cost me $2.99. How awesome is that?

Do you ladies want swatches? Let me know with comments below. As always, stay classy and stay polished. XOXO