May Stash Additions

     This is going to be a short little post about my stash additions this past month. All but one of them where purchased on Amazon.com The other was a gift from a friend. I haven't bought that many because I just haven't been wowed by many polishes from the summer lines. I kind of meh, about what's left and of the lines that are coming up as well. Pretty sure I'll wait for sales or clearance if I pick up any others. But whatever...here are the couple of polishes I added to my stash this past month. 

Amazon.com:

OPI: Solitaire, Vesper, & Minnie Style

China Glaze: Of Coarse! & Bump & Grimd

Gift from my BFF Marcie:

OPI: Pussy Galore

     So as you can see I was a very good girl this month...I did buy some nail polish remover from Sally Beauty Supply (both Acetone and Pure Acetone) but the bottles are massive and I couldn't get a good picture...plus if you've seen one bottle of nail polish remover. You've seen them all. Anyway that's all I have for you guys today. Until next time, stay classy and stay polished. 

XOXO

OPI Vesper

     Today, I have Vesper from OPI's Bond Girls collection to show you guys. Vesper is a deep dark purple liquid sand polish....in fact it's so dark purple that in some lights it looks almost black. And it's matte...yet glittery...And As you know I love dark glittery polish with all my Valkyrie heart. So with out further ado here's Vepser.

Swatches:

Indoor no flash. 

*Best color representation.

Indoor with flash. 

Outdoor in sunlight. 

Outdoor in shade. 

Closeups:

Indoor with out flash.

Outdoor in sunlight. 

     In all the pictures above I used 3 coats of Vesper and no top coat. Yeah so the formula on this one was not as great as the other two I have in this collection. It's pretty thin and dries pretty slow. And I'm a little annoyed that after three coats you can still see (in some lighting) a pale purple color that shows lack of pigmentation. But the wear time is the same and the color is very pretty...so it's a trade off. Over all I like it...but it's probably my least favorite of the collection that I have so far. Which is weird because it was the one I wanted the most. What do you ladies think? Have you had trouble with vesper's opacity like I did? Well that's all I have for you today. Until next time, stay classy, and stay polished.
XOXO

China Glaze Bump & Grind

     So it's been a while since my last post and I do apologize for that but I got the stomach flu...or food poisoning (not sure which) and I have been sick as a dog for the last four days. I'm starting to feel batter today...but I am nowhere near 100%. I'm as weak as a new born kitten and my stomach is just that side of pissed off at me. But I figured I would do a post anyway so you guys didn't think I forgot about all my lovely Valkyrie followers. So today I have Bump & Grind from China Glaze Texture collection to show you guys. Bump & Grind is a medium hot pink textured matte finish polish.

Swatches:

Indoor with flash. 

Indoor no flash. 

Outdoor in sunlight. 

Outdoor in shade. 

Closeups:

Indoor with flash. 

Outdoor in sunlight. 

      In all pictures above I used two coats of Bump & Grind and no top coat. The formula applied easily and dried quickly. And over all I really like this polish. It is way more textured than the Liquid Sand OPI polishes though. If fact it reminds me more of Nerds Bumpy Jelly Beans more than sand or gravel. It's like having candy on my fingertips...and I kind of like it. But a free warning if you don't like the texture of the liquid  sands you will not like this polish either. Because if Liquid Sand was too textured for you than this one is going to make you a very unhappy camper. This one is probably 2x bumpier (more textured) than any of the Liquid Sands I own...And I own quite a few of them. I also have to say that I freaking love this color. It's not like anything else I own and I just adore it. It's so bright and summery. Bump & Grind will be on my toes a lot this summer I think. The only down side is that the wear isn't as great for China Glaze Texture polishes as it is for Liquid Sands...so it's kind of a trade off. But it's not a huge deal to me because I change my polish all the time anyway. Well that's all I have for you guys today. Until next time, stay classy, and stay polished.
XOXO

Seth Monster Manicure

      Today I have a manicure that is based on my fluff monster Seth's grumpy cuteness. My cat Seth is 14 1/2 years old. He's half Siamese and half Tabby...but he has way more Siamese traits than Tabby traits (hear this as he is mouthy, loud, and grumpy). I adopted my little fluff man when he was 8 weeks old (he was a rescue) and his grumpy butt has been with me ever since. And like all cat owners I have given him many pseudo names as well: Mr. Fluff, Fluff Monster, Fluff Man, Mr. Fur, Turd Ferguson, Grumpy, Grumpy Bear, Seth Monster, Fur Monster, Mr. Fluffy Pants, Sir Seth of Fluffy Bottom (yes, I knighted him stop laughing), Boo-Boo Bear, Boo-Boo, and Mr. Velvet P.J.'s (when he get's his summer haircut...which is hilarious BTW). In case you haven't figured it out by now, I love my little fluff man. So I decided that I wanted to do a manicure based on him. So here is my fluffy and the mani based on him.

My Fluffy Monster (obligatory cat picture spam):

The manicure:

Indoor no flash. 

Indoor with flash. 

What I Used:

China Glaze - Liquid Leather

China Glaze - White On White

China Glaze - Kalahari Kiss

China Glaze - Desert Sun

China Glaze - Bahamian Escape

China Glaze - Kinetic Candy

China Glaze - Man Hunt

China Glaze - Foie Gras

OPI - Don’t Pretzel My Buttons

OPI - Can't Find My Czechbook

     I used a few different methods to create this look. I made my own decals (for the nose, and the eyes), sponged a gradient, and lastly freehand painting. Over all I like how it turned out but it was not what I had envisioned as the outcome. Mostly because I am total crap at drawing/painting eyes. I always have been. Much to the chagrin of all my high school art teachers. I can't even imagine how the eyes would have turned out had they not been decals...pretty sure this mani would not have be posted (if not for homemade decals). Pretty sure the preliminary sketch template saved the eyes...even if they look all weird. I do really like the nose though. My fluffy man has the cutest little nose freckles and I am so glad those came out nicely. What do you guys think. Do you like it? Anyway that's all I have for you today. Until next time, stay classy and stay polished. 

XOXO

OPI Pussy Galore

      Today, I have Pussy Galore from OPI's Bond Girls collection to show you guys. Like I stated when I swatched some of the polishes from the Skyfall collection I'm not a James Bond (007) fan. I happen to prefer my acts of senseless fictional violence to be in horror films (And preferably perpetrated by some form of lurking monster, mutant, zombie, serial killer, ghost, alien, and/or demon. As nature intended.) over random super villain(ish) action films. But hey different strokes and all that. So you know I didn't want this polish because of some attachment to the films. I wanted this polish because it is so pretty. And my best friend Marcie picked it up for me (cuz she's awesome like that), so now I can wear and share this pretty polish with you guys. Pussy Galore is a pale, baby pink, pearly nail polish with a liquid sand finish, but enough of my blathering. Here's Pussy Galore (*shakes head* There really is no way to say the name of this polish that doesn't sound filthy. lol).

Swatches:

Indoor no flash. 

Indoor with flash. 

Outdoor in sunlight. 

*Best color representation. 

Outdoor in shade. 

Closeups:

Outdoor in sunlight.

Indoor no flash. 

     For all pictures above I used two coats of Pussy Galore and no topcoat. It applied easily and dried fairly quickly. I really love this polish. It's so pretty. Then there is the added factor of wear time. I love the liquid sand nail polishes because they last so long. I can literally wear a liquid sand polish for about a week before it chips. And my standards are pretty high for that sort of thing. I'm a one chip and I have to re-polish my nails kind of girl.  But the liquid sands last through multiple showers/shampoos. So yeah the name on this polish is a little naughty (okay a lot naughty), but the polish itself is lovely. If the name bothers you...you seriously need to find a way to get over it, because this polish is a must have. What do you guys think? Are you loving liquid sand or not? I know I am. Well that's all I have for you today. Until next time, stay classy, and stay polished.
XOXO

Mothers Day Water Marble Manicure

     Those of you that know me, know that I am not a mom (unless you count fur kids) and my mom passed away when I was a kid. So, I don't have a reason to celebrate Mother's Day. But this year I decided to do a Mother's Day manicure anyway. Free warning this will be a sappy, sentimental post because I am dedicating this manicure to my mom's memory. If you are not down for that sort of thing abandon post here. I'll wait....(*wonders off for a few minutes then comes back*) Still here? Good I will proceed. Basically I decided that even thought my mother isn't here anymore, it doesn't mean I am not eternally grateful that she was my mother. I feel lucky that I had such an amazing mom for what little time I had her. She was the most amazing woman in the world and everything good about me came from her.

This is my mom:

Her favorite color was green. Her favorite flowers were lilacs. She was an animal lover (all kinds of animals). She loved Mexican food. She loved her children and grand children more than anything in this world. And she loved to plant, nurture and tend her garden (vegetable and flower)....which is seriously a trait I wish I had inherited from her...My apartment is where plants go to die. It's ridiculous really. I'm a vegetarian who can't keep a plant alive. How's that for a contradiction? But I digress. The general thesis is that my mother was an amazing, caring woman who I love very much. And this manicure is for her. Happy Mother's Day Mom. I only hope that some day I will be half as good a mom to my children as you were to yours. 

Pictures:

Indoor no flash. 

Indoor with flash. 

What I Used:

China Glaze - Tart-Y For The party

China Glaze - White On White

China Glaze - Gaga For Green

China Glaze - Holly-Day

A song that always reminds me of my mom:

Jimmy Eat World - Here You Me

♫“And If you were with me tonight. I’d sing for you just one more time. A song for a heart so big, God wouldn't let it live.”♫

      I decided because my mother loved plants and flowers that this mani should reflect that. Plus, I wanted to use her favorite color and her favorite flower. Then I decided I would do a water marble because I haven't done one in a while. My accent nail is a purple/white lilac like flower and the rest are supposed to be the little leaves of the lilac bush. I think in true mom fashion she would have liked anything I did for her. When she was alive I could have brought her a cotton ball with a twig glued to it and she would have acted like it was a piece of world class art, so I'm pretty sure she would love this. Anyway, I hope all the moms out there have a happy Mother's Day. Anyway, that's all I have for today. Until next time, stay classy and stay polished. 

XOXO

Iron Man(Icure)

    So tonight, I am going with to see Iron Man 3 and I am so excited that I had to do a mani. I freaking love Iron Man (he's one of my favorite Marvel Good guys. Not thee favorite but he's up there). I mean seriously he's snarky, sarcastic, has a penchant for getting in way over his head, and has lots of cool toys. Plus how can you not like Robert Downey Jr as the title roll. The man is perfect for the roll....could they have written a roll any better for him...I think not. Anyway, enough blathering on from me here's my Iron Man(icure). See what  I did there?

Left Hand:

Right Hand:

Glowing Elements:

Left thumb. Energy Source. 

Middle finger right hand. Energy blaster. 

Iron man mask 

What I Used:

OPI - Danke-Shiny Red

Color Club - winter Affair

China Glaze - Liquid Leather

China Glaze - White On white

China Glaze - Dandy Lyin’ Around

China Glaze - Ghoulish Glow

Striping Tape

The Trailer (in case you have been living under a rock and haven't seen it yet): 

And The Song (Because You shouldn't have to choose):

     Okay, so this mat be the single most thought out, and longest mani I have ever done. I designed it yesterday and applied it today. Total hours spent working on this (from conception to fruition) 10 hours. Also...let's just say that in test faze there were a lot of rejected designs, and I tried 5 different versions of the mask before deciding to split in up and have half on each of two nails. I used free hand, striping tape, and self made decals to create this manicure. And please, oh please, do not ask for a tutorial on this. I don't know if I have the patience to do this again (even though I love how it turned out)...even if it's for a tutorial. Anyway, are you guys going to see the movie or have you already? I'm super excited. I can't wait to see the shenanigans that Tony gets into this time. That's all I have for you guys today. Until next time, stay classy, and stay polished. 

XOXO

China Glaze OMG A UFO

     Today I have another polish from China Glaze's Hologlam collection to show you guys. I am going to show you OMG A UFO. OMG A UFO is a light olive green holographic polish that has hints of yellow and darker green. And yes there is a PIM video as well. That's why this post is up so late. Video editing takes me a while.

Swatches:

Indoor with flash. 

Indoor with flash at an angle.

Indoor no flash. 

Indoor no flash at an angle.

Outdoor in sunlight. 

*Best color representation. 

Outdoor in sunlight at an angle

Outdoor in shade. 

Closeup:

Outdoor in sunlight. 

PIM:

     For the pictures and video above I use two coats of OMG A UFO and layer of top coat. This polish like all of them in the line are of a finicky nature but I think they are well worth the effort. I have to say that I really like this polish...and that's saying something because normally me and green nail polish don't get on well. Hear this as, when I wear green I get asked if I am sick a lot (White girl problems). But I rather like this mossy shade of green. What do you ladies think? Is OMG A UFO a hit or a miss? Well that's all I have for you guys today. Until next time, stay classy, and stay polished.
XOXO