Nail Art Wednesday: Autumn Elegance with Essence Gorgeous Bling Bling

I never quite understood when people say that a certain shade of nail polish is something they wouldn't wear alone. Sure, I understand that there are people who need to sport nail art as an expression of their creative freedom. Or simply because it's a whole bunch of fun. What I didn't get was how a certain color can be labeled okay with nail art but not without. It wasn't until I met Essence Gorgeous Bling Bling (quite possibly one of the more ridiculous nail polish names ever) that I finally got it.

We met at a local Shoppers Drug Mart not too long ago and I was excited to see it. I knew it would be a unique color in my collection but more than that, it screamed fall to me. It brought to mind pumpkin spice lattes, huge leaf piles and pumpkin pie. I've had great experience with Essence polishes so I knew it had to come home with me. But the moment I put it on, it was just...gah. I wasn't even sure if I liked it. Now, don't get me wrong, it's a pretty color, just not on me. In an effort to salvage the mani, I took to my stamping plates and finally did what I planned to in one of my twin posts with Stephanie from last August (if not for Mr. J's interference):

Surprisingly elegant autumn-inspired nails!

Nail Art Wednesday: Playing with Born Pretty Store Silver Holographic Rhombus Loose Glitter

Some time ago, I won a giveaway at Chit Chat Nails and managed to snag some of these fantastic loose glitters from the Born Pretty Store. I grabbed a couple of the usual hexagon shaped ones (and you've seen the gold one in action in my effervescent nails here) but just couldn't resist the pull of these holographic gold and silver rhombus shaped glitter. They came in a set of one each and were surprisingly cheaper than the hexagonal ones. I can't pass up a great deal either so they made their way into my checkout basket. Now, I've been waiting for the temperatures to drop a bit so I can finally wear my darker shades. When it finally did, I happily pulled out OPI DS Extravagance (I luckily have two bottles, both gifts from two of favorite nail buddies, Marisa from Polish Obsession, and Mary from Swatch and Learn) and knew exactly what would be perfect to jazz it up some:

Not that it needed more bling.

Nail Art Wednesday: Mountain Dew, Effervescence and Loose Glitter

Nail art is usually a spontaneous event for me. I rarely think too hard about it because I have a bad knack for over-thinking to the point of paralysis. That holds especially true for when I'm coming up with my own take on various designs. I prefer the easiest methodology with the best results. The bad thing about this is that it's a very hit or miss sort of process. But the good thing is that in the event of a miss, it's perfectly okay. It's not like you spent the better part of the day doing it anyway, so a do over is perfectly acceptable. But sometimes, ambivalence kicks in and I can't quite make out how exactly I feel about a certain design. Today's featured nail art fits that to a T. Mr. J speculates that this particular design might have come about through subliminal messages I might have gotten from The Big Bang Theory marathon we did over the long weekend and the one-too-many cappuccinos I had (against my better judgement). Either way, I was eager to play with the loose glitter I got from the Born Pretty Store that I had won from a contest over at Chit Chat Nails (thanks again, Marta!!). Here's the result of all those factors combined:

A certain pop + frothy bubbles = this.

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream

My earliest memory of mermaids have had to do with a certain red-haired, half-fish girl who had an adorable blue and yellow fish friend, and sang of whatsits and gizmos aplenty. So when I heard about a nail polish called 'mermaid's dream', it had me thinking: what do mermaids dream about? Do they dream of causing shipwrecks and sending sailors to their watery deaths? Maybe of songs to sing to lure the unsuspecting? Or maybe they dreamt like Disney says they did, of walking on land and learning about fire. Seeing as there are no documented living mermaids, there's no one to ask. Famed celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann dreamed up her own version of mermaid dreams and it looks like the sand in the shallow waters of a green-blue sea:

Perhaps mermaids don't dream in technicolor, they do one better: in sparkles!

The Hunger Games and China Glaze Capitol Colors: The Obscure featuring Electrify, Harvest Moon, and Foie Gras

As of this writing, I still haven't seen the movie, though by the time this post goes live, I would have so it's hard to gauge at this point how Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen will measure up to the one my imagination conjured. I have heard lots of glowing reviews so I might have set the bar all the more higher before watching it. We'll see. At any rate, let's continue on with the third part of our Hunger Games and China Glaze Capitol Colors series. Out of the four, this installment will be the hardest to expound on. Simply because it is exactly what it is: Obscure. I suppose with 12 districts to play with, add to that the Capitol and District 13, it was probably difficult for Suzanne Collins to make sure all the districts were well represented. These three fell to the wayside but the colors that represent them still manage to make them shine:

Glitter, foil and creme. Not a trio to sneer at!

Guest Post at Chit Chat Nails: Mermaid/Ocean Inspired Nails

So this is why we moved Nail Art Wednesday to Nail Art Friday, and what a way to end the week, if I say so myself. In case you're not of a habit of reading post titles or just really tired with a low attention span and wanting the weekend already (yeah, let's skip Friday, why not?), today's post is a tutorial of how I did the Mermaid/Ocean inspired nails that we're showing off in a guest post over at Chit Chat Nails. To be fair, I think Hammie did a marvelous job so do please check out what he had to say over at Marta's. But I certainly felt left out that I didn't get to go visit with him so I ended doing a how-to to compensate. If you're here from Marta's blog, thanks for stopping by and we hope you like what you see. On with the design recreation that was Hammie's vision of the ocean on nails:

As seen using his handy dandy hamster powered submarine.

Nail Art Wednesday: Shattered Hearts Nails

Not everyone is a fan of Valentine's Day. For some of my friends, they've long dubbed the day as S.A.D.: Singles Awareness Day. For others, it's just a highly commercialized holiday that brings enough money to florists and chocolatiers to last them the whole year long. (Have you seen how much prices of flowers and chocolate boxes are jacked up during February? It's ridiculous!) I wanted to do something other than the usual cheesy V-day mani, as well as use the black shatter polish I got from the China Glaze Haunting set. I was going for a "broken hearted" sort of theme but my optimistic streak ended up turning it into something edgy and fun instead:

"You shattered my heart(s) but I filled it with glitter!"

Nail Art Wednesday: Snowflakes Inspired Nails

I'm a big fan of snow. I love how the whiteness blankets everything and makes even the most horrible looking places look absolutely magical. I like the way it can look like thick frosting or at times, a light dusting of sugar icing. My favorite kind is the wet variety that clings to everything and sparkles like diamonds when the light shines on it a certain way. After so many winters, this island girl at heart is still enamored of the frozen white stuff. But do let me just get this straight. Snow = Yay but Cold, arctic winds = Boo. It's a good thing they don't usually come hand in hand although I find that here in the GTA, they kind of do. That certainly doesn't diminish my great fascination with it. (See, it even snows on the blog!) So it really doesn't come as a surprise that I'd eventually come up with nail art that's inspired by snow:

Snow-inspired sparkly tips!

Nail Art Wednesday: Red Jelly and Gold Glitter

Sometimes, especially when I'm pressed for time and can't change my polish, I like to jazz up what I already have on with glitter or flakie top coats. It's fast, easy and it looks like you put in a bit of effort even if you really didn't. It's also a great way to ease yourself into doing (and sporting!) nail art. While I had Sweet Tart on, I remembered the nails I had seen from a Sephora Holiday 2011 email (I'm weird like that. I find I notice people's nails even more since I've begun blogging.) so I decided to do my own take on it.

The idea.

The result.

China Glaze Ruby Pumps takes you away from holiday induced stress

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With 7 days left before the big 2-5, I'm fairly certain that tempers are fraying and the stress of the holidays might be getting to you. If not, I applaud your cool, calm composure (grace under fire!) or your unbelievable case of procrastination ("oh, I can still do it on the 24th"). Either way, I'm of the mind that when things get more than a little crazy, I wish I could either stop time for a bit to catch my breath or click my heels and transport myself to anywhere quiet. That last bit brings to mind one of the best know red jelly and glitter polishes of all-time (incidentally also perfect for your holiday mani):

That right there is the reason why it's so popular and timeless.

Butter London No More Waity Katie fuses girly glitter with a moody purple

Butter London polishes may not hail from London, but they still have the character to back the name up. Born from an actual nail salon in the US that branched out into creating their own product line, Butter London nail lacquers have won many a nailphile over with amazing formulas and highly coveted shades. Easily, I'm one of their newest fans. If you recall from this previous Truckload Tuesday post, I had three new lovelies join my collection. It was hard to decide which one to wear first but eventually the glitter won out.

No More Waity Katie: chic and edgy all at once.

Color Club Revvvolution = Happy Holo-ween!

Happy Holoween (or Holowe'en, whichever you prefer)! (Yes, Spelling and Grammar Nazi, I spelled it wrong and it's for good reason. Bear with me for a bit.) While I'm not exactly a huge fan of the holiday, I'll still be joining in on the festivities and handing out candy tonight. I'm really excited to see the little trick or treat-ers and what costumes they'll have on! Last year, we even got a two year old boy dressed as a pumpkin who was trick or treat-ing with his father. His dad would ring the bell for him and move to the side so that when the homeowner opens the door, he'll see only the cutie pie. Funny how we had some decor at the door and the poor kid was too spooked, he didn't want to go up to the door alone! So we're laying off any spooky decor this time in hopes we'll see him again this year. Hammie says he's got the perfect costume for the party he's going to (he didn't even invite us along, boo!) and he can't wait to wear it. He said he'd show it off at the end of the post; the suspense is killing me! But before you think about jumping to the end of the post, let's take a look at how Halloween become Holoween.

That's what a dark rainbow looks like.

L'Oreal Owl's Night

Ever since I randomly got an owl necklace from Suzy Shier (it was on sale for $5!) and got a lot of compliments on it, I've started to have a thing for owls. Well, not entirely. I still think that if I saw one on a dark, Halloween night, I would definitely run away panicked like a headless chicken, screaming my head off. Assuming of course that all I'd have seen are two huge, round, gleaming eyes.  And if I were to hear a loud "hoot! hoot! hoot!", that will almost make me pee in my pants. Almost.

While what I have for you today won't cause any panic attacks or screaming hysteria, this unique color might very well make you pee in your pants in excitement.

Excited yet?

China Glaze It's Alive

You know those little jelly cups that sometimes have bits of fruit inside them? I love those so much that I can finish a tub in one sitting. Almost (but not quite) as much as I love chocolate. I also prefer jelly instead of tapioca in my bubble tea. So it comes as no surprise that I have a thing for jelly finish nail polish. I used to be on a creme kick but once I put on a jelly, there was no turning back. It's easily one of my favorite finishes just because it looks so squishy and it's crazy shiny...really, what's not to like? But you know what's even better than a jelly? A jelly with glitter! Revlon Facets of Fuschia was such a hit that I knew I had to get more of these wonderful jelly glitters. So when I saw the 4pc China Glaze Haunting collection on sale at Sally Beauty, it was practically a no brainer. The star of the set?

China Glaze It's Alive in all it's jelly glitter awesomeness.

Nail Art Wednesday: Special Birthday Nails Part 1, Pastel Skittle Nails

In our family, October is known as the birthday month with birthday dinners every week. It's always a lot of fun, family getting together and all that. Since each celebrant usually picks a different restaurant, it's also a great way to try some place new to add to the rotation. (Or they do a party at home!)This year, we're having one more birthday to celebrate: my niece, Alena, who's turning one on the 8th!

I did a skittles manicure in honor of the birthday girl in fun bright colors. I then stamped animals from the Konad S10 stamping plate in silver and added a holographic glitter layering polish as the final touch.

What I used:

Thumb: In the Mood Devious (cold color)

Index: Nicole by OPI City-Pretty Rose

Middle: Orly Snowcone

Ring: Revlon Garden (from the Spring 2011 mini set)

Pinky: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Lemon Dash

Silver stamping polish: Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro in Pure Silver

Glitter polish: Sally Hansen New Lengths Ceramics in Silver Slightblade

More photos after the jump!

Revlon Facets of Fuschia

I'll be honest. I'm not a big fan of black nail polish. Sure, it's edgy and classic, like the LBD (that's "little black dress" if you've lived under a rock all this time) but it's just so...dark. I do like vampy colors that are dark, like navy or blood red, just not full on black. Call me biased but it could very well have been because my mom used to always say black nails reminded her of dead nails. Not a very flattering thought, really. Unless you're a zombie.

When I picked up Carbonite, I ended up getting one other polish that caught my eye. I think I might have found the one black polish that'll make me change my mind.

Very rock chic, no?

Revlon Carbonite

Whoever said "ignorance is bliss" clearly was ignorant. The first time I got my hands on a limited edition, hard to find nail polish, I didn't get it. Why? Because I didn't know it was so coveted and I was still sane enough then to think that the 6 bottles of polish I owned was already more than enough. I only realized my folly when I've gone down the rabbit hole of polish collecting. Gosh Holographic was the one that got away, all because of ignorance.

I've been following the trends and the limited release news since. When Chanel released Graphite, word came soon after of a Revlon dupe: Carbonite. While I wasn't inclined to drop $25 (or even more in CDN) for a single nail polish, I did want to get my hands on the more affordable option. I knew it would be a limited release and once it hit the shelves down south, it had all the US beauty bloggers talking about it. Since these products usually take at least a couple months to cross the border, anyone who knew anything about polish was anxiously waiting to see it on displays.

 Not this Carbonite...

Imagine my excitement when I saw a brand spankin' new Revlon display at my local Rexall with bottles and bottles of Carbonite! (Okay, more like four bottles. But it was a full display!) Now that I have my hands on this elusive find, is it worth all the hype?

...THIS Carbonite!

Quo by Orly Turquoise Moonlight

Bonus redemption weekend at Shoppers Drug Mart starts tomorrow! What do you have on your shopping list? I hope you have at least $10 worth of leeway as I have another polish to show you that needs a place in your polish collection: last post's cousin, Quo by Orly Turquoise Moonlight.

I picked this up same time as Celestial Star and I was telling myself that I could only get one. Polish costs tend to add up, you know? So I did the rest of my shopping, thinking I'd choose later but ended up with these two polishes still my basket when I got to the counter. I just couldn't pick one over the other! Luckily, Mr. J was with me and ended the silliness by telling me to just get both. Best decision ever!

Blue need this sparkle!