Tag: Fingernails
Obligatory Snow Manicure
I can’t let the season pass without making my nails a winter wonderland!
I pulled out one of my oldest polishes for the base – Urban Decay “Strip”. I can’t remember exactly when I got this polish, but it was probably 12+ years ago. It still had the price tag on it – I bought it at Nordstrom for $9.50. Remember when Nordstrom was the only place you could buy Urban Decay? Anyway, it’s a beautiful icy silver foil. I needed just one coat over Orly Bonder for full coverage. No one makes polishes like this anymore! I then dipped and dabbed Funky Fingers “Elsa” to get the snow flakes. (I gave up by the time I got the middle finger on my right hand – ain’t nobody got time fo dat!) I finished with “HK Girl”, but I still have a few snowflake edges sticking up – they got all caught in my hair when I was washing it this morning. I was even able to find a glass ball to match my nails. There really isn’t a sophisticated way to hold a huge ball, is there?
So, yeah – I have decade old+ polishes – anyone else? Please share so I don’t feel quite so bad about my nail polish hoarding…
Another Ugly Christmas Sweater
So basically, any polish combination with red and green, and/or glitter – looks like an ugly Christmas sweater to me.
This year’s ugly sweater combination is Sinful Colors “Cauldron Couture” over “Sugar Sugar”. (Technically, “Cauldron Couture” is a Halloween polish…but green and black glitter can also be Christmas-y?) On Sunday nights, I need something quick – Sinful Colors Base Coat, two coats of “Sugar Sugar”, one dabby coat of “Cauldron Couture”, a thick coat of “HK Girl” and bedtime.
“Sugar Sugar” is one of my favorite glittery reds. I didn’t remember, but I also used it for the base last year. DOH!
Lovecraft
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Kat Von D “Lovecraft”…or should I say that I couldn’t wait to get Kat Von D “Lovecraft” on my hands?
I wasn’t sure which base coat would work the best, so I threw the dice and picked Sinful Colors Base Coat – it was fine. The first coat was a bit patchy, but the second coat covered all of the bald spots and didn’t drag. “Lovecraft” is rather thick, but not goopy. The brush is so tiny, I had to use 2-3 brushfuls to cover each nail. I finished with “HK Girl” and did drag a tiny bald spot on the middle finger of my right hand. Curses!
I LOVE the way “Lovecraft” looks, but my husband said, “Meh.” What does he know about edgy neutrals, anyway? He also said that the lighting in the picture makes my mole look like a pimple. I wasn’t self-conscious about it until he said that. He is my biggest cheerleader.
I already had a mini of Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick “Lovecraft” from Sephora points, but it’s always good to have a backup.
“Lovecraft” is matte mauve pink nude – very matte. It’s not quite as drying as most of the matte lipsticks and lip creams I have tried. It has good staying power and a coat of clear balm late in the day revives the color. As you can see, the polish and lipstick match quite well.
Jewel Orchid
Yesterday, I was feeling rather…purple…so I chose Sonia Kashuk “Jewel Orchid” for my nails and toes. It reminds me of my husband’s bathroom orchids – the vibrant centers of yellow and white orchids.
After Orly Bonder, I did two coats of “Jewel Orchid”. It was smooth formula, but I was shocked that it was a bit streaky after two coats, but nothing too noticeable. I was surprised to find a few bubbles, but “HK Girl” smoothed it out.
Pay no mind to my raggedy ass cuticles. Winter is rough on my skin, er…not that it is really winter here in Texas. I need to push back my cuticles, but I know they will bleed. Ugh.
Windshield Frost
Even though it’s December, I haven’t seen any frost on my windshield. (Maybe because I live in Texas?) Although I hate scraping it on off, I love the patterns it makes. Julep “Elsa” looks exactly like those frosty patterns that make my mornings HELL.
“Elsa” – snowdrift iridescent stardust – is much thicker than Julep’s usual stardusts. It’s straight up SLUDGE. It was impossible to apply without entirely filling the edges of my nails – every crevice. I must have used a quarter of the bottle putting two coats on my nails (over Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat). Luckily, it dried quickly and scraped off easily enough. “Elsa” would look magnificent in an ombre with Julep “Tracy”!
So…I just got a new phone – with a better camera – and I’m playing around with new picture locations and angles. It seems to take more natural looking pictures in my bathroom, which I’m liking. I haven’t taken the selfie test though…THAT’S the real test.
Oh, Magdalene
Oh, Julep “Magadalene”…you are beautiful beyond compare.
Is there such a thing as “Whore Blue”? No? If there was, it would be Julep “Magdalene” – Blue curacao shimmer. If there was ever a color that was made for toes, it would be Julep “Magdalene”.
Again, I succeeded in applying two coats without bubbles, due to Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat. Likewise, no smudges, due to “HK Girl”. THIS COMBINATION WORKS.
Julep Melody
Roy G. Biv lasted SO long – it still looked good, but I wanted a change…
For some reason, I have a preponderance of purples in my unused stash, so I decided to try Julep “Julep” first. “Julep” is their signature color, received as a bonus in my September box. It’s a creme, but I wouldn’t call it a full creme – it’s thinner, almost a jelly. The formula was the best Julep creme I’ve tried. After Julep Oxygen Bonding Base Coat, I did two coats. Not a bubble ANYWHERE. I decided to jazz it up by adding Julep “Melody” – an iridescent, high gloss, glitter top coat – to my thumb and ring finger. It was a freebie in my November box. I finished up with “HK Girl”.
This is an odd polish – it seems like a pastel, but it’s deeper and very wintery. You might notice how short my nails are…I chopped them for my upcoming Black Friday fishing trip…that’s right – probably no Black Friday shopping for me – maybe I’ll be able to get a cell signal off the coast of Louisiana? Shocking, I know…but I have no appetite for those crowds. I know I’m a shopaholic – but those people are NUTS.
Roy G. Biv
Wow…just…WOW.
I am totally in lust with the Formula X Infinite Ombre Nail Design Set. It’s infinitely easy! You just start with “Platinum Prime” – silver anchor base – and layer the four included colors however you wish – “Boundless Berry”, “Infinite Indigo”, “Timeless Teal” and “Limitless Lemon”.
I started with Orly Bonder and one coat of “Platinum Prime”. Once dry, I started on my thumb with “Boundless Berry” and layered the colors in Roy G. Biv order. The polish is a sheer jelly, formulated to layer and blend. I managed to capture every color in the rainbow by layering the 4 colors. The finishing touch was “HK Girl” for extra shine.
Definitely not worth full price ($29.50), but I don’t regret spending about $11 on the set.
The Brown Mound
If you’ve known me a long, long time – you might remember the car I had in high school and college – a dookie colored 1978 Chevy Nova, covered in the requisite 90s grunge/fight the power/darwin fish bumper stickers. My dookie brown ride earned the nickname “The Brown Mound” from my friend, Chris. (But, um, at least I had a car…why did I always have to go pick your ass up?) In any case, China Glaze “Soft Sienna Silks” reminds me of the soft dookie brown of my old faithful Nova.
I received “Soft Sienna Silks” in this month’s ipsy bag. I love receiving polishes in my subscriptions – I wish I received more. I started with Orly Bonder, and then two thin coats of dookie brown goodness. This was a very slow drying polish – I managed to smudge several fingers before I could get the “HK Girl” on. Luckily, it is also very forgiving – I was able to smooth down the smudges on my thumb and pinky – they’re barely noticeable in the pic.
This is a perfect autumn polish – now if we would just get some perfect autumn weather…
It’s not Silver, It’s White
Sinful Colors “Just Glisten” is kind of unbelievable – the perfect winter neutral.
It looks silver, but it’s white. I thought only Julep did micro-glitter like this, but I was wrong. I thought it was a smooth holographic, but when I lightly touched the first coat, I was treated to a sandy texture. This is two coats on Sinful Colors Base Coat. I decided to live dangerously and top it with “HK Girl”. I ended up with the weirdest texture. It’s not sandy, but it’s not smooth. It almost feel like rubber?