Time Warp Challenge--Day 8

This is sadly the final day of the "Let's Do the Time Warp" Challenge.  I think this was my favorite challenge ever.  It was so much fun and everyone participating was so encouraging.  Thank you to all of you for making this so wonderful.  And a special THANK YOU to Lindsay from Neverland Nail Blog for hosting and creating this challenge.

Today's challenge is... 

Let's do the TIME WARP again!

This challenge was basically to recreate a manicure of another participant.  This was such a difficult challenge.  The manicures were all so amazing and well executed that I was intimidated to recreate any of them.  However, when I saw the manicure created for Day 4 (Lights, Camera, Action!) by The Polished Squirrel I new that this was the one I wanted to attempt.  Stephanie was inspired by the classic fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses.  Here is her incredible manicure & a bit of the story if you're unfamiliar with it.

The version I grew up with was slightly different from the one Stephanie recounts.  The book I remember is this one:

I always loved the story, but the illustrations in this particular book were to die for.  They were so stunning.  The story I remember is different from the one Stephanie told in that the soldier in her story was a gardener in the above tale AND in the one above the princesses were under a curse.  To solve the mystery, the gardener was given a magical golden flower to put into his lapel that made him invisible unlike the cloak of the soldier.  Due to these differences, I changed the manicure ever so slightly to include the flower instead of the cloak.  Below are the trees of the silver, gold, and diamond forests with the magical flower on my pinkie.

 I adore this manicure.  Thank you so much Stephanie from the Polished Squirrel for your inspiration and your beautiful manicure.  I could never do it justice!

Polishes used: SinfulColors Black on Black, Barielle Granite Glitter, Barielle Gold Digger, China Glaze Champagne Bubbles, NfuOh 61, Barielle Green Opal, OPI Stranger Tides, and marquis rhinestones

That's all.  Thank you to all of you for your wonderful comments and support throughout this challenge:)  Here's a quick recap: 

NOPI Turquoise Shatter Redo

Many of you remember this post where I shared my frustrations with the crackle/shatter/texture coat trend that took over last summer.  Well after the recent release of the OPI spotted top coat, I decided to give NOPI Turquoise Shatter another shot.

THIS looks so much better than my other previous attempts at this manicure.  I used Barielle Green Opal as the backdrop for NOPI Turquoise Shatter.  The color combination is mush better than my other attempts and it actually cracked pretty nicely.  I liked that it was matte, however this made it chip off much more easily and it did not look that great with a gloss topcoat.  While the glossy topcoat brought out the shimmer in the texture coat and it evened it out, it lost some of the contrast & looked a bit muddy.

I'm glad I gave this another shot, however I think I may be finding a new home for this with someone who loves & actually uses crackle/shatter/texture polishes:)

Irish/Gaelic Themed Nails

As many of you can see from my nail art, I have a LONG way to go:)  I have trouble coming up with new, classy nail art that I can wear.  My latest dilemma was seeing everyone's stunning St. Paddy's Day manicures & not having any great ideas of my own.  Worse yet, I don't own any true green polishes! I have a golden green (Barielle Green Opal), a teal (Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away), a seafoam green (Sinful Colors Open Seas), and a blue-toned sage green (Zoya Bevin) (AND Zoya Edyta, which I forgot about, now that would have been a lovely green to use!!!!!).

I gave it my best effort with what I had & came up with 2 lovely designs that I wore at different times this week:)  Take a peek:

I hope you enjoyed another attempt of wearable nail art from me:)  I know it's not the best, but I did my best with what I had.  Enjoy your weekend & don't forget to smile!

Barielle Gem Stone Earth Collection

Press Samples

The latest collection by Barielle is the Gem Stone Earth collection.  It is made up of 5 beautiful earthy hues.  This collection features creams, metallics, and even a touch of sparkle.  They are perfect for any season and overall are very versatile, neutral colors.

Let's take a look at these beauties...

Pink Quartz is described as "opaque baby pink." This cream finish polish is my perfect pink.  I have been searching for a creamy pink just like this.  Pink Quartz is not milky, streaky, or orangy which makes it that girly pink perfection.  This Barbie-esque pink was opaque in 2 thin coats.  Pink Quartz was the easiest of the bunch to apply.

Granite Glitter is said to be a "metallic silver marble." Although the name contains the word glitter, there is no noticeable glitter or flecks in this polish.  This smooth metallic polish was opaque in 2 thin coats.  The formula of this polish was thinner, but not runny.  Granite Glitter is the perfect cool grey with minimal brush stroke visibility.  It is smoky yet it has a glowing quality at the same time.

Amber Sparkler is called a "metallic bronze w/ silver swirl."  This frosty metallic is rightly called amber.  This color is beautiful and takes on an almost rose gold tone.  Initially I was worried that this would not be flattering against my skintone, and was I wrong or what!  Although this is my favorite color of the bunch, I do wish that it was not as frosted (with visible brush strokes).  I would LOVE to have this color as a foil or a glitter!  This was 2 coats.

Back to Nature is deliciously named a "creamy cappuccino."  It actually seems like a light terracotta nude to me. It looks a tad orangey against my uber pale skintone.  It was opaque in 2 coats and was not milky or streaky.

Green Opal is best defined as a "metallic olive marble."  This golden olive metallic is not as smooth (not as in texture, this one has somewhat larger metallic particles) or frosty as Granite Glitter or Amber Sparkler.  Green Opal actually contains extremely fine flecks which flash a multitude of colors from gold and green to blue and red.  This is the most stunning polish of this collection.  It's gorgeous & I could not get a picture that does this beauty justice.

The Verdict:
Although these aren't the most unique polishes in the wide world of polish, they are all great staples to have in your collection.  I love how wearable these shades are.  My favorites in this collection are Pink Quartz and Green Opal because I do not have any other colors like them.  Granite Glitter & Amber Sparkler were tricky for me to apply, but were still beautiful.  And Back to Nature was a touch too warm for my complexion.  I think it will be more flattering on me in the summer.

This collection can be found at the Barielle website and retails for $25.00.  You can also purchase the polishes individually for $8.00.

Disclosure: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration.  For more information please visit the tabs below the header.