Festive Fall Leaves

As mentioned on facebook, this week I will be sharing some festive fall manicures. Today I am sharing an easy manicure featuring my favorite characteristic of autumn, colorful leaves!

This quick, easy nail art has a gilded, flakie accent nail and another of abstract leaf shapes. These shorties got many compliments when I wore this manicure about a month ago. It was a fun way to dress up a metallic manicure for fall.

Polishes Used: Sally Hansen Gilty Party, Zoya nail polish in Maria Luisa, Channing, Chita, and Dhara.

SO Much Fawn at the Gilty Party

First, thank you for your patience and understanding over the past month. I have been frantically getting ready for the first day of school and have had little time, if any, to blog. Also, I appreciate the emails and encouraging messages that many of you sent to me. You are truly the most amazing people ever!

Today is the first day of school and to reign in the school year I have an autumn manicure for you. I am sorry that I do not have exciting nail art, but this is lovely all the same.

I love the metallic pairing with a soft, earthy mauve. It's so beautiful and feminine and is flattering against any skin tone. Metallics are perfection for autumn in my opinion.

Polishes used: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure So Much Fawn and Gilty Party

Black and Blue Sea Manicure?

I have spent the greater portion of the past two weeks at the beach. The rest of the time was spent unpacking after the move. Moving took its toll on my lovely hands and nails. My nails ended up uber short, my hands dry and scraped up. In lieu of my recovering hands and nails, which are nearly recovered yet still make occasional appearances on instagram, I will share a picture taken this spring...

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Please Sea Me and Black and Blue looked like a match made in heaven when their bulbous bottles stood next to one another. I chose to use Black and Blue as a tone-on-tone accent nail. I think this paired well together, however I think it is more fitting for a late summer/early autumn manicure. It would also look fabulous the opposite way.

What do you think?

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Sally Hansen CSM--Please Sea Me

Press Samples

Sea, ocean, sand, beach...all things that remind me of summer. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Please Sea Me is no exception. This cheerful polish, is definitely sand and sea worthy. It also is one of those colors that you can probably get away wearing year round.

Please Sea Me is a medium turquoise cream polish. The picture above shows two smooth coats  without a top coat.

The Verdict:

The formula, brush, and pigmentation of this polish are perfection. This is my favorite medium turquoise cream for the aforementioned reasons. That being said, this polish is not that unique. Many nail polish connoisseurs probably have a shade of polish similar to this already in their stash. But if you are unhappy with it in any way, this polish is perfection. 

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes can be found at many pharmacies and groceries and retails for about $8.00.

Sally Hansen CSM--Get Juiced

Press Samples

Many of you are well aware of my obsession with the color coral. I adore coral and have waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many coral polishes. To add another delightful coral to the mix, meet Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Get Juiced.

Get Juiced is a crelly coral. The above swatch is three coats with no topcoat. 

The Verdict:

This was a delight to work with. The formula was so smooth and the brush applied it so flawlessly. The crelly (jelly/cream) finish gives the polish just enough dimension while making it look delicious and juicy. I really enjoy this coral. I will have to see if I have any of my other polishes are the same hue. 

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes can be found at many pharmacies and groceries and retails for about $8.00.

Sally Hansen CSM--Black and Blue

Press Samples

I don't know about you, but I am the clumsiest person around. I am constantly walking into things and tripping. (This might have to do with working in a school.) So naturally when I read the name of this lovely nail polish I laughed. All I could think of was a bruise. I sincerely hope that a bruise is not the inspiration for this nail polish color. But the name does fit.

Black and Blue is a shimmering, metallic, dark turquoise duochrome. The swatches shown show two coats and no topcoat.

The Verdict:

The application was smooth and it left nearly no streaks. I think this is beautiful. The polish is mainly a deep turquoise but shifts from navy to purple. I think this will be used a lot this autumn, but I can also see how this could possibly transcend all seasons. I'm already trying to decide how I will wear it next. Maybe as an accent nail or while layering...

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes can be found at many pharmacies and groceries and retails for about $8.00.

A Coppery Gilt Manicure

When I initially opened these neatly wrapped bottles, from Sally Hansen, I could not help but think of pretty pairings. This was one that just seemed natural:

Polishes used: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Gilty Party (base) with Copper Penny (glitter) accent nail.

Sally Hansen CSM--Gilty Party

Press Samples

Another Sally Hansen metallic, this time from their Complete Salon Manicure line. Meet, Gilty Party...

 Gilty Party is a neutral metallic (somewhere between silver and gold) packed with coppery flecks. The pictures show two coats without a topcoat.

The Verdict:
This was easy to apply. I usually don't like large/wide brushes due to my petite nail beds  but the Complete Salon Manicure brushes are not too large or flat or curved on the tip. They made application quite easy. Gilty  Party was quite lovely to work with (& nearly brush stroke free!). The color was pretty and I cannot wait to wear it again:)

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes can be found at many pharmacies and groceries and retails for about $8.00.

Sally Hansen CSM--Copper Penny

Press Samples

Another Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polish! This time a glitter!

Copper Penny is exactly what you think it should be, a polish full of round copper colored glitter. The above picture shows three coats.

The Verdict:
This polish is not quite dense enough to be "full coverage." With three coats there were still some naked patches. The clear base was very thick so I didn't attempt a fourth coat. This is more of a layering polish. I think this would be fabulous as a copper glitter gradient. 

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes can be found at many pharmacies and groceries and retails for about $8.00.

Sally Hansen CSM--So Much Fawn

Press Samples

Spring is blossoming here in Pennsylvania. The trees are laden with buds and sweet smelling flowers. It is only natural that I should want to reflect this beauty in my nails. Many people are sharing flower inspired manicures. Currently, I'm quite partial to floral inspired shades. One such shade is Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in So Much Fawn. 

So Much Fawn is a dusty rose pink. It is versatile and could be considered a neutral or nude for some, depending on skintone. The swatches above show 2 coats, no top coat, of this smooth cream.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure boasts of "7 benefits in one bottle." The seven benefits include "base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, salon-inspired color, top coat, chip-resistance and a gel finish." They promise salon-like results. And feature "the unique precision brush for a flawless finish and patented Vita Care technology for advanced 10 day wear."

The Verdict:
I'm loving soft romantic mauves this spring and So Much Fawn fits the bill! With its rose base and earthy undertones it just feels perfect for spring. This polish is beautiful and not at all "old" like some mauves. The formula, coverage, brush, and pigmentation were flawless. If you are in search of a new spring nearly-neutral this might just be what you've been looking for!

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes can be found at many pharmacies and groceries and retails for about $8.00.

Sally Hansen Parchment Redeems Itself

Last week I posted about Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Parchment.  I you read my post, you can see that the results were less than desirable.  This week I was in full procrastination mode.  I did not want to work on my research proposal for grad school, so instead I played with nail polish:)

I decided to give Parchment another try before I tried to give it away.  I put 2 thin coats on, and it looked a million times better than it did the first time I wore it.  Then after a few hours admiring how much better it looked, I decided to have some fun & layer a bit of glittery goodness over it.

You all know about my love/hate relationship with glitter, but this one was an overall love.

The glitter on top of Parchment is Barielle Purple Hearts which is part of their new Dazzling Diamonds Collection.

What do you think?

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Parchment

So I mentioned that I purchased this polish with L'Oreal Sweet Nothings, which I loved.  I bought Parchment because it LOOKED like an off-white polish with a soft, subtle shimmer.  Well, that's not what I got.  This is what I ended up with after 1 bubbly coat...

The Verdict:

I wanted to LOVE this polish.  I was excited to see this in their spring 2012 collection (Alexander Wang collection) but I ended up kind of indifferent.  I was frustrated that it bubbled, but in all honesty I know that if I'm going to have bubbly polish it's going to be in the heat of the summer, which it was.    I was disappointed that it was rather frosty.  BUT later I added 2 more coats and it looked like creamy frosting.  It was much prettier with more coats.  If I wear it again I will definitely apply 3 coats (& take another picture for you).  

I only own 2 Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polishes.  I also own Lagoon.  I think I need to try a cream one, both are frosty/shimmery.  I am not impressed with either.  I REALLY want to love them.  The very first nail polish I owned was a Sally Hansen polish, so they're near and dear to my heart.  Does any one have any suggestions of great Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes?  I really want to love them!

You can purchase Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes for about $8 at many pharmacies.