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:)

Barielle Giveaway

Recently Barielle contacted me asking me if they could send me the products in their BFF Sweepstakes.  They said I could keep them or share them with you.  I chose to share.  Those of you whom follow me on facebook & twitter helped me pick out the colors to include for you.  The colors that were heard most often were chosen & were graciously sent to me for YOU!

I wanted to share these products with you because I LOVE them.  I enjoy them so much that they have become part of my manicure and pedicure routine.  If you'd like to see what I think about them check it out here.

Here's the deal, you have a couple ways to try to get your hands on some Barielle.  First you can enter this giveaway.  Second, you can go to Barielle's facebook page and enter the sweepstakes there.  If you win the sweepstakes you'll get to choose your favorite 3 Shades to be included in your prize.  Barielle has also said that they will have multiple winners for their BFF Sweepstakes.

Here are some close-ups of the goodies in this giveaway package sponsored by Barielle:

Nail Rebuilding Protein (base coat), Nail Strengthening Cream, and Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender (top coat) 

End of the Rainbow

Falling Star

Shannon's Attitude

Please read the rules within the rafflecopter widget and enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

This made me laugh.  I hope Miss Piggy can brighten your day too;)

Source: google.com via Kate on Pinterest

Mixing It Up, Again!

Hello, friends:)

Have you ever thought of the most beautiful color and then gone crazy trying to find it?  I feel like I have done exactly that.  I've been on the hunt for the palest teal leaning blue.  I've searched everywhere for this pretty shade, but everything is either too bright, grey, dark, teal, or blue.  So I thought I'd try my hand at mixing up my fantastical color.

Unfortunately I have not been able to create it.  My mixing led to a color that was perfect in the bottle but looked a lot like Zoya Kristen but a tad greener in the end.  The polish was still beautiful, just not what I had imagined.  Here is my nail polish concoction:

After much more searching, I have decided that Cult Nails Manipulative *might* be what I'm looking for, although in my head my mystery color is a paler version of Manipulative.  I guess I'll have to keep dreaming;)

What mysterious colors have you imagined but been unable to find?

Playing with Polish--Citrus Print Manicure

This season, beautiful citrus shades are everywhere.  I love citrus and have a soft spot for anything citrus.  It should be no surprise to you then that Stella McCartney's iconic citrus print from Spring/Summer 2011 caught my attention the first moment I saw it.

Source: blogcdn.com via Ceanna on Pinterest

I decided to create a less detailed spinoff of the print for my nails.  First I painted my nails with 2 coats of Zoya Purity to create the white background.  Then I pulled ALL of the citrus shades I owned and decided which shades to use.  In the end, I used all Zoya polishes.  I chose Zoya Elise, Paz, Coraline, Kate, and Belle and painted round shapes piled at the tips of my nails.  I finished it off with a few leaves of Zoya Edyta.  Check out the final result:

I apologize for the shadows & poor lighting:-\

I think it turned out pretty well, especially since I was in a bit of a rush--oops;)  If I try this again, I will hopefully have more time and I can add more details and incorporate more deep pinks (grapefruit) and yellows (lemon).  Overall, I'm pretty happy with the result.

What do you think of this fashion inspired manicure?