Chloe's Nails

Who needs sleep.......I DO!!!

2012-03-08T07:55:00.003-05:00

Okay, so sorry everyone, I am still here. I've just been struggling with sleep the past 3 nights. I've never dealt with insomnia, or any kind of sleep issue, but I am now and it's wearing me down. I'm not sure why either. I would understand if I was stressed or changed anything in my life, but I haven't. I've even been trying to take Tylenol PM, which will usually knock my butt out, but that's not even working. So in the past 3 nights, I've added up a total of 6 hours sleep :( Yesterday, wow, I was a fun girl, lol. I was very lightheaded all day along with a headache on top of being exhausted. Poor Jack, even the delivery guy being late made me cry, lol. Thank goodness he can handle it so well, and not hold my sweet words and moods against me.

I have been doing manis though, and have pictures, but they haven't been cropped or watermarked, so I will try to get them up soon, but as of right now, I'm a zombie.

I hope you all are doing great!
XOXO
Erika

My Weekend Tape Mani :)

2012-03-05T07:57:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone, I hope you guys had a great weekend!

This mani I did Friday night, while Jack and I were just relaxing and watching one of our favorite movies, Blow. If you have not seen that movie, you MUST!!!!

I started with using Sinful Black on Black on all my nails except my ring finger nails. On them I used a polish I purchased from Etsy called Pretty in Pink, it's a pink and orange duochrome. The seller is DollishPolish. I love her stuff and have a few others to share with you guys :)

Excuse my new friend, the paper cut who has taken up residency on my middle finger!!!

Then I taped off my ring fingers like this

I added Sinful Black on Black over top

Then after that dried, I taped them off again like so...

then once again I used the Black on Black and a coat of Seche Vite

How could I stop there though, especially with my Essie Matte About You top coat just staring at me from the end table!

So, once again, taping my nails off the exact way as I did before, only over the black, and applying the matte top coat to the other nails, here was my finished mani :)

China Glaze Hunger Games and a MASSIVE FAIL!!

2012-03-02T08:17:00.007-05:00

I must confess, I am such a NERD when it comes to the Hunger Games, and so is Jack. We are going, along with my mom, to the midnight showing when it comes out, and I can't wait! I've always refused to go to one of those showings, but for this, I will, and even take the next day off. When I heard China Glaze was doing a collection for it, I HAD to buy them, but sadly, I decided not to get them all. Yeah, they are pretty, but IMO nothing hugely unique or must haves. So China Glaze, had this not been a Hunger Games collection, I wouldn't have purchased any :( Although I will say, that having almost 1500 polishes, makes it hard to find really unique ones now.

Anyways, here are the 8 that I purchased :) I also did a coat of Luxe & Lush from the collection over them all except one, because I simply forgot :( Sorry. Luxe & Lush is representing District 1.

District 3 - Riveting

District 11 - Agro

District 6 - Fast Track

District 9 - Harvest Moon

District 12 - Smoke & Ashes. This is my least favorite of them all. I just feel like I've seen it done sooo many times. Sure there is some blue and green shimmer in it, but it cannot be seen from afar. Come on, it's Katniss & Peeta's home district, I expected something with so much more wow than this. How about a dark charcoal color with bright red/orange visible shimmer? (can you tell I'm a tad disappointed , lol)

District 2 - Stone Cold. Now, this one I actually may have purchased without it being a Hunger Games polish, simply because it's a matte, and you all know, I just can't resist them. So I also tried it with a topcoat and Luxe & Lush as well.

District 5 - Electrify. This is the one that I forgot to add Luxe & Lush, and I apologize. I am though, happily blaming Jack for distracting me :)

and now, for my HUGE FAIL. See, I also blame Jack for this :) While I was happily swatching these polishes for you, he decided to text me mid polish wipe!!! IKR, how dare him. Anyways since it was so unexpected, I jumped, and elbowed Harvest Moon right off the arm of the couch, and she went on by herself to make some type of modern art on the carpet!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never in my life made such a mess. Thank goodness Jack wasn't mad even though I had just majorly ruined our carpet. At least it is in the corner, and under our end table. (wonders if I can contact China Glaze and have them replace our carpet, since I also semi blame them, lol)

Oh hey there!

2012-03-01T08:22:00.000-05:00

So good morning guys!! I had a minor relapse in the anxiety department, but thank goodness it didn't' last long, and I'm not even sure what happened. I swear I woke up one morning, and I couldn't even imagine opening my blog, it made my heart beat fast, and the panic sunk in, but it passed, whew. I have also been really busy. I even made an eye appointment, which I needed to do for months!!! Last weekend my neighbors had their Mardi Gras party, and it was a blast. Here are Jack and I, please ignore his out of place pink hair extensions, and glow necklaces, lol. I'm not sure what party he thought he was going to (sigh)
Here is a little FF, fun fact, the whole night of the festivities, I couldn't see a damn thing, lol. I was out of contacts and there was no way my mask was fitting on if I wore my glasses, and I have horrible vision!! So, it might have been a good thing jack had on his glow necklace, because I always knew where he was :)

and here are the kids. My daughter, Chloe, is the Peacock :)

Okay, well I'll show you my NOTD finally, lol.

I started with a base of Sinful Black on Black and then added a MUST have polish, IMO, Cover Girl Perplexed. Hope you guys like pictures, because well.....I took a ton. I couldn't help it, there are so many sides to this polish! When I was reorganizing my stash, I discovered I have a couple of back ups of this one, lol. I never saw these in stores, and every time I ordered something off of Target.com, I would throw one in my cart just because it was so cheap and beautiful :) Oh, I just checked their site, and it is currently out of stock, hopefully they will get more in.

Okay, do you seriously see all those colors???? Well, I wore that all day yesterday, and then last night I did some stamping over it. I used my Bundle Monster plate BM-221 and Konad special polish in black :)

See, I told you I took a lot of pictures :P

Man Glaze Lesbihonest

2012-02-24T08:18:00.000-05:00

Good morning guys! Sorry, I've been MIA for the past few days. I've been so busy with work, and have been working extra long hours, due to a big meeting my company put on for our dealers. It has been so much fun though, between just getting out of the office, socializing with our dealers, open bar every night, and I must say I was very well behaved at, but not everyone can say that, which made it even better, Eagles cheerleaders and magicians. I will say though, I am exhausted, and cannot wait to get home to bed.

I meant to have some posts ready for you guys, but I swear the time just flew and I didn't have any time. So I am sorry.

For this post, I wanted to share a new polish brand, to me, I know it's been out there for a while, but I just purchased my first one. Their formula is amazing, and I will say, you kind of need a sense of humor to appreciate the names and bottles.

This is Lesbihonest from Man Glaze. It's a bright fuchsia matte, and I of course had to see what it would look like with a shiny top coat as well :) I'm officially hooked on their polish, and cannot wait to try more.

2012 Color Club Blossoming Swatches!!!!

2012-02-21T07:36:00.000-05:00

Morning guys! Yesterday when I got home from work, I was so excited to see the new collection, Blossoming, from Color Club waiting for me!Kim from Color Club sent them to me so I could show you guys.

These are all 2 coats :) Diamond Drops is part of the collection, and I did do 1 coat over each color so you could see. I must say, I'm really impressed with Diamond Drops. I was afraid it would be thick, and feel chunky when I had it on my nails, but not at all!!

Hydrangea Kiss (excuse the way my camera insisted to change my skin color)

with Diamond Drops

Sweetpea

with Diamond Drops

Blushing Rose - This is my 2nd favorite of them all. I just love the soft girly pinks!

with Diamond Drops

Lavendarling

with Diamond Drops

and for my FAVORITE of them all, Blue-Ming. It was actually the fave with me, Jack, Chloe and my mom. I even wore it for my mani today :) Oh and of course, I accidentally deleted the other pics I had of it :(

with Diamond Drops

China Glaze Liquid Crystal

2012-02-20T07:32:00.000-05:00

Morning! Sorry I didn't post this weekend, we were all so busy. Friday night when I got home from work, I did have this beauty waiting for me though, it's China Glaze Liquid Crystal. This is from their Prismatics 2012 Spring collection. Now, I haven't seen them in stores anywhere yet, but I was so impatient, and ordered mine off of eBay, lol. I first saw this on Makeupalley, and vivi123 posted some of her swatches that were amazing!

Here is is with 2 coats and then a coat of SV, Seche Vite. I got one sunny pic, because the sun ran away almost as soon as I got this on :(

Then I decided to layer it over a blue since that is how I saw vivi123 used it.I used China Glaze Frostbite

This time I only did 1 coat of Liquid Crystal and then a coat of SV.

2012 Color Club the NEW Blossoming Collection

2012-02-17T10:55:00.000-05:00

Introducing the new Blossoming collection from Color Club!

Rich Color Has Bloomed & Everything is Coming up Couture

" With the beautiful budding flowers of the season as an inspiration, rich color has bloomed! Add Diamond Drops topcoat for a "morning rain-kissed" effect. Blossoming features six nail polishes - from Hydrangea Kiss, Sweetpea and Blue-ming to Blushing Rose and Lavendarling. This new vegan, formaldehyde, toluene and DBP-free collection is sure to signal spring is in the air... or blossoming. "

The Blossoming Collection includes:

Hydrangea Kiss: Dusty blue-purple creme

Sweetpea: Rosy Pink creme

Blue-ming: Bright blue-green creme

Blushing Rose: Baby pink creme

Lavendarling: Dusty purple creme

Diamond Drops: Silver ice flake polish

This collection is available now and can be purchased HERE.

This one is for you Mel!!!

2012-02-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Morning & HAPPY FRIDAY! While reading through my comments I noticed a mani request from Mel, and since I didn't have a mani in mind already, I decided to give it a go. She asked for something in pink and brown, and here is what I did. Oh and Mel, feel special, I must confess that Jack, my husband, designed the mani for you, lol. He asked what I was looking for, while standing in front of my stash, and I told him your request. Well, he went right to work, haha. Not only did he choose the colors, but also the image. So we both hope you like it!

I started with 2 coats of OPI You Don't Know Jacques!

Then using China Glaze Admire & my Mash plate M63, I ended up with this :)

PS: If you have sent me an email, and I haven't responded yet, I am soooooo sorry. I still have a few hundred to go through and hope to be caught up soon. I promise I will get back to you. It was just that while I was going through my bad time, I didn't open my email at all, and now that I have, it's a tad full.

Matte Checkers....

2012-02-16T07:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday!! I've wanted to do this mani for a while, but it just felt as though something always came up. Well last night I finally got to. Now you all know I love my matte polishes and tape. So here you go -
I only used Sinful Black on Black and Essie Matte About You, and well tape of course :)
I started with a coat of Black on Black then a coat of SV. After about 10 minutes I started the matte top coat process :)
Here is a tutorial showing you how I do this type of mani :)

Pink Wednesday Tape Mani :)

2012-02-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great day yesterday! In honor of Pink Wednesday I pulled out an oldie but goodie, Ulta Always a Bridesmaid. This polish is so pretty. It's pink with flashes of a lime green/gold, and the formula is awesome.

I started with a base of Sinful Black on Black

I know you can't see it here, but trust me there are also flashes of a bright green in there!

Then using 2 pieces of tape per nail, I taped off the black and added Always a Bridesmaid. Sorry for all the pics, but I couldn't just choose a few, lol.

My actual V-Day mani + an Uh-Oh

2012-02-14T07:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!! Okay, since my V-day outfit consist of a black dress with red lips all over it, lol, I wanted a black mani, that was a tad edgy and girlie at the same time, but nothing too crazy since my dress was full of valentine fun. It's a dress that my mom found and thought was so cute, and decided to purchase for me since it was only $10. At first I was a little nervous about it, but I actually LOVE it, and feel very festive today :) Thanks Mom!!

Okay, I started with a base of Professional 10, Pinky Promise and then using my black Konad polish and my Bundle Monster plate BM-209, I began with this.

I then added black tips with Scotch tape using Sinful's Black on Black

Finally I added a tiny cute pink bow on my ring fingers. I attached it with a small amount of nail glue, so they stay longer. I can tell you that it lasted through a shower & sleeping :)

Now for my Uh-Oh :( See my ring finger????? Well while doing my tips the first time, a piece of tape attacked my nail, and smeared the black. It was so late at night, that I was just going to leave it, and consulted Jack on it as well. He even told me to let it be, that it was no big deal. So for about 5 minutes I agreed, then went at the removal, and did it all again, lol. There was no way I could show you guys an imperfect mani :(

Also a pic of my OOTD wearing my dress:) (please ignore my not so cute office background)

Mermaid nails and a green Zebra!

2012-02-13T08:32:00.000-05:00

Morning!!! Well, Jack and I didn't go get our taxes done like planned. When we realized that H&R charged us $200 last year, we decided against it, lol. I just knew i could do them myself, and I did!!! Whoo hoo, $200 saved, and it only took me about an hour & a half. Oh, and I got to stay in my pj's, double win!

Anyways, on to the mani. I had done this one last weekend, when I was really in the mood to try something a little bit different. I stopped at Sally's to pick up some SV, and saw this beautiful sparkly glitter in little jars, and had to have it. Lets just say, it became a mess O_o

I started with 2 coats of Essie Absolutely Shore

Here is the pretty glitter :)

I then applied a coat of SV to my ring finger, and just dipped my nail in the jar. Man, it was like a glitter storm! Those pretty little pieces got EVERYWHERE! The look on Jack's face when he saw the couch was priceless. After about 2 min. I started to blow the excess glitter off, and lightly run my finger over my nail to smooth it all out. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but they did lay flat, and were soooooo sparkly! I really felt like it looked like a mermaids tail. I added another coat of SV over top just to seal it all in.

Now fast forward to the next day, and I took off the pretty scales, and decided to do a Zebra mani with the Essie, the white Konad polish and my Mash M57 plate.

My Lucky Tax Day Mani!!

2012-02-11T08:26:00.000-05:00

Morning! Today Jack and I will be getting our taxes done and I wanted a fun mani for the occasion, lol. *fingers crossed in hopes of getting a good amount back*

I had purchased Orly Fowl Play a few months ago, and had yet to wear it as a full mani, so last night while watching Drive with Jack, I got started on my tax day mani :)

I started with 2 pretty thick coats of Fowl Play. There are so many colors in this, it's amazing. The multiple colors appears more in direct light and sunlight. Otherwise it appears as a darker purple, but you can still see the flakes. I just love this polish!!

Here it is in just normal indirect light. Still so pretty!

Then I wanted some stripes, so I used Claire's 14 Karats and BundleMonster plate BM20

Got a tad bit bored O_o

2012-02-10T07:53:00.000-05:00

A couple of nights ago, I had decided that I wanted a simple delicate mani with a little sparkle. Well, that's how it began, and then I became bored so my simple mani turned into the complete opposite!

I started with 2 coats of Savina Purple Hologram polish. I love this one, it's semi sheer, with just the right amount of speckled glitter, but could I just stop there, nope. Although it's called purple, it def pulls more pink on me, which is okay by me.

I then decided some polka dots were needed. So I used China Glaze Millenium and my Bundle Monster plate, BM19. Excuse the shiny cuticles, I had just oiled up, and maybe a tad too much.

Oh but of course, it needed tips!! So I used OPI Alpine Snow Matte and tape :) Jack loved this mani!

Now, as promised, here is a pick of my almost reorganized stash. Jack counted last night, there are 799 in the case, on top, and in front on the floor, which still need to be fit in somewhere. Oh, and even after this pic, the amount on the floor has increased, eeeek. Now I have about 400-450 sitting in a box, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with those yet. At least my faves are displayed and easy to get to now.

and a bonus pic of Jack when we were first getting started on this 3 hour project. He really is the best for helping, and being so involved in my hobby :)

Random Swatch Time!

2012-02-09T14:38:00.004-05:00

Okay, I did this many a few weeks ago, and it never got posted, so here you guys go!!

It's Jessica Venus Was Her Name.

Check out this combo!

2012-02-09T07:50:00.000-05:00

Good morning! So, ever since I went through my stash and re-organized, I've been playing with some polishes that I never gave much love too, and today I shall show you 2 of them.

I started with a forgotten love, L'Oreal Illuminescence, which a VERY dark purple with hidden shimmer.

This is just 2 coats with no top coat, and then I added 1 coat of Pure Ice Heart Breaker. The two are a gorgeous pair!!

Semi Pink Wednesday!!

2012-02-08T07:36:00.002-05:00

Okay so it's not all pink, but hey, one of the polishes I used to stamp with was pink!!! Oh and what a pain in the A$$ this mani was to take pics of. It was so hard to get a non glare, color accurate picture. The glare would make it look like the hearts were smeared, but I promise they are not :)

For this I used Essie Power Clutch for my base, and the stamped the heart using both China Glaze Admire and Harmony. I used my Mash plate m46 for the hearts.

Oh I forgot, I did order a pink polish from Man Glaze, does that count for Pink Wednesday?????

My Comfort Zone - Funky French

2012-02-07T07:25:00.000-05:00

Morning!!!!! It's been a while since I've done a simple black tip funky french, and since it is one of my fave manis, I of course had to do one.

I started with 2 coats of China Glaze Diva Bride.

Then I used one of my fave nail art supplies, my bigRuby Nail Tattoos. I cannot tell you guys just how much I love these. They are soooo easy to use, and being so thin, they lay perfectly on the nail. I used 2 of the pink flowers from their Garden set, which BTW, is on sale right now. You can find it here.

Then using tape and Sinful's Black on Black, I did my tips :) and added a little rhinestone in the center of the flower.

On a side note, check out mine and Jack's masks for Mardi Gras!! I can't wait! Our friends are hosting the party, and it's going to be such a blast!

So pretty but dang......she smells!

2012-02-06T07:30:00.000-05:00

Morning. Sorry I didn't get a chance to upload the stash pics yet, but I am going to try tonight.

Although last week while going through it, I saw this beauty, and realized I haven't used it in over a year. Now, I know I've done a post on this already a looooooong time ago, but oh well, here it is again. I purchased this on eBay on a whim, and I'm glad I did. The smell though, WHEW, can clear a room. She is lucky she is so pretty. The polish is Super #189, and i just did 1 coat over my black :)

A Valentine idea - Simple & Easy

2012-02-03T07:40:00.002-05:00

With Valentines coming up, I wanted to start getting some ideas, so the other night I tried one of them out. I didn't want anything to over the top or insanely complicated. I absolutely loved the turn out.

Oh and last night Jack and I spent 3 hours going through my stash. re-organizing, and pulling polishes that I either didn't want/use or had enough back ups of. I took some pics, so hopefully I can get them loaded for tomorrow :) I must say, wow, I had about 400 more than I though!!! Jack even came from the hall closet carrying 2 boxes full, that I forgot about, eeekkkk!!!

Anyways, on to the mani. I started with 1 coat of Sally Hansen Rapid Red.

Then using these craft scissors I cut some tape strips out

Like so..... (if you look between my fingers, you can see my Chi, Rolo, well his face looking up at me like I'm crazy, lol.

I then placed them on my nail, making semi half moons, taping off the red part and used Color Club Peppermint Twist. Then finished with a coat of SV.

Revlon Whimsical Goes Matte!

2012-02-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

Thanks again to Krissy for helping me find this beauty!!!!

As you all may already know, Whimsical is quit sheer, so I chose to layer it over top of Hard Candy Sky, and I think they are the perfect couple :) I used 2 coats of each :)

I then added a coat of Essie Matte About You, and LOVE the effect. It also got 2 thumbs up from Jack!!

Current Favorite polish with tips :)

2012-02-01T07:40:00.001-05:00

So this post is going to be short & sweet, hope you don't mind :)

What's my favorite polish at the moment.......OPI Crown Me Already. I love the mix of big and small silver glitter, and the fact that I only need 2 coats. After a coat of SV, it's soooo sparkly!

Then, since I was wearing some cobalt blue pants, I wanted to add some matching tips, so I used Brucci Blue Sapphire

Glitter Gal Holos!!

2012-01-31T07:30:00.001-05:00

Morning! Today I just wanted to show you some quick swatches of 3 new Glitter Gal polishes that I purchased off of Amazon. I'm a HUGE holo lover, and these are all just amazing! Each of these are 2 coats and no top coat :)

Lizard Belly 3D/Holo - A VERY dark green holo, although I would just consider it black. I really only saw the green on my first coat.

Green 3D/Holo - Umm......I guess sometimes I would get just the slightest hint of green, but the holo effect is AWESOME

Light As A Feather 3D/Holo - Now this one I did do a base of Sinful Snow on Me white, I was afraid it was going to be too sheer. The holo doesn't pop as much as the others but it's still there and beautiful

Feather Fun!! With a cute kittie!

2012-01-30T07:59:00.000-05:00

So last week on MUA I saw a post about these cute kitty polishes and immediately ordered 2. I couldn't resist the kitty tops. I ordered them from periperaus.com. Oh and they shipped the same day!!! They are said to be perfumed, but I only smelled a little soap like aroma, which like Jack pointed out was better than polish, lol. The lids are silver, the lighting made it look gold. This one is Sea foam P027.

Also, I wanted to say thank you to Krissy, who is the sweetest thing ever!! She contacted me letting me know that not only did she find me a Revlon Whimsical, she hid it in the store for me!! So Saturday afternoon Jack and I went to go get it. It was like a little scavenger hunt, lol. So thank you girlie, sooooo much!!

Here I did 2 coats and a coat of SV.

See the blue!?!?!?! It really only came out when I tilted my nails directly under the light. Now I don't know if it would show more in sunlight though.

Then since its been forever, I did an accent nail with a feather.

Oh but wait, I wanted the mani to match better so I removed the P027 and used China Glaze Ingrid. Then another coat of SV. Maybe I didn't need an umpteenth coat of SV, because you can kind of see some teeny air bubbles, lol, but only up close. I got carried away with the shininess, lol

To see how I did the feather and where the original inspiration came from, click here :)

Revlon Popular = A New Fave!

2012-01-27T07:46:00.000-05:00

I know I'm late on this discovery, but I'm thrilled to have found it. I stopped at Ulta last night to pick up some SV and just look around, and while looking for Revlon Whimsical, which by the way, were all gone :( I spotted Revlon Popular. You all know, I love my pinks, especially a very light baby pink, but combine it with some silver glitter, and you now have a new fave polish of mine. For this mani, I did 3 coats with a coat of SV.

China Glaze Magnetix 2012 Swatches

2012-01-26T08:28:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I LOVE magnetic polishes. I just think the whole concept amazes me, lol. So when I found the China Glaze Magnetix set, I grabbed it! Now please excuse some of these swatches, I was soooo tired and had a busy night.

When I got home from work last night, I couldn't wait to open my package and start playing. So after I get it opened, and start taking out my new pretties, I see that the ones in the boxes were OLD China Glaze polishes that I already owned. I was instantly soooo mad, lol. Well, until i saw the look on Jacks face. He got me, and good! Since he gets home first, and he knew I was waiting for these, he carefully opened the package, and removed the Magnetix polishes and replaced them and even re-bubble wrapped with some of my own older polishes!!! Not funny, but I do give him credit, and I should have known, since he has done this before.

Okay, well after that I had to start getting my girl ready for a trip she was taking with some other family members, my mom came over for a Minnie Mouse pedi, a bff of mine was over to rummage through my clothes and try to find something to borrow, and then a friend of my daughters came over to play and say her goodbyes. My house was crazy, and by the time everyone was gone, I only had an hour to rush and get these for you guys.

I only did 3 fingers, because there are only 3 designs that come on the magnet, which I totally forgot to get a pic of, sorry, but you can google it :)

Now for application, I applied 1 coat to each nail and let that dry. Then I applied a 2nd coat to 1 nail, and immediately placed the magnet over top. I held it there for about 15 sec, and moved onto the next. I waited about 10 minutes for each design to set and then applied SV over them. I did have an issue with smacking the magnet on my wet nail, quit a bit, but I think it's because I was soooo tired. Oh and I need to practise the start design, lol.

Anyways, here they are :)

You Move Me

Attraction - As you can see, I had a little issue getting the star to show up properly, or to my liking.

Pull Me Close - This blue contrast was by far my fave, and decided to do my entire mani in this last night with the diagonal design.

Drawn To You - This was my least favorite to work with. Other than the diagonal lines, I had a hard time getting the other 2 designs to appear

Instant Chemistry - again, I had trouble with the star design.

Cling On

A Great Surprise!

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Morning! A couple of weeks ago, while shopping in Five Below, I spotted an amazing sparkly polish by Funky Fingers called Teal Scales. I will say that when I picked it up and noticed it was a crackle polish my heart sunk a little, but not enough to put her down :) I had currently had China Glaze Flying Dragon on my nails, and decided last night to try the crackle, and fell in love with the combo! Now I for one, was done with the whole crackle craze, but this brought my love back.

I started with 2 coats of Flying Dragon, which is a purple neon, so dries matte and does not play well with my camera :( It's a deeper plum/purple then my pictures. Soooo much better IRL. Then I did a coat of SV, and waited about 5 minutes before applying a semi thin coat of Funky Fingers Teal Scales. Lastly, another coat of SV.

Some Leopard Fun

2012-01-23T09:00:00.007-05:00

Happy Monday!!! My weekend wasn't too exciting, although yesterday I got hours of cleaning done, YAY!!! Well, okay maybe not actual house cleaning, but I did get my DVR cleaned out a bit : P Yep, we were very lazy, and had a semi X-Men marathon day, but it was totally needed!

Since I haven't stamped or played with mattes in a long time, I decided to have a little fun.
I just used SH Black Out and Essie Matte About You, and of course my leopard image from one of my stamping plates.

Could I BE any later? - Yes, it's a reference to Friends, lol.

2012-01-19T14:45:00.000-05:00

Well while I have a minute, I know this is like beyond old, but it was a mani I did for the Fourth of July, yeah last year, lol. I saw it sitting in my drafts, and was about to delete it, but said, 'What the hell, I might as well'.

For this I used the following -
Sally Hansen Rapid Red, Co-Bolt Blue & China Glaze White on White and of course tape :)

The past few months!! and a NOTD from a crappy iPhone :(

2012-01-19T12:26:00.000-05:00

First off HI YOU GUYS and HUGS to you all!

I would like to start off by thanking you all for everything. Your support, messages & emails have seriously touched my heart in more ways than you will ever know, and yes I did read each and every one of them! It really did help to know, that I am not completely alone, nor crazy in what I was going through. I am sorry to hear though, that many others have suffered with the same issues, and my heart goes out to you. Again, thank you all so much, I sure love you guys!

Okay, so I've made some HUGE, well in my eyes, steps, lol. For the first time in almost a year I was able to go into Wawa, a gas station, all by myself without panicking. It's amazing the little things that seem so easy to others, was so incredibly hard for me. After that, I even made it to the grocery store, lol. Hey, I'm making baby steps!

Well, last month, I became very sick with bronchitis, and after many days of refusing to call the dr., I had to give in. So while I was there, I spoke with him about my depression and anxiety again. Needless to say it turned into a little therapy session filled with tears and major sweating, sexy I know :) Oh and yes, Jack did take the day off so I didn't have to go alone :) I've been on my new meds for a few weeks and I can already feel a big difference, YAY!

Another reason I know that I am getting better........ I've actually purchased nail polish, and I've even started trying to come up with new designs for you guys, whoo hoo!!! Bad news though, I have lost my camera, and it's cords, so I am planning a massive hunt this weekend.

I still wanted to share with you my mani I'm wearing today. I'm just in love with this polish. I wish I had better pics, but I had to use my phone, sorry :( It's SH Big Money. I love the gold glitter mixed with the light pink glitter!

Anyways, I just wanted to check in and let you know what's been going on. Please wish me luck on my camera hunt this weekend!!!!

PS and completely OT - If you have not watched The Big Bang Theory, it's a MUST!!! Jack and I are completely obsessed with it! Sorry, I know that was so random :) Hope you all are doing great!!

XOXO,
Erika

Don't even know what to say here :(

2011-10-20T13:40:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone, I know it's been a while, and a lot longer than I even expected. I'm going to try and keep this short for you guys. Basically I hit an all time low in my life. I was diagnosed with depression and severe anxiety years ago. After trying a few different anti-depressant medications, I gave up. I also have pseudocholinestrerase deficiency, which is just a fancy word for the fact that my body is missing an enzyme that everyone else has, so my body doesn't break certain things down properly. So after trying a few different Rx's, and having them ALL make me so sick. I just stopped looking.

Well, I thought for years I had it under control, or maybe just dealing with it better. I'm not even sure what sparked it, but the depression hit me full force a few months ago. I just shut down from everyone. I'm sure it had something to do with just the fact that I had quit a few small and big issues come at me all at once. Now friends around me, didn't see anything, because I can hide it fairly well, especially with a drink, but not around my little girl, don't worry. Jack, was really the only one who knew. He tried so hard for me to get back to happy times, even trying to get me back on here for you guys, because he knew I loved it.

Well as much as I wanted to come back, since I was away for a while, my anxiety about this blog kicked in, SUPER bad. It may sound weird to you, but I actually felt as though I was no longer allowed to post, or even visit my own blog. Then since the anxiety was so bad and made me feel guilty, the depression got worse, and it became a big messy circle, that I couldn't get out of. I even stopped checking my email. That too, caused the circle to continue.

I understand some of you may be mad, or even have unfollowed, or said some rather unpleasant things about me, and my disappearance. That is completely fine, and I don't judge at all. Everyone has the right to think what they want. I do apologize, and just hope you guys can understand even a little.

Now, am I back to normal, no, not at all, but I'm trying. Jack wants me to go see a different doctor, and start trying again, buuuuut my anxiety is so bad that I am even having a hard time just making the initial call. It's so frustrating :(

All I ask, is that you guys don't hate me, at least not forever. It is hard to understand and even explain. When I type this out, it sounds crazy, but it's exactly what I'm going through. If you guys could feel my heart right now, even as I type this out, and think about hitting send, you would think I had about 10 energy drinks 0_o

Not so short huh...... anyways, I will be back, but it might not be for another 2 weeks. Again, I am very sorry if I angered any of you, or let you guys down, I really didn't mean too, but can understand how some may think that.

Hope you guys are having a great day.
Erika

Summer Chic mani

2011-06-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hey guys! Today I wanted to show you yet another funky french, lol. The oh so sweet Kim from Color Club sent me a bunch of fun new nail art items to try, and this was one of them. Now, I love these little things, but really only like to use them on my accent finger when I do funky french manis. They are so cute, but too many, IMO, can be overkill. So I went for what I am calling, a Summer Chic mani :) The little orange slices are just adorable!!!

I also love the fact that these are so thin. I've used others that were on the thicker side, and were just too big and bulky.

I started with my go to base of Professional 10 #415 Pinky Promise. I get mine from CVS. Then after a coat of SV and about 10 minutes, and taped my nails off, and did black tips. I hen did one more coat of SV, and when it was dry, and added a tiny drop of nail glue on my ring finger, and set the orange slice over top.

Happy Pink Wednesday!

2011-06-29T06:00:00.002-04:00

*waves* Hi everyone!! I have been on a funky french kick lately :) I have also been trying to use polishes from my stash that don't normally get used. OPI Panda-monium Pink was the star for this mani.

I started with 2 coats

then, of course I ran out of sunlight time, by the time I got this completed :) Oh well. I then stamped my nails using the Bundle Monster plate BM 221 , and Konad's special white polish. I added a coat of SV, and when that was 98% dry, I taped my tips off, and used OPI Alpine Snow Matte.

Day O' Dogs

2011-06-28T06:00:00.002-04:00

My little girl turned 9, and it scares me, lol. They really do grow up so fast, I've learned that it's not just a saying. Her birthday party was a dog theme and my nails went right along with it :) Here are the cupcake cones I made that we decorated like dalmations. How freaking cute right?!?!

And here are the pups. My little girl is in the pink camo. Jack did some of the face painting, and you should have seen the girls faces when I told them he was helping, they were so scared, lol

And now for the mani. I started with 2 coats of OPI Alpine Snow Matte, and then just used a black nail art pen for the spots. This was a huge hit with the girls, so the next morning.....guess what I was doing? Yep, dog manis for the girls :)

How about some lemonade :)

2011-06-25T06:00:00.003-04:00

Okay, so this mani was originally planned to be way more fun, but time ran out :( I had planned on adding some nail stamping, and even some rhinestones, but as soon as I was done taking pictures, my daughter saw I was about to take a breath, and intervened, lol so my 'me' time went all down hill from there, lol. I do love this color for Summer though and so did her school friends :) This is just 2 coats of Orly Lemonade, and it applied beautifuly.

My comfort zone = black tips :)

2011-06-24T06:00:00.003-04:00

Morning everyone!! I was in the mood for a semi basic black tip french mani, but wanted to add a tad umph to it, so on my out the door I grabbed one of my fave things, my Big Ruby nail tattoos. I started with a base of OPI Bubble Bath, because in my rush, I couldn't locate my regular go to base. OMG, on a side note, you would all gasp in horror if you saw my stash right now. In all my chaos, it looks as though a bunch of 3 year olds have been playing in it *hangs head* I do plan on getting it cleaned up, once all the birthdays have ended. Well, more organized, and hopefully start pulling some things for my first blog sale :) Okay, so anyways, back to the mani.

Here is 2 coats of Bubble Bath

I then taped off the tips, and used Wet n' Wild black. Since I'm wearing a coral shirt, I decided to use the coral seahorse, from the Sea collection of the tattoos. I love the way it turned out. So simple, yet so me :)

Oh and since it was my boss's b-day, I picked him up some balloons and goodies from the bakery, and saw this pretty little arrangement that I HAD to buy for myself, lol. It def cheered me up :) PS - I will be removing that IMO, awful bow when I get home :P

Please life......just settle down a smidge!!

2011-06-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

Morning!!! A few birthday parties planned and the flu later, I'm just exhausted. I'm now in the process of planning my girls 9th birthday, and my husbands. Darn all these Summer babies, lol, me included. Summers are just insane lol. I really hope you guys are all doing well :) I have so many manis to show you guys. So I'm going to show you one that my husband chose for me one day that I was just to tired to choose. It's Rimmel's Violet Metal.

I just did 2 coats and forgot how insanely pretty it is on. Can you believe I did black tips on this as well, but forgot to get pics!!! I'm so sorry.

Some new Love & Beauty polishes

2011-06-17T06:00:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone :) today I'm showing you one of the four new polishes that I purchased from Forever 21. I'm always checking their site for new polishes, since they are constantly addition g new ones. Well, they had some cool looking new big glitter ones, and this one, it's says it's name is Multi, but I swear on the site it was called, Mardi GRAS, caught my eye first. I loved the color combo. So of course I layered it over black :)

Here are all the ones I got. I'll show you the other 3 soon, I promise

These two have gold shimmer in them!!!!!!

Color Club 2011 Fractured Collection and my NOTD for Pink Wednesday!

2011-06-15T06:45:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!!! This past Friday I was THRILLED to come home to a package from Color Club, containing 3 of their crackles from their 2011 Fractured Collection. I love surprises :) Kim & Beth sent me these 3 to try out, review and so I could show you guys! As we all know, crackle polish is HUGE right now, and I do also know that not everyone loves it, but I do, so I couldn't wait to play. I will say that silver crackle is a HUGE yay for me. Anyways, I'll get to the pretties.

Here are the 3 they sent me,
L-R
Clean Break, Broken Tokens & Smash Hit

I wanted to choose a color to use as a base for all 3 that would stand out, so I went looking for a red, and chose China Glaze Ruby Deer.

I then waited for that to dry completely, and did a fairly thin coat

of Broken Tokens. For larger cracks, just do a thicker layer, and for smaller, do a thinner layer.

I then re-did the red and used Smash Hit

and here is Clean Break

I then loved the silver shatter, Broken Tokens so much, that I chose it for my ALMOST pink mani, lol. So I started with 2 coats of Color Club Ms.Socialite

and then added Broken Tokens on top. Sooooo sparkly :) I got so many compliments through out the day, from strangers, on this mani :)

I have to say, I might actually prefer the Color Club formulas, to the rest so far. It wasn't as thick, and IMO, much easier to use/control. There are 3 more in this collection, a fuchsia, blue and gold. I'm excited to see the blue, and what shade it is!

Nars Purple Rain & Clarins 230!!

2011-06-13T06:00:00.002-04:00

Morning!!! I hadn't worn my 230 for a while, and when I asked Jack what I should wear, and said 'Pee', lol, so I knew he meant Unicorn Pee, AKA Clarins 230 :) He learns so well. I then went straight for my Nars Purple Rain, since I had yet to try it since receiving it in a swap.

Here is 2 coats of Nars Purple Rain alone. Now my camera hates taking pics of purples and tries sooo hard to make them blue. So in real life, I was not able to see the blue that you see in these pics, but only the amazing purple.

Then I just did 1 coat of 230

Oooohhhh Aaaahhhhh

2011-06-10T06:00:00.001-04:00

Morning! I wanted to let you all know, which I forgot to mention in my last post, that I will not be posting daily, for now. Things are still just so busy with work and family. Summer seems to be craziest. Anyways, I will try and at least post every other day.

I had gone to Five Below a few weeks ago and saw some Mood Struck, mood changing polishes, and picked a few out. This is one of them. I'm so impressed with it! Even in the bottle you could see the bright turquoise shimmer. I couldn't wait to try it. The application was amazing, and you could still see all the shimmer on the nail.

Here it is with just 2 coats

Then I headed into the bathroom, so I could show you all the magic :)

Then I ran cold water over my pointer and middle finger. This is where the Ooooohhhh and Aaaahhhh comes into play. This just might be my fave mood polish. I love both colors so much!

Then I ran cold water over them all.

Morning guys!!! I'm BACK!!!!

2011-06-08T06:00:00.003-04:00

Alright, well let me just start by saying, thank you all so much for your sweet comments, and emails that I received. I don't want you guys to worry, everyone in my family is doing good. I just had some issues that I needed to deal with. You all really are so amazing and sweet, thank you guys again!! As much as it killed me to be away, it was something that I needed to do. I'm back though, and I hope I never have to go away again, lol. I missed you guys!! If you emailed me, pelase just give me some time to get back to you. I am starting to now, but I have just a tad over 100 emails, lol, so it might be a few days :) Oh and I have tried to go back and respond to your comments, but blogger for some reason, won't let me. Each time I write something, and click 'Submit' it just keeps asking me to sign in again :(

Okay, lets just get back to normal now, and pretend that little time away never happened....deal??
Here is a funky french I did. I had a mostly black outfit on, and just wanted something fun on my tips :)

I started with 2 thick coats of China Glaze He's Going In Circles and then added China Glaze Jolly Holly for the tips.

Hey everyone

2011-05-28T09:37:00.001-04:00

Okay so the past week has not been my best. I can say that my computer is up and running again, yay, but I am currently dealing with some other areas of my life. My blog had to be put on hold this week, and I apologize to you all. Things are starting to get back in order so I am hoping to get back into the swing of things soon. I also have had no time to get to any emails or comments, but please know I will. Hope you all are doing good.
XOXO
Erika

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

This one is for you Bridgette!

2011-05-25T06:00:00.007-04:00

Morning! I know today is Pink Wednesday, but I had a request from a sweet reader, Bridgette, who contacted me about her upcoming graduation, and asked me for a mani idea. She told me her school colors were red and black, and she didn't want it to be boring, my kind of girl, lol, and well red is basically a dark pink, right?

Here is what I came up with.
I used the dots image on the Bundle Monster plate BM19, Professional 10 color #415 Pinky Promise for my base, Wet n' Wild Black for the dots and Sally Hansen Rapid Red for my tips.

I hope you like it Bridgette :)

Help Whip Cancer!!!

2011-05-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hey guys! Today I'm not only showing you a mani I love, but what inspired it. A friend of mine, Erica, or E2 as we call her, is a sales rep for Pampered Chef. Well for the month of May, yeah, I know I'm late, they are giving a dollar of every item, featured below, to The American Cancer Society's breast cancer awareness and early detection programs! The featured items are sooo freaking cute and all have pink and white zebra stripes on them. I of course had to get a few items. This post was meant to have been posted sooner but due to blogger and my computer failing, I'm a smidge late.

I am also sorry to say, that the Help Whip Cancer fundraiser is only open to US residents. Pampered Chef doesn't ship out of the US.

If you're Interested in ordering, you just have to go to her site here

Erica has also offered to do a giveaway for the 2 polishes I used for my mani!! If you purchase anything, from below, please send me an email letting me know what it was, so we can keep track for the giveaway.

These are the items -

Pink Zebra High Heel Cake Server $17.00 and 5 drawing entries
Pink Color Coated Paring Knife $13.00 and 4 drawing entries
Pink Zebra Ceramic Spreader $10.00 and 3 drawing entries
Pink Zebra Microfiber Towel $8.50 and 2 drawing entries

As you can see after each item, is the amount of entries you will be getting for the giveaway.

Now here is the mani I did to match :)
I used 2 coats of OPI Mod About You for the base and Konad special white polish for the stripes. The plate I used was the Bundle Monster 223 plate. I just love how this turned out. So subtle but still so much fun.

Hope you all are having a great week so far. I swear my bad luck hasn't been much better. My camping trip was canceled to due the fact it's going to rain all week and weekend, and our TV blew on Friday, GRRRR :(

Revlon Black with Envy

2011-05-23T06:00:00.001-04:00

Morning, in my last post, I said that I used Revlon Black with Envy as my base color. Well, here it is. Now, when this first came out everyone was talking about it since it is supposedly a dupe of Chanels Black Pearl, and I can say...I had no interest in it, none. I never even looked for it on stores. Like I said though, I'm weak, lol. I came across a full display of it in Wal-greens a few weeks ago, and kept on moving. Then something happened, right as I was going to check out, at the last second, I ran back and grabbed one. I don't even know why. Maybe because it's the closest thing I will ever have to a Chanel polish, and maybe the collector in me too Who knows. Anyways, here it is, and I used 2 coats of it.

Do I love it....no, but it's alright. I'm glad I didn't pay the Chanel price for it, and since I don't own Black Pearl, I cannot verify how close they are. Maybe black tips would have made this mani more lovable for me.

Ulta Jaded.....Check her out in the bottle!

2011-05-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

Another sneak post from work, lol. I can't do this long. Have you ever seen a polish in a bottle, and instantly fall in love? When I was at Ulta, I saw this, and grabbed it without a 2nd thought. It's Ulta Jaded. Just look at her!!!!

Then you get this magical polish on the nails, and stare at it with curious eyes. Ummm...where are the rest of the colors? It is very pretty, but I might have looked crazy, if others watched me, twist my hand and fingers in all directions, in various lights trying my hardest to see the blue and purple. FAIL. It was also fairly sheer, so I even layered it over Revlon Black with Envy, hey, it was all I had in my purse, lol. I'll show you that one as well soon.

*stomps feet* I want my nails to look like it does in the bottle!!!!

OPI DS Sapphire on the tips :)

2011-05-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

Morning :) Here is the mani I did using the OPI DS Sapphire, that I posted about yesterday. I started with a base of Wet n' Wild Black, and a coat of SV

Then using tape, of course, I taped my tips off, and used OPI DS Sapphire

Sorry my post are kind of short, I'm so afraid I'll get into trouble at work, even though I'm doing these on my lunch.

OPI DS Sapphire

2011-05-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, I snuck on my work computer again during lunch, and I'm getting this ready for you for the morning, lol. So good morning!! Okay, so do you guys know Rachel, from Rachel Nails? She is so sweet, and has great pictures of her manis. I was fine not owning OPI DS Sapphire, until I saw her post it on MUA. You can see her post on Sapphire, on her blog here. Dang it, thanks to her post, I know own it. I swear I am so weak sometimes, lol. It is pretty sheer, so I layered it over China Glaze White on White, and just loved it. If you 're looking for a non in your face holo, like Gosh Holo is, then this is for you.

I started off with 2 coats of White on White

and then did 2 coats of Saphire.

I wish I could have taken some sun pics, but it's still so pretty indoors.

I then played with it, using it as tips for a mani, and I'll show you that tomorrow :)

Hope This Works. OPI Movin Out

2011-05-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, well since my computer isn't working properly, I'm attempting to post from my iPad. I just hope it works, and looks okay on your end. Please let me know. UPDATE - Wow, okay so I snuck onto my blog from my wok computer to check it out, and the pics were all over the place, so I quickly edited it, lol.

This is OPI Movin Out. I first saw this when Sam from the Fashion Polish posted about it. Now she makes everything amazing, and this polish quickly became a must have. Just look at it!!

I did 1 coat of Movin Out over Wet n' Wild Black

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Can someone pass me a drink?

2011-05-16T13:52:00.000-04:00

Okay, could the past few days have been any worse, well of course yes, but at the time, it felt as though I was having the worst weekend EVER! To start off, thanks Blogger, thanks for not only not posting my scheduled post, but for deleting all the content!! So here is what I did, I knew my weekend was full of craziness, and I would not have any time on the computer this weekend. So I went ahead and actually created post and had them scheduled, from Friday till Monday morning. Well, when Blogger was throwing it's fit on Friday, it decided it would make sure those post didn't happen, oh but don't worry, as you can see, it just removed Thursdays post, and re-posted it on Friday, *sigh* ummm...yeah, great. Then I just wasn't feeling good at all yesterday, and my computer has also now refused to work. I have no idea what it is, a virus, or what, but it might even be a few more days till I get going again. I do apologize to you guys, and it's driving me crazy to go so long without posting. I just hope to be back up and running within this week.
Hope you all had a better weekend than me!
XOXO
Erika

FingerPaints 2011

2011-05-13T13:09:00.000-04:00

How I do SUPER Girly :P

2011-05-11T06:00:00.001-04:00

Since it's Pink Wednesday, I thought it was the perfect time to share the cutest and super girly polish set I was sent. Erika from Beauty Express Mall, sent me some fun nail products to review, and this was one of them. It's the Sassy Nails Crystal Set. It has pink glitter polish/nail art pen on one side, and a tube of pink rhinestones on the other end. Now the pink glitter polish can be used as either polish, by unscrewing the lid, or a nail art pen, by pulling the lid off. You can see that in pictures below. I loved the pink so much, that I chose to use it as a polish, and use some of the rhinestones on the tip of my accent nail.

Here are bottle pics.
This is the complete set, screwed together

If you unscew the black top, you can use the pink glitter as regular polish

Then if you just pull off the top of the black lid, it is a nail art pen. Talk about a full mani in one set. Polish, nail art pen & rhinestones!

Now for the mani :)
I used 2 coats to start, and the formula was great.

I then added some of the pink rhinestones on the tips of my ring fingers.

I can't wait to show you guys the other stuff I got, including a bright blue crackle!!

Okay, so don't hate me...but...

2011-05-10T06:00:00.001-04:00

Morning!! For Mothers Day, I took my mom and daughter out to lunch and some shopping. We had so much fun. Well, we all LOVE Ulta, and when I walked in, they had the entire OPI Pirates of the Caribbean collection. I personally wasn't really drawn to any, except Mermaid Tears, oh and of course the Silver Shatter. I have had some request for swatches of them, but I could only bring myself to purchase these two, so don't hate me, lol.

Here they are. I started with 2 coats of Mermaid Tears, and NO top coat.

Then, almost as soon as I completed the mani, I did a thin coat of Silver Shatter. Unlike other crackles I've tried, this one works best over mostly wet polish, IMO. I tried it over a completely dry mani, and it didn't really shatter well.

I also wanted to share another new ring I got on our girls day. I just love it, and the store Charming Charlies is becoming a FAVE of mine. We just had one open, and I have boughten so much stuff there recently, and nothing is over $30!!!! All my jewelry isn't even over $10 a piece! Oh, and yep, that's my right hand, that you never see, lol.

When it's sunny, I wear holos!

2011-05-09T06:00:00.001-04:00

Morning guys. Sorry I haven't gotten to your comments, but I will this afternoon. My weekend was just packed full of fun.

Oh, and update on Junior, the baby bunny, he has been set free. He was eating on his own no problem, and when my friend went to put food in his cage, he went to bite. So in her eyes, he was ready to start defending himself. So her and her husband took him to a field by our neighborhood, and set him free. YAY, I'm just thrilled she was able to save him, now it's up to him.

My little girl gave me the sweetest note/poem for Mothers Day, I'll def try and share it with you guys tomorrow. Hope you all had a great weekend too.

Now for my mani, I did this Friday night since it was going to be so nice on Saturday, and that's when I love to wear my holos.

I started with 2 coats of China Glaze OMG

Then using tape, I taped off the triangles and used China Glaze DV8. Eeek, so me uh-oh on my ring finger. I was rushing just a tad too much, and didn't realize the tape wasn't down 100% oh well.

Cadillac Nails....says Jack

2011-05-08T06:00:00.007-04:00

Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers out there!!!!

Let me just start off saying, that this mani is all Jacks idea. When he saw my new Urban Decay polishes, he grabbed this one, and said "oooohhh, you can do Cadillac nails, because it's just like the paint job you see on them." Haha, he is too cute. So, I figured I would try it out.

I started with 2 coats of China Glaze White on White. Oh and as you probably noticed, I nubbinized my nails. They were just getting so long, and I was terrified I would do serious harm to them, and well me. I had already scratched myself and others numerous times, eeek. I'm also going camping at the end of the month, so I figured I will try and keep them semi short for the trip.

I then did just 1 coat of Urban Decay Fluorescent. It really is pretty. Just the slightest pearlized color to it.

Hope you guys are all having a great weekend!!

a-England Polishes

2011-05-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I know a while ago I said I wanted to do real swatches of these 2 polishes, but i never got the time, and actually forgot, but here they are. These are 2 polishes that I ordered online, because I saw a lovely ladies swatches on MUA. They aren't the in your face type of holo, but they do still have some. They are just beyond pretty IMO, and the formula rocks! If I had access to more sun, I could have shown you the holo bits, but I don't sorry :( You can purchase these here, if you're interested.

This is Lady of the Lake

and Tristam. Don't you just love thsi blue! It's so rich looking

2 from the Essie 2011 Summer Collection...

2011-05-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

Morning :P While at Rite Aid this week, I saw they had all their Essies, B1G1 50% off, so I HAD to take advantage of it. I also saw they had put out the new 2011 Summer Collection, WHOO HOO. I only picked up two though, the others were pretty, but nothing special, IMO. Now these two.....stuck out right away. They are both 2 coats

Absolutely Shore

This, my fave is Smooth Sailing. I love the purple & teal shimmer in it. You can really see it in the 2nd pic in the bottle. It does show very well on the nail, I just had a hard time capturing it on camera :( Also, BONUS, this could have been a 1 coater if I would have been more careful. I love that

My Go-To Mani...What's yours?

2011-05-05T06:00:00.002-04:00

Hey you guys : ) I wanted to share with you guys, the polish that I ALWAYS reach for when I have like no time to do a mani. Well last night I had to do this. I came home from work, nekkid, hee hee, and Jack, Chloe and I had to run out to get some dinner and ice cream, so I quickly threw this on. I LOVE this, it matches everything, always gets compliments, only 1 coat and dries UBER fast. So what is it.......China Glaze Millenium!

I did this entire mani in under 5 minutes, and left the house as soon as I finished, and grabbed my purse. No dings and/or scratches. Now, I know it won't last long, since I didn't do a top coat, but as I know, and so do you, I will remove it in the morning, lol.

So do you guys have a certain polish that you always reach for when you're in a hurry? What is it?

It's Wednesday, It's Wednesday (doing the cabbage patch)

2011-05-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

Morning guys!!! Hope you all are having a great week, I'm about to go cray cray, waiting on my ipad 2. In fact, I'm pretty sure I have watched every youtube video out there, on them, lol. Well today, you know, since it's Pink Wednesday, I wanted to use my China Glaze BFF, the good one. You can find a comp here of good vs bad. Anyways, I also wanted to use the little cute Bulldog tattoo from bigRuby Nail Tattoos.

Also, I want to thank you all for entering the giveaway, and want to announce the winner.......
Elizabeth, CONGRATS!!! She has already been contacted, and gotten back to me.

Now onto the mani....
I started with 2 coats of Orly Kiss the Bride

Then using tape, I added China Glaze BFF for my tips

and I finally added the cute bulldog nail tattoo from bigRubys

A Bubbly Bombshell and my new fave base!

2011-05-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Morning!!! I have such a beauty to show you, and I TOTALLY meant to do something fun with it, but my days have just gone so fast, and I'm pretty sure I"m somehow losing a few hours lately. I saw this at Ulta this past weekend, just sitting on an end cap, and of course it's pretty sparkles drew me in. Oh and the name, hee hee, is so fun. It's Orly Bubbly Bombshell, and btw, it is NOT a top coat eater, so whew! I also had to share my new base coat, well it's technically a ridge filler, but I'm using it for a base, and it rocks! I love that it it a semi milky base, so it's also kind of like underwear for your polish :) My neighbor used it as her base as well, and freaking loves it. Now I change mine often, but she doesn't as much, and she didn't get any chips for close to 4 days! I'll show you it after these pics.

Okay, here it is, it's Essie Fill The Gap. I got mine off of Apothica.

Some simple stamping..

2011-05-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

Since I had a little time yesterday, I did some stamping. I used one of my new Bundle Monster plates, but the actual image I used, can be found on both Konad and the older Bundle Monster plates. I started with 2 coats of Essie Splash of Grenadine. Which I couldn't get really good color accurate pics, so I'm sorry. It is more pink IRL. My camera wasn't working well, and the sun wouldn't stay out long enough :(

See this first pic was inside, and is possibly the closest to accurate

These were outside, when I was literally chasing the sun in my backyard, lol.

I then used the plate, BM-209 and Claire's 14 Karats for the design.

Update on Junior, he is doing great, become VERY active and jumping all around, and eating well :)

My dented mani that was totally worth it :)

2011-05-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

Morning guys!! Okay, so a friend/neighbor came over Friday night carrying this tiny pet carrier, and inside was an adorable baby bunny!!! She had found him at her work, and she didn't want to leave him, thinking he would die. She had plans Saturday morning, so I of course volunteered to bunny sit. She named him Junior, and after some research, discovered he is about 2 weeks old. OMG you guys, his cuteness is almost too much to handle. My Chihuahua Rolo, seemed to even love him, and let Junior snuggle next to him. They had fallen asleep in my lap and I had to share some pics. I'll get to the mani after this :P

Here he is eating. Eeeek, too cute, I even woke Jack up from his nap to watch, lol.

So here is my dented mani. Well he was back in his cage when I did my nails, but a little while later, I got him out again to eat, and he is feisty, and his tiny nails, dented my mani, but ti was totally worth it. This is 1 coat of Urban Decay Bruise over 2 coats of Ulta Cocktails Anyone, which is a dark purple.

Ummm....Nope! DO NOT WANT

2011-04-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

This is one of those manis, that didn't turn out how I expected, but it actually looks better in the pics, lol. I received my set of new Bundle Monster plates a few days ago, and only had 1 night of play time so far. I saw what appeared to be peacock feathers, and since I'm kind of on a kick, I decided to use that image first :) Okay, well I started with a coat of black and a coat of Sally Hansen Turquoise Opal. I figured that all the colors in Turq. Opal, would resemble feathers better. I'm sure I would have liked this better, had I used different colors, and didn't eff up the design placement on my pinkie. It drove me crazy, lol

Then I used China Glaze Millenium and plate BM 212 for my design

Exciting Polish News: New FingerPaints and a chance at a $250 GC!!!

2011-04-29T13:00:00.001-04:00

Okay, I had to let you all know about some exciting news I have received. Lets start off with FingerPaints new collection called Peace, Love & Color. It will be available May 1st!! I already have my eye on the purple and teal So keep an eye out!!

2nd bit of exciting news!

SkinCareRx is having a Beautiful Mom Mother’s Day giveaway! Win a $250 SkinCareRx Gift Card and give your mom the products she's been wishing for (and get a little something for yourself as well). All you have to do to enter, is post a comment on their giveaway page, explaining why your mom deserves the $250 Gift Card.

To enter, click here. Be sure to fill out your email when posting the comment so that they can contact you with your prize!

The deadline for entries is May 5th. The winner will be announced May 6th.

Secret Periwinkle gets tattooed!

2011-04-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

So I couldn't resist using the bigRuby tattoos again, lol. Except this time I used 3 of the ones from the Star set. I started with 2 coats of China Glaze Secret Periwinkle, then after I applied the nail tattoos, I used Wet n' Wild Black for the tips.

Why have I never heard of this one???

2011-04-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

So a while ago a sweet woman that goes by Synthecide on MUA, posted a picture of this AMAZING blue polish by OPI. Now, I know I haven't been a hoarder of polish forever, but I had never even heard of it, and was shocked! It's way too pretty to go unnoticed! It's name..........Midnight Blue Glitter. So like usual, I scurried my butt to eBay instantly, and snatched one up. Just look...*sigh* I absolutely love the bright blue sparkles that stand out. Now, it is a tad sheer, so I did 2 coats over Wet n' Wild Black.

bigRuby Nail Tattoo Designs

2011-04-27T14:00:00.004-04:00

Here is a pic of what the lucky winner will receive in my giveaway sponsored by Maria from bigRuby Supercool Nail Tattoos. 6 full sets of tattoos and their fast drying top coat. Each tattoo pack comes with 86 tattoos in both mani and pedi sizes.

The 6 sets are Cosmic, Garden, Mod, Sea, Star & Tweet. I showed you the designs from Tweet 2 days ago, so here are the rest.

This is Garden, sheet 1

sheet 2

Star, sheet 1

sheet 2

Cosmic, sheet 1

sheet 2

Mod, sheet 1

sheet 2

Sea, sheet 1

sheet 2

On a side note....I am so freaking excited. Look what is on it's way to me!!!! Jack got it for me for my 30th b-day. *cough cough* in June, lol. I'm so impatient :P

Pink Wednesday!

2011-04-27T06:00:00.005-04:00

I used another one of the bigRuby tattoos for this funky french, I love them, they really are sooooo easy!! It was perfect, because I had no real time for this mani. I swear, the past 2 weeks have been so busy, and it's starting to take it's toll. *contemplates taking a personal day*, lol. Anyways, okay, for this I used 10, Pinky Promise for the base, and L.A. Girls Hot Pink matte for the tips. I used one of the flower tattoos from the Garden bigRuby set. Then, I had to add a rhinestone in the center of the flower, it was all Jacks idea :)
Happy Pink Wednesday everyone!

I will have pics of all the designs from all the sets posted this afternoon for you guys :)

bigRuby Nail Tattoos - Review & Giveaway EDIT

2011-04-26T06:00:00.007-04:00

CLOSED

Good morning!! Okay, so I was contacted by Maria from bigRuby Tattoos, and was given the chance to review their fun nail tattoos & their top coat. Now, I was so excited, because I am all for any kind of nail art, especially easy ones! They currently have 6 different sets that you can choose from, and each set comes with 86 tattoos in both mani and pedi sizes! I love the fact that they had different sizes, because we don't all have the same size nails. I actually even decided to use both a mani and pedi sized design for my accent finger. Yep, I'm a rebel like that, lol. I had no idea which set to even try, until I saw the Tweet set, and it had Peacock feathers!! The cost of these are $12.00 per package, but completely worth it. If you are interested in puchasing these, you can get them here. I have tried a few other brands, and always had issues with them being too thick, and not even laying flat after my SV. I cannot wait to try the others. Also a HUGE bonus about this company is this - I read this on their site, and had to share

Beauty with a conscience...

It was important to me that this business have a bigger purpose and meaning. I decided from day one that not only would we be a cruelty-free company but that as I succeed, the things that are important to me would benefit as well.
bigRuby thinks our four-legged friends are not put on this earth to be poked and prodded for the vanity of the two-legged sort. We pledge to always do our best to bring you products produced without the use of unnecessary animal testing.
When you buy a bigRuby product, a portion of the proceeds will go to The Kindness Ranch (a sanctuary for research animals) as well as other animal rescues. bigRuby supports their heroic efforts in protecting those with no voice.
Please note: with every bigRuby purchase, you will receive complimentary good karma... just for caring.

I love this!

Okay, now here are all the sets they have available

You can choose from either Cosmic, Garden, Mod, Sea, Star & Tweet

I chose to start with Tweet

1st sheet of tattoos that were in the little zip lock bag

2nd sheet. Another bonus, IMO, is that I love the colors, and the designs are simple. They are all very wearable. They don't look cheap, cheesy, or over the top.

Here is their top coat. If you notice, each sheet of tattoos, also contains bulldog tattoos for the brand :)

Here are the instructions, that are inside the pack

Okay, since I knew I wanted to use the Peacock feathers, and they were a dark purple, I chose to use a light purple for my base. It is China Glaze Light As Air

After my mani dried I cut them out, followed the steps, and got this.

If you are interested in puchasing these, you can get them here.

The effect is really great, and I'm so pleased with it. It really was so easy, and my nail does not look like I have a tattoo/sticker of any kind on it, it looks like a nail stamped design :)

Now for the top coat. I do like it & it did dry fast compared to any other regular top coat, but not as fast as my Seche Vite. It also maintained it's shininess. The smell was about 100 times better than SV though, lol. The tattoos I would def, purchase, but I would probably skip the top coat since it is kind of pricey, but then again, if you don't like the smell of SV, or you have issues, ie. shrinkage and/or polish peeling off in sheets, this might be a great alternative for you.

Now, it gets even better. Not only did I receive a set to try, but I was also given a full set for one of you!! Yep, the very kind Maria, sent me a full 2nd set of tattoos along with their topcoat. So just fill this form out, and Good Luck! Once again, this will be an easy entry, just your name and email :) The giveaway will end May 3rd @ 6:00 am, and is open to EVERYONE :)

Fun finds at the flea market and an amazing Giveaway!

2011-04-25T15:13:00.000-04:00

I wanted to show you guys what I picked up at the flea market, this past weekend. I seriously love that place. It's great for people watching, shopping and food. It's only open on Fridays, so we don' get a chance to go there very often, but when we do, it's a whole day thing :) Jack likes to get chocolate covered bacon : /

Now, I tried it, and have come to the conclusion, that as much as I love bacon, and chocolate, the 2 should never EVER meet again. Oh well, makes him happy, and more for him. Well while we were there, my friends sister, spotted these, and came and got me. I was just so fascinated by the bottle on the far right, with it's unique bottle shape, and flowers in the lid.

and my new cute turtle ring that moves. I love fun unique costume jewelry

I also wanted to share with you guys, an awesome giveaway.

Jennifer from The Looks For Less is having a big 'ol 2nd blogiversary bash this week. It's 5 Days of over $1,400 in giveaways!! Check it out here.

This glitter is HUNGRY!!

2011-04-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

So I wanted to show you another Nubar that I ordered off of eBay a little while ago, called Night Sparkle. I also want to let you all know, I will get to your comments and emails today, I'm hoping. My weekend was sooo crazy, and I had no time to get on my computer. Anyways, okay, I love my Nubar glitters, but this one ate my top coat like it was no ones business!! I will show you exactly what I mean. Okay, this is what the mani looked like right after I applied 2 coats of Night Sparkle, and 2 coats of SV. So pretty :)

Then within 5 minutes, it looked like this :( See the lumps............. This is called a hungry glitter :)

Now, if you're looking for a fix, I was informed that first doing a coat of Gelous, and then your top coat, solves this. I have yet to test this out, but I'm all for trying it, next time I come across a glitter like this.

Also, keep an eye out, because I have another giveaway coming up soon :)

Me again!!!

2011-04-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hey guys it's Jack again!!! Erika is here but not totally with it. She has had a tad too much to drink. So I am helping her with her post again. She wanted to show her new polish, that she calls a multicrome. It is Cover Girl Purplexed. She did one coat over one coat of Wet n' Wild Black. Sorry I don't know the official name of it. Now Erika's friend Caitie is helping me write this post but she too has had too much to drink, and is loving her nails done by Erika.

Happy Easter!!!!

Chloe's Nails

Who needs sleep.......I DO!!!

My Weekend Tape Mani :)

China Glaze Hunger Games and a MASSIVE FAIL!!

Oh hey there!

Man Glaze Lesbihonest

2012 Color Club Blossoming Swatches!!!!

China Glaze Liquid Crystal

2012 Color Club the NEW Blossoming Collection

This one is for you Mel!!!

Matte Checkers....

Pink Wednesday Tape Mani :)

My actual V-Day mani + an Uh-Oh

Mermaid nails and a green Zebra!

My Lucky Tax Day Mani!!

Got a tad bit bored O_o

Random Swatch Time!

Check out this combo!

Semi Pink Wednesday!!

My Comfort Zone - Funky French

So pretty but dang......she smells!

A Valentine idea - Simple & Easy

Revlon Whimsical Goes Matte!

Current Favorite polish with tips :)

Glitter Gal Holos!!

Feather Fun!! With a cute kittie!

Revlon Popular = A New Fave!

China Glaze Magnetix 2012 Swatches

A Great Surprise!

Some Leopard Fun

Could I BE any later? - Yes, it's a reference to Friends, lol.

The past few months!! and a NOTD from a crappy iPhone :(

Don't even know what to say here :(

Summer Chic mani

Happy Pink Wednesday!

Day O' Dogs

How about some lemonade :)

My comfort zone = black tips :)

Please life......just settle down a smidge!!

Some new Love & Beauty polishes

Color Club 2011 Fractured Collection and my NOTD for Pink Wednesday!

Nars Purple Rain & Clarins 230!!

Oooohhhh Aaaahhhhh

Morning guys!!! I'm BACK!!!!

Hey everyone

This one is for you Bridgette!

Help Whip Cancer!!!

Revlon Black with Envy

Ulta Jaded.....Check her out in the bottle!

OPI DS Sapphire on the tips :)

OPI DS Sapphire

Hope This Works. OPI Movin Out

Can someone pass me a drink?

FingerPaints 2011

How I do SUPER Girly :P

Okay, so don't hate me...but...

When it's sunny, I wear holos!

Cadillac Nails....says Jack

a-England Polishes

2 from the Essie 2011 Summer Collection...

My Go-To Mani...What's yours?

It's Wednesday, It's Wednesday (doing the cabbage patch)

A Bubbly Bombshell and my new fave base!

Some simple stamping..

My dented mani that was totally worth it :)

Ummm....Nope! DO NOT WANT

Exciting Polish News: New FingerPaints and a chance at a $250 GC!!!

Secret Periwinkle gets tattooed!

Why have I never heard of this one???

bigRuby Nail Tattoo Designs

Pink Wednesday!

bigRuby Nail Tattoos - Review & Giveaway *EDIT*

Beauty with a conscience...

Fun finds at the flea market and an amazing Giveaway!

This glitter is HUNGRY!!

Me again!!!

bigRuby Nail Tattoos - Review & Giveaway EDIT