nails inc. Sweets Way

I'm kind of on a sweets kick. I went to a sleepover last night and only ate dessert - fondue AND s'mores - and then for breakfast I ate some MORE s'mores, and then I got home and ate some cookies, and then with dinner today, I had another GIANT cookie for dessert. It kind of went with my last nail manicure, Zoya's Yummy (which I can assure you ALL of that food was), but I think today's nails match my sweet tooth even better: nails inc. Sweets Way.

Earlier this year, nails inc. released a bunch of special effect sprinkle nail polishes. Basically, these polishes are different colored round glitter pieces in a fairly sheer base which, layered, looks like frosting and sprinkles. There are four colors: a white base with pink and blue sprinkles, a coffee base with brown and white sprinkles, a blue base with teal and yellow sprinkles, and a pink base with pink and purple sprinkles.

Sweets Way was the most obvious pick for me because, being the white-based "frosting", I assumed it would match more colors of nail polish.

nails inc. Sweets Way

I've been over how nails inc. names all their polishes after places in London before, and I'll admit, I was skeptical when I heard the names of these polishes. Sweets Way, Pudding Lane, Sugar House Lane, and Topping Lane definitely don't sound like your average street name (really...Pudding?), but I did actually check and...apparently whoever names streets in London had as much of a sweet tooth as I do, because all four of those places actually exist.

Anyway, here is Sweets Way:

Sweets Way (shade)

Sweets Way (sunlight)

I think Sweets Way actually looks a lot like sprinkles in frosting in the sun! I was pretty impressed. Especially  from a distance, my nails looked...well, good enough to eat! Up close, though, and particularly in the shade, the glitter pieces look more like glitter than sprinkles.

See how the "sprinkles" are actually shiny up close? Maybe the effect would be more realistic with a matte nail polish!

Overall, I'm fairly satisfied with Sweets Way. It only took 3 coats to get a completely opaque look. Unfortunately, because of the thick, chunky nature of the polish, it was a little harder to control application. And, as with most glitters, it ate topcoat like I eat chocolate. Even after a coat of Gelous AND a thick layer of Poshe, my nails still have a slightly rough, bumpy finish.

How do you like the cupcake-y look? Sweet? Not so sweet? Let me know!

Stay happy!

Zoya Yummy

This morning, I ate a really, really good cookie for breakfast as one of my last before school starts up again. I'm not kidding, this cookie was heavenly. Anyway, I got to thinking...school's starting, but that doesn't mean that I can't eat cookies for breakfast. Likewise, fall is coming, but that doesn't mean it's too late to wear summer colors!

That said, I have for you a delicious treat today: Zoya Yummy, a "bright, cheerful light robin's egg blue in a milky creme finish" (according to the Zoya website).That description is spot on!

Zoya Yummy

Yummy is great because it's bright without being eye-searingly neon. And even without being neon, it definitely pops.

Zoya Yummy indoors

As you can see, Yummy looks different in various lighting. The three photos above were all taken indoors at the same time of day, and they still look like they could be different nail polishes!

Zoya Yummy outdoors

In direct sunlight, Yummy is a little darker. I think it looks like blue raspberry candy - which is fitting because Yummy is from Zoya's "Candy" collection.

Yummy was on the runny side, but was easier to control with a little practice. I had to make sure I started each brush stroke a little farther from the cuticle than I usually would, or the polish would pool up and flood my cuticles. Even though it was runny, Yummy was perfectly opaque in two coats.

Looking to get your hands on your own bottle of Yummy? From now until August 29th, Zoya has a BOGO (buy one, get one free) promo for all accounts that were opened before August 22nd. If you don't have an account with Zoya get, you can still get a bottle of Yummy for free (just pay shipping) here.

Got any requests for swatches while the BOGO promo is going on? Let me know!

Stay happy!

Effervescence Dragon Dance

Hey, guys!

So you know how everyone's always saying to support your local businesses? Well, I must admit I haven't really been too into local businesses...I mean, I LIKE my Starbucks and McDonalds! But I've finally found a "local business" that I can TOTALLY get behind - Effervescence Nail Lacquer.

Effervescence is literally a BRAND SPANKIN' NEW company, started earlier this summer by two college freshmen-to-be as a way to earn a little extra pocket money. I'm going to say that in the future, this business could be making a lot more than just pocket money...

Today I have Dragon Dance, "a red jelly base with fine, square, and gold glitters". That description is pretty much spot on:

Effervescence Dragon Dance

While I'm talking about the  Effervescence website's description, I feel compelled to mention that these girls are hilarious. Their commentary-like nail polish descriptions are definitely entertaining just to read, and they've got little things all over the place that are sure to make you smile. ("I solemnly swear that I have read the delivery and pickup info." And then if you don't actually click the link, there's an angry pop-up that will make you both laugh and feel guilty simultaneously.)

Anyway, here are my swatches of Dragon Dance:

Dragon Dance, 3 coats

Having a jelly base, Dragon Dance was fairly sheer and buildable. Below, the index and ring fingers are 1 coat and the middle and pinky fingers are 2 coats:

As with all glitter polishes, Dragon Dance didn't finish completely smooth because of the glitter pieces. (However, it was significantly smoother than I expected, and I was impressed.) I remedied the chunkiness with a coat of Gelous and then one of Poshe to dry it faster. Can you see how glassy it is in the pictures below??

No? Well, the difference is a lot more noticeable in person. I keep staring at my nails - Dragon Dance is like a gorgeous jelly sandwich, but without the work of layering glitters between a jelly polish! (It also looks like the perfect Holiday color - Christmas OR Chinese New Year! :P)

If you can't tell, I LOVED Dragon Dance. The smaller brush (if you haven't noticed, the bottles are mini - 6 ml versus the regular 15 ml) made the polish a little harder to control, but the formula was good enough to make up for it. I'm excited to try out the other Effervescence colors!

Stay happy!

nails inc. Brompton Place

I'm not particularly good at research, but I thought I'd try and get in practice for school (WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT STARTS IN ONE WEEK?!) today. I have for all of you today nails inc. Brompton Place, and knowing absolutely nothing about England like I do, I thought I'd try to find out something about this polish's namesake.

Brompton Place fun facts:
1. None.

Maybe all the fun facts were hiding from me, but all I gathered from a few minutes Google-surfing was that there are a couple apartments on sale in Brompton Place.

It's a good thing the nail polish is a lot more interesting.

nails inc. Brompton Place

Brompton Place is a pretty pink creme, halfway between Barbie-pink and pastel pink. I'd say it's a little closer to pastel. Because it's so light, Brompton Place isn't the summeriest of colors, but I like it anyway as a nice change from all the neons and glitters.

The Brompton Place formula was wonderful, as are the formulas of all the nails inc. polishes I've ever tried. It was somehow both thick and runny at the same time, but in a way that actually made the polish easier to spread around the way I wanted it. For now, I think I'll shelve it until spring.

Does anybody out there know anything fun about Brompton Place? Let me know!

Stay happy!

IT'S MAGIC! Del Sol "Ruby Slipper"

I kid you not. Today, I've got magical nail polish for you.

Okay, so maybe not EXACTLY magic. But it's close enough! If you've heard of the Del Sol company, you've probably seen their amazing line of clothes that change color in the sun's UV (I think?) rays. Well, not only do they have stunning shirts that change color...THEY HAVE NAIL POLISH!

If I could have, I would have bought them all. I kid you not. But, unfortunately, I couldn't, so I settled on the one that I thought had the most impressive change: Ruby Slipper. 

Del Sol Ruby Slipper - indoors

Granted, it doesn't look like much more than your average silver glitter nail polish in this shot. It looks like something you'd only use every once in awhile as a topcoat over something, right? In fact, it's pretty transparent on the nail:

Ruby Slipper, 2 coats

It WOULD look very nice over a lot of different colors though, right? Anyway, I decided to play around with it and see how many coats I'd need for opacity. 

Ruby Slipper, 4 coats

Ruby Slipper, 6 coats

Ruby Slipper, 12 coats

Yes...that does say 12 coats. Twelve! By that time, the layer of polish over my nails was so thick it looked like fake or gel nails, which I found pretty amusing:

DO YOU SEE HOW THICK THAT IS? :D

So far, just a boring silver glitter that will probably take AGES to remove because it's so many layers. But, fear not! This is Del Sol, which is synonymous with not boring, and it must be called Ruby Slipper for some reason, right?

I walked outside this morning to get the mail, and I literally almost tripped over something when I saw my nails. It was THAT exciting.

BAM! Amazing.

See how much the color changed in the bottle too?! I was literally flipping out in front of my house. And then I thought, Hmm...I wonder if the color change is this mind-blowing even without twelve coats! Because, you know, not everyone will have the time or patience or will of mind to paint each nail twelve times...

Ruby Slipper, 3 coats, indoors

Ruby Slipper, 3 coats, outside

IT'S JUST AS MAGICAL! I think I even like the way 3 coats looks outside better than 12! It's got a really pretty pink jelly quality that's a lot more playful than 12 coats...but hey, if I'm going to do 12 coats of nail polish anyway, I don't want playful. I mean serious BUSINESS.

Once I got over how trippy the color change was, I really went to town taking pictures of Ruby Slipper. I was that excited. Of course, anybody who knows me knows that it's not incredibly difficult to excite me. But I was EXTRA excited by this insane nail polish.

IT TOTALLY LOOKS LIKE GEL!

Obviously, Ruby Slipper made me immensely happy. But the great thing was that I can see myself using Ruby Slipper again, now that I know I DON'T actually need to do 12 coats to make them look good. The formula was pretty good, too, which surprised me, and the finish was smooth and didn't eat topcoat.

Next time I'm at a Del Sol store, I'm definitely going to stock up on more colors. What do you think of Ruby Slipper? Is the effect incredibly, insanely, awesomely, amazingly, wonderstrikingly cool? (YES...) Or does it feel "little-kid" to you?

Stay happy!

nails inc. Magnetic Effect Spitalfields & Piccadilly

First of all, I must say that I NEED to visit London some day. nails inc., butter London, and probably many other British nail polish brands name all of their polishes after places in London, and some of the names of my polishes really have me wondering...I mean, Spitalfields?

Anyway, I'm sure Spitalfields, whatever it is, is a wonderful place; today I have for you part two of my reviews and swatches of the nails inc. Magnetic Effect nail polishes - fishnet magnetics Spitalfields and Piccadilly!

nails inc. Spitalfields (green) and Piccadilly (gold)

I was SO excited to get these when they first came out - I'd seen plenty of wave magnetic polishes, but no patterns this creative! Luckily, my wonderful sister got me this pair for Christmas.

First up is Spitalfields, a green just off "forest" with an almost frosty, metallic finish. As per the nails inc. instructions, I did one coat of base coat and then one of Spitalfields without the magnetic effect, and I was pleased to see how opaque Spitalfields was: 

Spitalfields before magnetic effect

Isn't Spitalfields pretty enough even without the fishnet magnetic pattern?

After waiting about a minute (I never wait too long between coats...I just don't have the patience!), I applied a second coat of Spitalfields and used the magnet, one nail at a time. Unfortunately, I had quite a bit of trouble with the fishnet magnet - the design barely even showed up, after I held the magnet over my nail for at least twenty seconds!

nails inc. says to hold the magnet VERY CLOSE to the nail; if "very close" means touching the nail, then that's about accurate. I couldn't get the design to appear over my entire nail on any except for one, which I accidentally touched with the magnet. Here's the best I could do for all my nails:

How did my fingers look so red?! They didn't look like this in person...

Can you see where I accidentally touched the magnet to my nails?

Although I thoroughly enjoyed Spitalfields before using the magnet, I found myself quite unhappy after attempting again and again...and again...to make the fishnet pattern show up. I was definitely hoping for more luck with Piccadilly, the slightly dirty-looking gold.

Here is Piccadilly before the magnet was applied (I used 2 coats for full opacity):

The gold sparkle is subtle, but I liked the color anyway. Maybe just not with my skin tone...

Anyway, I followed the nails inc. directions for the magnetic effect, and found that my results with Piccadilly were even WORSE than they were with Spitalfields! I tried holding the magnet closer (and had several more accidents there...), staying more still, rotating the magnet around my nail, holding it longer...nothing worked. Here's the best I could do:

It's such a shame I couldn't get the magnet to work well for me - I really liked the colors, and I always LOVE the nails inc. formula! Here's a shot of some of the other colors with the fishnet effect:

Spitalfields, Trafalgar Square, Houses of Parliament, Whitehall, Piccadilly

Oh well. It was a great idea, but not the most happy-making end product. I'll work on my magnet-using technique and let you know if I figure out any better ways to make the fishnet effect show up!

Have you tried out any of the magnetic nail polishes yet? What are your strategies for making the magnetic design show up the best?

Stay happy!

Zoya Ivanka

Tired of summer colors? I never will be. In fact, I'll probably be wearing them well into winter. Luckily, there are colors in the world that are so gorgeous that I think they're acceptable any time of the year...Zoya Ivanka is one of them.

The Zoya website describes Ivanka as a "mermaid green sparkling metallic", which is pretty darn accurate. I'd say its more glitter than metallic (and the slightly challenging removal will also have you leaning toward glitter), but other than that, the description is spot on. Yes. Sometimes when I look at my nails, I think of mermaids.

Zoya also says that Ivanka is opaque. I used three coats in the swatches here and in the right light, I can still see the nail line a little bit. Four coats probably would have been perfect; two is fine for anyone who doesn't mind the visible nail line.

So here, without further ado, is Zoya Ivanka!

See how you can see a little of the nail line?

Ivanka is a little more yellow in real life than shows in the pictures. The next one is a little closer:

All in all, I really like Ivanka. I know the pictures are a little blurry, but that's because my camera couldn't decide how to focus on all that sparkle! Ivanka is really something you have to see in person though - it's such a pretty polish!

If you're looking to get your hands on your own bottle, you can find it online at zoya.com.

Stay happy!

Share the Love!

Hey guys!

If nails make you anywhere near as happy as they make me, you've already heard of Zoya nail polish. I love Zoya because all of their polishes are..well, everything-free. You could probably drink a bottle and be fine, that's how safe their polishes are (DO NOT ATTEMPT! IF NAILS MAKE YOU HAPPY DOES NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM ENDORSE THIS ACTION OR TAKE ANY LIABILITY FOR NAIL POLISH DRINKING!). 

If you've been wanting to try out Zoya for awhile and have never had a good enough incentive to, their Share the Love program is an amazing reason! Anyone with a (free) account at zoya.com can participate in the program. You get points for referring friends, family, coworkers, stalkers, port-o-potty transporters, mailmen, dog breeders, lunch ladies...anybody you know can help you get points! 

How? All you do is share Zoya with your friends - the Zoya website will create links for you to copy and send to...again, pretty much anyone and everyone! They click on your link, and, not only do YOU get 100 Share the Love points, but THEY get a free bottle of nail polish. (FREE! Add two more bottles, and they'll get free shipping!) Your points can go toward a whole bunch of things - from $5 off to free shipping to a whole collection!

What? Can't wait to Share the Love? Get started with Zoya's Fall 2012 collections - Designer, Diva, and Gloss! Still in summer mode? My absolute favorite summer shade, Wednesday, is part of the Summer 2012 Beach collection!

Go and make other people happy and Share the Love! (Of course, it'd be great if you could make me happy first and start your love-sharing with one of my links :P)

Can Fish Frown?

...but maybe they do in the Thames (which, apparently, ISN'T pronounced the way it's spelled). I wouldn't know, but I guess the people at butter London would better than I...anyway, this post is about butter London's Trout Pout - "Pale and retro, this opaque cantaloupe nail lacquer looks great on anyone."

Trout Pout is part of the 2012 Spring/Summer collection, and one of the reasons I like it is because it can feel both spring-y and summer-y: Trout Pout is light enough that it's not too intense for those months where it's warming up and possibly still raining, but bright enough for the hot summer months.

butter London Trout Pout

butter London Trout Pout

butter London Trout Pout in a different light - a little more orange?

butter London is known for its amazing formula (hence the $14 price tag!) so I was a little disappointed to find that I needed 3 coats for complete opacity. But Trout Pout had just the perfect thickness of formula, and it was so easy to work with that I didn't mind the extra coat too much. Besides, Trout Pout had an amazing color! It was pinker than I'd ever call a cantaloupe, but in some lights it had some orangey-coral tones that were melon-esque to me.

All in all, I really liked Trout Pout. The color and the way it dried perfectly made up for the extra coat I had to do. Plus, even if I didn't like it on my nails, I LOVE the butter London bottles!