Merry (sparkly) Christmas!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas Holiday!! I know I did! Sadly, I have to return to work tomorrow =/

Here are some quick shots of my Christmas mani...



2 coats of China Glaze Poinsettia topped with 2 coats of Lynnderella Happy HoloDaze!



I also added 1 coat of Gelous and 1 coat of SH Insta-Dri (the clear bottle, not the red one) and the glitter is completely smooth!!

Again, Merry Christmas!!

MAC Illegal Purple

2 coats, no top coat. This was the base for another color which is why there is no top coat. I was not incredibly impressed with the color. With a name like Illegal Purple you would think it would be super hot...instead, it's only lukewarm.


Blackened purple/plum that leans brownish red. Nothing new or extraordinary. There are so many more vampy colors out there that I could have saved my $12 on!!

Yeah, Illegal Purple...'cause I got robbed.

Naked

This is me now...



I need some inspiration...or motvation. I'd much rather snuggle into bed and channel surf :)

Sunday Funday!!

Cha-ching!

Whoa! It's been 14 days since my last post...errr, sorry? I'll have to admit, it is a bit from laziness and also from lack of time these days. I'm working 12 hour shifts now too so that surely doesn't help. Enough of my whining...on to the polish!



2 coats of Color Club Santa's Cinnamon topped with 2 coats of Lynnderella's Change.

Now, Santa's Cinnamon was a no brainer. Gorgeous, sparkly, micro glitter which was opaque in 2 coats. The kicker to this one...it smells like Red Hots or Hot Tamales!! It had that lit from within type of glow to it as well. Well done, Color Club!
Then we have Change. I was honestly going to pass on this one because I thought...what could be so unique about metallic glitters in a shimmery gold base? I should have known better and glad I didn't pass on this gem. So many different shapes, sizes and colors in a very shimmery yet sheer gold base. I loved the randomness of the occassional large, square glitter or the deep bronze glitters. This is also 2 coats...but not the typical 2 coats. To get these glitters to lay right you have to kind of dab them on and manipulate them into place. It takes a little more effort but it is well worth it.
Also, please excuse the weird clean up on my middle finger. I had a rogue hair on my clean up brush that took off a little too much =/


Tuesday...the gateway to Wednesday and the middle of the week! Enjoy!

Ozotic 531

Recently I ordered a few Ozotic polishes online from Picture Polish. They had amazingly fast turn around time. I think I had my polish on my doorstep in a little less than 7 days...which is saying a lot because they came from Australia!
This is one of 4 Ozotic's that I got...531!



I am now officially calling this polish "Don't Lock Your Keys In Your Car"! That is exactly what I did when I was wearing this one =/



The good thing was I was in a Target parking lot connected to a mall so, if I had to use the bathroom or got hungry, cold, bored I could go inside while I waited for help to arrive.



The bad thing...my ex had the only spare key! Well, I DO have a spare but it was locked in the car in the glove box...where it belongs-right? Good thing I am on good terms with the ex because he and his girlfriend came to my rescue and brought me the spare...2 1/2 hours later.



This is 1 coat of 531 over 1 coat of Illamasqua Boosh. The wear from this combo was excellent! I wore it for 4 days with no chipping and very minor tipwear. The color is very pretty and I like it a lot but...not as much as the other Ozotic Mish Mash polish I got! The color shift in this is amazing! The predominant color I see is a rusty/brownish/maroon but at different angles you see deep purple, gold and a bit of olive if you squint real hard! In one of the pictures you can see the color range in the bottle. Oh, and did I forget to mention that this has a nice sprinkle of holo particles in it too?! It's scattered but still the linear type of holo...if that makes sense.

So, what else could you ask for...multichrome and holo rolled into one! I say it's a win-win all around!

Have a great Tuesday!

Re-do!!

FYI...I edited this as I realized I used the wrong link code for the picture! So sorry!!

Happy Saturday!!

Today I am wearing a combo for a special reason! Today is game day!! Today is our last away game of the 2011 season for roller derby. Our team colors are hot pink and black & white. I recently got NARS Schiap on a whim as I am not a big "pink" gal. Am I sure glad I decided to bet it because it is pure love!!



This is 2 coats of Schiap with 2 coats of Connect the Dots. Schiap applied amazing!! Smooth, even coats that felt like they were applying themselves. Connect the Dots applied like a standars glitter...needed to be dabbed on in some areas and the glitters needed to be pushed around a little but, the extra work was so worth it! I never realized the CtD had that amazing micro shimmer! It looks to be holographic or irridescent in some lights too...amazing!!

Now I'm off for a long drive down to San Diego for some derby!! Wish us luck!

Nicole for OPI Follow Me On Glitter

Lately I have not been able to decide if I want to wear glitter or cremes. It seems like the glitters always win!!


This is 2 coats of one of the new Kardashian Kollection NOPI's. Follow Me On Glitter. I didn't get the name at first...duh!

This is a very pretty gunmetal and silver tiny glitter base with different colors of slightly larger glitters mixed in. So far I have seen dark pink, light blue, green, orange and gold. I SWEAR I've also seen a random red and silver glitter in there too!! I really could not tell if the base is tinted or colored because the glitter in this is so dense!! I think it has a dark grey tint to it though. The formula on this was easy to use but tended to clump up a bit by the time I started the 2nd coat. I think this may have been because the formula dried so fast. I used 1 coat of NYC Grand Central Station to top it off but it could have used another coat.

Here is what I added to it the next day:


A single coat of Spectraflair topcoat! It is very subtle but it looked amazing in the sun! My camera went a little crazy hence the blur.

My Spectraflair is mixed into a bottle of NYC Grand Central Station...cheap but dries fast and is nice and shiny!

Hope you all have a great Sunday and those of you who get to enjoy DST...enjoyed your extra hour of sleep!!

Mail Call...and over-haulin'!

Soooooo...I bought a few things. Ok, that might be a bit of an understatement. I couldn't resist the Sephora Friends & Family though! That is one of the only times of the year I shop at Sephora so I don't feel too bad about that. I also found the LE WnW palettes at my Walgreen's so I couldn't pass those up--right?
Here's a photo of the madness...



There are also some goodies in there from Sally, Ulta and a Lynnderella order.

Now, what to try out first?!?!

If you'd like to see more posts on mail or hauls, let me know...I'd be glad to post! :)

Also...please excuse the picture quality. I am STILL trying to figure out my new camera!! I have a Fuji Finepix S4000...if anyone has any pointers or experience with this camera model, I am all ears!

Mattified Fall Mani

Quick and easy way to extend a mani...or if you're too lazy to remove your mani like I was!



What have you mattified?

:o)

A little layering for fall

Happy Sunday night to everyone! Since I couldn't get any Halloween mani's done, I figured I'd at least do a mani that felt very Fall.



1 coat of Illamasqua Fabricate. I've had this sitting in my untried for about a year or maybe even longer. A wonderful international friend sent this to me as a kind of joke because I said I liked wearing "ugly" colors sometimes. I bet she didn't think I'd ever wear it! It's actually a very warm, chocolate cream with a tiny touch of red to it. Pretty and warm...just perfect for fall.


Next, I added 1 coat of KleanColor Chunky Holo Poppy. I wish I would have taken a shot of this outside to show a better representation of the color shift. It goes from red to orange to yellow/gold to green. Beautiful!! This was taken under a small OTT light.


Finally, I added 1 coat of KleanColor Chunky Black Holo. I love that this gives the same red thru green color shift but the glitter size is bigger.

This mani really makes me feel like I'm in fall with all the warm colors. I think my favorite part of it is the bright, almost neon lime green color it has under certain light conditions.

As for application, the Illamasqua applied like a dream! Full coverage with a single coat and super glossy without a top coat. The KleanColors were a bit thick but still easy to use. They also had that "unique" KC smell to them...very strong and chemical-y.

I'd also like to take a minute to ask for a pardon on my not so crisp pictures. I am using a new camera and still trying to get used to the settings.

Have a great night and hope you have a fun and safe Halloween tomorrow! Are you dressing up? If so, as what? And what will your mani be?
:o)

KleanColor: Holo Orange + Halloween decals

Happy Friday everyone! My nails and cuticles are finally back in nice enough shape to start taking photos...YAY! Not to mention I finally have a little time to shoot and edit shots, I think (HOPE) I am back on the road to blogging again!



KleanColor Holo Orange. This is 3 thin coats with my regular base and top coats. This polish was a bit thick but relatively easy to work with. These KC holos are actually pretty nice! Packed with tiny holographic glitters that are smooth and offer a very pretty scattered, yet dense holo effect. As you can see, I still have a little VNL so if that bothers you...use an undercoat.



Here is Holo Orange a few days later with some Kiss Halloween decals. I know, not very original or artistic but I love the simplicity of decals and the skulls are so freakin' cute!!

Have a spooky but safe Halloween weekend!

OPI Dating A Royal

Lets start off with the polish! 3 coats of Dating a Royal. I don't know why I waited so long to wear this one because it's such a pretty shade of purple...blue...blurple? Don't know quite where this fits in to that equation.

I've been gone for many, many months. Those of you who still have me in your blog readers...THANK YOU!! I've had so many changes in my life over the past 6 months and it was very hard to balance all my "fun" activities with my everyday life. I think I have found a decent balance for now and am hoping to get back to nurturing my blog on a regular basis.

Over the next few days I will likely post a few press releases on upcoming collections. Most of which I am sure you have seen but, I'd like to give my opinions on what I like or don't like about them as well as what I am looking forward to from them. I get press release info from a few popular brands but have not been active on my blog to report them. This is something I'd like to keep on top of as I get them.

I've got TONS of new polish to show you all too...I just need to start painting and taking photos more regularly. Over the next few weeks I will be showing A LOT of Halloween polishes and fall shades. I know Halloween is still over a month away but I can't resist the fun polishes that come with the holiday! Skulls, blood and black polish? Yes, please!!

For those of you on MUA...I have been absent from there as well. I have been reading a lot of the posts there and look at all the nice NOTD's and great hauls but, haven't felt like I have anything to contribute. I'm hoping to change that too. Without MUA's NB, I would not be the polish collector that I am today. I haven't been swapping at all lately but hope to get back to that soon as well. I've moved so my swap stash is a mess...once I get that under control I'll be back in action!

Have a great Friday everyone!!

Jordana Purple Rain

Happy, happy Sunday!  The weather is beautiful here today and I am looking forward to putting on my roller skates and new wheels tonight!!

Today I have my mani from Friday night for you.  I had such a great night on Friday!  We went to see Prince in concert and I am still singing and dancing around!  He is doing a 21 show tour in Los Angeles right now and we saw show #6 of 21.  Anyone in the Los Angeles area...if you want to see a GREAT concert, this is a must see!  Tickets are super reasonable.  We paid $25 and were not in the upper level...we got middle level seats which were at the front area of the stage.  He also has a rotating opening act so you never know who you will get.  Couple that with surprise guests most nights...AWESOME!  We didn't get a surprise guest but we did get Sheila E!!  She was awesome and can still rock her timbales!!  Last night's special guests were Gwen Stefani and No Doubt...OMFG!!!  I can't believe I missed that one.  I will definitely be going again!

Back to my mani for the concert...I HAD to use one of my Purple Rain polishes for sure!  That was a no brainer. 


Beautiful deep purple shimmer with just a faint touch of red sparkles if you look real close!  This is 3 coats with my regular base and top combo.

I am definitely planning on going to see Prince at least 1 more time before he is gone.  And, I will definitely be wearing another Purple Rain polish to show my love for both Prince and for nail polish!!!

Have a great week all!

3 step matte glitter mani.

Happy Sunday or Happy Easter.  Whichever salutation you are using today, I hope you are having a fab day!!

Here is my Easter day mani...kind of.  I had planned on wearing this today but took it off last night because I wanted something else!


I started with a base of 2 coats of Quirius Lucy Diamond.  This is a gorgeous sky blue with just a very light touch of fine shimmer.  This is without a top coat.

Next, I added some glitter...


2 coats of Ulta Pinata Yada-Yada.  I am assuming this is meant to be a Happy Birthday knockoff.  I don't have HB to compare it to but I do like the look of this colorful, multi-sized glitter.

And the finishing touch...


1 coat of Essie Matte About You.

I saw a similar mani on MUA a few weeks ago and decided I had to duplicate it!  Icannot for the life of me find it again though to make reference to.

Have a great upcoming week and I hope to have a few more new posts up this week!

Striped tape mani!

Howdy do!!  Saturday night and I'm sitting in front of the compute AND watching a movie (The Other Guys...so far, so good!)

Today I have my 1 st attempt at a tape mani.  I decided to do a 3 color, diagonal stripe because 2 didn't seem like enough and 4 just felt like too many...or at least that's what I keep telling myself!


Base color is Ulta Smoke Screen
Middle color is OPI La Pazatively Hot Matte
Tip color is China Glaze Sexagon

Tape mani's are a huge contradiction to me...they are so simple yet very hard.  First off, this does not work with a matte finish tape.  Use the shiny tape!!!  Polish ate through the matte finish tape and my middle, index and pinky fingers paid the price for that mistake!  Other than that, it just takes time and patience to get a fun tape mani!

Hope you all have a great Easter if you celebrate it, otherwise have a great Sunday!

Yes Love 402

Aaahhhhhh...a nice relaxing Sunday!  The weather was beautiful, I got to go for a short skate outside by the ocean channels and took a little nap.  How was your Sunday?

Today I have a gorgeous green for you!  I was very fortunate to get this, along with a couple of other beauties, in a swap on MUA with a member from Spain. 



This is Yes Love #402.  Yes, that's the name of the polish!  The brand is Yes Love and the color # is 402.  Gorgeous mix of olive and forest green with tiny emerald green shimmers.  I also got a few other colors from this line which I hope to wear soon!  And how cute is the bottle!!!

If you have access to this brand, do your self a favor a get a few!  The application was nice.  The polish was rather thin and required 3 coats to be opaque but it built up nicely.

Hope you have a great week ahead!!

Layering with Rated Holographic

Uh, yeah...creative title for a new post...

Hope you are all having a great Saturday.  The weather here is beautiful and I have been in and out all day!  Laying out in the backyard with the dogs, making a huge jug of Crystal Light lemonade to guzzle, mini swatch fest...just a lot of relaxing and enjoying the day.  How is your Saturday turning out? :o)

Here is what I topped my Color Club Oh Naturale mani with...



China Glaze Rated Holographic!!  This is only 1 coat over the existing mani.  Rated Holographic is from the Kaleidoscope collection of yesteryear.  It has a very pretty, delicate peach toned base and matched near perfect with Oh Naturale.  I probably should have used 2 coats because there was a little patchiness with this but, in the end, I was still happy with the result.  Perfect transistion mani from winter into spring!!

Have a great weekend!!

Color Club Oh Naturale

I was feeling peachy and this fit the bill perfectly!!



Milky, pale peach with a jelly texture. 

My only problem with this polish was it was a patchy and streaky and kind of a nightmare to apply!  This is 3 coats and still had a few streaky/patchy spots.  In the end, I loved the color so much I forgave the application issues. 

This was released with the Pardon My French collection.  I was lucky to find a boxed set at my local Ross Dress For Less.  The only thing about the bottle itself is the cap is different than if you buy a single polish.  The cap is smooth and does not have the flower shaped, raised emblem on the top of the cap like all my other Color Clubs.  This has been the case for all the Color Club sets I have found at Ross.  Aside from that, the polish is fine.

Tune in for what I topped this with to jazz it up for a second day mani!!

Have a great end to your week!

DL Lady Sings The Blues

Happy Sunday!!  I have a had a great weekend and am looking forward to a really good week!

I have been sitting on this post for a few days because I really did not know what to say about this polish that I haven't said about other polishes.  I never realized how difficult writing new post were until I started doing them!  For those bloggers that have been doing this for awhile...word up!



This is DL Lady Sings The Blues.  It came in a trio which was a Nordstrom's exclusive around Christmas time I believe.  The other 2 colors in the trio are Razzle Dazzle (a raspberry jelly with dark pink glitter) and Some Enchanted Evening (a salmon pink glitter in a clear base).  I have not tried the other 2 colors from this set yet but they are very pretty too!


Heres another shot just for the fun of it!!

This is 3 very thin coats with the usual base/top coat combo.  This wore decently but  I did get some tip wear within 24 hours.  I really love these jelly/glitter combos that DL has put out...well, with the exception of Funky Chunky!!

Have a wonderful week!!

Zoya Valerie and Lo

Good Morning!  Happy Saturday and yay to getting to sleep in! 

I was going through my photobucket and noticed I had a few photos I hadn't edited or uploaded.  What an easy way to get a post in and show a couple of colors I haven't yet!

 

Zoya Valerie.  This photo does not show this polish's gorgeousness at all!  And to top it off, my photo has a slight blur to it...not as crisp as my photos usually are.  Anyhow, this is 2 coats.  The base color is a darkened purple/plum color.  This has a fleck finish and the fleck have a slight gold cast to it.  You can really see the halo of gold in the bottle...but not in this photo unfortunately =/  This applied extremely smooth and even with 2 coats.

 

Zoya Lo.  This one is bright it freaked my camera out a little!  It is not quite a neon and did not dry with a matte cast like most neons do.  Rather it is a very, very, very bright pink but it also has a slight dusty cast to it which keeps it from being too obnoxious!  This was another one that applied so nicely.  2 coats, both went on extremely easy and even.  This photo is actually without a top coat yet.  I was pleasantly surprised by the shininess of it without a top coat

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Zoya Gloria

Hump day is almost officially over!! Yay! 

This polish I am showing you today has a little bit of a funny story behind why I bought it.  This is Gloria!



2 coats and this is without a top coat.  I love the gold flecks in this one.  There are a lot of them and it almost looks like a 50/50 mix of gold and the base color.  I love this finish!  The base color reminds me of a very deep rose gold.  The application on this was very nice.  Both coats went on evenly and the formula was very easy to work with in general.

Now, on to the story.  When me and my man started dating several years ago he was trying to protect my identity from his psycho drama ex.  She knew who I was so she would have likely done very bad things if she found out we were dating.  So, I became "Gloria".  Everytime she would try to get information from him he would always refer to Gloria.  We all laughed about this for months because she became obsessed with finding out who Gloria was and eventually left us alone.  I know, silly story but I always chuckle when I hear the name Gloria.  And, of course, when I saw that Zoya had named a polish after my code name, I had to have it!  Now if only they will make a polish named after my legal name!!  (Hint to Zoya....a polish named Tara would be awesome!!  Even more so if it were a really vibrant, in your face color with one of those awesome glass flecked finishes!!!)

Hope you have a great finish to your week!

Shrinkage is never a good look!

Ummmm, yeah....NO!

I always forget that SV does not play nice with Zoya! 

This is 2 coats of Zoya Gilda.  A gorgeous, glass flecked, hot pink polish.  This applied very nicely.  Even on the 1st coat and pretty opaque on the 2nd coat.
I wanted to do a black tipped funky french to match my derby team colors and thought it actually came out very nice...until I woke up the next morning!!  It looks like a 2 week old mani without tip wear!!  Unfortunately I did not have time to redo it and had to wear it out like this.  The surprising thing is I got so many compliments on it!  Either no one noticed or didn't want to comment on the very noticable shrinkage along my cuticle.
Lesson to myself...don't use SV with my Zoyas!!

Catherine Arley 803

This is going to be a bit quick and to the point!

Catherine Arley 803.  Very pretty, lime green holo!  I have worn about 3 of my 12 CA's and I have not been diasppointed in any of them yet! 

This is 3 coats with my usual base coats.  For the top coat I used Sally Hansen Inta-Dri Clearly Quick.  I have found this is a really good top coat for holos.  Not only does it dry quickly but it does not dull the holo effect like most quick dry top coats do.

Happy Friday and have a safe weekend!

Still feeling GREEN!!

I am still wearing my St. Patty's Day mani!  That's how much I really liked this green. 

This is BB Couture Frosty Meadow.  3 thin coats.  I am not sure if this is a jelly or is it just a sheer base with glitter...either way it is really pretty.  It has teeny, tiny silver glitter which shows through the base color and makes it look like a lime green.  I think there is also some aqua glitter in there too because at some angles you get pretty flashes of aqua blue.  I only have about a dozen BB Coutures but I have loved all the ones I have worn so far!

I took this photo this morning and it is a bit overcast where I am.  The good thing about that is the color came out almost perfect!  This is the color I see when I am looking at my nails myself.

On a side note, I have updated my blog sale with a few items.  Some high end, some low end...please take a look if you are interested in a little shopping.  You can always check my MUA tokens (my user name is tjoyu) if you are not familiar with trading/buying from me.  I am doing another PO run on Monday 3/21 so I could get anything out to you pretty quickly if you are interested in buying anything.  You can go to the sale by clicking on the teal colored tab towards the top of my page.

Hope you all have a great Saturday afternoon!!

China Glaze Hi-Def

A blue for Manoday...how fitting!



This is from the new Tronica collection which, sadly, can only be found at Sally's and Cosmoprof.  If you have access to either, I would suggest getting them quick if you wanted them as my Sally has already sold out and are not sure if they will restock.

The holo effect in these are super subtle but still very pretty.  It reminds me a polish that has a flash of color but instead of color, the flash in these is holo.  The application was excellent.  Smooth and even with 2 coats.  There is also no drag as some holo polishes have when you apply the 2nd coat which is a plus!

Here's another shot, closeup. 


It kind of shows the holo but it was very hard to catch because the camera would not focus clearly when the sun hit.

Hope the rest of your week is fabulous!!

Catherine Arley #667

Ta-daaaa!!!


This is the polish that I posted as a test shot from my new phone!  Catherine Arley #667.  A beautiful light grey holo that has a slight warm tone to it.
This is 2 coats but I could have done a 3rd.  I was a little pressed for time so I only did the 2.  The application on this was so smooth and applied evenly.  Amazing!!



It seems that a lot of lacquerheads try to compare all holo polishes to the China Glaze OMG and Kaleidoscope collections.  Those are some BIG shoes to fill!  The thing I can say about the Catherine Arley's is they may not be OMG or Kaleidoscope but they do not disapoint either!  I'd say the finish and the holo effect is right between the two.  Not as dense as OMG but not as chunky as Kaleidoscope.  The polish itself is very smooth and removes very easily.  I am definitely looking forward to trying out the other CA colors that I bought!

OK...one last photo!!


Have a great Saturday and don't forget Daylight Savings Time if you are in a state that observes it.  Not looking forward to losing an hour of sleep but I am looking forward to an hour more of daylight! 

Test picture

Just trying out a new phone.  Hmmmm...what lovely polish could this be? :)

Also...if you are interested, please check out my sale tab above.  I have added just a couple of things but they are some goodies!!

Test...

Test...

FF Riot: Redeux!!

It's Friday already!  Just finished up a home cooked meal and am watching some DVR'd shows to finish off the evening.  What's going on for your Friday?

 
I had enjoyed my Chanel clustered dot mani so much I wanted to see if I could replicate the effect but with a different color scheme.  I did not like the way this one came out in comparison though.  I wouldn't call it a fail but it's also not a win for me!

This is the same base of Funky Fingers Riot.  The dots are done with WnW Ebony Hates Chris, NYC Little Italy, Sally Hansen Prisms Diamond and more FF Riot then sealed with Barielle Speed Dry TC.  The addition of the Prism Diamond was a fun touch in the sun but did not translate well in this photo.  I wish I would have remembered to take full sun shots!

Hope you all have a great weekend!  I know I will!!

Funky Fingers: Riot

I really don't know what to write about this polish.  It is utterly AWESOME in my opinion! 

2 coats.  Still a little VNL but the application was very even so I am going to say this is a jelly.  The color you see on the screen is definitely not the color I see when I look at my nails.  This has a rickness that cannot be caught on camera...believe me, I tried!!  The color is a deep violet purple color...a blue leaning purple.  But, it also has a vibrancy and glow to it that makes it me think of a neon polish.  Sounds like an oxymoron...it's dark but bright! 

I really wish I had a 5 Below where I live but luckily I have family and firends that do so I can usually get these fairly easily.

Now, what color combo of dots should I tart this up with?

Chanel Particuliere + dots!

What?!  Is it really a new post?! I have finally found a bit of time to do a nail post but I feel like I don't know how to write...here goes...



This is Chanel Particuliere with white, teal and more Particuliere dots.  I saw a very similar mani on the MUA nail board earlier in the week and fell in love.  This is my version of that.  The white I used was NYC Little Italy and the teal is Diamond Cosmetics Meagens something...I forgot the whole name.  I was amazed at how well this wore.  I put Particuliere on on Monday and added the dots on Wednesday...this shot was taken this evening (it's Sunday) and I have no tip wear or chipping.  I'm amazed!!  Don't be surprised if you see more of these dotted mani's from me because I love the look! 

Hope you all have a great week.

I swear I'm still around!!

Hi everyone! 

I swear I am still around!!  I've been busy with a few things lately and have not had a lot of time for much else.  I have been polishing still but have not been able to take any photos...well, not being able is not really an excuse.  It's more like I haven't had the time or energy to take the photos, edit them then post them.

Lately, my main time eater has been my new adventure into roller derby!!  I had been aware of the sport for a few years...we also used to watch it back in the late 70's and early 80's with my grandmother on TV as well.  I had been a competitive figure skater (on quad roller skates...not ice skates) for several years in the 70's and early 80's so I have a little bit of a skating background.

Jump forward about 25 years and here I am, rolling around the roller rink again!!  My BFF had been talking about derby for several months but we did not know anything about where we could train or get involved with a team.  It was by complete chance that we found our new derby home! 

I've now been training for about 3 months.  I got to skate in my 1st bout last weekend!!  We lost but it was so much fun and made me love my sport even more!! 

My nails are still painted but I have been noticing that I have a little more tolerance for tip wear as my mani's are staying on for about 3-5 days as opposed to the previous 1-3 days.  I've slowed down on my hauling...which can actually be a good thing as I had gotten a little out of control with my purchases for a little while. 
Thanks for sticking around through my abscence...I am hoping to get my time balanced out so I can post more about polish.  Hopefully you won't mind an occassional post about my roller derby adventure!!

Help a sister out!!

Just a quick break in my regular polish posts to share a link to an awesome makeup sale of my friend Michelle!!  Lot's of nice, high end, very lightly used items.  If you are interested...please check it out!!

http://makeupfordays.blogspot.com/2011/01/sale.html




I am NOT getting any sort of compensation for linking to her sale...just wanted to help a sister out!!
 
Thanks!!!

Sally Hansen magical Nail Makeup: Purple Potion

I have been thouroughly enjoying all the sun we have had here in Southern California because it has made me want to get out my holo's!  I am not enjoying the actual heat, but the sun is awesome for holo polish!!

This is one of the 1st holo polishes I can remember owning.  I have always loved purples and this was so amazing when I first got it.  I remember being amazed and in awe that you could have such an effect in a polish.  When I used to think about "holographic", this is not what I imagined...I imagined see through images of people talking or animations a'la Star Wars!!

This is 2 coats with my regular base and top coats.  There was absolutely no drag on these as some holo polishes can.  The formula on this was thin...but maybe because it's about 8-10 years old and older formula...pre-B3F.

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!!

Golden Rose Holographic Color #119

Happy MLK Day!  Hope everyone is enjoying their Monday.  I know I am as it is around 75 degrees today!  I don't usually like the heat this high in the winter but the bright sunshine got me motivated to get outside and move a little!



This is polish by Golden Rose.  These are the cutest little bottles!  Only 6mls!!  Golden Rose has 2 holo collections.  These tiny bottles and one in a regular 15ml bottle...I don't recall the name of the collection for the larger bottles though.  The name of this collection is Holographic Color...how original!

This is 2 coats.  A very nicely pigmented dark charcoal base with tons of scattered holo pigment.  This is not a glitter and it is completely smooth.  I bought these from the Golden Rose website several months ago for a very reasonable price.  Hopefully I can squeeze in a few more mani's from this line soon as I have about 6 colors.
Hope you all have a great short week!!

Sally Hansen magical Nail Makeup: Ruby Slipper

Happy Sunday everyone! 

Ok, what is the problem here?!?!  It is the middle of winter and I have sun and 80 degree temps!!  Don't get me wrong, I love the sun shining on a winter day but I dont like summer temps in the winter time.  The only upside I see to this is I can bring out the holographic polishes and  let them bling!!


This is an older Sally Hansen "magical" polish!  Ruby Slipper is not what I expect when I see the name.  I was hoping for a vibrant, true red holo but it is more of a soft red or deep pink.  Still very pretty though.  I think I have most of the colors that were released in this line so I am going to try to swatch them all before the sun goes away this week!

This is 2 coats.  The formula on this was a bit weird.  Kind of gloopy but still thin and easy to apply.

Looking forward to 1 extra day off tomorrow!