March Favorites

It is that time again.  Time for my favorites.  March was kind of also a scrambled month for me.

 

I did this manicure for the H in the A-Z challenge I am participating in.  I used Orly's Haley's Comet and Halo.

 

 

This plate was a plate I showed in a review I did on the GALS.  It got quite a laugh from the girls in Adventures in Stamping.  We are still trying to figure out what the middle image is.  You know what I think it is.

 

 

 Wining the Gold Julep box was great. 

 It had these six polishes.  The new Hand Cream.  A lip gloss.  And a bracelet.

 

 

 

 This was similar to a manicure I saw on Kyle Richards of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, when I saw her wearing it (she wore it with just white polish and the C's were painted black) I knew I could do something different but still nothing tacky.



 

This is the beautiful Divinity from Ninja Polish.  I just loved the way the color shifted and the main color was beautiful.

 

 

 

FLOAM  I love floam.  I am still waiting to get a couple that I don't have in my collection. 



 

This is Just Add Milk from Whimsical Ideas by Pam and it was a redo because the first time I swatched it I did not put undies on it and it looks much better with undies.  Have you signed up for the giveaway yet?  You could choose this one.

  

 

 

Ahh, yes.  Poltergiest Puddle from Pretty Serious Nail Polish.  I wrote in my review that one of the things I liked about this polish was that it had red undertones and most purples I find have blue undertones.  Plus it goes perfect with this ring.

 

 

 

This was the polish I said was one of my dream polishes.  It still is.  Pictures cannot capture the beauty of this polish.  Pretty Serious Nail polish makes this polish another possible choice if you win the giveaway.

Do you agree with these is there something you liked that I did not post.  If so, let me know.
Ciao,
Patty

Swirly Flowers

Personally, I just love the look of black and white stamping.  I remember when that was the main type of stamping done until other colors started to come out.  So, around four months ago maybe Konad came out with plate 89.  It was so cool and I wanted it.  But I did not have $25.00 dollars worth of stuff I had to have.  So, I found it in eBay.  I ordered and went straight for the black and white. I used China Glaze Dandy Lyin Around It was an easy design to stamp also.  Sometimes the whirlybird ones are a little harder to stamp but this one went on faster than Jodie Arias can tell a lie.  Are any of you following that trial by any chance.  I am addicted.  I really have no idea what is going to happen if you don't know anything about this just google Jodie Arias.  It might grab your eye if you are one of those people who see a wreck and have to slow down to see.  Talking about wrecks the funniest thing happened last Wednesday my husband went to the MD and on the way home we decided to grab a pizza.  Now Pizza Hut is right across the street from our apt.  We were in the turning lane and when my husband is hungry he gets really irritable the car on front of us would not turn and hr had several chances to do so.  My husband got really frustrated and honked the horn.  I guess the guy in front thought it was ok to turn and started turning just staring my husband down when all of a sudden BAM,! This car hit the turning driver.  I thought oh crap we can't go home.  Michael says why not and I told him he caused the wreck.  He then really realized that we would at least be called as witnesses.  So we drove off with our pizza.  Needless to say we had a nice picnic at the park that evening.  Now this is controversial.  I say he played a role in that wreck.  What do you think?

I would really like to hear your comments. So if you can just say guilty or not guilty.  

Giveaway Pictures

Finally what you have wanted to see.

 

These are the three Covergirl polishes I selected.  I bought one because I read a review that they are really good.  I bought one and did like it. 

These are the ones I bought.  Left to right Midnight Magic 320,  310 grapevine, 290 constant Caribbean.

 

 

Model’s Own Haley’s Comet.  This polish is really cool I will be posting a review on it next month.

 

From left to right:  Orly’s High on Hope, Butter London Fiver, and Orly Elation Generation.

 

These are the essence polishes

Chic Reloaded, Let’s Get Lost, Miss Universe, Grey to Be Here, Ultimate Pink, Oh My Glitters

 

This is the Euro Central mini collection and even if you have it already you can use them for travel or have extra and if you need to you can sell them.  Personally, I like these because I use them when I travel or I play around with them by adding glitters to them.  Sometimes I mix them to get different colors and add glitter.  They are good for frankening or just to use them.

 

The last part of the giveaway is one polish from Whimsical Ideas by Pam.  This one is Seuss and only there to have something to show.  If you win you’ll tell me which one you want.  You can find Pam’s creations on her Facebook page.  The next one is a polish new to me called Pretty Serious.  Their colors are gorgeous and can be found on their webpage.  Pretty Serious.com.  I would go to the site and start looking because if they are sold out on their website then I can order from Llarowe.

 

Because of the difficulty in mailing.  An international winner will get a Visa Gift card.  If you are from the states and none of these prizes appeal to you, you can opt out and take the gift card and the items for the giveaway will go on my blog sale which is a lot harder to organize than I thought but I am still working on it but that is where they will go.  I want to make sure everything for the giveaway is complete and then I can really focus on the blog sale.

 

So, there will be other little stuff in the giveaway that I am planning to purchase during the month or if I see something really neat I might buy it.  Honestly I don’t know what it is going to be at this time.  I might wait find out who wins and get them something off their wish list.  I don’t know.  I love Lush.  Maybe Lemony Flutter might be something I put in there.  it might be candy.  It really depends.

 

So, I really hope you like this giveaway.  It has been a great year and I hope for the same or better for next year.  I want to thank everyone who reads or just drops by to see a swatch.  You, bellas, keep me going and I want to thank you.

 

Ciao for now,

Patty

Hard Candy Review Jubilee 652

I’ve been hearing all the hype about these Hard Candy polish and saw people taking pictures of theses displays of nail polish and I HAD to find them.  So, I live within five miles of three Wal-Marts and about 10 Subways.  There is a reason for all the Subways for three years in a row Houston, TX. was the fattest city in the country. It was horrible.  I hated that claim to fame.  The only good thing was that I was my regular weight right now not so much trying to slowly get there but it is hard because I don’t eat and that is worse than eating sometimes.  I need to start forcing myself to eat something at lunch but I am just not hungry.  So, the first Wal-Mart I went to I found one and the tags to all the others were taken off and it looked like they were sold out.  I made sure I bought that one.II thought there is no way in Houston, TX a Wal Mart does not have these polishes but then I started worrying because you would think that we get everything but no.  Only one Sephora in all of Houston carries Illamasqua nail polish and only in limited quantities.  Wednesday I hit the Jackpot and found the display at on of the local Wal-Marts.  I could not decide what to get.  It was almost like being in an Etsy store except each polish was only $4.00.  I had one and bought I don’t really know how many more.  But this is the first one I was drawn to.  It reminds me of Wicked by Whimsical Ideas by Pam.  So, today I had to try it and I was really impressed it is loaded with glitter you don’t need to fish around for them.  They dry fast but the down side is that they do come in small bottles the size of a Hits bottle but for $4.00 you can afford to get five bottles for $20.00.  That is a steal.  The first one I bought looks a little like a dupe of an indie I have and this one does too.  This is a dilemma because I think we all have our favorite indies and I feel a little disloyal to certain vendors for buying these polishes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think of this polish does it look like something an indie would produce and are you going to buy any if you find them?

 

Ciao bellas,

Patty

Kimber's A-Z Challenge Letter M

Today's letter is M.  M stands for Mushroom by Model's Own.  I got this polish from Ninja Polish and love the color.  It is pretty neutral.  The formula is so smooth.  It only took two coats and top coat. I love that.  Being old school.  Some I still have some problems with three coats of polish and I am much more comfortable with the two coaters. The color is so pretty it is like a a purple grey and looks so pretty.

Mushroom also stands for a great fungus.  I absolutely love mushrooms and have some funny stories about mushrooms but we will just leave it at the fact that I love mushrooms and I really love this polish.

 

 

 

 

 

Ciao,

Patty

 



Jade Cremosa Agua Marina (Jade Crème Marine Water)

 Today I have this beautiful Jade polish that I bought from I think I t was Llarowe.  I cannot believe how beautiful this polish is.  It looks like clear blue waters.  I don't even want to wear it until I go on vacation.  This polish just belongs on the beach.  No matter what color bathing suit you have.  I personally always have a black one and a barbie one.  When we were young we had this friend named Barbie and she always stuck out because she would never wear black she always wore these really crazy beautifully colored bathing suits.  She was new to Texas and I guess where she came from these are the bathing suits they used to wear.  So, since then we call them Barbie bathing suits even my daughter does.  But this polish went on like a dream.  This is two coats with a top coat. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this polish so much I would need to recycle it.  So, I stamped it with flowers.  I used a bundle monster plate.  I think it was BM 3 (you know writing BM still creeps me out.)  I lucked out finding this ring that is the exact same color as the polish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have no idea what got into me but I did not clean a little bit of the stamping.  I used a dark purple to stamp but pink would look pretty also.  We made our vacation plans last night and I just know I can't wait to wear this polish then.  I think that is one of the only problems with blogging is that you might swatch a polish and then never wear it again for months.  I still have polishes from last year's Zoya collection Beach and Surf that I have never worn but I am going to this week.

 

Ciao for now bellas,

Patty

Zoya Dahlia

This is Pixie Dust Dahlia from Zoya's new pixie dust collection.  It's nice, spreads smoothly but alas, I predict only a passing trend.  I haven't heard or read anyone say.  I totally love this polish, I can't live without it.  It will be around maybe one more season then, I predict with some certainty that Zoya's fall line will be glittery and holographic because that is what we really like.  Now, if you haven't seen the summer line it is probably three posts after this one.  They have a pixie dust set.  A colorful creme set and a shimmery summer color set.  All the sets are due out on April 15 th.  America's day favorite day, tax day.  So does Zoya really expect us to spend close to 150.00 for all three sets?  Yes, they do.  Everyone has a pixie dust polish perhaps the whole set.  So, what to do?  I just don't know, I love Zoya and I want all three sets but I probably won't get the pixie dust set unless, I change my birthday wish list and ask for enough gift cards to buy a set.  But I get a new polish everyday.  I usually do.  I get depressed if I don't.  I am like a drug addict who needs her fix.  I had to stop.  Now, I get one every three days.  We laugh about it and so do others but it was really starting to take over and I was an addict.  I still am.  So, I am going to limit myself to half the collection and just one pixie dust plus to fund this I am going to have a blog sale.  Watch for that in a couple of days.  So, I not all that impressed with this pixie dust.  I did a black mani with glitter embossing powder the name of the post is "Yes, You Can Wash Them" and I got more compliments than with the pixie dust, so no I am not impressed, I don't think you should invest money in the whole summer pixie dust line, save it for the "real" nail polish.  If you must buy one do so but don't get suckered into the buying the whole thing.  Go to Michael's and get some glittery embossing powder when you have a coupon or they are on sale. Cost?  About $2.00.  That is my honest review now I know that I just lost all my chances of Zoya ever giving me products to review but some times you just got to speak the truth.

Ciao for now and those celebrating Easter have a great one,
Patty

Girly Manicure Crumpet’s Challenge

 

Here is my girly manicure.  It kind of looks like Lynnderella’s Love, Lace and Lilacs.  So this is a good option for a dupe of the LLL.  Plus if  you want LLL you can get it at Ninja polish which I found today when I was trying to buy some Nerd Lacquer. 

To get this look, I used OPI’s Don’t Mess With My Tutu, stamped a floral pattern from DRK-C. Then a very light coat of my favorite glitter polish China Glaze’s Fairy Dust.    Then I put another coat of the OPI Don’t Mess with My Tutu.  Used my favorite top coat Nubar Diamond Top Coat and I was done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crumpet’s Tri Color Challenge Day 4

This is my splatter mani that I am able to do with stamping plate DRK-C.  Ok, I am going to share a secret with you that usually works on the DRK plates, some bundle monster and some konad.  It really depends on the depth of the image and colors you are using but you can use almost any polish to stamp.  Here is my trick.  One I never use the konad scraper with the blade, I use the plastic one also so it doesn’t scrape my plates.  Also, I never use polish remover when I stamp for cleaning it is oily and does not dry the way acetone does.  After I am finished stamping I do use polish remover to clean everything.  Now, here is  the trick.  If you slightly use a nail file to file the rubber part of your stamper you are creating a rough surface and can pick up a lot of polishes.  Don’t leave the dusty stuff on your stamper just gently run it down a napkin or those cotton squares.  When you clean your stamper you need to file the rubber part again and repeat the slight cleaning.  As far as the scraping goes.  Go really fast and lightly when you have your polish on your plate and just pick up the polish on the plate on an up and down motion.  It might not work the first time you do it but with practice you might get to the point where you can stamp with any polish.  I am talking about this because I did not deviate from using the three polishes we are supposed to use.  I did not use Konad polish.  I would always rather use Konad polish but sometimes you need to use regular polish like I had to in this situation so that is how I did it.  I hope it doesn’t sound confusing, if you have questions e-mail me.  I might start to do some tutorials like on the stamping and on recycling manicures which I do often.  So, look for that.  I might start it next week because there are a lot of shortcuts you can take to make nail art easier.  Like water marbling.  There is a really easy way to do it and I read some people’s blogs on how they did it and I want to cry because they had a nightmare doing it, same with gradients.  So, I am going to start some tutorials.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, Ciao for now,

Patty