Swatch and Review - OPI A Butterfly Moment

Hello! I'm so sorry about the lack of posts recently. I really don't have an excuse other than I've been getting really bad nail polish pictures from my camera and the sun is just not cooperating..... Well, here's another OPI polish from the Mariah Carey Spring 2013 Collection, A Butterfly Moment. A Butterfly Moment is a soft, nude beige-pink with golden shimmer. As I have said before, I'm really pale but I have a warm skin tone. This polish worked as a perfect nude polish for me. The golden shimmer really complimented the warmness of my skin. It is slightly frosty because of the shimmer.....

What I used:

Base Coat: 1 coat of Pro FX Epoxy Bond Base Coat
Polish: 2 coats of OPI A Butterfly Moment
Top Coat: 1 coat of Pro FX Long Wearing UV Top Coat

If you are looking for more cat pictures, I will no longer be adding them at the end of my posts, please check the link on my navigation bar....

Thank you so much for reading!

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Swatch and Review - Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Good To Grape

Hello! Happy Sunday! I am really trying to catch up in posts, I have so many polishes I want to swatch, review and show you! Today I'll be showing you Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Good To Grape, a very creamy medium blue-toned purple. It is unique and different that other purple polishes I own. It is neither lilac or magenta, it's special. I think this may be the only purple that looks good on me.

What I used:

Base Coat: 1 coat of Pro FX Epoxy Bond Base Coat
Polish: 2 coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Good to Grape
Top Coat: 1 coat of INM Out The Door Dry Fast Top Coat

The formula of this polish was very nice. The polish was thin but not streaky at all. The first coat seemed a little shear and patchy, but the second coat filled any bare spots that the first coat did not reach and made everything completely opaque. I really liked this polish, the highly shiny topcoat made my nails look like gel nails. LOVE.

Thanks again for reading! I appreciate the love.

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Swatch and Review - OPI You Callin' Me A Lyre? + OPI Which is Witch

Hello! It's Friday! I feel like this week has literally flown past. It seems like just yesterday it was Monday..... Today I'll be showing my favourite sheer+glitter combination, a more recent find of mine, OPI You Callin' Me A Lyre with OPI Which is Witch on top. I honestly love it so much, I was staring at my nails last night. With the white light from my nightlight, it just made this polish look like it was glowing. It really reminds me of pink fairy dust. I've actually worn this now for the fourth day. I just cannot bear to take it off. LOVE! OPI You Callin' Me A Lyre is a sheer, milky pink from last year's New York City Ballet Collection. I used two coats of this. Then, after the polish fully dried, I added one coat of OPI Which is Witch from the Oz The Great and Powerful Collection. It is a holographic glitter combination with micro, hexagonal, and tiny bar glitters suspended in a thick, clear base. The thicker base makes application of this polish even and effortless. Judging from the bottle, I expected this polish to be extremely dense and sparkly, but actually, it ended up being a very soft and dainty glitter that was both sparkly while being elegant. So pretty. 

What I used:

Base Coat: 1 coat of Pro FX Epoxy Bond Base Coat
Polish: Two coats of OPI You Callin' Me A Lyre with 1 coat of OPI Which is Witch
Top Coat: 1 coat of INM Out The Door Dry Fast Top Coat

I also wanted to show you a bottle shot of OPI Which is Witch. This picture really shows the holographic glitters in the polish. It truly is magnificent. Amazing!

Thank you so much for reading, hope you enjoy your day! Smile!

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Swatch and Review - OPI What Wizardry is This?

Hello! Today I'll be showing you OPI What Wizardry is This? from Oz The Great and Powerful Collection. What Wizardry is This? is what OPI calls a Liquid Sand. This is basically a textured polish that dries to a matte finish. What Wizardry is This? is a very pretty olive greenish brown with gold shimmer. The formula was great, smooth and easy to apply. The polish is thin and flows from the brush, without clumps or streaks.  
I really like What Wizardry is This? I think it's so fun and trendy, while also being a sophisticated neutral at the same time.

What I used:

Base Coat: 1 coat of Pro FX Epoxy Bond Base Coat
Polish: 3 coats of OPI What Wizardry is This?, 2 coats is enough for full opacity, but I accidentally dented one of my nails when the polish was still drying, so I had to add a third coat
Top Coat: NONE!

Oreo's back! He likes to sleep like this, I'm not sure why!

Enjoy you Wednesday! Remember, smile!

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Perfect Manicure Step #2 - Hand, Nail, and Cuticle Care

Good morning... or afternoon! Today's post is step 2 to my perfect manicure series; hand, nail, and cuticle care. This post will outline what I do to keep my hands looking their best. Many people seem to neglect their hands. I've seen people who spend hundreds of dollars each year on facials, beauty products for their hair or body, but they would forget about their hands. I'm writing this post in hopes of providing a simple outline for others who want to improve the condition of their hands. Remember that the products that work well for me may or may not work the same way on you. You can always use other products that are different from mine, and they may work even better for you. I'm only showing you my products. 

The key to success is perseverance. Applying lotion and creams only once a week, no matter how good the product is, will not work the way you want it to. You must be vigilant and work on your hands each and every day in order to see results. I keep all my products on my bedside table, so I see them before I go to bed. They remind me to keep up my routine of moisturizing my hands every day. 

The first thing I do for my cuticles is remove the dead skin around it. There are many misconceptions around removing the cuticle. I did some research prior to this post and this is what I read... The true cuticle is the dead skin between the base of your nail and your finger. This part can be safely removed. What you shouldn't touch is the eponychium, the live part of the skin between the nail and finger. The eponychium is usually clear and colourless, while the true cuticle is often a stark white when dry. To remove the cuticle, I use a gentle cuticle remover to soften and loosen the dead skin. There are many brands out there on the market and they can be easily found at beauty supply stores or the drugstore. I have used one from Orly and the popular on from Sally Hansen, the Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover. I only remove my cuticles every one or two weeks. I push my cuticles back with my thumbnail after showering, when they are soft and malleable, which keeps them in pretty good condition.

Every night before bed, I apply hand cream and cuticle oil. The products I'm liking at the moment is the Garnier Body Repair Reparative Balm and my own cuticle oil. I'll make another post soon about how I make my own cuticle oil, and why I prefer my own over store bought ones. Anyways, I usually apply the oil around my cuticles and under my nails, rubbing it in with a circular motion. I then wait a few minutes for the oil to absorb before using the hand cream. I prefer hand creams that are thicker because they seem to lock in the oil better than thin body lotions. 

That is basically what I do to keep my hands and nails looking their best. Obviously, you may have to modify my method to suit you and your body chemistry, as this is just what I do.

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Swatch and Review - Color Club Halo Hues Eternal Beauty

Hi! Another review and swatch for all of you, an amazingly pretty holographic purple polish from Color Club Halo Hues 2013 Collection, Eternal Beauty. So stunning and beautiful, really lives up to its name. Might just make it up to my top 20 favourites. Yes, I know, a top 20, such a large list, but I can't just choose 1 polish! I wasn't able to get any pictures in the sunlight, but although the pictures below are indoors, they are just as pretty. Eternal Beauty is a red toned polish with a medium to strong halo. I also think that the purple base is slightly shimmery too. Please enjoy!

What I used:

Base Coat: 1 coat of Pro FX Epoxy Bond Base Coat
Polish: 2 coats of Color Club Halo Hues Eternal Beauty
Top Coat: 1 coat of INM Out the Door Dry Fast Top Coat

Great wear time on this polish too, my mom still has it on and it's been over 5 days now with NO chips or tip wear. Enjoy!

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Swatch and Review - Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Terracotta

Hi! It's Saturday! Yay! Today I'l be showing you a polish from the 2011 Designer Collection for Rachel Roy, named Terracotta. Terracotta is a lovely caramel nude creme polish, so pretty. It applies wonderfully smooth and creamy, perfectly opaque in 2 coats. Although the Complete Salon Manicure polishes claim to have "7 Benefits of a salon Manicure in 1 Bottle: base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, colour, top coat, while also being chip resistant and have a gel shine finish", I do not feel it lives up to all of them. I still applied a base and top coat, mainly because I didn't know of these "7 Benefits" until after I saw an advertisement of their new collection for spring and summer of 2013 on the back cover of the Hello! magazine, but also because I felt the polish wasn't shiny enough for my standards. I mean, this polish may seem AMAZING to those who are not obsessed with nail polish, but I demand for PERFECT, shiny, chip-free nails, and without applying my own base/top coat, it just doesn't meet my standards. 

I also have to note that this polish normally sells from $5.99-$7.99 at most Canadian drugstores, which, for a drugstore polish is A LOT. OPI and Essie runs for $7.99-$10.99 where I purchase them. That being said though, I only buy them when they are on sale, at about $4-5 dollars, or in multi packs of 5 polishes for $15.99. Everything said, this swatch was done on my own nails this time, and the wear time was incredibly well. The pictures below were taken today, which is the 4 day now. Normal/most polishes only last max 4 days without chipping. I did file my nails yesterday though, so that may have filed off any tip wear. Enough with me rambling on and on about this polish, and the collection, price........ pictures!!

What I used:

Base Coat:  1 coat of Pro FX Epoxy Bond Base Coat
Polish: 2 coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Terracotta
Top Coat: 1 coat of INM Out the Door Dry Fast Top Coat

I also want to say that I love the wide brush in these polishes. I know some people hate these kinds of paddle brushes, but in my opinion, the brush makes or breaks my overall application quality of a polish. A polish could have the best consistency and formula with perfect pigmentation, but with a bad brush, application of the polish is almost guaranteed to be difficult. My favourite brush type is a wide paddle brush, which is why I also love OPI polishes, and not-so-love Essie polishes. 

What kind of brushes do you prefer?

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