Butter London Two Fingered Salute

Hey all!  Just a quick swatch and review today, although this one deserves a lengthier post.  It's really gorgeous but I'm afraid my picture doesn't quite capture it.  I think it needs a reswatch in sunlight to show the shimmer better.

Butter London describes this as a "muted, patinaed green crème with copper microglitter."  If you're wondering what the name means it is "similar to 'giving the bird' in the States." :P  I think the color description is pretty accurate.  I remember another blogger describing the green as a sort of Statue of Liberty green, and I think that gives you a better image of the color.  I really love the copper/pink/gold glitter as well.  It's really fine, so it actually removes easily like shimmer rather than a glitter.  The formula is just as good as every other BL shade I've tried: creamy, flowy, and hassle-free.  I'm wearing three coats with top coat here.

Mine was purchased at Nordstrom for $14 and I believe it is a Nordstrom exclusive shade.  However, it's being sold on ButterLondon.com for $15, so it may have joined the permanent line.  BL seems to have also hiked up their prices this year by a dollar. :/

Oh, and just a reminder.  If you'd like to be featured in this Friday's FFAN post, please send in your pictures by Thursday night!  I only have one entry so far, so more would be welcome. x)  Entry guidelines (here).

That's it for today!

Liz

VDAY: Sequin Heart Nail Art

Here's a true Valentine's Day mani for you!  Nothing screams Vday like a big sequin heart.  I painted a red heart on my nail first before laying down the sequins to make sure there were no empty gaps.  Then I outlined it with a gold striping polish.  It looks like Seche Vite pulled some of it into the heart though as it was drying. :/  The heart reminds me of cherry filling...and the polish - a strawberry banana smoothie. x)

Scherer Chameleon Blue Sky

Today I have this pretty little duochrome named Blue Sky for you.  I'm not that familiar with this brand, but I've seen duochromes from this Chameleon line on several blogs before.  I think these are only available at Rite Aid, and we have none here.  But I was eventually able to get my hands on this one. :)

Friday Food and Nails (FFAN) #10

TGIF!  I'm so excited to bring back FFAN for this year.  This is the first post in over a year since its discontinuation in 2011.  I've always wanted to bring back some kind of sharing corner, especially when I see so many great blogs I want to share on a daily basis.  Glad you guys were still on board with the idea of FFAN. ^^  Well, enough jibber-jabber.  On to the lovely manis. :)

The Bubbly Brunette

"I just tried Layla Magnetic Effect polish for the for time, and I love it. I thought I'd pair it with my favorite snack, Cheez-Its! The smokey glitter of Silver Galaxy and the orange of the bag look great together."

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Polished Prescription

"As I was about to eat a banana during a quick break between classes, I realized how great the yellow looked with my current nails, and I just had to take a picture for FFAN!  It added a really nice pop of color to an already colorful manicure I did, using Essie Play Date, China Glaze Kinetic Candy, and Zoya Aurora."

Want to join in on the fun?  Send in your entries for next Friday (2/1)!  Submission guidelines (here).

The Tale of Two Nail Looks

Hey all!  I have two nail art looks for you today.  Both are fairly minimalistic.  I was originally going to do a Valentine's Day manicure, but ended up going in a whole new direction.  The result is the look shown below.  It kind of has a tattoo vibe to it because 98% of the designs were done with a needle (needle marbling tutorial here).  Do you like my tattered heart?  I think the sheer beige base I used is perfect for this design because it adds a bit of delicateness.  It reminds me of tattoo tights.

Cat Print Nail Art

I love black prints on nude or beige backgrounds, especially on fabric!  So when I saw this adorable cat print nail art in Jan 2013's Nail Venus issue (pg.84), I decided to put a nude spin on it. 

NOTD: Pretty Jelly Grape Escape

The sun was out, so I decided to quickly snap some photos of my nails with my DSLR.  It definitely captured the holo much better than my point and shoot!  I plan on redoing all my swatches for this line to show the holo better.  Next time, I'll use a tripod though so that it's less shaky.  It's hard to take good photos with one hand. -_-

This is two coats.  Except one nail is one coat because I thought I did a second coat when I didn't.  I'm not telling you which one it is.  But if you spot it, that's the reason why it looks a bit more sheer. -__-

You can find Grape Escape in my Etsy shop (here) for $10.  There's 4 left until the next restock which will be in February.  I'm trying to make one to match this year's Pantone color, Emerald.  As well as a few reds and pinks for Valentine's day.

Oh, and check out these reviews by Gotham Polish and MASPOOASE. :)
http://gothampolish.blogspot.com/2013/01/pretty-jelly-glamorous-thief.html
http://www.maspooase.com/2013/01/pretty-jelly-bullet-rouge-review-and.html

That's it for now!  Hope you're all enjoying the weekend. ^^

Liz

Sally Hansen Gel Polish Starter Kit Review

Sally Hansen recently came out with a gel line for the ladies that love longer lasting manicures.  I've had the privilege of giving this Salon Gel Manicure Starter Kit a try!  I've never used gel polishes before at home or at a salon, so I got pretty excited about using the LED lamp. x)

Nicole by OPI Modern Family (Part 3)

Here are the last six shades of the collection!  If you missed my previous reviews, you can find them here: (Part 1) / (Part 2).

FFAN Is Coming Back!

FFAN (short for Friday Food and Nails) was a corner I did back in 2011 to introduce other blogs and share reader manis.  I had to discontinue it later in the year due to school work, but I'm bringing it back for 2013!  I got to know a lot of great bloggers through this, so I hope you'll all participate. :)

Here are some of the past submissions from 2011.  (Read individual posts here).

If you'd like to join in on the fun, please read the FFAN submission guidelines for further instruction.  The first FFAN post will go up next Friday on 1/25! :)


Liz

What They Wore to The Golden Globe Awards

Did you catch the 70th annual Golden Globes?  In case you were wondering what some of the celebs wore on their nails for the red carpet, here are a few that I know. ^^

Actress Claire Danes walked the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards red carpet wearing sheer pink OPI nail lacquer in Passion to complement her bold red Versace dress. Danes won Best Actress in a Drama Series at last night’s award ceremony, and the show in which she stars – Homeland – was also given top honors as Best Drama Series.

Model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley joined presenter Jason Statham on the red carpet, also wearing the soft hue Passion.

“Both Claire and Rosie wore bold dresses – Claire in rich red and Rosie in dramatic black – and the sheer pink, ultra-feminine lacquer shade Passion gave their nails a classic, polished look,” said OPI celebrity manicurist Beth Fricke.

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Naomi Watts
Celebrity nail expert Tracey Sutter created the look for Watts, nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture--Drama. Tracey used Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Arm Candy to create a natural effect.  To get the look, Sutter filed down Naomi's nails very short before applying Sally Hansen's Cuticle Instant Remover.  Next, Sutter applied 2 coats of Sally Hansen's new Complete Salon Manicure Nail Color in Arm Candy - giving Watts just the right amount of color she wanted.

Jennifer Lawrence
April Foreman was the expert behind Lawrence's nail look, using Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Sheer Ecstasy for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture--Comedy or Musical nominee.  To get the look, Foreman shaped Lawrence’s nails “sqound” giving both a square and round look.  Keeping her hands hydrated, Foreman applied Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect Hand Crème before applying 2 coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Sheer Ecstasy.

Adele
Celebrity Manicurist, Kimmie Kyees used on Adele a sheer coat of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in So Much Fawn with two coats of Complete Salon Manicure in Copper Penny layered on top.  Kyees finished off the look with an exclusive topcoat created for tonight that had gold in it to help enhance the color in Copper Penny for the best Original Song, Film nominee.     

Nicole by OPI Modern Family (Part 2)

Today's post contains all the reds and pinks from Nicole by OPI's Modern Family collection!  If you missed Part 1, you can check it out (here).

Rogue Hello Kitty Nails

Okay, so maybe these nails aren't that rebellious, but there is a black kitty.  My sister thought it looked like Hello Kitty, but it's not!  These nails were inspired by the set shown below - featured in Nail Up's Jan 2013 issue (p.64).

Nicole by OPI Modern Family Collection (Part 1)

Candid Cameron, 2 coats: dark blue base with fine green gold shimmer.  The overall look is an aqua-green frost.  The brushstrokes look really visible in my picture, but I didn't find it to be on the nail.  The formula was nice as well.

What's The Mitch-Uation?, 4 coats: vibrant indigo frost.  If you're careful, you can get it opaque in 3.  I needed to do a fourth to cover my tips better.  This one looks like OPI Into The Night from the Spiderman collection, so I wouldn't be surprised if they're dupes.  In terms of the formula, it was about average because of the sheerness.

Back In My Gloria Days..., 3 coats: purple jelly with bright pink-purple and blue shimmer.  This one is absolutely gorgeous.  The brighter pink-purple shimmer really adds to it.  I wasn't expecting to love it so much, but I did.  It applied very nicely in two coats.  Couldn't ask for anything more. :)

Verdict: All three were nice in terms of color and formula, but Back In My Gloria Days was my favorite.  I would recommend any of these if you don't already own a similar color.  Definitely check out BIMGD in stores though! :)

Availability: Modern Family lacquers are now available for $7.99 each at retailers including select Walmart, Target, CVS, Rite Aid, Kmart, Kroger, ULTA, H-E-B, Meijer and Duane Reade locations. In Canada, this line will be available for $10.99 each at Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart Canada, Jean Coutu, Loblaw, and London Drug.


Have you picked up any of the Modern Family polishes?  Let me know in the comments! :)


Liz

Polishes in this post were provided to me for my honest opinion.

Please view my disclosure policy for more info.

Revlon Girly

I picked this up a few weeks ago and have been loving it since!  I enlarged the bottle pic, because I think it really shows off all the different colored glitters.  Isn't it pretty?

China Glaze Tranzitions

I was really excited when I first saw the press releases for these polishes.  I just really like color changing polishes.  If you don't know about this collection, Tranzitions are polishes that change color when you put top coat over them.  I used China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat in my swatches and the double ended brush shown below for my nail art.

This was really convenient to use because it has a brush on one end and a dotting tool on the other.  But...the brush was kind of stiff, so it kept digging into the polish. :/

Duplicity, 2 coats: a mint green that shifts to dark teal.  The shades I'm showing you are all cremes, but they do have a sheen to them.  It's not visible on the nail, but you'll see it when painting your nails.  You'll also see it rub off on the top coat if you apply it too soon.  I would definitely recommend waiting for the color to dry before adding top coat.  All of these were also easy to apply with two coat formulas, but it's a different story when you try to add the top coat.

As you can see, the color change is very streaky.  Where there's more top coat, the color is deeper.  So if you apply top coat to a large area, it looks very splotchy.  Applying the top coat before the base is dry will also create more streaks.

Modify Me, 2 coats: periwinkle blue that shifts indigo.  Again the polish itself had a nice formula, but with top coat it was streaky.

Split Perso-NAIL-ity, 2 coats: dusty pink that shifts dark fuchsia.  This was the least streaky of the three.  It was just a little uneven on the sides where there was less top coat, but it was decent in comparison to the others.

Verdict:  I like the whole concept, but there are a few shortcomings to these polishes.  The biggest one would be that the streakiness top coat creates.  I tried these out with my usual Seche Vite top coat and found that Seche Vite offered faster color change and made it a little less streaky.  Nonetheless, it looks like some streakiness cannot be avoided, and some colors are more streaky than others.

Other negatives might be that you can't finish off your nail art with top coat.  So those of you who like to smooth out your nail art with a shiny top coat might not like that.  Otherwise, it is pretty cool to see the color change.  I liked Split Perso-NAIL-ity the best out of these three.

Availability:  The China Glaze Tranzitions collection is now available at fine salons and beauty supply stores nationwide.  You can usually find China Glaze polishes at Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply.


What do you think of these polishes?  Have you tried any of them yet?


Liz

Products shown in this post were provided to me for my honest review.
Please view my disclosure policy for more info.

OPI Mariah Carey Collection: Stage Shades (Liquid Sand)

Here's the second half of OPI's Mariah Carey collection: the Liquid Sands!  (Read Part One here.)  When I first saw the preview for these, I was really skeptical.  It was just a puzzling finish to me, because I read about the excessive use of Gelous and top coat in blogs all the time.  You know, to get rid of glitter grit.  Now we want it?  I'll tell you my thoughts on this finish at the end, but let's take a look at these individually first. ^^

OPI Mariah Carey Collection: Studio Shades

Today I have the first half of OPI's new Mariah Carey collection, which consists of four Studio shades in the following finishes: shimmer, metallic, glitter, and creme.

Born Pretty 11pc Water Decal Review

I finally did it!  I built a lightbox.  Hooray~  Honestly, I don't know why I put it off so long.  It wasn't very hard to make and didn't cost as much as I thought it would either.  Most of the materials I already had at home, so I only had to buy the bulbs and the lamp clamps (from Home Depot).  The lamps were around $7 each and the bulbs were about $3 for a pack of 4.  If you're looking to build one for yourself, this is the tutorial I used. 

And yes, new camera as well.  It came three days ago, and I've been tinkering with it since.  I think my pictures will be a mix of photos taken with both the new and old camera.  I'm a first time DSLR user, so sometimes the pictures don't come out the way I want them to. T__T  But the lightbox does make a difference.  I think my point and shoot pictures look better with the lightbox (see nail pics below).

Anyway, on to the review!  I got these 11pc water decals from Born Pretty Store.  I actually got 2 different sets, so you're looking at 22 pieces here.

I mainly got these because I was interested in these cutesier designs (shown above).  The one on the left is the decal I'm wearing on my nails below.

I cut the nail decal into little triangles to apply them to my nails.  You use these like any other water decal: soak them in warm water for a few seconds, then slide the nail decal off the backing by rubbing it gently towards the side.  The only downside with these is that you have to cut them into the shape you want.  I did triangles, since they're the easiest to do.  If you want to be more creative, you could probably do half moons or stripes.

Verdict: Overall, these were easy to use and offered quick nail art.  They do have a sticker-like quality to them, but other than that, I think they add a nice touch to simple nails.

Availability: The design I used can be found in this set of water decals: 11pcs Colorful Stripe Spot Nail Water Stickers Nail Art Decals.  And the other set can be bought here: 11pcs Pretty Nail Water Stickers Nail Art Decals Manicure Flower.  Don't forget to use my code F10X31 to receive 10% off! :)


Liz

This post contains affiliate links.

These products were sent to me by BPS for my honest review.

Please view my disclosure policy for more info.

Zoya Spring 2013: Lovely Collection Swatches

Hey all!  I showed you guys Zoya's new Lovely collection back in December, and today I have full hand swatches for all of the shades.  Let's get started!

Blu, 3 coats: pastel blue creme.  I love how creamy Blu looks, devoid of any chalkiness.  I found the formula quite thin, but after a few uses it thickened up a little.  Although, I wouldn't consider application streaky, it did require 3 coats to become opaque. 

Happy New Year!

Did any of you make any New Year's resolutions?  I usually don't make resolutions, but I do try to improve myself in some way.  This applies to my blog as well.  While I'm constantly looking for ways to improve my blog, I wanted to take some time out today to hear your suggestions for my blog. :)  Please take a few minutes to fill out the form below.  I would really appreciate it!


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