Reader's Choice Mondays ~ ManGlaze Mink Mitten

Happy Monday dolls! The winner for this week was ManGlaze Mink Mitten with 45% off the votes. Mink Mitten is a pretty lilac matte that is filled with silver shimmer. The formula was extremely easy to work with and was opaque in two coats. Compared to some of the other ManGlazes I have, the silver shimmer is much heavier in Mink Mitten. The pictures below are without top coat.

I really can't get enough of ManGlaze mattes; the formula is great, fast dry time, and they wear well. Mink Mitten is super flattering. I wanted to add some polka dots to an accent nail, but I decided against it.

Up for votes this week are three more dark shades. I've already mentioned how I'm really into dark colors right now and I don't see that ending any time soon. Please take a second to vote before the poll closes on Friday.

Immortal, Iris Jumbo Glitter, Dorian Gray

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Zoya Lolly & Mitzie + Born Pretty Lace Stickers

Hey dolls, I had to attend a scholarship ball for my sorority this past Friday and I wanted to do something fun on my nails. My dissertation was turned in for the first set of feedback late last week, so I had a little downtime for nails. I recently ordered Zoya Mitzie with a Bloom voucher and I wanted to pair it with Zoya Lolly for a fun pink and green look (my sorority colors). Lolly and Mitzie are bright, matte polishes. They both applied a tad bit streaky on the first coat, but evened out nicely with two additional coats.

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cloudy day

I love the way these two colors looked together. It was my intention to add a coat of Nail Venturous Floam, but I liked the simplicity of this look.

You may remember that I was sent a few sets of nail art stickers from Born Pretty. A couple of days later, I decided to add lace tips to this mani.

Elegant Lace Style Sticker HL211

The Born Pretty stickers were extremely easy to use. I simply chose the design I wanted and then removed it from the clear paper. The sticker was relatively tacky and I didn't have difficulty aligning them on the nails. I removed the entire sticker first, applied it to a nail, trimmed, and then moved on to the next nail. The stickers aren't that long though; one design was only enough for three nails. After the stickers were on, I applied a layer of Nubar Diamont top coat.

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This is so cute and girly! Pay no attention to how I put the sticker on upside down on my index finger. I didn't even notice until I was halfway done taking pictures. I was unable to remove it without ruining the polish under the sticker though because of the top coat. I guess that's a good sign that they will last for a bit. This is my kind of nail art; super easy, quick, and thoughtless. :) If you're interested in trying these stickers, don't forget to use my Born Pretty code of TPJ61 to save 10% off your order.

Here was my look for the ball. Get ready for some more awesome guest posts next week!

ManGlaze ILF

Hey dolls, I had about 10 minutes to do my nails before going to see a movie with hubby yesterday. I decided to go with a matte since I knew it would dry quickly. ManGlaze ILF is a sea foam green/turquoise matte polish with silver shimmer. The formula was a little bit thinner than that of the other ManGlazes I've tried, but it wasn't problematic at all. I applied two coats for opacity and no clean up was needed.

ILF is gorgeous. It has a tad more green in it than the pictures above. I've had ILF on for a full day and there hasn't been any chipping yet. I'm definitely going to turn to this brand when I need a quick, on the go mani that still looks awesome.

Autism Awareness ~ Essence Chuck & Blair Matte-ified

Hi dolls, today I'm bringing you my second autism awareness mani. First, I'd like to share some facts about autism. It is a spectrum of disorders that ranges in severity and can results in difficulties in communication, social skills, and use of repetitive behaviors. Each individual with this disorder is very unique and some even demonstrate exceptional abilities in the areas of music, visual skills, and academic skills. I once had a kindergarten student that I was in awe of. He had extreme difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication, basic concepts like following directions, and was unable to interact with his peers appropriately. When it came to reading, he was on a second grade level...in kindergarten! It was amazing to watch. For more information on autism, feel free to check out Autism Speaks.

Now onto the polish of the day. I received Essence Twins Chuck & Blair in a giveaway some time ago from Sweet Sugar. Chuck is a gorgeous cobalt blue creme that has purple undertones. This color is crazy pigmented. I applied only 1 coat for the pictures below.

I then added one thick coat of the other half of this set of twins, Blair. Blair is a top coat that has silver hexagonal glitter and smaller silver glitter. There are also some holographic particles included, but those barely show on the nail. Blair takes a little bit of pushing around to disperse evenly on the nail, but it wasn't impossible.

I really wish the holo showed a little more in this glitter. I actually prefer Chuck on its own. I wanted to see if adding Essie Matte About You top coat would make this mani better...and it did!

This is much, much better! The matte top coat really makes this glitter look so much cooler.

Which look do you prefer...glossy or matte?

Pink Wednesday ~ ManGlaze Lesbihonest

Hey dolls, today I'm wearing a brand I've been lusting after for a few months. Thanks to my polish friend Michelle and the awesome folks over at ManGlaze, I'm now the proud owner of 8 of these polishes! Up first is Lesbihonest, a gorgeous pink matte filled with silver shimmer. The formula was awesome; there was no streaking or balding and it was opaque on the first coat. I added a second just for depth.

 

Gorgeous!!!! I love everything about Lesbihonest. I can't wait to see what this one looks like glossy; I'm thinking the shimmer will be even more pronounced. The other ManGlaze polishes I received are Santorum, ILF, Fuggen Ugly, Matte is Murder, Royal Mattermoaning, Mink Mitten, and F**k Off & Dye.

Which would you like to see next?

Valentine's Look ~ Zoya Posh

Happy Valentine's day dolls! I hope that all of you do something special with the one you love or just for yourself. Today I'm wearing Zoya Posh, a matte red with a slight shimmer. The formula was great for a matte; I only applied one coat. It wasn't the least bit streaky and self-leveled very well.

You all should know by now that I am not a fan of red, but I really like this one. It's kind of a sexy color. Next, I decided to try out the infamous matte with glossy tips as seen on Chloe's Nails.

This was my first scotch tape tips mani and I definitely could use some more practice to ensure that it's properly aligned. I also need to make sure the amount of glossy tip is the same on each nail. Not so bad though. For a final touch, I decided to use Juicy Couture Gold Glitter as an accent because it has that adorable heart glitter.

I love the way this turned out! I hope you all enjoy the day!

Orly Fowl Play ~ Matte-ified

Hey dolls, just a quick post to show how Orly Fowl Play looks when a matte top coat is applied. I received Essie Matte About You from my awesome polish friend Tamala and I've been meaning to use it for awhile now. Here's one coat over Fowl Play.

I actually think I like this even more than when its shiny. All of the different colors just seem to stand out even more. I'm headed out for date night with hubby. Happy weekend!!!

Are you over the matte trend???

Swatch Alert...Zoya Lolly

I tried out Lolly before the wedding, but I forgot to publish the post...oops. This is the only color that I purchased from Zoya's Mod Matte Collection. I really love this shade of pink. If you read any other reviews, you already know that mattes can be a pain to apply. The first coat was soooo streaky, that it was crazy! It dried extremely quickly, which is good and bad. Good so you can move on about your day...bad because it made uneven lines in the finish. I had to do 3 coats to get it to look well. I learned quickly that you have to use very thin, light strokes. On to the pics...

Once applied, I really liked the finished product. It stayed on for about 3 days before I saw some tip wear and slight chipping...but that's to be expected with a matte. Even if you're not a matte fan, you can always apply a top coat if you just like the shade of pink.

How do you feel about mattes? Happy polishing dolls!