Fail ~ V-Gap Nails

Hey dolls! I told you all in my geometric stamping post that I failed at several other nail art attempts. Below you will see the only fail that I took pictures of. I started with two coats of Barielle Blossom. The formula was somewhat thick and didn't self-level well at all. I used three coats of Essie Turquoise and Caicos. I can't believe I've had this polish for over a year without wearing it! The formula on Turquoise and Caicos was sheerer than I thought it would be, but it wasn't problematic at all.

Using Nailside's tutorial, I wanted to do a V-gap/chevron look. This is what would be described as a Monet;  looks good from far away, but it's a total mess up close (two points for all my Clueless fans)!

Total fail. The lines were not clean at all. My gap also appears to be too small. I think my long nail beds made the space between the tape look deceptive. I even went to the store specifically to buy stationery tape because I tried cutting different designs with my craft scissors. I added Barielle Stardust to try and make the look cohesive, but overall, I'm just not a fan of this one. The only good thing about this look is that the colors are fab together. Oh well, we can't win them all, nor do I try to.

Guest Post on Karinea0a ~ Plaid Mani

Hey dolls, just wanted to let you all know that I have a guest post over on Karinea0a. We met through several facebook groups and I just love her blog and her amazing nail art. Please check out my post over there to see my take on plaid nails!

Happy weekend dolls!

Sea Lore Ariel

Hey dolls! Today I'm wearing a gorgeous polish from a new Indie brand. Sea Lore, created by my polish friend Jamie, recently released a collection of polishes based on King Triton's daughters. I immediately ordered two, Ariel and Adella, after seeing her pictures. I didn't want to take off Nails Inc Baker Street, so I added one coat of Ariel for a little bling. Ariel is described as a bright turquoise jelly base with red squares, purples hexes, green glitter, and green shimmer. The formula was very easy to use and I didn't have difficulty getting any of the glitter onto my nails. It dried relatively quickly but with a little texture, so top coat is needed if you prefer a smooth finish.

I love the proportion of the different glitters; it's not too chunky! Typically I don't go for square glitter, but I don't mind them here because they aren't massive. The addition of the shimmer really makes this stand out from others. I purchased the mini bottles and I'm pleased with the size and the ease of use with the brush. Sea Lore polishes are $5.50 (7mL) or $10 (15mL). 

Hope you all have a great weekend! I plan to do absolutely nothing and I'm looking forward to it!

Barielle Decadence

Hey dolls! Today I'm sharing pictures of Barielle Decadence, a turquoise shimmer. I wore Decadence underneath Barielle Stardust last week. The formula was really great and it was opaque in two coats.

shade

This polish has been in my untrieds for way too long; almost a year! I'm glad I finally decided to pull Decadence out, because it's gorgeous.

Have you been surprised by any oldies lately?

Zoya Elodie

Hey dolls, here's a quick post on a nail art fail that I wore during my hiatus. Zoya Elodie is a gorgeous orange-leaning coral jelly-creme hybrid that's been in my untrieds for almost a year. I've been wanting to wear it for the longest, so I decided to go for it. The formula was great. I applied two coats and there was still some visible nail line, but that didn't bother me because of the jelly-like quality of the polish. I saw this super cute color blocked cloud mani on Neverland Nail Blog that I thought would make a great accent nail. Zoyas Wednesday (turquoise) and Gaia (white) were used for the accent nail. I was rushing to get to a baby shower and I failed...it ended up turning into a regular cloud mani that wasn't very even.

While I love coral and turquoise together, this cloud mani was not nearly as cute as one I did previously. I'll have to attempt this again with another color combo. I wasn't going to show this, but oh well, we can't win them all.

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.

Milani Mint Candy

Hi dolls, I have a gorgeous drugstore find for you today; Milani Mint Candy. Mint Candy is a gorgeous mint polish that is filled with blue shimmer. The formula was relatively thick; so thick that I'll probably add a little thinner the next time I use it. Mint Candy is very pigmented and I could have gotten away with one coat, but I did two for depth.

 Gosh, I love this color! The shimmer is absolutely amazing and even more so in the sunlight.

Since it's Wednesday, I attempted to add a little pink by stamping on the mosaic image from Bundle Monster plate #208 using Color Club Hot Like Lava.

I probably should have left well enough alone. I don't hate it, but I don't love it. The image transfer was a little sheer in some parts. Oh well, you can't win them all right?

Happy hump day dolls!

ManGlaze Royal Matterimoaning & ILF

Hey dolls, today I'm wearing blue again in support of autism awareness month. ManGlaze Royal Matterimoaning is a royal blue matte that is filled with silver shimmer. This is the second ManGlaze that I have tried and the formula on these polishes is crazy pigmented. I'm only wearing one coat in the photos below! The dry time is also extremely fast, which is what you would expect from a matte polish.

I debated between making Royal Matterimoaning glossy or doing a tape mani...the tape won. I used striping tape to make an abstract design with ManGlaze ILF, which is a gorgeous turquoise matte. I am loving how easy the striping tape is to use!

I love the way this turned out! I may add top coat to it tomorrow to see how this combo looks glossy. Using ILF as the accent has me excited to wear that one all on its own!

Have you tried striping tape yet?

Zoya Surf Collection

Hi dolls, I hope that all of you are having a wonderful Easter. I've finally finished wearing the colors in the Surf collection and I think you'll be more than pleased! Based on the promo pictures, I was really excited for this set. The Surf collections consists of 6 shimmers that all have a foil-like finish. With the exception of Kimber, all of the shades have a heavy silver shimmer that runs through the polish. I applied 2 coats for each polish and there were no problems with the formula at all.

Up first is Zuza, a deep, saturated, oceanic turquoise with gold and silver metallic shimmer. Zuza is hands down the star of this collection! When you think of relaxing on a tropical island, with waves hitting the shore, Zuza is the color you visualize. Gosh, I love everything about this color!

Carly is a bold, red-toned dark purple with iridescent red and silver metallic shimmer. While Carly seemed to stick out from the rest of the collection because of its darkness, it is one gorgeous purple. You can really see its beauty out in the sunlight.

Rory is a medium mauve pink with lilac tones and gold and silver reflective metallic shimmer accents. This color may read pink or lilac based on different skin tones. Rory leans more lilac on me and I like this one a lot.

Myrta is a warm, medium orange coral with red undertones and gold and silver metallic shimmer. I love everything about oranges like this. Myrta literally glowed on my nails!

Meg is a light, yellow-toned mermaid green with heavy gold and silver metallic shimmer. This one is pretty, but it didn't wow me like the others in the collection. 

Kimber is a rich, bright and saturated medium magenta pink with strong gold metallic shimmer. The gold shimmer really makes Kimber stand out. This is such a gorgeous pink. I'm already planning on using Kimber for a pedicure.

Zoya really has a winner with the Surf collection! My favorites are Zuza, Kimber, and Myrta. 

Are any of these calling your name???

Zoya polishes can be purchased here for $8. They also have really interactive Facebook and Pinterest pages, so check them out!

*Products featured in this post were provided by PR for review*

Zoya Beach Collection

Hey dolls, today I'm showing the Beach collection from Zoya, which is one half of their summer 2012 offerings. The Beach collection consists of five creams and one frosty shimmer. I love a great cream and I was excited about a couple of them when the promo photos were first released. Two coats were used for each shade and the formula was pretty typical of what I've grown used to from Zoya.

There is a pink for everyone in the Beach collection, and I'll start with my favorite. Reagan is a deep, cool fuchsia pink with subtle blue undertones. Berry shades are really big right now, so Reagan was right on target with the trend. This shade will be flattering for most skin tones.

Lara is a medium magenta-rose pink with subtle yellow undertones. Lara will work well for anyone looking for a more true pink shade. The formula was the thickest of all the shades in this collection, but it wasn't problematic.

Shelby is the softest pink of the three in this collection. It is described as a cherry blossom pink. Shelby screams super girly and it's just saturated enough that it doesn't look pastel.

Arizona is a softened bright citrus orange with a muted cream finish. This shade just looks so juicy on your nails! It's almost as if I poured a cantaloupe onto my fingertips. I had a feeling Arizona would be one of my favorites and it definitely did not disappoint.

Wednesday is a faded dirty medium turquoise with green undertones. This shade is also a winner in my book. Wednesday doesn't scream summer to me, but turquoises are my weakness, so I love it.

Tracie is the lone shimmer in this collection. It is a faded, yellow-toned pistachio green with delicate silvery shimmer for a frosted pearl finish. Tracie was the shade in this set that I was most interested in seeing in person. The formula was the thinnest of this collection and it resulted in some brushstrokes, but they didn't bother me much. As soon as I put Tracie on one nail, I knew this shade was perfect for me. It is such a unique green in my stash!

My favorites from this collection are Arizona, Tracie, and Wednesday. The pinks are good staples for a nail polish stash, but aren't overly unique. I'm looking forward to wearing the Surf collection, so I'll have pictures for you soon!

Zoya polishes can be purchased here for $8. They also have really interactive Facebook and Pinterest pages, so check them out!

Have you ordered any of the Beach collection yet? What are your favorites?

*Products featured in this post were sent by PR for review*