ArtDeco Couture Purple...

Just a quick post today as I'm getting ready to head out the door for a fun filled day with some girlfriends. :)

This is my very first ArtDeco polish that I won in Cel's Giveaway. According to the company website the name is Couture Purple, but the only thing listed on the bottle is the number 149. It is a pretty raspberry color with a silver shimmer/microglitter. The brush on this was a little bit stiff and left a few gaps, but otherwise it applied well. This is two coats plus a top coat...

Outside... sunshine at last!

Overall I think this is a pretty color, but I'm not sure it suits my skin tone...

Brand: ArtDeco Collection: mail line Color Name/Number: Couture Purple, 149

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Zoya Stacy... Testing Out the New Crackles...

It has been feeling very much like fall around here, contrary to the calendar's claims that it is still July. Because of this my fall colors have been begging, no demanding to be worn. This is is a gorgeous deep plum wine color from Zoya named Stacy. I applied 2 coats plus a topcoat and have been wearing this for the past few days...

Outside, overcast after a rain...

I tried my new crackles starting with China Glaze Lightning Bolt right over Stacy... My first attempt was pretty successful so now I have a completely new mani that I love and can wear for a few more days :D

Brand: Zoya Collection: Wonderful Color Name/Number: Stacy, ZP520 Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) and Camphor free Vegan friendly

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

More Nail Mail!!!

I came home tonight to more nail mail and I'm so excited that I couldn't even wait until morning to post about this. I won Traci's 700 Follower giveaway on The TraceFace Philes! She now has more than 1000 followers and more amazing giveaways going on so make sure you visit her blog (although I'm sure you already have!)...

I won a full set of China Glaze Crackles and three OPI hand creams! These are my very first crackles I'm going to try them right now! Yes, I said it, right now! :D

Thanks so much Traci and congrats again on all your followers!

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Nail Mail!

I love getting nail mail, so I was so excited when I got this package from Cel at Cel's Deconails. If you have not checked our her blog yet, you should!

I won 3rd prize in her 1 year blog anniversary giveaway. The prize included anything not chosen by 1st or 2nd prize winners so I had no idea what was coming my way! I got some really cute polishes,  stencils, a lip gloss, and a Hello Kitty nail art set including stickers and glitter! Also included was a sweet note from Cel! :)

Thanks so much for these lovely prizes! I cannot wait to try them :)

By the way the lipgloss is Cherry flavor which made me think of the Katy Perry I Kissed a Girl song... and it is now stuck in my head... "I kissed a girl and I liked it... the taste of her cherry chapstick..." :D

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

A little of this, a little of that... franken fun...

Yesterday was a gorgeous summer day. I think it got into the 80s (I had to work, so I missed most of it)... I know that is nothing for most of the country which is having a heat wave, but for us it was a big deal! I really wanted something sparkly so I started by putting some holographic glitter into clear nail polish and kept going from there...

The end result is a kind of dirty bluish turquoise color. It had just a hint of glitter, not what I had in mind, but I like it. Unfortunately summer around here comes and goes, so while yesterday was gorgeous, today it is raining and currently 61 degrees... and so any hope of catching the shimmer in the sunlight is shattered... I call this my Summer Blues...

Outside, overcast...

To make this I used Silver Rush glitter, WnW French White Cream, LA Colors Current and "Blue", and a few drops of Borghese Mezzanotte Blue.

It turned out a little on the thick side, so I will have to get some polish thinner and try it again on a sunny day!

Brand: Wacky Laki Blend Collection: N/A Color Name/Number: Summer Blues

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Ulta Peach Parfait... holo-fied...

Following a reader's lovely advice that less may actually be more when it comes to the SpectraFlair (SF) Topcoat, I decided to test the theory. Last time I tried the topcoat, I shook the heck out of it in an attempt to re-dispense all of the powder that had settled out. In the end I ended up with an amazing holo effect, but not much of the original color showing through. This time I started out by shaking the bottle slightly and applying to my index finger, then shaking some more and applying to middle finger, etc... right over the Peach Parfait I was already wearing...

It is clear that the more SF powder that gets suspended, the more opaque the topcoat becomes, but also the stronger the holographic effect. I think my happy holo medium is the way it turned out on the ring finger. Now if only I could remember exactly how much to shake to get to that effect... :D

Outside, in the sunshine...

In the shade. Without the holo effect, it is easier to see just how much the topcoat can cover up the base color. The pinkie finger is all gray/silver, barely any of the peach color left!

Thanks for the tip to use less and as always thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Ulta Peach Parfait...

I was in the mood for something sweet and a Peach Parfait sounded delicious. It is a sheer color form the Ulta salon formula line. Application on this one was very good. I applied 3 coats for full coverage and added a top coat...

Outside in the sunshine... the photos of the color outside are more accurate than the above lightbox photos...

Overcast...

Really happy with this peach color right now!

Brand: Ulta Collection: Salon Formula Color Name/Number: Peach Parfait Formaldehyde, Toluene and DBP free

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Trying Out the SpectraFlair Top Coat...

A fellow member of the Facebook group Polish-aholics Anonymous created a holographic topcoat using the infamous SpectraFlair holographic powder and some clear nail polish. Mine finally arrived a few days ago, but I have been patiently holding out on using it until we got some sunshine around here. Trust me, it was hard...

I applied one coat over my existing Borghese Berry Confezione manicure to achieve this holo goodness :)

Feel free to click on any of the photos to zoom in...

Outside in the sunshine...

Just look at that gorgeous rainbow... :D

My only issues with this was that the SpectraFlair powder settles out really quickly and tends to stick together/to the bottle. It needs to be shaken for quite a while and still a good part of the powder is stuck to the bottom. I suspect it is due to lack of suspending agents...

Also, while I love the holo effect, the original color almost completely disappeared for me. I am curious to see how this looks by itself and over silver...

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Borghese Berry Confezione...

Just the name Berry Confezione of this Borghese polish sounds yummy, although I tried to translate and turns out it is not quite as fancy as it sounds :) It is still a very lovely mulberry color. A cross between pink, purple, and violet... The brush for some reason gave me trouble, although most of the time I like Borghese brushes. This is three coats plus a top coat. It was opaque in two coats, but needed the third one to even it out.

Outside...

Such a yummy color... :D

Brand: Borghese Collection: main line Color Name/Number: B460 Berry Confezione Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) Free

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Sally Hansen Shimmering Lilac...

I was feeling really uninspired when choosing what polish to wear this morning so I settled on pink for Pink Wednesday. If you are not familiar with this, it is a group of nail polish bloggers that decided that each Wednesday they will paint their nails pink. I'm not commited enough to do this every week, but sometimes I play along anyways.

Today I chose my last unswatched Sally Hansen (does that mean I need to get more?). It is from the Hard as Nails collection and called Shimmering Lilac. I see the "shimmering" part of the name, but the lilac part I'm completely missing. It is a pretty metallic pink, no lilac in sight. I applied two coats for full coverage and topped it off with a clear coat. It needs a really light hand because it does get streaky...

Actually sunny for a few minutes (in between the clouds) so I could capture the shimmer outside...

A really pretty color, but I'm still not sure what I think about this one. I used to love colors like this... somehow not feeling it now...

Brand: Sally Hansen Collection: Hard as Nails Color Name/Number: 40 Shimmering Lilac

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)