Color Club POPtastic: Color that POPS!

I'm continuing to slowly make my way through swatching all my Color Club sets. Only seven more sets to go! Color Club POPtastic was released for Spring 2010. I had no intention of getting the set when it first came out and even passed it by in the stores multiple times. It was not until a friend brought one with her on a  weekend trip away and the girls went dotty, that I knew I had to have it. It is by far my most used set for nail art and I'm so glad I got it...

OPI Pure Lacquer Nail Apps - Parisian

Today I want to show you Parisian, one of the newly released Pure Lacquer Nail Apps from OPI. The Nail Apps are 100% pure nail lacquer. I love how these look and feel. They stretch slightly to contour to the individual nail shape without warping or puckering. Also, since they are 100% pure nail lacquer, they are easily removed with nail polish remover or acetone. Even though removal is so easy, I will be keeping these on for a while. I will try to update every few days on how they are holding up...

Sunday Stamping: Pet Day

After my failed Sunday Stamping attempt, I decided to rethink the mani and come up with something else. I was still set on a kitty manicure so I picked two other kitties that I liked. Somehow these are a little more Halloween to me which is why I didn't choose them at first, but I really like how this turned out...

Sunday Stamping Fail!

Today is Sunday Stamping in the facebook group Adventures in Stamping. The challenge for today is National Pet Week which I took to mean anything with a pet. I had a beautiful manicure in mind centered around the stubborn little kitty below. Only problem was I couldn't get him to stamp. Believe me, I tried! I used every stamper I could. Tried pressing lightly vs hard. Tried stamping straight vs rolling the stamper. Nothing worked! All I got were a few spots and part of the tail... such a stubborn kitty!

We'll see if I calm down enough to attempt a different mani or just sit this challenge out...

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

OPI Just Spotted The Lizard!

To coincide with the release of The Amazing Spider-Man collection, OPI created a quiz to determine whose side you are on... hero or villain. Turns out I'm a villain... with pretty nails. To go with my villain personality, OPI suggested I try Just Spotted the Lizard, My Boyfriend Scales Walls, or Number One Nemesis from the new collection. Is anyone else a little worried that they picked out my three favorite colors from the collection? No, I didn't think so.

Clearance Bin Rescue

I don't often show my polish purchases here, but I wanted to share this one. I found these lonely and abandoned in a RiteAid clearance bin. They were mixed together with other cosmetics including lipsticks, shadows and the like. They were dirty covered in stickers, dust, and lipstick goop. My hands were seriously disgusting after digging them all out, but for a mere $12.04 (plus tax) I brought them all home, cleaned them up and restored their dignity. Can't wait to play with them :)

Back row: Essie Bobbing for Baubles and Size Matters, Sally Hansen (Ista-Dri ) Teal-y Fast, Coco a-go-go, Presto Pewter and Grape Escape, Sally Hansen (Complete Salon Manicure) Anenome of Mine.
Front row: Sally Hansen (Xtreme Wear) Sun Kissed, NYC Scenestealer Grey.

So if you have a RiteAid near you, make sure to check them out. Maybe you could rescue a few and give them a loving home :D

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Barielle Elle's Spell over Falling Star

I spotted this Barielle layering combination on their Facebook page a few days ago posted by another fan. The swatch was a bit blurry, but in it's blurriness reminded me of a little polish named Fantasy Fire. I knew instantly that I had to try the combination. As soon as the previous manicure came off, this is what I put on.

Sunday Stamping: The Sky's the Limit

It is Sunday again, which means another edition of Sunday Stamping in the group Adventures in Stamping. The challenge for today is "The Sky's the Limit." The title first had me fooled into thinking it was a free for all, but turns out it had to be something sky related including things that can be found in the sky such as clouds, birds, etc...

Barielle Falling Star

Today I want to show you a polish that has long been a leming of mine. I actually intended to show this a few days ago, but have been sick in bed after getting a wisdom tooth removed. Naively I assumed it wouldn't be a big deal and I'd be able to catch up on blogging and housework, but instead I have been in pain and sick from the antibiotics to the point of nausea any time I try to get up. I'm finally up and moving around so I'm excited to get to show this to you.

e.l.f. Coral Polish Set

I think I may have broken some sort of record for myself. From purchasing a set to swatching it in less than a month. I'm issuing an official apology to all my other polish sets that have been waiting for a year to be swatched. I even have another e.l.f. set from last summer still untouched that is now giving me a guilt trip. This set would have probably joined the untried box as well if it was not for the Sunday Stamping manicure a few days ago that used three out of the four of these polishes...

Sadly this e.l.f. set does not have a unique name to identify it. I'm calling it the "coral" set. My bf called it the "carrot" set...

Mother's Day and Sunday Stamping

First I would like to wish all the moms out there a very Happy Mother's Day! I wish you all a wonderful day and hope you get spoiled as you deserve! May you always 'bee' happy! :)

The manicure today had a lot of self-imposed requirements to meet. I wanted it to be Spring-like, have flowers for Mother's Day and use a stamping plate ending in 5 (the theme for today's Sunday Stamping challenge in the group Adventures in Stamping). I'm quite happy to say that all the requirements were met and I can rest easy.

Essie BHG Beautiful Glitter Sandwich

A few weeks ago I received a package in the mail from Essie. You should have seen the confused look on my face as I opened it since I did not order anything from Essie and have not been contacted by them for any reviews. Inside the package was one Essie polish with the name of BHG Beautiful on the bottom. No other messages in the package to indicate why I was receiving this. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about getting free polish, just a bit baffled at the source. After some investigating it turns out that I won a Better Homes and Garden Essie Giveaway that I entered in September of last year. Better late than never I guess... :D

Barielle Nail Rebuilding Protein and Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender Review

Along with a number of polishes (most of which I have already shown you), Barielle was kind enough to send me a bottle of their Nail Rebuilding Protein and Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender to test out. While I love trying new polishes and showing those on the blog, reviewing a a base/top coat is new territory for me. I think I have finally tried them enough times to be able to tell you what I think...

Barielle - Elle's Spell

I do believe it has been way to long since I've had a flakie manicure, so it was time for a other one. This beauty is Barielle Elle's Spell. A red flakie that shifts to gold and then blue/green. The flakies are suspended in a burgundy jelly base. Since the base is sheer, I decided to layer the polish over black. It is kind of a prerequisite for me to test a flakie over black since in my opinion that is when it shines. I have, however, seen swatches of it layered over burgundy polishes and it is also gorgeous, so that is on my to try list...

OPI: The Amazing Spider-Man Collection for Summer 2012

This weekend I finally got the chance to swatch the new OPI The Amazing Spider-Man Collection. The collection has everything from cream to shimmer to duochrome. Colors that range from light to dark. It has in addition fulfilled a leming of mine! Since there are lots and lots of photos, I will get on with showing them...

Sunday Stamping: Unnatural Animals

This week the stamping challenge for the group Adventure in Stamping was truly a fun one. The challenge was a stamped manicure with the theme of unnatural animals. I have been wanting to try a rainbow gradient animal print for quite a while, so this was the perfect opportunity for it. What could be more unnatural than a rainbow zebra?

I'm home!

I'm finally home after a week long trip of vising family in Chicago and attending a gorgeous wedding. I am so thrilled that I got to go and wish the newlyweds all the best! I had scheduled posts for my time away and intended to reply to comments while there, but I ended up with no internet access. I did borrow a smart phone here and there, but I'm seriously incapable of functioning on those so I couldn't respond. I will be catching up with all your comments as soon as I can :)

Since being back I have things to catch up on at home and I've had to work longer hours to make up for some of the time off so I have no manicures to show you. Instead I want to show you just a few photos from the trip. It was my first trip to Chicago and I really fell in love with the city...

OPI Vintage Minnie Mouse Polka Dot

I just couldn't resist creating a polka dot manicure with polishes from the OPI Vintage Minnie Mouse collection. Minnie Mouse and polka dots just two things that always go together in my mind. For the base I started out with OPI I'm All Ears on all the fingers except the ring finger. The dots were added using OPI If You Moust You Moust. The ring finger has the colors reversed (If You Moust You Moust for the base and I'm All Ears for the dots).