Epilepsy Awareness

At the beginning of this month I was contacted by a lovely reader asking me to create a manicure in support of Epilepsy Awareness month, which happens to be November. She has been living with the disease for many years and continues to struggle with it daily. Her story just breaks my heart and creating a manicure for her and this cause is the least I can do. I'm ashamed to admit that I lost track of time and November slipped by way too fast which is why this manicure is sneaking in on the last day of the month. Hopefully this is a case of better late than never...

Zoya Ornate Holiday Nail Art

The holiday season is upon us with reminders at every turn. Houses and trees are beautifully lit up. Stores are tempting me with pretty ornaments and decorations at every turn. I couldn't help but add a little of the holiday to my manicure. The polishes in the Zoya Ornate collection were just perfect for the occasion...

Shimmer Cristina Stamped with Nicole by OPI Personally Speaking...

I have really mixed feeling about this manicure, but decided to show it to you anyway. It is not horrible, but certainly not what I had hoped for. The stamping turned out to be much too subtle and lacks that pop that I wanted. On the other hand sometimes subtle is nice, so maybe you can help me decide... :)

Shimmer Cristina and Taylor

I have two more beautiful Shimmer polishes to show you today. Unlike most Shimmer glitters I've tried so far, these have a slightly tinted base so I used them on their own rather than layering over a base color. I'm quite fond of the darker glitters and I hope you'll enjoy them as well...

Sunday Stamping: Over Blue Base

It is definitely that time of the year when I get the urge to add snowflakes in some shape or form to every manicure. Luckily it worked out really well with this week's Sunday Stamping challenge of stamping over a blue blase. I have been dreaming of this particular manicure since last year. Sadly the only snowflake stamp I had at the time was really stubborn and refused to work for me, so I was beyond excited to see this pattern in the 3rd Bundle Monster set. Hopefully you share my enthusiasm for snowflakes. I'm pretty sure mine is tied to childhood memories of cutting them out of paper and gluing them to windows with soap..

Shimmer Julia and Sonia

I'm getting a really late start on today thanks to all the delicious food and wonderful family time yesterday. Despite the late start, I want to sneak in a few more swatches of the Cindy's gorgeous Shimmer polishes...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

To those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving today, I want to wish you a very happy one! I am thankful to have the day off from work and to spend it with my family. I'm thankful for my family and friends who are always there for me, to support and encourage me or knock some sense into me when I need it. I will try to refrain from making this a sappy post of all the things I'm thankful for and instead show you the manicure I'm wearing today. Yes, this is one of those rare occasions when what is on the blog is actually what is on my nails...

Pure Ice: Fang or Fur?

Pure Ice has recently released the Runway Nail Trends collection which is available exclusively at WalMart. The collection has five distinct sub-collection or looks including Velour Finish, Diamond Couture, French Trend, Metro Chic and Party Girl. Each look is made up of eleven polishes which brings the total to 55 newly release polishes for the Runway Nail Trends collection. Now that's what I call a grand release!

Today I have five new Pure Ice polishes to share with you. Pure Ice is certain these will make a perfect manicure while watching a certain saga and deciding between fang or fur... "The end of the story begins with the bright pale skin (Nude Beach) with blazing red eyes (Glass of Bordeaux). A love story that asks a young girl to risk it all. The diamond ring (Silver Lining) and the garden wedding that changed everything. You can't take your eyes off that unforgettable BLUE dress (Getting Gorgeous) and the warmth and complexity of the wolf's imprint (Alter Ego)."

Tutorial Tuesday: Double Sided Manicure

I love the new trend of the double sided manicures. The most common are Louboutin manicures with a red underside, inspired by the red soles of Louboutin shoes. More recently OPI created the Bonded Look with the underside in gold, as seen in the new Skyfall movie. I think this can be fun in any color combination to make a statement or just have a little hidden treat for yourself.

Each time I do create of these manicures I get questions about cleaning under the nail after painting or people tell me that they are afraid to try and make a mess. I thought I would put together this tutorial to show how I tape off my nails to avoid the mess and make painting the underside of the nail a little easier. I hope you find it useful and give this double sided look a try...

Supplies:

• Two polishes of choice. I'm using Zoya Dovima on top and OPI You Only Live Twice underneath.
• Tape (clear tape, masking tape, painters tape, etc...)

Steps:

Instructions:

1. Start out with clean dry nails
2. Slip a piece of tape between the nail and the finger to run along the nail line
3. Fold the tape down over the finger
4. Fold the sides down along the finger, avoid covering the front of the nail
5. Fold the two flaps down, one over the other, to keep them out of the way
6. This is what it will look like from the side, a little tape hat for the finger.
   The front of the nail is not covered and the back of the nail is taped off and held away from the nail
7. Paint the underside of the nail in chosen color. Repeat for a desired number of coats
8. Paint the top of the nails in the desired color as usual
9. Allow everything to dry and remove the tape. 

Enjoy your mess free double sided manicure!

Here are some examples of what I have done in the past. Click on the images to go directly to the post...

 

Let me know what you think of this and don't hesitate to ask questions if something is not clear!

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Shimmer Katherine and Marilyn

I received a wonderful package from Cindy, the creator of Shimmer polish, filled with some of her incredible glittery creations. I could barely contain my excitement as I unwrapped each glitter bomb. To give these beauties the attention that they deserve, I will be showing them a few at a time rather than going into glitter overload in one or two posts. So, stay tuned for lots of glitter over the coming few weeks. Today I have for you the beautiful Katherine and Marilyn...

Sunday Stamping: Matte

It is time for another challenge in the group Adventures in Stamping. This week the theme is to create a manicure with some aspect of matte to it. That gave me the perfect excuse to pull out my Essie matte topcoat, but really, I love that stuff so much that I will take any excuse I get. It was also an excuse to try out the gold from the recently released Essence Twilight polishes. A number of you confirmed my suspicion that it would work well for stamping, so I was excited to try it out and share with you...

Mission Organization: Sorting the Polishes

My polish collection has been in desperate need of organization for quite a while now. The one Helmer I have has overflown a long time ago with my collection being slightly over 700 polishes. It got to the point of being out of control with polishes being stashed anywhere they would fit. A while ago I showed you this five drawer chest that I bought at IKEA for the purpose of polish organization, but I had not gotten around to filling it until now so I can show you a peek at my collection...

The Bonded Look!

Have you seen the new James Bond movie yet? If you have, you might have noticed the double sided stiletto manicure worn by actress Bérénice Marlohe which features two OPI shades from the Skyfall collection released in honor of the film. OPI is calling the manicure "The Bonded Look". I have yet to see the movie, so please don't spoil it for me, but I really couldn't wait to try the manicure...

Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor Holiday Collection

Today I have for you swatches of the limited edition Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor Holiday lacquers. Regardless of how you might feel about the Kardashians themselves, I think it is safe to say we can all appreciate gorgeous polishes when we see them and Nicole by OPI has released some beauties. The collection contains six lacquers and includes both glitter and shimmers...

KBShimmer Oh Splat! Gets Splattered

It was only a few months ago that I saw this adorable Oh Splat! manicure created by Marta of ChitChatNails and it has been on my must try list ever since. It is no surprise then, that as soon as KBShimmer Oh Splat! was on my nails, I knew what I had to do. I didn't have the exact stamp and colors that Marta used so I improvised, but I love how it turned out. I feel like a little kid whose been painting and getting messy all day...

KBShimmer Oh Splat! and Quantum Leaf

Last Friday, I showed you two glitter top coats from the KBShimmer Bath and Body Winter collection. Today I'm excited to show you two more KBShimmer polishes, this time from the Fall release. I fell for both of these polishes when I first saw swatches of them popping up on my favorite blogs. Both of them were on my wish list and I'm so grateful to Christy, the mastermind and tallent behind KBShimmer, for giving me the opportunity to play with them. Take a look at these gorgeous glitter beauties...

Manicure for Mom

Yesterday was my mom's birthday and since she rarely does anything to pamper herself, I surprised her by showing up with a little box of manicure goodies. In the box were my stamping supplies and a few polishes I thought she might like. She picked out a little holographic beauty and requested a Scorpio stamp to match her zodiac sign. We got to chat and spend time together just the two of us which was so wonderful. Definitely a present for both of us...

The polish she chose is a Sally Hansen Nail Prisms named Blush Diamond. I've tried swatching it before and failed miserably which is why I haven't posted about it, although I've used it a number of times. This is probably one of the best photos I've taken of it. She loves the rainbow and I love that it makes her smile while she is looking at it. I think we've got a new holo polish fan. The Scorpio is from Mash plate Mash-35 and was stamped using Sally Hansen Quick Brick on the thumbs and ring fingers...

I found out just how much I suck at centering stamps on other people. It is really hard to aim if you ask me. I cut of the tail from nearly every Scorpio in the bunch and none of them match. Guess I need a lot more practice and what better excuse than that to spend time with my mom!

The photos are not very good since they were last minute before I rushed out the door to get to work, but they are special so I hope you enjoy them...

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you! :)

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

KBShimmer Wrappers Delight and Candy Cane Crush

Christy of KBShimmer Bath and Body was so generous to give me the opportunity to try a few of her gorgeous creation. This was my first time trying the brand and I can officially say that I am hooked. Today I want to show you two glitter top coats from the Winter collection. The collection has a total of nine polishes and will be coming out on November 15th. These not only look like the holidays, but one of them even smells like it and the other helps raise money for a wonderful holiday charity. Keep reading to find out more...

Essence The Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn - Part 2

Essence has released new polishes based on The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 2. I was so sad last year when I couldn't get my hands on the Essence polishes from this series that as soon as I saw these in my local store, I snatched them up. I'm really clueless when it comes to the actual books that inspired these and I have no interest in reading them or seeing the movies. I know, I know, I might be the only one out there, but vampires and werewolves are just not my thing. These tall, dark and handsome polishes, however, are right up my alley...

Feature Blog: Mari's Nail Polish Blog

I am really excited today to have the opportunity to feature the very sweet and super talented Mari of Mari's Nail Polish Blog. I have been a long time follower of Mari's blog, actually following both the English and Russian versions of her site, since I can't seem to get enough of her beautiful manicures. I think this might be what they call a nail crush. Mari features gorgeous photographs of her swatches and amazing nail art to marvel at.

Please help me welcome Mari as this month's Feature Blog. Lets all enjoy her wonderful creation which I'm so thrilled to have the honor of featuring here today...

Polish Days: MAN-icure

You may have already heard the term Movember combining the words men and November. It is a wonderful month long event to raise awareness for men's health such as prostate and testicular cancer. According to Wikipedia, Movember started when a group of young men decided to raise awareness by growing moustaches during the month of November. Moustaches have since become the symbol of Movember.

It is only fitting then, that this month's theme for Polish Days is a MAN-icure to honor the event or the special men in our lives. I toyed with the idea of just doing the iconic moustache, but ended up with something a bit different and personal for me...

Zoya Ornate Collection

Today I'd like to share with you swatches of the Zoya Ornate collection. Before you proceed, I must warn you that the photos don't do these polishes justice. They are just ones that you have to see in person, especially the scattered holographic beauties. I took way too many photos and really tried to narrow it down to show you, but there is still a lot so I'll get to them...

Sunday Stamping: Over Glitter

Kind of a late post today, but I'm getting a late start on the day in general and just taking it easy after having a wonderful time with friends at a Halloween party last night. It was so fun to see everyone's costumes this year. I went as a witch, if you are curious ;)

This week the theme for Sunday Stamping in Adventures in Stamping is "over glitter". It gives me the perfect opportunity to try a polish that has been in my untried stash for way too long. Plus, I got to play with some of my new plates and polishes that I showed you yesterday...

A little reward...

Some of you might remember the disaster that wiped out nearly all of the photos off the blog. It was a huge mess that took way too many hours to restore. Just thinking about it now still sends chills down my back. Never again! Among the wonderful comments of support were suggestions that I should reward myself at the end of the whole fiasco. I thought you all made a very convincing argument and here is what I decided to treat myself to...

Cheeky jumbo plates A, B, C, D, E, I (Amazon.com - $39.99 for all 6),
2012 Cheeky set of 26 stamping plates (Amazon.com - $19.99 for the set)

KleanColor Metallic (from Nail Beauty 4 U at Amazon.com) - Shipping was extremely quick (ordered Monday, recieved Friday). All polishes arrived safely. In all my excitement I accidentally ordered two of the dark blue ones and even with that I paid $11.70 for all 8 including shipping cost. I got these primarily for stamping since I heard how well the work...

The full rainbow of metallic polishes...
Left to right: Metallic Fuschia, Metallic Orange, Metallic Yellow, Metallic Green, Metallic Aqua, Metallic Sapphire, Metallic Purple...

Essence Breaking Dawn Part 2 collection. This photo doesn't do them justice, they are so pretty real life. I'm not a Twilight fan in the slightest, but when it comes to these Essence beauties I'm a huge fan. Still sad I couldn't get my hands on the part 1 of the polishes...

Left to right: Jacob's Protection, Alice Had a Vision, A Piece of Forever, Edward's Love....

And this little beauty from OPI named DS Mystery. It is not new, but I recently spotted it at Ulta and just couldn't resist...

What do you think of my reward? Too much? Not enough? ;)

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

OPI Skyfall - Part 2

Today I have swatches of the second half of the OPI Skyfall collection to share with you. If you missed the first half, be sure to check it out here. I must say that I'm quite enjoying this holiday collection where nearly half to the polishes refer to life or death in the name. That might be a first for a holiday collection. I hope you'll enjoy these swatches...

OPI Skyfall - Part 1

The OPI Skyfall collection released for this holiday season celebrates the 50th anniversary of James Bond and the new movie coming out soon. The collection includes everything from cream to shimmer to metallic polishes that are perfect this time of year. This is the first half of the collection and the rest I will show you tomorrow. I hope you'll enjoy the swatches...