Fashion Friday: Wet 'n Wild I Need a Refresh-Mint... Dress

I have decided that my fashion inspired manicures will make their appearance on Fashion Fridays. It won't be a weekly feature since the pressure of that will kill the fun for me, but when I make something that fits the theme, I will post it on a Friday. To start out the feature I want to show you a manicure inspired by a little summer dress that I stumbled upon on StyleSalad.com via Pinterest.

Barielle Unraveled Rust Gets Rusty...

The last polish from the Barielle Argyle in Style collection that I played with was Unraveled Rust. I loved the rich dark chocolate brown, but it really didn't make think of rust, so I decided to change that. After googing images of rust, I found one that I loved and used it as my inspiration. To get the look I used a combination of sponging, dry brush, and even crackle. It seemed as though I threw every polish I own into the mix. Probably couldn't do it again even if I tried. In the process, I discovered that I don't have quite the right turquoise blue to really make it pop, however I still love how it turned out....

This is the inspiration image, which I found here. I love the colors in this. Really wish I had the right blue to make it stand out. Guess there is always room on the wish list for more colors...

Polishes Used:
Maybelline - Summer Spice
LA Colors - Current

Essie - Braziliant
Color Club - Almost Famous

Barielle - Unraveled Rust 

China Glase Crackle - Crushed Candy
LA Colors - Sea Siren

Avon - Gleaming Gold

I hope you like this manicure and I would love to know what you think of it!

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Sunday Stamping: Under the Sea

I decided to participate again in a group Sunday Stamping challenge. The theme of this one was Under the Sea. I chose to go with a mermaid look. I started out with two coats of Sinful Colors Rise and Shine and sponged over it with similar blue/green shades including Essence Underwater, LA Colors Sea Siren and a no name LA Colors metallic blue. You can click on the links to see full swatches of each of those colors. Over the sponging, I stamped using Sally Hansen Celeb City and Red Angel plate RA-111. For an accent on the ring finger, I used Wet 'n Wild Black Creme and a mermaid stamp from a plate numbered M72 that I got from Ebay.

As I was processing the photos to post them here, I got the sudden urge to add black french tips to the manicure, so I used Wet 'n Wild Black Creme and did just that. Can't really decide which version I like better, so I'd love to know what you think!! Yes or no on the tips? :D


So here it is before the french tips...

And here it is with the french tips...

Which version do you like?

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Sinful Colors - Rise and Shine

I've got just a quick swatch for right now before I show the nail art that covered most of this up. Sinful Colors Rise and Shine is a beautiful turquoise green with a green and silver shimmer. The color is a bit more green in real life than what comes through in the photos. The shimmer in this polish took me by surprise. I could see faint shimmer in the bottle, but thought it would be mostly lost on the nail. Instead, on the nails the shimmer was brighter and more defined. I'm in love with this color, however I think it falls into the "colors I love, but can't pull off" category for me. Maybe I just need to get used to it? :)

The formula was very easy to work with. Before adding the top coat, the polish dries with a satin finish. I applied two coats plus a top coat for these photos. The nail line was not visible after two coats in real life, but I can see a bit of it here...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Sinful Colors Collection: Adventure Island Color Name/Number: Rise and Shine, 940 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

What do you think of this color? Are there colors that you love, but can't pull off?

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Day 12 - Stripes

For today's stripes challenge, I wanted something a little more subtle and muted. I started out with a gray base and added random stripes on top. I really liked the result until I applied the top coat and created bubbles. The bubbles bugged me so much that the manicure came right off and I didn't have the time (or energy) to redo it. So hopefully next time I'll remember to go gentle on the topcoat :P

Polishes used for this mani:
- Petites Color Fever Vintage Gray (for the base)
- Sinful Colors Mint Apple
- LA Colors Sea Siren
- NYC Lincoln Square Lavender
- Borghese Berry Confezione

I'd love to know what you think :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 :)

LA Colors Color Craze - Turquoise

Day number three of the Shimmer Brights collection from LA Colors lead me to this gorgeous turquoise color. For me, it is the second oddball out of this set because it is not not very shimmery... something I would expect from a collection named Shimmer Brights. The shimmer is mostly visible outside in direct sunlight. That being said the color is stunning and I really didn't expect to like it as much as I did.

This is two coats plus a top coat...

This photo is just for fun because it looked amazing with water drops in the shower, so I tried to recreate the look... :D

Here it is outside in full sun... yes I did say full sun... maybe my plan to entice summer to start by wearing bright colors is working... fingers crossed :)
Click on the photos to zoom in for a better look at the shimmer...

I wanted a little subtle stamping to give it some more shimmer, so I stamped it with the blue that I wore yesterday (from this set) using Bundle Monster plate BM-212...

Outside is really where you get to enjoy this beauty of this subtle stamping...
Again, feel free to click on any of the photos to zoom in :)

Here is the plate used for this. I do love subtle stamping, what about you?

Brand: LA Colors Color Craze Collection: Simmer Brights Color Name/Number: ??? (calling it Turquoise) Toluene, Formaldehyde & DBP free!

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)