A Simple but Sparkly French

Just a simple traditional french manicure to show you today, I did brighten it up a bit with the addition of a shimmery top coat.  

 I've found that the easiest way for me to get a french result isn't to use guides.  Rather I paint just the bare nail tip with a base coat, (OPI Ridgefiller) then white (Wet n' Wild white)

 From there I use a fine wedge brush and pure acetone to create the shape of the smile line that looks best on me.  I like being able to control it from nail to nail, it gives a very natural look to it.

 Once I have the shape how I like it, I go over all of it with a top coat, and depending on the shade it can make it look like a regular french like this one where I used China Glaze Whitecap.

Or if I use a sheer colored or jelly polish it gives the impression of a more perfect "natural" nail.  A much cleaner and consistent look that my natural nails would offer. 

The changing weather is causing my hands to be a little worse for wear, so pardon the cuticles, but hopefully you like the look.  It's very easy to achieve and the look is in my mind really classic. 

There are some nail artists are saying that  the classic french is out of style or not on trend (to put it nicely and usually the say this in conjunction to try and push their new look or design)  I however fail to see how a classic can go out of style, isn't that by definition the meaning of classic, 'timeless'?  I personally think this will be a look that will continue long into the future.  What is your impression of the french, do you think it's outdated?

End of Summer Blooms

A One Stroke mani that actually took many strokes.  This time at the request of JQ of  Frippery Digits I used OPI's I Eat Mainly Lobster as my base color.  It's a beautiful warm coral with a hint of shimmer to it. A perfect end of summer shade in my opinion.
I think my flowers look a bit like the real pressed flowers that are pretty popular at the moment.  I then used a peach and orange acrylic paint to create them.  The centers are done with a tiny liner brush in a brown/black mixture.  I think my ring and middle fingers turned out the best, they remind me of the pressed flowers you can get.  Anyway, not a lot more to say about this so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading, until next time, have a lovely one.

Orly - Sweet Peacock is Sweet!

Thank you Beauty Behaved for requesting this polish!  The name of this has me humming along to Katy Perry's Peacock song.  Does it have that effect of any of you?

I'm brave enough to let you see my peacock. :)  This is gorgeous in just two effortless coats and cleanup was so easy.  I thought I'd have tons of glitter cleanup after I did the brush/acetone polish clean up but it really surprised me but mostly coming up on the brush.

"OMG, no exaggeration,
Boy, all this time was worth the waiting"
I had my eye on this since I first started seeing swatches on some of the bigger blogs that got it pre-release.

I haven't read a single bad review on this polish from all the reviews I've read, and I'm going to continue the trend. I absolutely adore the foil like shine of this polish.   The finish on Sweet Peacock is super smooth without a trace of grittiness and although it has a decent shine on its own, I still finished it with a coat of Seche.

 Here it is in the shade.  Isn't it pretty?  I love how the color so varied with different shades of blue and silver on a micro scale. 

 Have any of you tried Sweet Peacock yet?  If so, what's your opinion on it?

While it's not an official Katy Perry Video, if you're not the easily offended type, this is awesome!

L.A.Girl Crackle - Fracture

Rock-or-Not (who apparently doesn't have a blog I can link to) requested the L.A. Girl Crackle.  Given that I haven't really shown you a lot of my crackle polishes, I was happy to comply.

I think that of the brands that I have, L.A. Girl Crackle is one of my favorites.  It seems to have more horizontal and vertical cracks with regular, single direction brush strokes than say OPI Shatters which to me at least seem to only break in the direction of your brush strokes. 

This is a great color too, a nice true purple that my camera wanted to make a bit too blue.  There's just a hint of shimmer to it that keeps it interesting.

To get this look I actually started with one coat of OPI Skull & Glossbones as a base, then I used one coat of the Orly Dazzle.  I had some bald spots, but figured it was okay since I was using the Cracked over it anyway.  Because I wanted a nice slick surface to put the Cracked over (and I didn't want to sit around and wait for things to dry) I used a coat of Seche over the Dazzle.

Once I had deemed my base color dry enough, I used one thick coat of Cracked .  I mean I really loaded up my brush and barely brushed it off at the neck.  It would have dried too quickly and been too sparse if I'd done it any other way. 

I love the contrast between the silver and the purple and I got several comments on it at work too.  One lady said she was going to go buy some she liked it so much.  It's always cool when you have that kind of impact on someone don't you think?

Well, thanks for reading, and thank you Rock-or Not for making the request, until next time, have a great one!

Gone but Hopefully Not Forgotten

I've been out of commission for longer than usual.  Between illness running through the entire family and finals I have just not been able to find time to blog.  I did manage to make some changes to my polish though in order to keep some semblance of sanity, and since shopping is therapy...I have some new polishes to show you. 
I haven't forgotten that I need to swatch out those that your requested from my last haul, I got a few of those done that you'll get to see in the next few days.  So bear with me as I get back into the groove and enjoy some bottle spam of the newest additions to my collection.

Zoya Jem & Yara

Revlon 'Fierce' & Borghese 'Riviera Sunset'

Orly Rock Solid, Rococo A-go-go & Rock the World

Orly Nite Owl, Sea Gurl & Fowl Play

China Glaze It's Alive & White Cap

Essie Jamaica Me Crazy, It's Genius & Wrapped in Rubies

Ulta Salsa & Ruby Slipper

Brash (Payless Shoes new line) Sergeant Khaki

 L.A.Girls Cracked - Rupture

Maybelline Express Finish - Be Scene in Green

Fantasy Makers - Purple Potion

Wet n' Wild Fast Dry - Orange & Teal of Fortune

Sinful Colors - Nail Junkie

 L.A. Girls Rock Star - Punk

Pure Ice - Busted

Let me know if there's any you'd prefer to see sooner than latter.  Thanks for sticking with me, until next time, take care.

What's Come In - pic heavy

I haven't shown my new additions in a long while so thought I'd share.  Most of these are purchased as onsies and twosies so this really isn't a haul.
Please let me know if you've any requests for what gets swatched first as I never seem to be able to make up my mind.

OPI I Eat Mainly Lobster - Hot & Spicy - Are We There Yet?

From Payless Shoes - Unforgettable Moments in Sparkling Turquoise

Orly - Peachy Parrot, Sweet Peacock & Sea Gurl

China Glaze - Skyscraper, CG in the City, Loft-y Ambitions

Finger Paints - Cat-Walk Queen, To-Teally Chic

LA Girls Cracked Polish - Fracture

China Glaze Crackle - Oxidized Aqua - Cracked Medallion

Pure Ice - Rio & Once Again

Essie - Dive Bar

Color Club - Alter Ego, Ulterior Motive & Alias

OPI - Love is a Racket, Grape...Set...Match & Pros & Bronze

Nicole by OPI - Never Give Up

OPI - Honk if You Love OPI & La Paz-Itively Hot

OPI Color to Dinner For, China Glaze Crackle - Latticed Lilac & OPI Servin' Up Sparkle