Hospitals and Starfish

So I had to go to the hospital again and they admitted me and did tests and found out I have some acid issues. Not good. I have some different meds now, though, and hopefully I can get it under control soon.

I have some gross pictures of my stomach and intestines that I thought about posting, but not sure how that would look so.. haha YEAH! My arm got all messed up from the tape and IVs. That I can show you:

Ouch

The IV wasn't in my inner elbow, all that bruising is from the tape! The IV was on the side of my elbow where all the littler dots are. ANYWAY... 

Before all of this happened, I saw these cute nails on tumblr and decided I had to recreate them. I didn't stick to the exact design, and I definitely like how they turned out!

I regret not sponging down some gold glitter first, but they're still pretty beachy and fun! Started off with a base of Revlon's Sheer Nude. The blue is Towel Boy Toy (China Glaze), the green Kiwi Cool-Ada (China Glaze) and the pink is Make Some Noise (shockingly, China Glaze). 

I used NYC's Extra Shiny Top Coat because I liked the shine it creates, but I wanted to warn people against this top coat in general. Had I intended to wear this for more than a few hours, I would NOT have used Extra Shiny Top Coat. It cracks HORRIBLY. The first time I used it I had no idea and when I woke up the next day my design had literally shattered. 

I hope everyone is having a lovely and a less hot and humid week than me! Thanks for reading :)

Blue Year's Eve! Not out of season at all!

So I was really sick for a few days, ended up getting some hospital treatment for dehydration and vitamin issues, but all is well now (so far!) and I can resume normal posting!!

Today I have this absolutely freaking stunning polish by China Glaze - Blue Year's Eve. It really didn't look like much when I first got it, just another pretty blue. Then I noticed that it was a bit duochrome! It shines purple occasionally!! None of my pictures really capture this very well. I blame cloudy PA weather.  It's still gorgeous even without the purple tint though.

I absolutely freaking adore the way my camera captures blues. They're always insanely color accurate no matter the lighting. Darker blues, anyway. 

Application was a breeze - two coats for full coverage and this is with NO TOP COAT. Yeah. Shocked? I was. So if you're a blue person, this is a polish you for sure want to pick up!!

Thanks for reading :)

Candy Shop Jelly Sandwich

My first jelly sandwich! WOO! Jayne, I have found a use for Pink a Boo!!! Apparently if you layer it with Candy Shop, gorgeousness happens. I know because I was there! 11 pictures made the cut, but I took over 100. I just wanted to stare at pictures of this lovely layering ALL DAY. Pretty pretty pretty. Normally I'm not huge on pink, but.. ugh.. I'll quit trying to explain... just look:

Then.. I MATTED IT!

This my left hand again, and this will probably stay on it for quite some time!

What do you guys think - better with or without the matte?

On another note, I met another ridiculously amazing blogger that I think you should all check out. Even if you hate nail polish (Why are you on my blog?!), she's really funny so you'll be entertained! Check out The Polished Zombie!

Thanks for reading :)

Ruffles of a Dreamer

Inspired by this post by Chalkboard Nails, I decided to put my new blues to use! I actually had been admiring this design since the first time she did it, but for some reason hadn't gotten around to it yet. I procrastinate. A lot. Anyway.. the base is Dreamer by Revlon and the other blues are Wednesday (Zoya - the turquoise) as well as Chic and Fashionista (Revlon -Fashionista is the darkest)

More natural light (I swear I am getting a light box set up soon):

Notice the bee who decided to pose with me for the final photos... I'm sure he was immediately thwarted by the toxic smell of my top coat.

I did this with my right hand, so it's not the most fantastic tribute to Sarah's lovely work, but I'm pleased with this as a first attempt! 

Thanks for reading :) And thank you for all of your wonderful comments!!!

A pink and orange mix (Featuring Zoya's Arizona)

Today I decided to play some more with Arizona (Zoya), Dressed to Kill (Sinful Colors) and Sassy Sparkle (L.A. Colors). As I mentioned (and my readers seems to agree!) Arizona is just fantastic. It even works for taping as you can see! I really can't get enough of it! My dad actually helped me pick out this color combination. I had already been planning to pair the pink and orange together, but he picked the same two colors and decided Sassy Sparkle would look good too. I concur! 

The thumb and pinky gradients I just did the normal way... didn't use any of the new methods going around. Those tutorials probably would have helped, but I don't hate the way mine turned out either. Enlarge to see a better distinction between Arizona and Dressed to Kill!

I don't care if I do do leopard print once a week, I love it and I want to perfect the art ^.^

Thanks for reading :)

Finally a haul! (Pic heavy and long)

My polishes have not yet arrived from California, and I honestly couldn't take it anymore, so I hit up the local Rite Aid and walked out with some awesome deals! Then, my Bloom.com order arrived adding two lovely Zoyas to my collection! 

Revlon: Chic, Fashionista, Dreamer Wet n Wild: White and Black Creme

Zoya: Arizona, Wednesday Sinful Colors: Dressed to Kill, Exotic Green

L.A. Colors: Pink a Boo, Splendid NYC: Extra Shiny Top Coat, Starry Silver Glitter

A straggler! L.A. Colors - Sassy Sparkle 

Obviously I was super excited to try everything out, so that's just what I did! First, Wednesday by Zoya: 

I dented it :( I didn't clean up or anything as I wanted to minimize acetone exposure. My cuticles have been doing pretty well, I don't want to ruin it. Next, Arizona!

I read a lot of complaints about the formula for Arizona, but I didn't have any at all. Mine was anything but runny! The pointer finger is actually only 2 coats, the rest needed 3 as I used very thin coats. 

Splendid, Exotic Green (SC), Pink a Boo (LA C)

Dressed to Kill, Chic, Dreamer, Fashionista (Revlon)

These were done without top coats, so I could show the actual polish finish. Fashionista (pointer finger) had an impressive shiny finish. I think this might be my favorite polish of the day. I saw a similar polish in the Nicole by OPI Kardashian collection (still probably have to get that one too!). It applied very easily and evenly in two coats. 

As you can see, Dreamer (middle) bubbled quite a bit. I did nothing to encourage that, but I could have applied it more carefully. A steadier hand and thinner coats would probably fix the bubble problem easily. It would take 3, though, for even coverage. What is it with light blues?! 

Chic is just that -- chic. A blue-ish grey that has a formula that reminds me of some of the thinner Zoyas. The coverage is fine, it just needs a top coat to appear a little less... chalky? Thin? I don't know. You can see in the pictures what I mean (enlarge them!) 

Dressed to Kill and Exotic Green both applied surprisingly well. I can tell Dressed to Kill will need thinner in a bit, though. Exotic Green is almost a jelly, it seemed to me, and reminds me of grass :) They both needed two coats. If you notice in the pictures above, you can see my face and camera in my nail on the green - no top coat necessary for that shine!

The two L.A. Colors that I tried, Splendid and Pink a Boo, were a little less easy to apply. Splendid is really lovely though. A medium purple with gold shimmer? Sign me up! It jumped out at me right away, and I was super glad I got it once I saw it on the nail. The pictures don't really do it justice. It's very pretty! Pink a Boo was slightly underwhelming and not really worth writing about as there are many similar pinks that don't take 4 coats for opacity. 

Whew! That should hold me off till my polish comes ;) 

I'd love to hear your thoughts/experiences with any of these polishes!

Thanks for reading :)