Lippmann - Some Enchanted Evening

Deborah Lippmann "Some Enchanted Evening"

What It Is:

A clear base packed with 2 sizes of rose colored glitter: small "regular" glitter and larger hexagonal glitter. There is a small amount of holographic glitters in there, as well. This is from Deborah Lippmann's All That Jazz nail polish trio.

Application:

This polish was fairly easy to apply. I found it best to give the bottle a shake before using since some of the glitter may have settled toward the bottom. Also... the more polish on your brush the better so don't scrape off too much!

Ways To Wear It:

This polish works best for layering because it would take a good 4 or 5 coats to completely cover your nail in glitter. I prefer wearing it over colors that don't contrast much with the rose hue. This would include: white, flesh tones, gold, silver, pinks, etc. Below are some examples I put together for you:

[ABOVE] Alternating coats of OPI "Funny Bunny" and "Some Enchanted Evening", beginning with "Funny Bunny" - 2 coats each
[BELOW] Layered over OPI "Dazzled By Gold" - 2 coats gold, 1 coat glitter

[ABOVE] 2 coats of OPI "Canberra't Without You", topped with 1 coat of "S.E.E"
[BELOW] Previous manicure with Essie "Matte About You" top coat

If you don't hear from me by Sunday, have a happy Halloween!!

Friday, October 29, 2010

OPI Swiss- Yodel Me On My Cell

OPI 9 comments

OPI "Yodel Me On My Cell"

I did this manicure so long ago. I don't remember how many coats I used. Probably 3. I usually get 2 coats done and it looks great... Then, I remember that I need to wrap the tips of my nails with polish, so I give it a third coat.

This color was "meh" to me. Don't get me wrong. It's a gorgeous shade. I'm just not in the mood to wear blues right now. In the Fall, I prefer: reds, purples, greens, and browns/taupes. I'll wear blue in the winter though... Navy or light blue (because it reminds me of ice).

I need a new top coat! Did you see how the Seche Vite was pulling the top layer of nail polish away from my cuticles!?? Grrr!... That's all for today! TGIF!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Charlie- Cuddling

Non-Polish 13 comments

Charlie and his tiger (which I've named Chewy):

Awww. I love this little guy... except for last night. All I wanted to do was fall asleep but he decided it was the perfect time to explore my room. He was jumping onto my dressers, getting into shopping bags, and causing a raucous! I kicked him out.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photography 101- Macro Mode

Photography Tips 9 comments

If you haven't seen this icon before, let's get acquainted. Friend, this is Macro. Macro, this is my friend... I'm confident that you will soon be inseparable :)
For those of you that don't know, Macro mode is a very useful camera function. If you've ever had problems getting your lens to focus properly on an object up close, this is the button for you. Let's take a look at its magic!

Tips For Using Macro:

Turn off the flash-	Since your camera is positioned very close to the object you are photographing, it is best to turn off the flash. Otherwise, too much light will hit your subject and end up washing it out (P.S. "washing out" means your photo will be extremely bright and your subject will lose a lot of detail). If you need more light, photograph near a table lamp or go outside in the sun :)
Focus First-	Before you take your picture, press the shutter button (the button you push to take a photo) down half-way. You might hear your camera make a noise. This noise is an indication that your camera has focused on its object and is ready to snap the picture. My camera LCD (screen) will display a green border around the area that it is focused on. This is usually the part of the photo that is best in focus. Other areas may be slightly out of focus or really blurry, such as objects in the background. If your camera has the border feature, use it to your advantage. You can still get poorly focused photos, even in Macro mode, if you have not focused correctly.
Don't get TOO close-	Even though your camera can focus a few inches from your object, you probably don't want to take a photo that close because you will end up with some distortion of your subject. I'd say, stay at least 4 or 5" back so you don't end up making your object look like its bulging in areas it shouldn't be :)

Let's find that icon!

On most cameras, the macro icon is right there in the open! Take a look at my cameras...

[ABOVE] Nikon D90... [BELOW] Canon PowerShot

See? That wasn't too painful :)

[Some cameras don't have an obvious Macro button. In that case, you may have to go through your "Scenes" (like portrait, night shot, sports, etc) and find the macro setting. Your camera will most likely have a Macro mode. You just might have to do some searching!]

Don't worry if you have seen this icon but had no idea what its purpose was... and don't feel silly. I was once there too :) I hope this little tutorial was helpful! I did not go into detail on how to set your Macro function because each camera is different. You should refer to your User's Manual or if you've misplaced it, google it! You can find answers to pretty much anything on the internet!

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Essie - Really Red

Essie 19 comments

Essie "Really Red" - 3 coats

Another post today. This one showcases my recently trimmed nails!

Boy oh boy, am I LOVING this red! It's an Essie jelly and it's amazing! It's hard to tell from the photographs but it is so bright and cheerful :) The boyfriend even liked it!

I actually wore this manicure last weekend so I am wearing a different polish at the moment... but it's time for a change, so I asked him what I should wear and he said "that red one you had on the other day"...! It's funny because to me, nail polish is like clothes and I usually wouldn't want to wear the same thing twice in one week (because I like to mix it up, you know?). But to guys, I guess it doesn't matter! Looks like I might be wearing "Really Red" again this weekend! :)

Thursday, October 21, 2010

OPI Pink Of Hearts 2010

OPI 12 comments

OPI "Pink Of Hearts 2010" - 2 Coats

Good morning! Today's manicure is OPI's "Pink Of Hearts 2010". This purchase was an impulse buy. I was at the cash register, paying for my other nail polishes, when I saw the Breast Cancer Awareness point-of-purchase display. The polish was pretty so I bought it :) I saw on OPI's website that they are making a $25,000 donation (that's 2,941 bottles of OPI!) to Susan G. Komen For The Cure. Donations are always a plus!

It's really a pretty color and the texture is unique. It has a semi-dull/flat finish when it dries. Kind of like a satin polish... with shimmers! I can't think of any other polishes in my collection that have this finish... OPI describes it as "pale pink with a shimmer of hope - and an uplifting sparkle". I wonder who writes that stuff?

I think my favorite part of this polish's presentation is the sleeve on it's cap with the pink ribbons! :) -OR- the background illustration that's used on the OPI website:

I mentioned a couple days ago that I broke a nail and had to trim them all down... no, my nails don't grow that fast. These are all previous manicures. You will see my short little nubs soon enough :)

Thursday, October 21, 2010

CG Awakening - Zombie Zest

China Glaze 17 comments

China Glaze "Zombie Zest"

I'm sure you've seen it a zillion times... because I know I have! Oh well. Here are my photos of "Zombie Zest". Sorry about the sloppy polish around my cuticles. I'm begining to really hate Seche Vite. I apply my nail polish almost flawlessly, do a little clean-up around the edges, and apply my Vite topcoat. It looks perfect! For about 20 minutes... then the pulling happens :( The Vite grabs on to the top layer of my polish and shrinks as it dries, leaving behind a sheer layer. It's not so bad from a distance, but up close and in macro shots, it really looks sloppy. I notice it most with Nfu Ohs, certain Zoyas, and this polish. I don't know what the reasoning is. I'm just annoyed. Maybe I need a new topcoat.

Enough ranting. On with the polish! "Zombie Zest" is... a dirt yellow? I know. It looks green but see the color wheel below! Yellow + Black = Zombie Zest! :)

"Zombie Zest" is full of glitter specs! They seem to have color shifting qualities like flakes do... See below. The glitters look gold when the light is reflecting directly off of them and they look green in indirect light! Gosh, what color is that base??

I favor this polish in the sun... it's mega sparkly!

Halloween is almost here! I wish I had some amazing plans to share with you all but as of now... I got nothin'. Have a lovely day! The forecast here is 70 degrees! Just perfect :)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Rest in peace, my Preciousssss

OPI Designer Series 30 comments

Have I done something to make the polish fairies angry with me?? The other day, I broke a nail tip completely off so I had to cut down ALL of my nails... and today... I tipped over a stack of polish boxes and killed my bottle of OPI DS Glamour! Ohhhh the pain!

Good thing I have a back-up bottle! It still doesn't make me feel any better about basically throwing away a brand new bottle of discontinued, highly sought-after, designer series OPI! I'm so mad at myself right now... My punishment? Cleaning holographic blue polish off of the survivors from that box.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Share Your Konad Ideas!

13 comments

Hi guys! It's me again! I just stumbled upon a discussion on Facebook (via OCNailArt). Kathleen says Konad likes our input on what we'd like to see on image plates.

This is how the discussion begins:
"What type of designs would you like Konad to come out with? We have had many people email and ask us if Konad would consider this design or that design. They DO want our input, but they need substantial interest in a design before they'll run with it. Let' see how many ideas we can get and how much support we can get for each one!"

If you have any great ideas you should stop on over and let her know! The link to the Facebook discussion is HERE!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

OPI DS Reflection

OPI Designer Series 16 comments

OPI DS "Reflection" - 2 Coats

It was pretty much unanimous that everyone preferred my Canon (point-and-shoot) photographs compared to my Nikon D90 (DSLR)... but I HAD to use the D90 for "Reflection". Reds are so hard to accurately capture. The Canon really saturated the color of this polish. It looked bright, neon magenta! Is was totally off! So here is "Reflection" seen through the Nikon:

Don't mind my corpsey complexion. We will just pretend that I intended on my hands looking this way in the spirit of Halloween! ;) I plan on experimenting more with my white balance so I can get a more natural color in my hands!

Those flakes are holographic! (I know, you can't tell. Use your imagination!)

Thanks for stopping by :)

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

OPI- Funny Bunny

OPI 27 comments

OPI "Funny Bunny"

I bought this color because A) I needed another white, as my bottle was beginning to run low... and B) It was on sale. Little did I know, this white is the opposite of opaque. I really hated it at first... but like they all do, it grew on me. My opinion of it now: it's a cool, milky white. Ghostly kinda... It would be good for a Halloween themed manicure!

This is 3 coats:

Below are 2 photos of the same thing. I can't decide whether I like the photos I get with my Canon or the ones from my Nikon better...?

[ABOVE] With my Canon, it's so much easier and faster to take pictures. I just point and shoot... but sometimes the photos are distorted (from photographing too close) and my skintone looks too red. I'm "olive" toned...

[BELOW] My Nikon lets me focus on objects closest to me and blur everything that recedes into the background. This is my favorite effect in photographs! :) BUT my skintone is off in these, as well. I look pale!

I thought I'd see what you guys like better! Let me know :)

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Essie- Playa Del Platinum

Essie 20 comments

Essie "Playa Del Platinum"

Here is another neutral shade from Essie. I wasn't immediately a huge fan of this color but it grew on me... So then do I like it? Yes. Yes, I do like it :)

Have any of you ever taken a pottery/ceramics class? I did back in college (a few years ago).... and this polish reminded me a lot of the color my hands would look when the water/clay mixture dried to my skin.

I can't remember how many coats this was... either 2 or 3. I found it easy to work with and the wear was normal. An advantage of the color being so light is that tip-wear is barely noticeable. You could probably get by wearing this polish a couple days longer than usual.

TGIF! :)

Friday, October 08, 2010

Chinchilly + Glitter

Essie, Nfu Oh 17 comments

Essie "Chinchilly" and Nfu Oh "GS01"

Nfu Oh "GS01" is probably my favorite layering glitter EVER...

*I used: (3) coats of Chinchilly, (1) coat of GS01, topped with Seche Vite.

Thursday, October 07, 2010

OPI- My Private Jet

OPI 26 comments

OPI "My Private Jet"

Here is the version I have! I don't think this one has the charcoal base like some do. It looked very similar in color to "You Don't Know Jacques"... Anyways, it does have that green flash that I've seen people mention [shown in the photo below]. It also has scattered holographic specs, minus the rainbow effect. This version is to the Original "My Private Jet" as DS "Extravagance" is to DS "Exclusive". Get it? :)

I still like it though...

I wonder how many versions actually exist...? At the beauty supply store last weekend, I saw one that was more charcoal in color with larger, but less, holographic pieces. I almost bought it but I really don't wear this one enough as it is!

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your day... Mine has started off well. It finally feels like fall around here. The leaves are turning red and there's not a cloud in the sky. Ahhh. So relaxing :)

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

OPI Burlesque- Tease-y Does It

OPI 19 comments

OPI "Tease-y Does It"

Here is my last polish I've to show you from the OPI Burlesque collection (until I buy more, of course)... This one is "Tease-y Does It":

I applied this polish in 2 coats. Below is a close-up of the sparkling bits. They are slightly color changing... from pink to orange. You can also tell from the photo above... However, I never saw green while the polish was on my nails. Just in the bottle.

It appears to be a dusty plum in the bottle but it is actually much darker on the nail:

In the lighting used below, the specs are much warmer in color....

I read over on All Lacquered Up that this polish is very similar to Chanel "Feu De Russie"...
Interesting.
Welp, that's all folks!

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

OPI Burlesque- The Show Must Go On

OPI 16 comments

OPI "The Show Must Go On"

"The Show Must Go On", eh? No. This one should have been named "Show-stopper"!

Look at that duochrome! A cool red that shifts to red-orange. This polish is an absolute MUST. Is that glass-flecked or a foil finish? Could it be both? Who cares when it looks this good, right?

Close-up!

I'm lost for words. It's just so gorgeous. (I'm starting to feel better about missing out on Mac's "Bad Fairy" since I've got this one!)

By the way, this was 2 thick coats. No top coat. Easy to remove.
Do NOT miss out on this one!

(FYI Just like all nail polish, its appearance depends entirely on the lighting. The duochrome effect was most dominant under fluorescent lighting so the majority of my pictures were taken under it. The first photo was taken with energy efficient bulbs and therefore do not look as spectacular... Just to let you know though, I did not do any color correcting. These pictures are straight from my camera!)