Holla!

I apologize for the title of this post. I was trying to come up with something both relevant and clever,  but...*sigh*

This is Sand Dolla Make You Holla from the Sea Goddess collection by China Glaze. It's a ridiculous name for a nail polish, but it's a pretty unique and interesting polish.

It's a white texture polish with multicoloured glitter mixed in. I have to say that I was pretty excited about this one. White texture and multi coloured glitter just SCREAMED frosting and sprinkles to me! 

Admittedly, I did not love this polish as much as I thought I would. It took 3 coats to get it to be somewhat opaque, and it probably could have used one more. The white base actually pulled a little pink once it was on the nail. I still enjoyed the concept of this polish, and it did remind me of sprinkles (yum), it just didn't meet my expectations formula wise. I might wear it again,  if I'm ever in a sugary mood :)

I did pick up 2 other shades from this collection that I haven't worn yet, but I'm sure I'll be getting around to doing so come summer. 

Spring!

Hello!

After a long absence,  I HAVE RETURNED! My computer has been running at a snail's pace (at best), AND I seem to have misplaced my camera's charger in my move last fall, so I'll be continuing courtesy of the Blogger app on Android.

Life has been hectic in general, and I have just recovered from a bit of a funk...I'm convinced it was seasonal affective disorder because I've been feeling much better now that the weather is a bit nicer.

To go with that, we have my first attempt at nail art in a very long time!  I got this idea from cutepolish on YouTube. Don't you just love her nail art videos (and her soothing voice)?

The colours I used were Pistache by Sinful Colors, Hamptons Peach by NYC, and Ahoy by China Glaze. The green of Pistache is much less vibrant in real life - it has more of a dusty feel to it. It's a particular shade of green that I've been looking for for quite some time: deeper and more yellow toned than mint,  but still of a pastel quality. I assume that this is the colour of pistachios,  but since I'm allergic to nuts, it's not a colour that I'm particularly familiar with.

The time seemed right to jump back into blogging with the change of the seasons, finally,  after such a long and brutal winter. We'll see how well I can keep up what with work and such...

Until next time!  :)

A Happy Colour for a VERY HAPPY DAY

Hello! I am in a very good mood today because...

You saw that right. (And to be honest, I'm still hoping that I saw that right too after checking a million times to be sure). I was actually paralyzed with anxiety over getting my licensing exam results, mainly because I was worried that if I didn't pass, the offer for my job would be off the table and I would have signed the lease on my apartment for nothing. Needless to say, I breathed a mega sigh of relief when I found out.

Since I'm so happy, I decided I would post about a colour that matched my mood.

Turned Up Turquoise from China Glaze is a neon turquoise with some awesome shimmer running throughout. The formula on this one was a beauty, considering that it's a bit of a neon. This was 2 coats.

This colour just makes me so happy. First off, I love anything that is teal or turquoise. Second, this is so bright, especially in the sun! I almost didn't get this polish because I thought it might be too similar to Four Leaf Clover, but of course I was wrong. It sort of reminds me a bit of a turquoise version of Frostbite, except not quite as...frosty. Sounds weird, but I think it's the brightness and the shimmer that makes me lump those two colours together in my mind.

Because this is a neon, it will dry matte. I used a coat of Revlon Fastdry over this, since I wasn't really feeling the matte finish -- but either way, it's such a beauty.

It's bedtime for me now, and I know I'll be sleeping well tonight. It seems like the last 4 years of my life have truly culminated into this one day. I feel marvelous, and I hope to keep feeling this way for a long time!

Minions Assemble!

IT'S TODAY, IT'S TODAY!

Ladies and germs, today is the day that Despicable Me 2 hits theaters. And what better way to celebrate than with:

MINIONS!

Minions! Minions! Minions!

I used 3 coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Yellow Kitty for the base colour. As with most yellows, streakiness is an issue. However, this particular one leveled out reasonably well after the 3rd coat. For the minions' clothes, I used Maybelline Color Show Denim Dash, applied like a French tip. The details were put on using a black striping polish and dotting tools with China Glaze Immortal (gray), Sally Hansen White On, and Sally Hansen Coral Crush. (I would show you my thumbs, but they are far less minion-shaped than my other fingernails, and thus are not as cute).

I had a bit of a dilemma with trying to figure out if I wanted to give them hair or not. They were just so cute after I finished all the face details, I was unsure if I would be ruining it with the hair. I figure I'll wear it like this for a few days and then try putting the hairs on. This way, if it doesn't turn out right, at least I've had a few good days with cute, hairless minions. :)

My life goal is to finally get my hands on a giant minion plushie. True story. In the meantime, I'll have to settle for 10 minion fingernail friends.

Indecision in Red and Blue

Can you tell I'm just trying to get all my school-related manicures out of the way? I'm trying to sever the ties, I promise I am.

Remember last year's school spirit manicure? Well, for this year's game (back in April), I decided that I was going to top it no matter what. The only problem was, I didn't know how I was supposed to go about doing that. And as was the case for most of my during-the-school-year manis, laziness was a major factor.

My friends always make fun of me for my indecisive tendencies. It's why I can't eat at the Pickle Barrel without getting an anxiety attack. And it's probably also why I now own 200+ bottles of nail polish. In the end, my indecision led me to do this:

Fun fact: apparently U of T Pharmacy is pretty indecisive about what their colour is as well. This was going to be an all blue number, but I remembered that somewhere in between 2nd and 3rd year the colour had switched from red to blue, and I was unsure if it had switched back since I'd left school in December. So I threw a red nail in there for good measure. 

Thumb: 2 coats of Joe Fresh Indigo, "U of T" drawn on using a fine-tipped dotting tool with Sally Hansen White On

Index: 2 coats of China Glaze Frostbite -- love this colour. I honestly just wanted an excuse to wear this electric blue beauty again.

Middle: 2 coats of Sally Hansen White On as a base, with dots in Joe Fresh Indigo (darkest), Joe Fresh Cobalt (medium blue), Sally Hansen Blue Me Away! (lightest), and Essence Let's Get Lost (aqua).

Ring: 2 coats of Joe Fresh Apple, a deliciously bright red. Dots in a combination of Joe Fresh Indigo, Sally Hansen White On, China Glaze Frostbite, and more Apple. Can you tell I went a little bit dotty with this manicure?

Pinky: we have Nina Ultra Pro in Cobalt, with a coat of Wet 'n' Wild Stars & Stripes. Cobalt is a jelly, so you can still make out my nail line despite the 3 coats that I used. The formula on the glitter polish was a bit thick, and I used an orange stick to place the stars onto the nail because it just wouldn't come off the brush on its own.

In the end, I kind of wished I'd just stuck to alternating red and blue or something, because this mani was hella confusing. And we didn't even win! :(

I Less-Than-Three You

When people stop to ask me what colour I'm wearing, you can bet that I'll always have the answer on hand. Which is probably why I expect nothing less of others when I see them wearing a particularly interesting polish. So when a girl walked into the pharmacy wearing an electric blue metallic number, I needed to know.

**number of digits not 100% accurate

Me: That's a nice colour you've got on your nails.
Girl: Oh thanks!
Me: ...so, what is it called?
Girl: Um...I don't know.
Me: ...
(awkward pause)
Me: Have you used this medication before?

Okay, so the exchange may not have happened exactly like that. Maybe. But nevertheless, it sent me into a frenzy, as usual. I needed to know. (It's not completely lost on me how crazy I must sound.) Lucky for me, I am a master googler (google-er?) with a photographic memory specific for nail polish.

I narrowed it down to China Glaze Frostbite, a bright, almost electric blue shimmer. I wanted to use the word "frost", but I don't think this polish is quite the right texture to be calling it that. I associate "frosts" with nightmarish brush strokes, and that didn't happen with this. This is 2 coats -- it applied flawlessly.

The index finger is 2 coats of Sally Hansen White On with a heart drawn in with OPI Danke Shiny Red. Funny thing was, I put in the heart nail because I meant to do what I thought was an Asian peace sign showing off this nail in my funny grad photo, but right before somebody informed me that doing the peace sign with the back of my hand facing outward is actually some sort of offensive gesture, so I quickly decided against it. In the end, the most you see of the heart is the top of it peeking out from under the fake diploma they made me pose with. 

Frostbite is definitely one of my favourite blue polishes in my collection, and I've worn it a couple of times since getting my hands on it last fall. I love it when polishes that I have come with a great story attached to how I got it or when I wore it, and Frostbite is definitely no exception.

A New Beginning

Remember that time when I said I would be posting more?

Okay. So I lied.

But it's for real this time. (Hopefully).

After my last post, I threw myself into studying. And then when it was all over, I figured out that I really enjoyed doing absolutely nothing. Including writing up things for this blog. But now I'm back (again), and I thought it would be fitting for me to open up this "new beginning" with the nails that I had while I was celebrating the end: my graduation from university!

I had gone back and forth in my mind over what exactly I wanted to do with my nails on that day for months. Yes, months. My original plan was to painstakingly paint on the initials of the people without whom I couldn't have survived the last four years. To up the sap factor, I was going to pick out the letters "LOVE" and paint them in a different colour.

I don't know what it was that ultimately changed my mind. Perhaps I didn't actually have enough friends to fill up my nail space. Or maybe I was afraid of missing people. It could have been that I actually do not know anyone who has "O" as an initial -- or if I do, I really don't care about them all that much (LOL, for real, I don't even know). I'm lazy, and that is probably the most likely explanation.

I ended up going with a simple french tip, mostly because I had put off doing my nails until the last second, and also because I figured I would also regret seeing something like neon leopard print in photos 20 years from now.

I started off with 2 coats of Wet 'n' Wild Sugar Coat. For the tips, I used 2 coats of Storm by Zoya, and then I lined them with a silver polish (a really ancient one in my collection whose label has rubbed off) using a striping brush. On my ring finger, I used a dotting tool to create a tiny heart with China Glaze Snap My Dragon from the 2013 Avant Garden collection. Finally, I used my smallest dotting tool to etch on the year of my graduation next to the heart. LOVE!

Sugar Coat is a little bit of a streaky nightmare. Looking back, I probably should have chosen a better base polish -- every other time that I've worn Sugar Coat, I've needed at least 3-4 coats to level it out, and when you're doing other designs on top, it's really not an ideal situation. Zoya Storm was opaque enough in 2 coats, but it would have probably benefited from a third...

All in all, I was pleased with how this all turned out. It had just the right amount of sparkle: classy, yet with that something extra.

Overall, I'm pleased with how everything has turned out, really. Today actually marks 5 years to the day that I graduated from high school, and I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. I'm in a period of my life right now that feels like a transition phase and it's really given me a lot of time to not only reflect on the past but also think about the future. I had a lot of regrets coming out of my first year at university, and I feel like I've spent the last four making sure that I would leave this place with very few. And I think for the most part, I've done that.

This is a really exciting time for me, and I hope that this comes through in my posts from this point forward. I've only got about 9 weeks or so left before I have to enter the real world as a full-fledged adult, so I hope to entertain you all with some pretty wild colours and nail art while I can. :)

November 2012 Topbox

Um...can we talk about how awesome the November Topbox was?

This was my second topbox, and let me tell you that it did not disappoint. (Like my first one did.)

I eagerly awaited the arrival of this particular Topbox due to the fact that the monthly survey asked me what kind of nail polish I was the most interested in wearing. One of the options was "sparkly", and I clicked on that, praying for Deborah Lippmann Cleopatra in New York.

I didn't get it, but what I did get instead was equally awesome:

Vera Wang - Lovestruck (sample size)
Described as a sparkling floral bouquet that blooms with instant attraction.

The scent on this one is definitely super flowery, but it's not too overpowering that it starts going into grandma territory, if you know what I mean. The scent doesn't last very long, however, as far as I can tell. I put it on this morning and I don't think it's quite all there anymore. Regardless, it smells amazing, and I will probably buy a full sized bottle...time will tell.

Benefit: They're Real! Mascara (sample size)

I'm a huge fan of Benefit mascara. I have been using Bad Gal lash mascara since the summer and I have been loving it. I started with a sample size and eventually moved up to the full sized product, so I have high hopes for "They're Real!". The brush on this one reminds me of a comb, whereas the brush that comes with Bad Gal is more of a soft-bristled type brush. The box claims that 94% of people noticed a dramatic change in length and volume and visible lift.

I took a lame picture of my eye to try and see/show if it had met these expectations:

Meh. Looks pretty meh. But it might just be the odd angle -- I did notice that it looked more voluminous than normal in the 15 minutes I was wearing it.

Pari Lip Paint in "Red"

I don't usually wear lipstick, and when I do I usually don't go for bright red. I'm not sure how to feel about it, but I'll give it a shot. After all, what is Topbox for if not for trying new things?

China Glaze - I Herd That (full size)

This is the item that I was most excited for, and while browsing the internet for November box reviews, I noticed that a  lot of people had received Exotic Encounters, which is a shade that I have owned since August. Wouldn't it suck to get something that you already owned??

Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised.

Look at that holographic glitter!

I Herd That is from the Fall 2012 On Safari Collection. It's a mix of fine gold and coppery glitter mixed in with some holographic bits. LOVE.

So that was my November Topbox! Did not disappoint in the slightest. VERY glad I didn't unsubscribe after my first box, which was for all intents and purposes a dud. VERY GLAD.

Flashback: Happy Halloween!

(EDIT: So I totally just failed at technology -- I wrote this post ON HALLOWEEN, thinking that I had published it, but it turns out that I never did. WHOOPS! Secondly, I actually never had time to post that "more on that later" since Halloween because I've been so swamped with schoolwork and I took a me-day yesterday, so... :$)

I told myself I would never write a blog post in class, but here we are. (I'm bored as f*** right now, but I can't be bothered to do anything more interesting.)

With Halloween being only 3 days after my birthday, I actually did not do a Halloween-themed manicure this year because my birthday one was so labour intensive that I had to keep it on for at least a few days. I did have some Sally Hansen Salon Effects on last week to make up for it, but more on that later. Instead, I'm going to show you what I had on last year. LAME.

Except not, because it was pretty epic.

I used Color Club Almost Famous as a base and then I used scotch tape to mark off the bottom part of my nail before putting on one coat of Joe Fresh Crush. I ended up free-handing the white tips with Sally Hansen White On because I simply did not have the patience to wait for the lower coats of polish to dry enough to stick tape onto them -- I remember trying after a coat of Seche Vite, but even still the polish underneath lifted straight off.

I did this on my birthday last year, as a treat to myself for finishing my patho midterm. Can you guess what it is? If you can't, I hope you know that I'm judging you pretty hard right now.

Can you at least guess what (or who) my thumb was supposed to be?

I couldn't resist. .Cute little Frankenstein thumbs? Be still my beating heart!

I used China Glaze Entourage which is a light lime green with green shimmer running through it. The hair was painted on with a black striper in no particular pattern over the tip of my nail. The eyes were done using the end of a paintbrush, as this was my pre-dotting tool era. (Can you tell?)

Here's the whole hand:

Pretty!

Needless to say, I didn't go out that Halloween. Can't remember exactly why not, but it was probably some BS (cPhm) midterm or another. My cuticles were looking pretty awful...must have been my pre-body butter days, as well.

This year, I totally copped out. I only wish I had the time to do an epic design, but...oh well. Nail strips next?

Totally Predictable

There was something that I came to realize when I pseudo-organized my collection last weekend: I, Kristine, am a predictable nail polish addict. With an overflowing green/blue drawer, we know that there are very few green or blue polishes out there that I can say no to.

So was it any surprise that when China Glaze came out with a green/blue duochrome in this summer's Bohemian Collection, I would get it as soon as I possibly could? This is China Glaze Unpredictable (the irony of it all!):

Lightbox, no flash

Lightbox, with flash

Flash

Lightbox

Lamp Light

Reflecting the green walls of my room

I LOVE IT. Love it, love it, love it. Love it so much that when my nail bent and almost broke at work prompting me to cut them off that night, I considered risking a painful break if only to keep this beauty on my nails a little while longer. It was really hard to capture all the beauty of this polish with my camera, but you have to agree that even with the shots that I got, you can tell that this is an awesome colour. It is a little brush stroke-y, but it's something you can live with with a colour this beautiful.

The summer is winding down now, and I'm trying really hard to try and get as much summer colour onto my nails as possible. The thought of school starting in a week actually hurts me. HURTS. I really don't want to go back when summer's been pretty good to me this year. Everyone is excited to graduate, but I want to hold on to the last days of this summer for as long as I can!

Joe Fresh Peacock

Now I'm going to warn you all beforehand. There is an accent nail in this swatch, and you're going to be seeing it more than once. Let's call it the evolution of a manicure.

This is the earliest incarnation, using Joe Fresh Peacock.

 Peacock was the first polish from Joe Fresh that caught my eye. Navy blue base filled with light blue shimmer that turns pink at the most extreme of angles. Unfortunately, the duochrome doesn't translate onto the nail, but if you try really hard you might be able to coax it out. This was 2 coats of Peacock with no topcoat.

As for the peacock feather nail...it was something I'd been wanting to do for ages now. Peacock feathers absolutely FASCINATE me. The colours are so very pretty and the feathers are just so...ethereal. I have a peacock feather hairclip that I've been staring at for days now. I always wondered: do they breed peacocks specifically for making jewelry and home decor? Or is everything synthetic...?

Anyway, the ring finger has 2 coats of Essie Navigate Her. The peacock feather is drawn on mainly using a Sephora by OPI nail art pen that I got for $3.00 on clearance earlier this summer. The green one is called Read Between The Lines. The olive streaks are brushed on using a striping brush in Zoya Yara. As for the "eye", it consists of dots made using a dotting tool in OPI Just Spotted The Lizard, China Glaze Custom Kicks, and Essence Walk on Air.

I was very pleased with the results of my free-handing of the peacock feather, especially with all the comments I've been receiving. Accent nails have been a huge thing for me this summer, and these are some of the best I've done so far. Yay!

Turtle, Turtle

On the third day of my vacation, we met up with a turtle patrol.

No, not these guys. Sadly.

It was a group who was monitoring a leatherback turtle's nest. They invited us to go and see the turtle babies at sunset, but there was a wicked crazy thunderstorm that started around dinnertime and lasted the whole night, so it never happened.

So distraught was I about missing TURTLE BABIES, that this happened:

Yes. I channeled my sadness over missing the turtle babies into a manicure.

The base colour is China Glaze Sexy in The City. I mentioned in my earlier post that the colour reminded me of the ocean, which is where the inspiration really started. (As cute as turtle babies are, my disappointment was rather short lived. I was on VACATION. Sue me.)

The turtles were stamped on using a plate set I bought from Walmart's "As Seen on TV" section. I'm not sure if this Konad rip-off has a name, but it was a pretty good price for 5 plates. The polish I used was Nubar Reclaim. Reclaim was probably not the best polish to use for stamping, but it worked well enough for the design to be seen. I really wanted the holo of the polish to show up more, as you can tell by the multiple failed attempts at capturing it above. It did show more of Reclaim's super awesome holo in real life, but it was definitely toned down from stamping it on top of a darker colour.

Overall, I was pleased with my first stamping attempt using real polish. Although I must say that I enjoy free-hand nail art more, and at this point I feel like I am much better at doing that than I am at lining up nail stamps!