I Don't Have Any Polish For You at the Moment...

But I just noticed that I've hit 666 followers. Should I watch my back? ;) Seriously, though, thank you all so much!

SLU Crackle

Hello there! I've worn two different manicures since the layering in my last post (a Harry Potter mani and Orly Fowl Play), but unfortunately, they both chipped fairly badly before I got to take a picture. C'est la vie. Today, however, was homecoming, so I switched to SLU blue and white before the soccer game (which we tied 1-1). I used three coats of Revlon Royal, one coat of China Glaze Lightning Bolt, and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat.

indoors, artificial light

Isn't it gorgeous? I thought Lightning Bolt cracked especially well this time. You know how sometimes crackles don't crack in the most aesthetically pleasing way? That definitely didn't happen, so I guess it was my lucky day. Sorry about the glare; the combination of Royal's jelly-ness and the top coat was just too shiny for my camera to handle. I think that's about all I have to say about this one, except that I'll definitely be wearing it until it chips - though, honestly, that's been the case for pretty much any manicure since I got to college, as I don't have time to change my nails on a mere whim anymore. Taking 6 normal and 10 honors credit hours tends to do that to a person. I hope you're all having a great weekend!

Royal Layering

You know those days when you can't think of a good title for your blog post? Yeah, it one of those days. It's a shame, too, because today's layering is (in my entirely unbiased opinion... *cough*) absolutely gorgeous. I grabbed Revlon Royal, Nubar 2010, and Savina Diamond Ice - and then this happened:

 indoors, artificial light

 indoors, artificial light

 indoors, artificial light

indoors, artificial light

Holy crapola...is that not the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen? Okay, maybe not, but it's still pretty effing awesome (aside from my dry fingers and chipped index fingernail, which I apologize for - college happens). As I've learned, Royal is an excellent base for any sort of layering, Nubar 2010 is awesome over anything, and glittery nails are nirvana. So, yeah. No big deal. In all seriousness, though, I think this is probably one of my best layering combinations. Writing this post, I kind of wish I'd put this back on instead of Orly Fowl Play - and I've been lusting over Fowl Play for a while, so that's saying something. What do you think?

Fall Chevrons

I couldn't really come up with a better name for this nail art, so fall chevrons it is. After all, I think the color combination looks like something one would wear in fall, and it's also been raining all day today. I used the tape method for this; all you need is some blue painter's tape (masking tape works as well, but I find it's more likely to peel off your polish) and whatever nail polish you'd like to use. I think it's pretty easy to figure out, but if you'd like a tutorial, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do - I'm pretty sure I'll be doing another variation of this sometime soon.

natural light, cloudy

As is always the case, this looks neater in real life than in my picture. As those of you who have nail blogs know, macro always likes to highlight the flaws in manicures - in this case, it's the bumpiness where I had to reapply bits because the top coat caused the dark blue to streak, as well as the little bit of tipwear I already had. The polishes I used were Maybelline Natural Beauty (isn't it a gorgeous latte? I need to do a review of it by itself), Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Blue-Away (stupid name, but also a lovely color), and Essence Just Rock It (a stupid name only because of the exclamation point that I am pointedly not including). I originally intended to use Barielle Coco Bar instead of Just Rock It, but then I decided to use for colors, then changed my mind and ended up with this. I like the way it turned out anyway, which I suppose is all that matters. I hope you're all having a wonderful week, and are much less damp than I!

China Glaze Haunting - PR

HAUNTING BEAUTY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

China Glaze Introduces a Daringly Dark Collection of Purely Pigmented Crèmes and High Coverage Glitters for Halloween 2011

Los Angeles, CA – (July 2011): Halloween is all about over-the-top style and China Glaze has just what every girl and ghoul needs to complete their costume.  Put the finishing touches on any look with the new China Glaze HAUNTING collection – a six-piece set of mysterious colors and effects perfect for All Hallows Eve, including a glow-in-the-dark Top Coat and a ‘crackling’ top coat for a cobweb effect.

China Glaze captures the spirits lurking in the dark in six sexy, sophisticated shades that are on trend, exciting and will be on every costume crafter’s “must have” list.  Whether a look is dark and mysterious, or bold and dramatic, China Glaze’s HAUNTING collection pulls together any ensemble and will undoubtedly make heads turn – just like China Glaze’s celebrity followers (Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Nicole Ritchie and Dita Von Teese, to name a few)!  Colors in this collection include:

·        Haunting:  Shadowy black with shimmering silver glitter

·        Crimson: Deep purple crème with a hint of blood red

·        Near Dark: Rich mossy green crème

·        It’s Alive: Vibrant green glitter

·        Ghoulish Glow: Glow-in-the-Dark top coat

·        Black Mesh: Crackle Glaze top coat for a cobweb-like crackle effect

The China Glaze HAUNTING collection will be available as open stock colors, 18 piece counter display, and as part of a special “Buy 3, Get 1 Free” set featuring China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

Dr.'s Remedy Needs Your Votes

I got an email this morning from Dr.'s Remedy's PR person, and I thought I'd post it here. If any of you would like to vote for them, the link is both below and here.

DR.'S REMEDY IS A NOMINEE FOR THE HBA BREAKOUT BRAND OF THE YEAR!!!!!

Dr.'s REMEDY is proud to be in the running as an HBA Honest Beauty Breakout Brand of the YEAR but we need your help!!!!

We need votes - can you please get the word out to vote? Voting is free of charge and you can vote more than once for the same brand.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2011HonestBeautyAwards

Thank you for all of your support.

OPI at Jason Wu

OPI Struts the Runway at Jason Wu during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week!

Fashion Designer Jason Wu has named OPI the official nail care sponsor for his runway show during the
Spring 2012 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City. Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Co-founder, has been working closely with Wu, finding inspiration in Wu’s color scheme and seasonal trends. The nail
look will be unveiled at Jason Wu’s runway show on September 9, 2011.

“Jason Wu is an amazingly talented designer, so being able to work with him is very exciting,” says
Suzi-Weiss Fischmann. “Nail lacquers are a huge part of fashion. It’s a privilege for OPI to be working
amongst world renowned designers during fashion week. I’m thrilled to be collaborating with Jason to
accessorize his spring 2012 collection with the hottest nail trends.”

Award-winning designer Jason Wu entered the spotlight in 2009 when Michelle Obama wore one of
his designs to the Inaugural Ball. Wu is best known for his polished, ladylike styles that evoke the feel
of old Hollywood glamour. Since he began his line in 2006, Wu continues to display strong pieces that
incorporate clean, classic lines within his sophisticated and feminine collections, ranging from daywear
to full length gowns.

OPI Monsooner or Later

OPI Monsooner or Later

OPI On Stranger Tides at Rebecca Taylor

Starry Night

Even if you're not at all interested in art, I'm sure you've seen van Gogh's Starry Night before. Housed in New York City's Museum of Modern Art, Starry Night is widely considered the painter's magnum opus, and it's probably one of the most well-known paintings in the world. So what on earth does this have to do with nails? Well, Inspired Nails makes Starry Night full-nail water decals, and I was lucky enough to get some to review. You can see the thumbnail on the left, and my other four fingers are shown below:

indoors, artificial light

My apologies for my dry fingers and the yellowish lighting . . . I'm still figuring out how best to use the lighting I have available here, and homework (or procrastinating, as the case may be) is still taking priority over cuticle cream, which has resulted in some unfortunate hangnails.

Anyway, I absolutely love these decals - they look incredible on, and I think the ring finger is my favorite. Since they're simply water decals, they're quite easy to apply, and the only slight complaint I have about them is that I wish my nails were longer so that more of the painting would show. However, the decals can't help that I only have nubbins, so I don't hold that against them. :)

Inspired Nails also has a ton of other art-inspired decals, including American Gothic, art from Alice in Wonderland, Monet's water lilies, The Scream, Creation of Adam, Botticelli's Birth of Venus . . . I mean, who wouldn't want American Gothic on their nails? Well, there are probably quite a few people, but I think it's awesome. Now I just need someone to restrain me so I don't buy every single set . . .

P.S. I have a coupon code that you can use to get 15% off your entire Inspired Nails purchase now through October 31, 2011 - NEVERUNPOLISHED15. Also, Inspired Nails is offering half sets of decals for only $5.00!  Half a set is 12 decals, which will do a complete manicure with two extras. That means that with my coupon code, you can get a set for $4.25. Great deal, huh? Now go wild!

*The nail decals were received by myself from Inspired Nails for the purpose of review. However, this will never affect what I say about a product. For more information, see my disclosure policy.

OPI at BCBG Max Azria

OPI has kicked off the Spring 2012 shows doing the nails for BCBG Max Azria this morning! Samoan Sand (image attached) was used on models’ nails and toes. The nude look continues for Spring ‘12! Celebrity attendees of the show included: One Tree Hillstars Sophia Bush and Shantel VanSanten, and Happy Endings star Elisha Cuthbert.

OPI Samoan Sands

Arizona Muse in Samoan Sand

Purple Stripes

Hello there! I wore Zoya Malia on its own for a couple days this week, then I added some black stripes with my Nubar nail art pen. I originally intended to do a taped chevron stripe mani, but I didn't have the time or patience, so I just did some random freehand stripes. My right hand is the same as my left except that the designs are on different fingers.

outdoors, cloudy

This definitely is not my best nail art ever - and it looks much worse in macro, as usual - but in real life I'm happy with it. If I'd had more time, I definitely would've gone with the tape option, as the lines turn out much cleaner. Maybe next time!