Neon leopard print nails!

Goooood afternoon, everyone!

Please look what I just saw outside my window:

SO. CUTE.

My neighbor leaves birdseed or something all over their patio (ugh), but it WAS cute to get to look out and see these tiny guys. adorable.

ANYWAY,

I finally played around with some stamping again,

and using my daughter's leopard print leggings-

here's what I came up with!

Tada!

 I totally love this mani. It's by far my favorite that I've done in awhile :)

I'm still not that great at stamping, but i'm slowly getting better.

I used:

China Glaze's 'Pelican Gray' as base

Konad stamping polish in black for spots

Konad stamping plate m57

CG's 'Purple Panic' & 'Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' for accent spots w/ dotting tool

SV

What do you guys think?!

Also,

STAY TUNED because I justtttttt might be announcing a giveaway tomorrow! ;)

cotton candy gradient nails

Happy Saturday!

Thank God we get a long weekend this weekend. So awesome.

So going back to my cotton candy eye post the other day,

I said I loved the color combo so much that I wanted to use it again with some nail are or something. In lieu of that, I decided to try a gradient with them.

Here's what I came up with:

(*sorry for lack of great clean up- was so over it by the time I got to my cuticles)

So, this was a slightly unsuccessful combination.

Though I LOVE the colors together, these 3 polishes just didn't mesh because their finishes were totally different, and in the end they didn't fade into each other very well at all :/

I used:

Sinful Colors' 'Cinderella'

NOPI's 'One Big Happy Fame-ily'

China Glaze's 'Pink Voltage'

So the Sinful Colors is a jelly, NOPI is a shimmer, and the CG is a neon matte... none of which looked great together. You can hardly see the purple and the China Glaze was too harsh against the other two. Something I DID like, however, was how the shimmer from 'Cinderella' and the NOPI spread over onto the CG, which did give the mani some form of consistency. Still, not my favorite that I've ever done. I love the color combo, though!

What do ya'll think?

Thanks for reading!

July favorites!

Hellooooo!

So obviously July ended several days ago,

but i've just now had time to do my favorites :x

SO I'M DOING THEM NOW.

1. China Glaze 'Sun Worshiper'

*not my picture

So I featured this polish awhile back in my 'Live Loud!' week. It's a fantastic, orange juice- colored neon from the Poolside collection released a couple years ago. It's really just such a bright, fun, summery color that is perfect for right now, and i've just really been feeling it. Even my pompous Lit. professor commented on how he liked it! :p

I DEFINITELY suggest this!

2. Clean and Clear Morning Burst Scrub

Yet another thing orange! :)

So i'm not a big struggler with acne,

but I like to use at least a little something to wash my face.

I hate to admit it, but though i'm always good about taking my eye makeup off,

i'm NOT good about washing the rest of my face :( so bad (and gross), i know.

ANYWAY, I was looking for something simple to start using,

and I really love this stuff.

It has Vitamin C and Gensing in it, as well as these little beads that burst and exfoliate your skin. It's really like getting a mini facial before you get ready for the day :)

love it!

3. Urban Decay's 'Blackout'

So many of you probably know this shadow.

IT'S ONLY ONE OF THE BEST BLACKS OUT THERE.

I've had this shade for over a year now,

and I never cease to fall in love with it again.

I've had more nights this month than usual where I've gone out,

and i LOVE to use this shadow for a nighttime look. It's a lovely, matte, seductive, solid black

that can obviously go with anything.

ACTUALLY, i'll probably be using this in the newt week or two during the Penguin Makeup Challenge !

I know that's not much,

but that's really it for July this month!

What do you guys think of these products?

Ever tried any of them?

day 8: favorite child's outfit

Hellllloooo.

I'm heading back from knoxville today :(

meh.

Anyway,

today's theme is inspired by one of your or your child's favorite clothes.
I chose a romper that I love because it's fun, summery, compliments my daughter's eyes, AND seems to be something that's really comfy for her to play around in.

So here's what's on the butt of the romper :p

The rest of it is just this beautiful turquoise blue with white polka dots.

I didn't have a blue that matched the outfit EXACTLY,

but I came pretty close, i think.

Can you tell I have a new obsession? :p

Now that i've figured out the freaking dotting tool, that's all i want to do, haha.

I used:

OPI's 'Fly' as base

OPI's 'Did It on 'Em' for the fish

China Glaze's 'Pink Voltage' for fins 

CG's 'White on White' for dots

Day 6: favorite children's drawing

Hey guys!

:)

So today's theme confused me a bit at first.

I wasn't sure what it was referring to until I realized it meant MY CHILD's favorite drawing :x

Seeing as how my  daughter has just started crawling not that long ago,

she doesn't exactly have a favorite DRAWING yet :p

SO, what I decided to do was depictions of what I liked to draw when I was a little kid.

What else, but flowers?!

:)

So after I drew them I totally realized I did the flowers upside down, haha

So I tried to save face by drawing the bumble bee right side up!

(or upside down, depending upon how you look at it...)

*fluorescent lighting

I tried to draw them how I liked to when I was little (which luckily, -or sadly-is not that different from how I would draw them at my tender age of 22) :/

I used:

China Glaze's 'Sky High-Top' as a base

CG's 'In the Limelight' for the grass

Zoya's 'Ivanka' for the flower stems

Zoya's 'Pippa' for the middle of flower & bee

CG's 'Pink Voltage' & ORLY's 'Melt Your Popsicle' for petals

So Easy striper in black for stripes

All in all,

I actually really liked this mani.

I know the nail art is remedial (which was kind of the point, i guess)

but I still thought it was a lot of fun.

Thank for reading!

100 Follower Giveaway !!!!

wooooooo!

It took me long enough, but I've finally grossed 100 followers! :D

I actually reached this lovely milestone awhile ago,

but have just now been able to afford prizes :)

Anyway, a big THANK YOU to all my followers,

particularly those of you who read my blog and comment often-

make me know this isn't all just being typed to myself!

But real talk, I really appreciate it. I love hearing what you guys have to say and i LOVE seeing the things you guys do, yourselves!

Talk about inspiration :)

Okay,

on to the prizes!

* the whole Color Club Poptastic collection.

I realize this is a little old,

but they're FANTASTIC neons that are vivid and have a great formula.

Plus I know several people have mentioned having a hard time getting ahold of these when neons are all the rave right now.

Next up,

* Wet N Wild's entire Chrome collection!

This was released several months ago,

but it's been a collection that i've had a hard time finding in the States.

i'm a sucker for these and figured they'd be a great giveaway!

Yay!

I really wanted to have some make up prizes also,

but I just can't afford to do so right now :(

Not to worry though, my next giveaway will include the things I couldn't in this one :)

HOW TO ENTER!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This ends July 20!!
Unfortunately this giveaway is NOT international because I just can't afford the shipping,
BUT i'm going to try my damndest to make my next giveaway open for you guys outside the States! sorry!

Good luck!

mini haul & updates!

IT'S FRIDAYYYYY!

Sorry for my lack of blogging this week,

this month has been THE most grueling segment of college yet- either at UT or here.

The courseload is ridiculous,

and much of the coursework is super difficult.

However, i'm doing well & just ONE more week of classes!

yusssss.

Real quickly,

I wanted to show you guys my little mini drugstore haul:

Many of the colors from Color Club's Poptastic collection

2 shades from Essie's new metallic collection!

I wanted all of them,

but could only afford to buy the two at the moment :/

Yay!

Can't wait to swatch these bad boys for you guys.

That being said,

I'm probably going to be MIA for the next week...

just until I can get these classes over with.

Then i'll be back with a vengeance!

I've got SEVERAL polishes to show you,

end of June favorites,

4th of July nail art AND makeup looks,

and HOPEFULLY will be featuring some of Lime Crime's new nail polish and liquid liners!!

Ahhh!

So much! Can't wait.

Thanks for reading everyone,

& have a great weekend!!

first attempt at a ombre nails! :)

Hey guys!

First order of business,

JUST A FEW MORE HOURS LEFT

to enter my giveaway !

There' still time! So go enter, & good luck :)

Next up,

I finally had a go at an ombre design!

There's definitely still room for improvement, but i'm pretty happy with how it turned out for a first attempt.

*right hand

*left hand

Tada!

Ok, let me just say that clean up was HELLISH.

You can see that by the time I got to the cuticles, I just said screw it.

It was already late & this was good enough for me for now.

O_o

I used CG's 'Purple Panic', 'Pink Voltage', & 'Flip Flop Fantasy'- which are all neons :D

The ombre certainly isn't as fluid as I would like,

but for a first attempt- I really, really like it :)

I used the sponge method here,

& I couldn't believe how SIMPLE it was to do,

and how little time it took me to do it!

That kind of thing is right up my alley :)

What do ya'll think?!

Thanks for reading!

neon popsicles & blog hop

Good morn'!

I'm pretty stoked this morning because we're heading to the Renaissance festival here in a second, and it's been quite awhile since i've been. Though it's going to be 347373 degrees, it should still be fun! :)

Quick post today.

I'm wearing a neon orange/yellow striped shirt today and figured today's polish would just be too perfect.

I give you ORLY's 'Melt Your Popsicle' !

Yummy! Look at all that rich, neon orange goodness!

'Melt Your Popsicle' is a vivid neon orange from ORLY's Feel the Vibe summer 2012 collection.    I figured it would apply like most other neons i've tried latley, but it was actually better! It's formula was super fluid and smooth. Though thin, it didn't go on all that thin (if that makes any sense...?). I figured the first coat would be all but see through based on the consistency, but it was a lot more opaque. I used 2 coats here and was ALMOST at opacity, so 3 coats is probably necessary.

It dried super fast and was just dreamy all around. It makes me thirsty for a Sonic slushie...

Anyway, that's that.

ALSO, DON'T FORGET to enter the giveaway i'm co-hosting!!

There are so many prizes, and it ends June 8th!

Also, BlogLoveTherapy is hosting a blog hop!

There's already a TON of great blogs on there (including mine! :p),

so go check it out!

everyone loves a boy toy... right?

HEY YA'LL. 

So i'm pretty sure i've never had an actual 'boy toy', but I like the title of this polish anyway ;)

I couldn't NOT feature this polish while I'm at the beach since it's name is just so appropriate, but i barely got it in as i'm leaving the beach today :(

Waaaaaaa.

Back to reality.

So here's China Glaze's 'Towel Boy Toy' for you!

'Towel Boy Toy' is a bright/neon (though it's not marketed as technically a neon) sky blue from the Poolside collection.... (i've actually featured several from this collection in my recent 'Live Loud!' week, seen here, here, and here.) It has a lovely, light blue shimmer to it but it's very subtle. It dries matte, of course, so I applied a coat of SV over the already 3 coats of polish- it's a bit sheer, so at least 2 coats are needed!
This polish reminds me VERY much of Zoya's 'Phoebe' prior to SV.
What do you think?

I was surprised by how much I liked this. As i've said before, i'm not usually a huge fan of bright blue on my hands, but this one was just so bright and happy and beachy that it really grew on me :)

This might be my last post for awhile because i'm getting home late tonight from the beach, have only tomorrow to finish packing up the apartment, then I start my summer class AND we're moving Monday :( So it may be a few days before I have time to blog again, but i'm going to do my best :)

neon bikini stripes!

HELLO FRIENDS.

As you're reading this, i'm making the grueling 8 hour drive... to the beach! :e

 Gulf Shores to be exact, and it's the first time i've been to the beach in like 5 years. pathetic.

Anyway, I bought a lovely little cheap swimsuit at Target awhile ago that has some fantastic colors in it, and i've been meaning to do something on my nails inspired by it. 

I really love plaid nail art. I don't have a steady enough hand to really pull it off (even with a good striper), but I thought i'd give it a go anyway.

So here's what I ended up with.

*regular indoor lighting

*fluorescent lighting

*sunlight, no flash

Ok so question... anyone have any idea why the gray polish on most of my fingers has tiny bubbles?

...

WTF.

i would really like to know.

Anyway,

I was lucky to find polishes that basically matched my swim suit exactly.

I used:

China Glaze's 'Pelican Gray' as my base

CG's 'Yellow Polka Dot Bikini', 'Rich & Famous', & 'Flip Flop Fantasy' for the stripes using a basic nail art brush.

I think if someone who has a steady hand &  a striper (& no bubbly polish) had done this, it would look awesome. I really love all the colors together. I'm just still too much of a n00b in the nail department for it to look that great :P

But i liked it okay.

I've brought a ton of stuff with me to the beach since i'll be there for a week, & i'm really hoping to get some good experimentation and blogging in, but we'll see. Plus I don't even know for sure or not if we're going to have internet access there, soooooo 

:/

Thanks for reading!

nail/makeup mail & newest additions

heyhey everyone!

Lots of exciting little tidbits and additions tonight.

Firstly,

my two indie polishes that i've waited so long for finally arrived today! :e

I was browsing Etsy a couple weeks ago and came across these 2 beauties form DarlingDivaPolish!

 

*^ 'Anita'

* ^ 'Too Schmexxxy'

I can't even describe to you the amazingness of these. I'd love to spend this whole post on them, but i'll save that for another day :) For now, these teaser pics will have to do.

Also in the mail today came my Burning Heart palette from Sugarpill !!

:party

Some of you may know that i've been searching EVERYWHERE for a true, bright red. AND HERE SHE IS! Can't wait to try her, along with the other fantastic shades.

Lastly I have the newest additions that I couldn't resist in Sally's today.

*From L to R: 'Pelican Gray', 'After Party', & 'Melt Your Popsicle'

The last 2 are from ORLY's new neon collections that's out... wish Sally's had them when I was doing Live Loud week...

oh well :)

Do any of you have these?

Thanks for reading!

Live Loud!- Day 10... Double Purple Durple, ya'll

Hello dear readers.

Alas! It is the final day of Live Loud! week. There were so many other I could have posted, but i'll just have to be patient and save them for later :P There are other things I want to move on to.

But before that, we have tonight's polishes. Yep, polishes. I disliked one so much I decided to just throw it in with my final post; it was undeserving of it's own O_o

First the ugly duckling- 'Flying Dragon':

I posted this before, long ago in the infancy of my blog. I decided to give it a go again & see if it'd feel any differently... :@

NOPE, STILL SUCKS.

This is (for some reason) dubbed a neon... WHY, China Glaze? It's not even bright once on the nails, though it facetiously looks like it would be. argh.

'Flying Dragon' is a purple neon with pink and blue microglitter Sounds like it would be awesome... just looks like poo. At least in my humble opinion :o

Next up is probably my 3rd favorite out of all the ones i've featured this past week or so,

'Purple Panic'!

This is a fantastic purple-magenta neon with slight violet shimmer. It's awesome! It actually was not as sheer/runny as many of the other neons/brights i've tried.  It was definitely opaque with 2 coats. It dried matte, of course, so I used 2 coats of SV afterwards.

My only bone to pick with this polish is that it chipped really quickly :/ But it's still worth it :)

What do you guys think?

What has your favorite polish been from Live Loud! week?

Thanks for stickin' with me!

:D

Live Loud!- Day 9

Helloooo.

Just one or two more days of Live Loud! week. I've got so many ideas for themes for posts that I don't know which to do first...

Anyway,

onto tonight's polish!

CG's 'Rose Among Thorns'

So I know this looks like a typical bright red, but it's not (the 2nd picture is more accurate than the first, colorwise). 'Rose Among Thorns' is a neon red with a subtle hint of warm pink to it. Though as you can see, in direct sunlight it looks like a fancy, sexy red. Either way, I love it. It did go on a bit sheer, so 3 coats are needed for opacity. My favorite color is red, and seeing that this was a neon, I couldn't resist this in Sally's the other day. So vibrant.

That's it for tonight, guys!

Thanks for reading!

OH,

and don't forget to 'like' my fb page using the facbook button in the top right hand corner of my page!!

:))

Live Loud!- Day 8

Hellooooo.

Back to nail polish tonight,

 and it's arguably my favorite (other than 'Flip Flop Fantasy).

China Glaze's 'Pink Voltage'!

'Pink Voltage' is a Pepto Bismol, neon pink with slight light purple shimmer. It's UH-MAZING. Totally a girly girl color that's bright and loud and happy and just... awesome :)

It dried matte, but it was a different looking matte than the others i've tried lately, for some reason.  After a coat of SV, it was kind of glossy but velvety at the same time... i was hoping you could see it in my photos, but I don't know how well it translated.

Anyway, i'm in love with this color.

Perfect for summer.

Do any of you have this?

Live Loud!- Day 6

Woo!

Pretty stoked, because I ordered my first Deborah Lippmann polish today! Also, the owner of the shop where I bought some indie polishes recently contacted me, apologizing that they haven't been shipped yet- so she's sticking some freebies in :P SO EXCITED.

Hopefully they get here before next friday, since i'll be gone for a week :/

Anyway,

on to tonight's polish!

China Glaze's 'Blue Sparrow ' :

I understand this polish isn't a neon in the classic sense (though China Glaze markets it as one) but it IS bright, and since most of my colors are in the orange/pink range, I figured this would be a nice change of course.

'Blue Sparrow' is a royal blue neon with light blue micro glitter. It dried matte, of course, so the above pics are with Sv after 3 coats.

I'm undecided on this polish. The color is really pretty, but the finish was not at all what I expected or liked. Firstly, the consistency was SUPER thin- quite possibly one of the thinnest i've ever tried. After drying, it was oddly gritty for having such small glitter. After a coat of Sv it looked better, but I was still feeling blah about it.

My biggest issue- it chipped in HOURS. Now, i can definitely be rough on my hands, but I went right to bed after I applied this and then woke up with it chipped (you can see it some in the photos). Pretty gay.

So, I added a quick stamp,

and this made me like the mani a little better. Here I used plate BM10 with Konad special polish in white.

All in all, this polish was a bit disappointing, despite it's rich color- which IS fabulous. That's about it, though, in my opinion.

What do you think?

Do you have this?

Thanks for stopping by! :)

today's haul and bikini time for Live Loud!- Day 4

GOOD EVENING.

I'm halfway through the last week of this semester!

yessssssss.

... of course I'm taking 5 summer classes this summer, but at least I get like a week break in between now and my maymester class O_o.

Lots to show you tonight!

First- my little haul from walmart today:

Woo!

I'm thinking about maybe using the Revlon's for a giveaway- what do you think??!

I've also never tried the Maybelline polishes, so that'll be something new. Plus i actually bought eyeshadow that's not considered a prestige cosmetic for the first time in forever, but I couldn't resist that lovely, lime-y green :) We'll see how it turns out.

Now onto tonight's little bright beauty- CG's 'Yellow Polka Dot Bikini'!

Though it looked more like a bright sunshine yellow online (which is where I bought it), this polish is legit neon, highlighter yellow (think Essie's 'Funky Limelight'). It's part of CG's 'Poolside' Collection.

:/

Sadly, as with most of my other brights/neons (also many from this same collection), it was sheer, streaky, and hard to (ever) build up opacity. It was a cloudy day today, but that seemed to make it easier to capture the neon-ness of the polish, oddly enough. In the past days when it's been really sunny, the polishes always come off looking much more subtle than they really are... ?

Anyway, I really wasn't that much of a fan of the unexpected highlighter yellow OR the streaky-ness of it, so I added a stamp to spice it up/hide it, haha.

Can you tell i'm new to stamping? :/

Here I used BM19 and Konad special polish in black to get a polka dot effect to match the name. Done right, this would look really neat.

Aside from the atrocity of the stamping skills, I still like my nails much better with it than without it. Plain old highlighter yellow just isn't my thing, it turns out :/

What are yall's thoughts?

Anyone tried 'Yellow Polka Dot Bikini'?