New Color for Nails of the Week (NOTW)

 Crackle, How to, Kiss Nail Art, Nail Art, Nail Polish, Nails, NOTW, playing with colors, Sally Hansen, Ulta, Wet-n-Wild  1 Response »
Sep 292012
 

I went outside my comfort zone with this nail polish. I’ve never worn grey on my nails before. I thought I’d give it a try. Can’t say that I’m really liking it, but I’m going to leave it on at least a couple of days to see if it grows on me.

I purchased this polish either early this year or the end of last year during some sale at Ulta. I think the polish was like $2.  I really like the name, Concrete Evidence

Here’s what I used to create my design

  1. One Coat of Ulta Salon Formula in Concrete Evidence
  2. 2012 Cracked Nail Polish in Tomorrow at the top
  3. Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat in Fuchsia Shock at the bottom
  4. Kiss Brush On Nail Art in Silver Glitter in the middle in a diagonal

This worked really well on my left hand, but when I tried to duplicate it on my right hand…not so much.

For whatever reason, the 2012 polish didn’t crack, so to add a little extra, I put Wet n Wild Party of Five Glitters on top.  I like how it came out.

I have to admit that I really like how my designs looked when I was finished.  I just don’t really like the grey.  To me it seems kind of dirty looking. Ha ha!

Have you ever worn grey nail polish? What are you wearing on your nails this week?

Nails of the Week Look 2

 China Glaze, Kiss Nail Art, Nail Art, Nail Polish, Nails, Sally Hansen  3 Responses »
Aug 172012
 

This is the 2nd look I did this week. I basically just added a pop of yellow, but I like how it turned out.  To see Look 1 with all of the steps, click here.

The only downside is that this is my right hand…and I’m right handed.  Which means, I’m not as precise when using my left hand to polish.  Even more difficult to do nail art/designs.

 

Essie “Off The Shoulder” Nails of The Week NOTD

 Beauty Supply, Free, Klout, Nail Art, Nail Polish, Nails, NOTW  4 Responses »
Jun 172012
 

 I’ve heard other bloggers talk about Essie Polish but this is my first bottle.

I received this bottle of Essie polish as a Klout Perk. I’m so glad I did. It’s a gorgeous pink.

I combined it with my beauty supply polishes

Kiss Nail Art in Silver Glitter, Absolute in Lavender (my most recent NOTD you can see here) and Sinful Colors in Let’s Talk.

This polish retails for $8.  I’ll have to see how long it lasts before I can decide whether I’d spend $8 for a bottle of polish.  I tend to stick to inexpensive polish because when I used pricey polishes, I haven’t noticed a difference in the longevity. No matter the brand or even if I get my nails professionally done, polish on my natural nails doesn’t last more than 3 days on average.  :-(

Lavender Nails Of The Week (NOTW)

 Inexpensive Products, Nail Art, Nail Polish, Nails, NOTW, Purple  1 Response »
Jun 122012
 

I drifted away from my coral/orange colors and went to a light lavender.

I purchased this Absolute polish from my local beauty supply store for $1.99.  I’d actually never heard of the brand but I figured I didn’t have much to lose at such an inexpensive price. :-)

I’m quite please with how my nails turned out.

For my design, all of my polishes came from the beauty supply store as well.  I mixed two 2012 Crackle Polishes ( teal and yellow colors to the left). With a Klean Colour confetti polish called Aurora and divided it diagonally with my Kiss Nail Art polish in silver glitter.

None of these bottles of polish cost more than $4.

OPI Green Nails of the Week (NOTW)

 Nail Art, Nail Polish, Nails, NOTW, OPI  2 Responses »
Apr 032012
 

So after my failed attempt to do a quick and easy nail of the week with the Sally Hansen Salon Effect Nail Strips, I decided to go back to my traditional nail polish.  I haven’t done green nails in a while so I used OPI Who The Shrek Are You polish.

I used the other four polishes as a part of my design on my ring finger.

I had fun with these colors. :-)  See below for a list of how I created the look.

  1. I polished all of my nails with OPI Polish in Who The Shrek Are You
  2. I used Kiss Brush On Nail Art Paint in Silver Glitter on my ring finger in a diagonal line across my nail. I LOVE these.  I have it in white as well.  They come in all colors.  I purchased them from my local beauty supply store.  I’ve seen them in Sally’s but they were more expensive.
  3. I used 2012 Cracked Nail Polish in Tomorrow on the outer side of the line
  4. I used China Glaze Crackle Glaze polish in Lightening Bolt on the inner side of the line.
  5. Lastly I polished KleanColor Nail Polish in Aurora all over the nail.

From what I’ve read on other blogs and social media outlets, crackle polishes are hit or miss.  It appears that a lot of people don’t like them.  I think they’re good to play with if you want a quick design but don’t necessarily have a steady hand. The downside is that you can’t predict what the effect will be like.  It seems as though each time I use a crackle polish, it shatters differently.  The effect can sometimes look more like a mistake than a design. Ha ha! :-)  It can also look a bit dull, so this is the reason I tend to put confetti polishes on top.

What are you wearing on your nails this week?

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips

 Nail Polish, Sale, Sally Hansen  3 Responses »
Mar 282012
 

I know I’m super late in trying these as they were the cool thing to have last year, but I decided to try them since they were on sale at Kroger’s Grocery Store.

My first impression was that it still smelled like polish.  I thought that was strange.  Like the minute I opened the package, it was as if I opened a bottle of polish.  My 2nd thought was “Hey, these aren’t all the same color!” What the what? Check out the above picture.  As  you can see they haven’t been opened however there’s a clear difference in color between the left sticker and the right sticker. :-(

My 3rd thought was this packaging is hard to work with.  I’m not sure why, but I had a hard time opening the silver part of the packet to get the stickers.  Once I finally overcame that obstacle, it was a task to get the sticker on.

Above is my 1st failed attempt.  When I peeled the sticker off the back, it immediately tore. I also couldn’t see where the clear protective plastic cover was. Later realized that it didn’t peel off the way it was supposed to. 

I didn’t even get to the filing because as I stretched it, it tore some more.  Above is all that was left.  This strip was just wasted. :-(

I tried fixing it by taking it off and moving it over a bit but I quickly realized that these strips aren’t easy to peel off either.  They remind me of when you have a lot of coats of polish on your nail and you peel it off.  At this point the polish is really thick and soft so it comes off in one piece, but takes off a layer or two of your natural nail. :-(

My 2nd attempt was a bit better.  I just couldn’t get the sticker straight in the middle.  Then I had problems getting the creases out. *sigh* Notice the difference in color.

I checked with my tweeps and found out that a few of them had problems as well with these nail strips and they were not as easy as you think to put on. I had two people tell me they’d never buy them again and on even said she give hers away. Ha.

I was determined to at least finish what I started, even if it took me having to use the entire pack tonight.  Here’s my final outcome. Total Fail. The shapes don’t fit my nail beds. They don’t lay down all the way on my nail even after smoothing the stickers out with the stick and filing afterwards.  I doubt that they last throughout the night, let alone 10 days as the package advertises. :-(

I would not recommend these and will never buy them again, even if they’re on clearance.