Orly Rage and Essie A Cut Above

Hello, ladies! I hope all of you are having a good start to your week. I don't know about you guys, but it's been SO hot here! California needs to cool down, fast. I have for you today a combo a did over the weekend- rose gold inspired!

Below I used 2 coats of Orly Rage, topped with 1 coat of Essie A Cut Above

Orly Rage Essie A Cut Above

Orly Rage Essie A Cut Above

Rage is a rose gold foil; it's application is good and it only required 2 coats of complete opacity. I really like this polish on its own, but I wanted to add even more pink-y bling to it. I added A Cut Above, which is a two-sized rosy pink glitter in a clear base. With one coat, enough glitter was dispersed onto each nail, without having to do the "dabbing" method. The combination was sparkly in the sunlight, which was perfect during this weather!

What do you think of this combo?

-Shelby

Nicole by OPI Am I Making Myself Claire? and Orly Plum Pixel

Happy almost-weekend! I am so relieved to be off for the summer with lots of spare time on my hands. I've been reading a lot and even joined goodreads, a book lover's dream. Today I have for you a pretty pairing: Nicole by OPI Am I Making Myself Claire? from the Modern Family collection and Orly Plum Pixel from the most recent additions of the FX line.

Nicole by OPI Am I Making Myself Claire?
Orly Plum Pixel

Nicole by OPI Am I Making Myself Claire?
 Orly Plum Pixel

Nicole by OPI Am I Making Myself Claire?
 Orly Plum Pixel

Am I Making Myself Claire? is a purple-pink-nude creme. It leans in all three directions without definitively settling on one. I added Orly Plum Pixel, a grayed-out darker purple dense multi-sized glitter, as an accent nail to spice up the subtlety of the NOPI. Plum Pixel required 2 coats for opacity; Am I Making Myself Claire? required 2-3, depending on the nail.

What do you think of this combo?

-Shelby

Orly Lollipop

Hey there, I hope everyone is having a good start to their week! I am 3/4 done with my finals and have a bit of a break until Thursday, which is the day of my last final and my move-out of the dorms. I wanted to get a post up before it got a little hectic with studying for chem and moving out. I recently picked up Orly Lollipop on 50% off clearance at CVS. Since Orly changed their packaging, its old packaging was reduced in price. I personally don't have a preference with packaging so I took advantage of the deal since I've been eyeing Lollipop for quite a while.

Below is 2 coats of Lollipop without a topcoat.

Orly Lollipop

Orly Lollipop

Orly Lollipop

Lollipop is a purple-leaning pink creme. The application on this wasn't bad, but was a little on the thick side. Not all pink-purples suite my skin tone (like Lucky Lucky Lavender), but this one looked quite nice! I think that may be because of the amount of white undertones in the polish. Also, don't mind the mark on the bottle, I took off the clearance tag and it left some adhesive behind :)

What do you think of Lollipop?

-Shelby

Orly Silver Pixel, Orly Gumpdrop and Nicole by OPI Confetti Fun

Hello there! I have a mani to show you today that I wore last week and totally loved! I paired a fun, bright spring shade with a metallic and glitter accent nail :)

What I used:
2 coats Orly Gumdrop on all my nails except ring finger
2 coats Orly Silver Pixel on my ring finger
1 coat Nicole by OPI Confetti Fun on my ring finger

Orly Gumdrop
Orly Silver Pixel
Nicole by OPI Confetti Fun

Orly Gumdrop
Orly Silver Pixel
 Nicole by OPI Confetti Fun

I definitely loved the look of this mani! Unfortunately, the formula of Gumdrop kind of made the process a hassle. Gumdrop was on the thicker side and was hard to make perfectly even. With that being said, I may be able to add some thinner to the polish and see if the formula improves! The painstaking process is worth it because the color is gorgeous- a bright blue/mint creme. I added Silver Pixel, a new shade added to Orly's FX line, to my ring finger for an accent. Its formulation was very easy- I love the different sized glitters in Silver Pixel because it just adds some nice dimension. Confetti Fun, from NOPI's Selena Gomez collection, tied the silver and aqua together with its rainbow large and small glitters. Confetti Fun was easy to work with and it wasn't hard to get an even amount of glitter on each nail. Overall, I love the look of this mani!

Do you have any of these shades? What do you think of this mani?

-Shelby

Orly Rage and Nails Inc. Hammersmith!

Hello again! I am back with an actual post! I recently got a pair of rose gold and nude oxfords and I was inspired to do some rose gold nails :) I liked the rose gold on its own, but I just had to add some glitter!

Below I did 2 coats of Orly Rage and Nails Inc. Hammersmith on the base for a reverse gradient

Orly Rage
Nails Inc Hammersmith

Orly Rage
Nails Inc Hammersmith

Orly Rage
Nails Inc Hammersmith

I surprisingly love this combination together! Orly Rage has a great application; the only downside to this polish is that it shows every imperfection, so next time I am going to use a ridge filler prior. Hammersmith is a gorgeous glitter filled with tons of silver and bright blue glitters. I think the blue and the rose gold complement one another well! Also, Hammersmith was easy to apply, no issues with coverage for the gradient. 

PS: sorry for the out of focus last photo!

Are you guys loving rose gold too still?

-Shelby

Nails Inc. Piccadilly Circus, Julep Oscar and Orly Too Fab

Hello ladies! It's been a few days, I know- I've been meaning to make a post, so now I am!

I honestly haven't had the time to complete the challenge. I joined before I moved to college and didn't know how hard it would be to do major designs at school. I figured I'd do them at home, but when I'm back on the weekends, I like to visit with my parents and my boyfriend. And then there's the never-ending pile of homework....

On another note, I've thoroughly been enjoying the Autumn season, especially the nail polishes that tag along with it. My favorite colors are definitely dark berry/wine/red colors. I feel like they are classic and go with every fall-inspired outfit! Today I am using a gorgeous polish in that color family- Nails Inc. Piccadilly Circus!

Below I used 2 coats of Piccadilly Circus

Nails Inc. Piccadilly Circus
Julep Oscar
Orly Too Fab

Nails Inc. Piccadilly Circus
Julep Oscar
Orly Too Fab

Nails Inc. Piccadilly Circus
Julep Oscar
Orly Too Fab

Piccadilly Circus is a dark berry red creme with a touch of purple. This may be my new favorite red polish! The application was literally perfect. I could've gotten away with 1 coat- I was surprised how opaque it was! On my ring finger, I added 1 coat of Julep Oscar, a finely milled gold glitter in a clear base, and 1 coat of Orly Too Fab, a larger gold glitter suspended in a clear base. These two glitters look great together! Too Fab just made Oscar pop a little more! I also must say that Piccadilly Circus is a different color in every light! I was going to photograph it under my daylight bulb, but it was a bright cherry red. Under normal lighting, it was a true berry red! Also, the name is cute- anything circus-related gets a smile out of me :)

What do you think of this manicure?

-Shelby

Sephora by OPI Seriously, It's a Naan-Issue and Orly Fowl Play

Good morning ladies! Today I have for you an exciting mani to show you- a matte glitter gradient! :D

What I used:
2 coats SOPI Seriously, It's a Naan-Issue
Orly Fowl Play (sponged)
Essie Matte About You

Sephora by OPI Seriously It's a Naan-Issue
Orly Fowl Play

Sephora by OPI Seriously It's a Naan-Issue
 Orly Fowl Play

Sephora by OPI Seriously It's a Naan-Issue
Orly Fowl Play

Seriously, It's a Naan-Issue is a gorgeous eggplant creme. The formula was amazing and it was perfectly opaque in 2 coats. Fowl Play was the perfect match for a glitter gradient. Once I added the matte topcoat, the different glitters were even more visible :)

What do you think of this?

-Shelby

31 Day Challenge, Day 24: Inspired by a Book

Good afternoon! Today's challenge stumped me a little. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading quite often, but the novels that I read wouldn't be easy to recreate on my nails. I like Nicholas Sparks' novels; I guess you could say I'm a sappy romantic. Instead of using one of his novels for inspiration, I used a very popular book (unread by me, though) for inspiration: 50 Shades of Grey

What I used:
Ulta Concrete Evidence (base)
Sephora by OPI Frankly, I Don't Give A-dam
China Glaze Recycle
Nails Inc The Thames
Essie Stylenomics
Orly Atomic Splash

Gray Gradient

Gray Gradient

I kinda took the easy way out with a gradient, but I like the outcome, especially with the dark gray glitter! All the polishes were fairly good for sponging, except Stylenomics was giving me a hard time on the tips. This is a very obvious mani: 50 Shades of Grey...different shades of gray on my nails, but hey, at least you get my inspiration :P!

What do you think of this mani?

-Shelby

Check out the other lovely ladies:

-Kimber at Kimber's Lacquer Korner
-Kat at Hooked On Polish
-Diana at Nails By Diana
-Aly at Wonderland Beauty
-Meredith at Perfectly Polished
-Nicole at The Color Republic
-Kate at The Painted Pony Nails
-Cee at Absolutely Cee
-Sam at Polished Art
-Nail Narcotics
-Nicole at Nicole Gets Nailed
-Shelby at Shelby's Swatches
-Stephanie Louise at All Things Beautiful 
-Mixed Mama
-Joanna @ Sweet Polish of Mine
-Patty Greenberg
-Liz and Lisa @ Lozlosa 
-Mari at Nailista 
-Greta at How Was Your Day?
-Miss L at Beauty by Miss L 
-Gini at Sassy Paints 
-Chameleon Stampede 
-Pam at Nail-E-Glance
-Me, Myself, and Polish 
- Robin Sparkles 

Orly Solid Gold!

Hello! Today I am excited to show you an untried Orly of mine: Solid Gold! I am so glad I was able to find this polish. It wasn't listed on Transdesign, but I snatched it on Head2Toe's website instead :)



Below I used 3 coats of Solid Gold plus a topcoat!

Orly Solid Gold

Orly Solid Gold

Solid Gold is a bright, gold suede! This color is so gorgeous with a topcoat! I didn't exactly like the matte, original version against my skin, but the topcoat did this polish wonders! The formula wasn't too bad; it was a little patchy, but it was good considering it was a matte formula! 

I couldn't leave Solid Gold alone, so I added a coat of China Glaze Twinkle Lights to spice it up!

China Glaze Twinkle Lights

China Glaze Twinkle Lights

Twinkle Lights contains silver, gold, red and green fine glitters in a clear base! I thought Twinkle Lights was a great addition, but I also like Solid Gold on its own! This is a very festive look and I think it'd be pretty for a holiday party. I also think it's a bit fall-esque since I think Solid Gold is both a fall and winter color! Twinkle Lights I also got off of Head2Toe's website, since I couldn't find it on Transdesign. C'mon Transdesign, step up your game! :P

What do you think of Solid Gold? Do you like it with Twinkle Lights? Do you own either of these?

-Shelby

Swatches of Untried Polishes!

Happy Wednesday! During the school year, Wednesday was my least favorite day of the week because it wasn't the beginning of the week, but also wasn't Friday. During the summer, though, I'm rather indifferent. I haven't had much to do during this week while my boyfriend works, but hopefully I'll get to see him before the weekend :)

Today I swatched 6 polishes I haven't used yet. They are all creme or jelly finishes, no glitter.

Orly Cotton Candy

Orly Cotton Candy

Orly's Cotton Candy is a bright, peachy pink crelly. It somewhat reminds me of Essie's Van D'Go, but much brighter and a little darker than Van D'Go. I used 3 coats for the photos above; the application was pretty good. Up until the third coat, there was visible nail line. The color is great & the name is really fun! It would look nice with a tan too :)

Orly Bon Bon

Orly's Bon Bon is a light, grey-toned lavender jelly. This polish surprised me! I thought it was going to be a creme, but was surprised by the jelly finish. I like it none the less! It took four coats to reach this opacity above. The application was good, but using four coats is a pain. 

Sephora by OPI Casting Call

Sephora by OPI's Casting Call is a cool nude/mauve creme. The application of this was great! It was almost perfectly opaque in one coat, but I did a second to be on the safe side. I think this is a very wearable color, especially for a work environment. I think I'll get a lot of use out of this in the fall.

Jessica Barely Blueberry

Barely Blueberry is from Jessica's Gelato Mio! summer 2012 collection. This is a gorgeous baby blue creme. Also, I liked all the names from the collection, and this one isn't an exception! It took 3 coats to reach full opacity, but it was worth it! I can't get over how much I like this pastel :). I'm a sucker for pastels, especially blue and purple pastels. 

Sinful Colors Beautiful Girl

Sinful Colors Beautiful Girl

Sinful Colors' Beautiful Girl is a more peachy version of a bubblegum pink. I believe this color is discontinued, but I'm not 100% sure. Beautiful Girl is pink with peach undertones, while Cotton Candy is peach with pink undertones. It took three coats for full opacity and the application was decent. It's a nice summer color!

OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender

OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender

OPI's Lucky Lucky Lavender, from the Hong Kong collection, is a light purple leaning very pink creme. This nail polish is a dream! The application was great and looked wonderful after 2 coats. I had zero streaking and the coverage was even. I like it against my skintone and I can see myself wearing it anytime of the year!

I hope you guys enjoyed! & enjoy the rest of your week!

-Shelby