Revlon Minted

Hi guys! I haven't posted on here in over 3 months, but I came across a couple swatches that I haven't posted and decided to put them up here! I'm still constantly polishing my nails but my time for blogging has been limited. I hope you enjoy!

I finally decided to wear Revlon Minted, a cult favorite, and used 2 coats with topcoat:

Revlon Minted

Revlon Minted

I really like this polish! I have so many mint shades so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this one, but I think it's awesome :) This photo is from a few months back, but my nails look relatively the same now 

I hope you enjoyed!

-Shelby

Few of my most recent Manis!

Hello again, ladies! Yes, I am back with a post after who knows how long! Like I said before, life gets in the way. I am a first-year college student and timing is never perfect for photos, but now that spring and summer are approaching, I plan on doing a lot more nail posts, especially once I move home for the summer :) I still have a lot of untried polishes in my stash and I want to purchase a couple of polishes from the spring 2013 collections as well! Side note with that...I am in love with EVERY color from the new Butter London collection...my wallet is already crying.

So I thought to make up for my ultimate lameness, I could show you guys a few of the manicures I've done lately. I don't remember all of the polish names and the photo settings are not ideal, but I'm going to give it a whirl anyway!

China Glaze It's a Trap-eze

 This first mani is a combo of 3 different colors: a lavender (possibly Essie St. Lucia Lilac or China Glaze Light as Air), a Sally Hansen nail art pen in white and China Glaze It's a Trap-eze to top off the white. I loved the effect of this design, but I wish I had made the white area in the center thinner. That way the lavender would've shined through more!

SOPI Seriously, It's a Naan-Issue
Nails Inc. Warwick Way & The Thames

SOPI Seriously, It's a Naan-Issue
Nails Inc. Warwick Way & The Thames

I love dot manis! I wish I used lighter colors for the dots or a lighter base for the polish, but whatevs. I just used alternating dotting tool sizes to create a little pattern. Warwick Way is a little on the thin side. Seriously, It's a Naan-Issue is perfection! 

Revlon Coastal Surf

I love Revlon Coastal Surf! It is such a gorgeous shade of blue- this makeshift photo does not do the color justice! Also, the formulation was great! Barely needed two coats :)

Unfortunately, I can only remember 1 polish from this mani- Zoya Ziv. Ziv has been my recent go-to gold polish and it just looks great with every type of mani! I used a nude base and sponged on Ziv as well as an Indie glitter on the tips. I love the effect this created! I will definitely recreate this for an actual post!

Revlon Provence
Confetti Lonesome Dove

Yet another poor photo, but I love this design! It's the "puzzle piece" design. I painted half my nail Revlon Provence and the other half Confetti Lonesome Dove. Then I took large dotting tools and did purple on the gray half and gray on the purple half, spacing the dots out to create this look! I love Revlon Provence, its formulation is great. I also really like Lonesome Dove, it is a great neutral gray and wallet-friendly!

I hope you guys enjoyed this!

-Shelby

Revlon Fashionista

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well, I've been super busy this week since school just started back up. I've been trying to use some of my untrieds lately and the other day I finally got around to using Revlon Fashionista!

Below I used 2 coats of Fashionista

Revlon Fashionista

Revlon Fashionista

Fashionista is a wonderful teal creme! It had a great formula and application so I was pretty pleased! This reminded me a of OPI Ski Teal We Drop, definitely gonna have to do a comparison!

What do you think of Fashionista?

-Shelby

Revlon Copper Penny and Hit Polish Precious Metal

Good evening! I've been away the past few days for two reasons: Sunday was my boyfriend and my Anniversary and the past couple days I haven't been feeling my best. But I did manage to do a mani last night and I got decent light today for photos!

Below I used 1 coat of Revlon Copper Penny and 1 coat of Hit Polish Precious Metal

Revlon Copper Penny
 Hit Polish Precious Metal

Revlon Copper Penny
Hit Polish Precious Metal

Copper Penny is a copper foil polish- pretty basic. The formula was pretty good and 1 coat was good as undies. Precious Metal is a copper and gold glitter bomb of various shapes and sizes! I had to thin this polish out a bit because the formula was ultra thick.

What do you think of this combo?

-Shelby

Revlon Dreamer and Spoiled Pet My Peacock

Good late-evening ladies! I wanted to show you a mani I did today, but the weather was terrible and my light box wasn't cooperating :( so I decided to show you a mani from a couple days ago!

Revlon Dreamer
Spoiled Pet My Peacock

Revlon Dreamer
Spoiled Pet My Peacock

Dreamer is a light blue creme that is a little less white-based. For full opacity, it took me 3 coats, but 2 very careful coats may be enough in the future. Pet My Peacock is a blue, teal, silver and periwinkle hex glitters in a clear base. Unfortunately, this glitter didn't meet my expectations. I had to use a dotting tool to individually place each piece of glitter since the glitter wouldn't equally go onto each nail, if at all. 

What do you think of this mani?

-Shelby

Revlon Bold Sangria, OPI Suzi Takes the Wheel and China Glaze Prism

Good evening! Tonight I have for you a kind of mish-mash mani. I couldn't really decide what to do, so I kept adding to it!

Revlon Bold Sangria
OPI Suzi Takes the Wheel
China Glaze Prism

Revlon Bold Sangria
OPI Suzi Takes the Wheel
China Glaze Prism

Revlon Bold Sangria
OPI Suzi Takes the Wheel
China Glaze Prism

Bold Sangria is the perfect bright plum shade. It's high-gloss and is very opaque. It's bright nature doesn't display well in my photos though! Suzi Takes the Wheel is a green-toned gray. I thought the two looked nice together for the Fall season. To add something extra, I made a reverse gradient with Prism, a lavender micro glitter with rainbow larger round glitters!

What do you think of this mani?

-Shelby

Revlon Midnight Affair and NYX Turks and Caicos

Good evening ladies! I am just beginning my finals week, so life is a tad stressful at the moment! I still have time to destress and paint my nails, though :)

Tonight I have for you a glitter gradient using 2 untrieds: Revlon Midnight Affair and NYX Turks and Caicos!

Revlon Midnight Affair
NYX Turks and Caicos

Revlon Midnight Affair
NYX Turks and Caicos

Revlon Midnight Affair
NYX Turks and Caicos

Revlon Midnight Affair
NYX Turks and Caicos

Midnight Affair is a dark navy blue with subtle navy shimmers that just add the right amount of dimension to this polish. It became opaque in only 1 coat! Seriously? That's crazy and makes a polish 10x better in my book :). It's a bummer this shade is discontinued, but I found mine on eBay for a great price. Turks and Caicos is an iridescent glitter suspended in a clear-blue jelly base. The polish was a bit thick and hard to work with on the sponge, but I made it happen. Unfortunately, the polish gooped and din't want to dry properly, making my manicure not last too long.

What do you think?

-Shelby

31 Day Challenge, Day 22: Inspired by a Song

Good afternoon ladies! I put a lot of thought into today's challenge- I had plenty of ideas, but not the correct stamping plates to do most of them. I decided on the song I'm Like a Bird by Nelly Furtado; this song is special to me because I sang it for karaoke one of the first few times I went over to my boyfriend's house :)

What I used:
2 coats Revlon Vixen
Essie Penny Talk (stamping)
OPI Live and Let Die (dotting)
Cheeky jumbo plate B

Revlon Vixen
Essie Penny Talk
OPI Live and Let Die

Revlon Vixen
 Essie Penny Talk
OPI Live and Let Die

Revlon Vixen
 Essie Penny Talk
OPI Live and Let Die

I am head over heels for this manicure! This was my first time using Revlon Vixen- a gorgeous, easy to work with wine creme. I was very impressed and plan on using it a lot this season! I thought that Live and Let Die was the perfect accent dot color- a shimmery forrest green. I also had never stamped with Penny Talk before- it worked great! No complaints about this mani :D

What do you think?

-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 

31 Day Challenge, Day 15: Delicate Print

Good morning! As you can probably figure from the title, today's challenge is a delicate print. I'm not quite sure what that is (lace?), but my first instinct was to go for floral, which unfortunately was day 14's theme. So I went for bows...that's delicate enough right?

What I used: 
OPI My Very First Knockwurst
Revlon Impulsive (for stamping)
Cheeky ch24

OPI My Very First Knockwurst
Revlon Impulsive

OPI My Very First Knockwurst
Revlon Impulsive

OPI My Very First Knockwurst
Revlon Impulsive

This stamp was definitely not easy to use! So my stamping job here is far from perfect haha. I like the color combo, I think My Very First Knockwurst is a delicate pinky nude, even though the name is far from delicate! Impulsive has been my go-to shade for so many things lately; it's the perfect jewel-tone purple, but maybe not the greatest for stamping. I like the look of this. I hope this fits the bill of a delicate print!

Hope you enjoyed!

-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 

Comparison: China Glaze Grape Pop and Revlon Impulsive

Good afternoon ladies! I've been on a purple polish kick lately, especially somewhat dark and blue toned ones! I've managed to buy some that are quite similar so I thought I'd compare 2 that are the most similar!

Below I used 2 coats of China Glaze Grape Pop and Revlon Impulsive; Impulsive is on my pointer and ring fingers, while Grape Pop is on my middle and pinkie fingers!

China Glaze Grape Pop
Revlon Impulsive

China Glaze Grape Pop
Revlon Impulsive

China Glaze Grape Pop
Revlon Impulsive

How gorgeous are both of these!? I've been obsessed with purples like this lately. Both polishes dried super quickly without a topcoat and didn't give me a single problem with application. As you can see, Grape Pop is a tinge more vibrant than Impulsive, which is on the darker side! I really like both and glad I have them, but if you want a cheaper and more readily available color, I'd go with the Revlon!

Do you have either of these? What do you think of them?

-Shelby

Purple Cloud Mani

Good afternoon! I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I've spent the last few days with my boyfriend, so I've been having a fun weekend :). Yesterday we went out and got Thai food after our workout; it was to die for! I had on a simple mani last night with Revlon Impulsive, but I wanted to spice it up today. I chose to do a cloud design with different shades of my favorite color: purple!

What I used:
Revlon Impulsive
OPI Planks a Lot
Revlon Provence

Revlon Impulsive
OPI Planks a Lot
Revlon Provence

Revlon Impulsive
 OPI Planks a Lot
Revlon Provence

Revlon Impulsive
OPI Planks a Lot
Revlon Provence

I really enjoy how well these 3 colors complement one another! Impulsive had a great application; almost opaque in 1 coat! Planks a Lot is a favorite of mine that I haven't pulled out in ages, so I was happy to use it again :). Provence reminds me of China Glaze Light as Air, but Provence was a little too sheer for this mani. I had to double up on the last cloud , so not all the lines are even, oh well! I still like the outcome :)

What do you guys think of this mani?

-Shelby

Revlon After Party & Infamous

Hello ladies! Sorry for my lack of posts yesterday! Also, I didn't make a "black and white" themed post for the 31 day challenge, but I was tied up all day! My boyfriend surprised me in the morning and I woke up to a bouquet of flowers and a kiss :). We spent the day together and went to the gym (first time for me in...well, we don't need to say! haha) in the evening. I am back now and have an exciting post for you guys :)!

I was in Walgreens yesterday and I saw a display for new shades from Revlon's top speed line! Emma Stone was the model for the display and she was wearing two gorgeous shades together; I looked at the new colors and figured they were After Party and Infamous. I had to recreate the look and share it with you guys!

Below I did 2 coats of After Party and 2 coats of Infamous!

Revlon After Party and Infamous

Revlon After Party and Infamous

After Party is a steel gray creme! It's a little more gray in person, but I like the blue/green tint it has. The formula was great on this, no streaking and such. Infamous is a hot coral creme, almost neon-like. The formula on this wasn't as great; it was a little goopy and didn't want to spread to the edges of the nail. I still like the color, though :). Also, my apologies for even more short nails, I got a little "clipper happy" today! haha

What do you think of these new shades?

-Shelby

Barielle Swizzle Stix!

Hello! I hope everyone is having a great beginning to their weekend! I'm planning on seeing my boyfriend tomorrow and a friend before she leaves next week :).

Today I did a version of a "jelly sandwich", but with a sheer pastel, rather than a true jelly polish. I liked the way it turned out, though!

What I used:
2 coats Barielle Swizzle Stix
1 coat Nyx Multi Glitter
1 coat Barielle Swizzle Stix

Barielle Swizzle Stix
NYX Multi Glitter

Barielle Swizzle Stix
NYX Multi Glitter

Barielle Swizzle Stix
NYX Multi Glitter

Barielle Swizzle Stix
NYX Multi Glitter

Swizzle Stix is a light pastel blue shade. The formula was really good on this; a little on the sheer side, but that's what I was going for! I had zero streaking with this polish. I'm even considering buying more Barielle polishes from transdesign. I like how Multi Glitter turned into subdued, pastel-like glitters after the final coat of Swizzle Stix. The glitter I used is also a dupe for OPI Rainbow Connection/NOPI Rainbow in the S-Kylie!

I also thought I'd add another mani I did today- a stamp design with Konad m79 plate!

Revlon Royal
China Glaze Secret Peri-wink-le

I thought this was a nice subtle mani. Sorry about the lack of cleanup around my ring finger, but I didn't notice that in the photos until after I took the polish off. I used 2 coats of Revlon Royal, a great jelly, and China Glaze Secret Peri-wink-le for the stamp!

I hope you guys enjoyed!

-Shelby