Shelby's Swatches: October 2012

Monday, October 29, 2012

Spoiled Cougar Attack

Good evening! Yesterday I did a fall-esque manicure and wanted to share it with you guys!

I saw some swatches online of Spoiled Cougar Attack and felt that I needed it in my collection. It's a perfect polish for fall :)

Below I used 2 coats of Cougar Attack

Spoiled Cougar Attack

Cougar Attack contains copper fine glitter in a brown base. This polish is gorgeous! In 2 coats, it was perfect opaque. In the sun, Cougar Attack looks like a warm brown overall, but in the shade and indoors, the contrast really stands out. Definitely getting my money's worth for $1.99!

What do you think of Cougar Attack?

-Shelby

Sunday, October 28, 2012

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

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

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Revlon Midnight Sparkle

Hello! I hope you all are having a great weekend. Mine has been pretty laid back. My family and my boyfriend were out of town the past few days, so I've had some extra time for homework and for myself! I was at the drugstore yesterday and saw some holiday nail polish displays, one being Revlon's.

I saw the color Midnight Sparkle and instantly knew I had to have it!

Below I used 1 coat of Midnight Sparkle

Revlon Midnight Sparkle

Midnight Sparkle is blue and silver glitters suspended in a navy blue base. I think the name for this one is pretty spot-on! I was very surprised that this polish only took 1 coat. I thought it was going to be more of a jelly-like consistency, but it ended up being a little on the thick side, which I don't mind. This color definitely pops in the sun, so I'll pull it out on sunnier winter days!

What do you think of Midnight Sparkle?

-Shelby

Friday, October 26, 2012

OPI Gargantuan Green Grape

Good afternoon! Today I was in a pastel mood so I chose an untried in my stash: a birthday gift from Jennifer at Little J's Nail Corner. Jennifer generously gave me 2 polishes; OPI Gargantuan Green Grape being one of them!

Below I did 3 coats of Gargantuan Green Grape

OPI Gargantuan Green Grape

Gargantuan Green Grape is a gorgeous, vibrant mint creme. It's a little brighter than traditional mints, which I like about it. The formula was okay; a little streaky and a 3-coater, but I liked it regardless! Thank you Jennifer!

What do you think of this shade?

-Shelby

Thursday, October 25, 2012

31 Day Challenge, Day 23: Inspired by a Movie

Good evening ladies! Sorry it's taken me so long to get this post up today, but I've been a busy bee! I actually did this mani this afternoon and it's taken me until now to post it.

I was intrigued by today's challenge: I really like the "inspired by" themes!

When I went to to Disneyland in August with my boyfriend, I took a character quiz and the results said I was most like Cinderella. I enjoy Disney movies and thought it'd only be fitting to do a Cinderella-themed manicure!

What I used:
2 coats Color Club OCRF Teal
1 coat Essie Carnival

Color Club OCRF Teal
Essie Carnival

I was definitely inspired by Cinderella's ball gown! The holo glitter adds the perfect amount of sparkle. I like how this turned out :)

What do you think of this mani?

-Shelby

Check out the other lovely ladies:

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Butter London Wallis

Good afternoon! Today I have for you a widely talked about polish here in the blogosphere: Butter London Wallis. I was very excited to get this polish and was hopeful that it'd live up to the hype!

Below I used 2 coats of Wallis

Butter London Wallis

Wallis is a dark olive green with tons of gold shimmers. So gorgeous!

The application was pretty good. 2 careful coats for full opacity. Wallis is a stunner in the light or in the sunlight. Also, it was a hit with my boyfriend :) Definitely lived up to the hype!

What do you think of Wallis?

-Shelby

Monday, October 22, 2012

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

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:

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Zoya Paloma & China Glaze I Herd That

Good afternoon! Today's mani is inspired by what my boyfriend had in mind! I asked him which colors he'd like to see on my nails next and he said berry and pumpkin orange. I decided to do a bit of both with a jelly sandwich!

What I used:
2 coats Zoya Paloma
1 coat China Glaze I Herd That
1 coat Zoya Paloma

Zoya Paloma
China Glaze I Herd That

Paloma is a raspberry jelly; I love it! The formula was great and worked perfectly for the jelly sandwich. I Herd That (such a cute name!) contains copper, gold and red micro glitter. I think this combination is gorgeous and I may use this combo again for the holidays!

What do you think of this mani?

-Shelby

Friday, October 19, 2012

31 Day Challenge, Day 21: Inspired by a Color

Hello! I'm so excited that we are onto the final third of the challenge: the "inspired by" section!

Today's theme is "inspired by a color", which was very convenient for me since yesterday I did a gradient! Made things extra convenient :)

What I used:
OPI If You Moust You Moust
OPI Dim Sum Plum
OPI Casino Royale

OPI If You Moust You Moust
OPI Dim Sum Plum
OPI Casino Royale

As you can see, I chose pink/berry as my color! Casino Royale and Dim Sum Plum are more on the berry side, but when layered over If You Moust You Moust, they look more pink! I still really like gradients, they don't take a lot of time or effort, but look awesome! No complaints about any of these formulas either :)

My 12 year old cousin recently went to a Justin Bieber concert (she's a huge fan) and she requested that I feature her manicure on my blog. As promised, here are Phoebe's creative nails!

She told me she used a picture cut-out, placed it on her ring finger and topped it off with clear coat.

I think the purple with the hearts is very cute :)

What do you think of these manis?

-Shelby

Check out the other lovely ladies:

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Sephora by OPI Caught With My Khakis Down & OPI The Living Daylights

Good afternoon ladies! Today I was in the mood for a very fall-esque mani, so I chose an army green shade: SOPI Caught With My Khakis Down

I added OPI The Living Daylights to my thumb and ring finger. I really like how versatile this glitter from the new collection is!

Below I did 2 coats of Caught With My Khakis Down & 1 coat of The Living Daylights

Sephora by OPI Caught With My Khakis Down
OPI The Living Daylights

Caught With My Khakis Down is a gorgeous muted army green creme! The formula was pretty good, but the drying time was a little too long for my liking :/. The Living Daylights is full of teal, copper, gold, silver large hexes in a clear base. This also had a long drying time, but was well worth it!

What do you think of this mani?

-Shelby

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Essie Who is the Boss & Candeo Colors Joker

Good morning! Today's post in an exciting one for me; I finally got my hands on a specific indie glitter I've been lemming over for months: Candeo Colors Joker! I've been waiting for the perfect time to wear it, but I just decided to pull it out yesterday!

I paired Joker with Essie Who is the Boss, from the Essie Wedding collection (from this year?).

Below I did 2 coats of Who is the Boss and 1 coat of Joker on my ring finger and thumb!

Essie Who is the Boss
Candeo Colors Joker

Who is the Boss is a light blue/green creme with a hint of grey to it. I adore this color! Sometimes it looks blue, sometimes it looks green. Usually pastel cremes don't have this effect, but I really like it! Joker is a glitter bomb: various shades of blue, purple and silver small, medium and large hex and circular glitters! Both polishes had perfect applications. Who is the Boss required 2 coats for full opacity and I believe Joker would become opaque in another generous coat. I'm diggin' this mani!

My boyfriend really likes it too :) He always enjoys seeing my various manis!

What do you think of this combo?

-Shelby

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

31 Day Challenge, Day 20: Water Marble

Hello! Today's challenge is the notorious water marble. I've only tried water marbling once before today, so I was a little hesitant, but determined not to miss another challenge day!

What I used:
Sation Ring Around the Horsie (base & marble)
China Glaze Exotic Encounters (marble)

Sation Ring Around the Horsie
China Glaze Exotic Encounters

Both colors were pretty easy to marble with. Exotic Encounters spread super easily, so I was happy about that! I like this color combo, kinda unexpected, but not too risky. I'm still wondering how not to get the water/air bubbles on the surface of my nail when I marble. It's quite frustrating!

What do you think?

-Shelby

Check out the other lovely ladies:

Monday, October 15, 2012

Urban Outfitters Afterhours & Essie Penny Talk!

Good afternoon! I hope everyone's monday is going well. Today I had an early 7:30 class and then a socio quiz at 10, but I finished first out of ~350 students so that made me feel good! It was an early and busy start to my birthday; it'll most likely be much relaxing later!

I know I recently showed you Penny Talk, but I just couldn't resist to use it for another mani! Also, the photos in this post are much better than my indoor, poorly lit photos from last time haha

Below I did 2 coats of Essie Penny Talk and 1 coat of Urban Outfitters Afterhours!

Essie Penny Talk
Urban Outfitters Afterhours

Isn't this just beautiful!? This is one of my favorite fall combos at the moment!

Penny Talk is a gorgeous copper metallic; it's great as a base since on its own it shows a lot of nail imperfections. Afterhours is a pink, silver and gold glitters with lots of holo glitters running throughout! I'm surprised by Urban Outfitters' polishes; I like them a lot! This is by far my favorite polish that I own by them.

What do you think of this combo?

-Shelby

Sunday, October 14, 2012

OPI Tomorrow Never Dies

Hello ladies! I know it's been a few days, but I've had quite the busy weekend! Tomorrow is my birthday and in celebration, I went out to dinner last night with my family. My parents so generously gave me the full set of the new OPI Skyfall collection! I was so psyched! The first polish from the collection I have to share with you is Tomorrow Never Dies!

Below I did 2 coats of Tomorrow Never Dies

OPI Tomorrow Never Dies

Tomorrow Never Dies is a gorgeous "blurple" shimmer! It has both purple and blue shimmers, causing it to look both colors, depending on the light. The application was pretty good and the dry-time was quick! I think this could've used another coat; in the sun you can see some vnl.

What do you think of this shade?

-Shelby

Friday, October 12, 2012

Essie Penny Talk

Good afternoon/early evening ladies! I haven't had many opportunities lately to swatch polishes for my blog, but also the weather hasn't permitted me to do so lately either! I luckily have a few backed up in my photo library and though I'd shade one of my current fall favorites: Essie Penny Talk.

I have heard many good things about Penny Talk; this copper metallic from the Mirror Metallics collection has been all the rage.

Below I did 2 coats of Penny Talk

Essie Penny Talk

Penny Talk is a gorgeous rose gold leaning copper metallic. Only 2 coats were needed for full opacity and the formulation was great! The only thing I would alter next time would be the base coat; I should of used a ridge-filler since this clearly shows all my nail imperfections! Great staple for fall :)

What do you think of Penny Talk?

-Shelby

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

31 Day Challenge, Day 18: Half Moons

Hello! Today's challenge is half moons, which was kinda hard for me, considering I don't have rounded tape guides! I saw someone do a "necklace" manicure and I thought it'd work great for the challenge!

What I used:
Essie Lapis of Luxury
OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls
Pure Ice Silver Mercedes

Essie Lapis of Luxury
OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls
Pure Ice Silver Mercedes

I like this alternative for a half moon mani! Lapis of Luxury is gorgeous- a little sheer, but 2 careful coats will make it opaque. I like My Boyfriend Scales Walls because it's not stark white, so it's perfect for detailing! It also went well with Silver Mercedes! :)

What do you think of this mani?

-Shelby

Check out the other lovely ladies:

Monday, October 8, 2012

Misa Someone Like You and Wet n' Wild Glamorous

Hello ladies! Today I did a simple mani because I've had a looong day. I feel like classes and homework has completely absorbed my life, it's crazy!

Anyway, on to polish!

I used the same polishes I used on my roommate last week; I liked it so much I had to do it myself!

What I used:
Misa Someone Like You
Wet n' Wild Fergie Glamorous

Misa Someone Like You
Wet n' Wild Glamorous

Someone Like You is one of my absolute favorite nude shades! It goes on like a dream and is the perfect shade against my pale skin. I also think Glamorous adds some elegance to the manicure as well. I like this glitter a lot; it's similar to a million other gold glitter out there, but it's still great! It contains large and small circular gold glitters. As you can see, I filed down my nails quite a bit! They were getting a little too long for my liking and one happened to break, so it was a good reason to shorten all of them. They'll grow back out soon :)

What do you think of this mani?

-Shelby

Sunday, October 7, 2012

31 Day Challenge, Day 17: Glitter

Good afternoon ladies! I'm so excited for today's challenge because I am obsessed with glitter :D

I had a hard time choosing one, so I decided to go with an untried!

Sephora by OPI I'm So Sari!

I'm So Sari! is a gorgeous predominantly teal glitter with some larger silver glitter throughout! This is from the SOPI Indian Summer Collection, which I thought was a great collection of colors :). The names of the polishes are so cute, especially this one! The formula was great! 2 coats worked pretty well, but I added a little extra polish to the tips so there was no vnl!

What do you think of this?

-Shelby

Check out the other lovely ladies:

Friday, October 5, 2012

Essie Boxer Shorts & OPI Crown Me Already!

Good morning ladies! I'm so sorry I missed the challenge yesterday (tribal), but I had a busy day and I realized I left my only tribal-esque stamping plate at home! Kind of a bummer, but I did a couple cute glittery manis the past few days and I wanted to show you one of them!

Below I used 2 coats of Essie Boxer Shorts and 1 coat of OPI Crown Me Already!

Essie Boxer Shorts
OPI Crown Me Already!

Essie Boxer Shorts and OPI Crown Me Already!

Boxer Shorts has been one of my favorite polishes the last couple of months! It's the perfect dark periwinkle creme- so smitten with it! It applies like a dream in 2 coats. I was going to leave it as is, but my roommate loves glitter and thought this would look great over it! Crown Me Already! is a gorgeous silver glitter, containing small glitters and medium hexes! This is super opaque and would cover up all the color in 2 coats. I only did 1 so I could still see the beauteous Boxer Shorts!

What do you think of this mani?

-Shelby

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Butter London Scoundrel

Good morning! Today I have for you a polish I wore a few days ago: Butter London Scoundrel!

I have 3 Butter Londons in my collection so far and hope to someday be able to try out even more. I'm still unsure about the formulas, but you can read more about that below!

I used 2 coats of Scoundrel below

Butter London Scoundrel

Scoundrel is a very pretty, pink-leaning purple! It's not as pink as Dream in Pretty, but not as blue as an average light purple. The formula was okay, a little on the streaky side. Also, the wear wasn't that awesome. Granted, I am constantly locking and unlocking my bike locks, but I thought for the price I would be getting a better pay-off. Overall, I really like the color!

On a side note: my google+ account was temporarily suspended. Anyone know why that would happen? I didn't violate any of their terms. Hmm, guess it'll remain a mystery for now.

What do you think of this color?

-Shelby

Monday, October 1, 2012

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

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:

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Monday, October 29, 2012

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Friday, October 26, 2012

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Monday, October 22, 2012

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Friday, October 19, 2012

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Monday, October 15, 2012

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Friday, October 12, 2012

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Monday, October 8, 2012

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Friday, October 5, 2012

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Monday, October 1, 2012