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

OPI My Very First Knockwurst and Essie Beyond Cozy

Happy weekend, ladies! :) I am so relieved to be home for the weekend! I'll have some down time to just relax, which also means time to catch up on blog posts! I think I may make a few scheduled posts for the next week or two since I am finishing up my current University year.

Today I have for you a simple mani I did a week or so ago: OPI My Very First Knockwurst with a slight glitter gradient of Essie Beyond Cozy.

OPI My Very First Knockwurst
Essie Beyond Cozy

OPI My Very First Knockwurst
Essie Beyond Cozy

My Very First Knockwurst is probably my favorite pink-nude creme in my collection! Its formula and application is a dream and I love how it looks against my skintone. I added a slight gradient effect to my ring finger with a recent purchase of mine, Beyond Cozy, which is a silver and gold fine glitter. I love this combo together!

What do you think of this pairing?

-Shelby

OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh? and Ciate Party Shoes

Hello ladies! I hope you all are doing well! I've been enjoying my time off of school, but unfortunately I start back up on Monday! The other day I did a nice nude mani with a twist that I thought you guys would enjoy seeing!

Below I used 2 coats of OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh? and 1 coat of Ciate Party Shoes!

OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?
 Ciate Party Shoes

OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?
Ciate Party Shoes

Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh? is a dark nude creme with a tinge of gray to it. This polish has a little bit of a tricky application, but the color pay-off makes it worth it. Opacity can be achieved in 2 very careful coats! I added Party Shoes to spice it up (and cover any minute patchy areas), which is a gold and holo glitter in a slightly gold-tinted base!

I hope you guys enjoyed!

-Shelby

Sephora by OPI Don't Feed the Hand Models, Butter London West End Wonderland and Zoya Ziv

Good afternoon ladies! I hope you all are having a lovely holiday season. I've been doing some Christmas shopping recently and oh man, are the stores packed. I walked into Sephora today to take a quick browse and the line was 15 people long. Geesh, I'm glad I wasn't purchasing anything :)

Last night I visited with my boyfriend and played a fun game with him and his sisters (telestrations): it's a combo of telephone and pictionary. If you guys have kids/nieces/nephews/etc. around the age of 10-15 you should consider getting this game for them! Lots of fun and laughs :)

I have a mani for you guys that I did a few days ago; I absolutely love the combo!

What I used:
2 coats Sephora by OPI Don't Feed the Hand Models (except ring finger)
2 coats Zoya Ziv (ring finger)
1 coat Butter London West End Wonderland (ring finger)

Sephora by OPI Don't Feed the Hand Models
Butter London West End Wonderland
Zoya Ziv

Sephora by OPI Don't Feed the Hand Models
Butter London West End Wonderland
Zoya Ziv

Sephora by OPI Don't Feed the Hand Models
 Butter London West End Wonderland
Zoya Ziv

Don't Feed the Hand Models is a gorgeous cool-toned nude creme. This kind of nude is what suits my skintone best; the more beige nudes don't suit me too well. This was opaque in 2 coats. Ziv is a phenomenal gold foil. I am smitten for this polish! It may be my new fav :D. Or maybe the combo of Ziv and West End Wonderland, a gold and red glitter polish. They are just stunning and almost look like one polish when combined. 

What do you think?

-Shelby

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

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

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 

OPI Steady as She Rose

Good (late) evening! I've been busy all day running around trying to get stuff together for my dorm, but I especially liked the mani I wore today! I needed a palette cleanser and chose OPI Steady as She Rose to do just that and man, did she fit the bill!

Below is 2 coats of Steady as She Rose!

OPI Steady as She Rose

OPI Steady as She Rose

OPI Steady as She Rose

Steady as She Rose is a very light pink, with a slight tint of purple, creme! This is a gorgeous creme from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection. I like almost all the shades from this collection, especially the purples and pinks :). This had a great application and took 2 coats for full opacity! Don't mind any imperfections, my topcoat was on its last leg and ended up dying a slow and painful death today :P This is a great neutral to get myself ready for more creative nail designs!

What do you think of this shade?

-Shelby

Sation Swatches Spam!

Oh no, I did what I told myself I wouldn't...buy more Sation polishes! I saw them on Transdesign at a reduced price and I couldn't resist. They even had colors from the new Nailstock collection, too!

Beware this post is very picture-heavy, so bear with me :P

Click "read more" to see the 8 polishes!

Sephora by OPI XOX Betsey & OPI If You Moust You Moust

Good morning lovelies! First off, let me apologize for my lack of posts yesterday; I spent the day with my boyfriend :). We went to a football game at his former high school and we had a lot of fun! I also did a guest post for someone (will post about later when it's up on their blog), so I spent a lot of time on that this morning, rather than make a post for this blog! Anyway, I did some stamping the other day and wanted to share it with you guys!

What I used:
Sephora by OPI XOX Betsey
OPI If You Moust You Moust
Konad plate m79

Sephora by OPI XOX Betsey
OPI If You Moust You Moust

Sephora by OPI XOX Betsey
OPI If You Moust You Moust

Sephora by OPI XOX Betsey
OPI If You Moust You Moust

XOX Betsey is a blush nude creme. This shade is from the Betsey Johnson collection, which I am actually a fan of! I'm not a huge Betsey Johnson fan overall, but this collection is nice :). I have 2 polishes from it and I like them both. The formula on this was great and I had zero issues with it! If You Moust You Moust is the perfect pink creme with a great formula. XOX Betsey worked a lot better than If You Moust You Moust for stamping because XOX Betsey is a little thicker. I like If You Moust You Moust, but I don't think I'll use it for stamping again. I like the concept of this mani and I'll definitely try it with different polishes and combos :)

What do you think of this mani?

-Shelby

Misa Someone Like You & China Glaze I'm Not Lion

Hello again! Last night I was trying out another glitter gradient and was very pleased with my outcome!  I was inspired by another blog post to use fine glitter for the gradient, rather than chunky glitter!

I used 2 coats of Misa Someone Like You & sponged China Glaze I'm Not Lion onto the tips!

Misa Someone Like You
China Glaze I'm Not Lion

Misa Someone Like You
China Glaze I'm Not Lion

Misa Someone Like You
China Glaze I'm Not Lion

Someone Like You is a nude creme with a bit of a pinky/peach tone to it! This color applied great and was fully opaque in 2 coats! This color always makes me think about the Adele song & I start singing haha. To add some sparkle, I added I'm Not Lion, which is a gorgeous silver and gold fine glitter that's somewhat holo in the sun. In photo 3 you can see how it twinkles in the sunlight! I think this mani is very classy/elegant yet fun! I would wear it to a formal event or cocktail party if I were to go to one!

What do you think of this mani? Are you getting tired of glitter gradients? :P

-Shelby

31 Day Challenge, Day 2: Orange

Good morning! I'm very excited to show you my orange manicure for the second challenge day! I tried out a "bubble" dotting manicure for the first time and really liked the outcome!

I used 2 coats of L'oreal L'orange as a base and then dotted on Essie Yogaga with a large dotting tool and then L'orange again with a smaller tool!

L'oreal L'orange

L'oreal L'orange

L'oreal L'orange

L'orange is a semi-sheer orange creme. I thought this polish actually applied pretty well! I didn't have the best experience with my other L'oreal polish, so I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I think Yogaga is a nice neutral to go with such a vibrant color! I want to retry this mani with blues to make it look more like water!

What do you think of this orange mani?

-Shelby

Check out the other participants:

Kimber at Kimber's Lacquer Korner

Kat at Hooked On Polish

Diana at Nails By Diana

Aly at Wonderland Beauty

Meredith at Perfectly Polished

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 at Sweet Polish of Mine

Patty Greenberg

Liz and Lisa at Lozlosa 

Mari at Nailista 

Greta at How Was Your Day?

Miss L at Beauty by Miss L 

Nicole at The Color Republic

Gini at Sassy Paints
Mandy at Chameleon Stampede

Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor Collection Swatches

Good afternoon! Today has been a gorgeous day, so I figured it'd be perfect for swatching :). I recently got a fourth polish from the Kardashian Kolor collection from Nicole by OPI and decided to do a swatch post of all of them! I strongly dislike the Kardashians, but I liked the colors in the collection more than I hated the Kardashians! I wanted more than 4 of them, but I tried to control my impulse haha. I picked up: Paparazzi Don't Preach, Strike a Pose, Listen to Your Momager!, and Rainbow in the S-Kylie. So let's get right into it!

Nicole by OPI Paparazzi Don't Preach

Nicole by OPI Paparazzi Don't Preach

Nicole by OPI Paparazzi Don't Preach

Paparazzi Don't Preach is a peachy nude creme. This color required 3 coats to reach opacity, but I didn't mind because the formula was really good! I think this is a nice nude for anytime of the year and I'm glad I picked this one up. 

Click "read more" to see the rest of the swatches!

Essie "Yogaga" Collection Swatches!

Hello! I hope everyone's week is going well :). I am leaving for Disneyland tomorrow with my parents and boyfriend, so I will be gone for the remainder or the week and the duration of the weekend!

Today I wanted to share four polishes I have from Essie's new collection, "Yogaga". I only have four of the six polishes because I ordered them from a seller on ebay in one lot (I only saw these same four polishes at my local Walgreens).

I used two coats for each photo below. The formula of these polishes was ah-mazing. I have no complaints at all with how each applied. Essie always does a good job with their creme-finishes polishes, but lately they've been doing an exceptionally good job!

Essie Yogaga

First is the collection's namesake, Yogaga, a greige nude shade. This color kind of reminds me of a mushroom in a sense. I like the color, but I don't think it served its purpose as the main focus of the collection. This is probably my least favorite of the bunch, but it is a unique nude that is work-appropriate. 

Essie Marathin

Marathin is a dusty rose shade. I think this color is nice for fall, but is a little overdone and "safe". Though I do like the color, I feel like I've seen it a few times before. I also think this, too, could be work-appropriate since it is a subdued pink. Also, I'm not too wild about the name. I'm not sure exactly what message Essie is trying to send to women/girls who use their polishes.

Essie Pilates Hottie

Pilates Hottie is a dusty lilac color. Oh, how I adore this color! I am a sucker for anything lilac/lavender. I think this color could be flattering on many skintones. It naturally is my favorite from the collection, but I am very biased towards purples :P. The name is also very cute, which doesn't hurt!

Essie Boxer Shorts

Boxer Shorts, my runner-up favorite from the collection, is a periwinkle that leans very blue. In person, this polish has more of a purple tinge to it. I like this color a lot. I could see myself wearing it as a transition color from Summer to Autumn. 

Overall, I like "Yogaga", though I did feel that the colors displayed in the collection did not correlate with the collection's theme. Essie chose some beautiful shades and I like them, regardless of my previous comment. I would like to see the other two shades in person, even though I don't think I will be purchasing either (they didn't look as appealing to me online). 

I hope you guys enjoyed these swatches and I hope the rest of your week goes smoothly :)

-Shelby