Mani Monday: 4th of July Glitter Gradient Mani

Recently, Pure Ice was kind enough to send me some more terrific glitter polishes perfect for 4th of July nail art- Dazzle Me– a silver glitter polish packed with holographic silver glitters, Wide Awake– a beautiful turquoise micro fine glitter polish and Freedom– a red, blue and star glitter filled polish. . .

Some macro swatches just to show you how packed with glitter these polishes are!

So for this Mani Monday I did a very easy glitter gradient using these polishes. I got alot of compliments on these nails this weekend- a lot of people even asked me “where did you get those glitter nail wraps?”. I think they look very smooth like nail wraps because of the way these particular glitter polishes transferred over almost like a sticker when I applied them to my triangular makeup sponge end.

To achieve this fun glitter look:

1. I first prepped my nails with a base coat and then applied one light coat of Dazzle Me.
2. Next, while the coat of Dazzle Me dried, I took the end of my triangular makeup sponge and applied a line of Dazzle Me, Wide Awake and Freedom. You can adjust the width of the layers based on how long your nails are. Right now my nails are super short so I did very thin layers. . .
3. Press the sponge gently lining it up to your nail shape and viola the glitter should transfer over just like that! Pretty much all the glitter transfers over almost like a sticker in one fluid press.
4. Repeat for all your nails. You can keep using the same sponge.
5. After you complete the first sponging transfer, repeat again for more glittery look. I only did it 2 times but I think 3 times would make a super glitter look!
6. Top it off to seal all the glitters with a really good top coat and you are done!

You can see my photo step by step tutorial to be featured on BudgetBabe.

I really like these glitter polishes. They dried very quickly and smooth. I always find that Pure Ice polishes are ideal for nail art because they are so affordable allowing you to experiment endless possibilities when coming up with designs and ideas.

Happy 4th of July!

~xoxo B

Pure Ice nail enamels are available through www.pureicecosmetics.com and Walmart stores nationwide.

Twitter (@OfficialPureIce) and Instagram. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #PureIce

Disclaimer: These polishes were sent to me by Pure Ice’s PR representative for my honest opinion.

Guest Post: Floss Gloss Haul Continues!

After being so pleased with our first Floss Gloss haul recently, Kay bought some more to add to her collection! Floss Gloss recently released Pony- a pretty light coral- and I was excited to see it on her! Read below for Kay’s thoughts and swatches on her new lovely Floss Gloss additions photographed below. Cheers to our ever growing love (addiction) for Floss Gloss! Have you guys tried any yet? ~xoxo B

Below are swatches of more Floss Gloss colors I ordered.  I loved the other polishes I received in my first order I was beyond excited to order more.  This time I also wanted to try the glitter polishes they had.  The colors I ordered are Glow Star, Pony, Dimepiece and Stun.  I must say, I was not disappointed with my new colors.

Glow Star: Such a beautiful light mint green.  It applies opaque in two coats and with the brush applies evenly. This color totally makes me look like I have the perfect tan.  I really do love the color.  In this picture I also have Stun as an accent nail.

Stun: I am not a huge fan of glitters, mainly because when they dry they are not smooth.  Some glitters you also have to apply a few coats to get the glitter to be opaque.  This particular glitter applies nicely in 2 coats.  It also does not dry so rough a top coat can’t smooth it out. It even has some holo in it which helps make it sparkle so beautifully.

Pony: I can’t get enough of this color.  It is the perfect peachy neon.  This one also makes me look super tan.  I think that is such a great color for summer.  This color also applied evenly and in 2 coats.  Even though it looks peach, it is more of a neon color.  A great one to have for summer.

Dimepiece: This is a great silver glitter that also applies in 2 coats and dries rather smoothly.  A top coat can help in smoothing the glitter out.  I really love this glitter because it applies so nicely in 2 coats.  It also has some holo effects which makes it sparkle so nicely.  It’s a beautiful glitter I think everyone should have an uber sparkly glitter like this.

Here’s a beautiful swatch combination of Glowstar and Stun on accent nail.

And Pony with Dimepiece on accent nail.

Floss Gloss Pro Nail Lacquer is cruelty free and formulated without DBPs, Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin.  Floss Gloss Ltd is Designed and Made in the USA.

~xoxo Kay

Guest Post: Floss Gloss Haul Swatches & Review!

I recently purchased my first Floss Gloss polishes and was super excited when I received  them a few days ago with a sweet handwritten note and surprise bonuses! My nail bestie Kay also recently received her purchase and I asked her to do some swatches along with a helpful review since I am busy trying to finish my designs for the Refinery 29 contest I am a finalist in. . . Hope y’all enjoy Kay’s beautiful swatches and review below as much I did! Eeeepppp I can’t wait to use mine!!!

~xoxo B

KAY’S REVIEW:

FASTLANE: A beautiful bright reddish coral.  It has a smooth application with a wider brush than most polishes. With 2 coats I could still see a minimal (very minimal) nail line, so I added a 3rd coat and it was perfect. This formula dries matte but with a top coat it was beautifully bright and shiny.  In the sun this color seems so much brighter than in the picture.  I don’t think I could capture this color perfectly.  I think this is a great color for summer.

PERF: This is the PERFect milky pink!!!  It applies true to the color in the bottle and it applies opaque.  The brush helps this color to apply smooth and even.  I think this is a great color to have.  I do not have a color like this in my collection and I LOVE it!!  This is a PERFect baby pink!!!  This is 2 coats.

WAVEPOOL: A beautiful baby blue.  I cannot say enough how much I adore this color!  Again this color applies beautifully.  It also applies opaque and this is only 2 coats.  It is really a beautiful blue color that totally reminds me of a pool or the ocean.  I don’t think I could ever get enough of this color.  This is also a must have favorite of mine!!

CON LIMON:  This is honestly why I decided to place an order with flossgloss. I do not have a color like this and I knew I had to have it.  I am truly surprised at how great this color applies.   A color like this is normally watery and when applied you have to layer like crazy, not this color.  With any bright neon color it does dry matte but apply your favorite topcoat and shine on!  This color is definitely brighter if you use a white base, however with 3 coats and no white base it still looks good!!  In the picture, my index and middle finger have a white base.  The other two do not. All fingers have 3 coats.  I was not disappointed with this color at all. I think it is an awesome color for summer or anytime really and is also great for nail art!  A must have for all you neon nail polish lovers.

BIKINI CORAL: This is a beautiful bright orange.  It doesn’t seem very coral against my skintone. The brush applied this color smoothly and even.  This color also dries matte.  It applies pretty opaque as well.  Most of the time a color like this needs a white base but this applied very nicely with no white base.  I think that this is also great summer bright color that applies true to the color in the bottle.  One of my faves!!  This is 2 coats.

Overall, I am really impressed with the quality of the polishes and I can’t say enough good things about the BRUSH! I prefer a wider brush and this brush applies the polish perfectly.  The bright colors apply smoothly and opaque and in 2 coats!! The only one that I feel needs a white base is Con Limon but if you’re in a rush, you can go without.
I ordered these online and although I did have to wait a little longer than I wanted (I’m too impatient), when I emailed them for questions regarding my order they responded quickly and let me know when my order would be shipped.  They even threw in extras in my order and they didn’t have to. My order came when they said and I love that.  I have already been back on their website looking at more colors I want.  The only thing I wish was that the bottles were bigger cause I LOVE the colors.

KAY’S SWATCHES: **In all swatches I used Gelous base coat and China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat.  The white I used with Con Limon is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in White On.

Fast Lane

Perf with Flash

Perf another look

Wave Pool

Wave Pool with Flash

Con Limon

Con Limon with Flash

Bikini Coral

Bikini Coral another look

Mani Monday: New Sinful Shine Gel Tech Polish

Here’s to another Mani Monday brought to you by little ole me currently fueled with jelly beans (pictured with polish but unfortunately doesn’t come with polish hehe)

I achieved this Mani Monday look by doing a quick gradient glitter tip with Essie’s Luxe “Stroke of Brilliance” over a base coat of Sinful Shine’s “Alfresco”. Just dabble on lightly til you build the glitter gradient you want- no fancy tricks here 😉

Review: I picked up this new polish to try out from the Sinful Colors line “Sinful Shine”. They advertise on the bottle “With Gel Tech” on this particular line of polish. The display at Walgreen’s had a great assortment of colors and I actually wanted to get every single shade of pink and purple, but this particular color really caught my eye called “Alfreso”. It reminded me of Essie’s “Bikini So Teeny” and probably could pass as a nice dupe.

First of all, I must say what a HUGE improvement on formula! I don’t mind Sinful Colors overall as a great cheap drugstore polish brand because I like using them for nail art. However, the one thing I have to complain about is the brush and that some colors can be runnier than others. I kind of expected them to improve the brush for this line. The brush is exactly the same but you can’t really compare it to a perfect brush to that of a higher end polish like Jinsoon polish which I will post more about later. Perhaps they could have invested more in the brush rather than the shiny cap which is another change to differentiate form the regular black top Sinful Colors. Regardless of the brush, this polish applied GREAT!! I can not emphasize how fluid and smooth the formula is for this color! I honestly could have just used 2 coats but I did an extra coat because I couldn’t get over how NICE this polish was! The polish does dry MUCH shiner compared to the regular Sinful Colors line. In fact, it far exceeded my expectations and for only $2.99 at Walgreens- I must get some more!

Have you guys tried the Sinful Shine polish yet? If so what colors do did u get?

~xoxo B.

Nails Inc Gel Effect Plumpling Top Coat Review & Swatch

I know it’s been awhile so I will start off with a new product that I’m absolutely in love with- the Nails Inc. Kensington Caviar Gel Effect Plumpling Top Coat! I actually purchased this last month because I have been looking to try out some of the new Gel topcoats that don’t require any sort of special lamps to try. A lot of brands have been coming out with their Gel topcoats from Deborah Lippmann, Dior, and even Julep. I will probably eventually try the Deborah Lippmann next or the Dior just to compare, but for now I am very satisfied with how the Nails Inc. worked out!

Overall, the polish applied very smoothly and the formula itself was not too thick or gooey defeating any preconceived notions I had that it might be. I simply applied 2 generous coats over 2 of my favorite colors from the Nails Inc. Spring Summer collection*– “Royal Botanical Gardens” (the bright mint-turquoise like color) and “Kensington Palace Gardens” (the lovely coral-pink hue color). *I actually bought the whole collection and will do a separate review of these on a later post.

Sooo the gel coat didn’t take very long to dry- not as fast as Seche Vite topcoat but alot more “plumper” effect in my opinion. It dried to be super shiny and felt so fantastic! I got so many compliments on my nails throughout that week. I had several strangers approach me and asked me where I had my gel nails done at the salon- which I think speaks greatly considering the fact my polish wasn’t even applied 100% perfectly. I highly recommend this gel coat! I do alot of work with my hands- as a mother of a toddler I am always washing them constantly too. Nails Inc. Kensington Caviar Gel Effect Plumpling Top Coat is definitely worth it at only $10 at Sephora.com. I honestly can’t find anything negative about this product.

A friend of mine, Bee, (check out her blog for amazing jackpot of cute iphone wallpapers and the most adorable iphone cases) requested that I take identical shots for a week to see how it lasted so here it is for your reference- in natural light, I have to add that day 7 was a very cloudy and rainy day so it seems it wasn’t as shiny- but it in actuality it was! NO CHIPS!

I hope this post was helpful!

~xoxo B