Delicate Flowers...

As bad luck would have it, I broke a nail yesterday before I finished swatching the Color Club Halo Hues collection, which I was hoping to show you today. I'm putting that on the back burner for a few days and instead would like to show you a manicure that I created last weekend. It uses one of the holographic beauties form that collection for stamping. I originally intended this mani for the flower themed Sunday Stamping challenge last week. I ended up posting a different flowery manicure and this sweet lilac one has been waiting for it's moment in the spotlight...

I started the manicure with a base of OPI You're Such a Budapest from the Euro Centrale collection. Using Color Club Eternal Beauty and Winstonia plate W110, I stamped the flower pattern. With a dotting tool, I added a dot of Color Club Miss Bliss to each flower center. Of course I couldn't resist a little rhinestone accent in one of the flower centers...

I hope you love holographic polishes as much as I do because I've got lots more manicures with them coming your way... :)

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Color Club Flamingo...

When I was first getting into nail art, I got somewhat hooked on nail stickers. My attention quickly switched to stamping and freehand, but in a short amount of time I managed to acquire more stickers than I know what to do with. It is kind of a shame to see them just sitting there deprived of their moment in the spotlight. I  decided that it would be fun to experiment with some of them again....

For this manicure I started out with Color Club Flamingo and added some 3D puffy nail stickers that I purchased on Ebay. The white provided a nice contrast against the pink and the pink rhinestones complemented the base color nicely. Even though I think the look of these can be replicated with freehand or even stamping, the stickers are great if you don't feel artistically inclined or need something quick....

I did add a top coat over these, but because they are puffy and rubbery feeling, I probably shouldn't have...

Color Club Flamingo is a bright, bordering on neon, bubble gum pink cream. It is part of the Fiesta collection  released this Spring. It has a nice smooth formula and full coverage in just two coats. Both of my cameras refuse to properly photograph pink shades such as this. The polish is slightly deeper and brighter in real life. My skin color is not actually this dark, although as my boyfriend commented, it does make my hands look tan. Swatches are two coats without a top coat...

I tried a photographing under direct sunlight and this is the most color accurate shot that I got...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Color Club Collection: Fiesta, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number: Flamingo, 983 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

My friend really fell for this polish upon seeing my manicure and instructed me to give it my highest review :)

What do you think of nail stickers? Does it seem like cheating to have such quick nail art?...

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Sally Hansen I Heart Nail Art Campaign

I got something interesting in my email box recently and thought some of you nail art lovers might be interested too! Check out this fun nail art contest hosted by Sally Hansen. For full details visit the Sally Hansen Facebook page...

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SHOW YOUR NAILS SOME LOVE

WITH THE SALLY HANSEN I <3 NAIL ART CAMPAIGN

Be your own nail artist for the chance to win.

WHAT IT IS: A monthly contest celebrating the best and brightest in nail art. Sally Hansen has always delivered the tools to express creativity and individuality through vibrant, vivid, bold nails. Now the nail authority is giving every aspiring artist the chance to show off her handy work with the I <3 Nail Art Campaign. Each month, Sally Hansen will post a new nail art challenge on Facebook and enlist fans to post photos of their most inspired, intricate and ingenious nail looks.

Sally Hansen’s own nail ambassador, celebrity manicurist Tracylee, will serve on the panel of judges choosing the winner. “I constantly take inspiration from fashion, architecture, events and pop culture in creating my nail art,” reveals Tracylee. “I’m so excited to see the kind of creative submissions we get and find new inspiration in my own work.”

Each month, a new winner will receive exclusive Sally Hansen prizes and a trip to New York to compete in the Grand Finale, where competitors will be asked to create nail art looks on the spot. The expert panel will select the grand prize winner, who will be named the Sally Hansen Nail Art Sweetheart and will win $2000. She will also be featured in Sally Hansen promotional materials, showcasing her winning nail art.

So if you <3 nail art and think you have what it takes to be the Sally Hansen Nail Art Sweetheart, visit Sally Hansen’s Facebook page beginning February 4th to enter.

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Thanks for looking!

Anutka :)

** Disclaimer: All information and images in this post provided by the manufacturer or their PR **

Matzah Nail for Passover!

Happy Passover!

Happy Passover to those of you who celebrate it! This weekend, I got a gentle reminder from my friends that I should do a manicure for the occasion and matzah nails was strongly suggested. I got the hint and knew exactly who to turn to for inspiration. Last year 10 Blank Canvases created her matzah nails for Passover and I knew that I wanted to try and recreate the look. Luckily, she created an easy matzah nails tutorial which I followed (for the most part)...

I started out with a base of Zoya Jacqueline which was the best match color wise for matzah in my collection. The rest was done using acrylic paint. I used black, tan and a mix of the two. I wish I had a better brown to work with, but my acrylic color palate is limited at the moment...

I didn't want shiny matzah, so I did top them off with Essie Matte About You...

Yummy! The tips look a bit charred, but considering this was my first time making matzah I'm pretty happy with how they turned out...

My light box is now full of matzah crumbs, but it is a small price to pay for working with props...

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Sunday Stamping: Flowers

Despite the snowfall that fell over Seattle last Thursday night (and melted by Friday afternoon), I think it is safe to say that most people are ready for Spring. Ready to put away the warm clothes, enjoy the sunshine, and watch everything start to bloom. This week the Sunday Stamping challenge of flowers is just right for the mood...

The base of this manicure is Color Club Eternal Beauty from the Halo Hues collection. I am absolutely smitten with this polish and the rest of the Halo Hues collection. I stamped the flower pattern from Dashica SdP-O plate using OPI Vant to Bite My Neck?. I really didn't expect it to stamp so well, but decided to give it a try and it really surprised me...

I accented the ring finger with two Swarovski rhinestones. Since I didn't want to use a top coat and dull the sparkle of them, I attached them with a bit of nail glue. These things are not going anywhere...

There was a bit of sun shining through the clouds, so I took the opportunity to snap a few photos outside...

I could just stare at the holo all day...

As I was writing this post, I realized that I used this stamp for a Sunday Stamping gemstone challenge last year. Still just as crazy about this pattern now as I was back then :)

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Press Release: Zoya Stunning and Irresistible

JUST LIKE THE SUN, YOU ARE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION!

STUNNING & IRRESISTIBLE

Twelve new Sun Inspired Colors for Summer 2013.

Summer brings the sunniest colors to nails! Including six super shiny creams and six fresh foil metallics to put all the focus on the brightest shining light in any room - YOU!

Zoya SUMMER 2013: STUNNING Collection

• Darcy (ZP663) - Sunny Yellow Cream - Full Coverage.
• Thandie (ZP664) - Citrus Orange Cream - Full Coverage.
• Micky (ZP665) - Amazing Coral Cream - Full Coverage.
• Yana (ZP669) - Rubine Red Cream - Full Coverage.
• Josie (ZP667) - Grassy Green Cream - Full Coverage.
• Rocky (ZP668 ) - Serene Blue Cream - Full Coverage.

Zoya SUMMER 2013: IRRISISTIBLE Collection

• Kerry (ZP684) - Yellow Gold Foil Metallic - Full Coverage.
• Amy (ZP670) - Red Orange Foil Metallic - Full Coverage.
• Tinsley (ZP671) - Rose Gold Foil Metallic - Full Coverage.
• Bobbi (ZP672) - Hot Magenta Pink Foil Metallic - Full Coverage.
• Hazel (ZP673) - Blue Green Foil Metallic - Full Coverage.
• Rikki (ZP674) - Fern Green Foil Metallic - Full Coverage.

Shipping April 15, 2013

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are BIG5FREE - all formulas are completely free of harmful
industrial chemicals such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate
(DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find over 300 stunning Zoya colors on www.zoya.com.

Each and every color has a name as unique
as the women who inspired it.

ZOYA IS THE NEW COLOR OF FASHION!
$8.00 ea. (US).
Available on Zoya.com



Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Disclaimer: All information and images in this post provided by the manufacturer or their PR **

Press Release: OPI Bond Girls Collection

Polish Galore!

OPI Joins Bond 007 to Release Six New Revolutionary Liquid Sand™ Nail Lacquers Inspired by 50 Years of James Bond

OPI announces the launch of Bond Girls, a collection of six new Liquid Sand™ nail lacquers featuring a textured, matte finish infused with reflective sparkle fitting the allure surrounding the Bond Girls.  In hues of white, pink, blue, purple, gold and coral, Bond Girls offers a range of shimmering shades with the distinctive Liquid Sand finish.

“OPI is extremely excited to partner again with EON Productions,” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI co-founder & Artistic Director. “Following the success of the holiday promotion with the latest James Bond film, Skyfall, it’s been a thrill to create colors for the women who’ve captured Bond’s attention over the last five decades.

“The six shades are named after some of the most iconic – and my favorite – Bond girls, including: Solitaire, Pussy Galore, Tiffany Case, Vesper, Honey Ryder and Jinx,” adds Weiss-Fischmann. “Worn without top coat, these Liquid Sand lacquers give nails a pebbled, matte finish worthy of the captivating ‘Bond Girls’ name.”

Bond Girls by OPI features six Liquid Sand nail lacquers:

Solitaire 

This diamond-sparkling white is totally engaging.

Pussy Galore

This light feminine pink has the purrrfect amount of shimmer. 

Tiffany Case

A classic light blue worth investigating. 

Vesper

A mysterious and intriguing deep purple. 

Honey Ryder

Take a ryde on the wild side in this shimmery gold. 

Jinx

This mesmerizing matte coral has lucky sparkle. 

OPI Liquid Sand lacquers should always be worn without top coat.

Bond Girls by OPI nail lacquers feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application. These six new shades will be available beginning May 2013 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Chatters, JCP Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

ABOUT OPI
As the world leader in the professional nail care industry, OPI is committed to providing high-quality products and services to both salons and their customers, along with a focus on industry safety and innovation. Known for its exceptional formula, fashionable colors and iconic names, OPI’s heavily-pigmented lacquers are super rich, long-lasting and chip-resistant – offering an affordable luxury to consumers. OPI nail lacquer is available in over 200 shades. Each lacquer features OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Currently, OPI is available in over 100 countries and retails a full line of professional items, including nail treatments, finishing products, lotions, manicure/pedicure products, files, tools, gels and acrylics.

About Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions
EON Productions Limited and Danjaq LLC are wholly owned and controlled by the Broccoli/Wilson family. Danjaq is the US based company that co-owns, with MGM, the copyright in the existing James Bond films and controls the right to produce future James Bond films as well as all worldwide merchandising.   EON Productions, an affiliate of Danjaq, is the UK based production company which makes the James Bond films.   The 007 franchise is the longest running in film history with twenty-three films produced since 1962.  Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli succeeded Albert R ‘Cubby’ Broccoli and have produced some of the most successful Bond films ever including CASINO ROYALE, QUANTUM OF SOLACE and SKYFALL.

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Disclaimer: All information and images in this post provided by the manufacturer or their PR **

Franken Gone Wrong... Continued...

First of all I would like to say thank you for all your wonderful feedback to my Franken Gone Wrong post. I am glad to know I'm not alone in this. Some of you had this happen to them, some offered logical explanations for the color change (cooper vs true gold) and some of you were intrigued by the resulting green and requested samples. I debated if I was brave enough to swatch this and turns out I am. My nails have not fallen off yet and I'm really hoping that remains the case. For now, here are a few swatches as requested...

In terms of application, it is much thicker than the clear version it started out as. In fact is is quite goopy at this point. Surprisingly the application was not bad and neither was the dry time. It was about what I would expect for a jelly. It has gotten darker over the last 24 hours and the gold flakes seem to be dissolving. One reader yesterday mentioned that on her attempt at this, the flakes did indeed eventually disintegrate. I'm anticipating this to happen here as well...

Left to right: 3 coats of franken alone, 2 coats over OPI My Vampire is Buff, 2 coats over Color Club Wild Cactus...

Three coats of the franken alone... The nail line is still visible, but actually pretty decent coverage alone at 3 coats...

Two coats over OPI My Vampire is Buff...

Two coats over Color Club Wild Cactus... probably my favorite combination...

Just a quick shot of what it looks like today... the flakes that at the bottom are currently stuck and won't come up even with shaking...

And here is what it looked like yesterday... it is lighter and visibly larger flakes...

Hope that answers some questions :)

P.S. I issue an official apology for referring to St. Patrick's Day as St. Patty's Day. Apparently it is St. Paddy's Day and not St. Patty's Day. Obviously I have no Irish background and just had no clue. I stand corrected! I had to google my mistake and came across this fun site which explains the difference... paddynotpatty.com. I take solace the fact that I am not alone in making this mistake or there wouldn't be a site dedicated to educating those of us who get it wrong :D

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Franken Gone Wrong...

I wanted to show you a little frankening experiment that I tried over the weekend. I had set out to make a DIY gold leaf top coat. There are a few tutorial floating out there and they seemed simple enough. Start with some clear polish and gold leaf from the craft store, mix the two together and voila... cheap gold leaf top coat. I was really excited to make it and try it out for St. Patty's day. Here are my supplies all ready go to...

I tore up 4 sheets of gold leaf and then realized I'd have one heck of a time trying to get them into the bottle, so I scrunched them up into little wads of gold leaf (not my brightest idea by the way)...

Here are the wads of gold leaf after I dropped them into the clear polish (yes, that is four sheets worth of gold leaf). They instantly started releasing bubbles, which was kind of strange, but I let is slide. I shook the heck out of this mixture to break apart the wads of gold leaf. Twenty minutes later it still wasn't good enough to be used, so I gave up and set it aside for another day, thinking I would worry about it later. Really, those little wads were not the brightest idea...

The next day I was ready to revisit the top coat only to find this green mess...

It has actually gotten even darker since I took this photo. The green is quite beautiful, but not really what I was going for. I thought it was fascinating and maybe you'll agree. I've heard of people being successful in making a gold leaf top coat so I'm not sure what went wrong here. Is it something in the polish? Would a different base have been better? Maybe something is wrong with this gold leaf? Maybe all of the above? So many questions! I can't decide if I should keep experimenting or just buy one before I end up spending more money experimenting that it would cost to get the real thing...

Have any of you tried this before and gotten it to work without turning green? Or has this happened to you also?

UPDATE: By popular request, check out the swatches of this franken here...

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

St. Patrick's Day Manicure

Somewhere halfway through the day I decided to change my subtle St. Patricks's Day manicure to something a bit... greener. Since I didn't have much time to work on it, I opted for one that was quick and simple...

The base of the manicure is Color Club Wild Cactus from the Fiesta collection released this spring. It is a beautiful deep green cream with a hint of blue. The formula is smooth and creamy making application easy. The color is very pigmented and it can be used at just one coat for full opacity. I used two coats anyway as that is my preference. Because it is so pigmented it works well for stamping as you can see in this first St. Patrick's Day manicure. Swatches are without a top coat...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Color Club Collection: Fiesta, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number: Wild Cactus, 984 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

On top of Wild Cactus, I added a layer of Sinful Colors Green Ocean. This shade is released once a year for St. Patrick's Day by Sinful Colors. It usually sells out quickly and after missing out on it last year, I was finally able to snatch up a bottle and try it out for myself. I can't say that I incredibly impressed with it. The flakes are mylar and a bit stiff, so in some spots they would stick up off the surface of the nail, driving me absolutely crazy. This is just one coat of Green Ocean plus a top coat...

On closer look, it appears there is glitter in here in addition to the mylar flakes. It is pretty when everything lays flat...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Sinful Colors Collection: Go Green Color Name/Number: Green Ocean, 220 Number of coats: 1 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

As a small accent. I added a Shamrock made out of four rhinestone hearts. That may have been my favorite part of the manicure. Since I was worried about loosing the hearts I attached them with nail glue and they easily lasted the rest of the day...

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **