Sally Hansen Salon Effects: Cut It Out

I love these strips for when I need a quick and fun mani. This pattern is super fun and I think in the future I might like to color in the flowers. For the first time using these I had trouble with chipping almost immediately. I also had one strip that completely refused to stick, it was dried out. But still, fancy nails minimal work!

These were provided for review from the company. Please note I have purchased this product before.

52 week challenge week 8: corset nails

Corset nails? The only thing I ever wear that laces up is shoes (are shoes?). I had to google images for this one. I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Whirlwind White for the base, I free handed OPI Funky Dunky down the middle and used my dotting tools to make the grommets. I then used Sinful Colors nail art polish in black (I forgot the name and don't have the bottle) for the laces. I'm overall pleased with this but especially the thumb on my left hand.

52 week challenge week 4: plaid nails

Welp, I procrastinated on this week for a while. This spring I went to get a pedicure and asked for plaid. What I got was not plaid, it was lame. So that put me off of plaid nails. Plus, I didn't know what pattern to do. Then it hit me: my mans tartan. I crocheted him an afghan with it (holy hard! I really love that man!) so I'm intricately familiar with it. This is the Duncan tartan, my crochet version of it and my nails. I used Nina Ultra Pro in Salsa, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Thinking of Blue, Kiss Nail Artist in white and OPI OPI Red (not a typo, they call it OPI red) topped with ProFX Quick Dry Top Coat.

Boy's pick: Milani Brisk Orange

Today I asked my man what color to paint my nails, his response was "metallic orange." Well, I happened to be at my parents house and my mom recently bought two orange shades of Milani on a Walgreens trip, so I snapped a cell phone pic of them and asked him to choose between Bijou Bronze and Brisk Orange. He, wisely, chose Brisk Orange. Now normally the boy doesn't care what I do to my nails, he's just not interested. In fact, the first time he saw my stash his reaction was "Holy cow miss." He had no idea the depth of my addiction. So, even though he chose the color I don't expect to get much reaction out of him. In fact, I probably will have changed this by the next time I see him.

Here were his choices

Milani Brisk Orange is from their High Speed Fast Dry line and says "one coat formula" on the bottle. Well, one coat is a lie. I needed three to get full opacity, but probably could've gotten away with two. I can't attest to the fast dry because I gingerly used my fingers until I could get a fast dry top coat on my nails.

 

The color is gorgeous! It's a beautiful orange with a gold glass fleck. The color is true orange, not red or yellow leaning. It dried with a smooth finish but it looks like it has bubbles. I can't decide if this is the glass fleck or if it's actually bubbles. Now, I'm not normally an orange girl (the color or the fruit) but this is nice. It's a great color for the recent cooler weather around here. It would look great with some black design for Halloween or some different colored leaves as a fall polish. I will probably stamp some leaves over this actually.

Cell phone without flash

Cell phone with flash

I swear I'm not a ghost, this picture is the most color accurate

The macro

 Loves!

As promised, the stamping of leaves

 REMOVAL EDIT: This polish chipped like a beeyotch! Within 24 hours I had chips on my right hand and less than 12 hours after that I had them on my left. Removal wasn't a problem because it all chipped off! So glad this isn't my polish, my mom can keep it!

Mint Chocolate Nails

I want to eat my fingers today! I recently embarked on a new "diet" called The Belly Fat Cure that limits carbs and sugars. Not eliminate, but cut down on them. So, being a week in I'm still craving all the crap I used to eat. However, the numbers on the scale and my waistline are motivation enough to keep going (plus, like body builders do, I'm allowing myself one cheat day per week). It's really easy and for the most part I don't feel like I'm giving anything up, although I know there is about 3 dozen unbaked cookies in my freezer and they are just calling my name. So, I decided to use an untried to make something yummy. I will probably use this technique to do a Dexter inspired blood spatter mani using white and red.

Ok, enough rambling about my panza. Here's what I did:

• Base coat of OPI Nail Envy
• 2 coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mint Sorbet.
• One coat of INM Out The Door topcoat
• Nubar Milk Chocolate Créme on the tips in a wavy, wonky sort of line, using a dotting tool to make the drip marks
• Another coat of INM OTD top coat

As far as application:
Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet was streaky on the first coat and leveled out opaque on most nails on the second coat. It's very highly pigmented and covered well. The color is a lovely mint green, maybe a shade or two lighter than ice cream. It doesn't have any blue leanings, it's a beautiful creamy, minty, grasshoppery color. Apparently Xtreme Wear doesn't have the same wide rounded brush that I'm used to with Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure but no complaints about it. Formula was spot on, not too thick or too runny, although it is on the thicker side of the scale.The color reminds me of old doctor equipment, specifically a dental chair. I have no idea why I would make that association though. I don't understand how my brain works.

No flash, pretty color accurate

No flash

the most color accurate picture

Nubar Milk Chocolate Crème is fun. It really does look like milk chocolate. This is only my second time using this (the first being the leopard half moon fail) and both times as an accent. To achieve the drip look I just painted across the tips and a little strip or two down each nail, using my dotting tools (that I got on eBay for seriously about $2.50) to smooth out the brush marks on the drips. I am going to have to properly wear this Nubar on it's own some day. After I work my way through the rest of my Sally Hansen untrieds though.

So, what do you think of my dessert nails? Are you headed to your local ice cream store now? 

Flash

Flash

My favorite one! No flash

Picture taken with my phone outside, it was overcast so no sunlight.

Loves!

REMOVAL EDIT: Creams are always so easy to remove! Like buddah!

A great idea FAILED!!!!

I saw an amazing example of nail art at The Daily Nail that I thought I could do. Sadly, I failed at it. However, I still like it and think I will try again at some point, learn from my mistakes. Here's a crappy cell phone pic of my fail!

Loves!

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure- Silver Lining

I have tons of untrieds. I decided that until I've worn them all I will try not to buy any new polish. (Caveat: if Zoya has a sale I will buy. Also if I find the Halloween Sally Hanson nail strips)

Today I bring you Silver Lining. This was something I came across on eBay while looking for Problem Child and Barracuda. For some reason I can't find the special collections in my area. Luckily I can usually find them for less than retail on eBay, including shipping.

This color is a lovely silver foil with blue flashes. Actually, I'm not sure if it's a foil or a microglitter, but it's purdy. When I went outside I seriously needed sunglasses this stuff is so reflective. I also had a very hard time capturing the blue flash in this polish. It's almost turquoise, very pretty and subtle. This is three coats and the visible nail line is much less obvious in person although still there. There was no dragging or bald spots until I used a top coat, which was an old Revlon with a funky smell and texture, almost oily.

One thing I will add, and it's not the fault of the polish per se, is that the clean up of the bit I got on my cuticles was a beeyotch! It didn't really clean up so much as just get spread thinner. You can see this in my pictures. With better technique this can be avoided.

I decided to add an accent finger the next day. I used OPI colors: I'm Not Really a Waitress, Need Sunglasses?, Who the Shrek Are You?, and Blue My Mind

Something I want to do that I don't see other bloggers do is comment on removal. I'll have to either edit posts or comment on the removal in the next post. What do you think I should do?

REMOVAL EDIT: Removal was not bad on this, it was a bit gritty. Interestingly though, I thought I'd been seeing flashes of purple in this polish but couldn't capture it and no one else saw it. However, on removal the purple flashes really showed through!

Loves!