NOTD: MAC Hangin' Loose Nail Lacquer (Surf Baby Collection) w/ Leopard Print!

Three (3) Coats of MAC Hangin' Loose Nail Lacquer and One (1) Coat of Seche Vite Top Coat

MAC Hangin Loose Nail Lacquer

MAC Hangin' Loose Nail Lacquer is a neutral pink beige cream with very tiny white sparkles that seem to only be noticeable in bright lighting. This polish is from MAC's recent Surf, Baby! Collection and is still available on the MAC website (here). I'm not sure if I can justify paying $15 for a nail polish, so I'm really happy I got a chance to try this through a swap.

I really like the formula of this polish. It's not thick, not too thin, very creamy and dries fairly quick. It is a little on the sheer side and applies a little streaky with the first two coats, but I applied a heavier third coat and everything evened out very well. I actually love this polish and I think it's the perfect nude. I'll be wearing this much more often!

For the leopard print, I first applied dots of OPI You Don't Know Jacques Nail Polish (grayed brown) all over my nail (around 5-6 dots in total). Then, I took a toothpick and used a generic black nail polish and outlined the brown spots. I also made a few extra black dots. Then I used a silver glitter nail art pen and added small lines of glitter to each spot.

What's your favorite nude polish?

NOTD: Revlon Top Speed Nail Polish in the shade Cloud!

Two (2) Coats of Revlon Top Speed Nail Polish in Cloud and One (1) Coat of Seche Vite Top Coat

Revlon Cloud is a pastel lavender blue. It does differ on certain skintones, but on my hands the color appears a little more lavender than it does blue (although you can't tell much from the photos). I was looking for more of a powder blue, but I think this polish is very pretty regardless. It really brighten up my hands.

I like Revlon's Top Speed Nail Polishes for a few reasons. They have a good selection of trendy colors, the lasting power is pretty good - I don't find it that it chips as easy as other low end drugstore polishes, they have a shiny finish and they are inexpensive (typically $3.99). Although I'm not a huge fan of the soft, plastic-like feel they have. I can get over it though.

The particular formula of this one isn't bad, but it isn't the greatest. Based on some reviews, some thought the formula was too thick. I really didn't find it to be thick. It's pretty sheer (and streaky) with one coat, and evens out pretty well by the second coat. I did find that on a couple of my nails, it looks like I have ridges (you can notice it on my ring finger in the photos), which would of probably been evened out by a third coat.

I do think this color is pretty awesome and flattering on most skin tones. I really don't think the pictures do the shade justice. It's prettier in person.

Speaking of blues, have any favorite blues you can recommend? 

NOTD: Forever 21's Love & Beauty Lavender!

Two (2) Coats of Love & Beauty Lavender Nail Polish & One (1) Coat of Seche Vite Top Coat

Two (2) Coats of Love & Beauty Lavender Nail Polish & One (1) Coat of Seche Vite Top Coat

Essence Lavender is a milky, mid-tone, dusty lavender purple. It's not as pale as most of the lavenders I own, which I'm actually pretty happy about because I don't need so many of the same nail polish shades.

I love the formula on this one - it applied opaquely with one coat, so worst case scenario, if you're running out the door without your nails polished, you can quickly paint your nails and be done with one coat and not have to worry about sheerness or a streaky mess. I applied two coats, and it came out perfect!

I'm currently on the lookout for my summer favorites. What are some of your favorite nail polishes or nail trends? Let me know in the comments below! ☺

Also, if you haven't already, please enter my GIVEAWAY by clicking HERE! It will end Saturday, July 16th at 11:59 CST. Please enter!

NOTD: Essence Colour & Go Nail Polish in Mellow Yellow!

Three (3) coats of Essence Mellow Yellow & One coat of Seche Vite Top Coat.

Three (3) coats of Essence Mellow Yellow & One coat of Seche Vite Top Coat.

Essence Colour & Go Nail Polish in Mellow Yellow is a cream formula pale yellow. It's a perfect summer statement color that will add a bright pop of color to any outfit.

I've always liked yellow nail polishes, but every time I end up purchasing yellow, I'm never satisfied with it. One thing I've learned about yellow polishes is that the more pastel they are, the better they look on my skintone. This particular polish is almost in between pastel yellow and yellow. I was hoping it would be a little more white toned, but I like it.

The formula of this polish was streak city with the first coat, but evened out by the second. With the second coat, 95% of the streaks were gone, but I opted for three coats for full opacity. 

I'll probably wear this polish only once more before summer is over, so it's not really a bad investment for 99 cents!

The lovely Lisa Eldridge sporting yellow nails in her Quick Pick-Me-Up video

Essence can be found at ULTA stores or online at ULTA.com.

NOTD: Love & Beauty Blue Nail Polish! Love this shade!

Two (2) coats of Love & Beauty Blue Nail Polish & One (1) coat of Seche Vite Top Coat.

Love & Beauty Blue is a vibrant mid-toned blue. It's not quite as deep of a blue as cobalt or royal blue - it's just simply blue. It reminds me a bit of Crayola Marker blue or the Greek flag blue. Regardless, it's absolute gorgeous. I don't really own many blues, as I find it to be a pretty intimidating color to wear on the nails, but this particular shade is so flattering and chic. 

The formula is great - it applies smoothly and opaque with one coat, and it becomes completely opaque with two coats. The finish is fairly shiny, but I always use my Seche Vite Top Coat for extra shine.

Love & Beauty Nail Polishes can be purchased in-store at any Forever 21 or online at Forever21.com.

Would you wear this shade?

NOTD: China Glaze Custom Kicks!

Two (2) coats of China Glaze Custom Kicks & One (1) coat of Seche Vite Top Coat.

China Glaze Custom Kicks

China Glaze Custom Kicks is a sea foam green/teal with tiny flecks of golden shimmer. This shade was released in the 2009 China Glaze Kick's Collection. Lucky enough for those who want to snag this shade, it's not a Limited Edition shade. (I spotted it at my local ULTA)

The shade appears a little more blue-teal in the bottle, but on my nails it's much more of a green-teal. Strangely, it appeared more green after I applied my top coat.

The formula is exceptional with this shade. It's somewhat thick - but not too thick, applies with no streaks and is opaque with one coat. I always like to at least apply two coats though - but for those who are painting their nails on the go, this shade is pretty low maintenance and you can get away with one.

China Glaze Custom Kicks (Flash)

You may notice my nails are much shorter. I think I prefer them a bit shorter as it's easier to apply moisturizers, concealer, text, etc. The only thing is, it makes my fingers look stubbier. Do you like your nails shorter or longer better?

NOTD: Essie Beach Party!

Two (2) Coats of Essie Beach Party & One (1) Coat of Seche Vite Top Coat

I swear, it's a total coincidence that my last three NOTD's have been Essie polishes - not to mention pink polishes. I guess I've been on a pink "kick" lately. I received this polish in a swap last week and it's my first day testing it out!

I couldn't find much info on this polish, but NO WONDER! It's from Essie's 2004 "A New Summertime" Collection. So yes, this particular shade is 7 years old. Whatever. It still applies good and it's pretty! 

Essie Beach Party is a light, neutral, cotton candy pink. It's a bit of a nude pink, as it has a hint of beige. There are some complaints that the formula applies streaky, but I didn't have a big problem. It applied streaky with the first coat, and then evened out nicely with the second coat. I didn't apply a third, but depending on your preference, there is room for one more coat. 

I love this polish, I think the color is very flattering on my hands. 

What's on your nails?

NOTD: Essie Van D'go!

Three (3) coats of Essie Van D'go, One (1) coat of Seche Vite Top Coat

Three (3) coats of Essie Van D'go, One (1) coat of Seche Vite Top Coat

Essie Van D' Go is a bright, milky pink-peach. In the bottle, the color looks like a pastel pink, but it translates slightly different on the nails. It's a bit brighter and more peach toned (or pink with a yellow tint) once it hits the nails. It may be a disappointment to some if you wanted the exact shade the bottle shows, but it's exactly what I wanted. The color of Van D'Go, is actually my favorite color. It's comes really close to Orly Cotton Candy, but Van D'Go is slightly lighter. (See Orly Cotton Candy here) 

As far as the formula goes, it applied a little streaky like many pastel polishes tend to do. Two coats was fine, but I had slight streaks on a couple of my nails, so I applied a third coat to all of my nails. With three coats, I had no streaks and the color was completely opaque.

It's a very pretty shade for the summer and I'm loving it!

Do you own Essie Van D'Go? How do you like it?

NOTD: Sprinkled Donut/Confetti Nails w/ Wet n Wild Party of Five Glitters Nail Polish!

Wet n Wild Party of Five Glitters is an awesome clear based nail polish with 5 different colored glitters. There are small red and green glitters, medium green, light blue and purple glitters and large silver glitters. Although I didn't try this polish on it's own, the possibilities are endless with what you can layer with it.

I didn't really have an initial idea, I sort of came up with it as I was painting my nails. I first started out with painting my nails with one coat of Essie Mod Squad, then painting 1/3 the way down my nail (unevenly to look like frosting) with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Bubblegum Pink, then 2 coats, about 1/2 way down my nail with Wet n Wild Party of Five Glitters. Lastly, I finished off with one coat of Seche Vite Top Coat. 

I think it's a really fun look for a the summer, a birthday or holiday!

READ MORE FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS + OTHER LOOKS.. 

NOTD: Essie Jamaica Me Crazy!

Jamaica Me Crazy is a magenta with lots of very fine purple shimmer. The shimmer gives the polish an almost foil-like effect, which looks really pretty in the sunlight.

The application of this polish was very good, it didn't apply streaky and it dried extremely quick. I was barely done coating some of my nails and the polish seemed to already be dry from the first brush stroke. The color is opaque, and only needs two coats for full opacity. 

One downside with this polish in particular is, once it's dry, the color becomes very dull. Therefore, a top coat is extremely necessary. I also ended up with small bubbles on all of my nails - which is something that hasn't happened to me in years. I'm not sure if it was the formula, or the humidity.

This polish is a part of Essie's permanent line, and can be found at most drugstores!

What's on your nails?

NOTD: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Bubblegum Pink!

Two (2) Coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Bubblegum Pink

Two (2) Coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Bubblegum Pink

Bubblegum Pink is a creamy, cool toned lilac pink with a very slight, barely detectable opalescent sheen.

The formula of this polish is pretty nice. It's an opaque, cream formula that reaches full opacity with two coats. Application with the first coat can be a little streaky, but with two coats it seems to even out. The formula is a bit on the thicker side, so I probably wouldn't do three coats with this polish.

I really love this color and I think it will be a "frequent" of mine. It's pretty much almost identical (minus the opalescence) to another fav. of mine, Revlon Fast Dry Nail Enamel in Cupid (seen here).

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear is actually one of my favorite drugstore lines of polish. Aside from the great variety of colors, the stubby application brush that makes painting my nails easier, the price is very reasonable. At most stores, a bottle is under $3.

NOTD: Orange Nails with NYC Times Square Tangerine Creme!

Three (3) coats of NYC Long Wearing Enamel #112 Times Square Tangerine Creme & One (1) coat of Seche Vite Top Coat.

NYC Long Wearing Enamel #112 Times Square Tangerine Creme

NYC Long Wearing Enamel #112 Times Square Tangerine Creme

Orange is possibly my least favorite color, so I wasn't all that thrilled with the Summer 2011 orange nail trend. But, I wanted to give it a try and ended up picking up NYC Long Wearing Enamel in Times Square Tangerine Creme. It's not pumpkin orange, but it's a really pretty coral-orange.

The formula is really nice. It's a cream formula that applies very evenly. With two coats, my nail line was dark and visible, so I applied three for a more opaque look. I really like the color, and depending if the lasting power is good, I'll be wearing this color more often.

I also wore my favorite orange lipstick today, MAC Morange. They both went together very nice!

MAC Morange Lipstick

By the way, thank you all for the birthday wishes on Twitter yesterday!! I had a wonderful time!

NOTD: Milani 3D Holographic Nail Lacquer in HD!

Three (3) Coats of Milani HD.

Milani HD is a silver shimmer holographic. It's very sheer with one coat, which was a slight disappointment as it appears to be opaque from the bottle, but it is fairly opaque with three coats. In between coats, the formula dries quickly, so it's not really a pain to apply. It is a nice layering polish as well. I'm sure it would look great applied over a silver, black, blue, (or any) polish. The holo effect is not bad. Indoors, the color looks like a light silver with fine silver glitter. The holo really pops in bright lighting or the sunlight.

I purchased this polish at CVS for a little under $5.

Do you own any of the Milani Holos? Which is your favorite?

NOTD: China Glaze Secret Peri-wink-le!

Two (2) Coats of China Glaze Secret Peri-wink-le and One (1) Coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat

China Glaze Secret Peri-wink-le is well, the color periwinkle. It's a lavender-blue or pastel indigo. I suppose it depends on what lighting you're looking at the color, whether it appears more blue or purple. My camera doesn't photograph blue-purples well, but I think in person the color is the slightest bit more purple.

The formula is pretty decent. It's creamy, applies easily and dries fairly quick. I did find the 2nd coat to apply slightly streaky, and I could have done with three coats for full opacity.

Overall very pretty color and will look great paired with the neutral colored clothing I tend to wear most of the time. I actually purchased this polish last summer and never wore it until now.. funny, huh?

What's on your nails?

Top 5 Spring Nail Polishes!

My Top 5 Spring Nail Polishes

Revlon Scented Gumdrop is a creamy pale purple (lilac). The formula isn't the worst, but it's not that good either. It's fairly sheer with one coat, and looks the best with three. It doesn't dry quickly, so you can't really hurry the following coats or it may smudge. Because I love the shade, I deal with it.. but it's time consuming to apply.

Some other great shades that are similar to this are OPI Rumple's Wiggin, Nubar Lavender, OPI Do You Lilac It, Essence No More Drama, Essie Lilacism, Illamasqua Wink,  & China Glaze Light As Air. (To view my past NOTD of this polish, click here.)

Essie Mint Candy Apple is a creamy pale/pastel, mint green. The formula is pretty good. It's opaque and looks great with two coats. It applies very well & dries pretty quickly between coats.

Some other great shades similar to this are Revlon Minted, China Glaze Refresh Mint, Barry M Mint Green, Chanel Jade, Maybelline Express Finish in Minty & Sally Hansen X-Treme Wear in Mint Sorbet. (To view my past NOTD of this polish, click here)

Love & Beauty Light Orange is a creamy light orange/vibrant peach. Love & Beauty Nail Polishes are sometimes a hit or miss, but this one has a great opaque, non-streaky formula.

Some other great shades similar to this are China Glaze Peachykeen & Illamasqua Purity.

Revlon Top Speed Cupid is a creamy vibrant pinked lilac. Formula is great, and is opaque with two coats. This is not only a favorite "Spring" shade, but it's one of my absolute favorites.

As of right now, I don't know any other shades that are very similar to this one. If you know of any dupes, let me know in the comments below! (To view my past NOTD of this polish, click here)

Orly Cotton Candy is a creamy, warm toned baby pink. The formula is okay with this one, I'm sure mine is old now and needs replacing. It's my favorite color in nail polish form - but I wish the staying power was a little better. It seems to peel pretty quickly.

Some similar shades are Revlon Perfect Pink and Sinful Colors Beautiful Girl, although they aren't perfect dupes. (To view my past NOTD of this polish, click here)

Left to Right: Revlon Scented Gumdrop, Essie Mint Candy Apple, Love & Beauty Light Orange, Revlon Top Speed Cupid & Orly Cotton Candy.

If you know any dupes for these shades, let me know in the comments below! Also let me know what your favorite polishes are for the Spring/Summer!

NOTD: Taupe + MAC 3D Glitter!

While browsing Makeupalley, I came across photos some really cool holographic polishes. One in particular, Catherine Arley Nail Polish in #669 really caught my interest. It's a beautiful pale gold/taupe holographic. Unfortunate for me, it's a polish that's incredibly difficult a hold of, so I attempted to create my own.

I first started with applying two coats of a light taupe nail polish (CHI Ceramic Nail Lacquer in the shade "Love That Milky Way") and then with a clear nail polish I dipped the brush in a small amount of MAC 3D Glitter and applied it to each nail. Then, I finished off with a coat of Seche Vite Top Coat. 

I don't think I've ever had this much glitter on my nails.. haha! It's extremely sparkly and looks really pretty under bright lighting. I think I'll be trying it out with some other colors as the base.. maybe a little less glitter. If you have MAC 3D Glitter Pigment, you should definitely do some experimenting with it! Since the glitter is very fine, it didn't leave my nails feeling bumpy or gritty. Fine glitter tends to work much better than chunky glitter - you can find many varieties at your local craft store (or MAC Pro). Then, all you do is mix the glitter with any clear based nail polish and you'll have your own custom glitter polish! (Click here for a ehow tutorial on how to make glitter nail polish)

Do you have any favorite holographic nail polishes? Share in the comments below!

NOTD: Pastel Pink Nails with Love & Beauty Peach!

Love & Beauty Peach Nail Polish (2) Coats, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat (1) Coat.

Love & Beauty Peach Nail Polish (2) Coats, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat (1) Coat.

Love & Beauty Peach Nail Polish isn't so much Peach as it is Pink. It's an opaque, pastel pink with a warm (peach) undertone. Although I originally thought the polish was way too light for my skintone with one coat, with two coats, the color slightly deepens & looks much better (and less white). The formula isn't bad, it applies a little streaky with one coat (as many pale pastels do), but with two coats, the color seems to merge together with no streaks. I think it's a lovely shade for the Spring/Summer for most skintones. The color really brightens up my hands, which I really like.

I apologize that the majority of my NOTD posts are of Love & Beauty Polishes, but they seem to be the only nail polishes I own that I haven't posted already (and that I'm not sick of). Also, you can find swatches of most OPI, China Glaze & Essie all over google, but the swatches for Love & Beauty Polishes are more limited. I think I'll do a "mega post" where I'll swatch all of the shades I own.

 

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Here's Rocky since his hair cut in the beginning of the week. I didn't even know it was him when they brought him out to me. I was about to hop over the counter and knock someone out for trying to hand over an opossum instead of my little furball, but his new "do" seems to have settled nicely after a week, and he's looking very handsome. :)

He always stops in his tracks when I ask him "Where's Grandma?"

Golden Glitter Nails with Love & Beauty Clear/Silver Nail Polish!

Swatches

Clear/Silver (Unique name, right?) is a clear based polish with a very fine golden bronze & multi-colored (holographic) glitter and a larger silver glitter. The polish is very sheer with one coat, and the silver glitter stands out more than anything. With a few coats, the color deepens to a glittery golden bronze filled with silver flecks. It's a color that really stands out in the sunlight. 

The color looks a lot like MAC Reflects Antique Gold Pigment mixed with 3D Silver Pigment. 

I tested the polish out on my nails in a couple of different ways. Alone, over a taupe colored polish and over a black polish.

 Left to Right: Three coats of Clear/Silver, One coat of taupe/nude polish (Love & Beauty Camel) with one coat of Clear/Silver on top & One coat of black nail polish (Wet n Wild) with one coat of Clear/Silver on top.

The color is definitely too sheer to be worn with one coat, but I really like the way it looks when it is built with several. I also think it looks very pretty over the taupe and black.

I have terrible nails at the moment because one broke (the middle) all the way at the end, so I had no choice but to cut them all short. I will be doing an actual NOTD with this color soon - hopefully, i'll be able to capture the glitter better because the photos don't do this shade justice. It's much more of an eye-catcher in person.

Love & Beauty Nail Polishes can be purchased online and in-store at Forever 21.

NOTD: Color Club Revvvolution (OPI My Private Jet's Fraternal Twin) + Comparison!

Two (2) coats of Color Club Revvvolution & One (1) coat of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Top Coat.

Two (2) coats of Color Club Revvvolution & One (1) coat of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Top Coat.

Color Club Revvvolution is a glossy gunmetal with a fine holographic shimmer. Indoors (in dim lighting) the color appears as a gunmetal-black with fine silver shimmer. The holo is definitely noticeable, but it's when your nails hit the sunlight, the rainbow holo shines in all it's glory. What I love about this polish is that it's not your mediocre black that contains holographic glitter. When this color is painted on you nails, it paints a sheet of holo on your nails. Your whole nail has the holo effect, not only just the glitter. (Hard to explain, but do you know what I mean? Basically, the glitter isn't the star of the polish. The polish is the star.) Also, the formula is great. It's a little thick though, but dries fairly quick and is opaque with one coat.

Some compare this to the very difficult-to-find OPI My Private Jet, the ORIGINAL version. The original "MPJ" was a beautiful black/gunmetal filled with holographic shimmer. Then, the formula changed to the one I have. Many reviewers hated the new formulation of MPJ, but it's actually one of my favorite polishes. Of course the original was amazing, and I've hoped for over a year to score a bottle at some point, but Color Club Revvvolution comes as a close dupe.

Comparison

Left: OPI My Private Jet, Right: Color Club Revvvolution

Top: Color Club Revvvolution, Bottom: OPI My Private Jet

Swatched on clear tape, Left: OPI My Private Jet, Right: Color Club Revvvolution

What's obvious about Revvvoluion in comparison to MPJ is it has a true holo effect, while MPJ falls short. MPJ has less shimmer, and has a combination of micro-fine glitter and chunkier glitter. Revvvolution has purely micro-fine glitter. Revvvolution also appears a bit lighter in color - more pewter, whereas MPJ appears more black. Also, MPJ has that funky reddish purple pearl to it in the sunlight. 

I purchased my bottle of Color Club Revvvolution on eBay for around $6.

NOTD: Neopolitan Colored Nails!

Last night I had attempted to do some tape designs with nail polish, inspired by Chloe's Nails amazing designs, but it didn't really work out for me. I picked the wrong choice of a nail polish, and no matter how long I left it to dry (even after a half hour and a few sprays of quick dry finishing spray & a fast dry top coat), each time I put a piece of tape on my fingernail, it lifted my polish off and I would have to redo the nail. Orly Cotton Candy is a gorgeous color, but not a huge fan of the formula. It's the type of polish that dries like soft plastic and you can make dents in it a long time after it is dry.

So, my "tape design" was a complete fail and I decided to freehand what I envisioned. I love taupe and peach-pink together, so after two coats of Orly Cotton Candy, I applied Love & Beauty Taupe on an angle to the tips of my nails. Then, I applied a white line with a nail design pen and Wet n Wild glitter over the taupe & white line. Then, finished it off with Sally Hansen Insta' Dri Top Coat. 

The outcome was okay, I wish the lines were more precise. I'll be attempting to do this again but with a different polish, that dries faster.