Happy Halloween!

Good Morning! Happy Halloween! I hope everyone is safe today, no matter what you do. I have no plans besides going to work and maybe a trip to the mall after. Today I have my first and probably last nail art post. I'm not very good at nail art, as you will see. I'm pretty artistic but it doesn't transfer to my nails, and I'm too lazy to practice lol. I took this off right after I did it, and my NOTD for Halloween is China Glaze Fortune Teller, which I will post about in a few days.
Evil Skeleton Pumpkin nails:

Holy Cr*!&@#

Happy Sunday all! I will be back with more posts tomorrow, I'm writing up the weeks posts tonight. I just found something while checking Nouveau Cheap, for the weekly cosmetic sales and I'm ELATED. I saw G's post linking swatches to the discontinued 2/$10 Ulta polishes and I found that she linked a swatch on the page to my blog post on OPI Peach A Boo. Click the link to check out all of the other swatches as well.
Thank you G! I'm honored as I'm utterly in love with your blog. :oD

Also, I found OPI Dear Santa this week and I picked up two. It's classified as VHTF and goes for $30-$35 on Ebay. I plan a holiday giveaway and this will be one of the polishes!

My Third Franken: Peacock (and a FAIL pic)

Hi! Today I have my third franken. After Emerald City I wasn't sure if I could top it, and this kind of turned into a fail. I was using various blue hex and bar glitters (all by Recollections, purchased at Michaels) when I decided to spice it up and add a few pieces of purple. Within second, the purple literally took over and caused a mess. This is not what I envisioned. To make matters worse, I added some of the loose WnW holographic glitter that has shown up on Halloween displays and it took it over the top. I'm unhappy with this, too much holo and too much bar glitter. Oh well, you live and you learn.

Here's another fail pic of another franken. I did mostly magenta/pink glitter and wanted to add a few black, and it also became a mess. Damn bleeding glitters. And even though I'm using Confetti Tiara (which I read on MUA was good for frankens) my glitter is still sinking.
Help! Any frankeners have advice?

YUCK!

Wet n' Wild Ready To Pounce

I've been stalking the local drugstores for the Wet n' Wild On The Prowl collection since I first saw the swatches. When I say stalking I really mean it. I finally stopped last week and gave up hope lol. I was able to snag a few of them, one of them Ready To Pounce. Ready To Pounce is a deep purple with a shimmer finish. In certain light it almost looks black, but when the light hits you can see it's purple. It's really gorgeous and the formula was great for the price.

(BTW, my new favorite blog is http://www.nouveaucheap.com/, I got out of make up in the past few years and just used my HG finds, but she now has me stalking the drugstores for Wet n' Wild nail polish AND new make up lol)

The swatches below are two coats of Ready To Pounce and a coat of Seche Vite.

NYX Girls Dorothy

Helllllooooo there :)  Today I have only 1 swatch for you, but I'm not happy with the photos I have so I'm just going to share the only one I'm happy with. It's NYX Girls Dorothy, which is said to be a dupe of Deborah Lippmann's Ruby Red Slippers. There's nothing more that I love then finding a dupe for an expensive polish.

NYX Girls Dorothy has small round and larger hex red glitter in a charcoal/black polish. I needed three coats to get the base to the deep base shown here. The formula was tricky, but nothing terrible.

The swatch below is three coats of Dorothy and one coat of Seche Vite.

The Liebster Blog Award

I came home to a pleasant surprise tonight, I received the Liebster Blog Award from Amanda @ Amandalandish!!!

I've been following Amanda's blog for a couple of weeks now, and just the fact that she nominated me is an honor - since her nails are P-E-R-F-E-C-T. After I read up on the Liebster Blog Award, it came to my memory that I received this in September from Meghan @ Pinupcherrymakeup and I never got around to returning the favor, so I sincerely apologize Meghan!

A little background on the Liebster Blog Award is it goes to newer blogs with less than 200 followers (I chose under 300, I couldn't help myself lol). You're only supposed to pass it on to 5, but I love the following blogs and honestly think they each deserve some love. In no particular order:

Strictly nail polish:
Amandalandish
Alexandra RC
I Drink Nail Polish
STRONGnails
Lacquer Ninja
The Lacquer Lounge

Nail polish, Perfume, etc:
Bubbles & Baubles

Nail polish & Make up:
Pinupcherrymakeup

Here are the guidelines for the Liebster if you would like to participate and pass this on. If not no hard feelings, I'm happy to just look at your swatches and read your posts :)

Here are the "rules" for winning this award:

-Copy and paste the award on your blog.

-Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.

-Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

-Hope that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.

Thank you to all of my followers who have stuck with me! I plan on having a giveaway for the holidays, so stay tuned! XoXo

China Glaze Anklets of Amethyst

Good Morning!  Today I have China Glaze Anklets of Amethyst for you. I never saw swatches of this on the blogs I follow, but I saw this when out shopping and I knew I had to have it. Anklets of Amethyst is a gorgeous light purple with heavy shimmer. This polish literally glows on the nail. The only downfall was the formula, I needed three coats to get it to the bottle color.

The swatches below are three coats of China Glaze Anklets of Amethyst and a coat of Seche Vite.

Essie Bobbing For Baubles

Happy Monday! Today's post is all about Essie Bobbing For Baubles. It's from the new winter 2011 collection. Bobbing For Baubles is a very dusty medium blue polish, with a creme finish. It's really gorgeous and I can't say enough about how fantastic the formula is. The formula on the last few Essie collections really stands out, in my opinion.

The swatches below are two coats of Essie Bobbing For Baubles and a coat of Seche Vite. Sorry about the sheet marks, I have a bottle of Seche Vite that doesn't ever want to dry! I can never remember which bottle it is, since I have sooo many bottles of SV laying around :o/

Orly Fresh

Hello! Don't worry - it's not another Color Club post! lol. I usually try my best to mix it up and I realized I did three Color Club back to back. As much as I love Color Club I'm trying to keep it interesting for you guys.

Today I have Orly's Fresh from their Happy Go Lucky collection from late summer. I picked this up at Sally's on the clearance rack for $1.99. I liked it so much I was planning to pay full price for it, I just happened to get lucky. It's a bright green creme polish. It's not quite neon, but it's bold and bright and I love it. Formula was easy to work with.

I was so excited to review this and when I put the photos on the computer I realized I have a cotton ball fuzzy stuck to my nail. FAIL :(

This is two coats of Fresh with no top coat.

Color Club Fame and Fortune

Good Morning! Happy Saturday! Today's post is all about Color Club's Fame and Fortune from the Backstage Pass collection. This is one of the two I was missing during the original collection post I did.

It's my 26th birthday today, so I figured I would pick a polish related to that. Something fun and flashy! The name in itself speaks for the year I would like to have. I'm all about the possibility of any Fortune this year (hello, I'd like to win the lotto!) and if I had to incorporate Fame into my plans for this year, I would like my blog to be a little more well known (but not quite 'famous' as I do this for pure fun and enjoyment, and want to keep it that way)

I layered Fame and Fortune over OPI's Koala Bear-y. Fame and Fortune has 'shards' of holographic glitter pieces. It reminds me of broken glass/mosaic pieces. It's really beautiful. The base is a little sheer so I decided to layer it, and OPI Koala Bear-y seemed to be the perfect match. Koala Bear-y is a beautiful berry pink and the formula is fantastic. Fame and Fortune is easier to work with than the rest of the Backstage Pass collection, but with any large glitter pieces can be a little tricky to place.

The photos below show 2 coats of Color Club Fame and Fortune, 1 coat of OPI Koala Bear-y and a coat of Seche Vite.

Color Club Shabby Drab

Good Morning! Today I have another polish from Color Club's Back To Boho collection, Shabby Drab. I bought almost all of the Back To Boho collection just because I think they are that great. I really wish we had a Ross here in NY, I would love a set for $7.99. I bought these at Fashion Nail Supply in Queens, NY.

Shabby Drab is a really pretty dusty periwinkle. There have been a few blog comparisons to Zoya's Caitlin and they seem to be pretty close. I don't own Zoya's Caitlin so I can't do a comparison for you guys. The formula on this was a little sheer but definitely buildable.

The photos below are three coats of Shabby Drab, no top coat.

Color Club Earthy Angel

Good Morning! Today I have another Color Club for you. This one is Earthy Angel from the Back to Boho collection.

I normally don't wear nudes, but when I saw this swatch on LTHP I knew I had to have it. It's a nude creme that leans a little red. I love this on everyone else, but I honestly feel it doesn't work on me. The formula was great and easy to work with.

The photos below are two coats of Earthy Angel with no top coat. Please excuse the dryness, I'm working on it. It's getting cold here in New York. ;)
Thoughts on the new photos/lighting?

My Second Franken - Emerald City

Hello! :)  Here is my second franken. I was walking through Michael's craft store when I came across a package of multi colored hex glitters. I instantly thought of frankening my own creation while I wait for my invoice from Lynnderella. I'm actually in LOVE with what I came up with!  I named in Emerald City. I put it over 1 coat of Color Club's Artsy Craftsy which is also a great polish.

Side note - I'm also playing with where I take my photos. The first two photos are in my new spot, the second photos are where I normally take them. Thoughts? I'm really feeling the first two shots! I like the lighting, but is it too dark?

Hare Polish Brisbee

Good Morning! Today I have another polish from Nikole over at Nailing It! This is another gorgeous one and I recommend you check out her shop on Etsy.

Brisbee is a gorgeous teal jelly with golden hex glitter. It totally reminds me of gold coins in the Caribbean sea. Not that I've ever been to the Caribbean, but this is what I imagine lol. You can see the glitter more in Brisbee than in Pegasus due to the base being a little more sheer.

This is three coats of Brisbee and a coat of Seche Vite.

Hare Polish Pegasus

Today I have something truly special to show you, something that I had been lemming for quite some time -- my first Hare Polish!!! If you aren't aware, Nikole from Nailing It! on Tumblr (http://www.nailingit.tumblr.com/) makes her own frankens and opens up her shop every few weeks. I missed the last sale but definitely got to this one. She sells on Etsy.com and they went up at 11pm and all 80 bottles were gone by 11:03? I had all 4 polishes that she sells in my cart and when I went to check out at 11:03 A Positive had been removed from my basket and sold already, but I will get it next time!

Up first for review is Pegasus, which is absolutely gorgeous. The first time I saw photos of this I new I had to have it. It's such a beautiful lilac purple with hex glitter mixed in. In the polish the hex glitter looks silver and white, but upon removal I found it was all silver. I did three medium coats. I am going to try layering this over next time, because by the 3rd coat I lost the glitter that went down on the first coat because the base is pretty opaque.

This is three coats of Pegasus and a coat of Seche Vite. Please excuse the ring finger, I smudged it and tried to fix it the best I could.
On a side note, could the bottles be any better? The hare labels are aaaaaaaaaamazing!

Color Club Beyond The Mistletoe swatches

Good evening! Is anyone else watching the Real Housewives of NJ reunion? OMG. It's insane and I think it's the best episode of the season! LOL. Tonight I have 5 of the 6 Color Club Beyond The Mistletoe collection, which may just be the best winter collection to come out this year. I picked these up at 8ty8 Beauty on Saturday and couldn't wait to swatch them. I actually sat in the parking lot staring at these babies for a few minutes, they are that amazing. I'm missing Gingerbread, it wasn't on the racks but I'm going back in 2 weeks anyway so I plan on picking it up then.

All of the photos shown here are 2 coats without base/top coats. They are all pretty opaque. The formulas were easy to work with as far as glitters go and dry time was good. I took photos in different lighting to show the holographic effects as best as possible. As mentioned before in other posts, my camera hates holos :(

Sugarplum Fairy

Sugarplum Fairy has lilac and holographic glitter in a clear base. This is one of the most holographic in the collection. It's truly gorgeous.

Candy Cane

Candy Cane has red, pink and silver glitter in a clear base. This one holographic but it really is pretty. It definitely reminds me of Candy Canes and it's so girly.

Holiday Splendor

Holiday Splendor is holographic glitter in a teal base. This is the only polish from the collection that's not in clear base. This really surprised me, it's so beautiful. It's similar to Untamed Luxury and reminds me of China Glaze Atlantis (which happens to be my all time favorite polish).

Jingle Jangle

Jingle Jangle is blue, lilac/pink, and light green (possibly blue?) in a clear base. Another stunner. Like Candy Cane, this polish is not holographic.

Beyond The Mistletoe

Beyond The Mistletoe is light blue and holographic glitter in a clear base. This is the most holographic of the bunch (with Sugarplum Fairy coming in a close second).

If you have a chance to pick up a this collection, don't pass it up. Seriously. I know from blogs and MUA that a lot of people get the sets at Ross for $7.99 but I would definitely pay full price for these again. I know these are a holiday collection, but I would wear them 365 days a year. They are G-R-E-A-T!

What do you guys think of these? Will you be picking them up?

Color Club Beyond The Mistletoe swatches & review will be up later tonight

Happy Sunday! I'll be back tonight with another post. I picked up Color Club's Beyond The Mistletoe collection yesterday at 8ty8. The only one I didn't pick up was Gingerbread, because it wasn't on the racks (and I know I'm going back in 2 weeks anyway).  I went out after I picked these up but as soon as I got home I swatched them. I'll have a full review up tonight. I took a TON of photos.

I also found a Merle Norman about 2-3 miles from my house yesterday. I went in there and hit it big time. I found OPI Hussy (Merle Norman's LE exclusive polish), and three from the 2009 Holiday Collection - Crimson Carol, Shim-Merry Chic, and Ginger Bells. I'm going to check the yellowpages and see if there are any other Merle Normans on Long Island.

But anyways, I'll be back tonight! :)

Color Club Wild At Heart

Good morning! Today I have Color Club's Wild at Heart polish up for review. There has been some talk about the Color Club holographic polishes, as time goes on their holographic effect gets less and less (which is what seems to happen with most brands lately). There are multiple blogs that show you the polish from 2009 and then the polish from 2011. I'm almost certain this is the 2011 version as it's not as holographic.

Wild At Heart is a beautiful medium/deep purple, it's dark but not too dark. It's the perfect purple and it's really flattering. It has a subtle holographic finish. Formula is amazing and beyond easy to work with. Color Club just might have my favorite brush ever. Can I say anything more positive about this polish? Have I sold you on it yet? LOL

The photos below are two coats of Wild At Heart and a coat of Seche Vite (which didn't seem to dull the holo IMO)