Thursday, December 31, 2015

Polished for Days - New Years Duo: Swatches

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Hi all! A VERY Happy New Year to everyone! I just want to thank each and every one of you guys that spent time reading and looking at my blog this year. It is so very appreciated. :)

Today I have swtaches of a fun new New Years duo by one of my favorite brands, Polished for Days! This duo is sold only as a pair but I think both of them are quite nice so having both in your collection should be no problem at all ;)

For those who don't know Polished for Days, this is a 5-Free, Vegan friendly, and cruelty free company which is always great to support. Let's take a look!

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Themed Thursday - December 20: Candy Canes

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Hey all! SUPER quick post today as I'm hustling to finish up all my last minute holiday things! I've got the next round of Themed Thursday to share today! Candy Canes!

Well, these aren't quite candy canes, more like those little peppermint mints that you get from restaurants! But they still remind me of this time of year :)


Monday, December 21, 2015

LVX - Winter Resort 2016: Swatches & Review

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Hey all! I've got swatches of the stunning Winter Resort 2016 polishes by LVX to share with you today and boy are they beauties! LVX always manages to create collections with incredibly versatile color palettes. While I absolutely see a "winter" collection in this set of polishes, I can also pull each polish out separately and see myself wearing it year round. That in my opinion is the mark of a great collection.

For those who don't know, LVX is a 7-Free (I know! Awesome, right?), vegan friendly, and cruelty free nail polish brand that focuses on bringing you luxury and fashion without compromises. They find inspiration from high fashion and offer shades in the top colors of the season. So...let's take a look!

Themed Thursday - December 17: Santa Claus & Friends

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Hi Guys! Another short and sweet post because I am exhausted! I've been so busy but I've got a bunch of Themed Thursday posts coming your way as well as a few more reviews so let's dig in! :D

So this Themed Thursday post is actually meant for last Thursday, December 17th but I was super busy and just emotionally drained so the idea of doing nail art was just...bleh! Not going to happen! Anyhow - I am SO excited about how today's manicure turned out! The theme for the 17th was Santa and Friends so I of course had to paint Santa and his Reindeer!

Sunday, December 20, 2015

40 Great Nail Art Ideas - Christmas

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Hi, everyone! I've got a few posts to share today so they'll be short and sweet but still full of drool worthy photos, I promise ;)

I'm slightly behind, but this week for the 40 Great Nail Art Idea challenge, we're all taking on the theme of Christmas! I know we're still a week out from the holiday, but it's still fun to have all the themed manis out before the big day!


Friday, December 18, 2015

Ginger + Liz - Holiday Trio: Swatches, Review, & Nail Art

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Hi, all! I have swatches from Ginger + Liz to share with you all today! This is my second time trying out their polishes and I have to say, I'm a huge fan. This collection once again showed their


Thursday, December 17, 2015

Cirque Colors - Metropolis Collection, December: Swatches & Nail Art

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Hello, all! I have another post to share with you today! Continuing along with our swatches of the FANTASTIC Cirque Metropolis collection, I have December's creme to share today! You can never go wrong with any polish by Cirque (in my opinion - they're one of my favorite brands!) and this is no exception!


Paint All The Nails: Secret Santa Edition

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Hello, my friends! I have an extra special edition of Paint All the Nails to share today! Usually our group votes on one theme and each of us comes up with our own manicure inspired by that theme. However, this month, we're doing a special Secret Santa edition! That means, each of us were assigned another group member to be inspired by! Essentially, it was an amazing opportunity to pour over past posts from our talented members and really appreciate all they're capable of creating with nail art <3


Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Salon Perfect Season's Greeting Giveaway - Limited Edition Holiday Polishes

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Hi guys!! I have a SUPER exciting post for you all today! I have teamed up with the generous folks over at Salon Perfect to help host an awesome holiday polish giveaway!! There will be not one, but FOURTEEN (14) winners who will each receive their very own set of these polishes. How awesome is that!? In addition to the 4 glitter polishes, you'll also receive a bottle of Salon Perfect's signature white polish, Sugar Cube and a bottle of Salon Perfect's Top Coat (my favorite top coat EVER).

These 4 shades are all limited edition and will not be available or sold in stores. So, that means that the only way to get your polishes hands on these is by winning a set! I swatched these babies to give you an idea of what you'll be winning so let's take a quick look.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Themed Thursday - December 13: Gingerbread

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Hey, all! I'm going to keep things short and sweet today because I am EXHAUSTED! I've been a painting and photo/video editing machine all weekend and let me tell you - it's a ton of work!

Today I've finally got my Themed Thursday post (special Sunday edition!) ready to share on time! It's a Christmas miracle! Today's challenge prompt was gingerbread! I went back and forth on whether I should paint gingerbread men or their houses...or both? Ultimately though, I got inspired by this print and decided to just go with all gingerbread houses! Besides, they're the fun part of winter desserts ;)


Saturday, December 12, 2015

40 Great Nail Art Ideas - Winter

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Well, hello, hello! I have finally gotten my act together enough this week to get back to posting with the fabulous ladies that contribute to the 40 Great Nail Art Ideas each week! As we're getting close to the official first day of winter, we've gone with a theme of...you guessed it, winter!

I decided to go with something a bit non-traditional for my winter look, though because it's a fair isle print christmas sweater style look, I figured it still very much counts for winter!


Thursday, December 10, 2015

Polished for Days - Holiday Collection: Swatches, Review & Nail Art

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Happy Thursday, all! I have had such an insanely busy work week but I'm finally getting to share some beautiful new polishes from one of my favorite indies, Polished for Days! The Holiday Collection consists of 6 shades thoughtfully curated to get you through the holiday season...though I think there are quite a few polishes in this collection that will be worn year round by yours truly!

Polished for Days is 5-Free, Cruelty free, and Vegan friendly...let's take a look!


Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Themed Thursday - December 6th, Chanukah

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Hello, all! I've got a super short and sweet post to share with you today! I'm playing a bit of catch up because I was under the weather over the weekend and wasn't able to post my special edition Sunday Themed Thursday post.

Sunday was the first day of Hanukah so it felt only right to do a Chanukah inspired mani as one of our challenge prompts!


Monday, December 7, 2015

SugarLOOM Cosmetics - Fair Isle Print Nail Art

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Hello all! Is everyone getting excited for the holidays? I know not everyone celebrates, but I love the opportunity to be inspired by the decorations, the scenery, and just the season in general. With that in mind, I've got some festive nail art to share with you today and I'm in love with how it turned out!

If you'll recall, last week I reviewed the 4 polishes from the SugarLOOM Cosmetics Holiday gift set, A Sparkly Staycation. While I really liked the entire collection, I especially loved Fuzzy Sweater, a deep magenta textured polish. I also loved the name as it brought to mind Fair Isle fuzzy sweaters...so naturally I had to paint that over this!


Thursday, December 3, 2015

Themed Thursday - December 3rd: Ornaments

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Hi, all! So incredibly excited about this month's Themed Thursday challenge prompts! Kelli and I came up with a special edition Holiday themed challenge this month and we'll be posting on both Thursdays AND Sundays! I can not wait!

Our first prompt is "presents/ornaments" and I ended up going with the latter part of the prompt - so here are my ornament nails!


Sunday, November 29, 2015

SugarLOOM Cosmetics - A Sparkly Staycation: Swatches & Review

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Hello, all! I have swatches of the beautiful and festive Holiday collection by SugarLOOM Cosmetics to share today! A Sparkly Staycation consists of 3 shades available as a limited edition holiday gift set and for the first 20 purchases, a bonus polish will also be included for the price of three! Additionally, if you purchase the set (or any shades from SugarLOOM), you'll receive 15% off + free shipping - use code SUGARLOOMFIX! Just be sure to use the code soon because it expires end of day Monday, 11/30.

SugarLOOM is 5 free, non-toxic, and cruelty-free. Each shade is curated and dreamed up by founder, Nitya, and aims to combine a love of nature and fashion with each color (as a nature and polish lover, I especially appreciate that last bit). Additionally, every package I have received from SugarLOOM has been beautifully wrapped and sealed with a wax emblem! Really unique and just fun to open!

I always love a well done holiday collection that looks incredible both as a set of polishes or as individual shades and this collection manages that. I can also see myself using these shades in the future even after the season's end. They'll make great stocking stuffers or general gifts for your girlfriends! The possibilities are endless, really :) The square bottles and matte black caps make for a really attractive look and will be a great addition to anyone's collection (whether they have 2 or 100 polishes). Let's take a look!

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Delush Polish - The Winter Quartet: Swatches & Nail Art

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Hello, all! I have a fab set of Holiday shades from Delush Polish to share with you today! The Winter Quartet boasts 4 holiday inspired shades that are available in full size, mini, or as part of a great limited edition gift box set. If you decide to go for the gift set, you'll get the 4 shades shown below, a choice of 1 seasonal scented cuticle oil, and a Delushous Crystal Glass Nail File all wrapped up in a festive gift box.

Additionally, Delush's Black Friday deals will be running from 11/25-11/30 and you'll receive 20% off your entire order (as well as double rewards points from the Delush site, just use code DPGIVESTHANKS). So, let's get to it and check out the set!


Tuesday, November 24, 2015

China Glaze - Cheers Holiday Collection: Swatches & Review

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Hello, hello! It's Tuesday which is usually my least favorite day of the week...however, when Tuesday's mean new China Glaze swatches to look at, I think it makes the day a whole lot better! The new Cheers Holiday collection is out now and I have swatches of the entire set of polishes for you all to take a look at!

China Glaze is without a doubt one of my favorite brands and I'm always so impressed by how they manage to come up with so many cohesive and fun collections each season. I'm really enjoying this holiday collection as there seems to be a little bit of everything - shimmers, cremes, micro-glitters, crellies, glitter toppers...lots of pretty things to swoon over. Let's take a look!

Don't you just love how the whole collection looks together!? I can't get enough of it!

Monday, November 23, 2015

KBShimmer - Winter 2015: Swatches & Review

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Hello, all! Hope the start of your week is going well! It's a short work week here in the States because this Thursday is Thanksgiving (aka my favorite holiday ever!). I love being able to catch up with family and we spend the entire time laughing and eating so I really couldn't be happier! Nothing better than that ;)

Today I have swatches of some of the fab new KBShimmer Winter polishes. I am always smitten with the polishes that Christy and her team dream up each season and love that they have such a great variety. They really create something for every one! Let's take a look! And, seeing as we're coming up on a big gifting holiday, be sure to check out my past KBShimmer posts to see if there are any other shades that might tick a few items off your list!

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Zoya - Matte Velvet, Holiday Collection: Swatches & Review

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Hello, all! I have the new Zoya Matte Velvet Holiday collection to share with you today! I am always excited when Zoya releases a new matte collection as they usually manage to do a great job of it and this time is no different.

The shimmer in each of these polishes keeps them exciting and fun while on the nail and the flat matte finish really lends itself to the overall frosty, wintery feel of this collection. Let's take a look!

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Guest Post - Very Emily

Hey everyone! I'm super excited about today's post!...but, you'll have to head on over to Very Emily to check it out ;) Let me know what you think!

Monday, November 16, 2015

Cirque Colors - Metropolis Collection, November: Swatches, Review, & Nail Art

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Hey, all! Hope you had a great Monday!! Today I'm continuing along with swatches from one of my favorite brands, Cirque Colors! Each month Cirque releases shades as part of their Metropolis collection, a series of STUNNING creme shades and I can honestly say that I've loved every single one of them so far.

Today brings us the November installment of the collection and I'm swept off my feet yet again!

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Fall Berries Nail Art

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Hey all! Hope you're having a great Sunday (or Monday morning!). I've spend the day in my pj's enjoying some nail polish and chatting with friends across the country. The fiance is currently watching football, the dogs are passed out on the couch, and I'm writing up this post! Yay! Later I'll do some of my normal Sunday chores like laundry and planning out my week (which I actually really enjoy the ritual of!).


Thursday, November 12, 2015

Doctor Lacquer - Jingle X3, Holiday Collection: Swatches & Review

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Hi, all! I have the new Doctor Lacquer Holiday themed collection, Jingle X3 to share with you all today! This is inspired by the characters of the movie Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer. I've review Doctor Lacquer a few times so I was excited to see the winter shades!

Now, I will say, when I first saw this collection out of context, I was super confused - haha! I was a bit perplexed by how this was a holiday collection. However, after being shown Rudolph and the Gang, everything came together for me!


The first five polishes in the collection are thermals, meant to change color in the bitter cold of winter. However, since I live in Southern California, my hands don't often get bone cold (and sorry guys, but I'm too big a wimp to leave my hands in an ice bucket for long!)...so because of that, I don't have colors that show the thermal shift. I've spoken with Angelyn (the genius behind Doctor Lacquer) about this and she said the color shift is meant to happen when it's very cold weather and will be a little bit of umph when you're feeling cold. I will mention the color it shifts to when cold though.

Saturday, November 7, 2015

40 Great Nail Art Ideas - Black & White

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Hi, all! Hope you're having a nice weekend! I've got a short and sweet post for right now that is part of the next round of posts for 40 Great Nail Art Ideas! This week all the ladies are taking on the color prompt of Black and White while each doing our own unique pattern prompt.

My prompt this week is "Dots"! I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to tackle this one but when I searched google for 'black and white dot art' a bunch of Aboriginal artwork popped up and I knew I wanted to do something inspired by that.


Thursday, November 5, 2015

Themed Thursday - November 5th: Leaves

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Hello, hello! It's been a whirlwind week but I hope you all had a great Halloween weekend! It's finally November (aka the best month of the year, aka my birthday month!!) and that means my BFF Kelli from The Nail Polish Challenge and I have another set of Themed Thursday prompts to share and partake in!


Friday, October 30, 2015

40 Great Nail Art Ideas - Halloween

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Hi all! Hope you're having a great day, where ever you are! It's almost Halloween and that means Halloween nail art! The ladies of the 40 Great Nail Art Ideas crew are all taking on the Halloween theme! I've really enjoyed doing Halloween nail art this month and today's mani is sort of a mix of a bunch of different Halloween things.


Thursday, October 29, 2015

Themed Thursday - October 29: Trick or Treat

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Hello, hello! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! We're just two days way from Halloween here in the states and today is also the last day of our first ever Themed Thursday month! I'm so proud to have gotten through the challenge and it's been so awesome to see all the creative manis from my fellow nail artists - you guys are rockin' it!

The final theme of the month is "Trick-or-Treat" which I wasn't entirely sure how to handle. I contemplated doing some of my favorite Halloween candy for today, but I also loved the idea of the actual act of trick-or-treating...the process of getting dressed and asking strangers for candy ;)


Saturday, October 24, 2015

40 Great Nail Art Ideas - Orange, Purple & Green

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Hello, hello! Time for another round with the ladies who contribute to the 40 Great Nail Art Ideas posts! This week we're doing another color + pattern challenge and it was a bit tricky for me to come up with an idea for it. It's pretty cool though because everyone is creating manis with Orange, Purple, & Green and then the pattern is different for almost everyone.

So today, I bring you Orange, Purple & Green decals!...and I've never done decals before. As you probably know by now, I am not a stamper. I tried it a couple times (literally) when I first got into nail art, but I was never good at it and my true love lies with freehand nail art anyway so I never tried to get better at stamping.


Friday, October 23, 2015

Themed Thursday - October 21: Blood & Gore

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Hi, guys! I'm really excited to share today's mani! So much so that I'm staying up late to edit and write this! Glad it's Friday tomorrow (er, today?) ;) I'm speed typing so I can finish this up before my melatonin kicks in and I pass out on the keyboard!

In yesterday's post I promised (well, I said I'd try!) to get caught up on my Themed Thursday posts and fortunately, I had a huge stroke of inspiration when I got home from the gym and painted my Blood & Gore mani!