Sally Hansen Spark In The Dark Over Wet 'n' Wild All Access Gradient

Purchased

Hurrah for Friday!  It's been a long week and I'm glad it's nearly over.  It'll be my last weekend alone before the in-laws come out, followed by my parents through the end of summer.  I'm going to make the most of it, and try to relax, have fun, and minimize any errands.  How do you plan on spending your weekend?

I've been neglecting nail art over the past couple months and decided to do a quick gradient using the new Wet 'n' Wild Megalast All Access Summer collection.  I started with a base of the lightest color,  A Venice Day, which required three coats for opacity.  Next I sponged on the three gradient colors - A Venice Day, Love Me Some Muscle, and Beat Of A Generation together.  The middle shade, Love Me Some Muscle, ended up getting bullied out by the more pigmented pink of Beat Of A Generation.  I'm happy the way the colors blended together because it looks like a warm tropical sunset.  Pardon my crappy clean up, it's hard to do my nails when LO wakes up in the middle of my polish hour!

I added some visual interest to the gradient with Sally Hansen Spark In The Dark, a clear glitter topcoat containing matte black bar and hex glitter and gold hex glitter. Probably not the best layering combination with the gradient but I've been wanting to try this one out for a while.  There's something about that gold and black glitter combination that makes me weak in the knees!  Keep in mind when using this polish that the suspension base is thick like typical glitter bases, but when it dries it tends to shrink the base paint beneath it - you'll want to make sure to paint up to if not beyond your base color on your nail bed.  This is finished with a layer of topcoat.

Somehow with this combination I turned a beautiful tropical sunset into a bad neon eighties outfit.  LOL.  Well, at least I got Sparks In The Dark out of my system and it's no longer an untried, however, I'll have to come up with a more complimentary base color the next time I brave using it.  Blue maybe?  This is one reason why I have a hard time wearing gold accessories - it's so hard for me to coordinate!  Do you ever have this problem?

Purchased

Zoya Muse Swatch And Review With Bonus Wet 'n' Wild Matte Topcoat

Press Sample

I'm glad that I'm going back to the gym, even though the gym is not my favorite way to work out.  I like to keep in shape, whether it be dancing, swimming, or plain old running, but it's been hard to do it with LO needing so much attention.  The gym has been convenient, and she's been adjusting well to their daycare.  I managed to increase my ten minute initial workout to a whole forty minutes.  Yay!  Now I work on losing those last few post pregnancy pounds.  How do you like to keep in shape?

I have a new summer 2014 release from Zoya's Bubbly collection called Muse that I couldn't wait to show you.  It's the only blue from this collection, and like the others, it features gold microglitter and holo hex glitters in a "blue raspberry" jelly base.  The formula wasn't sticky like most jellies and it applied incredibly easily without any streaking or stacking of the hex glitters.   I finished this with a layer of topcoat for added shine.

Zoya Muse

Zoya Muse

Zoya Muse

Zoya Muse

Zoya Muse

Zoya Muse

How bubbly is that?  The holo hex glitters sandwiched inside the jelly base look exactly like bubbles suspended in blue ocean water.  The gold shimmer is reminiscent of sunshine rippling through the water waves.  I can't wait to show the rest of the collection, with all that jelly holo hex glitters sammich goodness!

Of course, what's the obvious next step when confronted with a jelly glitter sammich?  Matte all the glittah!

Zoya Muse Matted

Zoya Muse Matted

Zoya Muse Matted

Zoya Muse Matted

Le sigh.

Press Sample

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance Swatch And Review

Purchased

Success!!  I managed to take LO to the gym today and she only cried a few minutes before settling into their daycare.  I didn't want to push my luck though, and only worked out for about half an hour.  I'm excited about this because not only do I finally get to focus on my health and weight, but getting out the house allows LO to interact and have fun with other kids and activities.  Yay!

In my untried stash, I found a beauty by My Ten Friends called Planetary Romance.  I don't know how I overlooked this gem, but it's a lovely orchid purple shimmer with hot pink hexes, gold micoglitter, and gold squares and hexes.  Conceptually it sounds like a simple combination, but visually it comes together in a harmonious mix that reminds me of a beautiful lei of flowers.  The formula itself is sheer and I need four coats to build up opacity, but fortunately the glitters are not overly dense and the final result is well balanced.  I finished this with a layer of topcoat for smoothness and shine.

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance

Planetary Romance is a perfect name for this polish because the pink hexes are a romantic take of pink planets in a purpled out deep space with gold twinkling stars.  My Ten Friends always manages to make some extraordinary polishes in unique color combinations and luckily she's planning on having a restock later this month.  Keep an eye on the MTF Facebook page for further updates and hopefully some new releases.  What's better than more galaxy polishes to add to a girl's collection??

Purchased

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm Swatch And Review

Purchased

Hello darlings!  Did you enjoy your weekend?  Ours was a quiet weekend, which is always a nice weekend at our house.  LO has some sniffles, so we didn't got to the pool like planned.  Instead, we tried to use our new gym membership which included daycare services.  Our workout didn't last long, however, because after 10 minutes we got a call saying that she hadn't stopped crying since we left her in their care.  It's going to take time for her to get adjusted to the new surroundings, which means each subsequent workout is going to be 5 minutes longer.  Hopefully by the end of the month I'll get a full hour workout!

Today's polish is a white crelly based glitter that allowed me to knock to untrieds in one shot.  I started with a layer of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On, a white cream proported to be one of the best drugstore whites out there.  I'm always looking for a good white, and I was not let down by this one at all.  I used only one full coverage coat and I had no issues with streaking.  Perfect!  For the star of the show, I used two coats of Liguid Glam Lucky Charm, aptly named for its colorful squares of turquoise, hot pink, and yellow glitters that mimic a certain cereal.  In retrospect, I could have used one coat of Lucky Charm and gotten a similar effect but without as much crowding of glitters.  Application itself was a cakewalk, with no issues with dragging or stacking of the adorable squares.  I finished this with a layer of topcoat for shine.

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm

I really love the fanciful mix of glitters, especially considering that they're square glitters.  I have used a white base in a long time either, and the bright colors really pop against the blank canvas.  Although I think one coat would have been enough, I can't help not regretting the two coats because it's so much fun to apply the square glitters.  Liquid Glam certainly has created a polish that is addictive to use and addictive to stare upon, which makes it worth every penny IMO.  This polish is still available in the storefront, and features a 5 free formula and free shipping every day.  Score!

Purchased

Hare Polish Elysian Fields Swatch And Review

Happy Wednesday!  I can't believe mother's day is right around the corner.  Are you planning anything special for the weekend?  My brother is coming down to visit - I may have to take him sightseeing so I can knock some to-dos off my list!

Today's eye candy from Hare Polish Viva Los Angeles collection is Elysian Fields, a complex dark aqua leaning green base with tiny matte yellow glitters highlighted with a combination of iridescent and gold colored flakies.  This particular combination is probably the least complex of the collection, but it's namesake is best represented with simplicity.  Elysian Fields is a park located right outside Dodger stadium, which is on a hill next to downtown Los Angeles.  Shame on me again, this is another vista that I have not seen myself, other than driving by every day when I was working on that side of town.  It's funny being a resident in an abundant sightseeing city - I always plan to visit the spots but always chalk it up to next weekend.  Doesn't that happen to everyone?  The formula of Elysian fields is easy to apply but low in pigmentation.  I used three thin coats here but maybe I should have used an extra layer or applied it on more thickly.  The density of glitter is perfect, however, and I got the right amount of distribution across the nail.  This is all finished with a layer of topcoat.

Hare Polish Elysian Fields

Hare Polish Elysian Fields

Hare Polish Elysian Fields

Hare Polish Elysian Fields

Hare Polish Elysian Fields

Hare Polish Elysian Fields

Isn't that a gorgeous shade of green?  It's got a touch of teal to it, and iridescent flakies bring forth images of the cloudless clear blue skies that is always present in LA.  The yellow microglitters are like little sunwarmed dandelions sprinkled along the hillside.  The weather here in LA is amazing, always sunny and clear, with the perfect warm but not hot temperature during the day and cooler evenings.  I mentally curse the price of living here in this city, but I know it's worth it for the weather alone.  It's a love-hate relationship, that's for sure!

Hare Polish From The Balcony Of Chateau Marmont Swatch And Review

Happy Tuesday!  Are you hung over from Cinco de Mayo?  If not, hopefully you had some yummy Mexican food to celebrate.

Hooray!  Hare Polish recently released a collection inspired by the city of my home, called Viva Los Angeles.  Upon hearing this, I knew it was a great time to break my mini ban and splurge on the collection.  Living in Los Angeles has its pros and cons, and it's always nice to be reminded of the beauty found within this desert city.  I'll be sharing a swatch of each polish in the collection over the next few posts.

The first polish is From The Balcony Of Chateau Marmont, a pool blue base loaded with pink, white, black, and gold microglitters with a dusting of gold flakie shimmer.  Nikole's inspiration is the pool side view from Chateau Marmont, an experience that I've not yet had the pleasure of experiencing.  I suppose it's never been high on my list of things to do in LA, but after wearing this polish, I'm making a mental note to put it higher on the list. Chateau Marmont is located off of the infamous Sunset Strip, and is well known for its celebrity popularity.  To achieve opacity, I used three coats here and had no issues with balding, glitter stacking, or dragging.  I added extra shine with two layers of topcoat.

Hare Polish From The Balcony Of Chateau Marmont

Hare Polish From The Balcony Of Chateau Marmont

Hare Polish From The Balcony Of Chateau Marmont

Hare Polish From The Balcony Of Chateau Marmont

Hare Polish From The Balcony Of Chateau Marmont

Hare Polish From The Balcony Of Chateau Marmont

I can see pink blooms above the vibrant blue water of the pool, along with the glow of the ever present LA sunlight.  I love that this polish contains unexpected glitters like the tiny black glitters against the blue base.  It's not something I would think to add myself, but along with the other glitters, it comes together to create a harmonious canvas.  There's also an illusion of added length to my nails, and suddenly they seem impossibly long. It might be time to take down some of that length.  In the meantime, I'm looking forward to swatching the rest of these polishes with their beautiful unexpected color combinations.  Its a true representation of LA, which is finding unexpected delicate beauty in a dusty congested desert city.  Stay tuned for more!

Orly Interglactic Space and Wet 'n' Wild Matte Finish Topcoat Swatch And Review

I have to admit, having my nerdy little brother(reformed brat) visit me for a weekend is pretty nice!  He hooked up my entertainment center with a new audio receiver, added an HD antenna, and programmed a digital universal remote so I could get rid of the three remotes that we were originally juggling.  Sweet!  I don't want to know what it cost, but I'm sure it wasn't cheap.  Tech items aren't something I'd splurge on, so having a generous and nerdy little brother is much appreciated!

Today's polish has implanted one of my all time favorite Beastie Boy's song "Intergalactic" into my brain.  I can't say I'm annoyed by it since I haven't heard it for a long time.  This polish is called Intergalactic Space by Orly, and with its purple jelly base and abundance of purple, pink, and gold glitters, it does remind me of one of those colorful photos of space.  There's also a smattering of matte white circle glitters that were shy coming out, and I imagine those would be considered the suns among the golden stars.  Application was surprisingly easy considering the saturation of glitter, and I needed only two coats for full coverage.  No streaking or clumping here!  I finished with a layer of topcoat because it dried with a slight matte finish.

Orly Interglactic Space

Orly Interglactic Space

Orly Interglactic Space

Orly Interglactic Space

Orly Interglactic Space

Orly Interglactic Space

 A glitter polish with this much density absolutely requires a matte topcoat to fully enjoy all that glitter, so I found this the perfect opportunity to try out Wet 'n' Wild's 99 cent version.  I heard a lot of good reviews about it and was excited to finally try it out.  I managed to score a bunch of these recently for free with the $1 off coupon in the circulars a couple weeks ago.  It applied easily despite the wonky brush and dried super fast to a wonderfully matte finish with no hint of satin shine.  Faboo!

Orly Interglactic Space With Wet 'n' Wild Matte Topcoat

Orly Interglactic Space With Wet 'n' Wild Matte Topcoat

Orly Interglactic Space With Wet 'n' Wild Matte Topcoat

Orly Interglactic Space With Wet 'n' Wild Matte Topcoat

Those tiny iridescent glitters are much more prominent with the matte topcoat, and thus much more appreciated visually.  I'm so happy that I don't have to hunt for anymore of my former favorite matte topcoat by Essie and I don't have to spend a chunk on BL's version either.  And don't forget free!  I heard there's another WnW coupon coming out in the circulars sometime in the next week or two, so don't forget to cut it out so you can get a bottle for free too.  But then again, 99 cents ain't half bad either!