Running wild, running free

Good morning, guys!

Today I'm bringing the first of my first ever Color Club purchase. I picked up the Poptastic collection at Ross this last weekend. I was so excited to see it there because all they have had was the 7 piece set with the browns. While it was pretty, I wasn't desperate to take it home with me.

Pucci-licious

Three coats over ridge filler, topped with Out the Door in full sun

I fuxxored my index finger somehow. 

I blame the humidity.

Same as above in shade

There, I fixed it!

My pics came out slightly more blue than this little baby is. It's not quite a neon but it is vibrant.

The formula was a bit runnier than I anticipated but still easy to work with. This dried very quickly and with a slightly satin-y finish. I was rather impressed with this and I'm looking forward to getting the others swatched as well.

I wore this as my NOTD on Monday and it took a massive beating. I have yet encountered a polish that can stand up to working in drive-through and sorting donations!

Monday was pretty rough for me and I was still exhausted when I woke on Tuesday so I decided to touch it up and do some layering.

Pucci-licious topped with:

Two coats L.A. Girl Rockstar Scandal

One coat Out The Door Northern Lights Top Coat

Weak, weak sun.

(It was effing cloudy all damn day!)

Same as above but with flash

I loved how this bit of layering turned out. Scandal's glitter has such brilliance. The pink flash it lent to this pretty purple was stunning. But you know me, I cannot have too much sparkly or glittery. That's why I had to use Northern Lights. Holo glitter makes everything better!

That does it for now. I have to do my nails and get ready to go to a meeting at work. (Stupid meetings on my days off!!! AARGH!)

I plan to do some major nail art stuffs and play with my sister tonight. I gots the house to myself for a few days since Matt is headed out on a business trip. I may even head to Dollar Tree to see if there's anything snazzy... Woo-hoo!

Have a lovely day, friends!

Dying swans twisted wings

Good day!

I am back from vacation and making the attempt to snap out of my laziness. Thus I bring you some recent NOTDs.

Milani Techno Red

Three coats in full sun with Out The Door topcoat

Worn for FOUR days!!

Same as above

I really loved this neon in spite of its sheerness. It has a jelly quality which I seem to be coming around to. I have no qualms with Milani formulas, I've always been pleased. Dry time is another factor that makes me happy. They almost meet up to my beloved Orly!

Milani Metal Gear

Three coats over ridge filler and topped with Out The Door

No sun because my home still has not received the message that it is summer.

Same as above with indoor light.

I was hoping to catch the fire in this beauty with the indoor light. It really looks like molten metal in full sun. Glorious! This is what I'm wearing today while waiting for some sun to show up.

I have a lot of catching up to do so expect some more pictures to come and bob willing, I may actually get to visit with y'all on your blogs. Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

You come with the dark night of the soul

Good Morning!
Today I'm bringing you the much promised swatch of the only Kleancolor I own as well as a little bit of layering.

Kleancolor Deep Passion

Three poorly applied coats, no base or top

Weak sun

I love the color but I am a sucker for vampy red/wine colors. The formula was okay and dry time okay. I'm not super in love but I blame that more to the recent spate of weather. It was rainy and muggy here in Oregon and it was wreaking havoc on all my manis. I had a bitch of a time getting polish to dry and this included Orly.

I was becoming so frustrated and discouraged that I felt like even my application was going to shit. 

I imagine if the weather had been drier, I would be in love with this. The color is gorgeous, it's shiny and has a slightly jelly quality.  This color has been discontinued and I scored it from Cherry Culture for a whopping 50 cents! 

Since I was only feeling meh, I decided to have some fun with layering.

Two coats of L.A. Girl Rock Star Scandal over Kleancolor Deep Passion

One coat of Sinful Pearl Harbor over Deep Passion

One coat of Sinful Green Ocean over Deep Passion

I will definitely have to play around with some more layering on this. It's a great canvas! The good news is that the weather is drying up so maybe I can do a proper mani with this and feel so much better about it. 

That will do it for me today. I have to run to the library and start packing. I'll be in California for a long weekend visiting my family. Hoping to get some great pics and so excited to see IRON MAIDEN on Sunday!!

Hope you all have a good week and glorious weekend!

Come wrap my love in your house of ice

Good morning!
It was a longer absence than I intended but I'm back, for a brief while anyway!
Today I'm showing you a new polish that my camera refused to photograph properly.

 Nina Ultra Pro Grin and Berry It

Three coats over Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler

Topped with Out The Door

Full sun

I picked this up at Sally on Friday and had a hard time choosing one from the display of new colors. These are neon with shimmer. Grin and Berry It is a neon magenta with blue shimmer. It also has an amazing blue duochrome flash going on. The formula is sheer and dries to a satiny finish. I opted for three coats to cover up VNL and take care of my streaks. I found for me that thin coats streaked and dragged so a thicker coat worked best. Like any neon, this dries very quickly. I still can make out my tips through three coats so it's probably best to layer this over a nude to help it really pop.

I'm thrilled with this and will definitely be rocking it as a pedi too! I also have some Konad ideas percolating for this.

Noe for a second picture with bad lighting because I really wanted to try and capture the blue flash that's going on.

Same as above but on day 2.

I have lots of tip wear!

It's not a great picture but it does capture some of what I want to show. As ever, I cannot accurately comment on wear. Nail polish wears differently on each person but I have the added trouble of my job duties.

Yesterday I processed shoes and cleaned shelves so my hands were constantly doused in cleanser. 

Overall, I am very impressed with this and I plan on picking up more shades from this collection.

That does it today, hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Like the beat of a heart

Good morning, guys. No nail polish today but a picture of a sweet Pontiac Grand Trans Am. (This will make sense shortly.) I just wanted to get you up to date with what's going on. If you're friends with me on Facebook, you already know so bear with me.






On Monday night, my dad had a heart attack. It was super scary and very upsetting. I have lots of good news to share though. Dad is coming home from the hospital today and his prognosis is simply amazing. Dad got to the hospital in time to be treated and any damage is very minimal. What's truly amazing is that the results of his angiogram showed that he has no blockage in his arteries so he won't have to have any surgery. It really is amazing because the doctors simply don't know why my dad had a heart attack. He's in great shape, no major plaque build up in the arteries despite having a pretty high cholesterol count and no other issues despite being a pipe smoker. So dad is an anomaly. They know he definitely had a heart attack they just don't know why. So he's been given a clean bill of health and has no restrictions. (Maybe we need to lower his cholesterol a little just to be safe, right?)
It really is a very happy ending to a stressful and scary event.

Here's the deal guys, my dad is seriously, ridiculously super tough.
And here's the story: Dad used to be an electrician. Back when we lived in Nebraska, he was wiring a barn and fell off of the roof and landed on a concrete slab. He broke his back and shattered his elbow.
Seriously. Somehow he managed to drag himself to his truck to radio for help and tried to drive to the hospital!! I don't remember all of the details because I was 8 or 9 at the time and I remember wondering if my dad was even going to live.
Suffice to say, in just two years my dad was playing golf and walking the entire course.  He shouldn't have even been able to walk at all much less be able to carry his own clubs. Frankly, dad should not even be alive.
He is fucking awesome. He moves better than guys 30 years younger than him. Yeah. So no heart attack is going to bring him down. Can you fucking believe this shit?

So it's all good news now, guys and it is brilliant! Now, why the picture? Because my dad has a Grand Trans Am and it is one of his prized possessions. He has it up and running and finally has it registered so now he can  roar through town with this beast. Maybe once my mom feels he's up to it anyway!
Can I get a fuck yeah? My dad is alive, healthy and the toughest effer ever. And I couldn't be happier!

That does it for now. I'm headed over to mom and dad's to get the house straightened up and visit my fur bother, Rallo,  before dad gets home from the hospital. It's a great day for my family and I hope it will be for you and yours. Loves and hugs!

I know you have that special something...

Good morning!

Today I'm bringing you some swatches of my recent Golden Rose haul.
I did get a few of their sweet holos but I got the same exact ones that Andrea got and she took some great pics that I'm simply jealous of.
What I am going to show is the two glitters and the metallic I purchased. The metallic I did a comparison swatch with, BTW.

First we have Golden Rose Care + Strong 158:

Two coats, no base or top

Ring and pinkie have China Glaze Four Leaf Clover as base

This is a green glitter in a clear base. It's not densely packed when applied so a couple of coats are necessary for better coverage. What was stunning was how quickly it dried. Almost as soon as I applied, it was dry!

It certainly looks hot layered over green. I can't wait to use it for a Duck Day mani because I think it will be amazeballs.

Yay! Glitter!

Next up is Golden Rose Super Shine & Lasting 162:

One coat, no base or top

Ring and pinkie have one coat of Golden Rose Paris Holographic 101

This is another that appears densely packed in bottle but not on the nail. This has gold and bronze glitter as well as gold star glitter. The more coats applied will cover better, natch. The star glitter is fun but has to be fished out because it doesn't always get picked up by the brush. Again, this dries really quick. 

Snazzy...

Finally we have Golden Rose Fashion Color 34 up against Orly Rage:

Index and Middle: Orly Rage

Ring and Pinkie: Golden Rose 34

Two coats, no base or top

Both are a rosy gold but in comparison, the Golden Rose is a bit more champagne gold. No issues with brush strokes and it's opaque in two coats. Dry time is just as good as Orly. My only complaint? The teeny-tiny bottle. Check out the difference:

Whoa.

In summary, these polishes are all fantastic. They apply easy, dry fast and look smashing. They are also inexpensive. All of them sold for under three dollars!

I purchased mine at the Golden Rose USA website and every order over 20 dollars receives free shipping!

My only complaint for the site is that their color swatches are just as bad as Cherry Culture's. BUT since the price point is so low, I wasn't afraid to pick a color and go with it. I guess I like to surprise myself. 

I also picked up one of their metallic liquid eyeliners but that is another post for another time.

So what do you think of Golden Rose? Would you be willing to try a color without an accurate representation?

That does it for me. My weekend is over and it's back to work. Hope you all have a lovely weekend and see you soon!

Angi(e), you're beautiful...

Good day friends!
I fell way behind in doing my tribute manicures but I actually have the luxury of time and so I am bringing you not one but TWO special looks for my dear friend, Angi.

First is a yellow and pink number she recently requested:

Orly Lemonade base

Konad Special Polish in Metallic Pink

Sinful Colors Fashion Neon

Konad plate m8

Fauxnad plate K05

I just love how this turned out, it is adorable. As is Angi. She has such a sparkly and bubbly personality. She is the party and brings so much joy when she arrives. I chose the stars and fireworks because she is luminous and radiant. 

I am grateful to know this lovely woman. She is thoughtful, generous, smart,  funny and so much fun. But she's tougher than anyone would know. Angi is a breast cancer survivor who just ran a 5K last month. She is badass, yo! She's also a mom to two beautiful and smart kids. She's creative, an amazing cook and one of my favoritest dance partners ever. I don't know how I made it this far in life without knowing someone like her!

Sunny and sweet like Angi!

I said before that Angi gets two tribute manis because a. she's all kinds of awesome and b. she actually forgot about her first request! ;)

Here is her funky French:

Orly La Playa

Art Club striper in White

Angi wanted to see a navy nail with white French tip. I liked the idea and I had to sort through all of my blues to find the perfect one. I originally was going to go with Orly Blue Velvet (matte) with top coat for the necessary shine. Once I purchased La Playa, I knew this would be the perfect navy blue. 

I'm a little disappointed with my smile lines, they're a little thick. Nonetheless it works and I think it's a great look. Would also make a great start for a sassy nautical themed mani!

I thought the parrot was appropriate. 

Thank you so much for coming by and letting me tell you all about my sweet Angi. She is an amazing woman and she inspires me so much.  

Love and hugs to you all!

Layering Spam

Good morning!

Today I'm bringing you some recent layering experiments.

Three coats Orly Royal Navy

Topped with one coat China Glaze Atlantis

Tip Toe Lime Slush
Index: Golden Rose holographic #115
Middle: Del Sol Jungle Fever
Ring: Sinful Pearl Harbor
Pinkie: Sinful Green Ocean

Tip Toe Tahiti Lagoon
Index: L.A. Girl Rock Star Scandal
Middle: L.A. Girl Reflections
Ring: Pure Ice Heart Breaker
Pinkie: A glitter I cannot remember and curse myself again for not labeling these.

Tip Toe Crushed Grapes
Index: Orly Love Each Other
Middle: Orly Fanatsea
Ring: Wet n' Wild Night Prowl
Pinkie: L.A. Girl Rock Star Scandal

That does it for me today. I have to get ready for work but today is my Friday! I'm hoping to get some chores done and cut some peonies for my sister. What plans do you have for the week?

Have a lovely day!