China Glaze Sexagon + Lush Lacquer Midnight Affair

Hey hey! How's all my polish lovers doing tonight? :)

I recently hauled a bunch of minis from Lush Lacquer, one of my favorite indie sellers out there. They have a huge selection of polishes that are always in stock. I recently decided that buying minis is what works for me when purchasing indie polish because I know I will never use up an entire full size bottle! 

So tonight I am showing you Lush Lacquer Midnight Affair layered over ChG Sexagon. I love layering glitters over the China Glaze Kaleidoscope polishes. When I first started collecting polish, it felt like a sin to layer over a precious holo! haha But I am so glad I tried it because the effect is definite eye candy! Anyway, Midnight Affair wasn't a total breeze to apply, but any headache is so worth it. Plus topcoat makes it all ok in the end. Just look at this...SO pretty!!

Just looking at this makes me happy. What a gorgeous polish.

And in case you are wondering, this is the mani that I experimented using my glue base coat for!

So tell me what you think about Lush Lacquer Midnight Affair!

Pin It

Using Elmer's Glue as a Basecoat AKA Easiest Glitter Removal Ever!

Hey ladies!

I have been super busy doing the shipping for You Mix Orders today, but I wanted to make sure I posted tonight because I have been wanting to share with you the latest discovery in the nail world. I hadn't seen any blog posts on it, so I figured I would share!

Recently, Essence came out with a peel off basecoat. It applies like a normal base coat, and then when you are ready to remove, instead of using polish remover, you just peel it off! So far this basecoat is only available overseas, but a super observant person ( I am not sure who this discovery should be credited to, but if you know, I would love to do so!) noticed that the ingredients in the Essence base coat and school glue, like Elmers, are essentially the same thing! So, I wanted to share this method with you, but again, this is not my original idea...it's just too genius not to share. :)

 If you love glitter polish, but hate removal, then this one is for you!

The other awesome thing about this method is that it's super cheap! I bought my glue for .79 at Walgreens and expect it to last me quite a while. So all  you need is some school glue and an empty polish bottle.

Next, use the nozzle tip on the glue and squirt glue into the empty polish bottle. Be careful not to let it come out too fast or it will pool around the opening and make a big mess. I left a little space in mine so I could put a tiny amount of water in the bottle to thin it out just a tad, but I think it's a preference thing, not mandatory to this working.

If you do add some water, put on the lid and shake it up good!

And those super simple, cheap, and easy steps get you a headache free, fast glitter remover! 

I tested this out recently and used 2 thin coats of the glue base coat before doing my polish (I will be featuring this mani before I took it off soon!). I made sure it was totally dry before polishing. Since I was so antsy to see if it would work or not I peeled this off after about 24 hours and this is what I got! I just used my nail and found a spot to start peeling and it came right off!

Final Thoughts: This is hands down the easiest way to remove glitter. No foil, no acetone, nothing! It leaves my nails nice and clean as well. I only needed one cotton pad of remover for both hands to completely clean anything left over. For a super long wear mani, I wouldn't use this method. But at the same time, I don't this method really hinders how long a mani would last. Just knowing it comes off so easily makes me want to pick at it! haha But I love whoever came up with this because it's really a game changer for us glitter lovers. I can now wear any thing I want without dreading the removal process. LOVE!

So how many of you have heard of this? Or tried it? I would love to hear your thoughts on this!

Pin It

Orly Preamp

Hi readers!

Guess what? I am only 11 followers away from 1500 and I have an AMAZING giveaway in the works that I am so excited about! Hopefully we get there soon so you guys aren't left in suspense too long. ;)

I was in Sally's a while back taking advantage of their clearance sale when I saw the beauty that is Orly Preamp. This wasn't a clearance polish, but I couldn't say no. The shimmer is to die for, and this is such a unique pinky-purple shade.

I believe I did about 3 coats.

This bottle shot shows the shimmer and the sort of shift it has to an orangey color. Love!

So the moral of the story is, sometimes you have to see a polish in person to decide you like it! 

Pin It

iPhone Cases from Born Pretty Store

Hello!

I have a little something different for ya'll today. I'm sure by now most of you know I am a fan of Born Pretty Store.  They are mostly known for their affordable nail art supplies and nail polish. But they also have jewelry, hair accessories, and lots of other fun things. Today I am showing you a couple of their iPhone cases. These are cute, blingy and make it fun to switch things up every once in a while. 

This case is a sheer black shell with different sized rhinestones and a big heart as the centerpiece. Very cute! You can find this here for about $9. They also have these with a clear shell.

This case reminds me of the bottle for the Marc Jacobs fragrance Daisy. These are 3D flowers, so it seems a little more delicate, but this would be a fun case to have in rotation. You can find this here for a little over $8.

I LOVE shopping for iPhone cases because they are cheap and a fun way to refresh your phone. If you are looking for something cute for your iPhone definitely check out Born Pretty! They have a ton of cases to choose from made of all kinds of materials. You can use this coupon code: AJ10W21 for 10% off and shipping is always free worldwide!

Have any of you checked out these cases from Born Pretty Store recently?

Pin It

*Products in this post were provided for me to review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Pahlish Dark Parades

Good morning and happy Friday everyone!

I recently got in on a group order for Pahlish and Dark Parades is one I picked up from that. I have been procrastinating wearing it because of the inevitable glitter removal, but it really wasn't so bad! Dark Parades has a darker tinted base, so I layered one coat over Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Tealy Fast for this mani.

I like this take that Shannon has on the rainbow glitters that we see a lot in indies. Very fun!

Have you tried Pahlish before? Any favorites?

Pin It

Six New Jordana Glitters Specialty Nail Polish Swatches

Hi readers!

It's been a while since I have had a swatch post for you guys! Today I am showing you the latest polishes from Jordana in their semi new glitter line. After all the indie glitters I have been into lately these seem more simple to look at, but I still think these are worth looking into to add to your collection.

First up is Outer Space. I layered this in one coat over Orly Au Champagne.This is my favorite out of the 6 because it's unexpected. This has medium gold and magenta glitters and fine blue glitter. This formula was great to work with.

Next is Cosmic, which looks to be a dupe or very similar to DL Across the Universe. I'm all for not having to pay $18 for one polish! This is so pretty. All the blues and greens are right up my alley and the navy jelly base is to die for! I believe this is 2 coats.

Red Flash is a mix sized red glitter in a clear base. I used one coat layered over Color Club Wild Orchid. This could be full coverage with some underwear and 2 coats. Really good formula on this as well.

Confetti is one size of magenta glitters. This polish is packed with these suckers! I bet I could have gotten full (or close to it) coverage in about 2 coats. This reminds me of the Jewel FX line from Milani (Jordana and Milani are sister companies and have a few dupes between them). I layered Confetti with Orly Oh Cabana Boy.

Next, is Galaxy. This is is the gunmetal grey version of Red Flash. Here I did 3 coats, but you can tell that it's on the sheer side. To get full coverage you would definitely want some underwear, but you can also do 1 coat just as a topper as well. I like that most of these glitters are versatile that way.

Finally, here is Purple Party. This is predominantly pinky purple glitter with  rainbow glitters throughout. All of these are super fine. This one reminds me a lot of OPI Show It and Glow It which has been a lemming of mine for a while. Although they aren't exact dupes, I can say I don't need the OPI now that I have this one! Yay!

So there you have it! I know you guys have probably seen these before now, but I still wanted to put them out there. These are $2.99 on Jordana's website. Cherry Culture also carries Jordana, but it doesn't look like they have these newer glitters yet. I have also seen Jordana at Kmart, so you have some options!

I would love to know your thoughts on these!

Pin It

*Product was sent for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Kleancolor Holo Green

Hi lovelies!

This week is going by so fast! I feel like there is never enough time in the day to get everything done! But I have managed to have more time to focus on my blog this week so that has been welcome. 

I am showing you a polish from Kleancolor today called Holo Green. There are 5 different colors that Kleancolor  makes similar to this one. Holo Green has a jelly base packed with tiny silver holo glitters. Very pretty! I love the bling that holo glitters add to a polish.

If any of you are looking to grow your collection or are just in the mood to buy some polish at a great deal, Kleancolor is a great option! There are a few Ebay sellers that have fabulous deals and offer all 253 colors. They definitely offer something for everyone and I don't have anything negative to say about the quality other than there is a slightly obvious smell when the polish is still wet.

How many of you have tried Kleancolor? Any favorites?

Pin It

D & R Apothecary's Hit Polish: Blackberry Ice

Hey guys!

More Hit Polish awesomeness for you today (my latest obsession if you missed yesterday's post)! This one is called Blackberry Ice. I layered one coat over China Glaze Kaleidoscope Him Out. Once again, perfect application! I love how this glitter looks over the holo. I happened to choose this mani on a not so sunny day, so I had to use my flash to bring out the holo. Hopefully you get the idea!

So fun... I love it! 

Pin It

Hit Polish from D & R Apothecary: Candy Fluff

Hey you guys!

Hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was pretty relaxing so that was good.

I am SO excited to share with you my latest and (most favorite!) find in the indie polish world so far. How many of you have heard of D & R Apothecary? They make homemade soaps, lotions etc, but also have their own line of polish called Hit Polish. And it's AMAZING! I am so in love with pretty much every polish Rachel makes. The pricing is pretty good, she is super sweet and gives awesome customer service. I could go on and on, but seriously check them out yourself and tell me what you think!

So, I am very disappointed with how my pictures came out because they really don't do this polish justice at all. So don't judge Hit Polish by only my photos! :P I am showing you a LE (and unfortunately now unavailable) polish called Candy Fluff. I layered one coat over Zoya Zuza. Application was perfection. All the glitters went on perfectly and just where I wanted them.

Pink and turquoise are one of my favorite color combos, so this polish was right up my ally. 

And a macro bottle shot:

Yes please! Hit Polish is a hit for me! :)

I recently bought a bunch of minis from Rachel that I will be showing you over the next few weeks. Get excited!

You can purchase Hit Polish here.

Pin It

Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect Sea + Darling Diva Fancy Nancy

Good morning readers!

It's been an early Saturday morning for me, so I am looking forward to taking a nap later today!

I recently bought a couple of the Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect polishes. I needed a very light purple (Whisper) for my sister's wedding and they were BOGO 1/2 off at Walgreens so I picked up the other color that stood out to me: Sea. It's a very light mint color. These polishes are very sheer and completely full coverage is 4 coats, but you can get away with 3 for a more delicate look. I should have waited longer for my coats to dry in between because I ended up with a lot of bubbles. :( I do love how delicate these polishes look on the nail though.

My accent nail is a polish from Darling Diva called Fancy Nancy. This is a glitter topcoat that is not over the top and is super wearable. I did 2 coats below.

Finally, I stamped some dots with a Color Club Foiled polish!

So Fancy Nancy has some cute heart glitters in it and I managed to get a few on my nails. I think it is a perfect addition to this polish.

And here is a macro bottle shot. I love macros of glitter. Love.

Have you heard of Darling Diva before? It looks like she is on vacation right now, but has some exciting stuff in the works!

Have a great Saturday!

Pin It

OPI Just Spotted the Lizard + Nail Art

Hey guys!

I bought OPI Just Spotted the Lizard a WHILE ago and it took Dustin pretty much forcing me to put it on to finally wear it! haha I was judging it by the bottle and not the nail. :P It looks amazing once it's on! I didn't have the best wear time with this though...is that typical with duochromes? 

I saw this nail art idea on Pinterest (my favorite place for nail art inspiration). I have had this lacey stamp for a while and never knew how to use it until I saw it done diagonally and loved it! The overall effect is super delicate. 

Have you ever judged a polish before actually wearing it? I would love to know which ones! 

Pin It

Glitter Gradient Over Black

Hi readers! 

I am back after my break for my sister's wedding! Everything was so perfect! I want to post a picture of the cake Dustin made for it as soon as I get it on my computer so you guys can see it too. :)

I saw a mani very similar to this on Pinterest (my fave!) and really loved it. With Dustin's help, we were able to replicate it pretty closely by making a custom topcoat. These glitters are actually a preview of a new glitter shade we will have once we reopen You Mix. There are mostly berry/wine glitters with a little bit of red mixed in.

I love glitter gradients! How about you? 

Pin It