Nail Challenge Collaborative: Neons #4

Hey guys! Once again, squeaking in just in the nick of time with my last neon mani for June! :) For this one, I wanted to do a neon gradient, so I used the following colors (from thumb to pinky). The reason the same colors look different when they're on the tip versus the base of the nail is because I had to sponge white over the base color before sponging on the tip color, if that makes sense. 

Here's the colors I used: LA Colors - Shock, China Glaze - Flying Dragon (Neon), China Glaze - Pool Party, LA Colors - unnamed Neon Green, China Glaze - Japanese Koi (Neon), and back to Shock. Then I added a couple coats of Sticks and Stones with HK Girl topcoat. :)

I think the Sticks and Stones really made this mani. I had dented the orange tip on the ring finger, also, so it was a great way to cover it up. ;)

I loved loved LOVED this mani, it was so bright and fun and summery .What do you think? And remember to check out everyone else's Week 4 Neon manis!

Thanks for looking, and have a great weekend <3
Kelly

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Neons #3

Hi everyone! I'm back with my third mani for Neon month in the Nail Challenge Collaborative. This one was my favorite, I think! I decided to do a neon leopard print after seeing a post by Samantha of Pack a Punch Polish. 

Here's the photo that inspired my design!

I didn't have the exact same colors, so I just improvised. Here's my take :)

I used Milani White on the Spot as a base. I'm trying to remember all the colors I used...I know I used Sinful Shine Most Sinful, Sinful Dream On, Wet n Wild Glowstick, a neon orange from LA Colors, and I believe China Glaze Escaping Reality. Then I went back in with a black striper to outline and add some dots.

This last photo was taken in direct sunlight. This design was SO super bright in person. I had so many people ask me if these were strips.

So what do you think of this design? I thought it turned out really well! My freehand leopard print is getting better, I think :) Don't forget to check out everyone else's designs for week three, and check back for my last design I'll be posting on Saturday! :)

Kelly

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Neons #2

Hi lovelies :) Today I'm back with another post for my Nail Challenge Collaborative group! I am absolutely in love with this mani...I wore it for one of my closest friend's birthday a few weeks ago. I know it's not the neon-est of neons, but I thought Sinful Colors Thimbleberry was a lovely dark coral pink that leaned on the neon side to me. 

I broke out the Scotch tape again and added some sparkle using Shimmer Wendy - I LOVE all the different colored glitters in Wendy - so pretty!

I thought this glitter and base went really well together, and it was the perfect bright glittery mani to celebrate a birthday! Don't forget to check out everyone elses' neons! :)
Kelly

Colores de Carol - Red, Blue and Stars, Purple, and Fun in the Sun

Happy Saturday loves! I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend. I'm shaking off the end of a migraine so I'm slowly getting more functional lol. 

Today I've got a review of some awesome polishes from Colores de Carol! I was so excited when she started making polishes - I already loved her blog because her swatches and nail art are phenomenal...of course her polish would be no different!

First up is Red, Blue and Stars. If you were looking for the perfect polish to celebrate 4th of July, look no further! This is a sheer white jelly polish with red dots, blue squares, and white stars. Very patriotic!

This polish can either be layered over white or it can build up to full opacity all by itself. I personally found that my nails were too stained to wear it alone - I still had slight VNL at 4 coats, so I went back and reswatched it over a white creme. I think it looks much better like this on me, but if you have short nails or unstained nails, you should find there's no need to layer it.

Formula on this one was good, the only thing I noticed was that the blue squares do curl up a bit (metallic glitters typically do), but it was nothing a thick layer of topcoat couldn't fix. In the photos, it looks worse than it was, but most of what you see here is reflective curling. I couldn't feel the edges sticking up in real life, after adding a coat of Seche Vite.

Next up is Purple. Don't let the simple-sounding name deceive you though - this is not your everyday purple! It's a neon fuschia-leaning crelly with black holographic glitter in it. I'm seriously kicking myself now - I only found out this was GLOW IN THE DARK after I swatched it and took photos! I will reswatch it soon to show the glow in the dark effect, but I truthfully think it's gorgeous just as is. Check it out!

Formula on this was amazing!! No issues at all. This is 3 easy coats of Purple with Seche Vite topcoat. 

And lastly, here is the stunning Fun in the Sun. I saved my favorite for last!! This is a wonderful glitter topper that truly is perfect for summer. It's a clear base full of differently-shaped matte glitters in light pink, medium pink, green, white, purple, and yellow. There also looks to be tiny micro shards/flakies in there that show up in the sun!

I couldn't decide what to layer it over, so I did two different colors. The purple is Essie - Boxer Shorts, and the orange is Milani - Jiffy Orange.  I still don't know which one I like it over better! These swatches show 2 coats of Fun in the Sun. I used Seche Vite topcoat and everything felt completely flat - nothing sticking up anywhere. 

What do you think of these polishes? Which is your favorite? Carolina has tons more amazing polishes for sale in her shop so be sure to check them out! And follow her blog and social media sites to see amazing swatches and nail art :)

Colores de Carol Big Cartel shop
Colores de Carol Blog
Colores de Carol Facebook
Colores de Carol Twitter
Colores de Carol Instagram


Thanks for looking! <3
Kelly

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Neons #1

Hi everyone! I've finally got my first Neon post up for the Nail Challenge Collaborative group! Better late than never :)
The first thing I thought of when I was coming up for ideas involving neons, was neon glitter, and from that I immediately thought of Jindie Nails Candy Land! I've swatched Candy Land, but I had bought Candy Land Remix and I wanted to try that one. Here it is all on its own:

It would be far too easy to just use a swatch post as a Challenge post, though, so I definitely wanted to add something to it. I decided to break out the Scotch tape and add a little black for an interesting V look!

What do you think of this neon/black combination? I really thought it was eyecatching and fun for summer :)
Thanks for looking!

<3 Kelly

Review: Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food over Vivid Lacquer Harlequin's Adoration

Today I've got a long overdue review for you, and it's kind of a double feature. You get to see one of my all-time favorite manis PLUS a review of a must-have for any indie-loving nail blogger: Glitter Food!!

The mani I'm using to show you how Glitter Food works features China Glaze Elephant Walk topped with Vivid Lacquer Harlequin's Adoration. I absolutely love Harlequin's Adoration. So far, my favorite layering combo has been with grey, so that's what I've used here. 

Check out a macro of this amazing polish in the bottle:

Okay, this first series of photos shows one generous coat of Harlequin's Adoration over two coats of Elephant Walk, with no topcoat.

It's a bit hard to see, but the edges of the hearts and diamonds were sticking up a bit. Enough to be annoying if I wore it out like this. Plus, the little black hexes left a textured feel that's just unpleasant for me. Honestly, I don't know how anyone goes without topcoat ever, but that's besides the point!

After your mani is completed to your liking, then comes the Glitter Food. We've all heard of "topcoat hungry" glitters - when I think of that term, I think microglitters or super dense glitters. Harlequin's Adoration isn't really one of those polishes, but I thought it might be interesting to see how GF works with large shaped glitter, which can be a pain in the butt sometimes!

The following photos are the same mani with just one coat of Glitter Food. Please ignore that stupid cat hair, UGH! Lol, I didn't notice until I was already editing.

You can see, especially in this closeup of my thumb, how it gives the mani an almost matte effect, so you will definitely want to follow up with your favorite topcoat.

I think this next picture shows really clearly how much smoother the GF made the surface of this mani. Look at my ring finger, for example. That heart on the top that was sticking up before is now completely flat. You can see it on my index finger too, since it's at an angle where you could tell if anything was sticking up. When I ran my finger over these nails, it felt completely flat and smooth. Amazing!

BUT, like I mentioned, if you want shine,  you're going to need to go back in with your usual topcoat. I went with Seche Vite. Just one coat will do fine - it's just to add a glossy finish.

Look how shiny! I like it so much better that way. It really shows off the amazing flecks/shimmer in Harlequin's Adoration. Check out my ring and middle finger to see what I mean!

This mani was gorgeous and I think I wore it for an entire work week before I finally took it off. The best part was that even though it's packed full of large shaped glitters, it LASTED on me because I had no urge to pick them off! (I'll admit it - I'm a picker. When I feel the slightest bit of a glitter sticking up, I can't help but pick it off).

Overall, my opinion is that if you are a nail blogger who works with topcoat hungry glitters, shaped glitters, microglitters, or any polish that might be somewhat textured, Glitter Food is a MUST HAVE. I haven't gotten a chance to try it out with its other purpose, which is to bring suspension to glitters that have fallen "flat", but I will soon!

I'd love to hear what you think of this mani!! Do you own Glitter Food? What do you think of it?? It's been a lifesaver for me :)