Half Frame Mani with OPI and Rainbow Honey

Hi everyone, happy Monday! Today I wanted to share with you a quick and easy nail art I did a while back for Valentine's Day. I wanted something soft and feminine, and this is what I came up with!

I was so excited with OPI came to Sally's! I picked up a few shades that I'd fallen in love with after seeing swatches. One of these was You're Such a Budapest - such a gorgeous light shade of purple. Two perfect coats was all that I needed for this look and it was also enough for full coverage. From there, I did a little curved sweep around the nail using Rainbow Honey Sakura Matsuri. I played around with placement of the flowers just using the polish brush that came in the bottle. For the accents, I just did one full coat of Sakura Matsuri. One coat of HK topped it all off! :)

I absolutely loved this look, and I got lots of compliments on it! I love the way the glitters shift colors in different lighting. What do you think of this mani? I'd love to hear your thoughts! <3

Kelly

Review: Born Pretty Store Holographic #11

*Press sample*

Hi everyone! Today I've got a LONG overdue review for you. This is pitiful on my part, but I took these photos sometime last year!

I was given the opportunity to try out a holographic polish from Born Pretty Store. I wanted to look for a shade that I didn't have, and this one was definitely unique in my collection. This collection doesn't have names, just numbers - this is #11. It's a dark purple with a strong linear holographic effect. Simply gorgeous!

I did 2 easy coats for these photos. The formula on this is great. I wouldn't have been surprised if it was a little thin, as some dark holos can be. But, it was just perfect. It went on smoothly and without issue, no dragging, patchiness, nothing negative to report at all really! Super pigmented, so 2 coats is plenty for full opacity. :)

These photos are from back when I had nubs, but I think this shade still looks gorgeous, no matter the length of the nail! It's so bright and vibrant, and the holo effect is SO strong. I will say that these bottles are a tad pricey ($12.33 USD) because they are smaller bottles (6 mL as opposed to the standard 15 mL) but they are worth it in my humble opinion! Here is a direct link to this polish in the shade I've reviewed, but be sure to check out Born Pretty Store and have a look at their other holographic shades - they are all stunning! :)

And, if you do decide to make a purchase, don't pay full price! You can use my discount code to save 10% off at checkout! Just enter the code in the image below. :)

Thanks for looking!
<3 Kelly

Model City Polish: Sunday Morning and Punk Rock Princess

Hi everyone! First of all, I'm sorry this post is so late! I totally intended to put it up this afternoon, but it's been the day from hell. I was super excited to see the Divergent premiere tonight, but I had to miss it because our stupid downstairs neighbors caught their oven on fire and we had to evacuate the building - right when I was supposed to be getting ready to leave! GAH! It was so tough getting the cats into carriers and rushing outside, but I went into autopilot mode when I saw all that smoke. If that wasn't bad enough, our entire apartment smells like smoke, and I just tripped and fell on my face in my living room. What a day!

Now, on to the pretties! One of my all-time favorite indie makers/bloggers, Nina of Model City Polish, recently sent me two of her new spring polishes that will be going on sale on March 22nd at 12pm CST. I am so excited to share these with you! She has a new shop which you can view by clicking here. There is already an awesome Resident Evil collection up that she released recently...you can peruse that while waiting for these two lovelies to go live!

First up is Sunday Morning. It's a white crelly (needless to say I'm already in love) with multi-colored pastel dots. This just screams Easter to me, but it's great for spring in general too.

I used three coats of Sunday Morning alone for this mani. One coat of Seche Vite to top it off and everything was completely flat. No glitters poking out. This polish felt like a ready-made jelly sandwich! I love how you can see the dots standing out in various degrees with each coat. It gives the mani a wonderful depth! Formula was perfect as usual. Super easy to work with, I experienced no issues like clumping glitter, patchiness or streakiness. Coverage was great in 3 coats. :)

Now, we've done the pastel thing. Are you ready for something more edgy!? World, meet Punk Rock Princess!

This polish is so ME! As soon as Nina showed it to me, I felt it calling to me and I'm so glad that she sent it along! I knew from the moment I saw it that I wanted to layer it over gray. This combination reminds me so much of my high school self. I felt like I was a punk rocker, haha! And I definitely wore the pink and black and doodled nautical stars on my notebooks and on my converse.

While Nina's inspiration was something totally different, I wanted to share my interpretation of this polish. Every time I looked at it, or even while I was editing these photos, the song Punk Rock Princess by Something Corporate pops into my head and will not get out!! I'm definitely not complaining...but add that to the list of why this polish brings me back to high school me. I love that nostalgic feeling and it's so great when a polish can bring that out. :)

I used just one coat of Punk Rock Princess over China Glaze Elephant Walk. I used one coat of Gelous and one coat of Seche Vite just in case the edges of the stars decided to be pokey, but they didn't give me any trouble! I initially did this mani and used two coats of Punk Rock Princess, but you really don't need the second coat and the polish is so packed full of glitter that it actually looks better in just one coat. No fishing necessary, I got plenty of stars without even trying. I love the teensy little holographic glitters in this, it's so pretty when the sun catches them!

So there you have it - my review of two more wonderful Model City Polishes! Nina continues to amaze - I have yet to try a polish of hers that I don't LOVE, and I seriously doubt it could ever happen! These two are great, fun blends for spring. Be sure to check out Nina's NEW shop by clicking here, and make sure you set an alarm - this spring collection releases March 22nd at 12pm CST!

Thanks for looking!

<3 Kelly

Review: Cellairis iPhone Case in Fairytale with Matching Nail Art!

Hi everyone! Today I've got a fun nail art post for you that I did to match a Cellairis phone case I bought. I originally had just planned to review the case for you, but after I worked together with Cellairis and Pomegranate Nail Lacquer for my Gazette nail art which you can find here...I decided to do it again!

This is the case I purchased - it's called Fairytale and it's from the Elle & Blair Glam Collection.

I have to admit, I didn't come up with the original idea for this mani - I wish I did!! I originally saw this done by The Polishaholic and first I just fell in love with the case. But, when it arrived, I knew I wanted to try to recreate the nail art as well. You can see The Polishaholic's original post by clicking here.

For this mani, I tried to choose a color that was closest to the case. I don't have a ton of pinks that are that light, but I found Finger Paints Pink Imagination. I used I think 3 coats of polish initially, then added a layer of topcoat. Once that was dry, I criss crossed striping tape and then painted a couple more layers of polish over that. Then, I added my rhinestones using topcoat and a pointed orange stick.

I really loved how this mani came out, so I took a ton of pictures! These next two were taken outside in natural lighting, so it's a bit more true to color.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this look!! Cellairis has so many cool cases, be sure to check them out here. They certainly inspire matching nail art designs, in my opinion! :)

<3 Kelly

Model City Polish: Ghost Stories

Hi everyone! Quick swatch post for you tonight. I wore this polish a couple of months ago when I had an important meeting because I wanted something somewhat neutral but still sparkly!

Check out the beautiful Ghost Stories by Model City Polish!

Okay, I must confess...I originally bought this polish as a gift, but I couldn't bear to give it away haha! Just look at that amazing holo! Of course, in true MCP fashion, the formula is perfect. Just two coats for full opacity, and I used Seche Vite topcoat. :)

With the dreariness in Ohio lately, I had to use flash to really show you the beauty of this one. It's like millions of tiny rainbows on my fingers!

This next one, I took in natural lighting, daytime but no sun. Even when the sun isn't out, this is still a beautiful polish, and the holo still comes out to play! I absolutely love it.

Ghost Stories quickly became one of my all-time Model City faves, which is saying something, because I love them all! This one is unique to my collection - I can honestly say I don't have another holo even close to this color, and I love how dramatic the holographic effect is. Ghost Stories, along with all of Nina's other amazing creations, are in stock now at her Etsy shop. So go! This is definitely one that you don't want to miss out on! And be sure to follow MCP on Facebook to keep up to date on new blends and restocks. I will have two upcoming releases on the blog this Thursday, so be sure to check back! ;)

Thanks for looking!
<3 Kelly

Liquid Sky Lacquer: Kiss Me I'm Irish

Hi everyone! If you are celebrating St. Paddy's tonight, I hope you are being safe and have a DD! It gets crazy here in Dayton...I am not partaking this year, 1 because I'm working haha, but also because it is a little much for me anymore. I think I am getting old! Last year, we paid $10 cover just to stand in a seriously overcrowded tent to wait in line forever to drink seriously overpriced green beer, and then someone vomited on our feet. NO thank you, haha!

One thing I am NOT too old for - is St. Patrick's Day themed polishes! I am an Irish girl through and through and am very proud of my heritage. So, I was super excited to try this thermal from Liquid Sky Lacquer! 

Kiss Me, I'm Irish is the perfect polish for St. Paddy's. You know it has to be green at some point - that's when it's cold. But then when it's warm, it turns a gorgeous shimmery gold - like the leprechaun's pot of gold! :)

This polish was very quick to change back, I think I had the heat up too high in my house lol. I ran to the bathroom, ran my hands under cold water, and hurried up and tried to snap pictures before it changed too much. I probably looked like a crazy person haha! I wish you could see it when it really is freezing cold. It's much closer to the color in the bottle, a gorgeous deep Kelly green with loads of gold shimmer.

Here's a shot where it is mostly cold but starting to warm up on the nail beds.

And these next two shots show what the manicure looked like most of the time. My nails beds pretty much stayed gold while the tips turned green. It's like a French manicure in a bottle - perfect! I feel like if you're going out for St. Patrick's Day, all you have to do is slap this on and it looks like you did a lot more work than you really did. I've found that friends, coworkers, and acquaintances (even strangers!) are fascinated by thermals and I get tons of compliments on these!

And lastly, here is the best shot I could get of the warm state where the polish was gold. I think the breeze from running to the window from the bathroom with wet nails is what cooled down the tips! But you get the idea. Bottom line is, the polish is stunning no matter what temperature your nails are! :)

As far as formula goes, this was great! It's somewhat like a jelly in that it goes on a bit sheer when your nails are warm. The gold state does show some VNL, but it didn't bother me. When your nails get cold or even in transition states where the nail bed is gold and the tips are green, you can't see VNL at all. I used three coats and I felt like that was plenty enough coverage for me. I used HK Girl topcoat to finish it off! :)

So, what do you think of this polish? I have been so impressed with my new pretties from Liquid Sky Lacquer, this is certainly not the last you will see of them on the blog! Be sure to follow Liquid Sky Lacquer to keep up to date on restocks and new shades. She has some gorgeous new ones out for spring!!

Thanks for looking!
<3 Kelly

Jindie Nails: Sippin' on Jindie Juice

Everyone, today is a special day. Today, I have to share with you the holy grail of holographic nail polishes!! I was so beyond amazed by this polish, I felt photos couldn't even do it justice!

Behold: Jindie Nails - Sippin' on Jindie Juice!!

Let me take a second to talk about formula. So, it's no secret that Jen makes great polishes, and I don't think I've ever even had a problem with any of them. Even still, this polish shocked me with how amazing it was. If you've read my blog before, you may have heard me mention how stained my nails are. It's just from polishing constantly, but because I always keep polish on, I don't worry too much about buffing it out. Anyway, even despite all that, despite the length of my nails...this polish was opaque for me in ONE COAT. Yes, you read that right! That is so rare for me to find, I took a moment after painting my first nail and just stared in awe haha! But, even with being that pigmented, it wasn't thick. It went on super smooth, no dragging. Just pure awesomeness in one even coat. Amazing!! :D

Sippin' on Jindie Juice is an exclusive Jen created for Jindie Junkies only. I am so thankful to be included in such a wonderful group of ladies and to have this polish that Jen made for us! :) I know this one will be making lots of appearances on my nails from now on.

I thought I would include a shot in the shade to show how beautiful it is even when the holo is not taking center stage. Such a beautiful shade of purple! :)

And one more in direct sunlight for good measure!

I literally could not think of a negative thing to say about this polish even if I tried to - it is perfect in every way. What do you think? I'd love to hear below! And don't forget to check out the Jindie Nails shop and Facebook page to keep up to date on restocks and new shades! :)

<3 Kelly

My first Lush haul!

Hi everyone! I wanted to share my first products that I got from my very first trip Lush a few weeks ago! Some of these I have tried, some I haven't, but wanted to share anyway :)

Soaps and conditioner

• Sexy Peel - the first bar soap I opened. It has a very lovely, fresh citrus scent and has scratchy pieces in it for exfoliating. It's very refreshing in the morning and wakes me up.
• Neon Love - haven't used yet but smells amazing!
• Figs and Leaves - boyfriend picked this one out for himself and he loves it. It has actual leaves in it!
• Big Solid Conditioner - haven't used yet, will report back! :)

Things in jars

• Lemony Flutter - I've heard only good things and they are (mostly) all true! It works wonders but I'm not fully in love with the scent. It's a bit overpowering to be quite honest, but it doesn't bother me when I just use it right before bed and go to sleep.
• Whoosh Shower Jelly - this is so much fun! I found myself playing with it more than really washing haha. The texture is kind of strange at first, but you get used to it, and it smells so clean and fresh.
• Mint Julips - works great at scrubbing off dead skin in winter. I use this before using any lipstick or colored balm to make sure my lips are smooth. And it tastes great too :)

Bath bombs

• Dragon's Egg - haven't tried yet.
• Phoenix Rising - haven't tried yet.
• Tisty Tosty - smells great and I loved the little flowers floating around when it had all fizzed out. 

Bath melts and bubble bars - I haven't tried any of these yet, but will report back soon! :)

• Floating Island
• I think that one is Karma? Drawing a blank though!
• Dorothy

Massage bars and solid lotion - again I haven't tried any of these yet, but will let you know what I think!

• Hottie - massage bar
• From Dusk til Dawn - massage bar
• Tiny Hands - lotion bar

All in all, I think it was a pretty good haul for my first trip to Lush! What products do you love from Lush?? I'd love to hear below, so I can take notes for my next shopping trip! ;)

<3 Kelly

Liquid Sky Lacquer: Bee Mine

Hey everyone! Hope your week has been going well so far. I have a few days off in a row so I am doing my best to get caught up on some posts for you guys! I still have two more Liquid Sky Lacquers to share with you, and here is the first one. The next one will be up tomorrow!

Today, let's have a look at Bee Mine! I fell in love with this one when I saw it on My Boyfriend Hates Makeup and I knew I had to have it. Let's face it, I love anything "white crelly" and this is no exception!

This polish has wonderful coverage, even on long nails! I did three coats to be safe and used one coat of HK Girl to top it off! I moved the heart around a little bit with the brush, but for the most part, they came out fine and spread out evenly. I'm just weird and like them all to be facing up for photos haha!

Though this polish was really released for Valentine's Day, I think this is definitely an all-year polish! It reminds me of spring, maybe it's the little yellow dots that remind me of bee pollen or flowers. Either way, this polish is definitely not limited to any holiday! :)

So what do you think of Bee Mine? Are you as obsessed with white crellies as I am?? I feel like I have to own them all! This one is so unique and fun, I am so glad I got it! Let me know your thoughts below! And don't forget to check out Liquid Sky Lacquer for updates on new polishes and restocks :)

<3 Kelly

Liquid Sky Lacquer: Blue Hawaiian

Hi guys! Tonight I'm back with another crazy amazing thermal from Liquid Sky Lacquer! Today I have Blue Hawaiian, which is a bright teal, ocean-y blue when it's cold, and a pretty limeish, kind of celery-like green when it's warm. 

The greatest thing about this one? It's a holo! We haven't had much sun here in Ohio, so I did my best to capture it when I could! :) Formula on this one is so dreamy and perfect. Application was smooth and easy. You can easily get opacity in 2-3 coats depending on the length of your nails!

First up, some photos of Blue Hawaiian in its warm state. This first shot in the lightbox muted it a bit, it's actually brighter than this in real life. 

These next two shots are more true to color. The first is with flash and the second is in natural, direct sunlight.

Here are two shots of Blue Hawaiian while cold. It was tough to get photos of the cold state, I would run my hands under cold water and it seemed to quickly turn back to green. I guess it must have been really warm in my house! :)

And of course, here are a couple shots where you get to see both colors at once! This first one I took in the car, where the tips were starting to get cold, but the nail beds were staying warm. 

And this one, I took right after running my hand under cold water and it had started to turn green. For some reason, my index and pinky stayed cold a little longer here, so you can see more of the transition on my middle two fingers. :)

This polish just reminds me of tropical drinks, beaches, and summer!! I love this shade. I'd love to hear what you guys think! What do you think of thermal polishes? Do you own anything from Liquid Sky Lacquer? I'd love to hear below! Don't forget to bookmark Liquid Sky Lacquer to keep up to date with the latest news and restocks. There is one coming up this Saturday!!

<3 Kelly