OPI Liquid Sand - Can't Let Go and Stay the Night

Hi loves, Happy Monday! I'm posting this from work, so not super happy at the moment but I will be at 8 am when I can go to bed! Today I have some swatches that have been sitting in my drafts for a while and I think they need to see the light of day. They are two of the OPI Liquid Sands, Can't Let Go and Stay the Night. 

I was super intrigued as soon as I saw these polishes, and I knew I had to have them all. These two were the ones that jumped out at me most, so they were the first ones I swatched. First up is Can't Let Go. It's a textured purple polish with microglitter as well as larger hexes, that dries to a gritty finish. This is (I believe) 2 coats with no topcoat. 

Ahh, this was also the last mani I did before my pinky nail snapped off and I had to cut down to nubs! :( I miss my long nails!

Honestly, the texture didn't bother me as much as I expected. I'll be honest, I'm a "picker"...I have a hard time with glitters that don't lay flat or just when polish doesn't feel smooth, so I thought I'd be picking it off out of habit, but I didn't. Actually, I just kept feeling my nails lol, I probably looked like a crazy person! These polishes also have a surprisingly long wear-time, especially when you consider that they are worn without topcoat, which usually prolongs a mani. I had no chipping at all for 3 days, which is when I took them off...and in the removal process, I broke off my pinky nail, ugh!

Anyway, next up is Stay the Night. This one was hands down, my favorite of the four. I read somewhere that it looks like molten lava, and I could not agree more. The polish is black based, with little sparkly red microglitters. Just amazing! This is 2 generous coats, no topcoat.

In the shade, you can really see how the red glitters sparkle! I got SO many compliments on this when I wore it. Definitely one of my favorite polishes of 2012.

Overall, I was incredibly impressed with these. Formula was wonderful, and I had no issues whatsoever. I thought given the texture and the grittiness, application might be difficult, and I might get clumping or dragging. I experienced NONE of that. The only thing I would caution with application is that due to the type of glitter, this polish can be tricky to remove. So, if you're one of those people (like me) who doesn't always apply polish perfectly, but go back in with a brush and acetone to clean up around the cuticles, you might have a hard time making it look neat. I found it was easier to just be super careful when applying to make sure you avoid the cuticle and get a nice rounded gap near the cuticle line. I didn't end up doing this perfectly, but it was much easier than the alternative!

What do you think of the Liquid Sand polishes? Can you stand the texture or are you a "picker?" Which color is your favorite of these? I'd love to hear below <3

Kelly

These products were purchased by me, and this review reflects my honest opinions. I am not being compensated in any way for this post. Please see my Disclosure Statement for further information.

Pokemon Challenge: Flying Type

Hi guys! Today I've got my Pokemon Challenge nails to share with you - this week features Flying Type! I picked Farfetch'd, because I think he's the cutest. I actually learned something when looking at pictures for reference for this mani - I never knew what he was holding. I always thought it was a stick or something, but I found out it's a leek or green onion! I thought that was cute, until I read that he carries it because it is a garnish he will be cooked with. Poor guy...

So, with that in mind, here's my Farfetch'd mani!

My index and pinky are gradients meant to look like the leek that he holds! I used NYC High Line Green, Sally Hansen Limestone, and Milani White on the Spot for the gradient. Farfetch'd's body and the background for the ring finger are Nicole by OPI My Jay or the Highway. The ring finger is meant to look like his eyebrow! I used a striping brush in black for the details on my middle finger and thumb. The Farfetch'd on my middle finger turned out a bit too chubby, oops!

I accidentally smudged the thumb with the topcoat, which made me SO angry! This mani took me forever lol, so I was anxious to put top coat on and ensure I didn't nick it, and in the process, smudged it! GRR! Other than that, I was really proud of this one. It took a lot of work, and I was happy to see that you could actually tell what it was when I was finished. :)

I'd love to hear your thoughts below! <3
Kelly

Let it Snow Challenge: Day 12 - Winter Wonderland

Hello all! Today I've got my Winter Wonderland nails for the Let it Snow Challenge! I'll be completely honest, nothing came to mind when I thought "Winter Wonderland." Back to my trusty Google search, and voila! I found inspiration!

All credit for this design goes to Nails by Kayla Shevonne, who I totally thought I was following and apparently I wasn't!? What gives, Blogger? Anyway, follow her if you don't already - she's fabulous. So, I tried to recreate her design as best I could, because to me, it just screams Winter Wonderland. I didn't have exactly the right colors, so mine is a slightly darker version. Here it is!

For the gradient I used: NYC Skin Tight Denim Creme, Milani Sail Away and China Glaze For Audrey (though this one kinda got lost under the snowdrifts). Then I freehanded the snowdrifts and dotted the snowflakes using Sinful Colors Snow Me White. For the trees I used Stripe Rite striping brushes in white and navy. Topped with 1 coat of HK Girl and done! :)

I accidentally smudged the snowflakes on my index finger with the topcoat, but I was more careful after that!

Overall, I really like how these turned out! This is the sort of scene I envision when I think of a Winter Wonderland. Not to mention, this was super easy to recreate. :)

What do you think of this design? What do you picture when you think of a Winter Wonderland?? I'd love to hear below! <3

Kelly

 

Valentine's Hearts/Chevrons

So, I'm not really sure what to call these. I found the tutorial on Google when I was looking up Valentine's ideas. To me, they look like both hearts, and chevrons. (You have to look at them upside down to see the hearts.) Let's call them hear-vrons! I painted these with my nondominant hand, so they're not perfect, but I thought they ended up pretty anyway!

I used (from light to dark): China Glaze Naked, China Glaze Escaping Reality, and Orly Rock-On Red. Here is what I ended up with:

I liked them, but I wasn't in LOVE with them...I thought they needed a little extra sparkle. So, out came the Fairy Dust! I smudged my thumb so you don't get to see it.

And, last but not least, I did a little playing around on Pixlr while editing and made a little Valentine's message for you all!

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day or Single's Awareness Day, whichever you celebrate! Love you all! <3

Kelly

WingDust Collections: Plum Outta Ideas and Grey Sky Morning

Hi guys! Sorry this post is a almost a whole day late - I meant to have this one up early this morning, and the next one on Friday morning, but I am running a bit behind, as usual! I've got a few days off from work, and I have been enjoying it as much as I possibly can. :)

I've got two more beautiful WingDust polishes for you today - Plum Outta Ideas and Grey Sky Morning!

First is Plum Outta Ideas! It's a beautiful purple polish with gold, purple and raspberry hexes in different sizes. This one surprised me - it's one of those polishes that is pretty in the bottle, but once you get it on the nail, it is just stunning. It would be a great shade for fall!

These photos show 3 coats of Plum Outta Ideas with 1 coat of Seche Vite over top. I could have gotten away with 2 coats, but I wanted to be extra certain there were no bald spots, especially in the sun! I don't know about you guys, but I feel the sunlight makes every imperfection glaringly obvious, haha. :)

Next is Grey Sky Morning. Love this polish, but one thing that drives me nuts about it is that every time I even look at it or photos of it, I get the song stuck in my head, haha. Great song, but now it seems it's forever stuck in my head.

It's a beautiful shimmering grey jelly with periwinkle and blue glitters in different shades and sizes. For me, the base is really the star of this one. In the light, the shimmer is SO in your face, I can't even explain it to you! My camera tried its hardest to show it, but didn't quite capture it.

The formula on this one was a bit thick, but not at all unmanageable. It's a bit sheer, so I recommend 3 coats to cover up any VNL. 3 coats is what I used here, and with 1 coat of Seche Vite it felt completely smooth.

Ahh, that polish is just too beautiful for words! I foresee it making many more appearances on my nails in the future. It's very wintery feeling, so it felt perfect for the season as well. I just can't get over that shimmer! :) Stephanie has a real winner here.
It looks like her shop is out of stock at the moment, but be sure to bookmark it for future reference, and follow her on Facebook for updates on restock information and announcements. She's recently announced that WingDust will be sold on Llarowe soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for that!! :)


WingDust Collections on Etsy
WingDust Collections on Facebook


As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these - let me know below! <3
Kelly

Some of these products were provided for review. This does not affect my opinion of the products, and the above review is a reflection of my honest thoughts and opinions. For more information, please see my Disclosure Statement.