Jelly Sammie featuring Mentality Neon Glazes and Lynnderella!

**I want to note that I am no longer affiliated with, or a supporter of, Mentality Nail Polish. Please see my post detailing my experiences with Mentality by clicking here for more information. In short, I would STRONGLY recommend not buying Mentality due to harmful effects that their polishes have had on some people. Even if you've been having an issue and you can't say for sure that it's Mentality polish that's causing it, discontinue use immediately. I didn't know what it was and by the time I realized, serious damage had been done to my nails. They are still not healed. Just don't take any chances. I will leave up my posts where I have reviewed or swatched Mentality polishes because I don't want to just delete them and pretend like nothing happened. I would also recommend reading these great, informative posts by Ashley is Polish Addicted and also The Mercurial Magpie who explain what's happened. Lab Muffin also offers some really interesting possibilities for what specifically about the polishes could be causing these effects.**

*Press sample*

Hey everyone! I hope you're all having a good week so far. I've been feeling pretty good because I've gotten quite a bit accomplished for the wedding this past weekend, and also I went to the gym last night and had a great workout! This weekend is my bachelorette party too, so I am excited to see everyone and have a fun weekend!

Today I have another mani brought to you by Mentality's Neon Glazes. I love these glazes so much. There is just so much you can do with them. Today's look is an easy one even for anyone new to nail art - the jelly sandwich!

If you haven't tried it before, a jelly sandwich is when you layer a chunky glitter over a sheer jelly and top it off with another layer of the sheer jelly. First, you have to build up quite a few coats of the jelly at first so you have a nice solid layer to start with. If you don't mind a littler VNL, you can do less, but I've done 4 coats of Mentality Neon Purple Glaze to start. Then, I did 2 dabbed coats of Lynnderella The One Who Got Away. After that, I brushed on one more coat of Neon Purple Glaze. I topped it all off with HK Girl and done! :)

I absolutely love how this turned out!! I love how the final jelly layer makes the glitters look like they are swimming underwater. I think there was a little shimmer in the Lynnderella, but most of that is from the Neon Purple Glaze - I love how that shimmer pops out on the nail. I didn't realize from looking at it in the bottle that it would be that strong. My only complaint with this mani was that some of the stars, like the one on my pinky finger, had edges sticking up even after a thick layer of HK Girl. That kind of thing drives me nuts - because it kept catching on things. But, you'll have that with glitter shapes. Other than that, application was a breeze, formulas were great. I love this mix of colors in the glitter paired with the bright purple.

I was so happy with how this turned out. And it was so easy! For those who aren't as great at nail art, or just starting out, doing a jelly sandwich is a great way to create an eye-catching mani because it's literally as simple as painting your nails! And, there are so many options. Any glitter works really, but I love different shapes and colors in the mix because it just really pops under the jelly layer. I can't wait to try more of these glazes with different glitters!

You can pick up the Mentality Neon Glazes as a set or individually. You will actually save if you purchase them as a set, because you can get all 11 polishes for just $55. That means they would come out to $5 a piece. You can't beat that!

If you just want a few of the shades to try, the individual Neon Glazes retail for $6.00 each, which is still not a bad price at all.

But, even better - if you use my code, KELLY, in the Mentality shop on any items, you will save 20% off your order!! 
So if you bought a $6 Neon Glaze, you would actually get it for $4.80! How awesome is that?

Thanks so much for looking!! <3
Kelly

Some of the products in this post were provided to me in exchange for my review. This review reflects my full and honest opinions of these products. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.

Scalloped nail art with Mentality neon glazes

**I want to note that I am no longer affiliated with, or a supporter of, Mentality Nail Polish. Please see my post detailing my experiences with Mentality by clicking here for more information. In short, I would STRONGLY recommend not buying Mentality due to harmful effects that their polishes have had on some people. Even if you've been having an issue and you can't say for sure that it's Mentality polish that's causing it, discontinue use immediately. I didn't know what it was and by the time I realized, serious damage had been done to my nails. They are still not healed. Just don't take any chances. I will leave up my posts where I have reviewed or swatched Mentality polishes because I don't want to just delete them and pretend like nothing happened. I would also recommend reading these great, informative posts by Ashley is Polish Addicted and also The Mercurial Magpie who explain what's happened. Lab Muffin also offers some really interesting possibilities for what specifically about the polishes could be causing these effects.**

*Press sample*

Hi guys!! I am still getting around to posting all of my recent manis. Wedding planning is a full time job, geeze!! As of yesterday, we were exactly 2 months out. AHH! Still so much to do.

Today I have a super fun mani I did a while back using Mentality's Neon Glazes. I was so nervous to try glazes for the first time, thinking I'd fail miserably and get mad about it haha, but I ended up falling head over heels in love! One of the things I love about the lead lighting nail art is that it doesn't have to be perfectly in the lines - it looks cool to kind of dab over a bit and just be a little sloppy with it when you're coloring it in. I think it looks cooler that way because you have a bit more abstract look with the color, to contrast the crisp, bold lines of the stamp!

Anyway, here is what I came up with this time!

For this mani, I started with a base of Mentality Sunny, then stamped using Mentality Scoundrel. From there, I went in with a dotting tool and several of the Neon Glazes - Neon Green Yellow, Neon Orange, Neon Purple and Neon Magenta. Once those dried a bit, I topped it off with HK Girl topcoat and I wore these for almost a week! :)

I'm still no pro at stamping lol, so I smudged my ring finger while doing the stamp which irritated me. But I still love the way this looked in the end. I love the stained glass effect. I always, without fail get multiple nail compliments whenever I have worn a lead lighting look that I did with these glaze. There are so many options, and the best part is, you don't have to be an amazing artist to make an amazing mani using this technique. It's like coloring! I love it so much. I need more open stamps and stamping plates so I can branch out and do more designs like this.

I'm so excited with how this came out, and I can't wait to try more designs with these glazes. They are honestly so versatile and make nail art so simple. I cannot say enough positive things about them!

You have to check out the Neon Glazes on Mentality's website. You can get the entire set - 11 glazes - for $55, so that comes out to $5 a piece!! If you just want a few shades rather than the whole set, they are $6 a piece, which still is a steal.

But - it gets better!! If you use my code, KELLY, you will save 20% off your order!

And, be sure to follow Mentality on social media - Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram - to keep up to date on new releases and deals!

Thanks for reading <3
Kelly

The products in this post were provided to me in exchange for my review. This review reflects my full and honest opinions of these products. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.

A Class Act - SinfulColors Back to School 2015 - Swatches & Review!

*Press sample*

Hi loves! I'm back today with another great collection from SinfulColors to review for you! The Class Act collection will be available for August and September 2015 in Walgreen's and other drug stores. These polishes will retail for 1.99 apiece, unless you're lucky enough to catch one of those Walgreen's 99 cent sales - I always try to stock up when those happen! :)

There are 24 shades in the entire collection, and I will be showing you 10 of them. Here's a look at the whole group:

Get ready to hit the books and go back to school in style with the latest collection for Back To School from SinfulColors, A Class Act. The extensive array of fresh shades are perfectly on-trend with the latest fall fashions and will ensure that your mani is top of the class. Dusty pastels and pops of color come in a demi-matte finish that feels soft yet looks striking and is deserving of nothing but straight A's.  Denim blues and ready-to-burst brights capture an effortlessly cool and rebellious vibe, while shimmering silvers, purples and teals with eye catching 3D glitters look just as chic during a night out on the town as they do in class the next day. 

We think you'll agree that all of these 27 SinfulColors shades deserve straight A's:

  

24/7: Our hottest pink                                       

A-Crush: Soft baby blue in a unique demi-matte finish

Blackboard: Demi-matte chalkboard black     

Blue Sensation: Lustrous silvery sky blue

Burst Of Fresh Flair: Pearlescent lemon yellow                     

Casablanca: Creamy metallic silver

Chalk It Up: Saturated, demi-matte pistachio green                   

Daredevil: A pop of neon pink 

Energetic Red: Classic fire engine red                                    

Feel The Vibe: A bright splash of juicy orange 

Fig: Glistening plum                                                              

Glass Pink: Sheer and shiny pink shimmer 

Hazed: Subdued violet with a demi-matte finish             

Ice Blue: Soft indigo exploding with silver sparkle 

Ice Dream: Cerulean glitter with a translucent silver base        

Late Night Haute: Turquoise and gold-flecked 3D glitter

Night Owl: Multi-colored gilded 3D glitter                                 

Pink Break: Demi-matte peachy-pink

Purple Diamond: Twinkling violet                                         

RADient: Vibrant raspberry with a demi-matte finish

Rebel Rose: Metallic magenta                                               

Sinful Sunrise: Warm pink with silver 3D confetti

Summer S-cool: Robin's egg blue                                         

Truth or Lavendare: A demi-matte creamy lavender

Whiteboard: Chalk white                                                      

Why Not: A clear sky blue 

V.I.Peach: Soft touch pastel yellow 

As I mentioned I have 10 of the above shades to share with you today. Later in the week, I will have a nail art post using this collection, but for today, I have swatches of all 10 for you.

First up is Blackout!

These demi-matte polishes have a really cool finish. It's similar to like polishes I've tried that are  classified as a "rubber" finish. It's not completely matte, but not shiny either. I've used 3 coats for these photos, with no topcoat. This next photo is in direct sunlight and you can see a little bit of shine that does come out in direct lighting.

Next up is Blue Sensation.

I wasn't sure how much I would like this one in the bottle because it's different than something I would usually gravitate towards, but I ended up loving it on the nail! I love the metallic finish - it almost looks like a holo sparkle in certain lighting. This was one of the more pigmented polishes in the group I tried, which was nice. No trouble at all with application, this is 2 coats with no topcoat.

Next up, we have Burst of Fresh Flair.

I picked this one because I rarely wear yellow and I wanted to try to branch out. This one has a really pretty shimmer! I just wish it was a little less sheer. I did 3 coats and still had some VNL. I'm still not sure if yellows work with my skin tone, but I like it anyway!! The blue-toned shimmer effect really makes it. :)

The next polish I have to show you is Chalk it Up!

This is another one of the demi-matte finish polishes, and I really love this one! Pistachio green really is the perfect description for it. It's such an interesting shade - it really gives me inspiration for nail art! This is 3 coats with no topcoat.

This next one is probably my favorite of this group - Fig!

I love this deep plum shade - it's really reminiscent of fall. Plum is one of my wedding colors so I'm a little biased. This is actually pretty close to the shade of plum I'm using. What was really cool about Fig is that if you look really closely in direct lighting, there are tiny little blue flecks/micro shimmer. This is 3 coats with no topcoat. I ended up adding topcoat later so I could wear this one for a few days because I liked it so much! :)

Next up is Ice Blue.

This is a really pretty color, but it is pretty sheer. This is 4 coats and you can still see some VNL. No topcoat used here. I dinged my ring finger as I was taking photos, gah! I do love how this has like a glass fleck look. It's sort of a silvery blurple shade, and I don't have anything quite like it in my collection. I think in the future, I might layer this one over a light blue or purple shade or maybe black!

This next one is one of the two glitter toppers I wanted to try - Night Owl!

Looking back, I probably should have used a topcoat with this one, but I did want to try to show all these polishes off in their natural state. The suspension base that the glitters are packed in seems to be not quite shiny, but not quite matte either. I loved the shreds in this mix! I thought it would be pretty paired with Blackout. I love the contrast of the dark base with the iridescent color shift in the glitter. This is one dabbed coat of Night Owl over Blackout.

Next is Purple Diamond.

I think of Purple Diamond as Ice Blue's purple sister. It's got the same shimmery, metallic finish and it was also a bit sheer, but not quite so much. This is 3 coats, no topcoat and I didn't have any VNL. This one feels very soft and feminine, which I love! :)

This next one is another demi-matte - RADient!

I was super excited about this one, but it ended up disappointing me with how sheer it was. :( I did 4 coats here and I still had pretty significant VNL. I think in the future, I would layer this one or at least start with a white base, like I tend to do with neons. It might make a good jelly sammie though!

Last for today is the other glitter topper I picked out - Sinful Sunrise!

This is a really fun topper, and I thought it was a perfect match for RADient! It's got tons of color shifting shreds and hexes. It's described as a lightly tinted base, but since I tried it over a pink, I'm not sure exactly how pink it is. It would be cool to see it over a white, or black base. This is one brushed coat of Sinful Sunrise over RADient. Love this combination!!

I had so much fun trying out these new SinfulColors polishes to share with you guys! This is a great collection for Back to School or really for any season, because there is such a wide range of colors. And really, you can't beat it for the price. Be sure to check out your local Walgreen's or preferred drug store and see if they have the Class Act collection on display now.

And be sure to visit SinfulColors on social media:

SinfulColors website
SinfulColors Facebook
SinfulColors Instagram
SinfulColors Twitter

Thanks for looking! <3
Kelly

The products in this post were provided to me in exchange for my review. This review reflects my full and honest opinions of these products. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.

My picks from KB Shimmer Spring 2014's collection!

Hi guys! Really sorry I've been so MIA. But I'm happy to report that my nails are healing up nicely and I'm almost through the vault! I can't imagine how awesome it is going to feel to have my vault totally empty. Okay, let's be honest, my nails are almost healed so I'll probably have more stuff in there before I finish clearing out the vault lol.

Anyway, today, I've got some swatches of my favorites from KB Shimmer's Spring 2014 collection. KB Shimmer has yet to come out with a collection I don't like. I am still drooling over some of their summer collection from this year, but it's going to have to wait until after the wedding!

First up is Full Bloom Ahead - I can never resist a good white crelly, and this one is no exception! :)

This is 3 easy coats of Full Bloom Ahead. I love the mix of glitters in this polish! So pretty and perfect for spring.

Next up is Laugh Myself Lily.

This one reminds me of water, or ponds with little lily pads floating in it! It's gorgeous. That micro shimmer is amazing, too! :)

These photos show 3 coats of Laugh Myself Lily. No trouble at all with application. I love the larger dots! :)

Last up for today is my favorite of them all - Belle of the Mall!

This one has a pretty, squishy jelly base and I just love the sparkle that the holo adds to it. It's kind of an in-between pink and red color, which is really unique!

I love this one because I don't own anything quite like it. KB Shimmer never disappoints! :)

Thanks for looking! Which is your favorite of these? I'd love to hear below! <3

Kelly

Review: Born Pretty Store Rhinestone Wheel!

Hi everyone! I have another awesome product from Born Pretty Store to review for you today. 

This one is the 230-piece iridescent rhinestone set. The listing is here.

I fell in love with the color of how these looked, I had to try them. And I like how there are so many different sizes available. There is so much you can do with them! :)

I wanted to try one of the larger sizes of rhinestones, and I went for a base of OPI You're Such a Budapest. I used a slower drying topcoat - an old Sally Hansen I had laying around - and while the topcoat was still wet, I stuck the rhinestones on.

It looks to me like there are several different variations of color in the rhinestones. They have different tones to them, though it can be hard to see. I see red, green, blue, and purple. I tried to get a good selection of all of them for this mani. They look so cool when they hit the light! :)

I think there is so much you can do with these rhinestones! I chose to go simple with this look, but next time, I think I will try something a bit more complicated. :) Anyway, I think they look great against this bright base color!

You can find the listing for this rhinestone wheel here. You get all these - 230 pieces - for only $3.41!! What an awesome deal! :) And as always, Born Pretty Store has free shipping to anywhere.

If you do decide to pick these, or anything else up from Born Pretty Store, don't forget to use my coupon code to save an additional 10% off!! :)

Thanks for reading! <3
Kelly

Maybelline Street Art: Blue Beats and Green Graffiti

Hello my loves! Today, I have some fun glitter toppers to show you. I got these two a while back so you can see my nails were sooo long - I miss my talons! Hopefully soon, they will grow back long and healthy. :)

These two polishes are from Maybelline Color Show's Street Art collection. First up is Blue Beats. 

I just love how the bright neon blue pops in contrast with the black glitters. These kinds of toppers are so striking, in my opinion. I layered this one over a light grey creme - I wanted to use something neutral so the glitters could be the star of the show!

Formula was great, as was glitter payoff. I painted/dabbed just one coat over my base and that was plenty. I had no trouble with clumping or dragging. I used one coat of Seche Vite overtop to seal it all in, and all the glitters lay flat on the nail.

The other topper I'm showing you today is Green Graffiti.

This one has a sort of bleached neon green glitter along with the usual black. It's a really cool combination!

I layered this one over a dark grey, keeping with the neutral theme to really make the neon glitters pop! :) Formula was the same as Blue Beats, no trouble at all to report and great glitter payoff.

There are several different shades of these glitter toppers, and they are all awesome. As far as I know, these are still available at drugstores, but I may be totally wrong on that. Either way, they're still available on Amazon (depending on shade, prices range from $1.41 - $4.48!), and you need them! :)

Thanks for reading <3
Kelly

Digital Nails: Wibbly Wobbly, Pandorica, and Kelly!

Hi everyone!

Today, my nails are still healing up so I'm still going through the vault. I have 3 more lovely polishes to share with you. These three are all from Digital Nails. First up is Wibbly Wobbly! 

From Digital Nails description: Wibbly Wobbly is an insane blend of grass green holographic, teal, aqua, chartreuse, & hot pink glitters, in a multitude of shapes and sizes suspended in the sheerest of blue jelly base specially designed to hold up lots of glitter. This polish has matte, metallic, blue microflakies, HUGE dots, tiny holos - it's an explosion of sparkle.

I actually chose to build this one up rather than layer it. Even though the base is pretty sheer, the tiny glitters help it to build up pretty easily to opacity! I've used 3 thick coats here plus a thick topcoat and it felt completely smooth. I love all the different glitters in this. I think the largest dots are my favorite - such a unique mix of colors and shapes! :)

In the shade, you really could see how all the different colors popping out! This polish made my nails look like tiny pools or ponds full of sparkles and magic! Yeah, I'm weird. But I love this polish lol.

Next up for today is Pandorica. This one was actually part of my "engagement" package!! :) In case you missed it, here's the post explaining all that. ;)

Pandorica is an amazing black linear holographic. I've used 3 coats here with topcoat, and as you can see, the topcoat didn't dull the holo effect at all. It's super strong! Formula was perfect, slightly sheer but buildable. No trouble at all. I took these photos in direct sunlight. :)

Bottle shot to show off the truly amazing holo effect!!

Lastly for today is my custom polish that Raphaelle made for my engagement package as mentioned above. This one was actually part of the proposal! It makes me so excited when I think of that day and how these amazing polishes were such a huge part of such a special moment. :D :D :D

I am terrible at describing these sort of things, but I will try! Kelly has a shimmer minty green/blue base that's almost metallic or foil-like, it's very reflective. It also has the same sort of silver flakies throughout that give it a sort of freckled look. It's serious shiny and so stunning in person!! This is 2 coats here after I had been wearing it for nearly a week and you can see how well it stood up - just some minor tip wear :)

I could not have been happier with my custom polishes made for my engagement, as well as all the other pretties Raphaelle creates just on a daily basis! Her polishes never fail to blow me away. Be sure to check her out if you haven't already! :)

Digital Nails Etsy shop
Digital Nails Facebook

Thanks for reading! <3
Kelly