NOTD: Flaming Poker

Hey all! Today I have a NOTD for you- a gel manicure I did on my sister over the weekend. I picked up the gel polish at Ulta from a brand called Pro Gel. The color is called Flaming Poker:

I'm really liking this brand of gel polish. The color was super easy to apply and I was able to achieve my desired opacity in just two coats. What I also like is that the color is reminiscent of China Glaze's cult favorite Ruby Pumps, but is more on the brighter berry red side.

I love the red glitter in this- it makes the color much more glam.
What are your favorite red polishes?

NOTD- Gel Manicure

Happy Monday everyone! I know, those two words seem to go together like oil and water after a weekend that completely flew by, butttt I have a NOTD for you today. As I still have my acrylics on, I did a dark plum gel mani for my sister over the weekend:

I used the CND Shellac Base Coat, the CND Shellac Top Coat, and a brand of UV gel I picked up awhile back at a beauty supply store. It's called Speedy Gel and the the color is called Plum. It was fairly inexpensive at $9.99 for the quantity you get compared to the Red Carpet gel polishes which I also love, but you get way less of. Also, the gel polish from this brand was completely opaque in just two thin coats whereas the dark colors I've tried from Red Carpet seem to have a strange jelly finish- you can never get them to be completely opaque.

What do you think about gel manicures? Have you jumped onto the band wagon yet? ت

Tips

Hey all!Today's post will be quick and dirty- lol. I decided to get permanent french acrylic tips. I know they are horrible for your nails, but I felt like I needed a change. I love the way they came out- I always cut them SUPER short and asked the technician to add a line of gold glitter under the smile of the nail- because you all know I love me some glitter!

It Wednesday so hang on- the weekend is almost here :)

NOTD: Turqoise and Caicos

Today's NOTD is Essie's Turqoise and Caicos. I've heard so much buzz about this color and while I don't usually gravitate toward blues or greens, this was such a pretty color it was hard to say no.  actually ended up really loving the way this color looks on my nails- this was three coats:

The formula was a bit goopy which surprised me. I feel like the typical Essie formula is usually on the runnier side. While the formula was a little hard to work with, at three coats it looked smooth and even.

Here's a closeup (by the way, the color is dead on. I just installed a new lighting system in my office and it looks like Times Square up in here!)

I really like this color. Have you tried any trendy colors that are outside of your comfort zone? What color was it and did you end up loving it?

If its pink and its got glitter...

...then I definitely have to own it! This is exactly how I felt about Essie's polish in Pink-a-Boo from the  Resort 2012 Collection. Its a sheer light pink with glass-fleck shimmer in it- both blue and hot pink. I decided to free-hand a french manicure with it today:

It's a little rough but hey- not bad for my first try, right? The application on this one was tricky- you definitely want to wait a bit between coats or you will get bald spots. Also, because there is so much shimmer and the formulas is so sheer, the finish is noticeably gritty. However, since the shimmer is so unusual and so pretty, while this would usually bother me, I don't mind it with this polish. It reminds me of the Nicole by OPI polish in "Kim-pletely in Love" from the Kardashian Kollection, except with that one there's just light blue shimmer and its much more subtle.

Here's a closeup of the polish so you can see how the shimmer translates on the nail:

And lastly, here's a macro shot of the bottle so you can see all the gorgeous shimmer:

I just love this one. Have you checked out the 2012 Resort Collection? Any colors catch your eye?

NOTD Essie Punchy Pink

Hey all!
Today's manicure is a fun BRIGHT pink- Essie's Punchy Pink. With the warm weather we're having in NYC this week, I felt like this was an appropriate color because it reminds me of spring. Every time I look at my nails, this bright color makes me happy.

The application was a dream for this one. The formula was on the more watery side, typical of Essie polishes, but it was easy to apply, streak-free and dried pretty quickly. Looking back on it, this would have also made a gorgeous Valentine's Day mani.

What colors are you loving for spring?

NOTD Rimmel Purple Rain

Today's NOTD is a polish I bought on clearance at Rite Aid. Originally $3.99, it was on sale for 75% off so I snatched it up! The color is Rimmel's Purple Rain:

The bottle is pretty- a very sleek rectangular design. I've never tried Rimmel polishes before and I had a really good experience with this one. Purple Rain is a dark reddish purple. Unlike the Lincoln Park polishes from OPI, even though this polish is dark, you can definitely tell its a dark purple. I used 3 coats for the opacity you see here

The polish applied smoothly and evenly- no balding or streaking. (I used CND Stickey Base as a base coat) The brush was also great to work with and made it very easy for me to have clean, neat lines by the cuticle area. It reminds me of the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polish brushes

I initially wanted to wear this polish without a topcoat, but after 20 minutes, I got a small ding on my ring finger and became a little impatient, so I gave up and applied a top coat of Seche Vite which dried the polish instantly. I really like the color and the application was great. I'm hoping this polish wears well for the win!

And last, one more picture of my mani- I realized that I never have pictures with my thumb showing... so just so you know I do have a thumb lol...

Have you tried Rimmel's polish? Love? Hate?

Valentine's Day EOTD and NOTD

Hey all! I hope you had a great Valentine's Day ♥ !! I did a look yesterday incorporating pink (my favorite color) in honor of the holiday. Here is my EOTD (eye of the day!)

Valentine's Day EOTD

To get the look:
(1) I primed my lids with my favorite primer, Too Faced Shadow Insurance
(2) I then used a flat shader brush to apply MAC Vanilla eyeshadow, which is a satin-finish like cream color all over the lid and under the brow as a highlight.
(3) Next I used a medium brown shadow, MAC Wedge in the crease using windshield wiper motions to blend.
(4) I deepened the "outer-v" with a deeper brown, I used MAC Espresso, which I also used to softly line my bottom lash line.
(5) For the pink glitter liner, I used Urban Decay Heavy Metal Liner in Groupie. (I had to use several layers to get the full on glittery effect I was after)
(5) I then used 2 coats of a mascara I'm loving at the moment, Loreal Voluminous in Carbon Black.
...almost at the finish line!...
(6) The last step was to apply false lashes, I used Ardell Wispies.

I hope you enjoyed this look! I used basic colors that were already in my collection, but if you don't have these exact colors, use what you already have in your collection. There are also some great drug store options, such as the Neutrogena Nourishing Eye Quad in Tea Biscuit which will give you almost the same effect. There are also some great glitter liners by NYX.

Now for my NOTD (nail of the day):

I used OPI's Pink Friday from the Nicki Minaj collection. I've seen watches of this color on other blogs and while I thought it was a pretty color, I felt like I probably had a billion similar colors in my stash, so I didn't feel a need to run out and get it. That was the case until I saw TheBubbleGumPrincess's Nail Polish Obsession Tag video. As soon as I saw it on her, I HAD to have it, so run out and get it I did. This is a beautiful warm pink that would look amazing on absolutely everyone. Application was smooth, but slightly streaky, so I used two thick coats. Dry time was quick thanks to my Seche Vite topcoat. Excuse the wonky application on the pinkie, that was due to an uneven base coat application underneath which I didn't notice because it dries clear and matte...

OPI Pink Friday

Did you do a special look for Valentine's Day? A special manicure? Let me know! ☺