China Glaze Chocodisiac

I'm a sucker for browns... I think everyone already knows that :-)

China Glaze Chocodisiac




I am only wearing two coats here, which I initially thought would be enough, but after I took the pics and noticed some bald spots, I realized I probably should have slapped on another coat. I love the color -- it reminds me of a muddy brown, but it's still shiny and delicious, like chocolate. It's also got a touch of dark pink in there, which makes it decidedly different from your normal brown. Yum!

China Glaze Flyin' High

Here's another polish from the Up and Away Collection -- and a polish that ended up being one of my favorite blues ever!

China Glaze Flyin' High




Based on the formula issues I had with the two pinks I tried from Up and Away, I was a little hesitant to try this one, but I'm glad I did! It applied perfectly and was smooth during application (unlike its two pink siblings). I am wearing three coats here, and this blue is definitely gorgeous. It is darker than a Tiffany Blue, but still reminds me a little of it. I probably should have gone the extra mile and done a white Konad design on top of it, but I was a little pressed for time, so I didn't have the chance to. I know Up & Away can be hit-or-miss, but this one is definitely a HIT!

China Glaze Strawberry Fields

Here's another beauty that's been sitting in my pile of "untrieds" for a while now. I figure the recent heat wave would be perfect to try it out!

China Glaze Strawberry Fields




(outdoors, direct sunlight)




I don't know if it's possible to fall in love with a polish and want to marry it, but if it were, this would be my mate of choice. It just screams "GORGEOUS!" in every possible way. The formula was great, and the color -- OMG the color! It is a medium-colored pink absolutely loaded with gold shimmer. It is a lot more visible outdoors than in, though the flash on my camera did manage to pick up the majority of it. This polish is from last year's Summer Days collection, and it is a must-have IMO.

I will be MIA for the next week and a half. However, in my absence, I've scheduled some posts to go up, so you won't be without me for that long :-) My family is going to Hawaii to watch my little brother get married. His lovely bride is from the Aloha state and that's where they are having their "official" wedding. We will have another little banquet/celebration for them here in a few weeks also. I am SO looking forward to this vacation. My family will probably drive me crazy (as is always the case when we are stuck traveling and living together), but I am so happy for and proud of my brother. He deserves all the happiness in the world, and I'm glad we're all going to be able to be there to witness this blessed event. Not only that, but I've never been to Hawaii before and I am STOKED! We will be in Honolulu, so if anyone has been before and has any ideas/tips of what things are a must-see, please let me know.

P.S. I can't swim, so I can't do any sort of under water activities :-( Also, I am under some physical restrictions, so nothing crazy like cliff diving, skydiving, strenuous hiking, or volcano jumping :-)

China Glaze The Ten Man

This polish is from China Glaze's re-launched Wizard of Ooh Ahz Returns Collection. I apologize for the huge chip on my ring finger -- I took these pics wicked late. Oops!

China Glaze The Ten Man




I am wearing three coats here. The polish was a little sheer, so it took a little bit to build up. I really like the color because it is subtle, but packs a lot of glitter without being overbearing. I think this color would be perfect for a night out on the town, or maybe a special occasion, like wedding or prom :-) It's pretty, but not gaudy. WIN!

China Glaze Vampy

This polish is *old.* I'm not exactly sure how old, but you can tell by the label on the front that it is from at least a few years back! Maybe that explains the formula issues I had...

China Glaze Vampy




The color can probably best be described as a wine-colored burgundy shimmer. You'll have to excuse the flaw on my index finger -- I was in the middle of moving/packing stuff, and something scratched across my nail :-( As I mentioned above, I had some issues with the formula. I think this polish is supposed to be jelly-like in consistency, but due to the bottle's age (or maybe it really is the formula), it was incredibly thick and difficult to work with. When I first took the wand out of the bottle and saw that the polish didn't drip off, I knew it was thick, so I added some polish thinner, hoping it would help. It did help a little, but the formula was still a tad on the thick side. I think I'm only wearing two coats here, which isn't too bad, but goopy formula is never fun to work with :-( Maybe I should just stick with newer collections from now on. Le sigh.

China Glaze IDK

I loooove holographic polishes. They are simply amazing! Such as this beauty here...

China Glaze IDK




This polish is a part of the OMG Collection, from which I've mostly used just the blues and pinks. This color is a pretty light purple with a pink/blue holo effect. The formula was a little sheer, which I have found in other polishes from the same collection, so I'm wearing three coats. It also dries to a semi-matte finish for some reason, so you'll want to use a good top coat to get that "wet" look. Other than that, this is a great color and a wonderful collection!

China Glaze X

This polish was released as part of China Glaze's Anniversary Collection. It was a series of 10 polishes, all named a roman numeral from I to X. After looking through the pics of all the colors, this one is the only one that stuck out to me.

China Glaze X




Formula and application were good. I believe I'm wearing two coats here. X is a dark burgundy/brown with multi-color shimmer. The color isn't terribly unique, but it's nice, dark and vampy, which is nice. Another winner for China Glaze!

China Glaze Dusk + Konad m54

I decided to pretty up my last manicure by adding a Konad pattern to it. Using China Glaze Magical (from the Romantique Collection), I stamped a floral pattern from plate m54. Voila!

China Glaze Dusk + Konad m54 using China Glaze Magical

China Glaze Dusk

Here's an older China Glaze for y'all... I know the older ones aren't B3F, but I love them anyway! They're so easy to apply and the colors are always gorgeous!

China Glaze Dusk




I looove the color of this one -- it is like a dark, murky eggplant color, and I swear that if I move my hands, I see a pink/light purple sheen. The brush was very thin, so application wasn't easy, but the formula was good, so it only required two coats (though I think I might be wearing three). Why can't China Glaze make more colors like this one?? :-)

China Glaze Moulin Rouge

I just changed the look of my blog using one of Blogger's new templates. I hope you like it! :-) I kept the pink because I like it, but snazzed it up a little :-)

China Glaze Moulin Rouge




outdoors, direct sunlight:




You'll have to be patient with me as I slowly make my way through China Glaze's Specialty Collection. Today's polish is another glitter from that line. It's called Moulin Rouge and it's a bright red polish with densely-packed microglitter in there. I had a difficult time taking pictures, because my nails look incredibly grainy in all the pics, but I promise the polish is a lot nicer than what my pictures reflect. The application was pretty good though it didn't "wow" me. It was a tad grainy and took a healthy slathering of top coat to even it out. This one wasn't too bad to remove, but it wasn't exactly easy.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Yay for Fridays!!!

OPI What's With the Cattitude + Bundle Monster BM20

Sooo... I couldn't wear yesterday's mani by itself because there was too much balding on my nails for my own liking, and I thought the blue stood out a little too much all by itself. So, I decided to break out one of my new Bundle Monster plates that I got in the mail! I used China Glaze's Joy as the stamping polish and the vine-looking pattern from plate BM20

OPI What's With the Cattitude + Bundle Monster BM20 using China Glaze Joy




I also have a special guest appearance by my left hand, since the pattern looked better on my left than right hand :-) While I'm not crazy about ALL of the Bundle Monster plates (I think there were 21 in total), I do like the allover nail patterns that they had. I did notice that the patterns on these plates were more narrow and shorter than those on Konad plates, so I specifically used them while my nails were on the shorter side. I'm sure I will probably still be able to use them when my nails are longer, but if your nails are REALLY long, you may not like them because you'll have to stamp multiple times to get the pattern to cover your entire nail surface.

I like using polishes form China Glaze's Romantique collection for nail stamping. They're all pretty thick one-coater polishes with just a hint of metallic frost, so they're perfect for stamping! I really think my mani looks much better now :-)

China Glaze Rapture

I found this polish and saw that it was red/orange with tons of rainbow microglitter. So of course, I had to try it next!

China Glaze Rapture




(direct sunlight)




The formula on this polish was surprisingly sheer. I thought it would be a little thicker, sort of like the polishes from China Glaze's Specialty Collection. But, alas, three coats later, this is what it looked like. The color leans a tad more toward orange in real life. It looks a little too red in these pictures. Also, unlike some of the glitters in the Specialty collection, this one wasn't a royal pain to remove. I got some compliments from co-workers on this polish, and I think it's different enough from others in my collection that I will hang onto this one for future use :-)

China Glaze Latte

This is a non-glitter polish from China Glaze's Specialty Collection. I am going to guess that it's a shimmer :-)

China Glaze Latte




This is probably what would be closest to "mannequin hands" for me. However, it's mannequin hands with a kick because of the light shimmer in the polish. The color is nude, and the formula was a little sheer, so I needed multiple coats to get it to look like this. I'm not a big fan of the "mannequin hands" look, so while I like this color, I don't absolutely love it. I think OPI's Barefoot in Barcelona is a better alternative for me than this one.

China Glaze Sugar High

Sooo... I am continuing my pink trend with this polish from China Glaze's recent Up and Away Collection.

China Glaze Sugar High




I'm not sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand, it's a cute color for Spring, and I can totally see it as a pedicure color for me. On the other hand, the application was a little streaky, took three coats, and I think the color may be a little too pink for my tastes (reminds me of cotton candy and Pepto Bismol). Blah! Hmm... it is a cute color, but on other people. Definitely not on me :-(

I hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day weekend! I do believe this is the unofficial kick-off of Summer!! :-) I am spending a lovely weekend away with my boyfriend and cousins. We have lots planned this weekend, and I'm glad I can spend it with my loved ones :-)

China Glaze Tickle My Triangle

I have a lot of polishes from China Glaze's Kaleidescope Collection. Honestly, I don't know why I haven't tried all of them yet -- they're all deliciously gorgeous! This one is no exception!

China Glaze Tickle My Triangle




How do you say no to pink and holographic and sparklies? I don't think I can!!! This polish has all three, in addition to a great formula that applied very easily and was opaque in just two coats. I seriously love this color!!! Can you guys tell that I've been on a pink kick lately?? I think maybe it's because of the weather and my eagerly anticipating summer!

China Glaze Flirt

I like the name of this polish-- Flirt!

China Glaze Flirt




The formula on this was kind of sheer, so I am wearing about three coats here. You can also see the visible brush strokes in the polish, so make sure you aren't too sloppy during application :-) I like the color -- I can see it being good for something like a wedding, or a baby shower -- something light and fun. It's a great, neutral seashell/rose-pink with a hint of shimmer. If you look closely enough, you can also see a lavender and silver sheen to it. Love it!

China Glaze Ginger

Here's another sparkler from China Glaze's Specialty Collection. I love this one <3

China Glaze Ginger




The formula on this one was surprisingly good. So far with most of the glitters I've seen, the formula was sheer but thick and goopy. This one was easy to work with and only required two coats. I think "Ginger" is the perfect name for this one! It is a hodge podge of colors -- orange, gold, and brown. There's also multi-colored microglitter and large hexagonal glitter in there. This baby's got it all!!

Also, just a quick reminder that today is the LAST day to enter my giveaway! I'll be picking a winner in exactly TWELVE hours so what are you waiting for?? :-)

China Glaze QT

I am hardcore in love with China Glaze's OMG! Collection. It's a collection of twelve holographic polishes that pretty much blows any other polish out of the water. They're all insanely gorgeous, and this one has got to be one of my favorites that I've tried so far!

China Glaze QT




Even though there are three pinks in the collection, I think I can say with confidence that this one is my favorite. It's a gorgeous medium-to-dark pink that has a blue/green/purple holo effect. I love it!! The application was also great, and it only took two coats to reach opacity. My one gripe is that all of these dry somewhat matte -- however, a coat of Seche Vite helped solve that issue and make them all look incredibly shiny. I wore this as both a mani and pedi and it's so cool that even my manly-man boyfriend made a comment about how much he liked the color :-) Granted, the reason he liked it had more to do with cars (there's a word along the same lines of "holographic" in the car world that they use to describe a paint color that looks different shades depending on lighting). Kinda corny yes, but I'll take it!!

Oh, and also a quick plug and reminder for my giveaway! Please enter!! Only a few days left before a lucky winner is chosen :-D

China Glaze Carnival Lights

I got the majority of China Glaze's Glitters, Shimmers, and Cremes collection MONTHS ago when it first came out. So... why am I so slow with posting them? Well, pretty much pure laziness!! lol

China Glaze Carnival Lights




(outdoors, direct sunlight)




This polish was a little too sheer and goopy for my liking. It's a cotton-candy light pink with rainbow-colored microglitter as well as larger pieces of hexagonal glitter. I am wearing three coats here, and as you can see, it is still not completely opaque. I definitely think the color and glitter are super pretty, but the effort expended wasn't completely worth it. As I mentioned, the formula is think and incredibly hard to work with. As I was eyeing the rest of the glitters in this collection, I noticed that the majority of them are thick and goopy. That may be another factor deterring me from trying them all out right away. Oh, boo :-(

But, onto more positive things -- have y'all noticed my post from last night about my first giveaway?? I am now officially accepting entries, and you only have SIX more days to enter!! Please see my previous post for directions as well as pictures of the prizes :-) I didn't mention this yesterday, but obviously, the winner would get their choice of five polishes from the selection posted. I'm really excited and I can't wait to select a winner and ship out the gifts! I have a BE Foiled Eye kit of my own, and I'm wearing it today, and I must say, I love it! :-D

China Glaze Heli-Yum + Konad m35

This is the first polish I'm trying out from China Glaze's spring Up and Away collection!

China Glaze Heli-Yum




The best way I can describe this is a dark, light pink. I know I just contradicted myself, but that's all I could come up with. The pink is dark, but it's not bright, like a fuchsia. It's light enough to make it work-appropriate and not blindingly annoying. I like it. A good way to spice it up is by Konad-ing over it! Here it is with another floral pattern from Konad plate m35 using Konad special stamping polish:







I like this pattern -- but then again, I'm a sucker for florals. I buy all my Konad plates based on whether or not there are any floral patterns and whether or not I like them. I'm not usually super-girly, but I am when it comes to flowers :-)

Again, I apologize for the delay in getting contest details up, but I finally have all my giveaway items together. I'm not collecting entries yet, because I want to get pics of the prize up on my 'blog, but the winner will receive the following:

• Their choice from a selection of polishes
  
• Bare Escentuals Foiled Eye Tutorial Kit
• A package of CVS Salon Rounds (see previous post)
• Lush Lemony Flutter
• Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara in black
• A package of Finger's Edge pink/black plaid acrylic nails (like this)

I think I'm missing an item or two, but I'll check over the weekend and try to get pics up :-) I hope everyone has a great weekend!! <3