Matte Glitter Mani

So last night I was sitting at my desk, feeling tired and uninspired.  I wanted to paint my nails, but drew a complete blank on color, design, etc.  So, I got out my Black on Black and laid my base coat, hoping something would come to mind while it was drying.  I noticed my bottle of What's Your Name by Sinful Colors sitting on my desk, which is black with tiny, superfine electric-blue glitter, and figured I'd start with that.  Maybe just a coat or two and be done with it for today.

Now, I know for some women, the word "glitter" conjures up images of...how shall I say this politely....ladies of the evening, floor-to-ceiling poles, pasties....you get the idea.  *wink* *wink*!  But glitter isn't just for holiday parties and street-walking....oh, no.  Glitter can be "classy" (that word always makes me LOL just a bit!) if done right! 

OK, so on goes my What's Your Name.  I can't really see the glitter unless I hold my nails a few inches from my face.  Hmmm....no.  Not the look I was going for.  I'm a little down tonight, so I want something cheerful and noticeable.  Back to my nail polish rack I go...

I see it there - my Sinful Colors bottle of Nail Junkie.  Blue & green glitter.  Yes.  This is what I need tonight!  On go 2 coats (glitter polish typically requires at least 2 coats to get a decent, even coverage of glitter on the nail).  And now for my Seche Vite top coat.  I count to 50, nails are dry and done.  Basically satisfied for now, but knowing I'm going to take it all off in the morning anyway, I get ready to start my nightly reading before bed.

And then in walks my husband Jerry.

He takes a look at my nails, decides they're kinda "meh" and proclaims "put some Matte on them!"  Why, yes!  Yes, I think I shall!  Two minutes later, we were both satisfied with my masterpiece. 

I forgot to take pics as I went, but mainly because I wasn't planning on making a post about this mani.  After it was done, I liked how the matte looked and decided to post it.  I took a few pics with the different bottles I used...here they are:

Not the most exciting mani in the world, but hey....not bad for 10:00 at night, with zero inspiration, either!  :-D  What do you think?  Would you wear this combo?

ULTA Brand Nail Polish Review

Well, I discovered ULTA.  Up until a couple months ago, I swore Sephora was the best cosmetics store out there, and really it still is, but in my world, ULTA is poised to take over the #1 spot.  I had never been to an ULTA before, and I must've been walking around with my mouth open and tongue hanging out, because a sales clerk approached me and said "first time shopping with us?"  "YES!" I proclaimed with the excitement of a kid in a candy store, eyes wide as saucers.  And with that, I wandered off to stand and stare in awe at the big Mario Badescu display, rejoicing in my newfound knowledge that no longer would I have to order my Badescu stuff online from their salon in Manhattan anymore....oh joy!

OK, so as I'm wandering around, I see a "buy one get one free" sign over the ULTA brand products.  They clearly speak my language.  I go to investigate, and there it is....a big display of every color polish you can imagine, bottled up in sleek, dare I say sexy, bottles.  The skies opened up....huge rays of sunshine poured down on the bottles...harps were playing and angels were singing!  $6.00 each...buy one get one free.  Now they're $3.00/bottle.  Oh. My. Lord.  My brain short-circuted.  I needed a minute to compose myself.

A Word About "Cheap" Nail Polish

So I decided to do a post on "cheap" nail polish.  I say "cheap" because the bottles/brands I will show you today were between $.99 and $1.99 each, and most were bought at my local drugstore. 

The first photo shown is of my small-but-growing Sinful Colors collection.  Next to China Glaze, which is 3 times the price (but my favorite), this is my preferred brand now and I intend to get every color they make!  And at $1.99/bottle, how can I not?!

One of the main differences between cheap, moderately priced and expensive polish is the amount of pigment in the paint.  Obviously the more pigment that's there, the more opaque the color will go on. 

Ahoy! by China Glaze

From time to time I will swatch a color that I think is beyond the ordinary.  Ahoy! by China Glaze is one of those colors.

It's a deep fuschia with golden flecks.  It's shown here in 2 coats applied over 1 coat of Black on Black by Sinful Colors.  The black really makes this color pop!  Without it, the polish goes on rather sheer and requires quite a few coats to reach opacity.  This is one of my favorite shades and I wear it often.  Another view:

I also used this shade along with a purple shade by Confetti in this mani:

Isn't that beautiful?!  I purchased this shade at Sally Beauty within the last month, so I'm sure it's still available. 

Blue & Green Gradient Mani

This was my very first attempt at sponging on a gradient mani.  I was actually inspired by a nail polish by Ozotic, #506, a blue to purple to copper multichrome polish.  I first saw it here, at Chalkboard Nails, one of my favorite nail blogs.

Anyway, I thought, hmmmm....maybe I could get a sort of duochrome look using 2 colors?  Again, using just the inspiration from the blue & purple shown on her nails, I switched out the purple for green and gave it a shot.

My 3 Polish Staples

Here they are.  The 3 things I simply cannot, WILL NOT, live without. From left to right:

* Black on Black by Sinful Colors
* Matte About You by Essie
*Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

1.  Black on Black:  I use this cream polish as a base coat under every single color I use.  (When using very light colors, such as pink, I use French Sheer White by Savvy Femme Couture, which is not pictured because, well...I almost never wear light colors!)  I apply one thick coat, and then one thick coat of my color, sometimes 2, depending on how deep & rich I want the color to look.

Subtle Holiday Glitter Mani

Since I'm not big on little Santas, wreaths, trees, etc., on nails, I decided to take a different approach.  Now I am NOT knocking little Santas and little trees - they're just not for me.  Glitter, however IS FOR ME, so here we go!

Polka Dot Tips

This is a very simple design I did free-hand...and you can too!

* Start with a French Mani. I get my acrylic wraps done in pale pink and white, so I get to skip that step! Oh, yay me!

* Just a note about the pink & white acrylics...don't get this done unless you can get to the salon at least 2 - 3 times per month to get them filled, AND to get the white re-done (as your nails grow, the white grows out and looks odd...). If you can't commit to the time and expense, don't get the white tips...just have your tech use either the pale pink or the white powder. Pink & white acrylics are ridiculously high-maintenance...but they are also a permanent French mani, so it's a tough call...just be ready to make a long-term commitment to your nail tech!! Me & my nail girl are practically engaged...lol

And now, because I am so brave, I'm going to post a pic of my acrylics looking like a HOT MESS:

This is 10 days after my  last fill.  As you can see, there is exposed nail bed at the cuticle.  The white portion of my tips has grown out, and you can see my natural nail line clearly beneath the grown-out acrylic.  All of this needs to be sanded off by a tech with a Dremel, and then the entire pink & white process needs to be redone.  To give you an idea of cost, down here in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area, a full set of pink & whites will run you about $35 - $50 plus tip, and a fill will cost you around $20 -$35, plus tip.  As I said, it's a costly, high-maintenance commitment.

And now back to our polka-dotting.... 

Gradient Mani

From left to right:

Black on Black by Sinful Colors
Love Nails by Sinful Colors
Centerstage by Confetti
Matte About You by Essie
Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

 To begin:

* 1 coat Black on Black
* 1 coat Love Nails
* 1 coat Seche Vite (this will dry your polish in a snap so you can keep working)