The Hungry Asian: Strawberry, Watermelon, Kiwi and Sneeze Breeze

One of my favorite nail bloggers, The Hungry Asian, recently held a sale of some of her awesome frankens.  I had been coveting Sneeze Breeze since I began following her blog and I sat at my computer hitting refresh as her sale began.  I didn't know how many people were similarly after her polishes so I wanted to make sure I was the first one on there!  I ended up getting 4 polishes for myself, and picking up another for SonyT.  SonyT will be posting her review of the polish she grabbed soon.  Kae (The Hungry Asian) managed to get the order shipped out by the next morning and I had them within two days.  She included a cute little note and my lovely polishes packed nice and securely.

I won't waste time reviewing the bottle or brush.  She is getting them from a distributor and they are average in quality.  I had no qualms with them.  Since these are frankens, I was expecting the worst in terms of application.  However, for the most part, these polishes were super smooth and easy to apply!  Anyways, here are some swatches!

Kiwi

 

3 coats Kiwi + 1 coat Seche Vite, artificial light

It really looks like the inside of a kiwi!  I probably said that 20 times the day I wore this as a full mani.  Kiwi is a "kiwi" green jelly-creme hybrid with fine black speckles.  According to the sale descriptions this is made from 3-Free bases.  This was a little goofy in application, as it was hard to keep enough polish on the brush to get smooth strokes.  Honestly, it's not even annoying, because this polish is adorable. 

Watermelon

2 coats Watermelon + 1 coat Seche Vite, artificial light

close up of the glitter

Watermelon, true to its name, is a "watermelon"-toned pink jelly-creme hybrid with fine green glitter (see last image for proof that it's really green).  This polish applied easily and was opaque in 2 coats.  I failed to capture the green coloring of the glitter, but it is obviously green IRL.  This polish is also made up of 3-free polishes! This is definitely a great summer mani or pedi color, and I expect to go reaching for it pretty frequently.

Strawberry

3 coats Strawberry + 1 coat Seche Vite, artificial light

Strawberry Close Up

Strawberry is a "strawberry" pinkish-red jelly with black speckles.  I was expecting this to be one that I liked, but I love this way more than I expected.  It was the easiest of the 4 to apply and as a bonus is also 3-free.  This is a little dark for me to wear as a summer mani, but is perfect for a night out or a day-at-the-pool pedi. 

Sneeze Breeze

2 coats Sneeze Breeze over 2 coats ChG Liquid Leather, artificial light

Black AND Blue speckles

Last, but certainly not least, is Sneeze Breeze.   It's a clear jelly with densely packed, fine black and bright blue speckles.  The base is thick, but not unmanageably so, and I believe this is also 3-free.  I wore this as a mani without top-coat, as it dries smooth without one.  This polish looks great over white or black bases, and probably over other colors that I haven't had a chance to try yet.  Here I layered it over China Glaze Liquid Leather.  It's almost a brown but looks totally black in 2 coats.  This has the effect of hiding the blue speckles, but I am obsessed with the result.  This polish was totally worth the wait.

As a final note, I know that at least a large portion of Kae's proceeds go to Red Cross efforts in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  So if anyone is having trouble justifying the purchase of any more polish, you can justify it as a donation to a great charitable cause!

Thanks Kae!  I love your blog and my new polishes!

-Shbecky

Valentine's cut-off "Hearts" and FOTD

Happy Valentine's Day!  It really sucks that Valentine's Day is during the week, but I took the opportunity to make it feel special anyways.  I tried to do some hearts on my nails and at least a few people could tell what I was going for.  For this I did a base of 2 coats of Essie Navigate Her.  Navigate Her is a pastel lime creme polish.  Make sure you let the first coat dry all the way, because it is easy to mess up to first coat.  The first coat is super patchy but it looks lovely after the second coat.

Cut off hearts! artificial light

I used China Glaze Millennium for the base heart shape because it does a great job of disguising the imperfections in real life.  I topped it off with OCC Grandma, which really is that perfect classic pinkish red creme.  It didn't turn out perfect, but I am satisfied for a holiday mani!  I actually reallllly loved my makeup today, so you guys get to see that again.  I know I have no expertise, but it's definitely becoming a new hobby.

Valentine's FOTD

I hope you all had a lovely day and got to spend it with someone special (Even if that means family or friends!)
~Shbecky

Confused Gobstoppers and a FOTD

Hey everyone!  I hope you have all had a nice weekend and that you are somewhere a bit warmer than here. Tonight I have one of those manicures that looks better in real life than in a photograph, but I think you will still be able to appreciate it.  I still stuck with my blue/green colors because I haven't been able to get enough of them.  This design was actually inspired by the everlasting gobstopper mani (found here).  However, I hadn't looked at it for a few hours and I never read the tutorial part, so I ended up with something a fair bit different looking, but fun all the same. 

Quasi-gobstopper mani + topcoat in artificial light

For this I started with a coat of China Glaze Millennium, which is way more reflective in real life.  Millennium is an amazing silver/chrome polish that doesn't show any brush strokes.  Then I did my best to add a coat of OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui without ruining the shape.  I added one more coat of Millennium after that.  The inside of the mani and last coat of polish is Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Echo.  This one was a bit harder for me and ended up a little uneven.  The good thing here though was that Millennium is so reflective that it completely distracts from any of the imperfections that show up in the photo.  I really like how this turned out even though it isn't want I had planned on.  Other people couldn't believe that I had painted it myself and I even had strangers grabbing my hands randomly to ask where I had it done!  I might try it with Valentine's colors tomorrow.

On another note, I have another FOTD to share and wont bore with how I did it unless someone is curious.  I just thought this look was fun and converted easily from part of a put together daytime look to a fun night out look! Sorry that my hair was still wet, but I let it dry naturally and it rarely ever is dry when I run out the door.

FOTD

Enjoy!

~Shbecky

China Glaze Electric Beat

I'mmmm baaackkk!  I officially have one full week of classes under my belt.  It feels pretty good!  The bf and I are headed to Boston tomorrow for a family event and to see one of my buddies from college.  I hate flying, but I can't wait.  Tonight I have a polish from China Glaze's spring collection "Electropop."  This is Electric Beat.  This polish reminds me of a the sky on a perfectly clear day.  It's a dusty light blue creme  that looks grey and purple in different lighting.

2 coats Electric Beat + So Wet top coat, artificial light

This had a great formula.  At first I thought it was too thick and it seemed to go on a bit unevenly.  However, this polish is self-evening.  It's almost like a holo polish.  No matter what you do to this it seems to fix itself.  It also stayed really nicely in place on the nail with no dripping.  In the picture it loos a little bit matted.  It isn't so obvious IRL, but this is from a new top coat I tried.  It was called "So Wet."  I will refrain from making any jokes.  It actually dries well and after 24 hrs it seems to be holding up well.  I do like the finish I think!  I normally use Poshe or Seche Vite, but both were sold out at Sally's so I improvised.    Has anyone else tried this top coat before??

Enjoy!

Shbecky

China Glaze Ruby Pumps and an apology

Hey everyone!  Before I get to my exciting polish post, I would like to use this as a forum to apologize to someone very important, SonyT.  As you all recall, I was recently up in NH where I barely gotto post due to a lack of internet.  While I was up there I managed to miss her birthday.  I didn't call, text or post.  In fact I completely forgot.

Eisenbrat, me, and SonyT at my birthday party - she so purty

I love her dearly, but when it comes to birthdays I am a moron.  If facebook doesn't remind me, I am lucky that I remember what part of the year a birthday occurs during.  However, SonyT was incredible on my last birthday (see above photo), so I really feel like a pile o' poo over forgetting.  I know I can't change it now, but I wanted to apologize to SonyT in front of the world (or at least our 229 followers) for being terrible and failing to treat her birthday with the celebration/acknowledgement it deserve.  Happy belated birthday! 

2 coats Ruby Pumps, Nubar top coat, artificial light

Now to the polish.  Tonight I have China Glaze Ruby Pumps for you all.   This comes from the Wizard of Ooh Ahz Returns Collection, Winter 2009.  It's 3 Free and comes in the standard China Glaze bottle, which I have accidentally left out of my photos.  Ruby Pumps is a blackened blood red base packed with blood red, fine glitter.  In the sunlight and in my lightbox, the blackened part doesn't really show so well, but you can see the contrast between the base color and the glitter!  I'm impressed that this hasn't joined the ranks of other HTF beautiful China Glaze polishes.  This is still available on amazon as well as from other vendors.  Application was just fine, and the polish was opaque in 2 coats.  My only qualm is that this is a top coat nommer (read "eater").  Nubar's top coat is quite thick and initially seemed to smooth it out nicely, but this AM I noticed that my nails have a strange texture.  Not really a big deal I suppose.  I still love it!

~Shbecky

China Glaze Cha Cha Cha

Hey guys!  Here is one last summery color from China Glaze's Island Escape collection.  This is Cha Cha Cha, a bright lime-y metallic polish.  I'm really glad I tried this, because a metallic yellowy-green like this is not something I would ever go for.  I didn't grab this when I went to Sally's to scope out the summer collection.  I think it's just too light and bright for me to grab it at first site.  I'm pleased that I have had a chance to try it, because I actually kinda like how it looks on me.  It looks great in that "an alien puked on my finger tips" sort of way.

2 coats Cha Cha Cha, no top coat, artificial light

 I don't know that I would run and grab this for a daily mani, but it certainly is a nice summer splash.  I know for some that this color is right up your alley.  I have good news for you, this DOES NOT have brush stroke issues.  A lot of metallic polishes look incredible in the bottle.  Then when you paint it onto your fingernails you see these nasty streaky marks.  It looks sloppy, and I always wonder why brands release something that is destined to me a mess.  I digress.  There are no brushstroke marks here - so no problemo.

2 coats Cha Cha Cha, no top coat, artificial light

This 3 Free formula painted on easily and dried to a super glossy finish.  I didn't use top coat and I almost would be afraid that a top coat would ruin the vibrance here.  I'm really glad I gave this a try and I suggest you all snag one before it becomes harder to find!

~Shbecky

*Disclosure: This polish was provided for me by China Glaze's PR for review.  No compensation was provided, and all assertions are my honest opinions.

China Glaze Electric Pineapple

Hey guys!  I'm continuing my "it's still summer" kick with another one of the polishes from the Summer Island Escape collection.  This is Electric Pineapple and admittedly this is a polish that I had some problems with previously.  I was so excited about this color that I grabbed it right when it came out from Sally's.  I thought that this was a really unique color with a cute name.  I ran right home to do a mani with it and had a pretty awful experience.  The finish was patchy and lumpy and it wouldn't dry.  I was so disappointed.  However, China Glaze's PR provided this a sample for review and I figured I'd give it another shot.

2 coats Electric Pineapple, no top coat, artificial light

I am so glad that I did.  I think my first bottle must have been a fluke formula.  This one was much better.    Electric Pineapple is a 3 Free almost neon yellow/green creme.  It's not quite neon, because it dries to shiny finish.  Application wasn't totally trouble-free.  I was being really impatient.  I knew I should wait for this to dry before applying another coat.  This was particularly sensitive in terms of the second coat.  You MUST wait for the first coat to dry to get smooth second coat application.  The good news is, if you are patient with the second coat you won't need a third.  Overall I'm really pleased with this polish and glad I gave it another shot!  I even like it with my skin tone!

On an unrelated note - big thanks to reader, Hermetic, because my nails are looking lovely after some buffing.  I don't look like an alien anymore!

~Shbecky

**Disclosure: This polish was provided for me by China Glaze's PR for review.  No compensation was provided, and all assertions are my honest opinions. 

China Glaze Blue Iguana

Hey everyone!  Summer is rapidly coming to a close, but it's not over yet!  Admittedly I've been dipping into the fall shades lately, so to celebrate the fact that it's still summer I have China Glaze Blue Iguana for you.  Blue Iguana is an ocean blue translucent/jelly base packed with royal blue and purple glass flecks.  It was released as part of China Glaze's summer 2011 collection called "Island Escape."

4 coats Blue Iguana+Nubar Top Coat, shade

I said this was a jelly base, but it isn't "squishy" like most jelly polishes.  The polish applies in very thin coats.  As a result you need 4 coats to get rid of most VNL (visible nail line).  Most polishes are a pain to apply any more than 3 coats of, but this is very easy to apply.  Each coat dries by the time you've covered your other hand.  All of the polishes the collection are 3 Free and capture summer perfectly.  I really like this color.  I was worried about the color against my skin tone, but I think the purple flecks make it look nice.  It's definitely a keeper.

~Shbecky


**Disclosure: This polish was provided for me by China Glaze's PR for review.  No compensation was provided, and all assertions are my honest opinions.

China Glaze Brownstone

Hey guys!  This will be quick. I  had already typed up an awesome post, and then Blogo decided it didn't want to work and deleted everything I wrote.  Hmph! I'm bummed out that I'm leaving New Hampshire, the lake, my family, and the relaxation tomorrow morning.  At least my lovely boyfriend will be waiting for me on the other end.  I miss him tons.

Anyways, tonight I have China Glaze Brownstone for you all. It's a 3 free polish from this fall's Metro Collection. Brownstone is a dark brick red creme that lives up to its namesake.

2 coats Brownstone + Seche Vite, artificial light

The color fits in perfectly with the slightly off, smokey and burnt colors that we've been seeing from all of the polish brands. I must say that Brownstone is the best fall formula I've seen yet. I'm thoroughly impressed. This was opaque in 2 coats, but is almost a one-coater. The polish is highly pigmented and stays put on the nail in nice easy thin coats. Here's to all the polishes in the collection being this great! Sleep tight everyone!

~Shbecky

China Glaze Trendsetter

Hey guys!  I just got back from the Nationals v. Braves baseball game that I went to with the boyfriend and a couple of good friends.  Today I decided to go with a new Fall polish that fits the trend of ugly pretty perfectly.  This is China Glaze Trendsetter from the Fall Metro collection.  It's 3 Free and a yellow tinged dusty green packed with micro-shimmer. 

2 coats Trendsetter + Seche Vite, natural light

As I said yesterday, yellows can be terrible formula-wise.  I know - this isn't a yellow.  However, this seems to yellow/green combo and I as concerned that this could be problematic.  It's actually pretty great.  The first coat is definitely not perfectly even, but the second coat is smooth.  I was actually shocked when I painted this on and noticed that there was a shimmer in this.  It looked like a straight up creme when I grabbed the bottle, but it's totally shimmery.  I'm not positive when the official release is, but I was able to snag this off of evilbay last week.  My boyfriend says this looks like green pee, but he doesn't know much about the whole ugly but pretty fad.


~Shbecky

Comparison: OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui vs. China Glaze Shower Together

Earlier this week I posted China Glaze Shower Together as a base for my venture into nail art.  I was instantly a huge fan.  Then I remembered that I had just seen a similar color on my boyfriend's sister's toenails.  I told her that she'd love OPI's Suzi Says Feng Shui.  I was completely obsessed with Suzi Says Feng Shui last summer.  I used it on my toes, on my tips, as an accent - for everything.  It just so happens that it looked just like Shower Together in my mind.  I was right!  These actually look just alike. 

OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui (left) v. China Glaze Shower Together (right)

Both Polishes are 3 Free and have awesome formulas.  Shower Together is just the tiniest bit lighter than SSFS.  It also paint on in thinner coats than SSFS.

Suzi Says Feng Shui (outsides), Shower Together (2 insides)

Ultimately most people only need one, but since I love the color and formula I will be keeping both so that I have a back up of it!  Yea yea, I know I"m crazy, but whatever.

~Shbecky

Nail Art: Shower Together w/ Orly Stripes

 Hey everyone - I hope you're enjoying your weekends!  For the last 24 hours I've been obsessing over Tumblr.  I am so impressed by the awesome stuff that pops up so quickly, especially the nail stuff!  I saw some really cool striped manis today that inspired me to try out some of my new Orly Instant Artist nail art polishes.  I used China Glaze Shower Together as my base color,  I meant to grab some solo pics of Shower together, but uuhhh yea I forgot.  It's a great bright blue creme with an incredible formula.  It applies in buttery smooth coats and built up to a great shiny pop of color in 3 thin coats. 

3 coats Shower Together with Orly Rose and Dark Purple stripes + Seche Vite, artificial light

 After a few minutes I grabbed the nail art polishes.  I wasn't sure how many colors I would do originally so I started with the obvious match, purple.  These Orly artist colors are awesome.  Some nail art polishes are too transparent but these are solid over everything!  They applied smoothly and the long thin brush was easy to manage.  The bottles are long thin versions of the regular polishes, right down to the grippy polish cap.

3 coats Shower Together with Orly Rose and Dark Purple stripes + Seche Vite, artificial light

 My first few tries ended up really crooked so I threw an extra coat of Shower Together over to hide the botched stripes.  I eventually got more steady and although the lines aren't perfect I think they are just how I want them.  I left it at 2 colors so that I wouldn't ruin a good thing!  After a minute I slapped on some Seche Vite and now I have my perfect Saturday night mani.  I just hopped on ebay to grab some more colors of the Orly Instant Artist polishes so that I can do whatever color combos I desire.

Hope you like it!  Enjoy your weekends and be safe :)

~Shbecky

P.S. Check me out on Tumblr! Click here and follow!

This one time I tried an ombre mani

Hey everyone!  Sorry I didn't post last night :(  I have been feeling a little off since I got back, and to top it off most of my nails tore very low down from the salt water at the beach.  You also might notice that I have various cuts and sores on my poor swatching hand.  I was trying to break apart some polish bottle that were stuck to a shattered polish.  My Kleancolor chunky holos came with the green shattered.  Anyways I ended up with a couple deep cuts and have glass all in my hand still.  I am hoping I can still get some swatching in tomorrow, but my hand stings and isn't exactly loking pretty at the moment. 

Anyways, I've been seeing ombre manis everywhere these days.  My collection of holo polishes is growing pretty fast, so I figured I'd combine the two trends.  It was a pretty huge fail.  I need to pick 3 holo polishes in one brand and combine the polishes so that the finishes are consistent and the fade is correct.  For this I used Glitter Gal Red on my thumb and Glitter Gal Enchanted on my pointer finger.  Then I have China Glaze Don't Be A Square on my middle finger, China Glaze Rated Holographic on my ring finger , and one of my Golden Rose holos that has lost its number sticker on my pink.  It is still pretty, but I would like to do this the right way.  I want the finishes to match!  I also want to try when my nails aren't misshapen nubbins with awful cuts.  Again, I won't review the polishes here, because that would be a little boring for both me and you. 

Ombre holo mani

I'm going to work on getting you a winner for the Nfu Oh 61 Giveaway tomorrow!  Enjoy your Saturdays!

~Shbecky

China Glaze: Wild Mink - Pink Wednesday

Can someone tell me why I can't capture pinks on my camera?  I don't have this type of trouble with any other hues so this is driving me crazy.  This polish is really a medium bubble gum pink creme with a slight orange undertone, but this looks straight orange.  I've messed with the white balance and my lighting and tried all sorts of post photo editing.  No luck.  My only solution is to go outside, which I did this morning at 7:30 am.  There must be a way to capture this inside with artificial lighting.  Any tips?

2 coats Wild Mink + Seche Vite, artificial light

I think I snagged this on a bulk ebay purchase a little while back.  I love the color, which sort of reminds me of YSL Rosa Rosa.  The formula is amazing for a China Glaze.  They are always good with formula, but this could pass for a Lippmann polish if you put it in the signature polish bottle.  This is a 3 free polish, but still seems very hard and dried impressively fast.  I pushed the limits on timing with a pre-bed mani and woke up without a sheet mark in sight.  The brush was a little flimsy on this.  However, it really doesn't matter when the formula is so spot on.  This is definitely a new permanent go to pink in my collection.

2 Coats Wild Mink + Seche Vite, natural light

My only gripe with this polish is its name.  I keep wanting to call it "Mink Pink."  I even titled this post with that accidentally but noticed before publishing.  Anyways, I'm excited I remembered it was Pink Wednesday.  It makes it way easier to pick a polish.

Verdict? STASH -this is my new favorite pink.

Don't forget to enter our Nfu Oh 61 Giveaway!  July 4 is coming fast!

China Glaze: Let's Do It In 3D

Hey everyone!  I know it's super late, but today was a crazy day for a simple little Hill intern like myself.  I was at work for almost 12 hours and a polish post wasn't in the cards until now.  I watched The Nail Files tonight, which is the new nail salon centered reality show on the Tv Guide Network.  It was pretty funny, but I would have loved a little more actual nail talk mixed in with the crazy moments.  Maybe next week?

Tonight I am showing you China Glaze Let's Do It In 3D.  This is one of their many discontinued polishes that holo fans everywhere wish would be re-released.  This is a charcoal holographic polish that has a sort of foily finish.  It leans a little bit blue/green in the light and is truly beautiful.  As a bonus this is 3 Free.  While down in NC last weekend I painted my boyfriend's mother's nails with this as well.  Not many mothers of boyfriends are awesome enough to rock a holo polish, but I've definitely lucked out.  She looked great with it on her nails and paired it with a cute black dress and funky silver jewelry.

2 coats Let's Do It In 3D + OPI top coat + 1 more coat 3D, sun

 I knew I'd be traveling, so I used the sandwich technique.  The mani held up perfectly for the 48-ish hours I kept it on.  I only took it off because I was dealing with nail polish remover.  I also learned that this is one of the best self-leveling polishes I have encountered.  The boyfriend's mother has some trouble with ridges in her nails, but this smoothed them right out!  I think a combination of the formula and the intense reflection makes for a lovely finish.

bonus shot! 

Anyways, I love this polish.  You probably couldn't force me to part with it.  Everyone needs to track one of these babies down.  What's not to love about a gorgeous, unique, fast-drying holo?

Don't forget to enter our Nfu Oh 61 Giveaway!


~Shbecky

China Glaze 2Nite

WARNING - This is an extremely picture heavy post.  I really can't help it.  I took 20 pictures or so of this mani and every single one came out perfectly and IMO showed off a different angle of awesomeness.  Tonight I present to you China Glaze 2Nite, a silky smooth grey-ish lavender-ish periwinkle blue linear holographic.  Do you like that description?  This beauty came from the OMG collection of holographic polishes a few years back and was a major polish craving of mine.  I checked ebay regularly and only found outrageously priced bottles.  A couple of weeks ago I came across a fantastic blog, Concrete and Nail Polish.  Not only was the blog beautiful and well done, but its creator, April, does a weekly round up of giveaways which I submitted our Nfu Oh 61 Giveaway to.  During my exploration I realized that April also has a great little shop featuring clothing and nail polish, two of my favorite things.  Her shop is called Medusa's Threads and everyone should check it out.  She has some very reasonably priced HTFs and is great with customer service and communication.  I will be a repeat customer for sure! 

Anywho, back to the polish.  As you may have gathered from my description this polish has a lot of colors flashing through it.  It's almost like a duochrome holo.  The polish is totally opaque in 2 coats and very easy to apply.  It also dries extremely fast unlike most holo polishes.  Normally polishes like this are tacky for a long time because they are worn without a top coat.  2Nite leveled itself out within 30 seconds and I was able to go about business as usual after about 15 minutes.  Now to the photos!

2 coats 2Nite, no top coat, artificial light

look at the gorgeous reflection!

2 coats 2Nite w/flash

INCREDIBLE colors

Ok - I'm done.  I will try to refrain from posting so many photos in the future.  Now for the downside.  I was a little lazy with this last night and didn't use my handy sandwiching technique on this (adding a thin layer of a top coat between holo coats).  As a result my nails chipped A LOT at work today.  I'm not sure how this beauty will do with a better application process, but I can tell you it isn't durable at all on its own.

Verdict?   This girl can't turn down a good linear holo, especially one with such great colors.

Don't forget to enter our Nfu Oh 61 Giveaway!!

Cubs Mani: 2 coats China Glaze Pelican Gray with Sally Hansen Distressed Denim Crackle

Here is a peak at my inadvertent Cubs mani! I did this in the dark so it's nothing to be proud of but it fits for the game today. It's topped with Out The Door Holographic Top Coat in Gold since I forgot to pack seche vite. I'll give a more thorough crackle review soon and talk more about Pelican Grey. We'll be doing a shatter/crackle week soon so get excited!



Check back soon for more info on our giveaway! Don't forget to show some love by following us on Google Friend Connect!

-Shbecky
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:N Rush St,Chicago,United States

WMZQ festival!!

My BFF had a couple extra tickets to WMZQ festival yesterday, so my boyfriend and I went along with her and her boyfriend on a cute country concert double date. The weather was perfect and we had an amazing time. Of course, upon arrival, my BFF decided we should buy cowboy hats so we looked like we fit in. I can't say no to shopping - so below is a pic of my freshly painted neon nails, gripping my brand new cowboy hat at the concert! I can't wait til my next country concert.. any suggestions on who to see on tour this summer??

Sony T

China Glaze: Flip Flop Fantasy

So, as Shbecky mentioned, the sun is FINALLY back out in the district which for me.. means neon time!!!! I was incredibly excited to buy the entire Poolside Collection from China Glaze - a gorgeous set of neon mattes that can be transformed into glossy prettyness with a top coat.

I don't have the whole collection swatched yet (I will try and post the entire collection in its entirety soon), but I do have Flip Flop Fantasy below. This color is perfection. Like I mentioned, all of these polishes are matte upon application. Of course, this means the polish dries pretty quickly when you apply. So make sure to use thick coats instead of trying to go back and tweak because you will end up with a streaky, and chunky looking finish. I had trouble layering this polish over my base coat again, so I ended up going without.

It is impossible to capture in a picture the coral neon-ness that is, Flip Flop Fantasy. This polish is SO insanely bright in almost any lighting. Neon orange and neon pink had a baby, and this.. my fellow polish addicts.. is it. I cannot wait for my feet to get tan, because I know this will be one of my fav summer pedi colors. This is a must have for you, and a must keep for me!!

2 coats of Flip Flop Fantasy, 1 coat Seche Vite top coat

Sony T

China Glaze: Ingrid

If anyone out there lives in the DC metropolitan area - you know that it is supposed to be dreary and rainy ALL week. So I was in a blah kind of mood and wanted something that captured my blah-ness. Luckily, not long ago I went on a brown polish rampage and hadn't tried China Glaze Ingrid yet.

I am a HUGE China Glaze fan as it is, and this polish was certainly up to par. The application was generally, great. I did have some minor clumping on one nail, but I probably just didn't roll the polish enough. Color-wise, I expected this polish to be darker on my nails but instead - it is a warm brown with gray/mauve undertone and a super fine gold shimmer. Because it was so yucky out, I wasn't able to capture the gold prettyness in the picture. But believe me, its there! In fact you can even see the lighter specks throughout the polish in the natural light picture that shine in the light.

1 coat Seche Ridge Filling Base Coat + 2 coats Ingrid + 1 coat Seche Vite, artificial light

1 coat Seche Ridge Filling Base Coat + 2 coats Ingrid + 1 coat Seche Vite, natural lighting

All in all, this polish is definitely a win. Is it a must-have? Maybe not. But if you need an extra polish to qualify for free shipping, or happen to stroll by this polish at your local beauty store - grab it! You won't be disappointed.

- Sony T