NYX Algae NOTD

Look at me..... posting again!! Two in a row =)

Today, I just wanted to quickly post my NOTD. I am rocking a NYX Girls polish. Oddly enough, the name of the polish is not on the bottle. But I am pretty sure it is Algae. This polish is a mossy slash seaweed green that leans a little blue. It is a slightly creamy jelly with a little squishy-ness going on (which I love). The first coat of this polish concerned me a bit, but after the second coat, all was well. Although, after looking through the photos I took, I think I could stand to add a third coat to get solid coverage.

1 coat orly bonder + 2 coats NYX algae + 1 coat seche vite

bottle shot.... see?? NO NAME!

Overall, good application and pretty and fairly unique green! I am a happy camper... and now have to go do some real law school work. EEK!

Hope you all have a fabulous Friday and enjoy your weekend,

Sony T

Julep Anne & Hungry Asian Mumbling

Hello world!! Man... it has been AGES since I have posted on here. Luckily, Shbecky's dedication to Legally Lacquered (and her polish addiction) has kept the blog afloat.

Just yesterday though, I got a couple of polish shipments in the mail and had to post my NOTD. I have been hearing great things about Julep Anne for so long now - highly pigmented vibrant purple. It is about time that I snagged my own bottle. I did note, from other bloggers, that the formula on this polish was not great. Boy were they right. My first coat of Anne was a complete disaster. The polish was thick and clumpy. I had high hopes that the second coat would even it out - especially since I added some thinner to the polish - but I was wrong. It was still a thick, uneven mess. The color is certainly brilliant, but I couldn't leave the disaster on my nails. It would drive me nuts!! So I added Hungry Asian's Mumbling - a decadent mix of gold and silver holographic hex glitter in small, medium and large. When I tell you that Mumbling is to die for, I mean it. We all have those polishes that are literally show stoppers. You can't help but stare at your own nails every time the light hits them. Mumbling is that polish.

1 coat Orly Bonder + 2 coats Julep Anne + 1 coat Seche Vite + 1 coat Hungry Asian Mumbling + 1 coats Seche Vite

Blurry picture that does NOT do the holo-ness of Mumbling justice!

I SO wish I had a picture of my mani for you before I added the Mumbling so you could see the Julep Anne disaster. The color is really brilliant, so I can't blame you for snagging a bottle. I just expected more from a polish that is on the pricey end. And I know everyone has their personal take on Julep bottles but I have to admit - not a fan. Because the brush is submerged in the bottle, you have to wipe off access every time you dip it in. Not to mention, you can't really set this bottle on the table while you paint your nails (at least I can't cause I don't trust myself not to knock it down). Makes the whole process a struggle. I bought a couple of other Juleps during my binge - so hopefully they won't be a disappointment formula wise. With regards to Mumbling - loved the bottle and the brush just as much as the polish itself. OBSESSED!

You can buy Julep from their website and Kae from Hungry Asian sells her fabulous handmade polishes on Etsy. She is also just an incredibly sweet girl and loves what she does - which is always a plus in my book.

Anywhoooo I am off to work on my note (aka. ginormous paper) for my journal. Not a fun process, as you can imagine. Especially when I am on Spring Break! Hope you all enjoyed your weekends and I hope to be a bit more regular with the blogging =)

Peace, love, and polish galoreee

Sony T

The New Black: Horizon

Hey guys!  Sorry for the hiatus.  It actually was really not my intention to disappear, but I have been man-down with the flu all week.  I'm heading to Philly with the bf tonight and we're going to stop at a doctor to make sure I don't have something that antibiotics could help with.  I'm feeling more alive now, but my throat is ON FIRE.   Today's mani breaks from the coral and mints that I had collected to show you, but I had been wanting to show one of these to you all ever since I stumbled upon them.  This is one of The New Black's ombre mani kits.  They seem to be popping up with more and more vendors, but I grabbed these from Beauty.com.  The kits are meant for lazy people like me, and people who don't have a big enough collection (not m) or the patience to match p the appropriate colors for a good ombre mani. 

The New Black: Horizon with topcoat, artificial light.

I have to say I am a bit disappointed.  The polishes are nice and all, but they could match so much better.  The darkest color is really pretty.  It's a navy blue creme with royal blue shimmer.  Then there is a blue/purple frost.  The third is a lighter, washed out version of the same polish.   The fourth is periwinkle leaning blue pastel creme polish.  It's actually a one-coater.  The last polish should be a lighter blue pastel, but it's actually just a white creme.  I really think the polishes should be matching in finish or at least evenly split.  It's weird how there are 2 cremes, 2 frosts and a creme with shimmer.  They should at least be spread out in finish instead of right next to each other.   The way they have it sort of defeats the purpose.  I could always come up with random finish, different leaning blues to do an ombre mani, but the finishes or base colors would be slightly off.   The formulas were kind of "meh."  Nothing fantastic, but nothing terrible.  I also purchased the pink version of this and that might be better. 

Mint and Coral Trend Week: BTOUCH Teal Palace

As I mentioned yesterday I am big on this new trend of coral and mint.  I've decided to make a week f it and show you the polishes from my stash that are on point.  This is BTOUCH Teal Palace.  I have only ever seen this brand in nail salons and it is possible that they are made custom for salons.  Anyways if you check out a few salons in your area I bet you can find them.  Teal Palace is a bright mint green creme that borders on pastel.  It has the formula issues of a pastel.  The first coat is patchy and streaky, but it evens out on the second coat.  I think this is a bit brighter than this Spring's mint green, but I like it all the same.

2 coats Sea Palace, no topcoat, artificial light

Definitely still not what I'm looking for for the mint/coral nail art I want to do, but a good spring color for sure.  Enjoy!

~Shbecky

Spring Coral and Mint!

Hey guys!  Hope at least some of you have today off like me!  The bf actually stayed home today as well.  He has been remarkably tolerant of my lazy monday and has sat by while I swatched my heart out.  I wanted to do some funky nail art inspired by the spring mint and coral trend that is EVERYWHERE.  I can't find jeans in coral or mint that I love yet, so I decided to stalk polyvore to come up with some mani inspiration and show you all what I meant.  I am new to polyvore, so I haven't mastered fancy organization, but I think you all will get the drift.  I haven't done the mani yet, but I have been doing swatches of all the colors I can find in my stash that are on trend.    With the hundreds of polishes in my study I am SHOCKED by how few of these colors I own.  Excuse to shop?  I think so.  Hush - don't tell the bf ;)

 
Spring Coral and Mint!

Anyone else on polyvore?  I need some people to follow!  So far my most on trend mint seems to be Essie Navigate Her.  Even that is a bit too pistachio to be right on trend.  What do you guys think are the best polishes for this trend?


~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