Christmas Skittlette with VL006

Good morning!  We've got one more Nutcracker performance this afternoon, and then I'm finally flying home!  I get two days off, and then we have another run of five shows.  I've been so busy that I still haven't really processed the fact that tomorrow is really Christmas... Probably doesn't help that I've barely been able to do any Christmas manis!

This is a skittlette that I did at the very beginning of December for my work Christmas party, and unfortunately it's the only real Christmassy nail art that I've gotten to do this year!

I started with three coats of Essie Macks on both my middle and ring fingers, and stamped the snowflake image from VL006 in Essie No Place Like Chrome.  I've been playing around with a couple Vivid Lacquer plates for a while now, and honestly this is the first image that I've successfully been able to get most of the image to stamp cleanly; you can see that the small ones got smudged when I picked up the image from the plate.  I'll try to get some of the others working for me soon, to give you a more comprehensive review of them. 

My thumb is two perfect coats of piCture pOlish Monroe, accented with two studs.  My index finger is one coat of the beautiful OPI Live And Let Die, with polka-dots in Essie No Place Like Chrome.  My pinky is two coats of my recently-accquired Zoya Chita, which I've yet to wear as a full mani.  All nails (except the pinky) are topped with two coats of LaCC 2013 top coat.  

I really loved how this mani was a more subdued and vampy holiday look.  Of course I love burgundy and dark green, and all of these polishes together made an awesome combination in my opinion!  What do you think? 

I still have to decide what I'm going to do on my nails for Christmas, although I know it won't last long because I'll probably get some more polish for Christmas which I'll want to wear right away!  What are you all planning on wearing on your nails tomorrow? :)

Lacquer Lust, Polished by KPT, & Serum No.5 Christmas Trio

Good morning!  Three more Nutcracker shows here, and I go home tomorrow night, finally!  I haven't been home or seen any of my family or friends there since I left at the beginning of September, so I'm pretty excited!  Although we do have to do five more Nutcracker shows there after Christmas... 

Anywho, today I've got another Christmas trio of polishes to share.  This time it's a collaboration between three awesome indie brands, two of which are new to me!  I've of course had my fair share of experience with Lacquer Lust, but this was my first time trying both Polished by KPT and Serum No.5; read on to see more swatches and hear my thoughts!  :)

China Glaze: Touch of Twinkle Set

Good morning!  I've been super out of it with everything regarding Christmas this year, with all my time being occupied by Nutcracker rehearsals and shows.  I haven't really been able to keep up with all the polish news and new collections, so I was excited when I was contacted by Nail Polish Canada to showcase one of the trios from the new China Glaze Happy Holi-Glaze collection!  This set consists of three polishes: Santa Red My List, Be Merry, Be Bright, and Just Be-Claus.  Let's take a look at the Touch of Twinkle trio!

Guest Post at Accio Lacquer

Good morning!  In case you don't follow Accio Lacquer (which you definitely should be) and missed this yesterday, I did a guest post for Mishka's monthly Owl Post.  

Perfectly timed for one week before the Doctor Who Christmas special and the upcoming regeneration, I'm paying tribute to Matt Smith and some of our favourite monsters who are returning for a last run at Eleven on the 25th!  Head on over to Accio Lacquer to see the whole post and fangirl with us!  :)

Miss Ashleigh Polish: Showstopper, Kryptonite, & Hot Flush

So much for "later this week," huh?  If you missed my first post featuring three polishes from Miss Ashleigh Polish, you should take a look at that now!

I've been super busy with rehearsals and performances for The Nutcracker.  Last weekend I was out of town on tour for five days... Neither the hotel nor the theatre had wifi, so I obviously couldn't get much done!  I was barely home for two days, and yesterday we left to go out of town again until Sunday night for more performances!  It's going to be like this until the end of December, so I'm really not sure how many Christmas manis I'll get in, considering I can't wear nail art for performances... 

Anywho, read on to see these three amazing polishes!  :)

Miss Ashleigh Polish: In The Navy, My Merlot Made Me Do It, & A Pastel Experi-mint

Good morning!  Last week I was chosen to be in the company's production of The Nutcracker; rehearsals have been going like crazy, with the first show in just over a week now... I'm hoping it'll all go smoothly!!  

Today I've got a super overdue review of some awesome Aussie indie polishes!  After swatching and editing, a bunch of these photos went missing among all the folders on my computer and I couldn't find them for the longest time... And yet as I was about to revert to re-swatching them, they turned up!  Anywho, here's the first three of six stunning polishes I've got from Miss Ashleigh Polish! :)

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary!

I know that blog posts have been a bit sporadic over the past little while, but if you know me at all, you know that I wouldn't miss the chance to do some nail art for today... It's Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary!!

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In honour of the longest-running sci-fi show ever, I did some galaxy nails with a TARDIS and the Doctor Who logo!  I've had this idea floating around in my head forever, and I'm so glad I finally got around to doing it!

For those of you who don't watch Doctor Who: my sincerest condolences.  You're missing out.  

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On a side note here, has anyone else watched An Adventure In Space And Time yet?  I watched it online, and it's SO GOOD.  It's a 60's-set docu-drama about the beginnings of Doctor Who starring David Bradley (better known to Potterheads as Argus Filch) playing first Doctor William Hartnell.  You don't even have to be a Whovian to enjoy or understand it, it's that amazing.  Not going to lie, the end made me cry a little.  You've been warned. 

Nails!  For my galaxy mani, I started with a base of Cult Nails Time Traveler, for obvious reasons.  I then sponged on piCture pOlish Twinkle, OPI Russian Navy, and Zoya Aurora, along with a couple of Doctor-inspired polishes including Dollish Polish It's Bigger on the Inside and Lynn B Designs Time And Relative Dimension In Space.  I added a coat of OPI Pirrouette My Whistle for some stars!  The Doctor Who logo and TARDIS were done with acrylic paint, and it's all topped off with two coats of Seche Vite.  

My roommate got me the above-pictured TARDIS mug for my birthday, and my other Whovian friend got me a TARDIS cookie jar (which is way too big to hold for a photo) filled with homemade cookies!  They know me too well... 

I haven't done detailed freehand work in quite a while, so execution was a little rusty on this one.  Nevertheless, I still love it!  

Please keep the comments spoiler-free, as I actually won't be watching The Day of the Doctor (50th Anniversary Special) until Monday when I go to see it in the theatre with my previously-mentioned Whovian friend and his family!  (Plus their last name is Who, because they're awesome and British.  I have cool friends.) 

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And so with that, I leave you the comments section... Fangirl time!! :D 

Purple Skittlette & Another Year Older

I'm 18 today!  It's weird, it really doesn't feel like it should be this time of year already, and yet somehow it is...  I've still got to go to ballet class and rehearsals this morning and then go to work for six hours in the afternoon, but I'm going out for dinner with two friends later, so that'll give me something to look forward to!  Well, that and eating an entire tub of Ben & Jerry's all by myself... Because everything is calorie-free on your birthday.

This isn't actually what's on my nails today, but it's a cute skittlette that I wore earlier this week.  I really loved this, mainly because it's all purple which is my favourite colour!  :)

The gorgeous glitter on my index finger is two coats of Aphrodite Lacquers Star Crossed Lovers over OPI You're Such A Budapest.   My middle and ring fingers are each one coat of LaCC 1973 stamped with Nailz Craze Plate NC02 and Essie No Place Like Chrome.  I finished off the look with my favourite textured polish on my pinky: Zoya Stevie.  All nails (except the Pixie Dust) are topped with LaCC 2013 top coat.  

Do you love this look as much as I do?  :)

LaCC Fall/Winter 2013 Nail Art: Leopard & Half-Moons

Good morning!  Today I've got yet another nail art look to share that features a few polishes from the LaCC Fall/Winter 2013 Collection.  

This look actually uses the exact same four polishes as the striped nail art I shared the other day... I can't help it, these colours just go together so well! 

My double-accent leopard print nails started with a base of 1988 (taupe).  The salmon-coloured centers were dotted on with 1981, and then outlined in 1998 (dark brown).  The half-moon nails are two coats of 1941 (red) followed by freehanded half-moons in 1981 (salmon-nude).  All nails are topped off with two coats of LaCC 2013 top coat. 

All of these polishes are part of the LaCC Fall/Winter 2013 Collection, which is now available to purchase through the LaCC website, as well as through many online retailers and stores which are listed here.

I really like how this nail art came together - the combination of neutral leopard print and half-moons had such a classy look to it!!  What do you think?  :)

LaCC Fall/Winter 2013 Nail Art: Striped Sweater

Happy Friday!  I'm so ready for this long weekend... Today I've got some awesome striped nail art that I created using a few polishes from the LaCC Fall/Winter 2013 Collection which I showed you the other day!  

I started with two coats of 1981, a salmon-toned nude creme.  After a coat of Seche Vite to speed up the drying, I used striping tape to mark off the lines.  Using a nail art brush, I filled in the sections alternating with 1941 (red), 1998 (dark brown), and 1988 (taupe).  After removing the tape, I topped it off with two coats of Seche Vite to smooth everything out.  

I really love how all these colours go together so perfectly - this combination just screams fall to me!  The stripey pattern in warm tones reminds me of a cozy sweater, perfect for the season!  

What do you think of this look?  All of the LaCC polishes are just screaming at me to be used in nail art, so expect to be seeing a lot of those pop up over the next little while!  ;) 

LaCC Fall/Winter 2013 Collection

Good morning!  I've got a super exciting post to share today... It's the first complete look at the new La Couleur Couture Fall/Winter 2013 Collection!  Full of rich cremes, perfect neutrals, and vampy shimmers, there's something in this collection for everyone!  

This post is super picture-heavy, so read on after the jump!  :)

Halloween Skittles & KKCenterHK 3D Bow

Happy Halloween!  I'm not really in the mood for Halloween at all this year, but I figured I should still try to put together a mani for the occasion!

I was in a hurry and had to throw this look together in about half an hour; since I couldn't settle on one design, I went with a skittle look to incorporate all of them! 

This cute bow on my thumb is from KKCenterHK, which you can find here.  I think it really goes with the whole look!  I attached it with a dot of nail glue and it securely stayed on all day, and it wasn't too bulky which was great.  The only thing I'd say I don't like about it is that when I was removing it (using acetone and a brush to break down the glue underneath before prying it off) the design which is on the underside of the bow started to come off with the acetone, and the finish on the clear part started to get broken down and matte-looking as well.  Unfortunately I've got to say that, for me, these aren't reusable, but if you manage to get it off without ruining it, they very well could be!  

Here's a quick rundown of my other nails... On my index finger I'm wearing two coats of LaCC 1999 (Spoiler alert: from the new Fall/Winter 2013 Collection, which will be on the blog soon!) with polka dots in OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls.  My middle finger is a gradient with OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, Essie Meet Me At Sunset, and SpaRitual Enlightened Soul.  My ring finger is two coats of Essie Meet Me At Sunset over a nude base, since it's a jelly, (same polish as my thumb), topped with one coat of Different Dimension Social Suicide.  On my pinky I've got one coat of Zoya Electra over LaCC 1999.  All nails are topped with two coats of Seche Vite.  

Overall I'm pretty happy with how this look turned out, despite being super rushed!  I've got to say that the bow is pretty darn cute!  What do you think of this look?  

Disclaimer: One of the products in this post was provided for review and my honest opinion. 

Heliotrope Gradient

You may remember back at the beginning of September I posted a heliotrope water marble mani... Read up over there for the explanation behind the whole heliotrope thing, haha!  

For today, I've just got a quick post with an awesome purple gradient that I really enjoyed wearing, (not just because it matched my leotard all day... Well, maybe just a bit.) 

I started with two coats of the lightest purple: OPI You're Such A Budapest.  Once that was dry, I sponged on the gradient using that, LaCC 1972, and Butter London Brummie, which is the shade that matches our uniform! It's all smoothed out with two coats of Seche Vite. 

In other news, I had a pretty awesome (but tiring!) day yesterday...  All of the girls in my class took ballet class with the company yesterday morning to audition to be cast in their performance of Giselle, because the company doesn't quite have enough girls for it... And I was cast!  We had a super long day of rehearsals yesterday, and I was wearing my pointe shoes for almost 8 hours... Not too comfy, (read: extremely uncomfortable) but totally worth it for the amazing experience!  Over the next two weeks we're working with the company all day every day to learn the entire ballet, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it all comes together!  :) 

Anywho, I really love doing gradients using different shades of one colour, it always looks so awesome!!  What do you think of this look? :)

Neutral Skittlette

Good morning!  It's awfully nice that it's only the second day of classes this week, but it's already Wednesday - I love long weekends!  Today's post is a double-accent mani that I really loved wearing.  I had picked out Contrary Polish Sand (from the Ain't That A Beach trio released earlier this year) because I hadn't worn it since I first swatched it, and this look kind of fell together around it!  

On my index finger, I started with two easy coats of Contrary Polish Sand and a coat of Seche Vite; when that was dry, I taped off the stripes and painted over it with Essie Little Brown Dress.  On my thumb (seen below) I did the same, but switched up the base for OPI My Vampire Is Buff.   

For my double-accent nails, I started with two coats of OPI My Vampire Is Buff; I then drew on irregular spots using Contrary Polish Sand and went around them with Essie Little Brown Dress for a leopard-print design.  My pinky is two coats of OPI Liquid Sand shade What Wizardry Is This?.  

Quick question for my readers!  I've got swatches of the whole Contrary Polish Ain't That A Beach trio sitting around on my computer... I know this trio is old news now, but would anyone be interested in seeing them?  Let me know!  :)

I'm really happy with how this turned out - it's neutral and cohesive, but still super fun!!  I'm also glad that I got to wear Contrary Polish Sand again, although this just reminded me how gorgeous it really is, and I really should wear it alone soon.  What do you think?  :)

Too Fancy Lacquer: Swatch & Review

Hi all!  This morning I've got a long-overdue post featuring four polishes from a new-to-me indie brand, Too Fancy Lacquer!  

Continue reading after the jump! 

Vivid Lacquer: Theoretical Blogger & Talking With My Hands

Good morning!  I'm so glad today's the last day before Thanksgiving long weekend, I've been so tired and am really looking forward to three whole days off!!  

Today I've got two polishes from a new-to-me indie brand to show you, Theoretical Blogger and Talking With My Hands by Vivid Lacquer.  Continue reading after the jump!

Dutch 'Ya Just Love Polka-Dots?

Hi!  Quick post this morning with a mani I did last month.  Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI? is one of my favourite polishes for fall, so when the weather started to change I just had to pull this beauty out again!

I didn't want to take away from the polish, so I decided to just add matte polka-dots with Essie Matte About You.  

I'm wearing two coats of Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI? with one coat of LaCC 2013 top coat underneath the matte polka-dots.  I always love the contrast between matte and shiny designs! :)

Turquoise

Boring name for a post, I know.  I'm running very short on sleep here - got home earlier today from a few days on tour performing with a ballet company, and I have to get up and do a full day of classes tomorrow again...  It was such an amazing experience though, totally worth it!  Anywho, somehow what started out as plans for a pastel blue galaxy mani ended up looking like turquoise, so I'm just rolling with it. 

I started with a base of China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint, and when that was dry I randomly sponged on a bunch of different blue polishes.  I can't remember exactly what I used since I did this a few weeks ago, but I'll try my best!  On the nail you're most likely seeing Essie In The Cab-ana and Rock The Boat, OPI I Have A Herring Problem and Can't Find My Czechbook, Orly Snowcone, and piCture pOlish Honey Dew.  

It's all topped off with one coat of Orly Prisma Gloss Gold, which is where I think I went wrong with the whole pastel galaxy idea.  In retrospect, it really needed a silver glitter topper instead of a gold.  I then decided to add a coat of Essie Matte About You, which made me like the look a bit more.   

Overall, I wasn't too happy with this look initially, but it did grow on me throughout the day as I wore it!  What do you think of this look?  :)

Studded Milquetoast

CrowsToes Milquetoast is one of those polishes in my stash that doesn't get nearly as much love as it deserves.  A little while ago I pulled it out, and came up with this double-accent mani! 

On my index and pinky fingers I used two thin coats of Milquetoast over OPI My Vampire Is Buff.  It can be opaque alone in three coats, but that ends up a bit thick for my liking so I prefer to layer it.  The accent nails are two coats of OPI My Vampire Is Buff with a row of copper studs down the center to match the glitters.  All nails are topped off with a coat of Seche Vite. 

I'm usually not a huge fan of milky glitters, but this one is just so awesome!  My friend told me that it looked like pennies floating in milk, which seems like a pretty accurate description, haha!  What do you think?  Do you own this beauty?  :)

Lines That Go Everywhere

Well, so much for getting all of my summer manis posted this week.  I had planned to schedule a bunch of them to post throughout the week, but that obviously didn't end up happening.  I've been performing all week and have been at classes, rehearsals, and shows every day from 8am to 10:30pm, so as you can imagine, I haven't had much time to post... Nevertheless, I've got a post up for today! 

This is a mani that I threw together sometime in August, when I wanted to try out some different designs with my striping tape.  I started with a base of OPI My Vampire Is Buff, taped off the patterns, and painted over it with piCture pOlish Peaches n' Cream.  To speed up the drying, I added a coat of Seche Vite before topping it with a coat of Essie Matte About You.  

"Who's Section"

Hello there!! So today's nails are "lines that go everywhere" (by the way, I named this)... My favourite one is the ring finger and Emma's favourite is the middle one! These nails reminded me of Penrose Stairs (The Impossible Staircase) for some reason, so I found them very interesting when I saw them in person. I'm also urging Emma to try the staircase on her nails, not sure how she'll do it, but it will be awesome! Goodbye for now!