The Manicured Monkey

Pure Ice: Excuse Me and Catwalk

2012-02-29T05:59:00.003-08:00

This is Pure Ice Excuse me which is a stunningly bright yellow frost. I used 3 coats that went on smooth and then used a top coat of SV. The yellow is literally an electric yellow and is quite on trend with celebrities and spring right now. Celebrities such as Seal have been seen wearing bright yellow polish lately, not just creme but frost/metallic hues. This is a great alternative to stubborn yellow creme polishes for spring. The other part of this post is Catwalk which is another crackle from Pure Ice. The Pure Ice crackles are impressive, especially since it's so shimmery. The only problem I had was figuring out what polish to put underneath a sheer crackle. I chose poorly: Bettina Bonfire which is a coral red/orange creme. I think it would look best with a gray or a nude polish, but the combo wasn't horrid and you can see that it cracked very well, even over a top coat.
You can see my other swatches of Pure Ice crackles HERE, and they can be purchased HERE. The regular colors retail for $1.99 and the crackles for $4.39. (p.s. There's a ton of crackle colors, check them out!)

*Product sent by company PR for review*

China Glaze: Smoke and Ashes & Electrify

2012-02-28T05:59:00.001-08:00

I have two colors from the Colours from the Capital I showed you earlier. I received Smoke and Ashes and Electrify, let's get started.

Smoke and ashes is a black base that has blue, gold, green (like a teal almost) duochrome shimmer. It's even more stunning in person and is unique to my collection. Application was smooth and was opaque in one coat but I added a second and a top coat of SV... one coat of awesome.. love it.

Electrify is a gold and red glitter that sits in a clear base. The medium hex red glitter leans on the orange side so it doesn't look like Christmas and the small gold glitter adds warmth. In general I'm not a huge glitter bomb fan but this one is super sparkly and dense so two coats gives you the shown coverage. I also didn't find it gritty and was smoothed out with a coat of SV. Another win.

Colours from the Capitol are available in early March (some are finding them online already) from Sally's Beauty and other China Glaze retailers.

*Product sent for review*

Color Club: Blossoming (spring 2012) Swatches and Review- pic heavy

2012-02-27T05:59:00.001-08:00

This is the new collection for spring from Color Club: Blossoming. All are gently pastels and a killer top coat called Diamond Drops. Diamond Drops is shredded silver milar holographic pieces suspended in a clear base. It was hard to "spread" and I ended up mostly using a dabbing method for application then the top coat. I used the Color Club quick dry top coat 0-60 on all manis. One thing I love about this quick dry top coat is that is is very fluid so it is easy to spread and smooth out. Onto the polishes:

A mint creme that was opaque/smooth in 3 coats. Diamond Drops on the accent finger

A perfect periwinkle creme, 2 coats. (had to adjust color in post processing to get an accurate picture, sorry for the whtie ashy hand)

A light pink creme that was opaque and smooth in 3 coats. Diamond Drops on the accent finger.

My second favorite of the collection: a medium lavender creme, opaque in two coats. Diamond Drops on accent finger.

A medium dusty pink (I think this one should be "Blushing Rose"), opaque in 2 coats. Diamond Drops on the accent finger.

Overall this collection is spot on for spring; it's soft, pastel and has a bit of edge with Diamond Drops. I only had application problems with a a few but that was corrected with an extra coat of polish to even out coverage.

You can purchase these fro $8 ea at Color Club and these are available now online. You can follow Color Club on Facebook as well.

*product sent by company pr for review*

Stamping Sunday! 3 colored mani with spring flowers

2012-02-26T05:59:00.001-08:00

This week's stamping challenge was to use three colors for a mani. I chose to go a big springy this week using Finger paints Lemon sour ( a yellow creme ), and stamping with Bettina Bonfire (a coral red) and Aqua (creme) with my cheeky plate 16 in a flower design. This mani isn't too fancy but I do like the multi colored stamping and it's been a while since I've done it and I wanted to play with my new Bettinas :) My top coat smeared a little bit and my middle finger didn't stamp perfect but overall, you couldn't tell unless you looked super close. One of the things I liked best about stamping with Bonfire and Aqua is when the colors mixed, they created a purple color, which was really cool and nice that it blended the lines. All in all it was a cute and easy mani that rose to the challenge!

Finger Paints: Gumdrops and Lollipops- Swatches/Review

2012-02-25T05:59:00.001-08:00

I have the Finger Paints Gumdrops & Lollipops collection swatches and review for you today. This is one serious spring collection, the colors are all soft and bright hues with two shimmers.Here's a break down of the colors:
Blue Raspberry Taffy: A bright blue creme that was opaque in two coats and quite beautiful.
Choco Mint: A minty green creme that was opaque with two coats and no problems. (BTW, love this name!)
Circus Peanuts: A perfect peach creme for spring. I love this one, opaque in two coats and unique to my collection.
Lemon Sour: A bright yellow creme. This one had application like usual yellow cremes, a bit streaky but with a steady hand, it builds up nicely. I used 3 coats. Still a much easier formula than many yellow cremes.

Grape Gumdrop is a smokey purple with blueish big shimmer. Two coats and it was perfect. It would be a great base for some spring flower nail art.

Pop Rock Pink is a shimmery coral pink with light pink flecks of shimmer. It was a little bit of a jelly and sheer so there was some VNL but this would make a great glitter sandwich (I'll have to try that).

The Gumdrops and Lollipops collection is available in March for $4.99. You can order ONLINE and you can follow Sally's on Facebook (they carry the Finger Paints brand).

*product sent by company for review*

Girly Bits: Shift Happens

2012-02-24T05:59:00.001-08:00

Another Girly Bits for you today. First I put down one coat of Wet N Wild Black Creme. Then I did two coats of Girly Bits Shift Happens.. amazing. The color shifting pigment in this polish is insanely distracting! You can see the predominately red/deep copper and as you change the angle of your view, the shift happens... green, gold, touch of green and blue. This is such an awesome polish. I'm totally digging color shifting polishes now, but this is a lemming that has been slayed. I'll try it over different colors as well, but I have a feeling it will be hard to beat this combo!

Girly Bits: Into The Night

2012-02-23T05:59:00.003-08:00

I have another Girly Bits for you today. I'm totally in love with this mani. Into the Night is a black sheer creme base with small glitter in holographic, pink, yellow, blue, purple... you name it! It reminds me of stars and would be an awesome background for a galaxy mani. I used one coat of OPI Black Onyx as a base and one coat of Into The Night over it. Yes, you get all that glitter density in one coat.... so pretty! The thing I like most about this is that the polish has the holo glitter which makes it twinkle but also has the colored glitter that stays put so you actually notice the holo glitter more and it draws more attention to the nail. I have one more Girly Bits for you to review, but in the meantime, enjoy Into The Night.
You can find Girly Bits on Facebook HERE and you can order HERE. Be sure to follow her, she does pre-sales and previews of new collections :)

*product sent for review*

Girly Bits: Denim Diva over Joe Fresh Cobalt

2012-02-22T05:59:00.002-08:00

I have a new brand for you today- Girly Bits. First I did two coats of Joe Fresh Cobalt which is a medium blue creme. I thought that Denim Diva would need a color under it but honestly, it doesn't. I used one coat of the shimmery blue over Cobalt. The formula is great, it was nice and smooth. I did put a top coat over it but it is shiny without one (although I always use top coats for a full mani). The shimmer in this polish makes it look like actual denim.. it's not the boring straight creme we are becoming used to seeing for spring. Denim Diva is is a fresh spin on a blue for spring. I'll revisit this one with flower stamps over it or something similar, I bet it would look stellar.
Girly Bits polishes can be ordered HERE and you can follow GB on facebook HERE

*product sent by company for review*

Franken: Boy Girl Partay

2012-02-21T05:59:00.002-08:00

This is a franken that Mandypants made. It's awesome! I have it layered over.... well.... I can't remember, but check out the glitter! Hex, confetti and small glitters in different colors with a few stars thrown in for good measure make up this beauty. I want to do this mani again but over a lavender creme. It reminds me of ticker tape from a parade or celebration. It's cheery, makes me smile and not a pain to remove.. WIN!

Thanks Mandy! I'll have more glitter for you in a while but this one is by far my current favorite :)

Funky French with CH2 plate

2012-02-20T05:59:00.000-08:00

Ahhh nude funky frenches how I love you so. I tipped my nails with Kleancolor Metallic Purple, which of course shows a blurple. I wanted to do more with my cheeky plates so I picked up #2 and stamped the heart using Kleancolor Metallic Aqua .... I do love stamping with the Kleancolors! I was totally digging this mani until my friend asked me if I stamped Hershey Kisses for Valentine's Day LOL. I freehanded my tips so they're not perfect but they look pretty great, if I do say so myself! Love me some funky french paws!

Stamping Sunday! Essie: Armed & Ready + RA103

2012-02-19T05:59:00.000-08:00

Recently I got the beauty that is Essie Armed and Ready. I decided to use if for Stamping Sundays! It is a murky brown with gray under tones with a shimmer of greenish gold. The shimmer is more apparent in the bottle but it's still there on the nail. I felt like it had been a while since I've used my Red Angel plates so I pulled out plate 103 (this week's theme was a plate that ended in 3). The geometric pattern is kind of cool. I used Milani Sailaway from their new 2012 polishes. It was flawless stamping! The effect was subtle and a bit hard to see but it was pretty cool when light hit the design. Overall, not a bad mani, just another subtle one :)

Missha: HGR01 (awesome polish)

2012-02-18T05:59:00.000-08:00

This is an awesome polish I got from a swap with a friend in Korea, it is Missha HGR01 and it is drool worthy. This is two coats and it's frosty/duo chrome beauty is shiny and wore like a dream. I love the heart shaped bottle too! This duochrome flashes blue and green. You don't need extreme angles either to see it. I have another polish of this brand that is a great glitter I'll show you soon. To browse more of the Missha polishes you can check out their website HERE.

Color Club: 2012 Blossoming Collection for Spring

2012-02-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

Introducing The New Blossoming Collection from Color Club

Rich Color Has Bloomed & Everything is Coming up Couture

October 2011 - New York, New York - Color Club, the New York based nail color company announced today the debut of Blossoming a new nail polish collection for Spring. With the beautiful budding flowers of the season as an inspiration, rich color has bloomed! Add Diamond Drops topcoat for a “morning rain-kissed” effect. Blossoming features six nail polishes -- from Hydrangea Kiss, Sweetpea and Blue-ming to Blushing Rose and Lavendarling. This new vegan, formaldehyde, toluene and DBP-free collection is sure to signal spring is in the air... or blossoming.

The Blooming Collection includes:
Hydrangea Kiss: Dusty blue-purple crème
Sweetpea: Rosy Pink crème
Blue-ming: Bright blue-green crème
Blushing Rose: Baby pink crème
Lavendarling: Dusty purple crème
Diamond Drops: Silver ice flake polish

Color Club’s Blossoming Collection will be available in January 2012. All Color Club products are made in the USA and are not tested on animals. Products are available at shopcolorclub.com.

Essie: Navigate Her

2012-02-17T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have Essie Navigate Her for you today from their Spring 2012 collection. It is this awesome pistachio green creme that's opaque in two coats, no problem. I slapped a top coat of SV over it then added a cute monkey water decal from KKCenterHK and topped with another SV coat over the decal. The decals are like the ones I sell on Etsy so I had no problem using them. You cut out the image, soak in water for a few seconds and they slide right off. This image is so adorable! I really love it over Navigate Her, it's a quick and fun way to jazz up your mani.
KKCenterHK has over 600 water decals to choose from, you can browse them all HERE. Prices vary depending upon the design but generally range from $2-6.

*product sent for review*

Pure Ice: Crackle Ice and Strike a Pose and Strobe Light- swatches

2012-02-16T05:59:00.000-08:00

Today I have the Pure Ice Strobe Light and Strike a Pose Duo for you. If you remember, here is my press release I told you about this a bit ago. First up is the Strobe Light duo: a super glittery warm gold with holo glitter throughout. I used two coats and had barely any visible nail line. I put a coat of SV over it then did the black crackle. You can see it cracked super well and with another coat of SV over that, it was smooth. This was my favorite of the two duos. Next is Strike a Pose and the Teal crackle. Strike a Pose is a true silver glitter that still leaves nail line but doesn't really matter seeing how you are putting crackle over it. I wanted to try something different so I did not put a top coat before I tried the crackle. You can see that you need a top coat over the glitter before you do the crackle or else it comes out textured and not smooth. Great combo, just use a top coat kids!
The duos retail for about $6 and can be purchased online HERE

*product sent for review*

Milani: New 2012 Shadows and Powder- review and swatches (lots of pics)

2012-02-15T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have the second and last half of the Milani make up for 2012 today.. some awesome shadows/liner/brow tint/powder coming right up!

right side is dry, left is wet

First up Milani Runway Eyes Shadows. These can be used dry or wet but wet gives you much more pigment. 14- Antigua is a fabulous olive green with gold shimmer. 15- Golden Touch is a yellow gold that would be great for a highlight color. 16-Peaches and Cream is rose color with gold shimmer, this one is for sure best when it's wet if you want lots of pigment.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP>>>>>>

Bettina: Cotton Candy + CH15

2012-02-14T15:46:00.000-08:00

This is my Valentine's Day mani that I've been wearing for 4 days now, may be even 5! I used Bettina Cotton Candy as a base (2 perfect coats). It's literally the perfect pink of cotton candy. I then took nail striping tape and taped off tips that I used Wet N Wild Black Creme on, then stamped using my Cheeky plate #15 which has these cute hearts going up and down. I smudged my pinky a bit but overall I really love this mani!

Milani: New 2012 Lippies- Haute Flash & Crystal Glosses

2012-02-14T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have make up for you today! It's been a while :) I have such great products from Milani to show you and decided to start out with the lippies.

I used my light box and forearm to swatch these for you. They are under a natural day light bulb. 101- Hot Flash is a cherry red with pink sparkles, 102- Flahy is a bright bubble gum pink with subtle shimmer for depth, 103- In a Flash is a purple base with blue and pink shimmer (amazing), 104- Star Flash is your go to pink pearl shimmer when you want something more than 106 but not as bold as 102, 105- Golden Flash is a warm taupe with pink shimmer and would be great for an earthy toned look 106- Quick Flash is a shimmery faint pink that would be great to use on a natural look.

All of these have a sponge wand and smell great (like vanilla-esque), they are also not sticky which is a huge plus. They retail for about $7.49.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP>>>>>>

China Glaze: Drawn To You (Magnetix)

2012-02-13T05:59:00.000-08:00

Usually I'm stoked about magnetic polish... I've used Layla, China Glaze and a few others I have yet to show you. Now while I like the color of Drawn to You, I don't feel the magnetic effect is as awesome as Cling On. I used two coats; a base then a thin layer to do the magnet effects with. I found that worked best. I need a little more practice with this color I think but overall it is not horrible. This is without a top coat.... great color, temperamental magnet. I have some make up posts coming up for you this week, including the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette and new Milani goodies!

Milani: Rapid Cherry and Juno + CH15

2012-02-12T05:59:00.000-08:00

For this stamping Sunday in our Facebook group, the theme was Valentine's Day. I wanted to do a mani that had subtle stamping, something I hardly ever do! This mani is actually really cute. I did one coat of Rapid Cherry (yes, only one!) and then I stamped with Juno (a pale pretty pink creme) using Cheeky stamping plate CH15 and topped off with a coat of SV. I wasn't so sure pink would stamp over red but it did! The new Milani polishes are super pigmented and stamped perfectly. Love it!

Milani: 2012 Collection- Part 3

2012-02-11T05:59:00.000-08:00

Teddy Brown- soft chocolate brown creme, two coat opacity

Dark Coffee- deep brown (almost black looking) creme, two coats for opacity

Key West- green aqua shimmer, two coats with still some visible nail line

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP>>>>>>

Milani: 2012 Collection- Part 2

2012-02-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

Teal over Violet Dash- large green, blue and iridescent hex glitter with small blue hex glitter in clear base.

Hot Pink Frenzy- a one coat hot pink with salmon undertones

Yellow Whiz- 2 coats to even out, true bright yellow creme

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP>>>>>>

Finger Paints: Gumdrops and Lollipops- press release

2012-02-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

Milani: 2012 collection swatches- part 1

2012-02-09T05:59:00.000-08:00

News: I've updated my Etsy store... now there's bracelets and magnetic polish jewelry, check it out!

White on the Spot, Black Swift, Red (large hex sequins in clear base)

Rapid Cherry- one coat true red jelly like creme

Fast Fuchsia- medium pink, one coat to opacity

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP>>>>>>

NOPI: New Kardashians at CVS- press release

2012-02-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

Smile for the Glam-era!

Nicole by OPI Launches New Kardashian Kolor

Nail Lacquers, Exclusively at CVS

Nicole by OPI announces seven new Kardashian Kolor shades to be exclusively sold at CVS, in stores February 2012. These richly-pigmented, fashion-forward hues include crèmes in bright key lime, pinky peach, poppy red and fuchsia, as well as shimmers in light lilac and deep burgundy.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP>>>>>>

NOPI: Wal-Mart Exclusives- press release

2012-02-08T18:06:00.000-08:00

Best Pink Ever!

Nicole by OPI Launches Three New Nail Lacquers, Exclusively at Walmart

Nicole by OPI announces three new shades to be exclusively sold at Walmart, in stores January 2012. These rich shimmer and glitter hues give fingers and toes an elegantly chic look, with colors that include a sparkly champagne gold, a shimmering rose pink, and a confetti glitter.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP>>>>>>

Nicole by OPI: Press Release

2012-02-08T18:01:00.000-08:00

Nicole by OPI Launches New Lacquers for 2012

Nicole by OPI announces four new fashion-forward nail lacquer shades for 2012, including A Lit-Teal Bit of Love, A Million Sparkles, Shoot for the Maroon, and Vio-let’s Talk about Red. Featuring two shades of rich berry and burgundy and two hues of vibrant shimmering and glitter-packed blue, these new colors give any look instant glamour and edge.

“These four new lacquers easily take nails from day to night,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “With rich, bold color, each shade adds a dramatic contrast when worn with denim or more casual clothes; at the same time, the highly-pigmented shimmers – especially the rainbow and aqua-blue glitter of A Million Sparkles – are perfect for parties or a night on the town.”
The new Nicole by OPI lacquers include:

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP>>>>>>

Essie: A Crewed Interest

2012-02-08T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have so many new and untried polishes for you that the next week or so will be jam packed with lots of pictures, so stay tuned! Today I have Essie A Crewed Interest from the Spring 2012 collection Navigate Her. It's a peach toned pink creme that was opaque in two coats. I thought this would be a great polish to do french tips over since it is kind of flesh colored but has that pink hue. The formula is a bit streaky, as are most Essie's of the pink hue, but it evened out on the second coat, so I forgive it.

These are available online and in your local stores that carry Essie.

I wanted to say a quick and sincere thank you to everyone who voted and kept voting for my NOTD in Julep's contest, I took second place! You can see their blog here and check out the other winners.

China Glaze: Aquadellic, Gothic Lolita, Gaga For Green

2012-02-07T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have three polishes from the China Glaze Electropop collection for you today.
Gothic Lolita is a bright purple creme with a faint blue shimmer. It's a true grape colored polish that was opaque in two coats, no application problems. Gaga For Green is an green apple colored creme and was opaque in two coats. You could see some visible nail line if light hit the under side of your nail but it is a really great green. The last one I have for you is Aquadellic, a delicate powder blue with aqua tendencies. I used two coats of this awesome creme to achieve opacity. These three are from the Brights part of the Electropop collection. I really enjoy them, they are cheery and make me want to water marble :-)
They're available now.
*polishes sent by company for consideration*

China Glaze: Cling On (Magnetix)

2012-02-06T05:59:00.000-08:00

Today I have another Magnetix for you from China Glaze, Cling On. It's an olive green that is pretty thin. I used a base coat of it first, then a thin coat to do the magnet effects. I found this worked best to get the most crisp designs. You can see the chevron design went pretty well but the middle and index fingers are by far the best I've ever done with the China Glaze magnet. You can see on my little finger where I had the magnet edge pressed (haha). I found a trick with it to work better is to scoot the magnet back a bit. Normally I'd put it on just above my cuticle but a bit further back seems to get your nail more in the middle of the magnet. The magnet itself doesn't seem as strong as Layla or LCD's magnets but work with it a while and it seems pretty good for it's price. I have one more to show you tomorrow, hope you're not sick of magnetics already :)

China Glaze: Attraction (Magnetix)

2012-02-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

I've had a few of the China Glaze Magnetix for a while now but hadn't got around to swatching them. This one is a charcoal gray/black shimmery base and the magnet I used was the China Glaze one (more on that later). I was talking with Sarah from Samarium's Swatches and we decided to add some holo to our magnetics. I was running low on Spectra Flair but I added some in the polish but it wasn't showing up on camera (top picture) so I added the SF top coat (I had put spectra flair in a suspension base so it never gloops together). You couls see the holo alot better with just one coat. It was still much more holo in person but you get the idea. I think this is a great idea to do with the magnetics. The formula on these are ok, they're a bit tricky. I thin it would be best to do a base of black or gray then a thin coat of the magnet polish. I seemed to have had better results with a thinner coat of polish. This one was two coats of Attraction (show you the one coat method later).

My giveaway has ended and I've announced the winners on my FB page, they've all been notified :)

OPI: Give Me The Moon and Shatter Skittles

2012-02-04T05:59:00.000-08:00

This was my birthday mani. It was pretty much all the nail art I could do while sick. The hubs gave me OPI Give Me The Moon as one of my birthday gifts (love ya babe!). I used 2 coats of this gorgeous shimmery dusty gray with purple undertones. It flashes blue and purple depending on which angle you are looking at. Love this polish! *crosses it off my wishlist* I had no energy to do nail art but was tired of having naked nails so I grabbed OPI Turquoise Shatter and LaRosa's purple crackle. I also did my thumb with Sally Hansen's Fuchsia Shock. I didn't include a picture of but I really love this top coat, their formulas are wonderful and crack like champions!

You have 2 more days to enter my giveaway and retweet about it!

Le Metier de Beaute: Resort 2012- Jet Set (press release)

2012-02-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

Resort 2012: Go Where Beauty Takes You with "Jet Set"
From Le Métier de Beauté. Curated by Ken Downing.

NEW YORK, October 2011 – Resort collections are a fashion lovers’ best-kept secret. Just when women
are layering cashmere and wool, designers inspire with spirited, special collections that transport us to far
away destinations. Now, with Le Métier de Beauté’s first resort color collection, Jet Set, beauty is along for
the journey. Curated by Neiman Marcus’s own Ken Downing, this collection of bright, eye-catching shades
of nail lacquer and lip gloss take the lead as the next beauty must-haves.

"For this Collection, I plugged into the fluorescent color and bold brights trend that defines the season. Jet
Set is bursting with captivating color and all the fashion news you would expect," says Mr. Downing. "I
created it for you, the girl on the go, it's perfect for wherever the season takes you!"

The Jet Set

This Resort/early spring, it's all about bright primary colors and bold neons. This is a first-class ticket to
color. High-fashion yellows, shockingly luscious hot pinks and outrageous oranges take us out of the cold
weather doldrums and onto our next destination, whether it’s the beaches of
Bora Bora or a long weekend in Miami.

Nail Lacquers

Three saturated nail lacquer shades transport the wearer to faraway lands:

•
ShocKEN Pink – Hot, hot, hot pink
•
Not So Safe Orange – A saturated, goes-with-everything bright
•
Yield to Yellow – A mellow, primary yellow
Le Métier de Beauté specifically formulates their nail lacquers to be 3-Free without formaldehyde, toluene
and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and Proposition 65-compliant. Fortified with strengthening proteins and
hydrators, Le Métier de Beauté Nail Lacquers are highly pigmented for rich, glossy color that is long-wearing
and chip-resistant. Packaged in the larger .40fl oz/11.3ml size, each nail lacquer retails for a suggested
price of $18 each.

Sheer Brilliance Glosses

Two glosses round out the collection in high-impact shades that deliver delicious, gossamer
color. “A bright, color-infused lip gloss glaze the lip with sheer color intensity," says Mr. Downing.

•
Orange Juiced – A just-picked orange with a golden undertone
•
HibisKiss – The perfect fuchsia balanced with true red
Ultra-lightweight and enriched with emollients and antioxidants, including Vitamin E and Lanolin,
Sheer Brilliance Lip Glosses drench lips in sumptuous, punchy semi-translucent glossy color.
Sheer Brilliance's unique, silky texture and easy-glide formula is never heavy, sticky or tacky.
Suggested retail price $32 each.

Le Métier de Beauté’s Jet Set will be available January 2012 in Neiman Marcus, neimanmarcus.com,
Bergdorf Goodman and bergdorfgoodman.com.

Sally Hansen Red Zin + CH15

2012-02-03T05:59:00.000-08:00

Do you remember this post about Sally Hansen and White and Warren? Sally Hansen sent me the manicure portion of this promo and I must say... amazing. Let me start with the polish. Red Zin is such a rich red that borders a jelly but has the coverage of a creme. I used two flawless coats with no problems. It's a classy red, that reminds me of wine. (Zinfandel?)

The Growth Serum is awesome as well. I have been using on my nails after swatching (which is hard on your cuticles and skin, leaving it really dry). The thing I really like about this is that it is a serum, not an oil or creme or balm so it goes on easily with the dropper applicator with no mess. The best part however is that the serum soaks in quick, doesn't leave residue and your cuticles, nail plate and surrounding skin are soft and clearly moistened. I don't like having oil on my hands, I will usually wipe my palms off after applying lotion or oils, with this I didn't have to.
Now onto the hand creme. Awesome as well. The tops of my hands have been super dry this winter. I like wearing this at night because I feel it has more time to soak in and work its magic (otherwise I wash my hands too often). The only thing I don't have for review are the cashmere gloves, but I'm sure they're wonderful as well :) I also stamped using my Cheeky plate CH115 for a Valentine's mani. Red Zin reminded me of a great Valentine's color :)
You can find out more about the gloves and promo HERE on White + Warren's site. Amazing!

You have a few days left for my giveaway, act fast!

China Glaze: GR8

2012-02-02T05:59:00.000-08:00

Can you tell what was in my draft folder lately? :) This is GR8: another China Glaze OMG 2BHOT holo. This beaute is a yellow golden linear holo. I actually really like this one because it has hints of green in it but with no sunlight on the nail, it looks like a medium toned gold with speckled texture. I used 2 coats and no top coat, you can see the awesome holo in direct sunlight. I had no dragging with this one (thank you very much). This may be one of my favorites from the collection just because I don't have another holo like this color. Are you tired of holos yet? LOL I have a few more for you :-)

My Giveaway and Julep NOTD contest entry!

China Glaze: TTYL

2012-02-01T05:59:00.000-08:00

TTYL is a great pale pink/salmon linear holo from the OMG collection. I used two coats and no top coat on this, the formula was great, like a creme with no drag whatsoever. I also got to swatch it in sunlight for you because at the time, it was sunny... now? Not so much. Quite a beautiful holo polish.

I only have a few more posts in draft for you so there may be a gap in posting while I'm recovering from this horrid cold. Right now the couch is my bestie.

You have a few more days to enter my giveaway... go now.. don't forget you can tweet everyday for extra entries :-) good luck!

Guest Post: The Kracked Kat and my nail decals!

2012-01-31T18:57:00.000-08:00

The Kracked Kat had ordered some custom nail decals from me and this is what she came up with :)
Head over to her site to see the full mani and details.

My custom decals can be purchased HERE.

China Glaze: L8R G8R

2012-01-31T05:59:00.000-08:00

This mani was featured yesterday on Allison's blog. She does a fail Monday mani post every Monday. I used China Glaze L8R G8R, 3 coats (had some drag so the 3rd was necessary). I had this great idea in my head that Kleancolor Metallic Purple would stamp so well and stars would look so cute as tips.... not so much. I had such a hard time stamping my tips, that it smeared. Anyways, I've been sick with a wicked cold so I haven't been able to edit new mani photos, so bare with me, I'm trying.

In the meantime, enter my giveaway LOL

and... vote for me in Julep's NOTD :-)

Bootie Babe water marble

2012-01-30T05:59:00.000-08:00

I feel like it took almost 6 months to receive these polishes.. oh wait, it did. Bootie Babe Mossy Bossy is a lime green creme with yellow undertones. Lilac Lunatic is a pale lilac with pink undertones. I wasn't really digging each color on its own so I marbled them. As much as the company irritated me by always saying "only another two weeks..." their polishes marble well. Although, I still wouldn't pay for them because the bottle is awkward to hold onto, the wand is small, the handle is pretty non existent. I have Spoiled My Button Fell Off as a base coat (pale pale pink) which was a good choice. I wish the lilac would have turned out more purple. I'm getting back into the swing of water marbling, so stay tuned for more :-)

My Giveaway!

My Julep NOTD entry- please vote and thank you to all who are voting (you can vote once an hour)

L'Oreal: VIP Status + Finger Paints Motley.. Matted

2012-01-29T05:59:00.000-08:00

This mani was rad. I started with two coats of L'Oreal VIP Status which is a dark steel gray that has micro shimmer in it. Application was good and a positive first impression for L'Oreal polishes. I wanted to do something more to it so I grabbed Finger Paints Motley which is a blue and green flakey and did one coat then added Essie Matte about You. I love how this mani turned out. You can see a little bit of shrinkage because I took the picture on day two of wearing the mani so with the matte finish I had a bit of shrinkage/tip wear. I really like the way matted flakies look though.

My giveaway was extended and stuff was added to it :)

Also, don't forget to vote for me in Julep's NOTD!

China Glaze: QT

2012-01-28T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have another holo for you today from the China Glaze OMG 2BHOT collection: QT. QT is a reddish pink linear holo. I used two coats for opacity, no top coat and stamped using Kleancolor Purple Metallic. I used Red Angel RA101 plate for my funky french tips. I wore this mani for only two days but it was sunny those days so it was really great to look at. The formula of QT was good, did not have drag and dried fast, I didn't even have to put SV on it before I stamped over it because it was already dry. Win! As with all of the China Glaze holos, this has become hard to find as well. It's great though and probably worth it if you love holo and pinks.

My giveaway with Salon Effects added :)

Also, please vote for my mani over at Julep's NOTD contest!

Hema: 210

2012-01-27T05:59:00.000-08:00

Hi Monkeys! I entered my first NOTD contest, will you please vote for me? :) VOTE HERE thank you sooooooooo much!

Recently I did another swap with the awesome Anouk from Belgium and she runs Cupcake Beauty. Among all the amazing Catrice polishes she sent, I also received the most squishy and probably my favorite pink polish: Hema 210. I did two squishy coats of this medium dusty pink and it was perfectly opaque. I didn't want to stamp over it because the squishy was too pretty to hide so I used Jordana Bronze Fest and did accent nails. I wore this for I think 3 days and remember being sad when I took it off LOL I'm sure this will be in my regular full mani rotation. Also, it'd be a great pedi color for spring!

My Giveaway was just updated so check it out, some more things were added :) and I extended the date a week as well since I will be out of town for my birthday =^.^=

Pure Ice: Crackle Ice and Strike a Pose: Press release

2012-01-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

"Baby I painted the sky blue, my greatest creation was you!"

Hiphop Royalty Jay-Z and Beyonce's new baby girl Blue Ivy has the most amazingFairy God Mother... Oprah!

Want to know what it feels like to have to world at your finger tips? Maybe a little bit like this!

Get into Oprah's Circle with Pure Ice Crackle & Ice Duo Strike A Pose
BUY NOW

Share your manicure with us @BariBeauty on Twitter

Spoiled: My Button Fell Off + NOPI: Kim-pletely in Love

2012-01-26T05:59:00.000-08:00

Recently I got NOPI Kim-pletely in Love. I didn't understand the hype over the polish and was puzzled why it was going for an average of $15 a bottle... and I'm still kind of puzzled. It is so sheer, I laid down a base of Spoiled My Button Fell Off (2 coats) and did two coats of KIL. Let me just say that four coats for polishes that dry slow are horrible and not worth it. Let me back up. Kim-pletely in Love is a baby light pink and it has great shimmer I couldn't quite get on camera: light blue/pink/silverish, but again it's sheer. I waited a few minutes between each coat of the polishes, then even added SV on top (which it did not end up drying and just pulled) and I had to redo a finger. I'm thinking this one is meant to be worn alone, sheer and .... well, hardly noticed. I think you'd need at least 3 coats to notice the pink, but it would probably be a great one for a french manicure because it's pale but shimmery. Overall, I'm on the fence about it.

Check out my giveaway: make up, Essie, Ozotic, Lynderella, Glitter Gal, jewelry and more!

Essie: Knockout Pout with Pirate Stamping

2012-01-25T05:59:00.000-08:00

This is probably one of my favorite manis to date right now. I started wtih 3 coats of Essie's Knockout Pout: a Pepto bright pink creme. I used 3 coats because my first was really sheer but if you did 2 generous ones, you'd be golden. I got new plates off ebay and wanted to use them asap so I used the full image skull and crossbones stamped in Wet N Wild Black Creme from plate OB8. I used Konad special black and plate OB5 to stamp the big skull and crossbones. I used Konad special white and the same plate for the bow. I tried using a Kleancolors metallic for the bow but it didn't stand out enough, so I just stamped over it and you really don't notice it too much in person. I think this mani is a total win for me.

Last week to enter my giveaway, go check it out, Essies, make up, jewelry, cool polishes and more!

Sally Hansen and White+Warren - press release

2012-01-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

SALLY HANSEN TEAMS UP WITH WHITE + WARREN

TO PAMPER AND PROTECT YOUR HANDS THIS WINTER

Frigid weather doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to flawless hands. Nail authority Sally Hansen is teaming up with luxury cashmere designer White + Warran to offer consumers the warmth of beautiful gloves that they can slide their perfectly primped hands into. For a limited time, every consumer who purchases a pair of White + Warren Fingerless Gloves from the White + Warren website will receive a complimentary Sally Hansen Manicure Set filled with manicure must-haves.

Protect your hands against the drying effects of cold winter weather with White + Warren’s luxe cashmere fingerless gloves, and beautify your nails with Sally Hansen’s ultimate manicure kit. The nail essentials set includes:

Expert Nail File – to help you achieve the perfect shape for your nails;

Nailgrowth Miracle Serum – for instantly softened and smoothed cuticles that resist dryness and damage as they grow;

Complete Salon Manicure in Right Said Red – an all-in-one formula that delivers base coat, vivid color, growth treatment, strengthener and top coat in one smooth polish;

Dry, Chapped Hand Cream – an ultra-moisturizing, gentle lotion that leaves hands touchably soft all season long

Star Water Marble

2012-01-24T05:59:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've marbled. I think I got caught up with swatching all the holiday collections/polishes I received. So this mani is a bit different. I used Spoiled My Button Fell Off which is a super pale pink and was a pain to apply (more on that in another post), Sally Hansen Purple Potion and Gun Metal. I wanted to use my star rhinestones so I did a pattern that all met up in the middle like a flower/reverse star burst. Usually I like my marbles really bright and obvious so I wasn't too impressed because of the Gun Metal being a bit muted, I think a black or white would have been much better... even Celeb City. Anyways, it's a different pattern of mani so I hope you like it :)

My Giveaway!!!! and my Julep NOTD entry, go vote for me please if you like it :)

Water Decals: Hello Kitty Lady Bugs

2012-01-23T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have a cool guest post for you today: Jen from Jen's Painted Tips used some water decals I madefor her (can buy them from my Etsy store). Thanks to Jen for the guest post!!

From Jen:

Among other things, the AWESOME Manicured Monkey sells water decals.

I have a thing for ladybugs. She made me some. She is all different kinds of neat.

:) I love these! They are just too cute!!!

I used Sally Hansen Complete Salon Lavender Cloud and the Monkeys stickers, topped with Seche Vite :) I wore this mani for 4 days with absolutely no chips, no tip wear, NOTHING.

My giveaway with 4 winners, make up, cool polishes and stuffs!

Sunday Challenge: Stars

2012-01-22T05:59:00.000-08:00

Stars were the theme for my Facebook stamping group this week so I decided to try my hand out at freehanding a french tip. I used Kelancolor Metallic Aqua for my tips.. it is so awesome! I originally had a different star image I was going to use but decided it didn't look well and with such a bold color as the tip, I wanted a big bold image, so I grabbed my Bundle Monster 05 plate and Kleancolor Metallic Fuchsia for the star. I wanted a bit of overlap into the tip so it blended well but the Fuchsia didn't really show over the blue, it just sort of melted into it. I still like it though because you can see the stars and it looks like some are supposed to be that way =^.^= This was a fun challenge, I love stars! And it was my first attempt and freehanding a french tip, which I think I did pretty well. I wasn't sold on the naked nail but I have to say, it looks clean and fun so I may revisit it again.

Here's my giveaway with 4 winners and is open internationally if you haven't peeked yet, please do :)

Nubar: Angel

2012-01-21T05:59:00.000-08:00

I got the beauty from the hubbo for Christmas. Nubar Angel is a sheer pink champagne frosty shimmer polish. It has hints of duochrome from pink to peach. It really is a beautiful. I layered it over a Deborah Lippmann Naked (I think, it was a while ago and may have forgotten!) and added coats. I would have liked to add some black stamping to this but I enjoyed the clean look of Angel. It's a great alternative to having a nude mani but still staying neutral. Also, did I mention I love the name! <3 My hubbo rocks!

check out my giveaway and you can tweet once a day for extra entries!

Jordana Glitters: Part 2 of 2

2012-01-20T05:59:00.000-08:00

Here's part two of the awesome Jordana Glitters. There's 24 total, 18 I showed you and 6 are coming soon. Here's the first part if you need to catch up. Again, I layered each over white, black and clear so you could see different laying combinations.

Large and small Gold and bronze hex glitter with small square bronze in an clear base

Dense lavender medium and small hex glitter with small square glitter in a clear base

Large and small copper hex glitter in a pale copper base

Silver, blue and green large hex glitter with small blue hex in a clear base

Medium and small gold hex glitter with large iridescent diamond sequins in a clear base

Large and medium green hex glitter in a clear base

Large yellow, blue and red hex glitter with small gold hex in a clear base

Large and small rose pink hex glitter in a clear base

Large and small dense silver hex glitter in a clear base

Jordana polishes can be purchased at K-Marts and online at Jordana Cosmetics and retail for $2.99

*sent for review by company*

Jordana Glitters: Part 1 of 2

2012-01-19T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have the first half of the new Jordana Glitters to show you and it's picture heavy so enjoy! (you can click each picture to enlarge it)

Light blue hex and small hex glitter in a clear base

Seafoam green large hex and small hex and round glitters in a clear base

Iridescent large round and small silver glitter in a pale pink base

Large gold hex glitter in a clear base

Multi colored large hex glitter and multi colored small round glitter

Small light blue hex glitter and micro purple hex glitter in a clear base

Iridescent medium and small hex glitter in a clear base

Large magenta hex glitter and small hex glitter in a clear base

Blue, gold, magenta medium hex glitter with small red round glitter in a clear base

These glitters apply like a charm, especially the ones with the smaller glitter in them. The only one that was chunky was the Funky Gold Town, but that's expected with such large sequin glitter. I layered each over white, black and clear so you could see different laying combinations. Overall, I'm impressed. I have the second 9 for you tomorrow, stay tuned.

Jordana polishes can be purchased at K-Marts and online at Jordana Cosmetics and retail for $2.99
*sent for review by company*

China Glaze: FYI

2012-01-18T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have a holo for you today :-) This is FYI from the China Glaze OMG 2BHOT part of the collection. It's a champagne linear holo. I had great sun so all the pictures are outside in direct sunlight and you can see, it's stunning. I didn't top coat it and this was 2 coats. I used OPI base coat and I had a bit of drag on the first coat of FYI, but that's been happening lately to me using that base. Drying time was quick with this as well which was nice because it clearly needed a second coat to cover drag and even it out. I have a few ideas for comparison posts coming up for you in regards to holos, so stay tuned :-)

My giveaway of goodies!

OPI: You Don't Know Jacques (Suede)

2012-01-17T05:59:00.000-08:00

OPI You Don't Know Jacques Suede is a great polish and probably my favorite suede I own. It's a taupe with this amazing white/grayish shimmer. Two coats is all you need for this beaute and since it is a suede it dries really fast. I also had no wear problems. I had this mani on for like 3 or 4 days and it never chipped. I was quite impressed because my glossy polish doesn't last that long most of the time. The textures are so great they remind me of granite or a smoothed out rock, pretty unique looking. It's also cool to wear a suede because it has an effect without having to top coat it, so it's literally two quick coats, a clean up and you're done. I have a few more suedes to show you, I'll get those up soon. In the meantime, check out my giveaway if you haven't already and don't forget you can tweet about it once a day for extra entries :-)

Jessica: Indigo Glow

2012-01-16T05:59:00.000-08:00

This is my under the sea mani for the Facebook stamping group I recently joined. I used two base coats of Jessica Indigo Glow which is a bright aqua shimmer. The formula was great and the color on its own was very bright and cheery. I stamped the fish and seahorses using Kleancolors Metallic Fuschia. I did the seaweed look by layering three polishes:

Spoiled: Visually Slimming, Kleancolor Metallic Orange, Essence Lime up! all layered and slightly offset. It wasn't a bad mani, I just wish that the image I used as seaweed was only one piece instead of a cluster because it took up nail real estate :) It's my first Sunday challenge though so I'll let it slip by for now.

GIVEAWAY!

Manicured Monkey Mani and Make Up Brush Roll!

2012-01-15T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have a coincidental mani for you today. I recently ordered a make up brush roll from Trinity Designs, (the same company that provided one for the giveaway) I put on two coats of OPI Do You Lilac It? and one coat of CND Lavender Pearl over it. I added my Manicured Monkey logo from a decal that I made (can buy my decals here). I didn't plan on matching colors and monkeys to my brush roll I received the day before, but I did and I love it! I wore the mani for only two days and it wore well. The CND doesn't show up that much on Do You Lilac It because the effect color is so similar to the base, but it looked pearly and pretty. I'll try it over a darker purple and I bet it looks like a whole different polish.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway, and you can tweet about it once a day to get an extra entry :)

Julep: Anne and RA114

2012-01-14T05:59:00.000-08:00

Today I have Julep Anne for you. Anne is a lavender creme that dries semi matte. In the swatch photo, there is no top coat, you can see it looks rubbery. I used Kleancolors Metallic Red and Aqua to stamp using the Red Angel 114 plate's heart image. I liked how the red stood out over the purple, the aqua didn't stand out as much but was a pretty accent finger. I wore it a few days and the SV did well with it. I had minimal tip wear. I would totally use this design again with the red hearts over a different color for Valentine's Day.

Don't forget my giveaway and that you can get extra entries by tweeting everyday, just put the link into rafflecopter.

Linking up to Wrap it Up Wednesdays at The Kracked Kat

China Glaze: Electropop - Press Release

2012-01-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles, CA - (January 2012): Where heavy metal meets rocker chic, China Glaze® introduces the Spring 2012 collection, ElectroPop. Inspired by all things girly, edgy and fun, the 12 shades of ElectroPop bring out the inner rock star in all. For flash and glam this spring, China Glaze® hits the stage in style!

ElectroPop Shades include:

Kinetic Candy – Touch the sky in light blue crème

Electric Beat – Periwinkle nails for a wink worthy performance

Aquadelic – Pool blue for nighttime gigs and daytime fun in the sun

Gaga For Green – Green lacquer for the girl craving the limelight

Sunshine Pop – Shine in the spotlight in bold yellow

Make Some Noise – Rock the mic in tangerine

Wicked Style – Party cocktail tropical punch

Fuchsia Fanatic – Fuchsia pink for the rocker diva in us all

Gothic Lolita – Steal the show on girls night out in seductive purple

Dance Baby – Hit center stage in cotton candy pink

Sweet Hook – Blow a kiss in dreamy lilac
Techno – Glitter confetti polish for a dazzling topcoat finish or all over finger tip bling

ElectroPop is also available in:

· 6 Piece Collection of “Brights”: Techno, Aquadelic, Sunshine Pop, Gaga for Green, Make Some Noise and Wicked Style

· 6 Piece Collection of “Lights”: Fuchsia Fanatic, Dance Baby, Electric Beat, Kinetic Candy, Sweet Hookand Gothic Lolita

· 12 Piece 3D Counter Display

· 36 Piece Rack

ElectroPop will be available February 2012. Individual shades retail for $7; 6 piece collections retail for $42.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook and Twitter:http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

Nubar: Indigo Illusion + RA117

2012-01-13T05:59:00.000-08:00

Nubar Indigo Illusion has been on my list for a while and I was glad to cross it off! I used two coats of this duochrome. It is like a green smokey teal and flashes pink/purple/green. I stamped it using Red Angel 117 because I loved the faces! I put a fimo bow on the girl and a fimo crown on the one next to her. It's like they are on a date! =^.^= I wore this for about 3 days before I started picking off the fimos. I wish I could leave them on longer but 3D art starts to bother me after a while getting caught when I do my hair and stuff. I like this mani though and would for sure stamp the faces again :)

Current Giveaway! Don't forget you can tweet once a day, enter it into Rafflecopter for your extra entry!

Jordana Glitters: Press Release

2012-01-12T14:46:00.000-08:00

Glitters! Now available on Jordana's website HERE, and the next 6 will be coming out soon.

The 12 shades that will be available at Kmart are: 01 Magenta Magic, 02 Celebration, 06 Fairy Dust, 08 Sequins, 10 Gemstones, 11 Cosmic, 12 Celestial, 14 LA City Nights, 15 Blue Bash, 17 Copper Blaze, 21 Funky Gold Town, and 23 Rhinestones.

Guest Post: Sarah Louise from Spellbinding Nails and Monkeys!!

2012-01-12T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have a monkeytastic treat for you today: Sarah Louise from Spellbinding nails! She does AMAZING manis with stamps and is super creative. She posted this on her site and was kind enough to guest blog for us. Show her some monkey lovin' :-) Thanks Sarah Louise!!!

Hey Guys

My name is Sarah Louise from Spellbinding Nails.

This is my first just ever guest post (Eek!). I'm so happy that i got to guest blog for the first time ever - for the Manicured Monkey, who is a great friend of mine!.

I belong to a Facebook group called adventures in stamping. The group was created to discuss stamping ideas, problems and traumas with stamping. It is also a great way to gain new tips and support with stamping. For the first group challenge we chose the theme 'the colour green'. For the groups first challenge - We decided to use the colour theme -Green. If you would like to join the Facebook group - Ill have included a link on my blog post

For this Manicure I used :

- Barry M - Spring Green.

- Nails Inc polish - Jermyn Street nail polish.

- Konad Special Black Polish.

- Some Green and a Yellow - Fraulein 38 Nail Art Liners.

- SdP 54.

I tried to sit the monkey on a log surrounded by grass....But if you look close enough ... (Oops) the monkey is hovering above the Log.

/Bonk! - Oh well i tried!.

A massive Thank you to Kristin for asking me to guest blog and I hope you like My Funky Little monkey =).

Butter London: Spring/Summer 2012 (info)

2012-01-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

Nail Art: Cupcake Mani on Friend

2012-01-11T05:59:00.001-08:00

I did this mani for my friend's birthday today! Happy Birthday M! I've been meaning to try a cupcake mani and decided she was the perfect one to sport it. I used Essie Mint Candy Apple for the back ground color, sinfulcolors white for the frosting, Orly Fancy Fuschia for the cup part with OPI Do You Lilac It? for the stripes, Sparktacular for the sprinkles and Kleancolors Metallic Red for the cherry. The whole cherry on top of the cupcake confuses me, when I bake them I don't put cherries/candies on top of the frosting but when you do it as a mani, it looks funny without one... *shrug* Anyways, this was my first attempt, I'll probably try it on myself but as accent nails as to save time :-)

OPI: Lincoln Park After Dark Suede and bigRuby Tattoos!

2012-01-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

Lincoln Park After Dark Suede is dreamy. I did two coats and coverage/application is flawless. The color is a shimmery matte purple that reminds me of a slice of granite rock. I also had Big Ruby Tattoos to try out so I took the blue zig zags from the Line up set (left, the right one is the Henna). I cut them a little short so I decided to line it up on one side of my nail so it covered about 3/4 of the width. It looked great from the side.

The tatoos are easy to use too, cut the length you want (or trim image), take off clear cover, put on nail then wet the back with your finger and the paper will peel right off.
I used their top coat to seal the images and you can see that over the suede it makes it shiny, great effect! The super dry top coat is $9.95, the tattoos are $12 (and some are on sale for $8 so check them out!). It's money well spent because: "When you buy a bigRuby product, a portion of the proceeds will go to The Kindness Ranch (a sanctuary for research animals) as well as other animal rescues. bigRuby supports their heroic efforts in protecting those with no voice."
Really cool right? :) They are also certified by PETA which is another awesome fact. You can follow them on Twitter and on Facebook.

Note About My Giveaway: You can tweet about it once a day for extra entries, just make sure you submit your tweeted link into Rafflecopter.

Skull and Crossbones Nail Foils: Review

2012-01-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

These are foils from Born Pretty that were pretty fun! They're literally a foil sticker. You cleanse your nail bed then peel the foil from the sheet and stick to your nail (measure/cut/trim) before if you need them more narrow. At the end you can file the tip off or, I just cut it with scissors because I was afraid of filing my nails all wonky. What was cool about these was that they are easy to do and they are SUPER shiny so they're very very eye catching (reminds me of minx). The one thing I did not like about these was that to take them off you wash your hands with soap in warm water, then they peel off. Granted, the glue seemed pretty strong, but they still come off when you use soapy water. These would be great for a weekend you don't do dishes or shower LOL ...? I'm not sure. They're $5.37 online at Born Pretty. It would be fun to wear these to a party and do your own nails rather than get them done, that's probably when I would wear them.

My giveaway!

Comparisons: Holland v True (little something of each)

2012-01-09T05:59:00.000-08:00

I swatched some colors for you on nail wheels as per request for more comparison swatches, especially from the new Zoya True and OPI Holland collections. I'll do an easy break down for you.

Blues: Skylar and Rotterdam are much more similar in person, I'd say one or the other but you don't need both, I like OPI's formula better.

Greens: Bevin and Thanks a Windmillion are practically the same in person, unless you compare them side by side in great light. Bevin is a little more smokey colored but really, I wouldn't need both of them.

Neutrals: Farah and Van Gogh are pretty close. Farah has more yellow undertones in it. I'd choose just one (if you could pull off yellow undertones), OPI has better/easier coverage in my opinion for this one. If you already have Sand Tropez

Lotus is awesome and by far my favorite out of these three. It has pink shimmer and is a softer shade of purple from Neeka and less red than Mimue. Lotus is a must have.
(BTW Mimue is really Nimue)

Hope you all enjoyed this! Don't forget to enter my awesome 1000 follower giveaway :-)

OPI: Holland Collection - Full Swatches (picture heavy)

2012-01-08T05:59:00.000-08:00

I hope you enjoy the swatches of OPI Holland's complete collection. I've already highlighted my favorites for you in separate posts. For the most part the cremes are fine to get off with the exception of A Roll in the Hague and Red Lights Ahead... Where? Those I found that they stained my skin and just were overall messy to take off because they were so pigmented and bright. Overall though not a bad collection by any means. I have a lot of pics, so more after the jump.

More After the Jump

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP>>>>>>

OPI: Wooden Shoe Like to Know

2012-01-07T05:59:00.000-08:00

This polish is awesome. Wooden Shoe Like to Know is from OPI's Holland collection of spring 2012. I swatched a few of the other ones from the collection and I will have the rest as a single post for you as well so you can see the entire collection as one post. Wooden Shoe Like to Know is a light chocolate tone brown with gold shimmer. As I always say, you can't go wrong with the gold shimmer. I really love browns too so this one is a great win. I wouldn't call it too unique but application was fine, 2 creamy coats, no problems. I wish you could see the shimmer more but just that it's in there makes me happy.

I have some comparisons coming up for you as well which hopefully will make your wallet happy for the new collections coming out :-) and also the full Holland collection, so stay tuned.

Enter my giveaway HERE!

Zoya: True and Fleck Effect Collections: Swatches/Review

2012-01-06T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have the new Zoya collections for you today, after the jump because it is very picture heavy. If you haven't already entered my giveaway, have a go at it! See you after the jump!

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP>>>>>>

Giveaway: 1000 Followers, 4 winners

2012-01-04T21:28:00.000-08:00

UPDATE 1/26/12: I added Sally Hansen Salon Effects (2 boxes each) to prizes 1 and 3 and extended the giveaway date by a week. Now ends 2/5/12
Hi monkeys! This has been a while coming, thanks for being patient. If any other items trickle in, I will add them to the appropriate prize group. We're giving Raffle Copter a go this time and it's open to international followers! Thank you to everyone who follows Manicured Monkey, and especially to the sponsors who sent great stuff for you guys! Take some time to visit the sponsors links and show some monkey love! Good Luck to all!!

Thanks again to the sponsors: Llarowe (provided Glitter Gals, Ozotic and Lynderella), Trinity Designs (brush roll), Cutey (pandora bracelet), Lex Cosmetics (brand new polish before it's released!) and Sally Hansen!
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READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP>>>>>>

New Years Mani

2012-01-04T05:59:00.000-08:00

This was my New Years mani and it was a pain to photograph. I started with a base color of OPI Fly (showed you that mani yesterday), and added Kleancolors Chrome Holo on top. Chrome Holo is a suspension base with holo glitter and it's tinted purple. The holo on this was awesome because it twinkled in the light... I blurred some pictures for you to see. I stamped a heart within a heart using Red Angel plate 110 and Sally Hansen Celeb City (love this polish for stamping and marbling). I was not really happy with it because I thought that a New Year mani should be blingy and eye catching so I took little silver beads and put them between the hearts. It looked cool in person and the beads stayed on for 3 days before I had two casualties (not too shabby). If I did this mani again, I would use Fairy Dust instead of the Chrome Holo or use a dark purple under it or no top coat at all, so the stamp shows more. Was fun to look at while it lasted.

Oh hey, this is my 400th post :-) kinda cool!

OPI: Fly and Save

2012-01-03T05:59:00.000-08:00

Fly and Save are from the new OPI Nicki Minaj collection. Fly is a bright true blue creme that has great application and is opaque in two coats. I recommend two coats of base coat with this one though because I did get some staining after 4 days. Save is the much anticipated holographic bar and small silver glitter top coat suspended in a clear base. Usually I think the bar glitter looks like fur, but in this case I like the holographic fur look ;-) These are the only two I picked up from the collection and paired together they're quite nice.

Giveaway Update: I'm hoping everything will be in this week to me. Sponsors have been out of the office so I've been waiting to hear for 2 weeks... sit tight, it's pretty good :-)

Tutorial: Easy Snowflake Mani

2012-01-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

My cousin did a cute and easy snowflake mani tutorial for you guys!

Zoya: Tue and Fleck Effect Collections: press release

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

2012 SPRING NAIL COLOR by ZOYA

TRUE

HONESTLY, BEAUTIFUL COLOR

A fresh bloom of dewy color. Inspired by the runway looks of top designers

this collection features slightly muted and unexpected spring shades in six easy to wear,

full-coverage creams and metallics.

· Cho (ZP585): Full coverage, vanilla shimmer metallic

· Farah (ZP586): Full coverage, latte beige cream

· Bevin (ZP587): Full coverage, pale sage green cream

· Skylar (ZP588): Full coverage, silvered slate blue metallic

· Tru (ZP589): Full coverage, gilded purple orchid metallic

· Lotus (ZP590): Full coverage, light lotus purple metallic

FLECK EFFECT

MYLAR FLECK TOPCOATS

Zoya Nail Polish presents - three new mylar fleck glazes that can be worn alone or layered

over the new ZOYA TRUE collection colors for a unique and beautiful nail look!

· Maisie (ZP582): Blue tint with mylar green fleck effect

· Opal (ZP583): Green tint with mylar green fleck effect

· Chloe (ZP584): Pink tint with mylar green and gold fleck effect

Zoya is the new color of fashion...

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial

chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP)

that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl.oz. bottle (US)

Available January 13, 2012

Find Zoya TRUE & FLECK EFFECT as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com.

As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.

OPI: Holland Collection for Spring 2012

2011-12-30T05:59:00.000-08:00

Here is three of the shimmers from the Holland collection from OPI Spring 2012. At first I was unimpressed with the collection but it's quite pretty. The first and obvious one I would and did, pick up was Dutch Ya Just Love OPI? It's a plum purple with golden shimmer and applied great- opaque in two coats, no problems. Next up was I Don't Give a Rotterdam. I don't have anything like this in my collection so bravo to OPI. This one is a periwinkle with silver shimmer, it's awesome. It reminds me of Butter London's Victoriana but is periwinkle. Again, two coats to opacity, no problems. The third one I picked up from the collection is Pedal Faster Suzi! which is a creamy pink with the same silver shimmer. I'm not usually a pink kinda person but this is so delicate and pretty. I want to stamp over this in black! I have a few more from this collection I'll show you when I get to swatching them :)

Finger Paints: Twisted

2011-12-29T05:59:00.000-08:00

My friend picked up 4 of the Finger Paints new Special Effects Collection (see press release here). Twisted is my favorite from this collection. I love the neon green, blue and the orange and slightly gold/yellow flakes. I layered it over Wet N Wild Black Creme and one coat of Twisted. I wanted to see how this compared to Cult Nails' Clairvoyant so I did a wheel... from left to right: Clairvoyant, 2 coats twisted, motley & asylum, asylum and twisted (I think that's what I did anyways). But you can see that the last one and the second from left are creeping up on Clairvoyant as "close enough" dupes. pretty awesome if you ask me. Tomorrow I have 3 of the OPI Holland polishes for you to check out.

OPI: Holland Collection (spring 2012) press release

2011-12-28T23:32:00.000-08:00

The press release says available in February, but I have 3 swatches for you tomorrow.

A Roll in The Hague

Take advantage of this frisky little orange.

Red Lights Ahead…Where?

This coral-packed red is the hottest in the district.

Kiss Me on My Tulips

A smooch-worthy shade of hot pink.

Pedal Faster Suzi!

This pink lavender shimmer will have you “wheeling.”

Dutch ’Ya Just Love OPI?

All of Holland hollers for this crowd-pleasing plum.

Vampsterdam

A deep purple for a divine diva.

Did You ’ear About Van Gogh?

Rumor has it…this sandy bisque is a work of art.

Thanks a WindMillion

You totally deserve this breezy sea green.

Wooden Shoe Like to Know?

It’s no secret…everybody loves this shimmery chocolate-brown.

I Have Herring Problem

What’s that you say? I need to “sea” this shimmery green-blue?

I Don’t Give a Rotterdam!

This sassy steal-blue shimmer means business!

Gouda Gouda Two Shoes

Take a walk on the wild side with this robust rose.

Holland Collection nail lacquer shades contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and each includes OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application.

Holland Collection by OPI will be available February 8, 2012, at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for $8.50 ($9.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

Santa Hat Mani: Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T05:59:00.000-08:00

This was the mani I sported for Christmas festivities this year. I used Dr.'s Remedy Revive as my main shimmery red color and my accent nail is OPI Birthday Babe with Sephora by OPI Sparktacular over it. Love this glitter, it's complex and has many colors and shapes but is not too chunky. I used my Bundle Monster plates to stamp the santa hats then added colored rhinestones to the tips. It was a cute mani and served its purpose well for the occasion :) Not too sure I liked the double stamping, may have been better to keep it at one hat per nail but.. meh, it still rocked.

NOPI: First Crush Blush and Barielle: Buddha-ful

2011-12-27T05:59:00.000-08:00

One of the stocking stuffers the hubs got me was NOPI was First Crush Blush which is a bronze shimmer. It has orange undertones and is quite pretty, the formula was great too, opaque in 2 coats. I've had Barielle Buddha-ful for a while and have only tried it over a dark polish so I tried it over First Crush Blush and it's kind of great. The bad thing about Buddha-ful is that is sits in a milky base so when you layer it, you get puddling/streaks, but it is so dense that I was able to do one coat and you could still see tons of flakies. I haven't tried it on its own but I was happy with this mani after a coat of SV, it was smooth as glass. I'll probably compare it to the new Finger Paints flakies for you too at some point.

NOPI: Diva Into the Pool and One Less Lonely Glitter

2011-12-26T05:59:00.000-08:00

This mani lasted 3 days before I took it off (it was in pretty darn good condition too!). I used three coats of Nicole by OPI Diva Into the Pool which is a bright teal micro glitter. I had to do three coats because my tips are so bright, they were showing through. I did about three passes of One Less Lonely Glitter as my accent finger. This polish is so pretty, a mega packed light purple of large and small pieces. It would be best layered over an opaque purple though because it is in a clear base. I then stamped with my Red Angel plates to make a funky geometric design. It was quite interesting to look at and stood out great against the teal background. Overall a win for this mani.

Merry Christmas Monkeys!

2011-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone, I'm taking the day off from blogging to slack :-) Be back tomorrow with my Christmas mani. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Sally Hansen: Tyin' the Knot & RA 130

2011-12-24T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have never done a half moon mani before, especially with stamping, so this is new to the blog. I used two coats of Sally Hansen Tyin' the Knot; a frosty gunmetal taupe. The formula was great as most of my Sally Hansen experiences prove. I used Konad white polish to stamp using the Red Angel 110 plate. This was my first attempt at stamping a half moon mani.. it's harder than I thought it would be heh. Overall it's not a bad mani and it is visually interesting, just need to work on stamping the half moons straight :)

News: Lex Cosmetics is sending a polish for the giveaway... but here's a clue on the color: it's new and not available yet... so give it a while, it's worth the wait :)

Picture Polish: Bombshell

2011-12-23T05:59:00.000-08:00

This color is bold and STUNNING! This beaute came from SC over at Shatter me Claire in a swap we did. Picture polish Bombshell is awesome. It's a bright bold blue shimmer. I don't think I own anything like this, quite satisfied! I did two coats but really you could do a generous one coat with no problems. I was going to stamp in white over this but really, I love looking at the tones of it... goes dark then to a bright blue and you can see the shimmer. Overall Bombshell is a bright, bold blue that I will rock during Spring and later in winter when I'm done with warm colors.

Zoya: Hope

2011-12-22T05:59:00.000-08:00

I need a break from Christmas/holiday themed manis so here is Zoya's Hope. You know I love me some purples and this is no exception. Hope is a purple that flashes pink and has purple and pink micro shimmer in it. I applied 3 coats with no problems and topped off with SV. I really love how the shimmer looks through the SV, like looking through glass, it's great. You can see in my pictures that it changes from the deeper purple with blue undertones to the pink purple with the red undertones, super awesome. I was going to stamp over this and post it but I didn't like the way the stamping looked, hence the plain swatch.

Update: I'm waiting on two things for my giveaway (tracking them down to see where they are) but I'm hoping to have the giveaway up by Tuesday, and I hope people aren't too out of town, because it will be a cool giveaway :)

Cult Nails: Mind Control

2011-12-21T05:59:00.000-08:00

The last polish I have from the Cult Nails latest collection is Mind Control. It's a deep purple jellyish base (almost black) with micro glitter that's a pink/purple.. pinkle? I did two coats and a top coat of SV, the formula was good (seriously I haven't met a Cult Nails I didn't like). I had a hard time wrapping my tips so there was a little shrinkage. It's a great vampy winter color though and I'll we bearing this quite often.

NEWS: I'm adding something cool for the giveaway... a polish jewelry subscription from my Etsy shop (US shipping only). Check out the deets HERE

Joe Fresh: Storm

2011-12-20T05:59:00.000-08:00

Why hello there fall color with winter stamping! I did two coats of a taupe creme called Storm from Joe Fresh. I was sent this from a friend in Canada, my first encounter with Joe Fresh polishes. The formula for this polish is great, real creamy and not watery. I wanted to stamp with the Color Club Foiled polishes I had picked up, and I chose the ornament from Bundle Monster. I did stamp my accent finger but them decided to put the gold fractured from Color Club over it. The ornament stamp is kind of hard to glance at and know what it is and I'm sure the layering didn't help but overall it's a visually stimulating mani so it will do.

NEWS: if you read my Facebook, you saw a sneak peek of polishes for the giveaway...

Sally Hansen: Fairy Teal and BM213

2011-12-19T05:59:00.000-08:00

During the CVS clearance sale, I was able to get Sally Hansen's Fairy Teal at 75% off! It was opaque in two coats no problem and is a rich dusty teal creme. I used Color Club Lumin-Icent and my Bundle Monster plates to stamp snowflakes. Really loved the polishes I picked up from the Color Club Foiled collection; they are great for stamping. Sally Hansen's Complete Salon line has a base and top coat build in. I did not do a top coat, so you can see how shiny and creamy it looks. I top coated after I stamped the snowflakes if you want to see the difference. It's a simple but cute mani so I'm pretty pleased and this may fall in the "winter rotation" of nail art full manis.

News: I'm back in town and will be posting the giveaway in the next day or two, totally worth your patience :) you all rock!

Sally Hansen: Ruby Diamond

2011-12-18T05:59:00.000-08:00

This is another delicious holo from Sally Hansen's Nail Prisms... Ruby Diamond. It's not quite a red in my opinion, but more pink rosey color. This was two coats for opacity and you can see the linear holo properties- it's awesome! I decided to use my bundle monster plates and stamp presents at an angle for a holo present/christmas theme. I top coated with SV and managed not to smudge the Konad black polish :-) I think this is a cute alternative mani for the holidays because it's not your typical Christmas colors but still has the present element.

News: guess what's getting posted this week... my 1000 follower giveaway! (everything should be delivered by this week so stand by for tons of goodies!)

China Glaze: Velvet Bow, BM 213 and a Reindeer

2011-12-17T05:59:00.000-08:00

Alrighty! Another polish from China Glaze's holiday 2011 collection: Velvet Bow. It's a red creme that's rich in tone and was opaque in two coats (I've showed you this one before), but for my accent nail I did a white base and put a holiday reindeer decal over it. I purchased the decal off of ebay and was sad because they did not have sticky backs, so basically you soaked it in water to get it off the paper then it slid all over your nail. The ones I make don't do this, they have sticky backs after soaking so I'm not sure if this was different paper or just a bad batch... Anyways, then I took my Bundle Monster plates and stamped white sleds using Konad polish then topped it all off with a coat of Seche Vite and called it a day!

China Glaze: Jetstream

2011-12-16T05:59:00.000-08:00

This mani was kind of a fail but I thought I'd post it anyway because China Glaze Jet Stream is a great color! It's a purple frost that has pink undertones, I used 2 coats to opacity and just like any other frosty finish, it has the brush streaks. I wanted to spice it up a bit so I added Sally Hansen Diamond over it. You can see on my accent finger picture it is a silver/white glitter in a clear base. The effect is actually really cool and the way it catches the light is unique. I ended up putting it on my tips and it looks like I dipped just my finger tips in snow. I wish I would have put Diamond all over every nail. Each polish by itself is a cool polish but not so much layered. I'll try Diamond over darker cremes and show you how it turns out :-)

Guest Post: Rin's Snowflakes!

2011-12-15T05:59:00.000-08:00

Brace yourself monkey for some seriously cute mani art! Thank you Rin! :D

I think you will love this one, It's inspired by last year's Starbucks cup. I have a mug with the design and I thought it would be cute, I know you also LOVE starbucks =)

Hello again, It's Rin from Rin's Nail Files with another Christmas guest post. This Mani is called Starbucks..LOL My inspiration came from their holiday cup from last year, Mmmmm, Gotta love their holiday Caramel burlee latte right? YUMMY =) Anywho, I started off with OPI Ali's Big Break, I used 3 coats for full coverage and it applied great. I stamped the snowflakes using BM14 with Konad white, I then used white nail art paint to draw the tree and snow flakes, I dotted with OPI Alpine snow. Hope you likey =) Thanks yet again to Manicured Monkey for letting me guest post.

China Glaze: Colours from the Capitol

2011-12-14T21:14:00.000-08:00

China Glaze “Colours from the Capitol” Official Swatch Sheet

Attached you will find the official swatch sheet from China Glaze’s “Colours from the Capitol” collection. This collection of 12 new nail polish shades is inspired exclusively by one distinct setting in The Hunger Games - the Capitol of the nation of Panem. Awash in lavish fashion, food, and entertainment, Capitol citizens enjoy extreme cosmetics and body modifications, bold wigs, and outlandish costumes.

Finger Paints: Special Effects Collection- press release

2011-12-14T21:11:00.000-08:00

FingerPaints Special Effects

Availability: January, in stores only- Sally's Beauty

Shade names:

·         Flashy
·         Twisted
·         Asylum
·         Flecked
·         Motley

Price: $5.49

Guest Post: Fall look with Makeup Zombie!

2011-12-14T05:59:00.000-08:00

Monkeys, I have an awesome guest post from a terrific and beautiful beauty blogger today for you! Show Wendi some love :)

Hey everyone! Some of you may know me from my blog Makeup Zombie! If not, HEY, I'm Wendi! I'm 32 years old and have a fierce love for all things makeup AND zombies. Totally random combination, but it's what makes my world go round. (Aside from my family and 3 kidlets!) I use mainly independent (indie) makeup- mainly loose mineral eyeshadow, but am also a sucker for a lot of drugstore brands as well. MAC is my crack, so I try to stay away from it for my wallets sake. hehe I am totally honored today to do a guest post for the Manicured Monkey!

The Goods:

TFSI as primer

NYX jumbo eyeshadow pencil in "Rust" as base

Persephone Minerals "Cranberry Sauce" on main lid

Wet N Wild single eyeshadow in "Penny" blended above crease and down into lower lash line

Persephone Minerals "Peppermint Mocha" blended into crease and down into lower lash line

Matte creme eyeshadow for highlight and to blend

Wet N Wild silver creme glitter along the outer part of eye above cheek

random liner and mascara

Cheeks:

Milani blush in "Rose D'Oro"

Lips:
Morgana Cryptoria "Gilded Cherise" lipstick with Revlon Colorstay lipgloss in "Perpetual Plum" on top

Have a great day! I hope you all enjoyed my post. :D

Thanks again for the post Wendi, love your make up and your pictures are spot on! Gorgeous! :)

You can follow The Makeup Zombie on Twitter HERE and on Facebook HERE.

Guest Post: Rin's Reindeers! Nail art

2011-12-13T05:59:00.000-08:00

YAY! It's Rin again! Show her some love for her awesome nail art, thank you for filling in while I'm out of town :)

Hello, I am Rin from Rin's nail files, Kristin asked me to do a Christmas Mani for her blog and I love guest posting for her. So I call this one "Rudolph the red nose reindeer" =) I saw this design on a website and I changed it up so I can call it mine =) It is super super cute!!! I started with China Glaze Poinsettia as my base and then used China Glaze Street chic to make the reindeer head, I mixed Street Chic with white for the antlers and ears color and added a red nose with art paint. It's so easy and SUPER cute. Hope you likey =) Thank you Manicured monkey for asking me to Guest post!

Sinfulcolors Wish: Holiday 2011- Swatches and Art

2011-12-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

These are the Sinfulcolors selection for their holiday collection. I know some of these are not "new" colors but since they grouped them together for you, it takes the guess work out of deciding which holiday hues go together. Since the colors are pretty straight forward, I decided to do some nail art with them. The trees were a little bit harder to do than I thought they would be. Here's a list of the polishes from the press release (my thoughts are in bold):

Five gem-inspired shades of polish:
SUGAR SUGAR: a candy cane, red-hot tint. Great shimmery red, opaque in two coats with no problems.
MIDNIGHT BLUE: a bold, bright twist on navy. Good alternative to a navy polish which is so popular this season. I used this for dotting ornaments on the tree and even over silver glitter, you can see it is still has great opacity.
LAST CHANCE: an emerald with depth and allure. The staple emerald green creme we are seeing this season- very popular. No application problems, was opaque in 2 coats.
DADDY'S GIRL: a deep purple with a drizzle of shimmer and glitter. A jelly purple with fabulous shimmer of pink running through it. This would be best layered over a deep purple so you get less VNL since it is a jelly.
OUT OF THIS WORLD: a perfect silver with swirls of glimmer. Smooth formula, did the tree base in this color, was great even over the dark emerald hue.

Two metallic shades of nail art:
FLOWER GIRL: a bronzy gold with tons of sparkle. Really in love with this, it is super dense and pigmented, used for the twinkle on top of the tree.
FASHIONISTA: a glitter-laden pewter. Silver glitter upon silver glitter in this striper! Easy to use, I traced over Out Of This World with it and had no problems.

I look forward to using the stripers in the future for more nail art because they were really easy to use and the colors are spot on. Overall the collection isn't anything we haven't seen before but at $1.99 price point, it is a good alternative to more expensive brands (not to mention it's easily available at drugstores and Walgreens.com), which is convenient.

*product provided by PR company*

New Tutorial: Yin Yang Nails!

2011-12-11T05:59:00.000-08:00

My creative little cousin was at it again, check out her Yin Yang nails.. very cool!! Good job T!

Christmas Penguin Mani

2011-12-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

I am so in love with this mani! I used Sinfulcolors white and Wet N Wild Black Creme. I stamped using my Mash plate set (LOVE the bow)! Over the black base I also did China Glaze Golden Enchantment which is like Fairy Dust but with gold sparkle. I also started printing and selling water decals through my etsy shop. I chose the cute penguins with a Santa hat on for my accent finger. The mani reminded me of a tuxedo and so it seemed natural to put a penguin decal on :-) What do you think? I love it, it's festive but not with your normal holiday colors. Total win!

To purchase my water decals, you can click HERE.

Barielle: Blackened Bleu and snowflakes

2011-12-09T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have another winter mani for you today. I recently was sent Barielle's Blackened Bleu from Jeanie at Midnight Manicures. It's my 3rd Barielle so I'm still getting familiar with the brand and all three polishes I now own are quite different. This one is a sheer black base with small medium blue shimmer throughout. Since it is so sheer, I put a base coat of Wet N Wild Black Creme down first, then did one coat of Blackened Bleu. I then took my Shany stamping plates (purchased on amazon), and my konad white polish and stamped snowflakes. I took a random clear glitter I had and traced the snowflakes to make them sparkle a bit. I then added blue and crystal rhinestones to the middle. The only thing I'd do different on this mani is not put the clear glitter on the snowflakes, so the blue shimmer would show through more. Other than that, I'd wear this mani again and probably will during winter :-)

Giveaway Preview: Cutey bracelet inspired mani

2011-12-08T05:59:00.000-08:00

Today I have another preview of an item that will be included in my 1000 follower giveaway! Cutey.co.uk was kind enough to provide their Typhon bracelet. If you remember recently I reviewed their Momus bracelet and did my mani that matched. That post got lots of love, thank you for that! I tried to match the flowers on my little finger, but I put a silver background instead to cut down on streaking. I used a lot of different polishes in this mani: Orly, China Glaze, Sally Hansen Prism, Catrice, Wet N Wild, but how do you think it came out?
Big thanks to Cutey for providing the bracelet for my giveaway! Can't wait to show you what else is trickling in for it :)