Belated Xmas Mani

Is blogging a thing anymore?  Well, it should be :)

I had a wonderful time with my family in Orlando.  We went to all four Disney World Parks.  My favorite is still Animal Kingdom.  I hadn't been there in 10 years.  Of course, I had to do an epic mani for my Florida trip, but it was also the holidays, so I had to find a way to make it Mickey-themed, yet festive.  It worked; I received tons of compliments, and I never got bored of it.  This was on for about 2.5 weeks, which was understandable, as it took me about 2.5 hours to put together.  I have been getting more confident with nail art using gels, but it is definitely a challenge to take it off.

I have been meaning to get back to blogging.  Unfortunately, the reason why I left the scene last year was due to doxing.  There was an individual on Facebook trying to find out about me and my life.  Which was somewhat scary, and very frustrating.  I like to live in anonymity, and people should respect that.  Too bad there are not clearly defined laws in this country against doxing.  Imagine that, someone as unfamous as me being stalked.  I feel really sorry for famous bloggers, influencers, and celebrities.  I can only imagine what they go through on a daily basis.  This is just not worth it for me.

Anyway, I will be retreating for now.

Bonus Pic: My Basin Haul

Layering Order:

Presto basecoat

Kokoist Excel Builder Clear Gel with various glitters (Mickeys are from Lumina Lacquer Three Ch-ears for Mickey Ears)

CND topcoat

Where to buy in the US:

http://www.kokoistusa.com/

https://luminalacquer.bigcartel.com/

If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, type-os, different opinions, etc.

These items were purchased by me or sent to me by a friend.  The above are not affiliated links.

Neon and Gold Summer mani

Recently, I was at a store and received a compliment on my nails.  Random, but that inspired me to do a little more.  I have been kind of in a rut lately (AKA busy), and I had been neglecting my nails a bit.  I was wearing the yellow-peach mani and a sales associate at a beauty supply said "wow those look so good", and I told her I did them myself.  She said "can I have your card?".  I felt super flattered, as I have gotten compliments before, but never did people thought I was a nail tech.  It's funny how something so simple can brighten your day/week.  I went home and took them off and thought, hey these are really long, I bet I can do some artsy stuff, plus I have time, so why not.

Now for those of you who are new to the nail polish world, I will to tell you a little story.  Once upon a time there was a store called American Apparel (AA), it was back when unicorns were not even famous, yet this store had the same rainbows and cupcakes sort of vibe.  Their clothes was a bit over the top for me --think onesies and furry stuff-- but their polishes, oh my.  They were, and are up to date, my second favorite neons (Dare to Wear are my favorite).  The polishes were awesome and so cheap.  I acquired a few, and later sold or gave them away, except for the 4 neons I liked.  The happily ever after of this story is that the founder of AA was held accountable for what he did, and I believe this was one of the very early cases of the #metoo movement.

This mani was inspired solely by the shape of the gold stickers and by the sunny days in my city; but also, by those brave girls that spoke up!  What I like about wild nails like these is that they are girly, and they don't really ask for a men's opinion.  I feel like these long pointy nails with negative space theme are not only artsy, but daring.  They are just how I feel.  Not sure if men read this blog or not, but if you do, I just want to let you know that we do our nails for ourselves, and we don't really care about your opinion on them.  Recently, I saw a post on instagram about pointy nails (this one, gross), and I got so triggered.  Meh, such is life (((2018 people!)))... anyway, this rant is over.  Enjoy the pics.

Layering Order:
Presto Basecoat
Led 5-45 Lamp
Kokoist Excel Builder
Led 5-45 Lamp
2 coats American Apparel Neon Coral (pinky only)
2 coats American Apparel Neon Pink (ring only)
2 coats American Apparel Neon Yellow (middle only)
2 coats Cosmetic Arts Frenzy (index only)
2 coats Super Black Lacquers Bloom (thumb only)
Clou Gold Triangle Stickers
Poshe basecoat
Seche Vite topcoat

Where to buy in the US:
http://www.kokoistusa.com/product-page/excel-builder-20g
https://superblacklacquers.com/
American Apparel no longer sells nail polish, they sell clothes online, but a judge determined they could not have any stores in the US after they filed for bankruptcy
Cosmetic Arts is a discontinued polish, I believe there is a Color Club dupe out there (Pucci-licious?)
The stickers are from Daily Charme https://dailycharme.com/collections/stickers

If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, type-os, different opinions, etc.

These items were purchased by me or sent to me by a friend.  The above are not affiliated links.

Vetro B072 Violet, Dare To Wear Mystique, and Dare To Wear Gemini

I wish I could say I have the Winter blues, to go with this post of blue polishes, but I really don't.  I love this weather (as long as I am indoors for most of the day) and I love not having to wear a sweater to sleep.

I will start with the weird looking indigo.  This was leaning a bit more towards purple in real life.  It was intentionally applied as a jelly at 1 coat.  It did not look patchy at all in real life, it looked great.  I stumbled upon this Japanese brand, and now I want more.  This is a really nice gel polish that feels luxurious for some reason.  The formula and color payoff are amazing.  The self-leveling, and durability were better than expected.  This color is stunning in real life.

Then, let's do a little throwback to when my nails were short and my cuticles were dry from last Winter.  I did two coats of this duochrome from Dare to Wear called Mystique, but I could have gotten away with one.  This color is so nice, and not streaky in real life.  Sometimes my camera picks up way too much detail.  The formula was on the thick side, but the color shift was on point.

Lastly, the blue holo from the Spectra collection.  I think this is supposed to be a dupe for OPI DS Glamour.  Wow this color was really flattering on me.  I thought it was going to be another medium blue holo, but it was exactly what I needed to camouflage my transition shape into almond nails.  I loved the formula and the holo effect.  I have a few others from the collection and they are all great.  Definitely worth checking out.

Layering Order:
Presto basecoat
1 coat Vetro B072 Violet
CND Brisa Lite topcoat

Layering Order:
Gucci basecoat
2 coats Dare To Wear Mystique
Seche Vite topcoat

Layering Order:
Gucci basecoat
2 coats Dare To Wear Gemini
Seche Vite topcoat

Where to buy in the US:
http://www.vetro-us.com/
https://www.lechatnails.com/

If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, type-os, different opinions, etc.

These items were purchased by me or sent to me by a friend.  The above are not affiliated links.

Nfu Oh JS09 & JS19

This is a little layering experiment I did.  I just wanted to celebrate Summer with a girly mani,  These are my natural nails; to be honest they are a bit high maintenance and hard to keep up, but so worth it.  I am currently taking biotin and eating healthy, and just being patient with them.  The kokoist gel helps tremendously too (reviewed here).

Layering Order:
Presto Basecoat
Led 5-45 Lamp
Kokoist Excel Builder
Led 5-45 Lamp
3 coats Nfu Oh JS09 (pinky and middle base only)
1 coat Nfu Oh JS19 + 1 coat Nfu Oh JS09 + 1 coat Nfu Oh JS19 (ring and index)
3 coats Nfu Oh JS19 (middle tip only)
1 coat Maybelline Colorama 35
1 coat EB nuru-28
1 coat Poshe basecoat
1 coat Maybelline Colorama 35
Seche Vive Topcoat

Where to buy in the US:
http://www.kokoistusa.com/product-page/excel-builder-20g
https://www.fabuloustreet.com/
Coloramas are discontinued
EB (Eternal Beauty by Dear Laura) is a Japanese polish.

If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, type-os, different opinions, etc.

These items were purchased by me or sent to me by a friend.  The above are not affiliated links.

Ethereal Lacquer Worlds Apart (New Version)

I've been trying to grow my nails a bit, and they looked awkward at the beginning stages; so now that I got them where I want them I can go back to posting more regularly.  I'm also thinking about posting some skincare, so we shall see.

I received this lovely polish as a gift from a dear friend who knows I love purples and shifters.  I have been a fan of Ethereal since the beginning (see my original WA swatch here), but I was so busy (plus I'm not on social media a lot) that I completely forgot about the restock.  Thank God for friends :)

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know how I feel about this, so let's address the elephant in the room: the name.  Yes, I think the name should have been different if this polish was going to look different than the first one.  Perhaps this one could have been called Worlds Together?  If you have not been reading my blog, you can read about my stance on accurate descriptions in older posts (examples: Elevation and Lilypad).  Moreover, I had a short-lived indie polish line, and when I ran out of the pigment to make City Chic, I named its successor City Chic 2, because it was different.

Having said that, I really think this polish is beautiful.  Not only because I like purple jellies and the whole 230 pigment going on, but because I see this as an updated version.  Yes, I love the original very much, and I still have it, but this one is so unique and fresh.  This feels more 2018 to me.

The formula was on the thick side, and I had to add 20 drops of thinner (I use OPI thinner).  Other than that, I think the finish was great.  The pigment was saturated, as expected.  The shift was exactly the same, because I did a comparison with the old one in different lighting situations, and I took tone comparison pics, blew them up in my computer, etc.  This is the original pigment, the coveted UP that is now in vogue.

If you don't like VNL (visible nail line) then this would be more suitable as a layering polish, although I suggest a light base here (like a lavender or a soft mauve), because it has a slight white cast that would show up over dark colors.  This bottle looks like my Clarins 230 before it got all murky.

I love looking at kawaii nails that are glossy and sheer, and this new Worlds Apart reminds me of them.  I think it definitely conveys the idea behind a 230-inspired-indie-polish as a classic meets futuristic nails.

Layering Order:
Presto Basecoat
Led 5-45 Lamp
Kokoist Excel Builder
Led 5-45 Lamp
3 coats Ethereal Lacquer Worlds Apart (New Version)
Guerlain Topcoat

Where to buy in the US:
http://www.kokoistusa.com/product-page/excel-builder-20g
http://www.ethereallacquer.com/

If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, type-os, different opinions, etc.

These items were purchased by me or sent to me by a friend.  The above are not affiliated links.

Takko Lacquer Peacock Returns

This polish would have been amazing if it were a darker blue, maybe leaning indigo.  It has gold glitter that is warm and clashes a bit with the cool-toned baby blue base color.  It is a nice shifty one.  It has pink shimmer throughout and it shifts to green at a certain angle.  The glitter is chunky so I had to add smoothing basecoat.  I think it looks better in the shade (and with the sky as a background) than in the sun, and I like it that it is sheer for some reason.

Layering Order:
Gucci Basecoat
2 coats Takko Lacquer Peacock Returns
2 coats Poshe Basecoat
Seche Vite Topcoat

Where to buy in the US:
http://meimeisignatures.com/index.php?id_product=4005&controller=product

If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, type-os, different opinions, etc.

These items were purchased by me or sent to me by a friend.  The above are not affiliated links.

F.U.N. Lacquer RSVP

This is a good one.  Although it is a bit gritty, two coats of topcoat will fix that.  I liked this one much better than Flashing Lights from the same collection.  RSVP has a bit of color changing shimmer, that is not as glistening as the original 230, but the shift is really there, and it gives the polish a little something extra.  The holographic effect is really stunning as well.  Overall, I think this purple (and brand) is a bit underrated.  This is a must have if you love holos, duochrome shimmer (UP), and purples.

Layering Order:
Gucci Basecoat
2 coats F.U.N. Lacquer RSVP
Tonic Topper (Tonic Polish Quick Dry topcoat)

Where to buy in the US:
https://www.livelovepolish.com/collections/fun-lacquer

If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, type-os, different opinions, etc.

These items were purchased by me or sent to me by a friend.  The above are not affiliated links.