Wednesday, February 28, 2018

PPU alert: The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

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Hello!


This month Polish Pickup is doing polishes inspired by books, and today I have a beauty from the selections to share with you, The Lady Varnishes' Moon Blinked, inspired by the book Guardians of Ga'Hoole:


The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked


I've never read this book, but after reading the description, I'm definitely going to. It's about a young owl, Soren that gets pushed out of his next by his brother, and then is abducted to an orphanage run by evil owls bent on world domination. He makes a friend in Gylfie, another young owl, and together they must figure out how to resist the brain-washing (called 'Moon Blinking', hence the name of the polish), and escape. They're inspired by, and take courage from, the legends of brave owls called the Guardians of Ga'Hoole. This type of story, a good fantasy tale about the battle of good versus evil, and ordinary people (or owls!) finding that they can do extraordinary things, is exactly the type of book I love.


And I feel the same way about Moon Blinked, a stunning teal packed with silver microglitters and flakies:


The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked


The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked


The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked


This is two coats, and the formula and application are absolute perfection. Not only does the recreate the stormy feel of the cover, it's a perfect night-sky polish, a perfect galaxy nails base, and for someone like me, a perfect San Jose Sharks polish, lol! When I stare into this, I feel like I'm looking into a never-ending evening snow storm. This polish is everything!


You have to buy this through the Polish Pickup shop, and it's only available between March 2nd and March 5th. Check out swatches of all the lovely featured polishes this month in the Polish Pickup Pack Facebook group, and on the main Facebook page


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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Monday, February 26, 2018

Zoya's Bridal Bliss Collection!

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Hello!


Today we're going to take a look at Zoya's Bridal Bliss collection, a curated assembly of polishes Zoya believes are perfect for bridal looks, along with a new holo that'll make any bride shine. I also think this collection is excellent for French mani looks, and for soft spring looks. :)


Zoya Bridal Bliss Collection

I normally review collections in alphabetical order, but I'm going to do things a little differently today. I'm going to start with Zoya Snow White, which, as the name implies, is a white creme:


Zoya Snow White

Zoya Snow White
Coverage: 2 coats
Application: Excellent! No pulling, even, beautiful coverage with two coats.

I started with Snow White both because white is the quintessential bridal color, and because I feel it's the cornerstone of the collection, since it's a key player in French Manicures, a popular bridal look. I was stunned to find this applied like butter, with flawless coverage after two coats. Great to wear on its own, for French tips, or as the base for nail art. 


The next two polishes are perfect for French manicures, I think, so I've grouped them together right after Snow White. First is the barely-there Zoya Loretta, a super-sheer peachy-beige jelly:


Zoya Loretta

Zoya Loretta

Coverage: Pretty much not going to happen--this is meant to be sheer. I'm wearing two coats.
Application: Smooth as silk. :)

Loretta is one shade away from invisible--this is perfect if you want something that gives you just a hint of color rather than just wearing clear polish, and so is ideal for a clean, basic French mani as well.


Right along the same lines is Zoya Bela, a baby pink jelly:


Zoya Bela

Zoya Bela
Coverage: 2-3 coats
Application: Good, but even with three coats my ridges were still visible.

If you have relatively smooth nails, you'll have no problem with Bella--she's meant to be sheer, but with a bit more color than Loretta. However, if you have ridges (like I do) or pits in your nails, this isn't the polish for you. You don't want to put a ridge filler under this one because that will change the translucence, and if you don't, your ridges will show through. However, on my smooth nails, this evened beautifully even with 1 or 2 coats, and would be beautiful for a French manicure or a soft pink look. 


Next I'm going to transition into the neutrals, which form a big portion of this collection, starting with Zoya Avril, a soft rose creme:


Zoya Avril

Zoya Avril

 Coverage: 1-2 coats
Application: Excellent! No pulling, beautiful coverage

Zoya has pretty much mastered the one-coater when it comes to cremes, and this is no exception. If you have ridges like me, you may need two coats, but otherwise, one should be fine. Love that. :)

I'm calling this a neutral because while it's definitely a rose-pink, it flirts with taupe and can easily function as a nude.


 Next, we have Zoya Chantal, which is a classic beige neutral creme: 


Zoya Chantal

Zoya Chantal

Coverage: 1-2 coats
Application: Excellent, with beautiful coverage.

Another one-coater, with year-round appeal. Chantal has a yellow undertone, so if that flatters you, this is the girl for you. I love it--it makes me think of trips to the beach and fall plaids.


Next we have Zoya McKenna, one of my favorites of the collection, a beige with an icy shimmer: 

Zoya McKenna

Zoya McKenna
Coverage: 2 coats
Application: Like butter, baby!

The color of the most delicious iced latte, this is the beauty I'd pick if I were getting married. A perfect pairing with antique lace, McKenna is sophisticated and elegant. The perfect neutral if you want something with a little shimmer.


To round off the neutrals we have Zoya Rue, a light taupe creme:


Zoya Rue

Zoya Rue
Coverage: 1-2 coats
Application: Excellent!

Rue is taupe-y one-coat bliss. This is like the Hamptons in a bottle, and in terms of brides, is another perfect match for antique dresses.


Next we have Zoya Erika, a champagne-peach crelly with a golden shimmer:

Zoya Erika

Zoya Erika
Coverage: 2-3 coats
Application: Good.

I love the color of Erika, but she and my ridges didn't play well. When I'm not swatching, I'll wear her with a ridge-filler basecoat, and I'll be fine with two coats, but for these pictures I needed three. If you have smooth nails or use a ridge-filler, you'll be fine, and she's sooo pretty. This would be the perfect polish for a bride wearing a blush dress, or a dress that has golden accents. Love.


There are two specialty polishes in the collection, including one of my favorite Zoya polishes, Zoya Leia:


Zoya Leia

Zoya Leia

Coverage: Not meant to cover--I'm wearing 2 coats
Application: Excellent!

Leia is first and foremost a specialty topper, so it isn't meant to achieve full coverage on its own. However, I think it's beautiful alone, especially for a bridal look--how gorgeous would this look with a princess-style gown covered in crystals?! Or a satin mermaid-shape gown? Sign me up.


Then there's Zoya Brighton, the newbie in the collection, which is a gorgeous beige scattered holo:


Zoya Brighton

Zoya Brighton

Zoya Brighton

Coverage: 2 coats
Application: Absolute perfection.

This is possibly the classiest holo in existence. This makes me feel like I'm wearing some concoction of crushed diamonds and antique lace on my nails. It's elegant and rich and will take any vintage bridal look right over the top.


Turning to a slight blush of color, we have Zoya Blu, which is, believe it or not, a baby blue creme:


Zoya Blu

Zoya Blu
Coverage: 1-2 coats
Application: Excellent!

This'll knock out your 'something blue' easy as pie. I love this color for any sort of spring look, and as a base for spring nail art. Soft and sweet.


And finally, we have Zoya Abby, a light lilac creme:

Zoya Abby

Zoya Abby
 Coverage: 1-2 coats
Application: Excellent!

This is another favorite of mine--this makes me want to have tea in an English garden, in a frilly dress with a pretty spring hat. And tea cakes. Lots and lots of tea cakes...


Overall, I think it's a pretty cool concept to bring together a set of polishes for brides to choose from, and I think they did a good job of finding something for just about every bride's needs. And Zoya Brighton--OMG! So absolutely gorgeous.


You can find this collection on Zoya's site, and everywhere else Zoya is sold.  And keep up with them around the interwebs here:




Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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Friday, February 23, 2018

The Digit-al Dozen Mythical Creatures Day 5: A Mani of Dragons and Zombies

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Hello!



I have to admit, I'm a little sad this is the last day of this month's Digit-al Dozen theme. I had sooo many mythical creatures I wanted to do, it was hard to narrow it down...maybe I'll do a few extras later in the month. ;-)


First of all--if you aren't caught up on Game of Thrones, here's your warning: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! Stop reading if you don't want to be spoiled. 


To end the theme, I decided to go out with a bang. Here's my logic. Dragons are epic. Zombies are epic. So a zombie dragon = epic x epic = VISERION!


If you're a Game of Thrones fan, this needs no explanation. If you're not, here's a quickie. In the Game of Thrones world, there's a Queen (Daenerys) who is also the mother of dragons--she 'birthed' three dragons from fire. There are also these things called White Walkers, which are pretty much albino zombies, with the power to resurrect dead corpses as more White Walkers. White Walkers and Dragons are both super powerful, and they're enemies.  In the second most heart-wrenching moment of Game of Thrones, the White Walkers killed one of Daenerys' dragons, Viserion. In the absolute most heart-wrenching and dramatic moment of Game of Thrones, Viserion was resurrected as a White Walker dragon zombe--and that was revealed when Viserion opened his eye--and it was blue, like those of the White Walkers. Here's what I did to recreate that moment: 


Viserion! Pueen 10 and BM-224 over Zoya Hadley, with freehand

Viserion! Pueen 10 and BM-224 over Zoya Hadley, with freehand


For this mani, I used a combination of stamping and freehand. I started with a base of Zoya Hadley, a smokey navy blue. I used Pueen 10 and Bundle Monster BM-224 to stamp some subtle scales with Sally Hansen Slick Slate. I used acrylic paints to freehand the eye and some spiky areas, and I stamped a chain with Marianne Nails n. 20 to represent the chains that the White Walkers used to pull Viserion out of the frozen lake (how handy that they happened to have a crap-ton of chain and suddenly got over their fear of water enough to go down into the lake and attach it to him--ahem--don't get me started!). 


I didn't quite capture the emotion in the eye I wanted to capture, and the index nail looks more like a rhino than a dragon's face ridge, but otherwise, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. :)


So what do you think? Are there any mystical creatures that you hoped to see that we forgot? Let me know and I might try to make a mani of it for you...;-)


Big Hugs,
M. xoxo

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Thursday, February 22, 2018

The Digit-al Dozen Mythical Creatures Day 4: The Kracken!

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Hello!



Today is day 4 of The Digit-al Dozen's Mythical Creatures theme, and I decided it was time to switch from pretty, happy stuff to deep, dark, scary stuff! That's right: here there be monsters!


For my kracken manicure, I started with a base of Orly Pretty-Ugly. I used images from Messy Mansion MM37, Bundle Monster BM-401, Winstonia W217, UberChic Beauty's Nautical mini, and Marianne Nails n 20. I stamped with Messy Mansion Red-y Or Not,  Pudding, Chalk, and Hydrangea Blue:


Messy Mansion MM37, Bundle Monster BM-401, Winstonia W217, UberChic Beauty's Nautical mini & Marianne n 20 over Orly Pretty-Ugly

Messy Mansion MM37, Bundle Monster BM-401, Winstonia W217, UberChic Beauty's Nautical mini & Marianne n 20 over Orly Pretty-Ugly

I think this is my favorite of the week--I love the way it looks like the Kracken is attacking from under the sea, throwing up all those wild tentacles!


What do you prefer for the theme--happy and pretty, or dark and dangerous?


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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Wednesday, February 21, 2018

The Digit-al Dozen Mythical Creatures Day 3: Phoenix!

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Hello!


Okay, so, for the first couple of days of this theme, I had to pay homage to a couple of mythical creatures that are so loved in the nail-art community they've become iconic. Now for the rest of the theme I'm going to branch out a little farther afield, starting with today's mythical creature--the phoenix.


I've always been fascinated by the allegorical nature of the phoenix. Very few of us are perfect and instantly successful in life--at least, I'm certainly not. Our character is often shaped by our failures--or rather, how we handle those failures. What happens when we get caught in the fire? Do we rise up again, shake off the ashes, and allow new, beautiful colors to shine? To me, that lesson in transformation is what the phoenix represents.


For my manicure, I went with an abstract skittle design to showcase the phases of the phoenix's transformation, using different colors and an image from UberChic Beauty's Fabulous Feathers mini plate: 

UberChic Beauty Fabulous Feathers


For the 'life' portion of the cycle, I started with Sally Hansen Get Mod and stamped with Messy Mansion Soft Gold. For the 'fire' phase, I started with Moonflower Polish Lemon, stamped with Messy Mansion Red-y Or Not, and dotted with Hit The Bottle Polish Midnight Pumpkin. For the 'ashes' phase, I started with Sally Hansen Grease Lightning and stamped with Messy Mansion Carbon, then dotted with Hit The Bottle Polish Holo There Beautiful. Here's how it turned out:


UberChic Beauty Fabulous Feathers over Sally Hansen Get Mod and Grease Lightning, and Moonflower Polish Lemon


UberChic Beauty Fabulous Feathers over Sally Hansen Get Mod and Grease Lightning, and Moonflower Polish Lemon


What do you think, does it capture the phoenix life cycle, or did I completely miss the mark?


Tomorrow we're going to go back to something a bit more literal...in the meantime, don't forget to check out the other magical mystical manis linked below!


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

The Digit-al Dozen Day 2: Mermaids!

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Hello!


Today's day two of The Digit-al Dozen's mythical creatures theme, and today I'm going with a creature I think is almost a must-make for nail bloggers: mermaid nails!


I started with a base of Spellbound Nails Dammit Janet, and then stamped a variety of images from Bunny Nails HD-J plate (if you don't know, her store is on an indefinite haitus, but I'm hoping she comes back sooner than later!) :

Bunny Nails HD-J


First I stamped the background patterns with Sally Hansen Thyme Is Money, then I double-stamped my jelly fish, first with Moonflower Polish Moonflower and then with Messy Mansion Chalk to get a shimmery opalescent jellyfish type of effect. Finally I reversed-stamped my mermaids--first I stamped them with Messy Mansion Carbon, then filled in with Sally Hansen Taupe To Go, Champagne Supernova, and Va Va Violet. I first put a layer of Zoya Leia under the mermaid's bikinis and tails, as well as part of the one mermaid's hair to give shimmer. Here's how it turned out:


Bunny Nails HD-J over Spellbound Nails Dammit Janet

Bunny Nails HD-J over Spellbound Nails Dammit Janet


I love how this came out, but most of all I adore how that tail came out! The shimmer from Leia is sooooo pretty!


Okay, so, now I've done unicorns and mermaids, the two must-have mythical creatures for nail artists. Starting tomorrow, things are going to get a little more unusual...


In the meantime, don't forget to check out the lovely Digit-al masterpieces linked below!

M. xoxo


Monday, February 19, 2018

Digit-al Dozen Mythical Creatures Day 1 (Or, how NOT to stamp on foils)

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Hello!


It's Digit-al Dozen time again, and I'm over-the-moon stoked about this theme: Mythical Creatures! I had so many ideas I wanted to do for this one, I had a hard time narrowing them down. I decided to start off with a no-brainer: Unicorns!


I figured this was a great time to do something I've wanted to play around with for a while--full nail foils. I chose a rainbow foil and cut it so there would be a vertical gradient on each nail. Then I stamped images from UberChic Beauty's Unicorn Love (click here for my review of the plate) over them:


UberChic Beauty Unicorn Love over nail foils
 

I stamped with Messy Mansion Carbon, Sterling, and Chalk, and filled in the unicorn hair and belly with Sally Hansen Heather Hustle, and the horns with Hit The Bottle Polish Holo There Beautiful.


Now, you probably know that when you use nail foils, you should use a water-based topcoat or base coat over them to preserve the foil--you can use your preferred topcoat on top of that for preservation, etc. You should also do this before you do any stamping onto the foils or try to put decals onto the foils. Here's what it looks like if you forget that step like I did:




Yeah. The color from the foil bleeds up into your stamping polish, and somehow manages to melt the polish, too. Now, if I'd just done that with the background stars, that might have been kinda cool--but what it did to the rest of the stamping most certainly was not. But that's okay--it allowed me to make some other improvements to the design when I redid it. :)


I also have to admit, using nail foils to cover your entire nail on every finger is a bit of a pain, especially when it comes time to remove--I don't think I'll do more than an accent nail again.


What do you think? Yay or nay on full-nail foils?


Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check out the other ladies' manicures, linked below! :)

M. xoxo


Friday, February 16, 2018

NOTD: Mystical Mardi Gras (featuring MoYou London Mandala 14)

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Hello!


Today I want to share the mani I wore on Mardi Gras--I didn't get a chance to blog it before, but I think it's a fun look not just for Mardi Gras, so figured I'd go ahead and share it after. :)


I used images from MoYou London Mandala 14, which I adore:

MoYou London Mandala 14


I started with a base of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer's My Precious and Green's Alexandrite With Me, for the purple and green part of the trio of Mardi Gras colors. Then I stamped my images with Messy Mansion Soft Gold for the third color of the trio, and then stamped again with Carbon:


MoYou London Mandala 14 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer's My Precious and Green's Alexandrite With Me

MoYou London Mandala 14 over Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer's My Precious and Green's Alexandrite With Me


I love how the flakes and the glitters in these two polishes make such a gorgeous background, and I love how the stamping give a wrought-iron Anne-Rice sort of mystical look.


What do you think, does it put you in the mood to let the good times roll?


Hugs,
M. xoxo

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Ilove Ikat...(Featuring Dixie Plates Love 2018)

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Hello!


Happy Valentine's Day! Today I have another quick Valentine NOTD to share, this one featuring Dixie Plates Love 2018



I started with a base of Sally Hansen Get Mod, and then stamped my images with Messy Mansion Red-y Or Not. I then did a tiny bit of ikat over the center of the hearts with Sally Hansen Racing Rose and Watermelon Wizz:


Dixie Plates 2018 over Sally Hansen Get Mod
Dixie Plates 2018 over Sally Hansen Get Mod

Dixie Plates 2018 over Sally Hansen Get Mod
Dixie Plates 2018 over Sally Hansen Get Mod

I love the simplicity of this, and how the pink adds just a little dash of color to break up the mani. 


Hope you're having a wonderful day celebrating all the love in your life!
M. xoxo