Juggle-not The Clown

Good morning, all!

Today’s franken was inspired by my silly and lovable sister during a slightly tipsy game of Scattergories. The name made me laugh a lot and I knew I needed to incorporate it into a polish.

I used LA Colors Red Glitter, Sally Hansen Glossy, and Jade Meteorite Showers.

I filled an empty bottle with 2/3 Meteorite Showers, slightly less than 1/3 of Red Glitter, and 5 drops of Glossy.

Definitely fun looking!

The multi color glitter really stands out nice against the reddish pink base, and I couldn’t help but smile every time I looked down at my nails.

Up close to show the glittah:

Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

Pink PantHer

Hello, all!

I’ve got a colorful franken to show you today!

For this one, I used a no-name brand I purchased from Supply Source called Crystaline Opal for a whopping 99 cents, Taylor Made pigment in BeBe, and a hot pink glitter pigment from Leishi, which is a foreign brand (but any hot pink glitter will work!).

I filled an empty bottle just over 3/4 full of Crystaline Opal, then added in a half teaspoon of BeBe pigment and approx. 1 tablespoon of the hot pink glitter.

Hello pink! I love how this one turned out! Very sparkly and just fun looking! I used 2 coats, and it was surprisingly smooth for a glitter.

Up close to show the glitter:

Thanks for stopping by…I have some old school colors coming up on Friday, so please check back! 🙂

Franken-free Friday: NailGirls

Happy Friday!

Today I have a few colors that I received earlier this week for review. They are a brand called NailGirls, and this is the first I have heard of them. They are a small, London based spa/salon that carries their own brand of polish colors…much like RBL does. I poked around their website and discovered they have a lot of colors, even some mattes! Not boring shades, either. I spotted a couple greens and some nice greys.

I received three colors to try out. I was REALLY excited to see that these have a lovely square bottle shape, similar to the American Apparel bottles. They fit so much better in a Helmer, and are just more aesthetically pleasing (to me, anyway!). Now, NailGirls are up there in price, retailing for 10 pounds, or approximately $15 and change U.S. dollars. They applied effortlessly and smooth, and I found the application and formula to be on par with a RBL or Lippmann. So you are definitely getting your moneys’ worth!

First up, Teal #2. This one is actually a pale blue rather than teal. I own a ton of blues, but this wasn’t a dupe for any of them. The first coat was a bit on the sheer side, so I did three coats on this one to make it nice and opaque, but I probably would have gotten away with only two:

Pink #2, is actually a pinky-purple shimmer. I really didn’t think this looked impressive in the bottle, but it is much prettier on! 2 coats:

The last one, Coral #1, was my favorite out of the three. It is a gorgeous coral creme, and completely opaque in two coats. I left the bottle out on my desk when I was done, because I plan to use this as a pedi this weekend. Such a great summer color!

The only complaint I have about these? The names! I wish they had “real” names, rather than just a color and a number. The quality of the polishes and the packaging was excellent, so I just think they deserve some catchy and cute names!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!
🙂

Elf Toes

Good morning!

I have the first of my week-long frankens made with my cool new pigments from Overall Beauty Minerals! The names were so cute on the pigments, that I decided to leave them, rather than come up with new ones.

For “Elf Toes”, I mixed the pigment with two different pink Revlon Colorstay colors- Endless Pink and Extremely Pink. I used approx. one teaspoon of pigment.

This looked incredible in the bottle, but I wasn’t sure the color would suit my skin tone…

…I was proven wrong! I really love the golden sheen in this. And who doesn’t feel pretty in pink? You all know I’m not a huge pink lover, but the girlie-girl inside me was jumping for joy when I wore this. Plus, it’s named “Elf Toes”. That will make just about anyone crack a smile!

Thanks for stopping by! I will have more for you tomorrow, so please check back!
😀

Franken-free Friday: Sally Hansens and some nail art!

Happy Friday!

Today I have a few of the newer Sally Hansens to show you, as well as my attempt at some nail art. Nothing fancy, just playing around…but I figured I would post the pics anyway!

As you all may know, Sally Hansen recently revamped their entire “Salon” polish line…new colors, new brushes, and new bottle design. While I don’t particularly like the new bottles (I’m a square lover!), I do really love the brush. It’s bigger and has a rounded shape, similar to the Insta-Dri style. The rounded shape works excellent for getting a nice “gap”, and the bigger brush covers more of my nail, so I can paint faster!

First up, Lavender Cloud! Pretty name, even prettier color! It’s a clean, crisp pale white-lavender. I was really impressed at how smooth this went on. No streaks, no runny mess. I did 2 coats, and it was completely opaque:

Next, of course, the green! Grass Slipper (which I think is a hilarious name) is a green creme, and also applied nicely and covered great in 2 coats:

I jazzed this up a little by using french mani guides to make a diagonal design. The pink is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Rose Rush. I love these Insta-Dri colors because they cover completely in only one coat, so I didn’t need to put much effort into this.

And lastly, one of the new Salon colors that I think has been greatly overlooked. Calypso Blue, which honestly doesn’t look like much in the bottle, is really gorgeous. It is an electric shimmery blue, and not the least bit sheer. 2 thin coats and I was good to go.

I snazzed this one up after a few days, using my new stencils from SmARTnails. After seeing a post about these on the nail board, I decided to order a few to try out. This is the “Small Teeth” design, and I used another Insta-Dri, Sea Breeze, as an accent color. It’s subtle, but that’s what I was going for. And I was a bit nervous about screwing up, I admit. These were foolproof, and not messy at all.

That’s all for today…I hope you all have a great Memorial weekend! 🙂

Franken-free Friday: Color change polish

Happy Friday!

Color change polishes have been around for quite a while now, and I can’t tell you how many different brands I have tried… only to be disappointed that they didn’t actually change color. Del Sol is one brand I have always been pleased with, and the first I came across that worked as promised (more on those in a minute). Claire’s also came out with a line of “Mood” polishes that change color based on your body temperature, and I have one to show you.

This is Peaceful/Confident, a teal/blue creme. It applied very nicely, and I thought the color was pretty.

It changed color when I ran my hands under cold water, but it morphed back quickly and I couldn’t take the picture fast enough. I figured I would try again later, but sadly…I didn’t have a chance to. A few hours later, the polish began chipping and peeling. BAD. I’m talking giant pieces peeling off in sheets. I figured maybe it was just a fluke, or my basecoat/topcoat wasn’t playing nice (Nailtek Foundation II & SV). So I tried again a few days later…this time using Barielle Camo and Manicure Extender. Same thing. So, brace yourselves…here is my Peaceful/Confident mani after a few hours of wear (warning…nakey, yellow stained nails ahead):

So…yeah. These polishes don’t like me. On the plus side, you can see it is indeed a different shade in the latter photo!

Ok, now if you aren’t too traumatized…I have some Del Sols to show you. No nakey, yellow nails, I promise! I bought my first Del Sol polish on vacation in South Carolina a few years ago, and have acquired many more since. I planned on swatching more of these, but unfortunately the sun was playing peek-a-boo with me, so I only managed to get two of them.

This is one of my favorites…Ruby Slipper. Indoors and in shade, it is a pretty silver glitter…very subtle.

Outdoors, in the sun…HELLO! This baby comes to life! It turns into a vibrant red that is screaming for attention. Love this one! I wear it as a pedi quite frequently, and never tire of watching it change colors.

Foxy is one I just got recently, and to be totally honest…I wasn’t crazy about it at first. It looks very bland in the bottle, but once I had it on, I decided I liked it a lot. Indoors, it is a bright pink with slight purple flash.

Again, this one really came to life outdoors in the sun. It changed to a gorgeous shimmery purple. So glad I gave this a chance…I plan on wearing it again soon.

The Del Sols wear really well on me, and I usually wear Seche Vite or Barielle Manicure Extender over them. I’ve also used Sally’s Oh So Wet (my HG pedi topcoat) as well..and they still change color. Make sure whichever top coat you use does not have a UV-blocker in it, because it will prevent the polish from changing color!

I have a Del Sol giveaway coming up tomorrow, so be sure to check back! 🙂

Franken-free Friday: Some Borghese love!

Happy Friday!
Today I’d like to show off some polishes from one of my favorite brands, Borghese. Borghese doesn’t get nearly enough love, and trust me, there’s a lot to love. Their formula is excellent, and if you are a cream lover, the Borghese creams apply like butter! My only complaint about Borghese was that they didn’t have enough color variety. You all know how I feel about my greens!
🙂
But recently, Borghese came out with a new collection called Tutti Gelati…with GREENS! And a yellow, too!

So here are some of my favorites, new & old, for you to enjoy! All of these are 2 coats over Nailtek Foundation II & no topcoat.

Tutti Gelati…a gorgeous shimmery pink that is very close to China Glaze 100 Proof Pink (which is now discontinued). They aren’t exact dupes, but if you love 100PP, then you need this one:

And one of my favorite reds, Borghese Red…this practically applied itself:

And we can’t forget Stellar Notte! Wow is all I can say.

Look how the color changes in the sunlight:

The color shift in this is awesome…it reminds me of an oil spill in a parking lot…that gorgeous blue/green/purple flash.

Another creme…Mezzanotte Blue. This is a very dark navy, but it doesn’t look black.

Outdoors in the sun…so smooth and shiny!

Borghese had a collection a couple years back, I believe it was called “Roman Holiday”, that had some amazing colors. Festa Cerise was one of my favorites. It’s a pink jelly with teeny pink glitter flecks in it.

And one of my favorite blacks, Notte Black, is not your typical black. It has the slightest shimmer to it, making it stand out amongst my collection. And it applied effortlessly…usually I make a huge mess with blacks and dark colors! I must apologize for my jaundiced looking hands in this photo….I had just taken off a dark green before applying Notte Black, and obviously didn’t do a very good cleanup job!

And speaking of greens, the last one I have to show you is a new acquisition that has quickly won me over. The new green, Pistachio. I think it speaks for itself!

You can find Borghese at most drug stores, and they are definitely worth checking out if you have never tried them before. I have a bunch more colors, but I’ll save those for another day! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and check back tomorrow to see who won my giveaway! ❤

Gypsy Rose

Hi all! I’ve got a pretty pink to show you today!

I used Sally Hansen Red Awakening, Wet ‘N Wild Lavender Cream (which is not Lavender at all but a bright pink), and Wet N’ Wild Bronze.

I filled an empty bottle half full of Bronze, and added in 1/4 each of Red Awakening and Lavender (PINNNNNK) Cream.

Now this one came out a bit unexpected. Yes, it’s a typical rosy pink shade, but it has grey shimmer! Not silver, grey! Very different, and I like it!

Thanks for stopping by! Don’t forget to enter my Barielle giveaway…the winner will be chosen on Saturday! 🙂

Hugs & Kisses

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so I have a few themed frankens coming up! Don’t worry…even if you are anti-V-Day, I have something for you, as well! 😉

First up, your typical red and pink classic Valentine’s Day colors! I used Maybelline Wet Shine in Juicy Melon, NYC Clear, and Martha Stewart glitter in Garnet.

I filled an empty bottle with 1/3 clear, 2/3 Juicy Melon, and made sure to leave some space for the glitter. I added in 1 tablespoon of Garnet glitter, and mixed well.

It looks a bit “meh” in the bottle…but much better on. It doesn’t get more lovey-dovery than this!

I had a question on my last polish about the quantity of glitter I use. Most of my frankens, I tend to use a lot of glitter…usually 1 tablespoon. I always make sure to leave room in the bottle for it to fit, and add it in using my funnel method a bit at a time, mixing in between. You can always use less glitter if you’d like a more subtle effect, or even more if you want something that packs a punch. 🙂

Thanks for looking! I’ll have my other Valentine franken, as well as the “Anti-Valentine” up very soon!

Ladylike

Good news for all you pink lovers…I’ve got something on the softer side for you today!

For “Ladylike”, I used Sally Hansen Jewel Frost and Revlon Colorstay in Endless Pink (another Dollar Tree find).

I poured half of each into an empty bottle, plus ballz, and shook well.

Now, to be honest…these types of colors aren’t really me. I like loud, colorful and blingy. But this pale shimmery pink is so pretty that even I had to give it a try!

Thanks for stopping in…and be sure to check back soon! 🙂