Dance Legend Termo Trio 3

I bought Dance Legend Termo Trio 3 from Color4Nails last fall and had worn it once before, but I my first photos didn't do it any justice.  It's a tough one to photograph, because it changes so suddenly and capriciously.  There are a ton of photos in this post because I wanted to catch as much of its range as I could and get as close as possible to sharing the experience of wearing it.  Sadly, it seems to be out of stock everywhere that I checked.  I hope it isn't gone for good!


Termo Trio 3 is a thermal cream that goes from light gray (hot) through pink to dark purple (cold).

Review: Maybelline The Rocket Mascara

Even though I have a ton of mascara samples to plow through, I still constantly search. It might be a compulsion at this point. My "everyday" mascara has been Clump Crusher for months, and I felt like it was time for a change. This time, I decided to try something a little more volumizing. 

Enter "The Rocket". The name definitely illicited a few giggles around here. We are not mature.

Wet n Wild Matte Top Coat

It's hard to believe I bought my first matte top coat less than two years ago!  The idea of being able to try a matte finish on any polish is a thrill that's obviously never really left me.  There's also been an explosion of options, at various price levels.  A year ago when I reviewed Sinful Colors Matte Finish, I only had two others for comparison.  Now I've got seven!  How does that happen?  The newest of the bunch comes from Wet n Wild and it's also got the lowest price, under $1.  I love my bargain brands as much as the next drugstore beauty shopper, but even I was a little skeptical at first.  I had to see it for myself!  I got it for just 59 cents during a sale at CVS.  Over the past few weeks I've tried it over several different polishes and faced it off against all of the competition I have for it.


The results are...well...see for yourself!

over Sinful Colors San Francisco (over black)

A Post in Which I Use All of the Top Coat

I may have lost my mind. I have had this glitter sitting around for ages. I've never used it, but I love staring at it. It just makes me happy. But I've been trying to get cosmically inspired lately (my daughter's softball team is the Comets!) I decided to finally use it...and it took all of my top coat (ok, not really, but a lot) and a rearranging of my lights to get a good picture!

my normal, direct lighting

My Picks from OPI Brazil: Part 2

A couple of weeks ago I showed you guys the SFW side of my OPI Brazil picks.  Now it's time for the fun side!  As much as I love neutrals, having to wear them to work makes me crave color.  The Brazil collection caught my eye more than most spring/summer stuff, since there isn't a pastel in sight.  My SFW picks were a foregone conclusion before I even got to the nail supply, but three tropical brights came home with me too.

I Just Can't Cope-acabana is a lemon yellow cream.

Pinspiration: Omaha Fashion Week

While perusing Pinterest, I came across a beautiful dress...which happens more often than I'd like to admit. I'm not sure who made it, but I like their style. It had a beautiful gradient, and lord knows I love those. I had to copy it on my nails.

He Knows How To Pick 'Em

What's the opposite of being on a roll?  I overslept two days in a row, but dammit...I'm not going two days without a post!

Yesterday was the third anniversary of my first date with The Beard.  In some ways it feels like I've known him forever, but I never get tired of him.  I know him so well that I can finish his sentences or beat him to a joke, but it never gets dull.  Everything that happened before I met him feels like it was hundreds of years ago.  Enough mush though.  We celebrate our anniversary by going back to the diner where we first met.  That date was at 12:30am, so the anniversary dinners have been too.  He still grumps a bit about all the polish, but was nice enough to let me take a photo of our hands together, like last year.

Ipsy Bag March 2014

Ipsy arrived this month without incident. Hooray for that. It even arrived exactly when expected, so I'm doubly happy. (there may have been some snark from the husband. Not a big ipsy fan, that one.) When my "glam room" went live, I wasn't overly thrilled. Sparkly primer, questionable eyeshadow, textured polish, and lipstick. Hmm.

I am happy to announce, I was mostly pleased with my bag this month. Even though the bag is a little loud, even for me.

Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick Duo in Neutral

I told you it was going to happen. I loved the Vibrant duo so much, I needed the Neutral one too. This one, while not as "Ohmygod" awesome as the other, was still pretty fabulous. I am glad I grabbed it too.

How I Paint My Nails

I've been meaning to get around to this 'behind-the-scenes' post forever.  Partly because I see nail newbies asking for advice pretty often and partly because...well...you'll see...it's kinda hilarious.  This post isn't necessarily how you should do your nails.  It's just how I do mine.  Everyone's nails are at least a little different, so nothing's universal, but here's what I do and what I use.  Brace yourself...there's nail nudity ahead!

Inspiration: Paule Ka Spring 2014

Time for some more "pinspired" nail art. I don't do these near as often as I think I will. My inspiration board is chock full of interesting pictures that I swear I have the intention is using as a jumping-off point for a manicure. 

I've had this one staring at me for a while, and I hemmed and hawed over how to do it correctly. I'm not 100% happy with what I chose, but I still think it looks cool.

Evolving Nail: For When You Can't Stop Coughing

Glarg.  I am congested beyond all comprehension.  My second bunch of OPI Brazil swatches is ready, but I don't have the brain power to write a coherent review right now.  Instead, because I'm a blogging masochist and I feel compelled to post at least most of the week, have this evolving nail thing.


I started off on Sunday with Sephora by OPI I Only Shop Vintage.

Gwen Stefani for OPI Collection or I Love a Good Sale

I know everyone has seen this collection by now. I certainly have. I've even posted my one pick from it back in January. I wish I had waited to buy it, hindsight being what it is. There was an epic sale at Sally's this past weekend, and I ended up picking up the whole collection (minus the red) for $2.25 a pop. The price was so good, that even my husband suggested buying them all.

Orly Galaxy FX in Milky Way

If you follow me on Instagram , you may have seen my super-fabulous Sally's haul from this weekend. It was pretty epic, by my standards. I picked up the whole Gwen Stefani for OPI collection (except the red that wasn't there) and a couple of clearance items. One of those was this Orly beauty from the Galaxy FX collection.

Dance Legend Wazowski

I'm really trickling my Dance Legend Chameleon swatches out slowly, aren't I?  I ordered them in November, got them in January, and have only worn three so far.  I just can't bring myself to swatch and promptly remove them!  I've been wearing them only when I'm too busy to swatch and can keep them on for a day or two...which really doesn't happen that often.  I wore Knight and Celia on shopping trips, but I'm on a low-buy this month.  Then last week TheLizzer on MUA's Nail Board suggested I swatch Wazowski for St. Patrick's Day and The Beard and I were planning a rare date night, so the timing was perfect!  All photos are one coat over black.


Wazowski is a a chromey multichrome that shifts from golden green through leaf green to teal.

China Glaze Awakening

There was a sale. Things happened. I got some polish. Sally's Beauty Supply, I am powerless against your charms. 

Softly Swirling

I've still got a little more swatching to do before I'm ready to post Part 2 of my picks from OPI's new Brazil collection.  It's such a tempting assortment that I wound up with seven shades...and Nichole even got one herself!  So today I've got a little stamping I did while swatching Part 1.  Something about Next Stop...The Bikini Zone just called out for embellishment.

Review: Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water

I am always willing to try something new, when it comes to skincare and cosmetics anyway. You never know when your "Holy Grail" item will fall into your lap, so it is good to keep your eyes peeled. One of those things that seemed to be the next big thing was Cleansing Water. 

Apparently, it has been around a while in Asia and Europe...but us slowpokes here (at least me) just heard about it a few months ago. It is supposed to be a very gentle, non-drying, superior product for removing makeup. As someone with dry skin, I was exceedingly curious about it. When I spied the travel size of Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water on Sephora's website, I decided to try it.

The Swatching Of The Green

Even though I'm half Irish-American, I've never really been that keen on St. Patrick's Day...but I'll take it as a good excuse to swatch some untried greens!  The holiday always makes me think of my dad's mom and how she used to go on about being "100% Irish".  She was the first child in her family to be born in America, but all of the family surnames are originally either English or Scottish.  Nobody's really 100% anything.  That side of my family had just been in Ireland long enough to forget they'd ever come from anywhere else...and I guess that's good enough!  I perused my collection and pulled out a handfull of suitably festive greens to celebrate.  All polishes in today's post were purchased by me or were gifts.


SinfulShine In The Limelight is a kelly green cream.

St. Patrick's Day: Done Darker

It is no secret that neither Amanda nor I like pastel colors much. They don't suit either one of us, coloring or personality-wise. We are also not the most...cuddly and cute girls on the planet. But we do like nail art, and holidays are the perfect reason for it. (who am I kidding? Everyday is a perfect reason for it.)

I decided to try and do some less happy holiday inspired nails. I just can't get behind the traditional stuff. Some worked out better than others, but overall I'm a happy camper.

Sinful Colors Sham-Rockin

I should have posted this one a while ago, but for some reason I feel weirder about a St. Patrick's Day collection in January than I do about an xmas collection in August.  There's also nothing new in this display, though it is bigger than past years, with eight shades instead of three or four.  Green Ocean is back too, of course!  I know a lot of people clamor for it every year.  This time around, the display seems to be turning up at Rite Aid instead of Walgreens.  Good news if you don't live near a Walgreens and have been eyeing Green Ocean every year around this time.  I've seen it at Wegmans too.  So now with the 17th almost here, I'm finally ready for this year's Sinful Colors greens!  While none are new (the display also includes Snow Me White), I have two new-to-me swatches plus a couple of reswatches and some reruns from older posts.


HD Nails is a metallic kelly green shimmer.

over nude

New Hard Candy Glitters: Fairy Ball and King of Pop

Not long ago, Hard Candy revamped their line. My local Walmart is slow on the uptake, and it took forever for them to show up here. When I finally got around to checking for the new stuff again, there wasn't much left. I did manage to find two rather different glitters and a couple of cosmetic items, so it wasn't a total wash.

L to R: King of Pop and Fairy Ball

My Hands' Heroes

After my post yesterday, reddit user stephaniebee asked how I pamper my hands.  I'll write a more in-depth hand and cuticle care post someday, but I'd been wanting to do a 'shout-out' to my two favorite hand products for a while now and this was a great excuse!  I buy The Body Shop's Hemp Hand Protector directly from the company and I get Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream at CVS, now that Wegmans doesn't carry it anymore.  I've used both off-and-on for over a decade.  I'll try other things sometimes, but nothing else comes close for me.  Rather than just take photos of the products themselves, I decided to do my nails in honor of their signature ingredients.

Hemp Hand Protector's hemp seed oil inspired me to use a stamping image I didn't think I'd ever need...

Zoya Yara stamped with KleanColor Military Green (BM-007)

Review: H&M Lip Tint in Red

By now, anyone who knows me knows I love Lip Tars. They are great, long wearing, pigmented liquid lipsticks in a massive range of colors. Whatever you are in to, they have a shade for you. The only drawback is the price. It doesn't really put me off them, since you get so much use from one tube...but it is kinda high to just test out some colors. A while back, I saw that H&M had some "lip tints" that looked strangely similar. I was on a mission to find one to compare. 

Revisiting An Old Friend

Today's post kinda sums up my entire experience as a part of the nail polish community.  I redid a very old mani it as a sort of progress report, but wound up reflecting on my life as a blogger and polish enthusiast.  Before I delve into all of that though, here's what inspired it...

Essie Shine of The Times over OPI William Tell Me About OPI

OPI Brazil: Amazon Amazoff

I'm not one to run out and get every new collection that comes out. (That is what Amanda is for!) But I do have a thing for teals...and this teal is amazing. You need it. If, like me, you are trying to keep to a smaller budget and can only grab one color from the OPI Brazil collection...make it this one!

Jelly Toppers Ride Again

I feel like it's been forever since I did any jelly toppers, and it kinda has been!  Almost a whole year, unless I'm forgetting something.  It's been long enough that I feel like I should explain what they are again.  Jelly sandwiches are when you layer a jelly polish, then a glitter (or stamping or whatever), then more of the jelly.  Jelly toppers are what I call it when the bottom "bread" of the sandwich is a cream or shimmer.  It's a different look from a "true" jelly sandwich, and I generally like it way more.  I bought four of the Nfu Oh Jelly Syrups during Fabuloustreet's Black Friday sale and I've been meaning to do jelly toppers with them ever since.  I have no clue what took me so long!  I wound up doing five toppers over just a few days.  All polishes in today's post were purchased by me, except for Zoya Monet (press sample) and Butter London Lady Muck (gift).  I'm still not feeling all that great, so this is a 'hey, look at these' post without any commentary or review notes.  All of the jellies are one coat over the listed undies, except for the JS41 combo, which has two coats of jelly.  The Nfu Oh Jelly Syrups are awesome and completely worth the $8.50-ish each that I spent on them.  I don't think I'd pay full price, but...I'm cheap.  If there's ever a sale like that again though, I'll be all over it.  Anyway...on to what you came for...


This is Nfu Oh JS02 over Wet n Wild Gettin' Amped over Butter London Lady Muck.

Dots!

I spent a weekend watching nothing but Game of Thrones. Since I was pretty glued to the couch, I had plenty of time for a dotticure! I love these, but they are hard for me. I am not a careful soul. If I could have a nail polish/paintball gun...I'd be much happier. Actually...nono, that's a terrible idea...right?

My Picks from OPI Brazil: Part 1

Months ago, when the first promo images for OPI's new Brazil collection started coming out, I knew I was "doomed".  Creams.  So many creams...and four looked like they might be work-safe!  I dashed to the nail supply store as soon as I could, once I knew this collection was in.  I wound up buying a whopping seven shades!  I decided to split my review into two parts.  SFW stuff goes first, since it was what really drew me to this collection.  Five of the collection's twelve shades looked work-appropriate, and I bought four of those five.  I passed on Don't Bossa Nova Me Around, since I haven't had the best luck with colors paler than I am.


Taupe-less Beach is a pale purple-toned taupe cream.

Michael Kors Sporty Sexy Glam Nail Lacquers

A gorgeous and wonderful friend surprised me not long ago with decants of nearly the entire Michael Kors polish collection.  These are something that normally I wouldn't be trying, because at $18 a bottle they are a good deal out of my price range. I'm actually a fan of Michael Kors (Project Runway isn't the same without him) but I wasn't holding out too much hope for his polishes. I am skeptical of designers who try to branch out into cosmetics. The price generally is high, and the quality is meh.

Happily, I was wrong.

(oh, and if you are reading this, fabulous friend, I owe you dinner. And then some)

Random Spamdom

Amanda does these sorts of posts from time-to-time, and I figured it was time for me. I've acquired a lot of new sheers, jellies, and glitters lately. I am having a great time slapping things together and seeing what works. I don't put near as much effort as Amanda does when it comes to layer...I don't actually put much thought into the combos I choose. My method is more "Oooh shiny! Oooh lets put this shiny with that shiny!"

So here is some photo spam! Enjoy!

Another Quickie

So once I finally slept, I slept a lot, and I'm feeling part-way toward better, but still not quite there.  Today's another small post, but tomorrow should have more to it...I hope!  Instead of showing my polish undies after the fact, these two are building up to something you'll see soon.  Oxide is one of the Tracy Reese shades from Sally Hansen's Fall 2011 Designer Collection.  In 2011 I was busy falling in love with The Beard, then moving in with him.  I missed this collection completely, but bought Oxide on eBay when I couldn't resist anymore.  (...and lucked into Bewitched at the local flea market...woohoo!)  Your Present Required was the  China Glaze Happy HoliGlaze shade I regretted skipping, and it was the first thing into my basket on my January trip to the nail supply.  Now that the formalities are done, let's see the swatches...


Sally Hansen Oxide has dense silver microglitter in a gunmetal gray metallic base.

Octopus Party Spring 2014

Spring is in the air! Bees are buzzing, birds are chirping...and Octopus Party Nail Lacquer mix-master General Dave is hard at work. He's been slaving away in the Octo-lab, and he's created some really neat stuff. He was kind enough to send them along to me, so I could share them with you!

*promotional samples ahead!*

Ulta Green & Wear It

I don't feel good so far this week and I'm in that awkward position where I have maybe five posts in progress, but none are anywhere near ready to go up.  With any luck, this I'll feel better soon and be able to swatch again, but for now I'm stuck with odds and ends.  I'm regretting getting this headache after my big spam post last week...but oh well.  Since one of my more recent "undies" is something that's still very easy to find...let's have that today.  You may recognize this polish from my Zoya Monet post...


Green & Wear It is a green-toned teal cream.

Evolving Nail: For When You Can't Be Bothered

Being known for having interesting nails isn't always the most convenient thing. I can't just go without polish for a few days, or gods-forbid let my nails chip, without someone asking me "Wow, are you ok?" Yes, yes, all is well. I'm just lazy. Some days, I don't feel like doing my nails...least of all with something interesting. I had an episode of the lazies recently, and decided to see how far I could go. 

A Little SFW Spam

Sometimes having a job...sucks.  I mostly like mine.  Mostly.  If I could change one thing though, it'd be the rules about polish.  They're un-fun...and vague!  The only guidelines are "conservative and simple" and the person who might randomly show up and judge my polish can interpret that however they want.  When the hammer first came down on my polishing habits, I panicked.  That was about a year ago.  Since then, I've learned to not just tolerate SFW polish, but to actually love it more than I'd ever have guessed.  I almost always post my work manis on Instagram, but they only occasionally wind up here.  Time to fix that a bit!


Color Club Cherubic is a soft gold linear holo.

Fingerpaints Neo Gothic Nude

Just a quickie today, because I've got plans for this polish coming up. A while ago, Sally's had all their Fingerpaints polish on a BOGO* sale and I picked up a couple. One of them was the toffee-pinky-kinda nude. It definitely isn't mannequin hands for me, but there is something about it I really like.

Zoya Monet

 press sample 

After the Awaken and Magical Pixie collections, there's one last polish to go in Zoya's spring bunch.  Monet is a special topper, released alongside Awaken, but not actually part of that collection.  I played around with it enough that I figured it should get a post to itself.  First, let's see it the way I like it most...


Monet has a pink-tinted base with large iridescent hexagonal glitter.

over Ulta Green &Wear It, mattified

Milani Sugar Rim

Its not often that I manage to get ahold of something new. For some reason, my area is a cosmetic desert when it comes to new things. The only way I manage to find something fresh is online, and that's not always how I want to shop. 

I was cruising around my semi-local (and generally poorly stocked) CVS a few weeks ago, and I saw loads of new things. One of the things that really grabbed my attention was this Milani "texture" polish in Sugar Rim. It reminded me of turquoise jewelry and the southwest. I had to have it.

Little did I know that I had stumbled upon something brand new!