Aly Loves Lacquer

Hello there!

So ... I missed last week :( Oops. I really need to get myself together with the whole blogging thing! Thanks for sticking with me :D

This week I received an amazing packing from Nicole from Nicole Gets Nailed in a St. Patrick's Day nail exchange. And she did a great job picking colors! I was SO excited to see Keep Calm, Paint On in my package. This shade really stood out to me in China Glaze's Avant Garden collection, and I am so grateful for the gift from Nicole! Thanks :)

So, let's take a look. I was pretty impressed with Keep Calm, Paint On. It looks like it would have a difficult formula, being that it's both pastel and shimmery. However, Keep Calm, Paint On by China Glaze was very manageable! This is 2 coats.

Hello!

I am currently smack dab in the middle of Midterms Week here at SLU. Though exams are rough, I decided to take a little study break to get back up to date with the ABC Challenge. I actually did these nails on time, but couldn't get around to posting them till now. But I am really loving these, so I hope you like them!

All I could think of for "H" was hearts. I tried to make the simple idea a little more interesting by stamping hearts in neon polish over white for a very bright, eye-catching manicure. My white base is a plain white crème from Kiss. I borrowed it from my roommate since I couldn't find my favorite white crème, and this polish was a disaster! It was streaky and smelled terribly! I do not recommend it at all.
For the stamping, I used BM03 from the Bundle Monster set released in 2010. The bright coral hearts are China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy, one of my favorite neons. The hot pink is Rei Momo by Mattése Elite, another gorgeous neon! Finally, I added more traditional red hearts with Essie Aperitif.

Hi, guys! So, I am over a week late on this. I guess that's what real life will do to you. But here I am!

I chose to go kind of simple for the "G" challenge, because I have been incredibly busy lately. So, I settled on "G" is for glitter. My favorite color is purple, even though I don't often wear it on my nails. My base color is Charged Up by Orly, which my DBF bought me as a gift :) I love how each polish has its own little story. It took 3 thin coats to be opaque.

The glitter is China Glaze Marry a Millionaire. I think the name of this polish is so funny, but it is fitting for such a decadent shade. Purple is the color of royalty, you know ;) I'm wearing one coat of Marry a Millionaire over Orly Charged Up.

- Aly

I'm back, and with a crafty title to boot! Finals just ended and I am back home, with lots of pretty polishes to swatch for you all. Get ready :) First, I want to get this post up. I have had these pictures for a few weeks, but was so busy I couldn't post them. But, I do really like this manicure so I had to share!

Recently, I received some press info about the new nail kiosks that are now in CVS stores. The polish I used for my accent nail in this picture is featured in the kiosk, and is part of the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line. It's a gorgeous graphite foil called Shoot the Moon. I have heard rumors that Shoot the Moon is a great option for those of us who cannot afford Chanel Graphite (that's me!) and it does seem to be a perfect dupe.

On my other nails, I am wearing China Glaze Exotic Encounters at 2 coats.

Tomorrow (well, technically today) I don't have any class! We have a bit of a break for a special mass of some sort, but I am using my break to shop and sleep in! I figured tonight would be perfect for a late-night blog session. 

So, I moved into my first apartment ever two days ago! It has been a busy few days, and I am so excited to be here in Saint Louis again. My friend Sarah and I are living together with a kitty, too :) Now that I am moved in here, I can get back to posting more regularly!

Last Tuesday, I celebrated my 20th birthday! Of course, I had to do a special birthday manicure :) Last year, I did freehand ice cream cones. This year, I decided to go with birthday cupcakes!

Here's a huge picture of them!

I worked hard on these and used lots and lots of different polishes. To see exactly what I used, keep reading!

Guess what?! I turned 20 years old on Tuesday! I did do a very cute cupcake mani, but I still have to edit photos and post them for you all. Prepare yourselves -- it's pretty adorable! :)

In the meantime, I have a gorgeous crème for you. China Glaze was generous enough to send some polishes for review from their new On Safari collection. This one is called Purr-Fect Plum, and it really is perfect! At first, I worried that the berry shade might be a little boring. It isn't!

The color is deep but easily wearable, and the formula is spot on. Two easy, smooth coats of China Glaze Purr-Fect Plum was all I needed. I am not even wearing topcoat in these pictures -- Purr-Fect Plum is just that shiny! This polish just looks classy and gorgeous.

Somehow, China Glaze took your typical berry shade and turned it into a beautiful, deep crème that really shines. I am impressed by Purr-Fect Plum, and I didn't expect to be. Frankly, I love it.

- Aly

When China Glaze advertised the Prismatic glitter collection, they called them "holographic." This did not go over well with the nail community, because none of them are holographic at all. However, they are all gorgeous, complex glitters. Each has a base with lots of microglitters and some larger ones, and some have duochrome shifting bases. Very pretty.

This one is called Polarized, and it is mainly silver glitter with a rainbow of slightly l
arger glitters. I was lucky and found it in a clearance bin at Sally Beauty. Here is China Glaze Polarized at 2 coats with Seche Vite on top.

Hey guys and gals! Today I have 3 beautiful summer shades by China Glaze for you. These were released as part of the Summer Neons collection, which you should still be able to find in beauty stores and online.

First, we have a lovely neon with shimmer called Hang-Ten Toes. Now, we have all seen hot pink neons done over and over again, but the strong shimmer in Hang-Ten Toes really makes it special. In fact, it kind of reminds of the shimmer that I love in China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise. Application on this was fine, but it did take 3 coats. Also, since it is a neon, it dries to a satiny matte finish. This swatch shows it with top coat, because that really brings out the gorgeous shimmah!