Aly Loves Lacquer

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.

Hey there!

Hey, guys and gals! As you see by the title, I have found the PERFECT Thanksgiving manicure. Though they might not celebrate Thanksgiving in England, this Butter London polish is perfect for the season.

Butter London Scuppered is a very unique blend of colors. The base is a nice copper brown foil, sprinkled with tiny green glitters. There are also small pink and golden flecks that add a bit of extra depth to the lacquer. I have never seen a color even close to Scuppered! Plus, application was really nice on this one -- just two thin coats.

These photos were taken outdoors, in cloudy weather. I think the shade allows you to see all the components really well!




Yeah, so I love this. The mixture of colors and textures is so unique, plus it really has an autumnal feel to it. I can envision myself wearing this at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

What is your favorite fall polish?

- Aly

Hi, guys! I am taking advantage of the time change and doing some midnight blogging :) I have a really great shade to show you today, so get ready!

Barielle was kind enough to send me a few polishes to try out. I recently wore Date Night for the first time, which was one of the colors I was most excited for. Date Night is a deep green polish with lots of shimmer. It borders on being a bit frosty, but not so much that it bothers me. I think the slight brushstrokes actually add depth and interest to this polish.

Here it is a 2 coats.

Another week flew by, and it is Monday again. I am currently on Fall Break, and had off of school yesterday and I will be off again tomorrow. A much needed rest!

Today I want to show you a quick swatch of Mattése Elite Je T'aime. Mattése Elite is a lesser-known brand sold by Ricky's NYC. Obviously, I do not live in New York, but the polishes are also available online HERE.

Je T'aime is a gorgeous mix of golden and iridescent glitters in a clear base. It would probably look best over darker bases, but I really wanted to see it on its own after using it in this manicure. In the pictures below, I am wearing just one thin coat of Mattése Elite Je T'aime.

Hi, all! I hope you're having a great start to the weekend.

Today I received some great news from Barielle, and wanted to share it with you!

Barielle is hosting a Facebook Sweepstakes!

Ten random winners will be selected for a prize package worth over $100.00! The prize package includes:
   * Any two of our 5 pack Nail Polish collections
   * One piece of Barielle’s Nail Strengthener Cream (full size)
   * One piece of Nail Rebuilding Protein Base Coat
   * One piece of Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender Top Coat

If you'd like to enter, click HERE! You have until October 31!

Good luck :)

- Aly

Hi again!

This summer, I spent the last week dusty hunting. I drove from salon to salon, checking out the polishes and hoping I'd come across something I wanted. Well, I got lucky! I found some gorgeous shades, and this is one of them. OPI DS Magic is a stunner.

OPI DS Magic is a blue glass fleck polish. But it's so much more than that! It is a saturated, bright shade of blue. And the flecks add so much dimension. And it is so shiny. And I am so in love.

Take a look at 2 coats, and try not to drool.


PERFECTION. There is nothing else to say about it.

- Aly

P.S. I tried using bigger pictures for this post. Are they too large? Do you prefer smaller ones? Let me know!

Hi there!

Happy Sunday! I am doing work tonight and gearing up for the new week.

Zoya Lola has long been one of my favorite pinks. It is so bright and makes my hands look tan, plus the shimmer is to die for. The formula is smooth, but it does take 3 coats for opacity. I know that is a turn off for lots of you, so I wanted to let you know. Personally, I do not mind at all though!

I was in a girly mood, so I decided to add some extra glitter. I think pink and silver look great together, so I picked up one of my indie polishes, Diamant. It is a glitter polish with tons of different silver glitters in a clear base. I dabbed 1 coat of Couronne d'Or Vernis Diamant on top of 3 coats of Zoya Lola.

Hey, guys! I am back. I am all settled in at school and a couple weeks into my junior year. Sorority recruitment just ended at SLU, so I finally have the time to blog again. Plus, I have 50-something awesome new sorority sisters!

Anyway, today I have a really special polish for you. Dodgy Barnett is part of butter LONDON's Fall 2012 offering. Dodgy Barnett is a silver holographic polish. In true butter LONDON fashion, the formula is awesome! Holographic polishes are notorious for finicky application, but I had no issues. I used my normal base coat plus 3 coats of Dodgy Barnett. On top, I have a coat of Seche Vite, which did not seem to dull the holographic effect at all.

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!

Today I have a new-to-me brand, Barielle Shades. I have only tried one before, and wanted to try out some more! They were generous enough to let me pick a few polishes to try, and I am excited to show you my first choice.

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

Today I have a new brand for you! One of the things I love about being a blogger is learning about all the new brands and polishes coming out. This polish is by a new line called Pomegranate Nail Lacquer. All the polishes are 4 Free and they do not do any animal testing, which is always a plus. Plus the colors are very pretty and varied!

The polish I am wearing today is called I Tap on Apps. Isn't that just the cutest name? This shade is a light blue with really pretty silver shimmer. I love the way the shimmer looks in the sun -- it is just really gorgeous. Here I am wearing 2 easy coats.

Wanted to let you girls know about a really good butter LONDON deal. Right now you can get 3 polishes for $30! I know I love BL, and usually they are much more expensive, so I wanted to pass this on :)


- 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.