Aly Loves Lacquer

Here's another post for the Mish Mash Nail Challenge. The last one I did was quite a while ago, but I am back in the saddle.

This week's theme is nail stamping. Stamping is actually one of the first nail art techniques I learned. It's simple and can create some stunning results. Sadly, the evil nail monster seems to have stolen my nail polish remover. I couldn't find it anywhere last night, making it impossible to clean the plate between stamps. Because of this, my stamps aren't as clear as I'd like. Despite that, I love the look!

My base color is Revlon Fashionista. (If you're a teal fan like me, take a look at my comparison with Essie Go Overboard HERE.) Fashionista has an easy formula and great coverage in two thin coats.
Then I applied a coat of NYX Girls 161. I'm not sure why, but my bottle has no other name. (EDIT: It's called Maven! Thanks, Simona!) It's a slightly tinted blue base with pretty blue green glitters. I stamped with Bundle Monster 79 and Finger Paints Black Expressionism.




There you have it! This manicure is very mermaid-esque in my eyes. I like that, though! It makes the cold weather a bit more fun!

Make sure to check out all the other great Mish Mash Challenge manis below.

- Aly

Hello! I have a simple swatch from Essie Resort 2013 for you all today.

Hi, there!

I finally bought myself a DSLR, both for personal use and to take better pictures for this blog that I love so much. I purchased a Canon Rebel T3i, and I adore it so far! I'm hoping to bring you better quality pictures from now on :)

Take a look a this quick swatch of Sinful Colors Most Sinful, from their Sinful Shine line. Most Sinful is a color I'll never get enough of - vibrant cobalt blue. This is only one coat and no topcoat! It really is shiny! I am very impressed by the pigmentation as well. Love it!

Hi, gals and guys!

At first, I was at a loss when coming up with an idea for this week. But then, I was looking through my press samples that I have to swatch, and landed on the most gorgeous lime green crème. Inspired by Barielle Green Apple, I wanted to continue the theme. Over two coats of Green Apple, I added one coat of Sinful Colors Call Me Later for a nice sprinkling of green and gold glitters.

Hi, there! Here I am, once again almost a full week late on the ABC Challenge. Boooo, Aly! Good thing I have tomorrow free because of Spring Break -- I'll definitely be posting my "J" manicure then.

For "I", I went with one of the coolest (in my opinion, of course) brands of nail polish: Illamasqua. Sadly, I only own 3 Illmasquas, but I love all of them. Plus, I purchased them at the Sephora in Times Square with my dad, which adds a little sentimental value.

The color I chose is called Lament, and it is a bold pink that definitely leans towards coral. I like the formula on Illamasqua Lament -- it's thin, but in a workable way. I used 3 thin, easy coats and this polish was super shiny!


So creamy and pretty! I like Lament because it manages to be somewhat "appropriate" while still being a bit bold. It stands out without veering into "Oh god, what is she wearing?!" territory. I find this shade to be very chic!

Do you have a favorite Illamasqua polish?

- Aly

P.S. Don't forget to check out the other ABC Challenge bloggers' posts!

Hi, guys! Time for another weekly ABC Challenge post!

Today we have the letter "E." My creativity was not at its greatest, so I settled on using all Essence products to create a manicure. I only own 2 polishes by Essence, and I used both in this polka dot mani. My base color is Oh My Glitter!, a really pretty warm light purple with lots of shimmery flecks, but strangely no glitter. Odd. For the polka dots, I used Essence No More Drama, a very delicate lavender crème.

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.

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

A couple months ago, butter LONDON announced the launch of some lovely lip glosses called Lippy. Each shade of Lippy matches one of butter LONDON's nail lacquers. I have never even thought of matching my lips to my nails, but I think it is a really cute idea. It would definitely make you look very put together!

First up is Teddy Girl, the polish version. Teddy Girl is a very light, delicate pink crème that takes 3 coats to be opaque. To be honest, it looked very pigmented so I thought that 2 coats would be enough. But, 3 coats is not bad and I think the outcome is very classy.

So, this monster of a post has taken me quite awhile. There are 14 colors in the Salon Perfect line. Since it is a new line, I wanted to be sure to wear each one so I could report back on wear time. With apologies for the delay, please enjoy all the pictures of these lovely new polishes! Pictures first, and reviews at the end!

Happy Monday! I stopped by Target the other day and they already had the Summer 2012 Essie collection out, even though my press info says it isn't due out until June! Of course, seeing the new shades totally made my day. I exercised my willpower though and did not purchase any myself, but DBF was nice enough to buy one for me. :) I let him pick the color and he chose Bikini So Teeny.

Bikini So Teeny is a really pretty polish with a really annoying name. Despite the silly moniker, I do like the polish itself. It is a bright cornflower blue, with some white in the base but not enough to make it a pastel. There is also some subtle shimmer, but I had trouble getting it to come out to play. Here I am wearing 3 thin coats, but I think you could get away with 2!

So... even though this color has a stupid name and shimmer that just doesn't show up, I *still* really like it. It's a unique shade of blue and it makes my hands look very tan. Plus it was a gift, which makes me like it a little extra.

- Aly

Here is another classic blue polish. Dating a Royal is one of my most favorite OPI's. It is a medium royal blue jelly crème that applies wonderfully in 2 coats. I really like the color because it is bright without being too attention-grabbing. Like a neutral blue, if there is such a thing!

I added a bling accent nail with Kleancolor Afternoon Picnic. Kleancolor makes some amazing (and cheap!) glitters, and this is one of them. Afternoon Picnic has a super sheer gray base and TONS of glitter. Multiple sizes of hex glitters, and lots of different colors. I see silver, pink, blue, gold, green, and orange! I kind of dabbed it on, as opposed to your traditional painting motion of nail polish application. What you see is 2 "coats" of the glitter over 2 coats of OPI Dating a Royal.

I am so in love with Afternoon Picnic. The glitter is stunning! So many different shapes and colors of hexes! I will say that Kleancolor polishes take a while to dry on me. Because this glitter has some larger hexes, I added 2 coats of Seche Vite to help with drying and to make it smoother.

- Aly

Today's blue is my absolute favorite navy polish: China Glaze First Mate. This dark blue crème is awesome! It applies evenly in 1 thick coat, or 2 thin ones. Everyone loves a one coat wonder! Plus, the color is just that perfect, classy shade of navy blue.

You may notice my nails are shorter :( I had a bad break on one and had to file them all down and round them off. But I figure you're here for the beautiful colors, not the length of my nails, so take a look at this lovely navy.

April is Autism Awareness Month, and I am doing my tiny little part to "Light It Up Blue" for awareness. Along with many other amazing nail bloggers, I will be posting only blue for the remainder of April.

Autism is a spectrum disorder that affects millions of families. That's why it is so important to raise awareness about this disorder and what it means. To learn more, take a look at Autism Speaks.

Now, on to the first blue polish of the month. This is Julep Jessica, a gorgeous baby blue crème. It is amazing how creamy this looks. It is that perfect baby blue shade that you see on baby clothes, and I have nothing quite so soft in my collection. Here I have it shown at 2 coats.

Isn't it so soft looking? Sometimes blue can look a bit crazy, but I think this is about as professional as blue can get. It is a really nice shade. Application was good too. Julep Jessica was surprisingly well pigmented. Not too streaky either, which is nice for a pastel.

I received this polish in my April Maven box. If you'd like to become a Julep Maven, click here to use my referral link and get your first box for a great price!

- Aly

After winning a completely amazing Golden Box from Julep, I had trouble deciding which color to try first. The one that really called to me was Natasha, a super bright orange-red crème. And let me tell you, Natasha is a beauty!

It took me 3 thin coats to achieve full coverage with Natasha. I am sure you could get away with 2 thicker coats instead, if you're short on time. The color itself is pretty interesting. It is a very bright orange with a good amount of red in there as well. The closest I have in my collection is OPI My Chihuahua Bites, but that had a much redder overall appearance. I am always glad to find that I don't have a dupe!

I was recently sent some of the Mattése Elite Carnaval Collection, and I am in love! The collection is built on the theme of Brazil's Carnaval. Now, if you know anything about Carnaval, you know it is one big, bright, crazy party! Mattése Elite captured that mood perfectly with the polishes. I have 3 to show you today: Desfiles de Samba, Rainha, and Rei Momo.

Desfiles de Samba is a super bright green jelly crème. Mattése Elite describes it as "parade-worthy" and it definitely lives up to the name. Application was easy, though it did take 3 coats to reach opacity.