Aly Loves Lacquer

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it! For me, Christmas is all about family and loved ones, gifting and receiving, and relaxing. Of course, my version of relaxing includes painting my nails, so I put this mani together to get myself in the Christmas mood!

This mani is entirely SinfulColors. I rummaged through my collection and picked SinfulColors Sugar Sugar as my base. It was in my untrieds, but it won't go unworn anymore. It is a vibrant red with gold shimmer and teeny tiny flakes of gold. SinfulColors Sugar Sugar is also a one-coater on me! On top of Sugar Sugar are two coats of SinfulColors Holiday Rebel, which just recently came out. Holiday Rebel is made up of green micro glitter, red hexes, and silver holo hexes. Oh, and it is beautiful. Take a look!

Hi!

After wearing OPI Isn't That Precious?, a classic sheer pink, I wanted to spice up my mani with some glitter. Enter Pahlish Glittoris, a gorgeous clear-based glitter with pink and red glitter in all shapes and sizes. Glittoris is one of my favorite indie polishes to date. I love the scattered disco glitter and the beautiful girly look it creates. To make the gradient smoother, I dabbed a bit of Essie Splash of Grenadine under Pahlish Glittoris.

As you can see, OPI Isn't That Precious? pulls very neutral on me. I still think it is a beautiful classic polish though. The jelly finish and the light pink look very professional. But of course, I am not one to wear "classic" shades for very long! I really love the finished look of Isn't That Precious? and Pahlish Glittoris combined. Plus, I am a sucker for the name; it's just so ridiculous.

How do you like to spruce up a days-old mani?

- Aly

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

Hi again!

Here I am with another Layla post. I am just as excited about this one as the last one. Layla Ceramic Effect polishes are supposed to have a very smooth finish, and I found that to be the case with 54 Green Galaxy. Of course, I did top coat it for longevity's sake. Green Galaxy has a deep green jelly base and several sizes of bright emerald glitters. Here I am wearing two coats, and you can see it looks a bit uneven up close in the sun. I didn't notice it in person, though!

Hi there!

I have some exciting news! The Brazilian brand Impala has launched here in the United States! I, for one, am very happy to hear this news. The brand has some gorgeous shades that were previously only available to Americans through a select few stockists, but now we can all try them out! :)

The lovely people at Impala contacted me and sent me a few colors to review. My base is called Biquini Vermelho, Portuguese for "red bikini." I love this color! It's a beautiful red jelly that goes on very evenly. Biquini Vermelho definitely looks a lot more jelly-like in person. I then topped it with a dabbed-on coat of Impala Disco Ball, a clear base with holographic silver glitters.

Hi! I am alive! I don't think I have ever gone this long between posts, and I so apologize! It has been almost a month, and I have no good excuse besides that I am busy with school. But so are tons of other bloggers, so that isn't much of a reason. I am so sorry! But I am excited to finally be posting again! :)

Today I want to show you something seriously awesome. I am a big fan of these jelly-sandwich-style polishes. A lot of indies were producing these, and now some major companies have caught on to the trend. Recently, Hard Candy contacted me regarding the awesome new polishes they have at Walmart and I jumped at the chance to review Sweet Tooth.

Hard Candy Sweet Tooth is a light blue crelly base filled with smallish blue, pink, and white hex glitters. The application was a little tough due to the thickness caused by so much glitter. However, the final look is well worth a careful application process. You could also add some thinner to make it easier to apply! This is 3 careful coats with top coat.

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, 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

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!

Hi, everybody! I've noticed a good amount of new followers lately, so welcome and hello!

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.