Aly Loves Lacquer

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

Hello!

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!

So, guess what! I AM IN FRANCE :) I am here until the end of July. Besides all the awesome cultural experiences and language immersion, I am also having a great time checking out the foreign polish brands here.

Last weekend, I ventured over to the Italian Riviera for a day and happened upon a huge Layla display!  I couldn't believe how big it was. It was so so exciting! They had all the Hologram and Mirror Effect polishes, as well as the Ceramic Effects. I picked up 3 polishes: Jade Groove, Metal Chrome, and CE 54 Green Galaxy.

Today I have Layla Hologram Effect Jade Groove. This polish is drop dead gorgeous. Absolutely incredible. I can't describe it with words, and frankly my pictures don't do Jade Groove justice either. It's impossible to capture how stunning the holographic effect is paired with a slight seafoam base color... I just love it; what more can I say?

Hi, guys!

Today I have a really cool review for you of some gorgeous glitter sequins from Born Pretty. This type of sequin was brought to my attention by Sammy at The Nailasaurus. She has many gorgeous manicures using these glitter sequins, which she calls glequins. According to Born Pretty, these are Item 3103 12 Colors Nail Art Shiny Glitter Powder Sheets Tips Tool. What a name!

For this look, I used Illamasqua Lament as a base and did an accent nail using the glequins from Born Pretty. I picked a lime green color because it really pops with the pinky coral base. I hand applied each sequin using a dotting tool. In order to get the glequins to stick to the dotting tool, I put a tiny bit of top coat on it to make it tacky. This technique takes practice but it looks so cute!

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.

I am back again with my weekly ABC Challenge post! This week we have the letter "C," so I decided to try out a trend I have been eyeing for a while now: caviar nails. Now, I know a certain brand with pretty little bows has caused a big uproar in the nail community due to their treatment of the caviar name. Despite all the drama, I was still interested in the look itself.

The brand I used for this caviar manicure is Nail Rock and the color is called Neptune. I purchased this set at Walgreens, but you can also get it from ebay here. The set had one nail polish and a pot of micro beads. It was really easy, but I definitely do not recommend this manicure as a long term look. It would be great for a date night or a night out dancing, though!

Hey there!

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.

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!

I was feeling a little creative the other day, just staring at my Crown Jewels glitters and trying to think of something original to do with them. Eventually, I decided I would layer all 5 of them on top of each other!

I think I should have put Diamant on last, since the silver glitters are hidden by the other 4 colors. But nonetheless, I really like this look. It's really fun and bright and crazy, even without a base color. I did 1 coat of each Crown Jewels glitter topper. These photos are without topcoat, so you can see how smoothly these dry! As always, click the picture to get a closer look :)

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!