Aly Loves Lacquer

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, 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!

Hello there!

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, 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! 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.