Valentine's Day Lip Color Swatches (pic heavy!)

Hello readers :) Valentine's Day is coming up and I thought it would be fun to show off some fun lip colors to wear! I especially love reds and pinks for Valentine's Day but lately I've going crazy for purple so I will be showing you some purple-based lipsticks as well!

My lips are incredibly swollen and sore after swatching and taking all of these photos back to back so I especially hope you enjoy this post and can appreciate the pain I went through for it =P

The colors I'm going to show you are:
-Elf Jumbo Gloss Stick in Flirty & Girly
-L'Oreal H.I.P Shine Struck Liquid Lip Color in Arresting
-L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Stick in Violet Chiffon
-L'Oreal Infallible Le Gloss 8 Hour Lipgloss in Pink Topaz
-Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Gloss in Plum Luster
-M.A.C in Sequin
-Milani Lip Flash in In A Flash
-Nyx Round Lipstick in Gardenia
-Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Red Velvet
-Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Lollipop
-Morgana Cryptoria in Fire Brick
-Morgana Cryptoria in Fire Brick with Victoria's Secret Dazzleshine Lip Gloss in Hot Pink

I'll post a photo of each and give a brief description about the color and application.

Elf Jumbo Gloss Stick in Flirty & Girly- I was surprised at how much I actually liked this product. It has a very glossy and creamy texture to it and is a nice light-frosty hot pinky salmony color to it. It's a really nice color that will work for most skin tones while not being crazy in your face.

L'Oreal H.I.P Shine Struck Liquid Lip Color in Arresting- I'm not quite sure what happened to this photo! There are some odd streaks in it so please disregard! I didn't notice it until later. I think this product is actually discontinued now that I think about it. The H.I.P line had these very vivid lip glosses at one point and I haven't seen them in a while. This is one of the more purply/magenta colors and has blue undertones to it! It's very pretty in person!

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Stick in Violet Chiffon- This is one of my new favorite lipsticks! It's very creamy, rich, and moisturizing and doesn't dry out my lips at all. This color is really nice because it gives you a subtle pop of purple but it's not overwhelming where someone would be distracted in a negative way. I would best describe this as a gently muted down hot pink with a lavender punch to it.

L'Oreal Infallible Le Gloss 8 Hour Lipgloss in Pink Topaz- This is one of my favorite lipglosses I own. It's very longlasting and delivers a very rich color. I love that it's a bright pink with a subtle purple shimmer. It's lovely for daytime and night in my opinion!

Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Gloss in Plum Luster- I believe this is one of the newer lipglosses that Maybelline came out with. It delivers a really nice color and the gloss itself is smooth and creamy. It smells nice too! I love this color for daytime and nighttime. It's kinda like a salmony raspberry hot pink color (if that makes any sense) and has a nice shimmer to it.

M.A.C in Sequin-  I love this color soooo much! No, it's not your typical Valentine's Day color but this is one of those colors where you can where both day and night and do a more dramatic eye. This lipstick has enough pink in it that isn't too in your face and allows you to do a more funky Valentine's Day inspired eye with bright pinks and reds. I love it because it's more of a vampy frosted color and would flatter many complexions. I will probably do a full face Valentine's Day look with this color sometime this week and post it.

Milani Lip Flash in In A Flash- Love love love. All I have to say about this one. This is probably one of my favorite purply pink lipglosses. It's a gloss stick that has a really nice texture to it and has a really vivid color. It's a bright, borderline neon pink with this amazing blue/purple glitter. It's a very fun one to wear and would look nice with a simpler eye.

Nyx Round Lipstick in Gardenia- This is one of those lipstick that I actually forgot I had! I went through my stash when I was looking for colors and I came across this one! It's a very nice poppy red with a very subtle frosty sheen to it. This is another one that many people could pull off.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Red Velvet- The Revlon Lip Butter line is one of my favorites. The texture is so amazingly balmy and creamy and they have a nice range of colors to choose from. This is a more sheer red and would work best for those who don't prefer to wear a crazy bold red lip.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Lollipop- Ohhh yes please.... This is probably my go-to hot pink lipstick. I keep this one in my purse in case of emergencies =P Like I said about Red Velvet, it's very balmy and creamy. This one is definitely brighter and more opaque though. It's really nice hot pink with a subtle blue shimmer. So beautiful!

Morgana Cryptoria in Fire Brick- This is definitely my favorite red lipstick ever. This is the kind of red that makes me not want to buy another red lol. It had this thick, pigmented, almost matte, metallic finish to it and sticks to your lips like you wouldn't believe. I like more vampy red like this one so it works perfectly for me. I reviewed this in the past so you can check out my post by clicking here.

Fire Brick with Victoria's Secret Dazzleshine Lip Gloss in Hot Pink- I decided to get a little creative and top off Fire Brick with this amazing hot pink glittery gloss I got from Victoria's Secret. I unfortunately wasn't able to take a good photo of the gloss but I will link you over to Miss Natty's post where I found out about this gloss so you can take a better look at it. For me, I think this color combination takes the cake! I would only wear this for someone very special though =P

WHEW!! That was a crazy long post! I really hope you enjoyed it. This week, I plan on putting together at least a couple full face looks for Valentine's Day and I will use these lip colors as well. Did any of the colors catch your eye? Do you already own any of these and are there any you are drooling over by any chance? =P

I'd also love to hear if anyone has anything really fun planned for Valentine's Day. I unfortunately don't have "that special someone" to spend it with but I plan on doing something fun with my friends! Enjoy your week, and happy early Valentine's Day!

First Attempt on Galaxy Nail Art

Hello everyone! I finally decided to give it a go and tried a nail art design that looked like a galaxy in outer space. I used a tutorial by MissJenFABULOUS from PolishAndPearls and used this tutorial she posted on youtube.

It was actually very fun and easy to do! It consisted of sponging on colors over black and putting a couple types of glitter topcoat over it. Before I did the design on myself, I picked out some colors I liked from myself and tested it over the black to make sure it delivered the effect I was looking for. I noticed it's best to use opaque colors, either with a creme finish or with little to no shimmer.

Here's what I used:

Liquid Leather by China Glaze (black)
Splish Splash by China Glaze (shimmery blue)
Pelican Grey by China Glaze(light grey)
Pink Shock by Maybelline (pink with subtle blue shimmer)
Northern Lights (glitter topcoat)
Techno by China Glaze (chunky glitter)

Aaaaaaand this is what I ended up with!

I really loved how it turned out. It definitely looks best when the colors are applied in different parts of the nail. This would definitely look nice with some green and orange in it so I might be attempting that in the future. Also, after I get some practice, I think it would be awesome to throw some spiral galaxies on it as well. I tried that at first and it was an utter fail -___-

Have you tried doing galaxy nails before? I would love to see some of the designs you've tried or came up with :)

Happy Belated New Years Nails

Hello readers, it has been a very long time since I posted on here and I feel awful about it. I feel like I lost my mojo and inspiration a few months ago due to a lack of focus but I'm going to try and keep this up like I did in the past.

I know I'm about a week late but I really wanted to show off my New Years nails! I wanted to do something super blingy that standed out so I ended up doing a glittery metallic manicure.

I was originally just going to do silver (favorite metallic color) but I began to envy my sisters gold blingy nails that she did for new years and ended up with a mix of both manicures.

Before I get to the photos, I'm going to list what used and how I did it!

Cheers To You by China Glaze (metallic foil, 2 coats)
Techno by China Glaze (chunky silver holo glitter, 1 coat)
Northern Lights Hologram Topcoat (fine holo glitter topcoat, 1 coat)
Midnight Kiss by China Glaze (gold foil, sponged on tips)
Queen Of Drums by Dare To Wear (chunky gold glitter, sponged on halfway from tips)
Golden Enchantment by China Glaze (fine gold holo glitter topcoat, 1 coat)

I really love how Cheers to you and Midnight Kiss blended so perfectly together, These photos honestly don't do this mani justice and it is crazy how blingy they are in person. PS please ignore the fingernail imprint on my thumbnail... I have no idea how that got there =P

Indoors (With Flash)

Indoors (Indirect Sunlight)

Outdoors (Sun)

Outdoors (Shade)

Happy 4th of July! Independence Day Manicure :)

Hello readers. Today I'm going to show you my nails for 4th of July and show you last year's 4th of July nails.

I used:

Blue = Eyes Like Sapphires by China Glaze
Red = Ruby Pumps by China Glaze
Silver = Kiss Nail Art striper
White = Kiss Nail Art striper
Glitter topcoat = Northern Lights
Seche Vite topcoat

Here's how I did it:

I started off with two coats of Ruby Pumps. Then I did the white stripes by laying the brush pretty flat against the nail and dragging it. I then carefully drawed on the silver stripes where I wanted the blue to start. Then I freehanded two coats of Eyes Like Sapphires to the edge of the silver. I touched up the silver once more to even out the lines and finished it all with Northern Lights and Seche Vite :)

Like it? Post the links to your July 4th nails as well! I would love to see them! Click here to see others' July 4th designs.

Blue gradient with flowers :)

Hello readers :) Today I'm showing you this really bright blue and teal gradient manicure with flowers.

I used:

Grecian Sun by Sinful Colors (bright blue)
Nail Junkie by Sinful Colors (teal glitter sponged on tips)
White Sally Hansen Nail art pen (dots)
Flower decals (brand unknown)
White Lights Glitter 101A by N.Y.C. (glitter topcoat)

I was very impressed by Grecian Sun. The formula is perfect... no lumps or bumps and has a flawless finish with two coats. Then I sponged on Nail Junkie so it blends nicely with the blue. To make it look more like a gradient, I used White Lights Glitter 101A to blend it more. The look felt like it was missing something so I added the flower decals and put 1-2 dots on each side. Here's the look! What do you think?

Closeup of my thumb so you can see all the glitter

Louboutin-inspired halfmoon manicure :)

Hello readers! This manicure I am about to show you started off being a simple/classic idea and ended up being frustrating mess... but finally ended up looking awesome :)


At first, I just wanted to do a classic red polish so I puled out Isla by Zoya. I did three coats of that but I did it at the worst possible time... my friend invited me out for crawdads that evening and I didn't realize how messy it would be. When I was done with dinner, my thumb and pointer nails were completely ruined. It was late at night and I didn't want to re-do the whole thing so I put another coat of Isla on top.


The next day, I still hated my manicure. For some reason, it became all bubbly and the texture was bothering me. I then decided to put a coat of China Glaze Ruby Pumps (red glittery polish) on top to hide the texture, which helped a lot because of the glitter.


Then... it came to me. I thought about the "lubu manicure" and thought to myself... I've never done a halfmoon manicure... I'll try doing a lubu halfmoon manicure!


I used those hole punch protectors and shaped the halfmoon. I put one coat of China Glaze Lubu Heels which is a really nice black polish with red glitter. When I took off the hole punch protectors, some of the sticky residue was left behind so I had to touch it up with some more Ruby Pumps. I finished the look off with Seche Vite for a nice glossy finish and I love how it came out :)

It's soooo shiny :D

I love all the red glitter!

Here's how I did it :)

Here's my inspiration :)

Pink Glitter Zebra Print Nails

Hello readers :-) I think I just found my new favorite manicure... I did 2 coats of Teenage Dream and sponged on Excuse Moi! on the tips. Luckily these polishes dried very quickly so the entire look in about an hour! This is also the first time I think my konad pattern turned out perfectly without any mistakes. I'm very pleased with how it turned out and it describes me in a nutshell :) Enjoy!

Light pink glitter = Teenage Dream by OPI
Hot Pink Glitter = Excuse Moi! by OPI
Black = Liquid Leather by China Glaze
Zebra pattern = Konad M57

Black w/ Silver Glitter Tips & Stars

Hello readers! Here's another quick post showing you my current mani :) At first, I was going to sponge on the glitter to make it a gradient but i was in a rush so I just painted it on. Just ignore my cuticles, please... they look terrible lol. These photos were taken after a weeks wear.

Black- Liquid Leather by China Glaze
Silver glitter- Tinsel Town by China Glaze
Star Glitter- Silver Star by Kleancolor
Holo glitter topcoat- Northern Lights
Clear topcoat- Seche Vite

Work-appropriate nude look

Hello readers :) I apologize for not posting as much. I've been going through a lot of changes with my normal routine and it's throwing me off from what I'm usually doing =P A couple weeks ago, I got a job interview for a position in parking patrol and ended up getting hired right on the spot and there was only one spot!

Anyways, so I wouldn't scare the guy off with my black and red nails, I did something out of my comfort zone and did something very neutral. The picture below is 3 coats of Knotty by China Glaze, which is a really nice nude with cream shimmer, with one coat of Northern Lights which is a holographic glitter topcoat. As much as I dislike nude manicures, I ended up wearing it for about a week. It shined really nicely in the sun :)

Sunlight

Shade

22nd Birthday :)

Hello everyone! Sorry again for another drought! The past couple of weeks have been very hectic and making a blog past has unfortunately been the last thing on my mind.

Last week was my 22nd birthday and it was seriously the best birthday I've ever had thanks to my amazing friends :) I'm going to start off by showing you my bday manicure and then I will show you the pics from my party and talk about that!

This is 2 coats of Midnight in NY by Sally Hansen with 1 coat of Dorothy by Nyx Girls

Anyways back to my party! My friends and I had dinner at a restaurant called Opa! in Los Gatos, CA, which is a Greek restaurant. I don't know how I lucked out so much but we ended up having our own private room, complete with our own TV and bathroom! Here's a pic of our group! I'm at the head of the table =P

And now for a pic of my outfit :-)

Then we met up at Mt Charley's down the street for dancing! This is the other group of people we met up with! The girl in the blue has the same birthday as me and we decided to celebrate together :)

Then we ended the night with some shots! Ignore my friend in the background.... he was 10 shots and 2 beers in when we took this pic haha!

Anyways.... best birthday ever!

CG Flying Dragon Swatches + Glitter

Hello, all! Today I will be showing you China Glaze's Flying Dragon (Neon) with China Glaze's Techno! First I will start up with the mani I ended up with and then I will describe the wonders of Flying Dragon to you :)

Pretty sweet, yeah? Anyways, onto Flying Dragon! This color is absolutely amazing. It's a dark deep fuchsia with little blue and pinkish glitter. When you first apply it, it shows up as a bright neon fuchsia but it gets darker as it dries. The application of this polish is amazing! It dries very quickly so you can easily do 3 coats without having to wait. It's a very fun and interesting color and is a must-have in my opinion.

Enough talk... onto the swatches! It took me 3 painless coats for full opacity :) Also, it dries matte so I added SV as a topcoat to make it glossy! You can click on the images if you want to see them close up!

Sunlight

Shade

Purple, Blue, and Silver Glitter Gradient!

Hey everyone :D So I finally took off that plain-jane look and put on something really funky! I finally attempted a glitter gradient! I've always wanted to try it and I finally got the right kinds of glitter nail polish. Here's the look I came up with :-)

It is soooo dang sparkly and eye-catching in the light! I seriously can't stop looking at it! Here are the materials I used:

Base coat- Orly Top 2 Bottom

Navy blue base- Midnight Blue by Rimmel

Fuchsia glitter- Bubbly Bombshell by Orly

Pink/purple/blue glitter- Rockstar Pink by Sally Hansen

Silver/purple/blue chunky glitter- Starry Silver Glitter by NYC

Seche Vite Topcoat

I first applied my base coat and then put one coat of Midnight Blue so I wouldn't have to do so many layers of glitter. Then, I put one coat of Bubbly Bombshell completely covering the blue. On the top half of my nail (tip), I used Rockstar Pink.

Then I used two coats of Starry Silver Glitter on the very tip and aimed more of the chunky glitter on it. To make the colors blend better, I wiped the majority of the glitter off the brush and lightly dabbed over the other colors so little silver glitters came off.

To finish it off, I used 2 coats of Seche Vite :-) Here is a closeup of the look to your right. You can click on it for a larger image.

Now for some more photos!

SJ Sharks game + mani

Hey everyone, long time no post! I had a busy past few days so I haven't had a chance to update. This past saturday, I went to my first San Jose Sharks game which is a hockey team if you didn't know. My friend James invited me since I've never been to one! When we got to the game, a bunch of dudes asked me to take their picture so I did. he was sooooo nice! He bought me and my friend a beer just for taking their picture lol.Oh and we won 2-1!

James and I with the rink behind us!

The infamous myspace angle =P

And of course knowing me, I painted my nails teal as well! At first I was going to do plain teal with designs and then I changed my mind and painted them teal with teal glitter. I don't know what's going on with my pinky... just ignore that haha!

Teal- The Real Teal by Sally Hansen XtremeWear, Glitter- Glam by Claire's