Spoiled- I'm So Jaded with HITS Hefesto Holo Topcoat

Hello readers. Today I'm going to show you a color that I've been dying to try since I bought it. This is I'm So Jaded by Spoiled, which is a collection from Wet 'n' Wild.  This color is so awesome... It's a neon lime green with gold/yellow shimmer in it. It's definitely one of those must-have greens! I especially liked it because it reminds me so much of Limonyte by China Glaze, which I've been lemming for ages!

As much as I love this color, I hated applying the polish itself. I think it was a combination of the brush and the formula. The brush was very bristly and harsh, which dragged on the polish and didn't let me apply a smooth coat. The next issue I had was the formula. It was pretty thick and a bit on the goopy side. I had to carefuly apply 3-4 thin coats to get good coverage. It ended up being very messy since I couldn't reach near my cuticles easily. I actually had to re-do a couple of my nails because the application was so terrible and there was no saving it.

Here's a photo of I'm So Jaded, followed by a closeup of the thumbnail so you can see the shimmer:

I then decided to add a holographic topcoat on top called Hefesto by HITS. This topcoat looks amazing on just about anything and it adds a little extra in the sun :-) Here are some photos of I'm So Jaded with Hefesto on top!

What do you think? Do you like this combo?

Nail Polish Jewelry DIY

Hello readers :) Today I'm going to show you something a but different but is still related to nail polish. I was bored one night browsing YouTube and I came across this video. It's a video that shows you how to make your jewelry look brand new and unique by repainting it with nail polish. It's a really great tutorial and it's ideal to do on old cheap jewelry that you never wear.

I was bored that evening I watched the video and decided to repaint my old, ugly earrings that I never wear. I pulled out these hideous cheap-looking teal flower earrings that I only wore once and wanted to make them pretty.

Here's how I did it:

3 coats (or until it was almost completely opaque) of La Paz-Itively Hot Pink by OPI (matte)

In the video, she starts off layering with white to make the colors pop but I decided that a matte polish would have the same effect.

2 coats of Gilda by Zoya for some hot pink shimmer

1-2 coats of Twisted by Fingerpaints (flakes)

1 coat of Seche Vite QD topcoat to seal it in

And now for the before and after photos.....

What do you think? If anyone ends up trying this, I would love to see your before and after photos :)

Layla Flash Black Swatches (warning: pic heavy)

Hello readers! I'm going to show you the most amazing holographic nail polish I've ever seen! It's called Flash Black by a brand called Layla. I got it from Ulta. This color is just wow... it's a charcoal grey/blackish color with a very strong holographic effect. 

These photos honestly don't do it justice. It has a much stronger holographic effect in person. With the exception of the photo of my nails under the lamp, all of them were taken the next day. It had a little bit of tipwear... I didn't use any base or topcoat. Just 3 coats of Flash Black. Now, on to the photos!

Oooh also check out my video if you want to see the color in action! Click here or find it on the bottom of this post :)

Sunlight

Sunlight

Sunlight

Sunlight

Sunlight

Sunlight

Thumbnail closeup in the sun

Thumbnail closeup in the sun

Blurred to show how strong the holo effect is

Under a lamp in a dark room

In the shade

And now for the video!

Pink-orange-yellow gradient w/ zebra stripes

Hello readers! Today I'm  showing you my new favorite manicure! Of course I say that almost every week but this one truly is killer! For this look, I used the following:

OPI Natural Basecoat
Pink- Gilda by Zoya
Orange- Rica by Zoya
Yellow- Lighthouse by China Glaze
Seche Vite QD Topcoat
Konad M57
Liquid Leather by China Glaze

First I used the Natural Basecoat and topped it off with three layers of Lighthouse. Then I put a coat of Seche Vite to make it dry fast so I can sponge on the gradient without ruining the yellow. When that was ready to go, I sponged on Rica about 2/3 of the way down from the tip and let that dry. It dried quickly since it was such a thin coat. After that, I sponged on Gilda and blended it in about 1/3 of the way down from the tip. I put a little extra pink at the tips to make it pop a bit more.

When I was done with the gradient, I put on another coat of Seche Vite so it would be completely dry for the stamping. I obviously used the zebra print design on Konad M57 and stamped away with that. I topped it off with another coat of Seche Vita and...... Ta da!! :)

Now for some photos!

Outdoors, indirect sunlight

Outdoors, direct sunlight. So shimmery!

OPI DS Sapphire

Hello readers! Today I'm showing you the swatches to my lucky find from last week: OPI DS Sapphire. This shade is so pretty. It is a greyish light blue and shines beautiful linear holographic rainbows in the sun. Indoors, it just looks like a light grey polish. It applied very evenly. I could've gotten away with three coats but I had to do four since I made a smudge on one nail. Now for the photos!

Sunlight

Sunlight

Sunlight

Indoors under a lamp

Indoors

Lucky find at CVS!

My friend and I were driving in his neighborhood and I saw a CVS I've never been to. I wanted to stop by for the Milani Spring 2012 collection and check for one of the colors I wanted. They did not have the collection in stock, but I ended up getting something else I've had my eye on. I browsed through the shelves and saw that they carried OPI.

I checked in the very back row of their OPI's and there was a single OPI DS Sapphire sitting right there... just for me! I've been after it for so long and it magically appeared in front of me! I can't wait to use it. I will definitely use it for my next mani and I'll post pics. I went a little picture-crazy with the bottle but the rainbow shine was sooo addicting!

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