Velvet Ocean

For Christmas I took part in a nail polish swap (so much fun!!) and one of the many stunning polishes I received was this gorgeous Layla, Softouch 10 or "Turquoise Splash".

Layla Softouch 10 "Turquoise Splash"

Stormy Cement

This manicure was inspired by a beautiful polish from Girly Bits, Stormy Skies.

Sally Hansen Wet Cement + Finger Paints Motley + Pure Ice Heartbreaker

I think the blue/green & purple flecks in Motley and the green shimmer in Heartbreaker contrast really nicely against the pale grey, and give the look of an overcast and stormy blue-grey sky. The shimmer in Girly Bits Stormy Skies is actually much brighter and denser though, and I really love the almost jelly-like look the polish has, which has more blue in it as well. So while I think this manicure is similar in color, well, that's really it. :P

I was actually incredibly lucky enough to win a giveaway of Pam's including Hippity Hop and a polish of my choice, so of course I chose the amazing Shift Happens, a spectacular color changing topcoat. Honestly I wasn't as excited about Hippity Hop until I saw it in person-- wow! Such a gorgeous and delightfully springtime-y assortment of glitters. Here it is over Models Own Indian Ocean; love this combo!

Girly Bits Hippity Hop over Models Own Indian Ocean

More pictures of Indian Ocean to come soon. Thanks for looking!

Adjusting some attitude (with a hint of mint!)

While patiently waiting for my Lynnderella wishlist to go through, I thought I would see if I couldn't recreate one that I was really lusting after, Attitude Adjust-Mint. This awesome polish is a mix of iridescent & green large glitters, all different shapes and sizes, plus an amazing green microshimmer, as well as many other awesome little treasures all jammed into one. Well, mine isn't exactly like that, but here's what I came up with.

Diamond Cosmetics Oh Tiff! + Hard Candy Breakup + Love & Beauty Light Green (aka L.A. Girl Crowd Surfing) + Pure Ice Heartbreaker

I was really lucky to come across a dusty bottle of HC's Breakup at Wally's; it has such amazing iridescent glitter that shifts from orange-gold to green to lavender in the shade.

While I was very pleased with this layering combo, it's definitely no dupe for Lynnderella's. And having recently acquired my own bottle (yaaayyy!) I can see there is a lot more going on in Attitude Adjust-Mint, and I absolutely love it. Here are a couple of bottle pic swatches (in direct light & shade):

Soo mesmerizing right?! I'm actually wearing it right now, so I'll be posting pictures of it soon to compare.

Glitter Mania!

Yeah, I have the glitter bug. I blame all of those Deborah Lippmann glitters! Even though I don't own a single one. :D Here is NYX Superfunk and L.A. Girl Nostalgic over Zoya Kendal, and then alternately topped with Pure Ice's Busted, and Heart Breaker.

Zoya Kendal + NYX Superfunk + L.A. Girl Nostalgic + Pure Ice Busted & Heart Breaker

Oh, tip wear, you are the bane of my manicures.

I thought it turned out pretty nice; the sheer Pure Ice shimmers really changed the overall colors and added that extra something. They are really excellent for layering and adding depth. And I think these glitter + pastel manis are perfect for Spring!

Vant a Whimsical Valentine Mani?

I thought Whimsical would be the perfect Valentine's mani-- very sweet and a little girly. OPI I Vant to be a Lone Star is a pretty, light blue that matches the base, and I decided to alternate it with Zoya Kendal, a pale, dusty lavender.

Revlon Whimsical over Zoya Kendal and ring finger OPI I Vant to be a Lone Star

And the other hand was OPI Lone Star with Kendal as the accent; I really loved both!

I wanted to bring out the subtle green sparkles I spotted in Whimsical so I also added a layer of Pure Ice Heartbreaker, a beautiful green shimmer.

Whimsical seems like it's going to be part of Revlon's core line, but it hasn't been in every new Revlon display I've seen. I found mine floating on a shelf at Rite-Aid, and another at Ulta, so hopefully it will be part of their Revlons when they change out. Happy Valentine's Day!