May Tri-Polish Challenge: Red, Blue, and Grey Cloud-icure

Hello hello and welcome to the first Tri-Polish Challenge for May! This month the colors are red, blue, and grey and I've chosen three polishes from Pure Ice to play with. Today I've finally been inspired to try something I've always thought about doing - an alternating 'cloud' mani (made famous by Nailside; her original tutorial is here). Mayhaps you could even call this a 'cloud-icure'?! Check it out!

Pure Ice is a brand that I feel like gets overlooked a lot, which is a shame because it has a pretty great formula and a wide selection of colors at a superb price point - $2! French Kiss and Kiss Me Here are two of my favorite polishes in my entire stash! Crimson is a new polish that I purchased just for this challenge because I knew immediately that my blue and grey choices would be FK and KmH. I am so happy with Crimson because it can be a 1-coater if you're careful with it and it has really pretty, glowy shimmer that catches the light really well in low indoor lighting. This 'art' was really easy to do and it's extra fun because you can complete it with the brushes from the polish bottles! I was wary that these colors would be too patriotic, but I'm happy with the mix of finishes and colors. YAY! I love this and don't want to take it off!! PS. All of these photos were snapped indoors with an undifussed Ott lamp (my standard set up lately)

Now check out the other Tri-Polish Contenders and see what they did for the first day of designs!



Psst. THIS Thursday is day #2 of the challenge, so make sure you stop to see my next red/blue/grey combo

Jamberry Jamboree: Sour Cherry Pie

Hey y'all! Happy Monday! I am really excited to start a little Monday mini series featuring JAMBERRY! Shea, a consultant from one of the Facebook nail groups I frequent, was kind enough to send me a little trial sheet of Jamberry Nails. Occasionally the metallic and incredibly detailed wraps tempt me, but I'm sort of a nail wrap (from any brand) skeptic because of the price point. Here's my first try with a Jamberry shield! The first design I tried is called Sour Cherry Pie (hence the title of the post). This post is a little long because my goal is to review the product at the beginning and the end of the series, i.e. my first and last try, to document how I feel about them as I learn how to use them more. Let's get started!
*Products in this post were provided for my honest review.

This is the first style of wrap that I have tried, from any brand (I have some Sally Hansen ones about the house that are probably dried up by now, sadface). From what I've read these are unique in that they are a little sticky when you pull them off of the sheet, then you set them with direct heat from a blow dryer. The concept is very simple - size it up to the finger nail that works best, peel it off and warm it up, line it up on your nail and press firmly, then trim the excess wrap close to your nail length, and buff the excess away. For my first time I pretty much mucked it up at the cuticle end, as well as some pockets here and there on some other edges (see hilarious gif below).

As a first impression I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of detail in the design of the Sour Cherry Pie pattern - there are three different shades of red for the cherry bunches and there are teensy dots all over the background that look very cool and retro to me (you can see the dots well in the first photo). I paired it with some mix and match nails using CND Perfectly Bare (peachy nude), Essence You Belong to Me (older, dc'd blue-mint color), and Pure Ice Crimson (red, and a pick for this month's Tri-Polish Challenge!). I was not impressed with the application, but the good news is that the shoddy application is 100% my fault and has nothing to do with the directions or the product. I knew there was a learning curve which is why I was so thankful to try these out before making a purchase and I am very confident that I can do a better job next time!

a hilarious gif showing you where I messed up!

From my experience, Jamberry Nails would be ideal for:

• people traveling (no need to take polish with you, shouldn't chip, etc.)
• important life events that will keep you busy and away from polish (like a big party or something? I'm imagining a busy Mom planning their child's high school graduation party and relatives are staying in their house, etc.)
• growing your nails out; these shields are meant to offer a lot of protection and should stay on up to two weeks {if you apply them better than I did}
• similarly, growing out a particular nail that has a break while the others are fine
• if your body chemistry and/or job/hobby/life tasks makes your polish chip off quickly, these stay on well regardless of all o' that!
• someone that really likes nail art, but doesn't like to do it OR is looking for intricate designs you don't want to DIY (like striping tape, ugh, personal least fave) OR want the look of nail art with the assurance that it should last 10-14 days
• people that don't have an abundance of free time {I don't think that the solids would be faster than painting a single color + fast dry top coat (for me anyway), but I do think this would save time overall on the more complicated patterns}

My PROS

• These wraps can't dry out like ones made of nail polish (i.e. the Sally Hansen ones), so you should be able to use them for a much longer time
• If your nails are short-medium length, you should be able to get two wraps out of each piece i.e. 36 wraps per sheet for $15 = 3 total manicures! That's like 2 extra manicures for only $5 more than the SH ones
• Uniquely un-nail polish designs - like very reflective metallic designs - which you can't achieve any other way
• Nail Art Studio where you can upload your own designs, including photographs of your SO, pets, etc.! [Super cool, but has added fees]
• These are supposed to last like a month on your toes = awesome
• Removal is very easy and quick; no foiling or glue bases required for the glitter-esque shields
• Similarly, no acetone when removing so it should be a little better for your cuticles
• Shea, my sweet consultant, is super friendly, helpful, and passionate and that makes for a really nice experience!

My CONS

• Learning curve = wasted product 
• Price point is sort of high (I mean no, it's not high compared to similar products from other brands, but I do think $15 is a lot for 36 pieces of the exact same design)
• Very personal con - I wish there were mix & match skittle sets for the typical price, without having to make my own sheet for $18.75 + $6 set up fee. The Jamberry Junior sets already come with a row of accent pattern shields, and I would love if they did that for adult sized ones, too - like a set of different black and white stripe graphics
• Not really sure how the shields impact the health of your nail plate? Polishing your nails actually helps because your nails get added strength and the natural oils are trapped (in a good way) - so I'm assuming these have those same added benefits! But I'm not sure about how the shield surface impacts your ability to moisturize

I do have some minor gripes about the website, and I think that stems from the price point of the wraps; if I'm paying $15 + s&h for an online product w/o seeing it in real life first, I want the website to be encouraging and helpful. The shopping site does not list how many shields come per $15 sheet; I had to find that information by Googlin' on my own time and I feel like that would be so easy to fix in the product descriptions. Another thing is that all of the design product images are digital renderings, which is basically the standard for most products, but does make it really hard to understand the real colors and finish of the different shields. I would LOVE it if they could just snap some photos of the designs on a sheet, or even let customers add photos as an easy way to show what the shields actually look like IRL. Obviously I'm used to Googlin' polish swatches so it's no big deal and not at all out of the norm, plus Shea has a really great Facebook page with "in action" shots, it's just something that I think would be really supplement the shopping experience

Overall, it might be glaringly obvious that I am not the target audience for this product! I don't think it fits into my current budget (because I am an incredibly broke recent college graduate), and I don't have problems with my polish chipping (even when working at a cafe with my hands in water/coffee/microwaves all the time). BUT what appeals to me are the really intricate designs and extraordinary finishes you can get with wraps - I'm talking truly metallic looking nails (these have a cool metallic gold stripe or these solid gold ones), designs made of different holographic squares (these look AMAZING), or the really detailed designs with lots of tiny colored parts (these would be very challenging to replicate, even with stamping). If I had more room in my budget, I would definitely look into investing in a couple different patterns, especially because they do not dry out.

Thanks again Shea!
If you are interested in Jamberry Nails, please check out Shea's Facebook Page with lots of customer photos and her Jamberry Nails webstore.

*Products in this post were provided for my honest review.

Digit-al Dozen x TGIF: Sindie POP's Danger-Prone Daphne, Ruffian'd

Ah, the end of Bling Week makes me sad, but I've got one last glittery mani to share with you. For this pairing of Digit-al Dozen x TGIF: Thank Goodness, Indy Indie Friday! I've got Danger-Prone Daphne by Sindie Pop! Lacquers with a design inspired by the 'Orbit Ring' NCLA nail wraps by Madeline Poole (love her). Check it out!

The 'Orbit Ring' NCLA wrap design is a simple 'outline' or 'rim' design, which I have done a few of, but what really caught my eye was someone stacking them to make a Ruffian outline design (peep what I'm talking about here). I've modified that inspiration to add an INDIE GLITTER because it's TGIF! I did a base of OPI Call Me Gwen-Ever and then Revlon Top Speed in Electric on top and alternated the colors as an accent on my ring finger. Then I layered Sindie POP! Lacquer's Danger-Prone Daphne on the second portion, leaving the initial outline color plain. Finally I outlined everythang with Milani's striper polish in Blueprint, and topcoat'd the whole she-bang. Bright and fun, reminds me of an athletic team's uniform or something! I do wish that my outlines were a little better and I will definitely be buying some brushes to trim down this weekend so I can practice.

Sindie POP's Danger-Prone Daphne is from the limited edition Mystery Gang Collection, inspired by Scooby Doo characters. To my eye I see lime green, orange, matte periwinkle in different sizes, and a royal dark purpley-blue. I really love the glitter colors together and I love the whole Mystery Gang Collection because the color combos are really unique and fun! Plus periwinkle is probably my favorite color :p

Now, don't forget to see what the other Digit-al Dozen have done for today!

Now I'm curious, do you have this Sindie POP! polish? Love it, hate it, meh it? I love the unique combo of glitter colors!

Purchase: Sindie POP! Lacquer ($9)
For more Sindie POP! check out their Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram

My partner in TGIF! crime, Kirsten at Geeky Owl, has been really busy lately, so please send her some luvin' because she deserves it!!

And with that I wish you a happy, glittery weekend!

Digit-al Dozen: Is Glitter a Color?

While this post is a little later than I intended for today, I promise it doesn't disappoint! This miiiiiight be my favorite mani maybe ever?! At least my favorite since yesterday, which is pretty cool because I feel like I keep topping myself this week and I'm loving that! Something about the combination of techniques and colors in this one mani just really does it for me. It kind of combines a lot of different ideas from everything I've done and seen this week (glitter, jellies, rhinestones, glitter) so hopefully you marvel in it with me, instead of feeling bored! Check it out!

I started with glitter, then added glitter. Hahaha! Two generous coats of Jordana Celebration, a full-coverage purple glitter with different sized hex glitters, was my base color on top of a glue base coat. Then I did some really subtle glitter gradients at the cuticle with Red Carpet Lacquer Jones, a polish with pink, purple, blue, and black glitters inspired by an outfit Penelope Garcia is wearing in s02e18 of Criminal Minds (yessss). THEN I did tape accents with Revlon Royal and New York Summer Hot Purple on my middle two fingers [I wish the triangle where they overlapped was a teeeensy bit more obvious, but it's ok] inspired by this post on Nail Loopy where she layers a jelly on top of a glitter base in a half-moon design. When I wasn't sure if I should tape all teh nails, I decided it was time instead to do even more rhinestones. The rhinestone colors reflect the colors of the accent glitter, Red Carpet Lacquer Jones and I AM IN LOVE.

Tomorrow I'll have ANOTHER fun design with an indie glitter, because it's TGIF! But in the meantime, please check out all the other super fabulous Bling-Inspired designs from the rest of the Digit-al Dozen dames below.

Digit-al Dozen: Water Spotted Holo!

Sooooo I've been wanting to try out water spotted nails for forever and couldn't figure out when/how to do it, until the inspiration to do these finally struck like lightning! This idea is sort of along the lines of 'ripped skin' tattoos; I used an opaque nude polish to water spot on top of a silver holo, like my insides are made of rainbows (because they are). The end result is so much sweeter and prettier than I expected, so while it was a failed idea from my brain, it looks lovely!!

The water spotting technique is fairly easy in concept, especially if you've tried watermarbling before. I used Makeup Store Greta as my base color, then water spotted with CND Perfectly Bare. I used painter's tape to keep my hands from getting messy, then made a bullseye in a cup of purified water with only CND Perfectly Bare, spritzed some perfume in, waited for it to make cool patterns, then dunked my fingerbits! My only issue is that I used a perfume that I didn't mind wasting (i.e. didn't like all that much) and now of course my hand is soaked in it.... Good job, self! It wasn't quite enough bling yet, so I threw some rhinestones and chrome mini-tips on and all was excellent. In the end, refined glam bling that looks like lacy, fancy wedding nails.

Now check out what the other ladies have BLING'd out for today!

Super Black Lacquers Swatches & Review

Yay! Finally, I present to you some swatches of SUPER BLACK LACQUERS! I had a nasty craftcident with a hot glue gun that ended with a very sad swatching hand, but now I'm back in the game! I really love the quality and variety that Super Black provides as an indie brand - everything from cremes and shimmers, to glitters, and impressive linear holographics. All of the polishes I tried had fantastic formulas. Psst. for these swatches I used OPI Natural Nail Base Coat, and HK Girl Fast Dry Top Coat occasionally (most of the polishes are recommended without top coat). Check it out!
*Products in this post were provided for my honest review and for swatching purposes!

Murdered Out is a "mega-black" matte black polish that's opaque in one coat! The finish is more of a 'rubber' matte and I think of it as more of a waxy, eggshell matte finish. It's matte, but with a nice sheen. This polish is crazy opaque and looks great at just one coat! It is self-leveling if you let it dry between coats, and it dries very quickly. Great base for nail art (as you might have noticed lately!). These swatches are two coats, no top coat

The Bends is one of those amazing indie polishes with lots of depth that calls out to your glitter lovin' heart; it embodies (embottles?) all the glittery goodness of why I love indie creations!  The formula was great - the glitters were suspended really well in the bottle and it was a breeze to paint with. I love the edgy mix of glitters - black, white, holo, and turquoise in a darkened teal base. These swatches are three coats built to opacity, but I could have probably done a fourth one for even more awesome. Love this one.

The Whale is a gorgeous grey polish with obvious blue-aqua shimmer - no hidden shimmer here! This polish, similar to Murdered Out, dries to a more waxy finish before topcoating it which I like (I love polishes that you can wear different ways). Formula was easy to work with, self-leveling, and dried quickly. This swatch is two coats (but one would have been fine)

Torque is a dream. I will try not to gush too much about this bby, but oh man, it's one fab polish! I found it was most holo-y in indoor lighting, which is perfect for me because I'm inside like 90% of the time. I didn't find it to be very holo in indirect natural light - mostly indoor lighting and direct sunlight. The formula is pretty much perfection; very easy to paint with and dries very quickly. I did have some minor staining with this (even with two coats of basecoat), but that will probably vary by body chemistry. I was SO impressed with the wear time - I gouged it the first day when I was doing some stuff around the house, but had practically no tipwear and no chips at the free edge while wearing this for several days (see the photos below). Definitely recommend! This is two coats with no top coat (as recommended), but it was opaque and wearable at just one coat

And then here are the results of my wear test for Torque! The gouges in the middle of my first two nails were done the same day I initially swatched, and are due to a fight I had with a large photo frame [you know those little metal nubbins that keep things in the right place? They just leapt out and grabbed my nails, hence the marks in the middle]. But overall, no big chips, and verrrrry minimal tip wear after 5 days!

the tips! the tips!

Wishful Thinking is a linear holographic top coat! It looks great over a variety of polishes and can be built up to opacity on its own, too. The only downside to this topcoat is that I feel like it's extra holo-y if you do a thick coat, or two thin coats, but obvs then the end result is generally more silver and less whatever the base color is. I don't mind, but don't get your hopes up that you'll be able to make the mystical 'white holo' because it won't happen - even when layering a holo tc over white. Formula was good and dried very quickly. I especially liked layering it with shimmery base colors, like The Whale and Hard Candy's duochrome Beetle. No topcoat with these swatches (as recommended)

2 coats of Wishful Thinking

from pointer to pinkie: ChG Bahamian Blues, white creme, 2 coats alone, Hard Candy Beetle

Super Black polishes are a little bit more expensive than some indie brands, but I really like the fact that ALL of their polishes are one flat price, instead of varying by finish. I am also floored by the opacity and formula -  not a lot of brands can put out unique finishes that are totally wearable in just one coat, and this is an indie to boot! I'm head over heels in wuv with The Bends and Torque, and so so into Murdered Out because it's a perfect base for nail art. I also love the professional screen-printed bottles and easy to navigate website, plus square-shaped bottles store really well (all things that make the experience more pleasant for me personally, but things which I totally understand might not impress some people). The brush is a little longer than 'standard' brushes from handle to bristles, not the length of the bristles, which is different but doesn't negatively impact painting. 

Yeah do them nails!

Pricing & Availability

Shop the polishes at their site - Super Black Lacquers ($12, full sized)
For more Super Black Lacquers, check out their Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr

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Which ones are calling out to you?! I am SO impressed with all of the polishes I swatched, and I can't wait to get my hands on more of the holos, or rather more of the Super Black holos on my hands :D

*Products in this post were provided for my honest review and for swatching purposes!