Wet 'n Wild Megalast I Red a Good Book

This is another one of the Wet 'n Wild Megalast minis.  This one is I Red a Good Book.  If you don't already own a classic red cream, you should buy this one.  I love the formula and the brush on Wet 'n Wild Megalast.  Plus, I think this red is the perfect classic red color (at least for me). 

Wet 'n Wild Megalast Haze of Love

This is another one of the Wet 'n Wild Megalast minis from the set I bought at CVS.  This one is Haze of Love.  I would never have picked it off the shelf, but I like it.  I should have had it a few months ago because maroon was THE color this fall.  Oh well, next fall I can look one season behind.  :) 

Wet 'n Wild Megalast Under Your Spell

With Pro FX Quick Dry High Gloss Top Coat

With NYC Matte Me Crazy

I bought a set of Wet N Wild mini polishes on sale at CVS last week.  This one is Under Your Spell.  It is a really weird polish.  In the bottle it looks dark red/maroon initially.  On further inspection, you see it is black with red shimmer in it.  On the nails it is a blackened brown with subtle dark red shimmer.  When I added a matte top coat, the shimmer seemed even more subtle.  I prefer this polish matte.  I like this color, I'm not in love with it. 

My Thanksgiving Manicure

This was my Thanksgiving manicure courtesy of an adorable 4 1/2 year old.  The thumb is mostly Wet n Wild Disturbia topped with Pure Ice Oh Baby. 

Wet n Wild Megalast Disturbia

This is Wet n Wild Megalast Disturbia.  They have changed the bottle for this one.  The new bottle is now a bigger bottle and a slightly different formula, but still the same low 2$ price.  I really like this dark purple polish.  It is dark, but stays purple in all lights.  Wet n Wild Megalast wears like iron on me and is one of favorite nail polish formulas. 

Bordeaux So I Made Polish or Cranberry Sauce

So, I "made" another nail polish.  I'm either going to call it Bordeaux So I Made Polish or Cranberry Sauce.  I haven't decided yet.  The first pic is 3 coats of my new polish, the second pic is with a coat of Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love.  This polish has pretty pink shimmer that doesn't show up all that well in the photos.  I mixed Wet n Wild Clear and Black Creme, OPI Big Apple Red (true red), and Pure Ice Busted (sheer blue with glass pink shimmer) to make this color.

Black and White Halloween Nails

For this manicure, I used Wet 'n Wild Black Creme and Wet 'n Wild French White Creme.  There are too many designs to go into detail on how I did them.  Let's just say I used a dotting tool.  The flying ghosts on the right thumb and the ghost mouth on the right middle finger are a bit too tadpole shaped.  The eyes on the cat should have been almond shaped, but I forgot.  Oh well, next time.  Over all, I'm pretty pleased.  Happy Halloween.

Candy Corn Nails

First I added a layer of Wet 'n Wild French White Creme on the whole nail, two coats.  Then I added two coats of Wet 'n Wild Spoiled Mind Your Own Beeswax just shy of 2/3 of the way up my nails.  Next, I added Essie Brazilliant to the center.  I finished with a coat of Essie Pure Pearlfection followed by a coat of Pro FX Quick Dry Top Coat.  I should have used tape to get straighter lines, but I went with freehand and it isn't too terrible.  I really like the Pure Pearlfection over the top for a subtle shimmer effect.  Happy Halloween! 

You're the Taupe, You're the Mona Lisa

Nail art so subtle (Shhhhhhh), only your manicurist knows for sure.  The nail art shows up in the picture, but not in real life.  I didn't mean to get taupes so close in color, but it was hot and my dog was in the car (car running with air conditioner on), and I had to be quick and China Glaze Foie Gras was 50% off clearance at Sally Beauty Supply.  The best way to make straight lines while using the nail polish brush is to hold the brush as still as possible and rotate the nail.  I'm still working on perfecting this this technique so don't look too closely at the picture.  The polishes used from light to dark are:  Revlon Colorstay Stormy Night, Wet 'n Wild Spoiled Pumping Gas, and China Glaze Foie Gras (the bottle shown in the picture).

I Mixed it Myself (Navy Blue Jelly)

So I'm going to have to explain a lot of terms here.  The internet term for a polish you mix yourself is a franken.  You know how Frankenstein is made from the parts of lots of dead people?  Well a franken polish is made from a mix of other polishes.  What is a jelly polish?  A jelly polish is a sheer polish that looks a little like jelly on the finger nails.  With me so far?  What is a jelly sandwich?  A jelly sandwich is one coat of a jelly polish, one coat of a glitter, and a final coat of a jelly polish.  So, this is a franken jelly sandwich manicure. 

I mixed my navy blue jelly polish in a uncleaned Wet 'n Wild 415A bottle.  I figured I was making a blue polish, so why bother cleaning out the blue bottle.  I mixed Orly Star of Bombay with Wet 'n Wild Clear.  I plan to add more clear to make this polish more sheer and a tiny bit of black to make it darker.  Since I"m a dork I named the polish. Since I'm a geek, I named it Watching for the Capitol Seal. 

This is one coat "Watching for the Capitol Seal", one coat Wet 'n Wild Kaledoscope and then another coat of "Watching for the Capitol Seal".

Another Football Manicure

This is Sinful Colors Let's Talk (Purple) and Milani Good Morning Sunshine (gold).  My camera lies.  Let's Talk is a dark purple and not an almost blue color.  I used notebook reinforcement stickers to get the half moon shape at the bottom of the nail.  Put them on the back of your hand first to remove some of the sticky.  Make sure there is good contact between the reinforcement sticker and the nail.  Remove immediately after painting the nail.  I used a dotting tool to do the jersey on my thumb.  I may do a full hand of jerseys some day. 

Sinful Colors Polar Opposites (Magentic Polish)

I finally bought some magnetic polish, and I found it at a reasonable price.  It is 5$ish at Target.  What lesson did we learn?  I learned that if you wait an almost a year, you can save 3$.  That's right, three whole dollars.  Anyway, I'm cheap (you may have guessed) so I did the first coat in Milani Ms. Milani (gray) so I didn't waste my cool new magnetic polish.  Then, I worked with one nail at a time.  I painted a coat of Polar Opposites and immediately held the magnet over the nail to make the design in the polish.  As you can see with the magnet ring (right) there is a little lip on one side.  Rest that against your finger and hold it as still as you can for about 10-15 seconds.  I'm doing this in the picture on the right.  When you do it, hold the magnet ring with your other hand.  I ran out of hands to hold the camera, so I held the ring with the same hand for the picture.  Some nail polish brand's magnets are not strong enough for a very curved nail.  My nail curves a lot from side to side, but this magnet was definitely strong enough.  Make sure when you buy a polish with a magnet ring on your bottle.  In my Target, many of the magnetic rings were missing.  Polar Opposites is a gray polish with aqua shimmer.  The magnet makes lighter design then the polish with this polish.  Some of the Sinful Color magnetic polishes make magnet designs darker then the polish.  In sunlight the overall look of this polish is blue due to the shimmer.  In indoor light it looks gray.  I'm very happy with this polish. 

Watermelon Nails

I did these a few weeks ago when it was still summer.  Every person who does nail art eventually has to do watermelon nails.  It's the law.  I started out with Wet 'n Wild French White Creme.  I applied French manicure guides to the fingers.  Then I sponged Wet 'n Wild Megalast Garden Hose (limited edition color) onto the thumb and tips of the nails with a make-up sponge. The next step was to use a dotting tool to make squiggly lines with Revlon Emerald City on the tips and thumb. I added a coat of Rimmel Speed Dating (very old red polish) to the bottom of the nails.  Then removed the French tip guides.  

Use a  dotting tool and Wet and Wild Black Creme to make the seeds.  Add a top coat to protect your nail art.  When I do this again, I will probably remove the french tip guided and then sponge the green on the tips so the top line is more diffused and less harsh.  Also, the lines on the thumbs should curve slightly inward at the tips and base of the nail to make more of a Watermelon shape.

Finger Paints A Tough Art to Follow

This is Finger Paints A Tough Art to Follow.  I was hoping for a very dark green.  Sort of a green version of navy.  This is a nice color, but it is black and not green in many lighting conditions.  This is a common problem when looking for a very dark version of a color.  Oh well.  Here are some bonus pics of me testing glitters on top of this polish (and a little house paint). 

Minnesota Vikings Nails

This is my Vikings manicure this week.  I did the striped nails with pieces of scotch tape.  I think at this point I might make better strips just using the brush itself.  I think the stripes read more cheerleader or flag of a purple/white/yellow country then football.  Oh well.  Wet n Wild French White Creme, Wet n Wild Spoiled Mind Your Own Beeswax, Sinful Colors Let's Talk.  Sinful Colors Let's Talk is a dark, bright purple on my nails, but looks blue in the pictures.  The thumb is China Glaze Mahogany Magic and a dotting tool and Wet n Wild French White Creme for the laces.  The ring finger is Essie Smooth Sailing with Finger Paints Go Van Gogh painted in an arch along the bottom.  Wet n Wild French White Creme and a dotting tool was used to make the goal posts. 

Are You Ready For Some Football Nails?

The base colors for this manicure are Finger Paints Go Van Gogh (green) and China Glaze Mahogany Magic (brown).  I used  a dotting tool and Wet n Wild French White Creme to make the designs.  I think a nail art pen may have been a better idea, but I don't have one in white. 

Finger Paints Go Van Gogh

This color is Finger Paints Go Van Gogh.  I really like it.  I bought it at a Sally Beauty Supply half off clearance sale.  They have great deals with their half off clearance.  This is my first time wearing Finger Paints, so I haven't formed an opinion on the brand yet.  Stay tuned to see how this mani evolved. 

OPI My Auntie Drinks Chianti and You Glitter Be Good To Me

The base color of this mani is OPI My Auntie Drinks Chianti and the glitter gradient is done with OPI You Glitter Be Good to Me.  You Glitter Be Good to Me is gold glitter with fuchsia hexagon glitter mixed in.  I think My Auntie Drinks Chianti is the perfect pairing for this glitter. 

Craft Scissors and Scotch Tape Manicure

The blue base of this manicure is Essie Smooth Sailing. I learned something.  Craft scissors will only cut scotch tape if there is a lot of tension on the tape.  You can't rip a piece off the dispenser and then cut it.  I cut the tape between the tape roll and the cutting edge of the dispenser.  Once you have a piece cut, apply it to the back of your hand so it won't be so sticky when you apply it to your nails. My nails curve quite a bit from side to side.  When I tried to apply the tape horizontally, it did not apply smoothly against the curve of the nail.  I had better luck on my thumb when I applied the tape vertically.  I actually liked how that looked better.  Too bad you can't really see how it looked on my thumb it in the picture above.  I applied Zoya Laney (silver) and removed the tape immediately.  Next time, all my tape will be applied vertically like on my thumb. 

Rimmel Rags to Riches

Rimmel Rags to Riches is prettier in person.  It has a lovely gold shimmer that only partly shows up in this picture.  I love this color for pedicures.  Rimmel polishes wear really well for me and I really like them in general. 

Fun with the Girls

  

My favorite girls were around this summer.  Here are some of the pics of the nail polish fun we had.  Above, pink and yellow hearts with an orange thumb with a dog print on it.  Pink with blue dots.  And one hand with gold with pink dots and the other hand with pink with gold dots. 

The next pic is the one of the time we did toes.  Everyone has dots.  One of the big toes has a heart and another has a flower. 

This is another day with the turtle from the Salon Express stamping kit.  Wet n Wild Megalast I Need a Refresh Mint stamped with Revlon Emerald City.

This last one is out of focus.  Sadly the picures of the rest of her fingers were way out of focus.  This is a Kondad stamping plate.  The nails had the design going off the top and bottom of the nails randomly.  It looked like a cool wallpaper.  Wet n' Wild Megalast Sugar Coat with Wet n Wild Black Cream.  As you can see, we had a lot of fun.

Zoya Rica

Direct Sunlight

Shade

This is Zoya Rica.  It was my free "red' polish in last years Zoya Valentine's Day promotion.  Rica is not red at all, but I'm glad it was listed under reds because I didn't need a red polish.  Rica is a orange leaning coral with gold shimmer.  I don't have a picture of Rica in indoor light, but it is more orange indoors.  I like this on my nails but love it on my toes. 

Sinful Colors Aquamarine

This is Sinful Colors Aquamarine topped with Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love.  I find this combo a little too bright for my fingers, but I like this combo on my toes.  That is my dog Tito in the background. 

OPI My Auntie Drinks Cianti and Pure Ice Busted

Shade

Sunlight

This is two coats of OPI My Auntie Drinks Chainti topped with two coats of Pure Ice Busted (2$ at Walmart).  These pics do not capture this manicure accurately at all.  It is a more grape color in person.  Also, there is a ton of micro pink shimmer that doesn't seem to show up in the pictures.  That is a shame, because the pink micro pink glitter is so pretty. 

Pure Ice Busted is a very shear blue base with tons of pink micro glitter.  My cousin turned me on to this cool nail polish color.  It is best layered over other polishes.  I've swatched it over a dark purple and a blue polish and it looks great with those colors.  Busted shimmers like crazy in the sunlight.  Too bad I don't have the photography skills to capture it properly. 

Essie Braziliant with a Gold Glitter Gradient

This is Essie Braziliant with a gold glitter gradient on top.  This is the prefect orange for me.  For the gold glitter gradient, add some glitter about 1/8 inch down the nail.  Apply a second coat of glitter about 1/4 inch down the nail.  Wipe your brush off.  Apply what is left on the brush an additional 1/8 inch inch down the nail (3/8).  Apply a little further down the nail (4/8 or 1/2 inch) in the center of the nail .  Apply a top coat.  Glitter gradients are hard to photograph.  It looks better in real life. 

Wet 'n Wild Megalast Heatwave

Wet 'n Wild Megalast Heatwave is a great color.  It reads a little more red indoors.  This is a red coral or an orange-y red.  It is a really nice summer color.  The index finger got nicked almost immediately after I finished this manicure. In the pic below, I used Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love to make shiny/matte and matte/shiny dots.  Every nail has a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri  top coat to help extend the wear of the polish.  Then I used the dotting tool to add matte dots to the thumb and ring fingers.  I added a coat of Matte-ly in Love to the other fingers.  Then I used a dotting tool and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri topcoat to add shiny dots to those nails.

The name makes me think of Marilyn Monroe singing Heatwave in There's No Business Like Show Business.  The video I added below is more fun then Marilyn.  :)

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

Sadly, I was not impressed with the stick on nail polish. It just didn't work for me.  It is hard to line up with the cuticles.  I found it hard to apply.  My nails curve a lot from side to side and cuticle to tip.  Applying these was like wallpapering or decoupaging a curved surface.  It is hard to get the polish smooth not wrinkled.  You can see lots of wrinkles in the above pic.  Sally Hansen gives you several size options, but non were a good match for my ring finger.  The wear on this was just O.K.  I think the wear would have been better if I had filed the excess polish sticker away from the top instead of doing it the way they instructed.  I also thought these looked a little fake in person.  I felt they looked like stickers, and not like polish.  All in all, I'd rather just paint my nails.  I didn't find these easier or better then just polishing.

White Dots on White Manicure

This is one coat of Wet n Wild Megalast Break the Ice. I used a dotting tool to make white dots with Sally Hansen Whirlwind White.  Then I added a second coat of Break the Ice.  Some of the dots are a little wonky.  My year old nephew, who shows no interest in me (He is in a Mommy only stage), suddenly became very interested in me when I was doing the dots.  I'm on to you little boy.  You only find me interesting when I show no interest in you.  Don't think you are the first man to try that technique!  I think this manicure would be nice in winter with a snowflake or snowman on an accent finger.
Break the ice is a nice color.  It is a shear white with shimmer.  It never really becomes opaque, If I were going to wear this polish without the dots, I'd probably do three coats.

4th of July Manicure

This is the manicure I did for the 4th of July.  Meh.  I'll do something different for my next patriotic manicure.  Wet n Wild Megalast Break the Ice is the base.  Then I used the Salon Express stamping kit (as seen on TV) for the stars and stripes.  I used OPI Big Apple Red and Wet n Wild Denim Chrome.  The size of the stamps are way too small for my nails.  The stamp on the pinky fit, but it is way too small for the rest of the nails.  As you can see, the ring finger stamp doesn't reach the cuticle and it isn't wide enough for the nail.  The stars were stamped horizontally with two stamps.  If you are interested in full nail stamps, skip the Salon Express kit.  I think the stamps would be too small for all but children's nails.

Blue Ombre Nails

This is a blue ombre manicure.  From light to dark:  Wet n Wild Megalast Bird Bath, L'Oreal Now You Sea Me, Sinful Colors Aquamarine, Revlon Colorstay Midnight, and Orly Star of Bombay.  I really liked this manicure.