February Nail Art Challenge 2014

Hey Gals! So this Month I encourage you to join me in this months nail challenge over on

INSTAGRAM!

Bad Bitch Polish Review and How to Apply Glitter Polish

Hey Gals!!!

Are you a Bad Bitch???

I know I am!!

Brittany ( the maker of BBP) got into polish making because she was tired of commercial brands chipping and wearing on her nails. She sent me two bottles to wear, review and share with you lovely ladies!

My polishes came in a brown box with packing peanuts. They were tucked away safe in their own classy vessel sealed with a BBP seal <3

How swoon worthy is this packaging?!


And don't worry the ribbon slide off the bottom so you can open your polish without damaging the wax seal! Im a weirdo and definitely will be storing mine in the package next to my rack :D

The labels are clear, and the polish is 3 free, vegan, cruelty free and pet safe!

On the left is Cupids arrow and it is a creamy almost neon pink!
To the right is Puppy Love. It is a reddish pink jelly with white hex glitter and tiny circle pink glitter. The tiny pink glitters do make a slight texture. I love texture polish but if your not a fan, one thin top coat makes it all smooth.

I have to say I am VERY impressed with wear time! I wore puppy love for 6 days and there was no wear! Ive worn Cupids arrow for 3 days and also no chips!

Here is Cupids Arrow outdoors:

 and indoors:

This is a comparison of Puppy love and cupids arrow on the same nail. The top one is with a glossy topcoat and the bottom finger shows them with matte :

Here is Puppy Love:

Heres a video I made that shows some tips on how to apply glitter polish :
(warning there is an intro clip with the word bitch for my at work/ mommy readers)

Brittany has been so kind as to offer 10% discount code off her store with the code: NAILOFATALE

Its only good through March 2nd!

Have you tried BBP? If not you need to!

Stamping 201

Hey Gals!!!

Since I got so much love and support from stamping 101 I decided to make it a series! 

201 is about stamping decals! We all know stamping in one color can produce amazing results. 

But some stamps need more than one color. 

The darling Jess over at LuvMyLacquer  did an AMAZING photo tutorial and was sweet enough to allow me to share:

And heres a lil video I made to show the process in action :

Some tips to remember:

-Be patient! This is a learned skill and honestly it will take some time.

-make sure you clean your nail and stamping plates well so that theres no residue.

- You can use acrylics to paint the stamp.

-make sure your polish is completely dry on the stamp before attempting to remove it.

- don't hesitate to ask any questions :D

Lost? Check out Stamping 101

GLAM BOXES LLC January 2014

Hey Gals!

I got home Friday to see this LOVERLY red box at my doorstep!

Its GLAM BOX time!!!

I did an unboxing video so you can see item for item and how beautifully the whole box was packaged.

I promise I will try my best to not go into too much detail of why each featured company is so unique and amazing. I have a special adoration for anything handmade because :

So like I said I will behave and only just talk about the items and my thoughts on the product and the links so YOU can go see how awesome they are! :D

First up is:
Body Of Royalty's Lipstick in JetSetter

This is incredibly creamy and the color pay off is great! I love how its red but orange ! I was just reading how orange is up-trending on celebrities lately! I will certainly be using this.

Next is from Big Bear Soap Company :

It smells heavenly! Its a mix of a tea tree/ minty smell! Its a mix of loofah and soap. It is anti-fungal and anti bacterial. No preservatives! I am a pedi product nut! So this was a huge hit for me! This can also be used to exfoliate the elbows too!

Third is from Krista's Candles:

These are Gardenia Wax tarts. They really do smell like a blooming gardenia plant!

Fourth we have two soy tea lights from Simple Aromas:

Funny thing is I was trying to figure out the scent. All I could smell was my coffee! The scent is *wait for it*  HAZELNUT COFFEE!

The overall Theme is Star Struck and in this adorable little mesh back covered in stars is:

A sample of Bergemot Tea from Soaplandia and a coupon code for 20% off :D awhhhhh yeah!

Rose Garden Lotion Sample from Mineral Fountain

Radiant Island Citrus Exfoliating Scrub from HazelBrooke

Lastly is the Vetiver Aromatics Pocket Perfume Kit-

 Now... this is almost uncanny! I was just at the mall today and I was thinking I wanted to formulate my own scent! There also has been some chatter about making your own perfume on one of the beauty groups I'm in. Needless to say I am through the roof excited about this! It is so tiny and so cute and I can not wait to see what I can come up with!

I did an unboxing video here if you are interested :D

You will notice there is a darling Star Chocolate Pop from: 

Sadly it suffered a fatality! It was there for the video last night but this morning it was completely gone. The kids think they might have "lost" it So no photo (sorry) but it was adorable! 

To sum it all up this box is a huge hit! Everything in it was perfect for me and I cant wait to see whats in store for February! 

For signup and referral info :

And here is the info for shipping/ cut off dates:

 Shipping to U.S. - $4.95

Canada - $10.00 - (Includes International Shipping Costs)

Cutoff for new orders is on the 9th of each month.

Orders placed after the 9th, will receive their boxes the following month

Billing is on the 10th of each month for SUBSCRIBERS only. 

Shipping begins on the 15th of each month. 

To sign up CLICK HERE

*When you take your Glam Quiz Don't forget to say who sent ya ;)*

As always thoughts comments and questions are always welcome!!!!

Royal Lacquers Shrinking Violets

Hey Gals!

Today i have an insanely gorgeous polish to show you!

Shrinking Violets is a purple Jelly base with holo and black hex and circle glitters! 

Of course today was overcast and yucky outside all for about 10 minutes. I did manage to get a few decent shots on my iPhone. 

This is two coats and a topcoat. Can you believe how pretty this is?! Some people just truly have a magic about them when it comes to making polish and Tiffany is one of them!

On my accent nail I used Don't Harp on It by Color Club, and Royal Lacquers Vynails as a stencil.
I will be honest I did struggle with it. I've never done a tape or stencil mani before. The first two times everything peeled off :(  *cries*

But I didn't give up! I went to my experts ( the gals over at Indie Polish Talk/Swap group.)

I learned three important tips :
1 - Take the sticky off the Vynail or tape. Stick it to your palm a few times or your shirt!
2 - Use a quick dry top coat and let it dry completely before applying the tape/ Vynail
3 - remove tape /Vynail immediately after painting . Do not wait to dry. 

Next time I will make a video :D
What do you think? Are you loving Royal Lacquers as much as I am?? 
Have you tried a tape mani yet?

No buy/ Low Buy 2014

Hey Gals!

So It has come to my attention that my polish collection has reached just over 100 bottles.

I inventoried it all here if you are curious!!

Now 100 isn't really huge by any means. However half of my Juleps haven't even been used once ( i find myself reaching for the same ones over and over)... I haven't used any of the miss candy collection ( That i scored for a whopping 16 dollars shipped for the entire collection brand new *squeeee*)

Point is I am lusting over upcoming launches when I haven't even tried out what I previously lusted after!

To top that I also just got 30 solid gel/shellac polishes and 12 glitter shellacs!

I canceled my IPSY because I have an organizer full of unused/untried makeup and my family hooked me up with Ulta for Christmas.

So i am putting myself on a no buy with exceptions!

No buy Polish

No Buy make up unless to replace empties that are used daily. ( ie cleanser, concealer)

**Exceptions**


Exception one:
Enchanted Polish restocks. (I only have one and this particular brand is hard to get at a fair price after restock) limit 2 colors per restock. Also I commit to only buying colors that wow me. 

Exception Two:
I will take one more Julep box and spend out all my points(jules) then I will cancel it. Julep is what got me into polishes and I love Julep! But with half of them untried I can't continue to take boxes with repeat/ similar colors.  Okay this one get to change a little bit. Julep announced that new subs will have to 'earn' a skip. Since I am "grandmothered" in I will stay subbed but I will mostly be skipping.

Exception Three:
I can swap/trade existing polishes for polishes on my ISO here

Exception Four:
I can spend the $25 plus shipping for the Valentines Swap group I am part of :D

Exception Five:
Previous blogger Commitments- I promised to do reviews for makers in Jan/Feb. Some of them ask for shipping and other offer  discounts. I will follow through on those (and try not to let my Lust get the better of me while shopping :p)

This will last until April. Then I will re-evaluate the plan :D

What about you lovely ladies? Are you culling the herd of polishes/ makeup/ sub boxes??

Have you inventoried your pretties yet? Id love to see! Drop a comment in the box below :D

Stamping 101

Hey Gals!

Mail has been slow as of late so I thought I would take the time during this lull to address some FAQS in stamping!

I've seen this asked many times over :

How do I start stamping?

What is a good beginners stamping kit?

What do I need to start stamping?


In all honesty there is no "right" set or paint to use/buy. Ive seen videos of people using polish, acrylic paint, water color and tacky glue! Everyone is different you just have to find what works best for you.

You need :

1.) a Base / Stamping color. Polish remover and cotton ball/qtip

* The easiest stamping colors for me are Konad, Mentality, and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

* A lint roller is also a great idea to use for cleaning off the stamper! (It sticks to the table too, so be sure thats okay for the surface you are working with!)


2.) A rubber Stamper

* the squishier the better. I personally struggle with Salon expressions stamper. I find Konad's the best for me. 
* I also have read that some stampers need to be primed. this means lightly filing it to take the shine off ( like you would for gel nails)

3.) A scraper.

* my favorite is a disney ticket. Its a plastic card with Mickey on it and it reminds me of our recent trip to disney :D It also is the perfect thickness. 
* I have found the metal scrapers do damage some of the  plates over time. Also some of the plastic scrapers break down when wiped with acetone over time. 

4.) A plate.

* when searching for your first plate pick something simple. Basic solid shapes ( circles, stars, squares, ovals ect) will be the easiest to start with. )

5.) Patience / time!

* stamping is a skill. Just like any other skill it will take time! It can be very frustrating until you find your knack. 
*The best way to practice is right before you take your mani off try stamping over it. That way you can practice what works for you as opposed to trying to make a picture perfect mani! 

I also want to note that its important not to invest too much money in the beginning. Ebay has many cheap sets (plates as low as 99 cents) and so does Walmart/ Walgreens/ CVS. I started out with a $10 Konad set at a mall kiosk.

Here are a few of the most recommended sets :

I saw this one at Walmart:

This was my first set:

 This is the as seen on TV set. I really like the basic plates but the stamper/ scraper was a bummer for me. 

  


Okay you have all your supplies now what?! 

If you want to see it in action, heres a video! Forgive me it does go over what you need so feel free to skip ahead if you don't want to go back over that!

I do hope you learned a bit about stamping! Post any questions or comments you may have! I'll be doing a decal/ multi colored stamping tutorial soon :D


Want to know more? Stamping 201

Square Hue London Collection Jan 1 2014

Hey Gals!!

So I am looking to start the new year with a new Polish sub. I love my Juleps but I think its time to see what else is out there!

I was browsing my  Instagram and I saw a code for a try SquareHue free. I figured Why not?

I was charged 5 even for shipping and a box was at my door 4 days later (3 if you don't count New Years)

The unique thing about Square Hue is there is no customization, no previews, and no sneak peek. You get what you get! I do see that they do offer up the theme of the next months box and that is about it. If you head over to SquareHue they have a lookbook. It has the polishes grouped with photos that inspired it. Im not sure what it is but this is so visually delicious to me I am hypnotized!

These polishes are also 5 free and made in the USA. If thats not enough, they also support some pretty steep causes. Right now they are focused on human trafficking. This is a huge issue and i was really surprised that this is a priority of their company!

The box is small, simple and understated. I love it!!! 

I was looking for a creme off white and this is EXACTLY what I was looking for! The formula is a bit on the thin side but not in a bad way. As I am a dainty painter this would be a 2-3 coats for opaque on the glosses and 1-2 on the blue shimmer. 

I tried to introduce some light to my photos since there is still no sun x.x 

So the Burgundy color is looking really red here. Birmingham is definitely more of a deep orchid/ Burgundy color. The blue is very deep and shimmery and again the off white creme is just perfect!




I really dig that they make one thing- polish and they do it well! I also really appreciate the labels have the collection month and year on them!

I was really impressed with this box overall and will be getting next months!