Sally Hansen Nude Now

I have been trying to find a good nude/neutral nail polish lately and have found that it's not as simple as holding it up to your skin and seeing if it will work. What you get in the bottle isn't necessarily what you will get on the nail: skin tone can change the tone of the polish and that can be a positive or negative thing, depending on the shade. Anyway, after all that rambling, check out Sally Hansen's Nude Now.

Sally Hansen Nude Now

3 coats, no topcoat

I found this polish to be good for application although a little thin. I would classify the finish as a jelly/crème and after 3 coats I could still see VNL, however I wasn't too bothered by it because I expected it with that type of finish. Overall, this polish made my hands turn a weird orange colour and made them look "dirty" (do you know what I mean?) so I wasn't a huge fan.

What is your go-to nude polish colour?

2012 Challenge: Icing "Secret Stash" French Mani

Happy Sunday! Today I have a mani that I wore for all of 5 hours before cringing one too many times and literally scraping it off my nails. (Terrible, I know.) The second 2012 Challenge mani I have for you is a french tip mani. I don't usually like the traditional french tip so I made it my own and used pink and black. 

Secret Stash, 2 coats

I will admit, I hate the nail sticker and rhinestones. I thought it would jazz things up but I ended up hating the result. I was literally running out the door after taking the last photo and didn't have the option of taking it off. Anyway, by the time I was heading back home half the mani was destroyed by yours truly. I picked the stones and stickers off and was scraping the black tips off. I used the Two-Way Nail Art Polishes and let me just say it: they are terrible. They dry horribly and it's possible to scrape the polish off even 3 hours after applied, even with a nice coat of SV on top. I'm disgusted.

Onto the good parts of this mani. Icing Secret Stash is the most perfect pink polish. It is so vivid - it's what I think of when I think quintessential pink. The second good part was the I free-handed the black tips and I feel like I did a relatively good job, considering how goopy and messy this nail striping polish is. I wanted a really thin black line but because of the terrible consistency of the polish I had to make it slightly wider than I had wanted. Oh well, for 5 hours of wear, I can deal.

[EDIT: I would classify this polish as a jelly crème consistency. Thanks to StephanieLouise who asked me that in the comments - I forgot to mention it! I consider the jelly crème to be another good thing about this mani - it's a great finish!]

Black tip french mani - they're still on my "cool" list. Are they on yours?

I'm Back! (Forgive Me?)

Wow, I feel like I should re-introduce myself. It's been far too long and for that, I apologize. (Which is sad considering my last/previous post was an apology.)

Summer where I live lasts a very short time and I will blame good weather for my absence. ;)

Just a quick update on the status of my Blogroll. I am continuing to get emails from everyone, which is fantastic, however I overlooked something when creating the little "fill out form". If you could send me your GFC Username that would make things so much easier for me. :) If you don't see your blog in my blogroll send me another email with your GFC and I will make sure you are added!

Now, I hope I don't make your eyes bleed with my current mani, but I thought you deserved to see the state of my nails after such a long time away. I haven't been pampering them as usual and you will be witness to that neglect should you decide to risk it. (Ever the drama-queen, hah.)

Essie Too Too Hot, 2 coats in all it's chipped glory. (Inside)

(Outside) Nothing better than some moderate chipping and tip wear, not to mention my ghastly cuticles. AAK!

Ouch, right? Haha. Everything about my nails is one big hot mess, hence the polish choice. (Essie -Too Too Hot) Today is day 3 for wear and although I used my lovely Seche Vite they still look like they've taken a run through the mill.

Alright folks, one last thing. I have to admit, taking my hiatus this summer has been very *gasp* enjoyable. Yes, I felt horrible that I couldn't quite muster the energy to post daily or even weekly, but it did put things into perspective. I was literally spending a minimum of 2+ hours PER DAY on blogging. (Prepping, polishing, drying, clean-up, photographing, editing, writing, posting, replying, etc.) It drained my energy and my enthusiasm.

That said, daily mani posts are probably going to be a thing of the past. All I can say is that you can expect a Blue Monday, Pink Wednesday and one other mani a week. I think that is a very reasonable posting expectation.

*Whew* That was a lot. I hope you're still sticking with me! I have plenty of idea's for future posts.

I'm out of the loop, how has your summer been AND what was your most worn summer polish shade?

Pink Wednesday: Essie 'My Place or Yours"

Good morning & Happy Pink Wednesday. I don't have a new mani to show you today (and like I said last week, I hope this still counts ...) I couldn't bear to take off Pucci-licious, it's just too pretty. These photo's were taken about 3 weeks ago and under an overcast sky. We have gotten such a little amount of sun this Spring, it feels like Winter. I think my retina's will burn if I ever see that glowing orb in the sky again. ACK!

Essie "My Place or Yours" (2 thick coats)
SV Top Coat (1 coat)

This polish is slightly more pink than what it is showing on my nails.

'My Place or Yours' is a coral-based pink and it took 2 thick coats for opacity. I probably should have done 3 thinner coats, but I'll deal. I find this colour quite flattering: these pictures really don't do it the justice it deserves. I'm not much of a pink-wearer but the day I wore this I was also wearing a new top I purchased in almost the exact shade, maybe slightly brighter. I felt awesome. Strange, considering I wear neutrals 85% of the time. (Mostly black, gray and white ... some say boring, I say classic.)

Do you colour coordinate based on your outfit and/or accessories? Let me know!

PS: I just created two new pages: my wishlist and my nail polish collection - go check 'em out if that sort of thing interests you!

Thanks for reading. :)