Diamond Cosmetics - Tira-Mi-Su

Application: Smooth - as usual. I love their formula!
Coats: 2
Source: Diamond Cosmetics
Comments: I wasn't planning to wear this color, but I had the swatched tip out as I haven't put a bunch of them away yet, and every time I saw it, I wanted it. So, I broke my current cycle of trying to hit one color in each brand to wear this. I love it! Love the name, and the color just looks so yummy! On my ring finger and thumb, I did some simple nail art. The base I used there is also Diamond Cosmetics - Like Satin. A color that is currently in their clearance section for $1, it's a milky off-white that worked for this purpose. Two coats here.

Love & Beauty - Light Yellow

Application: Ghastly! All due to the hideous brush.
Coats: 3
Source: Forever 21
Comments: My hubby stopped in the store to get a gift certificate for one of our nieces, and I noticed they had nail polish. I grabbed 5 and took them to the register, where he proceeded to remove two colors he didn't think would look good on me. No problem, he was paying for them! He picked this one for me to wear first. It's a beautiful yellow, but the brush made application a nightmare! Definitely needs 3 coats.

Revlon Dark Pleasures - Talk Dirty

Application: Smooth
Coats: 2
Source: 99 cent only stores
Comments: I found these at the 99 cent store earlier in the year and couldn't believe they were there! I never saw these in drugstores, so i have no idea how old they are.  I dug through to find all the colors they had, and this is the one I decided to try first. It's a dark base with an olive shimmer to it. Very pretty. Funnily enough, it reminds me of my layering experiment in this post where I put SH Baroque Frost over Tropez Black Satin. I'm excited to try the others now as they don't all have a dark base. Anyone else find any of these?

Cover Girl NailSlicks - Espresso

** Thanks for the comments on my new blog layout! I just took advantage of the new blogger design feature. I'm surprised so many of you noticed. I use reader to keep up with my fave blogs, so I only see page layouts when I go to comment on someone's post. **
Application: Smooth
Coats: 2
Source: Old stash. Another oldie but goody. Whenever I use the term "old stash", it means I've probably had this for over 5 years, so I have no clue where I bought it - probably a drugstore.
Comments: For something so old, this went on really smoothly. I really like the shimmer in the color. It's a great work-appropriate shade.

Outside in sun:

Jordana - Smoke

Application: Smooth.
Coats: 2

Source: Old stash. Can't remember when I got it.

Comments: This really would have been fine at one coat (as advertised on the bottle). Its name really is accurate. There is so much visual texture in this, yet the formula itself is thick but smooth.

Next two photos with flash.

Salvaging the bubbly manicure

Two words: HIDDEN TREASURE

Kleancolor - Neon Aqua

Application: Brush was a little wonky, otherwise fine.
Coats: 2
Source: Kiosk in downtown LA Fashion District
Comments: I love this color and decided to wear it with two similar colors:  Sally Girl - Surfs Up and Sally Hansen - Blue Me Away!. Taking photos was frustrating because my camera would not capture the intensity of these colors. Even more frustrating was the shoddy topcoat I used before Seche Vite. Bubbles Galore!

From L to R: Surfs Up;  Neon Aqua;  Blue Me Away!;  Neon Aqua

Ooh, my scrubby tubs are in the background...

Supplies. Beware of that topcoat. I think it might only be good over completely dry polish - so I'll maybe use it to refresh a mani on the second day. Or not. We'll see.

Bubblicious.

China Glaze - 2Nite

Application: First coat was horrid! Going over the same spot twice would remove the existing polish. Dried quickly though, and second coat went on smoothly.
Coats: 3 (one more than I'd like, but worth it)
Source: Victoria Nail Supply
Comments: I gifted myself the rest of the China Glaze OMG collection for my birthday, although I couldn't get DV8 as it was out of stock. I previously only had OMG. What fun! I like holographic polishes. This one is no exception, and it still looks like a great color when the light isn't hitting it.





Two days later, the mani still looks great, so I don't want to take it off, but I do need a change. So I pulled two more colors from the collection and did quick tips with them. My left hand has BFF on the tips, and my right has QT.



The right hand (not used to modeling)

China Glaze BFF and QT. These will also get their time to shine at some point.

Just Nails

Chi-Chi from The Phalanges Files asked how I take care of my nails. That's a tough question for me because I don't do the same thing all the time. Here's a few of the constants in my nail care regime:

1. I always have my nails polished. Leaving them bare for more than a day is extremely rare. If I have no time, it's just the quick base coat - as pictured above.
2. Every hand washing episode is followed by the application of lotion, which includes making sure I massage some lotion into my cuticles. Yes, this means I have a bottle of lotion at my desk at work.
   
3. I always use a base coat - but I have so many and just randomly pick one usually. For example, the base on my current mani (China Glaze 2Nite) is a nail hardener that I got last week as part of a set of 9 polishes by Elle LDL. Lately I've been alternating between Sally Hansen Nail Quencher and an old one from my college days that I'm trying to use up.
   
4. I used to use pure acetone to take off my polish. I recently switched to using two scrubby tubs - one for each hand. It's faster, and I don't have to bother with cotton balls. In both cases I follow up immediately with a hand wash and lotion.
5. I do take prenatal vitamins and 2000mg of Biotin everyday. However, I've never been a regular pill taker, so there are days I forget to take them.

I can't think of anything else I do regularly. I file when I need to, clean up my cuticles when I need to (maybe not as much as I should, but I'm comfortable with that). Does this help? Let me know if you have more specific questions or need photos please.

LA Colors - Mega Watt

Application: Smooth
Coats: 3
Source: Dollar Tree
Comments: This color didn't look sheer in the bottle, but it was. I forgive it though, because it's a pretty nude color with subtle shimmer that I like on me. The bottle's so cute - like a medium sized OPI. This would be a great color for french manicures.


See the shimmer?


No? Okay, here's a pic with flash.
In lighting from the late evening.

And you know I had to do something with it, right? I put Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure on my ring fingers and thumbs. I think next time I want to wear this I'll put HT over it on all my nails.