Orly.. I Love Nails

Hey Everyone!!  Hope you all had a great weekend!!  I was excited to watch the return of The Walking Dead last night!!  Anyone else??

I picked up this mini collection of Orly's I <3 Nails and wanted to share it with you all.  I don't think any of these colors are new.  I think Orly just put them together for a "Valentine's Day Collection."

L to R: Toast the Couple, La Vida Loca, Lift the Veil, and Monroe's Red

Toast the Couple:

Toast the Couple is a peach-y champagne shimmer that totally is not for me.  I'm not a fan of frosty shimmers at all.. ugh.  And, look at the brush strokes-- so streaky!! I used three coats.  Sorry, this one does nothing for me.

La Vida Loca:

La Vida Loca is much more my taste!!  It's so much brighter and pinker in person.  It's almost neon.  I used two coats of this gorgeous fuchsia shimmer in the above two photos.

Lift the Veil:

Lift the Veil is a delicate pink creme that really does remind me of what I wore on my nails for my wedding.  The formula is a bit sheer.  I used three coats.  It's so soft and girly.

Monroe's Red:

Monroe's Red is stunning!  I love most red polishes and this one is no exception.  I love the shiny, almost jelly-like finish of Monroe's Red!  This is a perfect "Valentine's Red."  I used two coats in the above pictures.

Have a wonderful Monday!!  

OPI Euro Centrale Spring/Summer 2013 Part 1

Yay!!  It's Friday!!  Time is flying by so quickly.. just as long as it slows down once spring arrives, I'm fine with that!!  Speaking of spring, I have six beautiful polishes from OPI's Euro Centrale Spring/Summer 2013 Collection to share with you today.  Along with this new collection, I also have some new nubs :(  I had a bad break on my middle fingernail, so I filed them all down.. grrr.  On to the swatches..

You're Such a Budapest:

You're Such a Budapest is a gorgeous sheer periwinkle-purple cream.  I absolutely love this shade!  I did use three coats.  I still consider it a creme, just not as thick as most.  This is a perfect spring color and I see myself using this as a base color for a lot of glitter toppers I own.  :)

Hands Off My Kielbasa!:

Hands Off My Kielbasa! is a peach-y, bronze-y, almost tan-ish color that really isn't for me.  I'm usually not drawn to these colors, but I'm sure many of you are and formula-wise, Hands Off My Kielbasa! was just fine.  I used two coats in the above two pics. (It does have a pretty shimmer).

I Saw.. U Saw.. We Saw..Warsaw:

with top coat

I Saw.. You Saw.. We Saw.. Warsaw (crazy name lol) is a deep blue, almost, but not quite navy cream.  I used two coats in the above photos.  This dried kinda dull, so I added top coat in the second picture and that made a world of difference.  I'm currently wearing this color and I really adore this shade of blue.

Oy-Another Polish Joke!:

Oy-Another Polish Joke! is a yellow-gold shimmer.  My camera wigged out with this one, especially in direct sunlight, but I was able to capture it's true color.  The formula is thin, but I think it's supposed to be.. so you can wear Oy-Another Polish Joke! as a topper over a darker color.  I used three coats in the above pictures and you can still see some VNL, but I still like this color none-the-less.

Polka.Com:

Polka.Com contains light blue, hot pink, and teal hex glitter, along with some micro glitter in a clear base.  The formula with Polka.Com was fantastic!!  You all know I'm an indie-lover and own tons of glitter toppers, so I was leery as to the quality of Polka.Com, but not to worry-- it's great!!  I used one flawless coat over You're Such A Budapest followed by top coat.

Suzi's Hungary Again!:

I'm in love with Suzi's Hungary Again!!  I'll admit, my first thought was: "This reminds me of Strawberry Margarita."  I'll have to grab my bottle and compare the two.  This is such a gorgeous warm-toned pink with just a hint of peach and very subtle shimmer.  Suzi's Hungary Again! has a great formula.  I used two coats.

**There you have my first six swatches of OPI's Euro Centrale Collection.  I'll be back soon with the remaining six.  My personal favorites out of these are:  Suzi's Hungary Again!, You're Such a Budapest, and Polka.Com (in that order).  Spring Collections are always my favorite because they're usually the most diverse..  just like the various shades in this collection! :)**

Euro Centrale Collection nail lacquer shades contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and each includes OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application.

Euro Centrale by OPI will be available February 6, 2013, at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer.  

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

--OPI Polishes were sent for review

Happy 1st birthday to GlitterDaze!!

GlitterDaze is turning 1 and in honor of their first birthday, they've released a Limited Edition polish called Birthday Cupcake.  This polish will only be available 2/7-3/7/2013.

Happy Birthday GlitterDaze!!  Here are some pics of Birthday Cupcake:

Birthday Cupcake has a translucent milky white base that contains tons of sugary shimmer, pink hex glitters, purple shards, and a few silver holographic stars.  I used two coats of Birthday Cupcake over a white cream in the above pictures.  The stars aren't shinning as brightly as I'd like, but you can see the two on my ring finger pretty clearly.  Maybe they'd be a bit more noticeable had I layered Birthday Cupcake over a darker base.  The purple and pink together are perfect for a: birthday polish, Valentine's polish, or a Spring polish!! :)

**This polish is available at www.glitterdazenp.com (where you get reward points for creating an account)  They are $11 for full size and $6 for minis.

**Other useful links for GlitterDaze:

-Follow on facebook

-instagram: @glitterdaze

-twitter: @glitterdazenp

-Follow on Pinterest

**GlitterDaze also has two international stockists:

Mei Mei's Signatures (ships worldwide except Italy)

ledouxnuage.com (based in France and ships to most of Europe)

--This polish was sent for review

KBShimmer Spring 2013

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!  All these blog posts about spring have me in a great mood!!  This post includes three new polishes and a top coat from KBShimmer's Spring 2013 line.

Each of these polishes is topped off with KBShimmer's own top coat called "Clearly On Top."  I really love this topcoat and highly recommend it to top-off any manicure.  Here is a direct link to both sizes of Clearly On Top..15ml bottle is $5 and 7ml bottle is $3.  Great prices!!

Squared Away:

Oh, how I just love square glitter!!  Squared Away (cute name) is full of squares in various colors including metallics and holos in a clear base.  I layered just one perfect coat over China Glaze Dance Baby in the above three pictures.  I love the added shimmer in Squared Away, but I'm obsessed with the holo squares--they're stunning!!  (This mani is topped off with Clearly on Top).

I Got A Crush On Blue:

Holy Cow, this polish is AMAZING!!  I Got A Crush On Blue (another cute name) is a royal blue jelly with silver holo hex glitters ranging in size from small to extra large.  The formula was great.  With the first coat, I painted I Got A Crush On Blue like normal, but I dabbed the polish on a bit thicker with the second coat and maneuvered the glitters to the area I wanted each one.  I know some of you don't care for large glitter, but I really love the extra large hex glitter the most!  And, just look at that holo shine!  We didn't even have sun when I swatched this and it's still stunning!!  LOVE this one.  (One thick coat of Clearly On Top was applied).

Iris My Case:

Iris My Case is the third and final polish (with a clever name) from KBShimmer I have to share with you today.  It's a crelly!!  Yay!!  Iris My Case is a beautiful pastel purple crelly with pink, white, silver and blue glitters.  This is a smooth and subtle glitter and I just love this one too.  The formula was wonderful-- not too thick, not too thin-- just right!!  I used two coats in the above three photos and topped it off with Clearly On Top.

**I love all three polishes (and top coat) that were generously sent to me for review and I look forward to purchasing a few more when they become available on Feb. 15th!! (especially A Dot Mess, Where My Peeps At, and Lottie Dottie) Here is a direct link to all of the upcoming Spring Colors.

**KBShimmer  doesn't just carry polish.  I have some of their lip balms and lotion and absolutely love them, so take a look at everything they have to offer here at KBShimmer.com.

**If you prefer to shop via Etsy, here is KBShimmer's link.

**Also, be sure to like KBShimmer on facebook here.

--KBShimmer Polishes were sent for review

Joby Nail Art Stickers + a Giveaway

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!  I have a quick post today that features Joby Nail Art Stickers AND a giveaway! 

"Whether your preference is fun and funky with glitter nail art, gold nail art or flower nail art, or a bit more modest, Joby is sure to have something for your style.  Joby offers free shipping on all domestic orders"

I was sent these cute stickers with butterflies, cherries and cherry blossoms:

These stickers are so easy to use.  Just choose a base color, (I chose Cult Nails Manipulative).  After the base color is completely dry, I used tweezers to place each sticker, gently pressed each one to make sure it had completely adhered to my nail, then added a quick coat of top coat.  EASY SCHMEASY!!  These stickers are perfect for me right now because I cannot wait til springtime!!

**The stickers I've shown you are available HERE for only $2.99!  Plus, they have tons of other styles to choose from!!

**You can also like JOBY NAIL ART HERE on facebook

--Joby Nail Art Stickers were sent for review

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Here is a picture of the extra sheet of stickers I received to use in a giveaway:

Aww, cute doggies!!  To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is like Joby Nail Art on facebook and provide a valid email address.  Just submit your entries in the Rafflecopter widget below.

  This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY!  You must be at least 18 to enter. Please only enter once --duplicate entries will be eliminated. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.

This giveaway will end on 2/11 at 12:00 am EST.  Please check the time remaining on the rafflecopter widget below..

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spring Fever Water Marble

Hey Guys... Just a quick weekend post of a water marble I did earlier this week when I was really wishing spring was here!!  Who am I kidding, I'm constantly wishing for spring..  Maybe it WILL come early this year since that goofy groundhog saw his shadow, or didn't see his shadow. (I forget which one means spring is near lol).

Spring Fever Water Marble:

 

I really like how this marble turned out except for the darn bubbles!!  I used all OPI once again--  Alpine Snow, A Grape Fit, If You Moust You Moust, and Green-wich Village.

Enjoy your weekend!!!

Some more from The Polish Bar AND a Giveaway!!

Happy Friday (and Happy February) Everyone!!  How about starting off the weekend with some gorgeous indies AND a giveaway??!!  Sounds good to me!!  Once again I have teamed up with Janice from The Polish Bar!  I have three colors to share with you AND a GIVEAWAY that features a full-sized bottle of each of the polishes I'm swatching!!  Yay!!  Janice is such a generous lady!! :)  

First up is the polishes, then on to the giveaway at the bottom of this post..

Satellite:

Satellite is a holo-lovers' dream!!  It has a gorgeous pink jelly base packed full of holo glitters in: turquoise, magenta, lime and silver!!  I'm sure you could wear Satellite on it's own with a few coats, but I chose to layer it over OPI All That Razz-berry (one of my favorite OPIs).  I added a coat of top coat and everything was smooth and shiny!!  So pretty!!

By Starlight:

By Starlight is a hodgepodge of glitter in various sizes, shapes, and colors in a clear base.  It's a major glitter-bomb and it's so much fun!!  I love the occasional silver star and I love this polish layered over China Glaze Papaya Punch!  This polish would look great over so many bright or pastel colors-- I do love a versatile polish!! ;)  Only one coat of Starlight was used in the above three photos followed by top coat.

Love Song:

Love Song is so perfect for a Valentine's Day Polish!!  It is made up of mostly lavender glitters, with some rainbow hex and a few matte purple hearts all in a clear base.  I used one generous coat of Love Song (the dab and drag method) over OPI Black Onyx followed by topcoat.  I love how the random various colors pop out against the black!!  So cute!!  I think I'll try it over bubble gum pink next!!

**These polishes, along with many others are on sale now HERE on Etsy!

**Also, be sure to like The Polish Bar HERE on facebook!

--The Polish Bar Polishes were sent for review

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Now for the giveaway!! There will be one lucky winner!!  Enter below to win three (3) full sized polishes of each of the colors I've shared with you above-- Satellite, By Starlight, and Love Song!! 

L to R- Satellite, By Starlight, and Love Song

How do you enter?? Please allow the rafflecopter widget load below.  You must be a GFC Follower of Captivating Claws, provide a valid email address (to contact the winner), and like The Polish bar on facebook .  This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY!  You must be at least 18 to enter. Please only enter once --duplicate entries will be eliminated. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.

--A special thanks goes out to Janice at The Polish Bar for donating these polishes.

This giveaway will end on 2/10 at 12:00 am EST.  Please check the time remaining on the rafflecopter widget below..

a Rafflecopter giveaway