butter LONDON... Saucy Jack

Hey Everyone... I had to remove that Chocolate Candy Mani and I was in the mood for red, so I picked Saucy Jack from butter LONDON.  I ordered this color along with Queen Vic when Ulta had that BOGO free day about a month ago.  I stayed up til midnight the day before the sale thinking it would start then, but no such luck. I think I woke up around 7-8am and the sale had just started online.  I know they sold out fast, so I got lucky.

This mani consists of:
-zoya anchor basecoat
-3 coats Saucy Jack
-Essie Good to Go! topcoat







OK, so the only other butter LONDON I've tried was Primrose Hill Picnic... which I absolutely loved!!  I had high hopes for today's mani.  I pleased with the final result, but application was a PITA!!!  This formula was too runny for me and way to sheer.  It's not a jelly... it was just..... well.. messy.  I really had to touch this one up A LOT.  I also have a feeling this one is going to stain.  (Hope I'm wrong)

sorry for the finger prints

I'm a bit disappointed in this formula because these polishes cost so much.  At $14 each, you'd almost expect them to apply themselves. :)  I do like the results and I will keep this mani for the weekend.  Hopefully it holds up well.

Do you own any butter LONDONS?  Which is your favorite?  Are they worth $14?

Chocolate Candy Mani... (well, kinda)

I had a perfect picture in my brain of how I wanted this mani to turn out.  It really doesn't look much like the picture :(..  I love doing candy manis.. I think they're so neat.  Some people may call this a "jelly sandwich", but I didn't use a jelly on the bottom AND on the the top.. therefore, it's a candy mani..

This mani was done with:

1 coat OPI- You Don't Know Jaques!
1 coat OPI- Crown Me Already!
1 coat Sonia Kashuk- Chocoholic





I'm smacking myself upside the head because I should have used OPI- Suzi Loves Cowboys as the jelly topcoat!  Ah!  I forgot I had it.  I just got Chocoholic in a swap and it seems like a jelly, but it's just a bit too thick to use in a candy mani/jelly sandwich.

I like the color.. the glitter just doesn't shine through the way I pictured!  Darn!  Oh well, it's kinda pretty.  I'll know better next time.

This is my new favorite cuticle oil.  It's by SpaRitual and you brush the oil right on your nail/cuticle, then gently push back your cuticle with the angle sponge cap.  It smells good, too!!

Tell me about your Candy Manis.   What combo did you use?  Also, I want more jellies. Which are your favorite? :)

Color Club.. "Foil Me Once"

Here's another quick post for you guys.  Yesterday, I applied Foil Me Once by Color Club because it perfectly matched a shirt I was going to wear later last night. ;)  This is my first Color Club.  A friend of mine (thanks Jody) in Florida and I did a swap and I got Color Club's Foiled 6 pack of polish.... they are described as "Molten Metals for your Nails."

 










This manicure is:
Zoya Anchor Base Coat
2 Coats Foil Me Once
Out the Door Topcoat

inside--no flash

inside- with flash

This color is ok.  I think I'll like Hot Like Lava better.. It's a darker pink.  This polish is very easy to apply and I really only needed one coat. Clean-up is a little harder with foils, in my opinion.  The sparkle is just harder to scrape off.  I've had this mani on for over 24 hours and it's holding up really well and I've been doing tons of laundry and housework (which usually causes most polish on my nails to chip or peel.)

Foils really stand out in sunlight or with a flash.  I think the color looks totally different with the flash.  I think a lot of people buy these polish collections at "Ross".  I don't have a Ross around me here in Ohio, but I think TJMaxx may carry them, also.  I've purchased a few Color Clubs online, but I have yet to try them... so look for more posts in the future! :)

Also, this just came today:

China Glaze's Let It Snow Collection! I can't wait to swatch these!!

Green Mani with Zoya Ivanka and Essie Turquoise & Caicos

This green mani was hard for me because I only own like 5 greens.  I really need to branch out and try different colors than my "safe" pinks, reds, and browns.  I have a Konad Stamping Kit with like 6 plates, so I thought I would experiment with that, also.

First up is my favorite Essie... Turquoise & Caicos.  I love this creamy light turquoise.  Essie are my favorite to apply because the brush is so small which makes clean-up a breeze!

This is:
--1 coat Zoya Anchor Basecoat
--2 coats Essie Turquoise & Caicos
--1 coat Out the Door Topcoat

( I probably should have applied 3 coats of T&C as it was a bit runny and streaky)

I wanted to "spice" this manicure up a bit, so I removed the Essie from some fingers and applied Zoya Ivanka.  Zoya is another brand I absolutely love.  I love the bottle shape and the smaller brush.  Zoya's formula is amazing!

Ivanka is sheer, so I probably shouldn't have stamped with it because you can barely see the little green flowers on my thumb and ring finger. (Anyone know a good green for stamping?)

This 4 coats of Ivanka.  Ivanka reminds me of a green Charla (which is a magnificent blue by Zoya)

What's your favorite green polish??

SpaRitual... Sacred Ground

SpaRitual is a brand of polish I discovered over the summer while vacationing in the Outer Banks.  My step-daughter, sister-in-law, and I went for a manicure and the spa we visited carried SpaRitual.  I fell in love with this brand immediately!  This is how SpaRitual describes their products on their facebook page:

"SpaRitual is the enlightened choice for professionals and is sold at the finest spas and salons worldwide.  Dedicated to the environment, SpaRitual offers the only vegan, paraben-free, multipurpose systems of spa treatments for body, hand and foot rituals."

SpaRitual polishes are 3 Free.  Today I am wearing Sacred Ground From their "Wilde" 2011 Fall Collection.

This is:
--1 coat zoya anchor base coat
--2 coats Sacred Ground
--1 coat Out the Door topcoat

This gray based polish consists of small gold and silver glitter.  It was easy to work with and applied evenly.  I thought maybe the glitter would make the polish feel gritty when it dried, but it has a wonderfully smooth finish.  This is another unique polish... If I had to compare it with any of my other polishes, I guess it's kinda close to OPI's "Have you seen my Limo" and "My Private Jet."

My picture-taking skills are improving.. yay!!  I like this last pic the most because you can see the red flag reflecting in the polish... It's a flag that is hung on our front porch for my step-son's football team :) (Go Matt.. Let's win tonight!!)

Learn more about SpaRitual here http://www.sparitual.com/  These polishes retail for $10.

Do you like  Sacred Ground?  What SpaRituals have you tried?  I'm looking forward to buying many many more!!!  Have a great weekend!!

Pedi Post

Yay... TWO posts this week!!  I was due for a pedicure, so... why not share??? :)  Every year around this time, I usually quit polishing my toes.  I "let them breathe" during fall and winter.  No one really sees them this time of year and I get funky white splotches on my big toenails.  I now know "letting your nails breathe" is kinda just a myth.  I think my splotches are from not changing my polish often enough and I've been using cuticle oil a lot more regularly and the spots aren't nearly as bad as they were last year.  (I should have taken some pre-pedi pics so you all could see my nasty naked toes) ewwww.....

Today's pedicure started with a nice soak. (Just in the tub with some Philosophy bubble bath--candy corn scented--yum!)  I love my OPI foot file, my feet are so smooth!

This is:
--Zoya Anchor Basecoat
--2 coats Essie School of Hard Rocks
--China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat

Essie School of Hard Rocks is from their new Cocktail Bling collection. This color is hard for me to describe.. It's a greenish, grayish, blueish cream that could have used one more coat as it was a bit runny. This color is definitely unique.  I really haven't seen anything comparable.

This is a nice fall shade.  Most of my Essies are a cream.  This color would be cute with a bit of a sparkle, but overall.. I do like it.

Here's a close-up of my big toes.  I wish I could have caught this color in the sun, but here in Ohio the sun doesn't pop out too often. :(

I thought this card was cute.. my SIL gave it to me for my birthday last  week  

Finally, Dugan, my nearly 3-year-old Goldendoodle wanted to say "hi."  He thought mommy was crazy for taking pictures of her toes!! 

I heart pink.. Lex Cosmetics "Sassy Pants"

Hi again, Everyone.  I'm trying to do at least one post a week.  I know a lot of you post one a day, but I can't keep up.....plus, I love this mani so much, I'm hoping it lasts for an entire week!!

About a month ago I purchased a groupon deal for Lex Cosmetics.  I believe it was $15 for $30.  These polishes retail for $10 each, so of course I bought 3 polishes and ended up paying for shipping, too.  BUT, it was so worth it!  I absolutely love these polishes.  I just removed "Haggard Life" from my toes which is a deep chocolate brown jelly that is absolutely beautiful.





Today I applied "Sassy Pants."  October is breast cancer awareness month, so this polish was perfect for a nice bright pink manicure.  Lex Cosmetics are "3 Free" and proceeds from every sale go toward a charity.  On www.lexcosmetics.com you can submit a story and a color idea and you may be lucky enough to be chosen to have a polish named after you.  I like these polishes and how this company empowers women.. great idea.  I also used "Out the Door" topcoat for the first time.  I have been reading about it and I know a lot of polish lovers highly recommend it.  I like it.  I wasn't like: "Whoa...this is remarkable", but it's good.  It dried fast and left a nice shine.

This mani consists of:
1 coat of Poshe base coat
                               
2 coats of Sassy Pants
                               
1 coat of Out the Door topcoat

I tried to get some shots outside in the sun.  The forecast called for sun, but it was cloudy and my pictures are a bit blurry.

This pink kinda reminds me of butter London's Primrose Hill Picnic.  Pinks have always been my favorite.  I love pink, I can't help it.  I really like this pink with my skintone.  Some colors look awesome in the bottle, but when they're on, they look blah.  This pink is for cool skintones, in my opinion.  This polish is super easy to apply and I really didn't need 2 coats.  I really do like this creamy yet glossy hot pink!

The only complaint I have with these bottles is the gripper...  It looks so cute, but the black smudged off on my fingers while applying and I couldn't figure out why my fingers were turning black at first .

I own 4 of these polishes, but I will definitely obtain more!  What do you think about Lex Cosmetics?  Do you  own any yet??  Btw:  Happy Columbus Day!!