31DC2013 Day 6 - Violet Nails

Hello Lacquer Luvers! I'll be catching up on my Day 6 & 7 nails today. I really love the way my Violet Nails turned out so let's just get to it!

Reaching for my untrieds again, I grabbed Illamasqua Jo'Mina. Jo'Mina is described as an electric lilac. She is bright, creamy, and absolutely glorious. Application was dreamy..seriously. I had no clean up to do when applying this beauty and she was completely opaque in two easy coats. Love!

I applied Cult Nails Tempest to my index, pinky, and thumb. Tempest is my most favorite white. It's a true one coater and if you do your nails often you know how hard that is to come across with white! Now that my base colors were down, it was time for nail art. 

My violet skittlette is a mix of stamping and striping tape nail art. I used striping tape and Jo'Mina to create the diagonal lunes on my pinky and stamped the rest of my nails as follows: ring finger - Pueen27, middle finger - Konad M79, index finger - Konad M78, thumb - Konad M79 (not pictured but it's the polka dot image on that plate). For the stamping I used Konad Special Stamping Polish in White & Illamasqua Jo'Mina mixed with KleanColor True Purple. I used a very old pink shimmery sheer polish by Jordana called Girls Night Out over all of my nails. My manicure was complete with a coat of HKGIRL topcoat.

I purchased a few Illamasqua polishes a few months ago and cannot wait to try the rest now that I've tried Jo'Mina and fell in love with her. I wish I could find more bottles of Girls Night Out or something similar. If you know of a dupe please please please let me know in the comments below. As always, I hope you all enjoyed this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing my next post with you, xo!

~Jessica

Funky Leopard Friday!

Hello Lacquer Luvers! I hope everyone has had a fantastic week and you guys are looking forward to an awesome weekend. I personally haven't been feeling too well this week. I've had a horrible bit with teeth pain and nausea as well as not getting much sleep because I'm so uncomfortable but this will all be over in a few weeks! I needed to do something to perk me up and did this awesome design on my nails last night. I couldn't wait to share it with you guys. Are you ready?

The above photos were taken with my phone last night. The colors aren't as accurate as the below photos (which were taken this morning) but I hope you like the collage/tutorial I created for you! This manicure began with a base of Essie Grow Faster. I applied two coats of Zoya Kieko to my pinky, middle and thumb nails & two coats of Zoya Wednesday to my ring and index nails.

I used my Konad Special Stamping Polish in black along with Konad M57 image plate for the leopard print design. A dotting tool was dipped into Kieko and Wednesday to fill in some of the spaces of the print (I only did this to the left sides of my nails since I knew I would be covering the right side in black). I used Scotch tape and applied it to the left side of my nails and then applied one coat of Bettina Onix to the right side. This manicure was topped off with a coat of Essie Good To Go topcoat.

Leopard print never gets old to me and I love how it's so versatile. I love this color combination and guess what? The Zoya Fairies did, too! I shared pics from the first collage on my Instagram account (username: luvmylacquer) & they complimented the combo. That might not be a big deal to some people but in my little nail polish filled world it totally made my night! What do you guys think of this combo? Is it something you would wear? As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing my next post with you, xo!

~Jessica

Happy (belated) 4th of July!

Hello Lacquer Luvers! I hope everyone had a fantastically fun and SAFE holiday yesterday! I created an awesome patriotic mani to share with you but did not have time to edit pictures and get a post up because yesterday was spent cooking a few dishes and getting my troop ready to celebrate at my mother-in-law's bbq. So I'm sorry for the late post but I love my mani so much I wanted to share with you guys regardless of it being late.

My manicure began with a base of Milani Smoothe Base Coat. I applied two coats of Zoya Snow White to all of my nails except my ring finger. Snow White can best be described as "A pure white creme that's as clean and bright as freshly-fallen snow. The perfect French manicure shade." Next I applied one coat of Zoya Snowsicle. Snowsicle can best be described as "A sheer veil of sparkling, snowy white with iridescent glitter. Adds a glistening icy look to any color or French manicure."

Next I used Zoya polishes in Yummy & America along with Konad plate M70 for the squiggly design. I first stamped it on using America, which can best be described as "Bright, bold, medium retro tomato-red creme. This unique red screams retro pin-up girl glamour." I rotated the stamp so that the image wouldn't overlap then repeated it with Yummy, which can best be described as "Bright, cheerful light robin's egg blue in a milky creme finish. A sweet sky-blue that pops on both deep and pale skin tones. "

For my accent nail, I used Scotch tape and applied one coat of Yummy. I then put the tape over Yummy once it was dry and painted the rest of the nail in America. I used Cheeky image plates CH6 for the stripes and CH26 for the stars along with Konad Special Stamping Polish in white. I topped this manicure with one coat of Color Club's top coat.

Macro shot so that you can see the sparklies from Snowsicle =)

L-R: Snow White, Snowsicle, America, Yummy

I got lots of compliments on my mani yesterday and was even able to get the word out on the awesomeness that is Zoya Nail Polish. Speaking of, did you guys know that Zoya is now running a promo where you can get America for FREE with a $10 purchase on their website along with FREE shipping! For more info on this promo, click here. Because I already have America I'm skipping on this one but for those of you that don't have her and love reds I would definitely say get her while you can! As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing my next post with you, xo!

~Jessica

Wild Thing! (neon gradient + animal print)

Hello Lacquer Luvers! I hope everyone's week is off to a lovely start and that you guys are all okay. I have a fun post to share with you all today. It's another one that reminds me of my childhood and the awesomeness that is Lisa Frank. I was totally obsessed with the animal print folders and trapper keepers. The vibrant colors and images always captivated my interest. Sooo, you wanna see what's on my nails today?

L-R: Bettina Matte, China Glaze Celtic Sun, Color Club The Lime Starts Here,
Ruby Kisses Orange You Jealous, Ruby Kisses Pink Hot Pants

To begin my manicure, I chose four colors I thought would work well as gradients along with my favorite white base.

I applied one coat of Milani Smoothe Base Coat then 2 coats of Bettina Matte (white).

Once Matte dried, I took a makeup sponge (I found them at Target) and began my gradients. I put a bit of the yellow on the back of an old magazine, picked it up with a sponge and applied it to the top of my pinky, middle & thumb fingers. I took another sponge and applied the orange to my ring and index fingers. I repeated this process three times until the polish reached an opacity to my liking. Using the same sponges (the opposite sides that were polish-less) I applied the green and pink to the corresponding nails. Again, this was done three times.

Next I used my Konad Special Stamping Polish in black along with Konad's M57 image plate and stamped on the cheetah/leopard print on my pinky, middle and thumb fingers. I used the zebra print image for my ring and index fingers. This manicure was topped off with a coat of Color Club's top coat.

(not sure why this photo is sideways)

I absolutely adore this mani! It's so vibrant and playful and reminds me of the good ol' days! At one point I gave up on gradients because no matter what I did they were just not turning out right but I'm happy to say I got my mojo back (though, these aren't the best). I wish I could have this design on my toes but my belly is getting way too big for me to do a pedi right now lol! So, what do you think lovelies? Is this something you would wear or a bit too loud for your taste? As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing my next post with you, xo!

~Jessica

On trend with Zoya neons and animal print!

Hello Lacquer Luvers! Before I even begin, I just wanna say I LOOOVE my nails today! The pictures really do speak for themselves but of course I will share with you all how this look was achieved.

My manicure began with a base of Essie Grow Faster. I alternated two polish colors on all of my nails. I used two coats for each of these colors. Zoya Lolly is part of their 2011 Mod Matte Nail Polish Collection and can be described as: Bold, saturated medium magenta pink cream with a velvety matte finish.  A very colorful new matte style for perfect stand-out Barbie pink nails. Zoya Jancyn is part of their 2010 Flash collection and can be described as: Not neon but bold, not pastel but soft - this is the perfect tangerine shade. Okay, okay..so Zoya says that Jancyn isn't neon but it's still bright and in your face enough that I can put her in that category, right? =)

Once my polish dried, I applied matching color glitter to my nails. I did this one nail at a time and used FantaSea Cosmetics Nail Glitter in orange and pink (the sticker on the bottom of my pink jar fell off). A coat of Color Club top coat was applied first, then I used a false nail tip as a scoop for the glitter. I sprinkled it onto the wet clear polish and tapped off the excess.

After that set, it was time for me to get funky! But first I had to add 3 coats (I know, I know - sooo time consuming but totally worth it) of the Color Club top coat to smooth out my surface because stamping won't work on loose glitter. So, once my 3 coats dried, I got out my Konad M78 image plate and Special Stamping Polish in black and put this awesome zebra/leopard design on my nails. This manicure was topped off with a coat of Color Club's top coat.

As I've already said, I LOOOVE this mani! It is so summery and fun and was perfect for today since it was 88 degrees here and I had a blast at the park with my son. The only thing I didn't like about this was how time consuming it was with trying to get a smooth surface before stamping. I definitely need to get to Sally's and pick up a bottle of Gelous which I'm sure will cut down the time. Please, let me know what you think of this mani below. As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing my next post with you, xo!

~Jessica

CG High Def for Autism Awareness & Baby Update

Hello Lacquer Luvers! Not only do I have an Autism Awareness mani to share with you all today but I have a bit of news and updates to share with you guys. First, I had the weirdest thing happen to me a few nights ago. Every night before bed I apply Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream to my nails/cuticles. As I applied it, I didn't see anything wrong with my nails. I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and was flabbergasted to see this:

How on earth did my nail break during my sleep? If anything, I would've thought it should've broke throughout the day seeing as I was doing some major cleaning around the house. How weird, right? So because of the nail on my ring finger breaking I had to do a major chop. I'm okay with it because my nails have been growing super fast due to my Essie Grow Faster that I use as a base coat as well as the prenatal vitamins I'm taking. Anyway, say hello to my new nubbies:

Rockin' My Neon Animal Print Mani

Hello Lacquer Luvers! I hope you all have some great plans for this weekend. As for myself, I will be enjoying family time and just kicking back with Tyus. I am thinking of taking him to the park later on today. Anyways, today I have a rockin' mani to share with you all. I woke up feeling cheery and what better way to express that on your nails than with neon colors and glitterrr?!

My manicure today began with my usual base coat of Essie Grow Faster. Once dried, I applied two coats of China Glaze Celtic Sun. Celtic Sun is like liquid yellow highlighter in a bottle. It is super bright and in your face! It's also not as opaque as I would've thought it to be. If I was using this color on it's own I would probably apply two coats over a white base.

Once my two coats of Celtic Sun dried, I applied one coat of Color Club's top coat. I didn't apply this to all of my nails at one time because it was used as an adhesive for the neon yellow glitter. So while the top coat was still wet, I took a loose nail tip and used it as a scoop to pour the glitter on to my nails. I lightly tapped my fingers so that the excess glitter would fall off.

After the glitter was applied to each of my nails it was time to make it smooth enough for me to stamp over it. To do this, I simply applied three coats of the Color Club top coat over my nails. After the three coats of top coat dried I used my Special Stamping Polish in black to stamp on this cheetah meets zebra design that is on Konad's M78 image plate. This manicure was topped off with two coats of Essie Good To Go topcoat.

I picked up the jar of neon yellow glitter while visiting my sister last summer. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a label so I cannot tell you what brand it is but you can find glitter for nails in nail supply stores and online.

Macro shot of the neon yellow glitter

I am loooving my mani today! It's so bright and fun =) What do you think luvs? Have any of you used loose glitter on your nails? I cannot wait to do another mani like this. I have quite a few glitters so we'll see what I come up with next. As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing my next post with you, xo!

~Jessica

Happy Pink Holo Wednesday!

Hello Lacquer Luvers and welcome to Pink Wednesday! I hope you all are having a fantastic week so far. Today I get to share with you a pretty pink holo that I received in a swap with the lovely Ms. Nikki! Nikki always spoils me in swaps and sends the prettiest colors to me. Thank you Nikki! <3

Today's manicure began with a base of Essie Grow Faster followed by three coats of Kleancolor Neon Pink. This pink has been in my stash for quite some time now & I was really excited to use it. Unfortunately, my bottle has a wonky brush that made application a mini nightmare. No matter how lightly I tried to apply each coat the brush would leave marks and some spots were not level because of it. I don't know how else to explain it. I really do love this color, and the formula was great for a neon but I really do wish the brush wasn't so terrible. Because this is a neon, it dried to a matte finish which I was not a fan of so here it is topped with a coat of Essie Good To Go topcoat. The topcoat seriously helped to cover up all the imperfections.

Next I layered one coat of Kleancolor Holo Pink over my pink base. Holo Pink is a sheer pink base with holographic glitter in it. The brush on this one gave me no problems with application. I am not sure how this color would work on it's own since it's on the sheer side but it is really great for layering over a pink cream. It gives it that bit of oomph & sparkle that I think is really pretty.

Once that dried, I stamped on a design from Konad's M70 plate using their Special Stamping Polish in black. I finished this mani with a coat of Essie's Good To Go topcoat.

Pink and black is one of my favorite color combinations and I really love how the holo glitters shine in this mani. What do you think luvs? Is this something you would wear? I think it's a fun mani and a great way to get through hump day. As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing my next post with you, xo!

~Jessica

Today I am a Gothic Lolita!

Hello Lacquer Luvers! I hope you all are having a fantastic Friday! In my post yesterday I asked which of the polishes Ty got me you all would like to see next on the blog. Today's post is of my first reader request which came from Ms. Lizzy O. who said she'd like to see Gothic Lolita and that it was on her wish list. I received another request for Sinful's Cinderella from Ms. Val Greeley so you can expect to see that one in my next post =).

Gothic Lolita is part of China Glaze's 12 pc. Electropop Collection. This beauty is a medium red-toned purple that has some red and blue shimmer in it. The shimmer is so fine that it only comes out to play in the right lighting but once it appears you can instantly see the depth it adds to this color.

My mani today began with a base of Essie Grow Faster. Next I applied two coats of Gothic Lolita. I've read a few reviews on this one, some said it was runny, others said it was a bit on the thick side. My bottle, however, did not have any of these issues. I felt that the formula was really great & application was effortless. All I needed was two coats to reach full opacity. I instantly fell in love with this color the second it reached my nails!

For nail art, I wanted to cater to this polish's name. At first, I googled Gothic Lolita and spent about an hour in amazement at the fashion (click on the "googled" link to see what I mean). If you know me personally, you know that Japan is on the top of my destination places I would like to visit. The Gothic Lolita style is definitely something I imagine that would be seen as street-wear over there. I then googled "Gothic Lolita purple" and found my inspiration pic (see below).

Photo credit: http://www.mechanicalbunny.com/oscmax/tripp-purple-petticoat-gothic-lolita-skirt-p-668.html

I used Konad's M57 image plate for the corset look. Nothing says gothic, to me, like black roses so I used image plate M73 from a set that I purchased over on BornPrettyStore.com. Both of these images were stamped onto my nails using Konad Special Stamping Polish in black. I used Scotch tape and WetNWild's Ebony Hates Chris for my black french tips. This manicure was topped with Essie's Good To Go topcoat.

I had a little accident where I bumped my middle finger and caused it to smudge & couldn't stand to look at it which is why I didn't post a close-up shot of my entire mani like I normally do. It's not really -that- bad but I just couldn't stand it lol! Otherwise, I'm loving this manicure. I think it would be perfect for a Gothic Lolita! What do you all think luvs? I'm really excited to show you all my next reader request color, Sinful Colors Cinderella, in my next post. As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing my next post with you, xo!

~Jessica

You Give Love A Bad Name (Anti-Valentine's Day Nails)

Hello Lacquer Luvers! I hope you all are having a great weekend so far. Today I have an anti-Valentine's Day manicure to share with you. I decided to do a mani for my girls who absolutely hate this holiday because, well, we all know what it feels like to have been hurt or to not have someone special to show your affection to on that day, right? My mani was inspired by the lyrics of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name".

For my mani today, I wanted to simulate a "shot through the heart." I began my manicure with a base coat of Essie Grow Faster. I used two coats of Bettina Onix (black) & three coats of Matte (white) as my base colors.  On my pinky is the gun which was done with Konad plate S5 & their Special Stamping Polish in black. I used Sally Hansen's Color Quick Chrome Pen in gold along with Bundle Monster's BM202 plate as the gunfire on my pinky, ring, and middle fingers. The heart on my middle finger was done with Kiss Nail Art striper in red & BM202. The blood red splatter on my index finger was done with Essie's Russian Roulette.

"You're a loaded gun, yeah
There's nowhere to run
No-one can save me, the damage is done

Shot through the heart, and you're to blame
You give love a bad name
I play my part and you play your game
You give love a bad name"
-Bon Jovi

I'm very pleased with the outcome of this manicure. I think I pulled off the concept that I was going for. What do you all think Lacquer Luvers? Did I do this song justice with my mani? I hope I did you proud my anti-Valentine's Day luvs! As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing my next post with you, xo!

~Jessica

The song that inspired me today: http://youtu.be/KrZHPOeOxQQ

Let's Go GIANTS: My Superbowl Mani

Hello Lacquer Luvers & football fans!! As you all know, or should know, today is Superbowl Sunday & that means I have a kick-ass sports mani to share with you all! Tonight I will be rooting for the NY Giants because, well, my Grandma wouldn't have it any other way. She was born & raised in NY & has never missed a game. So Grammy, this one's for you!

I began my manicure with a base of Essie Grow Faster followed by two coats of OPI DS Magic. DS Magic perfectly matched a jersey that my Uncle got my son for Christmas when he was a baby. It's a beautiful dark blue polish full of glass flecks. In the right lighting & angle, this baby flashes a bit of purple. Application & formula were both flawless. This polish honestly just kind of glides on your nails & dry time was a little faster than average.

Once DS Magic dried it was time for nail art. I was inspired by the gear the players will be wearing; namely the football jerseys (pinky, middle, index, & thumbs) & helmets (ring finger). I wanted to mimic the look of the netting in the jersey & an image from Konad's M79 plate was perfect for what I was going for. I used my Konad Special Stamping Polish in white for the design. The Giants' helmets are blue with a red stripe going down the middle. I used Scotch tape & Kiss Nail Art paint in red to imitate the helmets on my ring finger. This sports mani was finished with Essie's Good To Go topcoat.

See how the jersey has the cross stitching and dots in the middle? Is this not the perfect stamp for that look? =)

Goooo Giants!!

Well Lacquer Luvers, I would love to know what you all think of my NY Giants manicure! What are your plans for the game tonight? Who will you be rooting for? I plan on staying home and ordering pizza & wings. Oh & the new season of The Voice premiers after the Superbowl & I can't wait for that! As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing my next post with you, xo! GOOOOO GIANTS!!!

~Jessica

Zoya Yara Holiday Ribbon Mani

Hello Lacquer Luvers! Today I'm going in the opposite direction of yesterday's untraditional Pink Snowflake manicure and am sharing more of a traditional holiday manicure with an abstract twist on it. The colors for today are very of the season - green and gold - and this is also one I would consider to be office appropriate.

For my manicure, I chose an incredibly gorgeous olive green that is far from ordinary. Zoya Yara can best be described as "A medium smoky olive drab with an illuminating splash of bright gold glitter. An olive drab that's anything but- it's completely glam." Zoya always nails their descriptions and that's one of countless things I love about this company. Yara is from Zoya's Smoke and Mirrors Collections and definitely lives up to the Mirrors side of the collections in that it "reflects the most beautiful illusion of all - you! Smoky, sultry, sexy... with just a hint of sparkle, shimmer, metallic to add to the mystery. Expertly designed to work on a variety of skin tones to provide that perfect look right now." Have a look at this beauty:

Look at that gold glitter!! Oh, sooo yummy!!

To begin this manicure, I began with a base coat of Nail Envy Maintenance by OPI. Next I applied two coats of Yara. The formula, as is the case for every Zoya I've ever tried, is absolutely amazing! It went on effortlessly, dried quickly, and became completely opaque in just two coats. For nail art, I used a design from Konad's image plate M63.  I used Luxe by Orly as my stamping polish. Luxe is part of Orly's FoilFX Collection and is a stunning gold polish with a foil finish. Seche Vite fast dry top coat was used to top this all off. This design reminded me of golden ribbon on a beautiful Christmas tree!

I am in love with this manicure! I absolutely adore the gold glitter in Yara and think the gold foil from Luxe complimented her very well. What do you all think of this holiday mani? Do you love Yara as much as I do? I think this might be nice for a holiday luncheon at work - eyecatching but not over the top. As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing tomorrow's post with you, xo!

~Jessica

Pink Snowflakes!

Hello Lacquer Luvers, Happy Friday! Today I have an untraditional twist on a winter mani to share with you. I was speaking to a few lovely ladies this morning (who all share a love for nail polish) and in the midst of our conversation I became inspired with an idea for today's manicure. We had discussed the weather and how cold it is up North. I had mentioned that although I do not like cold weather, I hope that it snows when I go to visit my family & friends for the holidays. My son, Tyus, would love playing in it and it would surely make for some great memories and photos! I wanted to do a winter snowflake manicure and instead of going the traditional blue/silver/white route I went PINK! Yes, pink! =)

For today's manicure, I began with a coat of Nail Envy by OPI. I applied two coats each of Matte & Pink Bikini by Bettina, alternating the base colors on each finger (using Pink Bikini on my pinky, middle, and thumb fingers; using Matte on my ring and index fingers). These lacquers both go on very effortlessly and dry fairly quickly.

I layered two polishes by Confetti, Ice Ice Baby & Pink Confetti, to give my nails a bit iridescent shimmer to mimic that of fallen snow. Ice Ice Baby is packed with blue/green iridescent glitter in a clear base and I used one coat of this on the nails I painted white. Pink Confetti has two sizes of iridescent glitter that are orange, gold, blue and green in a sheer pink base and I used on coat of this on the nails painted pink.

For my snowflakes, I used Konad's image plate M59. This plate has two different types of snowflakes on it and I used both on each nail. I used Konad Special Stamping Polish in white on my pink nails and the Bettina Pink Bikini worked great for stamping the pink snowflakes on my white nails.

I am so very pleased with how my Pink Snowflake mani turned out! It's too cute! I think the Confetti polishes were perfect for the snow effect & cannot wait to use them over other colors. Would you ladies wear this manicure? What other untraditional colors do you think this would look best in? As always, I hope you all liked this post my dear Lacquer Luvers and I look forward to sharing tomorrow's post with you, xo!

~Jessica