Franken Friday- Galaxy

This franken is a mix of a bunch of glitters (a random silver glitter similar to A-England Merlin, OPI Servin Up Sparkle, Milani One Coat Purple Glitter, and China Glaze Mrs. Claus).  OPI DS Fantasy was added to create the base color.  I thought the rainbow of glitters would be dominant but Fantasy is very pigmented and became the dominant color. 

 

To make it look a little more "celestial", I used NYC Starry Silver Glitter.  I painted it on outdoors while waiting for my daughter's school to let out.  It sparkles a whole range of colors.  I haven't worn it for awhile and was amazed how it sparkled in the sunlight.  Indoors, it just looks silver with large blue and purple round glitter. 

 

 

Sinful Colors Slate w/CND Raspberry Sparkle

 

 

I wanted to try my new CND Raspberry Sparkle again and thought that it would pair well with S.C. Slate.  A gray with a subtle silver shimmer.  It does look good, but it also looks a lot like an opaque version of Greys Anatomy or Not Like the Movies.  Raspberry Sparkle has a pinkish shimmer that also flashes green in certain light.  The CND Effects line is a lot of fun to try and after a couple uses of Raspberry Sparkle, I went back and bought the Jade and Crimson Sparkle too.  I can't wait to try those out!

 

 

After a couple days, I decided to refresh my mani with some stamping using Bundle Monster plates 311 and 317.  My ring finger is the one that tore while removing polish.  My cuticles also got wrecked from the chlorine.  It was from just 2 days of swimming in a pool.   

China Glaze Marry A Millionaire

Monday comes way too fast.  My computer is still not downloaded pics.  Ugh!  Todays post contains pictures from the manicure before my nail broke and I had to trim everything short.

 

 

This is a new to me shade that I was very excited to see siting on a shelf of my OPI supplier.  There were 2 other shades that looked similar to SH Gem Crush so I left them there.  This is from last years Eye Candy collection.  I used 2 coats over OPI DS Mystery (which I also got that same day).  I like the glitter overload.

 

 

 

 

Marry a Millionaire is full of bar and hex glitter.  It's a party in a bottle!

 

 

I took a blurred pic to show the sparkle. 

Elaine with Jewel Accents

Here is the last of my "Elaine 4-Way".  I did a simple jewel accent on each finger.  It was super fast and easy to do.  Not over the top.  I had fun putting together this segment.  Have a great weekend!

Debuting, are my new short nails.  I broke a nail while removing polish.  It was weak from chlorine.  My camera was not playing nice again and I had about 20 blurry images.  These were the best from the lot.

A-England Elaine transformation

There are so any different things I could do with this polish.  Elaine is so versatile   This time I used CND Raspberry Sparkle effects polish over Elaine.  It transformed into a sparkly plum color.  Perfect for the Fall season.

 

CND Raspberry Sparkle has a duo shimmer.  It not only has pink sparkle, it also flashes green at certain angles.

 

 

 

The next day after enjoying this combo, I stamped Konad plate m77 with my newly acquired Sinful Colors Super Nova that is from the metallic series. It's a rosy pink metallic shade.

 

A-England Elaine gradient

Today I'm showing you the gradient that I did using A-England Elaine and Sinful Colors Nail Junkie.   I need to use Nail Junkie more often.  It adds a nice effect to dark polishes.  To add a little more detail, Konad plate m77 was used used with Nabi Metallic silver.  This is only the second way I'm showing you but I have to say that this was my favorite of the 4-way.

 

 

A-England Elaine (layered)

Hello everyone,
This is Elaine with OPI Pirouette My Whistle layered over.  Piroutte is so delicate and sparkly and pairs very well with Elaine.  The round glitter stands out and reminds me of a snowglobe.  I've been pretty busy lately and layering has been my go to technique.  People say as your child grows out of their baby stage it gets easier.  In some way it does, but then it goes into a different level of busy.  I still have 2 girls who demand and need my attention.  There are no nap times anymore so there goes quiet time.  I'm always on the go at this new stage.  When I'm home, I'm working with the girls on letter recognition and learning to read (did I mention that there is also laundry and housework that never seems to end). Some new activity or situation is always popping up. I'm also taking a class as church.  Sometimes things get backed up and then I feel overwhelmed with everything.  I'm still adjusting and trying to find my balance with the change. 

 

This is in direct sunlight. 

 

 

This lightbox pic shows more of the "twinkle" effect.

A-England Elaine 4-way

This week I have something different that I've been working on.  There are some polishes that are my favorites and I keep going to those colors even though I have a bunch of untrieds.  I don't want to be a repeat offender when blogging so I came up with a 4-way segment that I will post from time to time.  It's 1 polish worn 4 different ways.  This week I'll have a post every day showcasing the lovely Elaine from A-England.  Such a lovely med/dark purple that goes on smoothly in one coat.  I enjoy just painting it on with it's smooth, pigmented formula.  There is going to be a layering, gradient with stamping, a transformation of the color itself, and a simple gem accent.  Today I will just show a swatch of the color as is.  I am having trouble downloading pictures.  At the moment, this program is refusing some of the downloads. They are all jpegs so I don't see why some will go through while others cannot.  The only way I could get todays pic uploaded was by transferring it to my IPad and then adding it to my post.  I'm doing double steps on something that should be really fast.

BB Creams/A.K.A. Tinted moisturizers

Today I had tried a Franken that absolutely failed. The color would not dry and I ruined 3 nails before I got to apply the second coat. It got on my fingertips and needless to say I had a mess. So instead of redoing it I'm going to put my two cents in on the drugstore BB creams that I have been using for awhile.
Here a the four that are being reviewed:

•CoverGirl BB cream tinted moisturizer and sunscreen in 805 fair to light 40mL
Active ingredients:Octinoxate 6% and Zinc Oxide 3%
It claims to have 10 skin benefits but it's main use is for sunburn prevention. Reapply every 2 hours.
1. Natural looking radiance
2. Sheer color
3. All day hydration
4. Improves skin elasticity
5. Broad spectrum SPF 15
6. Blends effortlessly
7. Lightweight
8. Helps skin feel smooth
9. Covers to help instantly improve skin's appearance
10. Won't clog pores
This is the sheerest of the four and the first that I tried for about a month. It is lightweight and silky to apply.  My skin is no longer blotchy and I've stopped using foundation entirely. Saves me a lot of time in the morning since my daily skin routine included cream, Monistat chaffing gel (to absorb oil), foundation, and powder . Now I just have one step after I wash my face. It is odorless to me and I have nothing bad to say about it.

•Garnier BB cream Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector in Light/Medium 75mL
Active ingredients: Octinoxate 4% and Titanium Dioxide 2.1%
This one also claims it main use is to prevent sunburn.  Reapply every 2 hours. It doesn't claim
to do anything else on the bottle. This one is the most pigmented and I use this in replacement of foundation if I am going to put on eyeshadow. It has a fresh scent that is almost like sunscreen. It costs the most, around $14, but it is twice the size of the other bottles.

•Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8 in 1 Beauty Balm 30mL
Active ingredient: Titanium dioxide 1.15%
Main use is to prevent sunburn but it has 8 claimed benefits
1. Blurs imperfections
2. Enhances
3. Brightens
4. Adjusts to skin tone
5. Smoothes
6. Hydrates
7. SPF 30 protects
8. 0% oils and other heavy ingredients
This one I could do without. The tint is more on the pinkish side and doesn't match my skin tone. It has a light scent. This BB is the only one that my oily skin shines through with.

•L'oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB In 812 Light 30 mL
Active ingredient: none stated
The only BB that doesn't claim sunburn prevention. It primes, perfects, hydrates, and corrects. The bottle says "Instantly transforms to your perfect shade for a flawless bare skin finish . Over time, more beautiful skin."
This one turned out to be my favorite because it applied like a mousse and matched my skin tone making it look very natural. The irony is that this was the last on my list of BBs to try because L'oreal
is not a brand I normally buy and I thought I wouldn't like it. It's very silky and has a very light scent that is barely noticeable. I will definitely be rebuying this when I run out.

Have any of you replaced your daily products with a BB cream and which one did you try?

 

My Collection Part 4

Here is the last of my OPI. 

Pearl of Wisdom, Happy Anniversary, Up Front and Personal, Birthday Babe
I call these my "effects" because I use these to layer over other colors. 
Birthday Babe is used for stamping.

Summer Flutter
Flower to Flower, Flit A Bit, Wing-It!
Every year OPI releases 4 pinks.  Summer Flutter is my favorite "pink set" because it
included an orange and a very popular blue (Catch Me In Your Net).  CMIYN is hard to find and
I settled on getting WNW Teal of Fortune (close dupe)

Shrek Forever After
Rumples Wiggin, Funkey Donkey, Fiercely Fiona, Who the Shrek Are You?
I'm missing the 2 blues but I can do without them. 

2009 South Beach in Paint My Moji-toes Red and Conga-Line Coral
2010 Swiss in The Color to Watch and Ski Teal We Drop

OPI Brights in Bright Lights Big Color and Blue My Mind (franken)
The 3rd bottle is my "Absolutely Alice dupe" consisting of Milani Blue Flash
and OPI Spark De Triomphe

Burlesque Glitters
Simmer and Shimmer x2, Show it and Glow it, Bring on the Bling,
Extra va-vaganza, Sparkleicious x2
Burlesque is my favorite holiday collection to date.

Burlesque Foils
Ali's Big Break (slight jelly), Let Me Entertain You, Take the Stage,
The Show Must Go On (duochrome)

2011 Serena Williams releases
Grape Set Match, Servin Up Sparkle, Rally Pretty Pink



Night Brights in Give Me the Moon (gray with blue flash) and My Private Jet 2nd release
Miss Universe in It's My Year! and Swimsuit I Nailed It!

Lincoln Park after Dark Suede, La-Pazitively Hot Matte,
Meet Me on the Star Ferry

Amazing Spiderman in Into the Night and Just Spotted the Lizard

Okay, there you have it-my entire collection. It adds up to 189 bottles including mini, backups, and frankens.  To some it may be a lot and to others its hardly anything compared to their own collection.  I try to be selective and buy polish that is unique to what I already own.  There are a lot of untrieds that I'd like to get to and some favorites that I can wear over and over.  I've seen most of what's coming out for the rest of the year and it's not really anything that I "gotta have".  I'm on a low buy until January.  OPI is joining together with Mariah Carey in January.  I'm thinking glitter and lots of girly-ness.

My Collection Part 3

Good morning.  This week I have the second half of my polish collection.  It consists of only OPI.  I have 2 OPI racks on my dressor and am going to show you whats on the first rack today and the second rack will be on Wednesday.

POTC Stranger Tides. I collected the whole set including the Silver Shatter.
It's one of my favorite collections.



Texas Sorbets (These are so versatile and they dry super shiny)
Houstan We Have a Purple, Y'all Come Back Ya Hear?, Guy Meets Gal-Veston,
and Do You Think I'm Tex-y?

DS Fantasy and Couture
Muppets Rainbow Connection and Designer De Better
(I really wasn't excited about the Muppets Holiday set-the colors weren't for me)

Russia Collection
Siberian Nights, Boris and Natasha, Russian Navy, Midnight in Moscow
My camera did not pick up how beautiful and vampy these are. 
Fall favorites!!!

Espana Collection
Manicurist of Seville, Ate Berries in the Canaries, Here Today Aragon Tommorrow
Well pigmented shades.  These do not disappoint!

NYC Ballet
Pirouette My Whistle, You Callin Me a Lyre?, Care to Danse?,
My Pointe Exactly, Don't Touch My Tutu
I'm usually not a soft shades fan, but these were amazing.  Jellies-I can't resist.
I'm just missing 1 from the set (Barre My Soul).

Misc. Soft Shades (see, I rarely buy soft shades)
Time-Less is More 2008, Fairytale Bride 2009 in At First Site and I Pink I Love You,
I Juggle Men top coat 2011

Misc.
No Room for the Blues (Paige Denim), I Lily Love You (NIce Stems),
Save Me (Nicki Minaj), Thanks So Muchness (Alice in Wonderland)
I would have liked all 4 of the Alice in Wonderland, but this is the only
one I could hunt down.

Shatters
Silver, Red, White, Teal
The white is getting goopy.  I had black, but it was beyond saving.
I just bought the red a couple months ago.  It is kind of jelly like. <3

Katy Perry
The One That Got Away, Not Like the Movies 2nd release, Last Friday Night,
Teenage Dream, Not Like The Movies duochrome
I really liked the color range in this set.  It is another favorite of mine.

Okay, so this was the first half of my OPI collection.  Hope you're enjoying it so far. 
Do you have any favorites from these collections?

Franken Friday "Blue My Mind"

It's week 7 of Franken Friday.  This is OPI Blue My Mind with a fair amount of Spark De Triomphe mixed in.  Blue My Mind is a shimmery royal blue. It resembles satin.  I've had this for awhile and the polish level had gone down about almost a third.  Since I didn't like using SDT on its own, I filled Blue My Mind with it.  The gold glitter just added to the beauty of the color.  It reminds me of a starry sky or a wizards robe.  The blue used to be slightly darker but the change is barely noticeable.



This was taken outside on my way to the car.  My neighbors must think I'm crazy since I'm always outside trying to get a good pic of my nails.  I had an additional indoor picture, but it refused to upload.

 

 

Collection Part 2

Good morning.  Hope everyone's day is starting off great.  Today is Part 2 of my polish collection.  These are all my WNW and Sally Hansens.  I've also included my Sinful Colors and China Glaze.

Walgreens has been open in my area for I think over a year now.  If not for Walgreens, I wouldn't have most of these posted today.

WNW Fast Dry (All names are word play on a t.v. show title, I would like to collect all
just for that purpose.)  L-R Teal or No Teal, Teal of Fortune, Twining Vines (exclusive), FuschiaRama, Party of Five Glitters, Grays Anatomy

WNW Fergie (exclusive to Walgreens)
L-R Dutchess, Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night,
Hollywood Walk of Fame, Kaleidoscope Eyes

Set the Stage, Twinkle Twinkle, In the Spotlight, Strobe Light,
Disco Ball, and Rockstar Pink

White-On, Mint Sorbet, Bubblegum, Coral Reef, Pacific Blue

Celeb City, Golden-I, Deep Blue Sea, Flirt, Blizzard, Green with Envy (frankened)

SH Gem Crush in Big Money, BeJeweled, Showgirl Chic
SH Diamond Strength in Glass Slipper, Black Tie, Princess Cut

SH Magnetic in Electric Emerald, Silver Elements, and Red-Y Response 

These 3 are used solely for stamping.
SH Insta-Dri in Co Co a-go-go and Lightning, Nabi Metallic Silver

Sinful Colors (Exclusive to Walgreens)
Neptune, Zeus, Let Me Go, Neon Melon, Cinderella, Nail Junkie

 China Glaze is very hard to come by.  If it was well stocked everywhere like OPI, I might have needed to give China Glaze its own post.


Magnetix in Pull Me Close and Drawn to You, 2010 Holiday in Mrs. Claus,
Crackle Glaze in Haute Metal


This concludes all my nonOPI polishes.
 Next week I'll have my OPI collection split into a Mon/Wed post.