Fashionista Nails Review

Recently, a dear friend I met a few years ago in another world (yes, another world) contacted me to let me know she was creating a product I just might be interested in.  Since we met in that other world, we've become friends in this one and she's seen the many photos of my fingernails I post up at Facebook, and she joined the "Nail Polish Collectors" group there. Fantastic group by the way, join us! Erin of the Tropical Mind Blog started the group and we share photos, lemmings, whatever. If you haven't joined that party, you are missing some fun (and maybe missing out on contributing some fun too!)

I digress.

My friend Esther and I chatted a bit and she offered to send me some rough samples.  I'm talking about something I've been tweeting and facebooking about for a few weeks now. Fashionista Nails!  

Ok, I know what you're thinking: "Everyone is doing nail covers. I've seen them, don't need to see anymore." Let me tell you and then show you what's different about these.

1. They are water decals, not stickers. Full nail coverage in a water decal. This means easy removal folks, this means you can move them around until you get them placed where you want them without messing them up.

2. They are precut so you just do a little snip snip and they're ready to play with.

3. They wear like regular nail polish, so if you keep the tips touched up, they'll last for a few weeks providing you stay out of water and all the regular things you want to avoid to keep your manicure looking nice.

4. And this is the best one: They are sheer...but not so sheer that you can't see the beautiful designs on your nails, but oh the fun I had with this part! You put them on over nail polish 

The first set I tried was named, "Seduce" and I wasn't crazy about it on the paper, but I put it on over Orly Glitz and Glamour to make the lines pop and it worked. I'm rogue like that...I read the instructions and then interpret them my own way.  Take a look: (and you can click pics to make them larger)

I will tell you now, that manicure is a week old there. :)  I got lots of compliments on this manicure.

So, I wore some other colors and took my time cutting out the next set...so that when I sat down, I could do them all and see how long application would take in the new format (precut!)  After laying down the polish bases, it took me about 20 mins to do the whole decal application/sealing thing. So it adds about the same amount of time as a basic Konad design, but you get a bit more...and you can konad over this stuff, add bling or what ever the creative muse tells you to do.

For the second set: "Fever" I decided to play around with the base color. On my pinkies I used a Pink Foil from Europe that has no name, ring fingers got Orly Glitz and Glamour again, Middle got Nfu Oh #61, forefingers got a coat of Sally Hansen Celeb City (or some similar silver foil) and the thumbs were a base of China Glaze Millenium.  So you can see how the different base colors can change the overall look. Check it out (and remember to click!)

These photos were also taken about a week into the manicure...so I remain impressed. I couldn't see the wrinkles that the macro setting sees.
I love how the ring finger looks more festive in a holiday kind of way...and the holo underneath the design is just amazing. My favorite one.

See?

Overall, I will probably get a few more to keep around for special occasions when I want to rock something completely different that allows for me to add my own twist. 

I think the price is right there with the "norm" for manicure items similar to this, but this is more versatile and honestly, it was fun to have a different base color under each one...kind of an artful skittle. 

I made a video and when I figure out how to post it to my Youtube from my phone, I'll post it up. You have to see the holo in action.

Fashionista Nails has a Facebook Page and a Twitter account in case you want to follow them. Last week they gave away a couple sets to followers. But you can see the designs here: http://www.fashionistanails.com/designs

What do you think of these?

Raging H&M - from the vault

From Last Summer when my nails were long, I give you H&M Fashionista with Orly Rage on the tippy tips:

Sorry for the sideways shots, I guess I uploaded without straightening them out. I really love the 2 H&M polishes that I own thanks to swaps with friends in other countries...Now I know I can send my son to the Seattle store and just pick them up when I go visit. :) 

Enjoy!

Look What I Made!

As I've mentioned before, my 22 year old son moved to Seattle almost a year ago. I haven't seen him since April and I'm really looking forward to spending some Christmas time with him. We celebrate the American Christmas...all the fodder without the religion.

He has expressed that he prefers gifts that were made for him rather than purchased and for that I love him even more. But still, I like to get him something unexpected and purchased when I can. Things that will help him accomplish the goals he's set for himself.

This year, for his handmade gift, I thought it would be kind of cool to give him ornaments that symbolized...well.. Me! That way, he could have his mom nearby even while we're apart, and when the time comes that I leave this life, he'll have these to put on his tree each Christmas and remember me by. What better way to give him something to remember me by than to use nail polish in the creation? Yep, I did! I got into my stash, picked some of my favorites and I made these: *click to make 'em BIG
The pictures aren't the best they can be, and I'll probably take better ones and post 'em up here again...these were taken with my cell phone at work today.

All colors are listed Clockwise from the top left.

OPI Merry Midnight, Sally Hansen Opulent Cloud (GORGEOUS), OPI Shim-Merry Chic and 

China Glaze Emerald Sparkled.

 Close up of the Shim-Merry Chic bulb.

 Essie Huckle Buckle, Sally Hansen Sea and Be Seen (Scene?), Milani 3D Holographic Gold, 

Diamond Cosmetics Canyon Sunrise, Borghese Stellar Notte and China Glaze Good Witch?

Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure, Orly Space Cadet, Zoya Delilah, My LOVE: China Glaze Atlantis (this photo doesn't do the bulb justice at ALL), Sally Hansen Prisms Diamond, My Sage Franken that I made HERE (because my son really like desaturated colors...I suspect this one will be his favorite.)

This last is a Franken I made. I call it "Lights on the Tree"

I mixed equal parts Orly Enchanted Forest and Clear, just a tad less of OPI Shim-Merry Chic and a few drops of China Glaze Atlantis (about 6 or 8). This added holographic sparkle and brought some of the blue back that was lost from adding the Shim-Merry Chic.

I got the idea while looking at Ambefrski's Franken she made with Shim-Merry Chic and some red.

My kiddo doesn't even look at this blog so I'm not concerned I'll spoil the surprise. I am loving the way these are turning out and have 6 more I can make...the fumes though... WOW. My husband came home yesterday, and our little house was so gaseous he asked me if I was feeling ok.  I was getting a headache and so we left the house for a while so I could breathe fresh air. Small house + fumes = not good. We slept with all the windows wide open last night and that helped a ton. They are sitting in my office at work tonight...should be interesting tomorrow. :) 

Any suggestions for other colors I might use? I was thinking De-Luxe-ious from Color Club might be good. I think I need a few more reds though...ideas? I also think the Delilah bulb could use another coat. Amazingly this isn't using much of my pretties. There is some waste, but it's not unbearable and I'm happy to share it with the ones I love, even the ones who don't wear polish. 

I sure hope he doesn't think it's a silly thing to give him...he is, afterall, a young MAN. Something tells me he'll love it though. I think they'll be good for next year...then they won't be flammable anymore. LOL

Please comment your suggestions! I have trouble when I open up my stash and try to decide, it's almost as hard as doing a mani!

My Stash, My Heart, My Passion for Polish!

I know I've told most of you, and it's no big deal (I thought it was when I first got the news but I've adjusted since) but I will be going into the hospital on Wednesday, November 10 at 6:30 am local time for a procedure in my heart at 8:30 am. It's called Cardiac Ablation. It's not a "surgery" per se but a "procedure" LOL... they'll go up thru my artery (from my groin) to the heart with three skinny wires: one to stimulate the suspect problem and cause the problem reliably...one to see what they're doing, and one to do the freeze burn of the offending cells. Takes a minimum of 1.5 hours, maximum of 2. Then I'll be in the hospital for the rest of the day under observation to make sure they didn't break anything. They say I should be able to return to work the next day and I won't have to take medication for this problem EVER AGAIN!!! I am soooo looking forward to that, the meds make me retain unhealthy amounts of water and I have fat lower legs, ankles and feet. I'll probably lose 20 lbs the first couple weeks just from water retention. :)

No more meds, no more worries about SVT, hiking and biking can resume without worry, (just attention to injury prevention) and that will be a very very good thing.

So that is what I'm focusing on, but once in a while...the scary stuff creeps in and I just remember that there are good people out there thinking happy thoughts for me and it helps calm me down. Odds are in my favor, not fantastic, but not bad. So keep a happy thought for me tomorrow, okay?

After the Nail Polish Party with my co-workers, I had to reorganize my stash. So I dumped it out, sorted it and took some photos. I have not yet taken photos of my organizational choice, I guess I need to get to that next.

I do sort by color family, I find it easiest for me in my super tiny space. I have no need to sort by brand then color, just put the color families together and I know where to go for a purple, red, pink, blue or whatever thank-you-very-much.

Here begins the spam...bail now if your computer is slow. :) Remember: all of my pictures are clickable for your viewing pleasure. :)



So here's the stash in all it's not so organized glory: I sorted them by brand first but here's the whole shebang!

 Then we have all the China Glaze

 Followed by the lovely Zoya

 The nail polish pile of a price I swore I would never pay for a bottle of polish...and a stray bottle of Poshe?

 My beloved Essie collection.

 The "not found in drugstores but maybe sometimes in other lands" pile

 The Diamond Cosmetics pile...oh so small

 The "what I can get at my local drugstores" pile (lots of Orly in there)

The pathetically small OPI collection. (Told you, I am NOT a fan.)

 My Del Sols. I love these...I live where it's more sunny than anything else...except for the odd 10th year or so. These polishes belong here. It's just too bad that so many of them just turn the same shade of purple.

 Ahhhh, Nubar, my loves

 Sweet Color Clubs, such a great formula, such great pigments, so affordable!

 My favorite treatments, base and top coats (the rest were in the drugstore pile)

Then I sorted thru some of the piles, starting with the "I will never pay that much for nail polish" pile

Here are my Lippmann's, but one of them (the one beside the box) isn't really mine. I just took it out of the box to get a bottle shot. That's "Don't Tell Mama" and it belongs to someone else..yeah, you know who you are! The rest, left to right: Hit Me With Your Best Shot (I had to, I am a HUGE Benatar Fan), Wicked Game, Across the Universe (LOVE), Bad Romance (meh)

 My Rescue Beauties. 3 I won, 1 I got in a swap. I'll have a few more soon! Not many though...just um...6 I think?

 Who doesn't love Nfu Oh?

 Models Own...purchased during the 50% off sale. So far, from the ones I've tried, I like them. I think Peacock Green is my favorite. It's the exact color of that 'eye' of the peacock feather. 

 Assorted others that I only have ONE bottle from the makers. I think it's pretty funny that the one color I did bring home from my trip to Seattle last April out of all the polish I bought up there, I brought home the SH LE dupe. I didn't even know it, just really liked it and hadn't worn it yet. :) 

After I pulled out the Models Own, Miss Marion (you've seen that entire collection already) The 3 Misa's I own, the Gosh and the Finger paints, this is what was left. (I thought I took pics of those too, but apparently not.) Many of these were attained through swaps with some really great new friends. I wish I knew where my H&M Bella's Choice went off to...I'm sure it's around here somewhere.

There you have it, my stash. So far. I don't need a Helmer...don't have the space for one. As it is, this is too much for my little home, but I love them and so I let them crowd me a little...for now. But who knows? Maybe there will be an amazing blog sale at some point. I have to say, probably 50% (or more) of these are untried!  Do you see one I should try soon? Which one?

On Beauty (and some nail spam)

So I was talking to my BFF yesterday after a rather upsetting meeting with the cardiologist and during our conversation she mentioned that her hubby had found photos from when they were really young. Long story/"Reader's Digest Version": She married her half-sister's cousin on the side of the parent they don't share. (they have the same Mother.)  They've known each other for YEARS and finally realized that this love they've always felt for one another isn't forbidden or incestuous after all. And I am so happy they are together, as I see them both glowing from a dream fulfilled. But I digress.

Upon her mention of the photos, I asked her if she could look at her younger self and see the gorgeous young woman she was, and she said yes. (Actually she said Hell yes! Damn! I was fine! lol)  And I asked her to remember how unaccepting she was of that young woman when she inhabited THAT body. She remembered, (think about it, we all do). So I asked her then if she could take that knowledge and allow herself to believe that she is still that beautiful woman, just older and wiser - and she said no. :(  She did add that her husband thought she was and that that was good enough for her.

But I have been pondering this since we had that conversation. Why are we so unaccepting of where we are RIGHT NOW? Why do we focus on our flaws rather than show off our beauty? Why don't we love ourselves as we look NOW the same way we love those old pictures of the younger version? Why are we still having trouble being comfortable in our own skin?

I don't have the answer, this is just what I'm pondering right now, and working on changing within myself. Yes I am carrying extra weight, and the current stress I'm under sometimes has me reverting to old habits of reaching for easy, bad choices for food.  But that doesn't change that I am a beautiful person. I have pretty eyes, amazing cheekbones and my hair can look amazing when I take time to style it. I have pretty feet! I do! And my legs aren't bad either. Even at this larger size, the legs seem to keep their shape and I'm proud of them.

So, I may not be perfect but, parts of me are excellent. I'm a work in progress and I'm working on allowing myself to realize how beautiful, talented, caring, funny and kind I am.

I know this is a blog about nail polish, so I'll share some spam now. :)

 A Lovely H&M polish which I don't remember the name of and I am in bed now so I'm not getting up to find out and Orly Rage on the tips (ala EvilAngel)

 In the shade

 Lippman Across the Universe. (LOVE)

 Shady close up...such depth. Love this so much.

 Sunny shot. This is definitely up there on my list with ChG Atlantis.

 China Glaze Crystal Ball - A lemming fulfilled. Sooooo pretty!

 Halloween Nails I did for a friend/co-worker during lunch one day last week. Used Miss Marion Ebony (black creme) and Sally Hansen Insta Dry white for the stamping. The Jewels were sent to me from KONADomania a long time ago in a fantastic swap that I didn't take pictures of but am enjoying so very much. In fact, the H&M pictured at top was part of that. (I cannot find the blue!!! *cries*)

 Close up of thumb. She has tiny hands.

 Blurry close up

One more to show the horrific job I did at applying the black. Oh well, she loved it and it was pretty too!

So, find a picture of yourself and post it up on your blog or send me a link here. Let's learn to treat ourselves now as we would have treated that younger woman. And for you younger woman reading, pay attention to us older ladies. There's a good lesson here and you'll be ahead of the game if you get the hang of this now.

Here's mine:

 Taken in 1983 or 1984...Summer time. I was in a dear friend's wedding.

The night before at her Bachelorette party. 

A few sheets to the wind, but having fun.

Alright, your turn! GO!