Inglot Spring Pastels 2013- Watermarble Nail Art

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Happy Humpday!! 

  I am at such a loss of words today :-S. So much has happened over the last few days that I don't even know where to start. There has been some utter, horrid nonsense going on; Muffin's been sick, I've been sick, husband got laid off.. It was hectic for a few weeks, but hings are settling down now. 

  Among all the madness some really awesome things happened too. If you pick you the latest issue of Nail It! magazine, you will see a picture of a manicure by yours truly featured in the Snapshots section. It is SO cool to see my nails and name on an actual magazine! That had been one of my goals for some time now.

 Anywho, these are my very first Inglot polishes, and I can honestly say I am a fan. They released a range of 10 pastel shades for Spring 2013 Ranging from Yellow-toned Peach, to Aqua Blue; these colors were begging to be played with. I immediately knew I wanted to do a marble-skittle of sorts with these. These Inglot polishes have a great formula for watermarbles, great pigmentation a really good spread in the water. 

 For this look I started with a White base done with Cult Nails Tempest. For the Pinkie and Index marbles I used Inglot 381(Orange toned peach), 390(Vivid Mint Pastel) and 383(Orange toned Coral). For my Ring and Middle nail I used 382(Yellow toned Peach), 387(Soft Lavender-Pink) and 389(Aqua Blue). All of these Inglot polishes have a creamy formula. I'm not sure if it was just me, but I was detecting the slightest hint of shimmer, so barely there it is not really worth mentioning. I think it definitely aids in the application. 

  To finish off my look I top coated my Pinkie an Index nails in my signature sparkling INM Northern Lights, followed by a coat of Cult Nails Wax That, wax finish top coat. To cover some bubbles I got on my Middle and Ring finger I did a light coat of Lynnderella Connect the Dots, followed by Cult Nails Wicked Fast to give the glitter a high shine. 

  I am loving the contrast of  colors in these marbles, and I really love the completed look. I am also loving what CtD did for my bubbly nails. Overall, I am so happy with how this turned out. I don't marble enough for how much I love the look of the technique. And you know what they say, practice makes perfect. I feel my confidence in my marbling grow with each marble mani I do. They are becoming more fun now that I am getting a good grasp. I think I finally feel comfortable about filming a tutorial about the way I marble. 

 How do you feel about watermarbled nails? Also, would you guys be interested in a tutorial? Let me know in the comments ♥. 

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More about → Inglot Spring Pastels 2013- Watermarble Nail Art

LTHP heads over to Nailitmag.com!

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Happy Saturday everyone!! 

  I just wanted to do a quick post to let you guys know that I am over on the Nail It! magazine website with a guest post. I went with a texture theme, since I am slightly obsessed with this trend. I also did a look with some of the shades from the Cult Nails In the Garden Collection, for the ladies who do not like textures at all. I hope you guys like these looks! I had a lot of fun working on these. 

To find out the details behind these Three looks, just head on over to nailitmag.com. You can also read a short interview [HERE].

 I've had a minor setback here (I am also waiting on a middle nail break to grow out)... Ever have something happen to you that makes you feel really old for some reason? So, yesterday.. I was having a coughing fit... and I threw my lower back out  -___-. I mean, REALLY? Who does that? lolol... Who throws their back out from a coughing fit? Anywho, I'm taking it easy and hoping for a speedy recovery because I have lots I want to get done. I am also dying to play with my new Pueen stamping plates!! I have not had a chance to get into those yet, the designs are SO adorable!!

I hope you guys will check out my post for nailitmag.com! Happy Saturday everyone!

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More about → LTHP heads over to Nailitmag.com!

China Glaze Textured Skittles with In the Rough, Bump & Grind and Of Coarse!

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Good morning and happy Wednesday! 

  Today I have a, sort of, skittle look with Three of the new China Glaze Texture polishes. When I was organizing my desk last weekend, these Three colors ended up together. I loved how they looked together so much that I went with a "middle-nail-accent-thing." I got many compliments on this mani. The colors are very fun, bright and Summery. 

One and a half hours after application

The polishes I am wearing are In the Rough, Bump & Grind and Of Coarse!. In the Rough is a Chartreuse creme with a textured finish. None of these sparkle. They all dry to a slightly rubbery finish with a concrete-like texture. This was the sheerest of the shades and needed Three coats, wait in between coats. These apply best in a slow steady manner. Let the brush do the work and don't apply pressure so that the textured bits apply evenly. Bump and Grind is a bright Raspberry creme texture. This shade is really bright  and saturated with color. I could have almost gotten away with one coat of this rich shade. I used Two coats. Of Coarse is a bright, pool liner Blue, creme texture. The formula on this shade is also ridiculously saturated, I used Two coats. These dried fairly fast, no slower or faster than any of the other textures to have come out so far.

Shady to show texture better

 Now... The wear on these disappointing. The Chartreuse shade, In the Rough, chipped within the same day of application. Bump & Grind chipped on the Second day. Of Coarse, the Blue shade was wearing OK. I'm really not sure why these wore so poorly on me. All of the other textured polishes I have tried have worn like iron on me!
 Also, someone mentioned that these Three particular shades are slightly reminiscent of Zoya's Mod Mattes in terms on the colors (Lolly, Phoebe & Mitzi), and they are... If you enjoyed those Three shades, and the matte finish, you might like these. I want to give these another shot, I'm hoping for better wear next time around, because I like the shades. I also like the concrete like finish. I know this is one of those "love it or leave it" type of finishes, but I really dig it.

45 min. after application

 I also have some exciting news! I had the honor of being interviewed for the Nail It! magazine website. I am so excited and so grateful to have this great opportunity! It is crazy to go to the home page of a magazine and seeing my face there! WHAT?!!

Have you given the China Glaze Texture polishes a go? How was the wear for you? I'm curious to see if it was, hopefully, a fluke :-S. Let me know in the comments how it went for you if you tried these out! 

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More about → China Glaze Textured Skittles with In the Rough, Bump & Grind and Of Coarse!

Zoya Summer PixiDusts and Stunning Collection- Skittle Ruffian Nail Art

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Hello and happy humpday! 

  Today I have, yet another, skittle mani to share with you guys. This look features Five of the new Zoya Summer PixiDust polishes as well as Four of the new Summer Stunning collection cremes. When I was sitting down to do my swatches of the Summer PixiDust polishes, I could not decide where to start. So I decided not to start at all... And wear them in a mixed texture look instead. These colors are just too fun and too beautiful and I could not resist playing with them. 

 This look started with all creamy bases. From thumb to Pinkie: Julie (from the Spring collection), Yana, Rocky, Thandie and Darcy. Then I decided to do PixiDust ruffians over my Skittle base. I wanted to do monochromatic skittles, with mixed textures. These colors were PERFECT for the look I had in mind since Zoya released shades which all complemented each other.
 For the ruffians I used (from thumb to pinkie): Stevie, Miranda, Liberty, Beatrix and Solange. I did Two thin ruffian coats over my creamy bases. I wore this manicure for about Five days? IDK, it was a LONG time in LTHP time, I could not believe how well they held up. These Summer PixiDusts have amazing formulas, much like their Spring "ancestors" lol. There is a mix of Foily texture and the Original PixiDust look as well. If you enjoyed the first PixiDust set, you will LOVE and ADORE this new Summer PixiDust collection.

 Here are some shots of my base colors. The new Summer cremes all had fantastic formulas and all did well in Three thin coats. Yana (index), Thandie(Orange) and Darcy(yellow) had a very slight shimmer to them, barely there, but really pretty. These are really vibrant, fun and perfect for Summer.

 What are your thoughts on mixed texture manis? I really enjoy them and make for quick and cute nail art. I can't rave enough about the Zoya PixiDusts, they are just beautiful, and I love the vibrant colors and how much they sparkle. The Summer cremes are adorable and fun. Zoya always has my heart when it comes to Summer colors. 

Skittle all the nails!!! 

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More about → Zoya Summer PixiDusts and Stunning Collection- Skittle Ruffian Nail Art

O.P.I Bond Girls Liquid Sands in Vesper and Honey Ryder

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Hello and happy Tuesday! 

  Today I have Two of O.P.I's new Bond Girls- Liquid Sand shades. When O.P.I released their first set of Liquid Sand polishes (The Mariah Carey Collection), I was fairly underwhelmed with the colors and the finish. Then they came out with What Wizardy is This? For the Oz Collection, that one did not sing to me much either... Now enter the Bond Girls!!! THIS!! This is what I am talking about! For my first manicure I went with a pairing of Vesper and Honey Ryder that I could not stop staring at, or gushing about. 

 These color are rich and beautiful. I was not expecting to love Vesper as much as I do. Vesper is a deep Plummy base packed full of Black glitter, and of course that wonderful texture. Vesper does best in Three thin coats. It is also ideal to wait a bit between coats. When Vesper is fully dry (picture above is Two days after initial application) it reminds me of uncut, raw Amethyst stones.
 Honey Ryder is a dream come true for me. Since all of these textures started coming out I had been hoping for a Golden foil one and Honey Ryder really hit the spot! This baby is a Warm, true Gold matte foil texture and there are also tons of Gold glitter encrusted into the color. When fully dry Honey Ryder reminds me of those "Fool's Gold" stones. It is just AMAZING.

 The picture below is about 45 minutes after application. As you can see there is still a bit of shine to the surface, however, my nails were fairly dry and I could function at this point. As they continued to dry, more and more texture showed up. The texture on these is not severe at all. I had no snags, no chips and no tip wear.

 After trying these Two beauties, I cannot wait to try out the rest of the Bond Girls. I LOVELOVELOVE what they did with this collection! I also love the names of the colors and how each shade really does embody a Bond Girl. There is no way I won't feel sexy wearing these ;)!

Have you tried any Bond Girls yet? Which was your favorite?

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More about → O.P.I Bond Girls Liquid Sands in Vesper and Honey Ryder

Milani Textured Nail Polish in Shady Gray

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Happy Friday!! 

 Today I have the One shade I did not get to show you guys when I did my Milani Textured Skittles Post. That pretty was Shady Gray. Way back, when LTHP was a baby blog, I was OBSESSED with Grey nail polish. I would pretty much gravitate toward Grey tones any time I was doing an "on the go" mani. Along the way I started loving on bright tones and kinda drifted away from wearing Greys.

  Then last week, I was doing a super rushed mani, and I decided to use Shady Gray because I knew it would go on quickly and look neat. I could not stop staring at my nails and was immediately reminded of my past love affair with Grey nail polish. I loved how sexy and cool my nails looked. There is something about Grey polish that gives me that "cool without trying too hard" feeling. Do you have a shade that does that for you?

 Shady Gray has an amazing formula and that neat concrete-like texture. This picture was taken the day after application. I did Two coats for my manicure and was satisfied with the opacity at that point. Though looking at pictures now some nails could have benefited from a Third thin coat. Alas, I stopped at two coats and called it a day. My nails were dry fairly quick and once again I found the wear on this textured polish to be remarkable.
  I am still not bothered by the texture at all. They are far smoother than I ever thought they would be and I've had zero snagging on clothes, sheets, hair, etc... I am enjoying these textured polishes a lot and I love that the have such amazing wear. For some reason I was expecting all these textured polishes to chip easily.

 I have so many more textured polishes coming your way! I also want to do a massive comp post since so many of you lovelies have requested the different collections be compared to each other.

Thanks for stopping by and happy weekend!!

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More about → Milani Textured Nail Polish in Shady Gray

Nails Inc - Leather Effect - Noho (black)

This kit includes a unique matte/leather effect nail polish, studs, crystal skull embellishments, and crystal rhinestones. Very rockstar! The kit also includes nail glue and 2 wooden cuticle sticks.

This kit can be found for sale here on Sephora's website for $25.

The polish applies very easily. I found I got the best "leather" effect with 2 thin coats. When I used thicker coats, the particles didn't show a texture as well. It's like they got lost the more polish I used.

 Then I added some of the crazy cool rhinestones and embellishments from the kit.

I'm afraid the big crystal skull would not have any practical wear time because it's simply too flat. My nail beds are curved and any little thing could have snagged it off.

I also painted it on one of my cousins that was in town for the weekend and used some gold circle studs that I had lying around. You can see the difference here in how you apply the polish. The hand on top was with thin coats, the hand on the bottom ended up being with slightly thicker coats and that polish has a much glossier look and less textured.

*These products were provided for review*

More about → Nails Inc - Leather Effect - Noho (black)

Updated OCC Power Plant Mani- Matte Angled French Tips

(**Some of the products featured in this post were provided for  review consideration**)

Good Morning!!

  This will be a quickie post. I feel like all I do these days is bitch about not feeling well, and I am really sorry about that. I have this "thing" where I feel like my body cannot keep up with my brain. There is SO much I want to/need to get done. I have so many ideas floating around in my brain, but I rarely have the energy to get up and DO IT. I hate it :(. I really try so hard not to dwell on my illness, but it has been wearing me down lately. I've never had these many bad weeks in a row. I know this is not permanent and I hope to be well someday soon. I will be heading to the Mayo Clinic in May so, Fingers crossed I'll come out with some more definite answers.  

 So this cool and simple look started with a base of OCC Power Plant. After a day of wearing Power Plant by itself I decided to layer Lac Attack's Hogwarts over it for some bling. I wore that for another day or so and I had some minimal tip wear going on, but was not ready to part with my mani yet... SO, I taped off some angled french tips and painted the exposed parts with Cult Nails Nevermore. To finalize my whole look and give it some edge, I added a coat of Twee & Honey This is mateness- matte top coat. 

 I'm hoping to be a little on track this week. I do have quite a lot of pictures ready to go, they are mainly makeup though. I know many of you are here for le nails, but LTHP LOOOOVES makeup too ♥. So, there might be a lot of makeup posts coming your way these coming days. Mainly because I don't have much "nail" material ready to go :(. But as I said above, I have SO many ideas, so many new things I want to try and tutorials I want to film. I just need my body to get with the program and stop rebelling against me.

XO

(**Some of the products featured in this post were provided for  review consideration**)

More about → Updated OCC Power Plant Mani- Matte Angled French Tips

Cult Nails Tempest, Fetish & Blaze -Nail Art Look

Happy Friday!!! 

  Today I have a really cool look featuring Cult Nails' Second Year Anniversary Collection. A few days ago I showed you guys Fetish all on it's own, but I thought it would be cool to do a look that featured different finishes. It seemed only fitting that I found a way to combine all Three shades in the collection into a cool look! 

 This look started with Two effortless coats of Tempest. I topped my base off with some Seche Vite and waited for it to dry. Then using some wavy scrapbook scissors I cut some strips of scotch tape to create the wavy side panels using Fetish. To clean up the seam between Fetish and Tempest I used a short striping brush dipped in Blaze. Then I went back with a really small dotting tool and added some Fetish dots along the wavy line. I did not top coat the finalized look to keep the cool contrast between wax and shiny finishes. Plain and simple, I ADORE this look!! And best of all, it was SO easy and fast to do!! 

 Here is a swatch of Tempest. The most flawless, creamiest shade of White I own. Two easy coats and an amazing self-leveling formula make this polish an absolute must have in my book!

 I said it before and I will say it again... I NEED more polishes in that wax finish!! There is something about it that I am absolutely LOVING!! I am also loving Blaze. When I first saw it I thought I would be indifferent towards it and then I actually wore it and I could not stop staring at my nails! It is a beautiful, blingy, yet classy glitter! My thoughts on Tempest? FINALLY, the perfect white creme haha!!! And Fetish? ... Yeah... you need it!

 I'm so ready for the weekend, I'm sure you guys are too :D!  

(**CN products provided for review**)

More about → Cult Nails Tempest, Fetish & Blaze -Nail Art Look

"Truffin" Tuesday!! Barielle Green Apple and O.P.I My Paprika is Hotter than Yours!

Hello and happy Tuesday! 

  SO sorry this post is running late. I got distracted yesterday while working on my hair. I got into one of my cray cray funks and decided I wanted to re-do my hair colors. I've been taking Folic Acid supplements (per my doctor) and my hair, and nails have been growing SO fast!! But, anywho... My roots were KILLING me, so I got wrapped up in that project and completely forgot to post this awesome mani I did with Truffle's pick(s).  

 Muffin is still refusing to pick lol. She will just sit there looking pretty like "What, what do you want human?". This week though, Truffle decided to join in the fun and picked me some shades to play with.

 I don't know what it is about this look but I LOVE how it turned out. The color combination is weird and yet it works so well. Truffle picked for me Barielle's Green Apple and O.P.I My Paprika is Hotter than Yours. These are both phenomenal, vibrant shades!! They both have amazing formulas, incredibly saturated and creamy! I used Two coats of each shade. For the triangle Purple accents I used Zoya Pinta. I finished the look off by adding some contrasting "glequins" and topping the whole look off with Twee & Honey's This is Matteness- matte top coat.

 And here are the kitties doing their thing.

 And because I loved these shades together before I even added accents. Here are my base colors. I am smitten with O.P.I MPIHTY!! That said, my camera was not a fan lol. It is an AMAZING Summer/ Spring shade and if you even remotely like Oranges, you will want this baby. Green Apple by Barielle is a really fun and unique shade and you can't beat that Barielle formula!

 I'm loving all these fun and quirky shades for Spring and Summer. I think those are my favorite seasons for nail polish. I had so much fun working with these colors and I can see why Truffle has trouble deciding ;).

  Time to go finish working on my hair!! I will have pics for you guys as soon as it is done ♥.

(**OPI and Barielle products provided for my consideration**)

More about → "Truffin" Tuesday!! Barielle Green Apple and O.P.I My Paprika is Hotter than Yours!

Cult Nails Fetish

It's Thursday, Thursday... 

  I really wish it was Friday, fryday... Today I want to shre the amazing Cult Nails Fetish. This polish was released earlier this year for Cult Nails Second Birthday. Maria did a small release of Three colors and this edgy beauty was one of them. 

 I was so floored when I started seeing sneaks of this wax-finish Black. For the longest time I had been dying for a solid, matte- creme Black. There are a few matte Blacks out there but most have some kind of shimmer, Fetish does not shimmer. But what I really love is that Fetish is BLACK, a lovely opaque Black. I absolutely love the finish on this shade. I was worried that the intensity of the Black would not hold up as the polish dried, but it did. These were some HAWT liquid latex nails! Many matte top coats (when layered over Black) and a few matte "Blacks" will dry to a dark Graphite shade instead of true Black. Fetish is just plain sexy!  

  The best thing about this polish is that fantastic Cult Nails formula we have come to expect. This polish applied very evenly and smoothly. The application of this shade is just like that of Nevermore. If you are in a rush this is an excellent polish because it is practically opaque in one coat... And HELLO that awesome and edgy finish!! It's just so cool that it is not fully matte or fully glossy.. Just perfect! I did Two coats when I wore my Fetish. I was also very impressed with dry time on this shade. It was fully dry and solid in about 30 minutes. I did not top coat this polish because I didn't want to alter the awesome finish it dries to on its own.

  I saw a recent sneak peek of Cult Nails upcoming shades and Maria is planning a Wax- finish Barbie Pink that I am SOOOOO excited about!!! After trying Fetish.... I want a WHOLE line of colors in this finish!! I think a Teal would be AWESOME!!!

What are your thoughts on this Wax finish?

(**CN products provided for review**)

More about → Cult Nails Fetish

Pure Ice - Velour Finish Collection - Part 2

Hey guys! I managed to find some more of the Pure Ice "suedes" at my local Walmart. I can't seem to find an exact number of how many polishes are in this collection. Do y'all have any links for me?

The first four polishes of this collection that I picked up are posted HERE.

Blue Midnight - 2 coats

I've added topcoat to the middle nail to show the difference.

Femme Fatale - 2 coats

 

 Topcoat was added to the middle nail.

 Stunning - 2 coats.

 

Topcoat added to the middle nail.

 I was worried that Stunning was going to be too similar to Draped, but here I've done a side by side comparison.



More about → Pure Ice - Velour Finish Collection - Part 2