Top 5

I know the anticipation has been killing yall... How much longer will you have to wait for my list of my top 5 polishes??? Well, the wait is over!

#5: LA Splash "Crimson Tide"

This fun color is a dark maroon/red infused with several colors of red and pink glitter. It is a neutral-ish colors with a BAM of glitter that is eye-popping! It requires a pretty thick basecoat though; the glitter takes a bit more effort than normal to remove from the nail. Mrs. Lacquer and I decided that "Crimson Tide" does not do the color justice; we instead deem it "Bloody Red Cherries."

#4: Revlon "Minted"

Last summer I discovered this light green shade (actually, Mrs. Lacquer pointed it out while we were shopping at Target and I had to buy it too lol) and since then it is one of my favorites! My mom called it "Shrek toes" when I wore it, but it is such a lovely light green that goes on opaque (and is not Shrek-y at all!). This is the exact color that I think of when speaking of mint, and compared to every other minty color I've seen it is #1!

#3: Sinful Colors: "Easy Going"

I've already paid homage to this LOVELY pink in my previous post, but I can't help but include it in my top 5. My polish style has always been dark purples/greys/browns/blues - basically neutrals - but this is surpassed them all! It looks so crisp and clean on the nail, and the pink is so light and pretty. I cannot say to many great things about this polish! It definitely does not disappoint!

#2: Incoco Dry Nail Applique: French Manicure Tips

Ok, so technically this one isn't a polish, BUT it is something that I buy on a regular basis and keep in my polish bucket for times when I'm feeling a little French. These appliques are easy-to-apply tips that look fabulous and fool everyone into thinking you've gone acrylic. There are 20 tips in the case, so I am able to get two separate applications for each hand. It comes with a small nail file and a cuticle stick- complete application in one box! If you're considering purchasing these tips, be sure to apply to clean nails, then top with a basecoat and then SV. The great thing about these tips is when there is chipping on the ends, you can just trim your nails and you have a fresh-looking manicure :) This is definitely one of my go-to's.

#1: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure: "Commander in Chic"

For me, there is nothing I have discovered that can surpass Commander in Chic. This is the first polish that I purchased and the one that started the obsession. I first saw it on Mrs. Lacquer's fingers.... I remember the day distinctly: We were talking in the kitchen at the speech therapy clinic at our school, and I couldn't keep my eyes off her nails! (She shared the secret of SV with me that day too... my life has never been the same!) This color is the perfect blend of purple and grey and is a fun way to have a neutral nail without going with the usual suspects. The brush in this line of polishes is really great too; it is rounded at the ends and helps achieve a clean shape while painting. If you haven't tried it, go for it! Then let me know how much you love it :)

Bonus! OPI Correct & Clean Up Refillable Corrector Pen

Ha! Little did you know that you would be getting a bonus 6th favorite! I'm always trying to keep you on your toes :) This corrector pen is something I picked up at Ulta and was a wonderful purchase that I use everytime I polish. It is filled with polish remover and has a felt tip that can be used to clean up cuticles or polish lines. Admittedly, I am not the cleanest polisher, so this has been a life-saver for me! After a manicure I used to clean my cuticles in the shower the next morning, but no more! The felt tip works well (it comes with a second tip as a replacement) and the pen is re-fillable with your choice of remover. It cost about $7, but it was definitely worth it for me!

So there you have it! My top 5!

On an unrelated note, Mrs. Lacquer is taking one of her huge comprehensive tests tomorrow (Friday) morning and the other on Saturday morning. Send your prayers and happy thoughts her way!

Which polishes are on your list? I'm eager to hear about your favorites!

Pink Lovelies :)

Hello! I hope everyone's week is going splendidly! Thank goodness tomorrow is Thursday- I'm ready for the weekend!

So, here is my confession: I have been on a baby-pink kick lately. I can't explain it; ballerina pink on nails used to be a pet peeve of mine, but now it is the only color I seem to be buying. Who knows?!

While browsing at Ulta, I saw several polish brands with baby pinks. Essie has a polish quad of baby pinks, and I read (somewhere) that light pink is going to be an "in" color this spring due to the popularity of the movie "Black Swan." I don't know how that movie would move someone to wear pink; if you have seen it you know that it is a pretty dark story. Again, who knows?!?! But pink is our topic today, and I would like to present five lovely light pinks to ballerina-ize your nails!

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Thumb: Revlon "Sweet Tart"

Ok, I threw this one in to make it an even hand.... it isn't techniqually a ballerina-pink (at least to me), but it is a pretty pink. It was very thick- I generally stop at two coats, but after one it was opaque. I'm not a fan of this on fingers, but it would be cute on tan summer toes :)

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Pointer: Sinful Colors "Beautiful Girl"

Sinful Colors is one of my favorite brands. It is super cheap (2 for $3), which means I don't have to feel guilty when I buy two (or three or four) at the local Walgreens when I pick up my prescription. For such an inexpensive brand the quality is really nice and there are lots of cute colors to choose from. This pink is creamy and light but not obnoxious, and when I think of its name I start singing (beautiful girls all over the world, they've got nothing on you baaaaabyyyyy).

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Middle: Sinful Colors "Easy Going"

So the name of this polish does NOT do it any justice. It really should be called I LOVE THIS COLOR (all caps means business). It is a perfect light pink that sways on the verge of white. It makes fingers look super tan, and two coats gives you perfect coverage. This is going to be a polish that I'll have to buy multiples of; one bottle will not be enough!

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Ring: Wet 'n' Wild "Sugar Coat"

This was a random buy about 9 months ago... it was very inexpensive and seemed like the perfect baby pink. It was sheerer than I was hoping, but after two to three coats it was opaque and had a subtle sheen. Instead of being ballerina pink, it really is a nude-pink. (I'm baring my nail polish soul in this blog: I'm not a huge fan of the nude polishes. It makes me feel like my fingernails are scabbed over. I know what you're thinking- this girl is a strange one! I guess I just haven't found the right nude). So to say that this is a pretty nude-pink is saying a lot from me.

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Pinkie: Essie "We Can Do It Pink!"

Confession #3: This is my first purchase of an Essie polish. There, I said it. I've ogled polished in the Essie section at Ulta, but this was my first (and I got it for only $3- cha-ching!). On the nail, it is a barely-pink/beige that leans more on the white/beige side. To be honest, I don't know why it is called a pink. I was hoping that it would be a light pink/lavender, but the grey undertones make it much more beige than pink. My first go at Essie was a little bit disappointing, but I will not forsake Essie! Plus, at that price who could be mad??

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So there you have it! Pretty pink polishes!

What are some of your favorite pinks???

What polish confession do you have to share?

Revlon Perplex

I found this one on sale at Big Lots for $1. There were at least 30 of them but I only bought 4 (lol..."only".) I have a dear friend that I know would loooove this color...plus I figured I could share them with some of my sweet readers.

I'm sure you all know about this shade by now but it appears to be a dead-on-dupe for Chanel Paradoxical. Here is the post over at the PolishAholic that got me drooling over both. Needless to say, when I saw this one I knew it was MINE! Behold!

Oh! Isn't it just lovely? This is 2 creamy coats. Application was such a dream!

Do you own this one? They are selling on Ebay and Amazon for at least $10 but I'd be willing to swap. Let me know if you're interested.

Just another random Monday...

MAN! This Monday was rough! Getting back into the swing of things after 4 days off last week was nothing short of painful! Luckily I came hope to a package from Beauty by Brittany with this lovely note and some fab polishes inside. I can't wait to show you all the pretties she sent me! :)

I also made an exciting/random find at Big Lots this afternoon while I was looking for inexpensive dog beds:

That's right...I bought 4 of them. And perplexed is what the lady at the check-out counter probably was when she rang these up. But at only $1 each I really couldn't pass them up. I bought one for me and 3 to share. Let me know if your interested :)

I also had to share this rant over at Let them have Polish about the new OPI Texas Collection. I saw these polishes in person at Ulta this weekend and I really couldn't have said it better myself! It's a travesty that OPI took their inspiration from something as colorful and diverse as Texas and gave us bland and boring!

And just to wrap up what has proven to be my most random post ever I want to give a shout-out and a big thank you to Beauty Shades for tagging me with the Beautiful Blogger award. 

 And here are the questions that come with this award:

 

1. When and how did you start your love of polish? My love of polish started back in high-school when I was on the swim team. When you're in a competitive sport where your only way to express yourself is a tiny swimsuit you have to get creative. My school colors were blue and gold and I loved to wear deep blue jellys with chunky gold glitters. 

2. If you could choose to do anything in the world what would it be? How can I possibly narrow this down? I would love to be on one of those quirky Travel Channel shows and travel the world, making real connections and friendships along the way.

3. What's your favorite love story? I hate to go all philosophical on you guys but the story about how this dude God "so loved the world that he gave his only son" is a pretty amazing love story.

As for tagging others I'm cheating and I'm gonna go ahead and say tag yourself! Thanks for bearing with me through my randomness. Back to polishes tomorrow I promise!

Twilight/Honey Coated Combo

Everything in the DFW area was closed today due to ice and snow so I had a chance to snap a picture of my manicure. Its 3 days old now but the tip wear is fairly minimal.

I'm really thinking about using my Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Blue Ice. It's an appropriate color for today now that I think about it! My husband and I are both stuck at home and starting to get stir crazy. I can only watch so much TV and there is a good chance we might be stuck at home again tomorrow! AHHHHHH! Any suggestions on how to keep ourselves entertained?

Also, be sure to visit Beauty by Brittany...today is the last day to enter her fabulous giveaway! I would LOVE to try out the color changing polishes from Mood Struck!

Procrastination

What should I do on a lazy Sunday afternoon when I have the hugest test of my life looming in my near future??? Paint my nails of course!

Ok...so I started with the best intentions (notice my notes spread across my desk) but my office is also my polish room so it's easy to get distracted. For some reason I decided to dig out some oldies out of my stash (Ok...so Mr. Wrong is a new edition but the rest are old as crap):

(From left to right: Milani Honey Coated, Sally Hansen Wildfire Opal, Hard Candy Mr. Wrong, Sally Hansen Garnet Lapis, and Revlon Twilight.)

After a few days of Purple Rain I was ready for something a little more subtle. I tried some layering which turned out disastrously ugly and I won't bother posting them. However, although Honey Coated is kinda bland in normal light in the sunlight it suprised me with a blue flash!

The sun went down before I could take a picture of my final manicure but it was umpteen coats of Honey Coated (it was very sheer and I can't function with VNL) with one coat of Twilight on top.

It turned out to be a very luminous, glowy, pink. I'm not a pink kinda girl but I'm really loving it!

What unexpected laying combinations have you created?