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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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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O.P.I Oz the Great and Powerful Collection Swatches

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Good morning loves!! 

  Today I will be sharing my swatches of O.P.I's newest Summer Soft Shades collection which was inspired by the new film, Oz the Great and Powerful. This lovely collection is made up Three nude jellies, Three layering glitters and One new Liquid Sand shade for a total of Seven new shades.

 I will be SO very brutally honest. I was fully prepared to loathe this collection. I was ready to be all like "OMG it's so boring, the glitters suck etc". I found myself nomming on my words. I always think I will hate the Soft Shades, and I always end up enamored with them. I think it is because, while these are not colors I would normally pic for myself, they always end up looking so lovely and feminine. I can't help but enjoy the softer, healthy look these shades give my hands.

O.P.I I Theodora You

  I Theodora You is a lovely shade of soft Ballerina slipper pink jelly-creme. This color has a perfect squishy formula and applies very easily. I used Three easy coats for my swatch above.

O.P.I Lights of Emerald City over I Theodora You

 Lights of Emerald City is a blend of larger White squares and small opalescent squares suspended in a clear base. This topper is fairly easy to work with and I didn't have many issues getting the larger pieces to come out. The best thing to do is to store your bottle upside down for a little bit before application so the larger bits settle to the top of the bottle. I really love this glitter a LOT.

O.P.I Glints of Galinda

 Glints of Galinda is a really neutral beige jelly-creme. I'd say it is a sandy beige and it seems to dry just a tad darker on the nail than the color in the bottle. This shade pulled Peachy on me, which I really liked. I used Three thin coats for my swatch.

O.P.I When Monkeys Fly over O.P.I Glints of Galinda

 When Monkeys Fly is a mix of large Golden hexes and smaller Silver prismatic hexes in a clear base. This was the "problem child" of the collection for many gals. O.P.I decided to go with intentional curling (Taco Glitter) on the larger pieces, which bothered a lot of gals. Personally, I did not find the curling to be as drastic as some people made them out to be. Yes, they were slightly curved, but I did not find it to be an issue. The trickier part was getting the pieces to stay on my nail as I was applying the polish. I used more of a dabbing method to get the pieces on my nails. In the end, I really liked this glitter and I don't mind the slightly curved pieces.

O.P.I Don't Burst my Bubble 

 Don't Burst my Bubble  is a very, very light shade of Pink creme- jelly. It is practically a White jelly, with the slightest hint of Pink undertones. This was the sheerest of all, I had to do Four thin coats on this shade. That said, the formula was easy to work with and very even.

O.P.I Which is Witch? over O.P.I Don't Burst my Bubble 

 Which is Witch?  is a really lovely and twinkly blend of micro sparkles. Micro bars and slightly larger glitter Hexes in a Silver prismatic finish all suspended in a clear base. This polish is PACKED with sparkle and has a great spread of the glitter. I just love this look. It is dreamy and fantastical.

O.P.I What Wizardry is This? 

 This is the liquid sand shade that was released with this collection. What Wizardry is This? is a great shade of sparkling Bronze texture. I did not think I would enjoy this, but I do love it quite a lot. It is such a rich shade. It reminds me of coffee for some reason... Random I know haha. I used Two coats for my swatch, but I should have used a Third thin one.

  And there you have O.P.I's Oz Collection. What are your thoughts on this collection? I find these to be adorable, clean and feminine. I really ended up liking the glitters as well. I suppose it is a good thing I do not naturally gravitate to shades like these. They usually end up being unique in my stash, and that is always a good thing. If I were to only get ONE shade from this collection, it would definitely be I Theodora You.

 Which are your picks?

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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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