Muffin Monday!! Nicole by O.P.I Listen to Your Mom-ager

Happy Muffin Monday!!

  It has been about a month since Miss Muffin has made an appearance on LTHP and I was feeling bad about that... SO! I made it a point that when I got home from work last night I would absolutely work on a Muffin Monday for you guys. I figured I'd limit her choices to some of my most favorite Blues since it is the last day of April, Autism Awareness month. So here is what I did with her pick.... It got quite involved(for me) It's been a while since I've done nail art... And yes, I did all Ten nails :D. I fully intend on rocking these for a few days because I LOVE them!

 It's been SO long since I've done nail art that I get to actually WEAR! I'm kind of excited (DORKNESS). So she picked for me Nicole by O.P.I Listen to your Mom-ager, I absolutely adore this shade of deep Royal Blue shimmer. So for the stamping I used Cheeky plate CH06 and White Konad polish. I feel like my stamping is a little sloppy since it's been a while since I've stamped, especially dots. For my index fingers I did Two coats of Windestine Asbestos over the Blue base (LOOOOOVE this nail!!). On my Ring and Thumbs I did matching rhinestone accents. The stones were a present.

 Hee hee! MUFFIN!!! <3! She did not make this easy.

I just love this look! Maybe a bit "Holiday" but I could care less... It also comes off a bit prom... So it fits in at the same time haha!

So.. Epic nails are epic :D? Oh BTW, I am LOVING my new Cheeky stamping plates. This is probably my favorite set right now. I wish I had more hands!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Color Club Take Wing and Bettina Disco Collection Comparisons

Hello (again)!

  This will be a QUICK second post with some promised comps between the Bettina Disco Collection and Color Club's Take Wing Collection.

  I won't go into full detail about where they differ (because they don't much) but if you were lemming the Bettina Disco Collection- Color Club's Take Wing will cure that right up! I could not compare Groovie to Wing Fling because I swapped out my Groovie but it is pretty safe to say they would have been dupes or "close enough". The biggest difference is that Take Wing has a Sunny Yellow in place of Bettina's Purple glassfleck, Boogie. Another difference is that the sparkle in the Disco Collection is more fine that that in Take Wing. The colors in Take Wing are slightly sparklier than those in Disco. I compared Daisy Does It to China Glaze Lighthouse. Lighthouse is far more "Golden". The Color Club polishes are slightly more saturated with color.

SOOO! Long story short: If you were lemming Bettina's Disco Collection RUN out and get yourself Color Club's Take Wing Collection, you will not regret it!

Color Club Take Wing Collection Swatches

Happy Sunday!!

  Today I have swatches of an amazing Summer collection that Color Club has put together for us. I've been looking forward to this collection since the very first Press Releases started making their way onto the interwebs. This is redemption at it's finest for Color Club after a Spring collection that left me a little sad. Now THIS is what I am talking about!! Six amazing, vibrant and super sparkly glassflecky shimmers that will make you wish you were on a cruise ship sipping on Margaritas!

Color Club Daisy Does It

 This is amazing and you need it... End of story... Nah hahah, just kidding. Daisy Does It is like Sunshine in a bottle. It is a very vibrant shade of Yellow glassfleck shimmer. I love that it is not really a Golden Yellow but a True Yellow shimmer. This is my favorite from the collection, shockingly enough. This pretty did best in Three thin coats.

Color Club Sparkle and Soar

 Sparkle and Soar is a juicy shade of Tangerine glassfleck shimmer with a slight Golden duocrhome. I do love that when on the nail it leans FAR more orange than Gold though. It is a very vibrant glassfleck and also packed very densely so you get really good color payoff and sparkle. This shade did great in Two coats.

 To see the rest of the collection just continue reading after the jump :D!

O.P.I The Amazing Spiderman Collection Swatches

Happy Caturday!!!

  Today I have swatches of O.P.I's The Amazing Spiderman Collection. This collection is an interesting mix of colors and finishes. I'm not feeling super chatty today so I'll get straight to the swatches :D.

O.P.I Just Spotted the Lizzard

  Just Spotted the Lizzard is an Olive Green metallic with a slight Blue duchrome. We all know what this looks like so I won't bother to point it out... I actually do not own anything to compare this to, so it is unique in my collection. This color has a nice formula and seems to do best in Three thin coats. It is interesting, but I still don't know how I feel about it honestly. I wish that duochrome you see in the bottle really translated to the nail. Apply carefully to avoid brushstrokes.

O.P.I Shatter the Scales over Just Spotted the Lizard

 Shatter the Scales is a deep Forest Green shimmery shatter. Am I over shatter? Yes, BUT.... This one is pretty bad ass. Putting this Shatter the Scales over Just Spotted the Lizard was what made me really appreciate Just Spotted the Lizard a little more. This shatter is very easy to work with and as you can see it shatters really nicely.

 To see the rest of the collection just continue reading :D.

Nicole by O.P.I Count on Me

Happy Friday!!!

  Today I have a random Wal- Mart find. This pretty jumped out at me from a pile of NOPI's that were just sitting there waiting to be re-arranged. This is an older color and I believe it was a Wal- Mart exclusive originally. So, basically the hubs and I were walking past the nail polishes and this pretty was sticking out like a sore-thumb... But in a good way... Wait.... What?

 Count on Me was just begging to be layered. I knew from the second I saw this color that it would really come to life over an opaque shade. For this mani I used Milani Hipster Plum as my base color. The deep Plum brought out more of the Purple tones in Count on Me. There is just so much multichrome action going on in Count on Me, it shifts from Purple to Blue and at extremes it flashes Magenta. All I used was one coat of Count on Me over Hipster Plum to get this awesome look.

 LOOOVE! I think this will look awesome over so many different colors or even splattered! I love a nice surprise!

 Here is a crap pic that shows the awesome multichrome even better!

Pretty awesome right!?

Milani CVS Exclusives for Spring 2012

Hi loves! Happy Thursday!

  Today I have a TON of swatches of Milani's new Spring Collection expansion. These colors will be available at CVS. There is a good mix if shimmers, cremes shades with these releases and something for everyone. 

Milani Chocolate Sprinkles

 This one is by far and wide my favorite out of all the colors I will be showing you today. Chocolate Sprinkles is an amazing shade of Brown shimmer. I'm not much for Brown tones but the glowing Golden shimmer in this color did me in very quickly. Browns are actually really flattering on my skin, I should really wear it more often.... This color has a great,Two coat, formula.

Milani Hipster Plum

 Hipster Plum is a great shade of Deep and dusty Plummy Purple. Freakin love this shade! I am a sucker for a good Plum creme. The formula on this color is great and perfect in Two coats.

 There are a ton more swatches so keep on reading :D!

Pink Wednesday!! O.P.I VIntage Minnie Mouse Collection Swatches

Happy Humpday!

  I know this is kind of a cop out but I have not done a Pink Wednesday in a while and showing you guys this collection just seemed fitting for the occasion. Every Summer (ish) O.P.I seems to release a "themed" collection of Four colors. A few years back it was Summer Flutter, last year they did Nice Stems and this year they are giving us Four Minnie Mouse themed shades. 

Sorry about this jank looking collage... My life will never be the same until a better replacement for Picnik comes along. I've tried Pic Monkey and Aviary but I plain don't like them. Using the Creative Kit in Picasa at the moment but it's just not the same..... So yeah... You should totally keep reading to see some pretty swatches!

Etsy Mania!! Candeo Colors Orchid and Dolce

Good morning lovelies and happy Tuesday!

  Today I have.. You guessed it! MORE Etsy finds! The shop in the spotlight today is Candeo Colors. I stumbled upon these Two pretties by, what I assume to be, nothing more that pure luck. I had never heard of this shop but these were the last Two colors she had available that day and I NEEDED them. Candeo Colors has very fast made a name for themselves and they sell out within minutes of opening shop. These are not easy to come by as it seems to be the case with a lot of these Etsy frankeners. But with beauties like these... Why would they not sell out within seconds?

Candeo Colors Orchid over Zoya Reagan

 Orchid is a beautiful deep Purple-y/Magenta shimmery base packed full of Large Holo-y Hexes and smaller copper hexes in the shimmery base. This color could be opaque on its own but I layered it to give it a little extra depth and to make my bottle last as long as possible. I'm in awe of the combination of glitter colors and sizes. This polish is nothing but pure glittery awesomeness and sophistication.

Candeo Colors Dolce over Milani U Pinky Swear

 Oh Dolce.... This is just yummy... I cannot think of a better word to describe this. It is a soft milky Pink base packed full of all different sized glitters in White, Pink and Violet. There are also some Half Moon glitters that I had no luck picking up but they are there. Once again, I layered my Dolce to make sure I don't run out any time soon. I love the look of this creamy glitter. The name is perfection.

 I can't wait for mainstream companies to start watching these girls more closely. I don't want dupes.... But where is THIS kind of creativity in our mainstream brands? Lesbi-honest... We all love these Etsy frankens, and their creators are seriously talented ladies, but the low supply to the very high demand is just not working out. Also, the whole "stalking" bullshit is getting old. I feel like we are all giving ourselves heart attacks over snatching up even just one bottle. I cannot be mad at these ladies because we all know they work their fingers to the bone but I can still hate the fact that it's like the biggest C*CK tease ever! "Hey look at these amazing polishes I can make...-.... Oh.. But you can't buy any...."

Thoughts?

Etsy Mania!! Nail- Venturous Humble Bee

Happy It's Monday!!

  But despite the fact that it is the most dreaded day ever and there is a blatant lack of Muffin on the blog today I do have an awesome polish to show yoy guys. I scored this baby during Amy's first Etsy run. My heart was pounding so hard I was winded by the time I clicked "Submit Order". Thank goodness it lives up to my hype!

 I've seen Humble Bee worn on it's own so I think it can reach opacity. However, after what I went through to get this, I want to make it last as long as possible so I layered it for this manicure. A decision I do not regret because I freaking LOVE how awesome this looks. My base color is O.P.I My Boyfriend Scales Walls. A very, very light clean and crisp White- Grey. Humble Bee is a mis of awesome neon bright Yellow matte glitters and Black glitter with some larger Black bits thrown in for texture. AMAZING! That.IS.All. I cannot get enough of these matte glitter blends. The "texture" and effect they create is just too cool!

Here is a neat-o macro shot!

So.... How freaking cool is this?!!!!!

Cult Nails Seduction

Hi loves and happy Sunday!!

  I am sorry I've kind of dropped off from the Black and White Challenge. I've been having a rough few weeks and that has made it very difficult for me to keep posting on schedule. I feel REALLY bad and kinda lame for "quitting" the challenge but life really does come first. I was feeling like the challenge was making blogging more of a chore than something I enjoy and I hate feeling that way about my blog. I just plain don't have the time to stick to a schedule right now. I have tons of material to get through and I am falling behind on swatching so I had to make an "executive decision" and drop out of the challenge. I hope/ know you guys will understand.

  Instead, today I will be showing you an amazing gem from Cult Nails called Seduction. This pretty is part  of Cult Nails newest collection Divas and Drama. I got this beauty at out last Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida Meet-up. Maria was kind enough to provide all the gals with Two of her amazing creations.

 Seduction is a deep Royal Purple jelly base packed full of Copper and Blue Flakies. The flakies in this seem to have a shift to Green which is pretty awesome. For this look I layered Seduction over Zoya Carly. This combination was so much more stunning in person but in my pics the flakies seem to blend into the base too much. Seriously though, in person this combo is so lush and jaw-dropping. Seduction is one of those polishes that you could probably layer over anything and it would still look amazing.

  This picture shows the flakies a little better. I love how the sparkle from Carly peeks through the jelly base in Seduction. 

I cannot get enough of Maria's cretions. Especially her flakie- based creations.

What do you guys think?

Etsy Mania! Sweet Fairy Boutique Sea Nymph and Black Ice

Happy Friday!!

  Today I have some more indie finds from Etsy.... Someone needs to keep a spray bottle near so they can spray me with it when I start looking at polish on Etsy. Just when you think you've seen everything.. Some crazy new combination of glitters and textures pop up that just blow my mind.Today I'm featuring some polishes by Sweet Fairy Boutique. Right now she does not have polishes listed but she has a shop full of cute little things!

Sweet Fairy Boutique Sea Nymph over Zoya Meg

 Blinding green glitter packed so dense that it practically covers in one coat? YES please! I did not hesitate for one minute on clicking add to cart on this Green and Teal beauty. The Teal Hexes in Sea Nymph have a holographic shift. In the pics I have it layered over Zoya Meg. Meg is a perfect match on the shade of Green. This polish is so seriously sparkly that it is practically blinding. My camera could not handle it in the Sun haha!

Sweet Fairy Boutique Black Ice over Zoya Shelby

 LOVVEEEEEE! So I have a huge thing for shredded glitters that are not a pain to apply. This adds such cool texture. There is something very mod and retro about this mani. Adding a coat of this would spice up any mani. Oh ANDDDDD the bits actually lie flat!

Just keep adding to the list ladies... Etsy Mania is here to stay!

LTHP Dabbles! Nail Polish Jewelry Fun!

Hi lovely readers!

  I know today is a challenge day and I had fully intended to have that post up later today but my body had other plans. I still might do it later on depending on how I feel. If I do not post it today I will still be doing day Seven whenever we post our next challenge day. 

  Instead, today I will be showing you some nail polish rings and earrings I made over the past few weeks. After I saw [THIS TUTORIAL] by Rebecca I was bit by the crafty bug and just had to place an Etsy order for some cabochons and bases :D. These are fun to make for friends and the gals in my family. I made my bestie a ring out of butterLONDON Snog and Pretty and Polished Valentino but I forgot to snap a pic before I sent it her way. It was awesome!

 To see close up shots of these just continue reading.

Jamberry Nail Shields for Autism Awareness Month!

Hi loves!

  Check these out!!! I was sent these by a lovely reader, Teena,  who sells Jamberry Nail Shields. So as I was browsing through Jamberry's AMAZING selection of designs I stumbled upon this amazing Autism Awareness set that I could NOT pass up.

So, I am not gonna go into an explanation of how to apply these because the process is the same pretty much no matter what brand of decal you are using. The Jamberry decals are very sturdy feeling and nice and long. They come in Nine different sizes and they even fit my teeny nails pretty well. I love that the ends of the decals are nice and rounded so that you can get at least Two uses out of a single strip. I will be honest and say that these don't work very well if you have nubs like I do. The amount of filing you have to do do really trim the decal close to your nail is no conducive to a clean edge with nubbies. If you really want to rock these decals you might want a little bit of a free edge on your tips. 

This is definitelly NOT a "slap-on-and-go" type of thing. You should really take your time to make sure the decals are staight on your nail. Press down firmly and when you are done with all Ten nails it might be a good idea to blast them(from a good distance) with your blowdryer for some heat. This will make them bond extra stong.

 This is what the decal sheet looks like. Here you can see what I mean about the rounded ends.

Jamberry has an incredible selection of designs and I cannot wait to check out some more of them. Next time I wear these I will grow my nails out a little more to be able to get more wear out of them. I think that girls with longer nails might have an even easier time applying these. There is no bubbling or creasing with these with is nice. They are slightly thicker than your average decal so it is a good idea to really press down on the edges around your nail to make sure that they are as flush with your nails as possible.

Thoughts?

(**Product provided for review**)

Black and White Challenge! Day Six- White on Color

Hi loves!!

  I know, I know.. I'm late with this post.. A WHOLE day late :(. So sorry about that. I had the pics ready to go but completely forgot to do the post the night before and then I woke up yesterday feeling awful and ended up in the hospital for the Second time this year. Needless to say.. I was not about to sit down and blog yesterday... As if by some miracle I am actually at work today but I don't feel very functional so please pardon the "shortness" of this post. The task for yersterday was White on Color.

 For this funky look I started wit Two effortless coats of the lovely and totally amazing, Tallulah by Zoya. Still featuring Blues throughout April for Autism Awareness month. Tallulah is what I would consider to be my all time favorite shade of Blue. For the White accents I used a dotting tool. For this you have to make sure your base color is 100% dry because it requires dragging the dotting tool in quick short movements across your nail. Topped it all off with some Northern Lights.

I'm not really sure what I was going for with this look but I kinda like it... Don't forget to stop by  Sam The Nailasaurus, Rie Nails and Noms, Esther at Fab Fingertips, Stephanie at Sincerely Stephanie and Emily from The Laquerologist to see what they have in store for us today!

1.       White base with black (Apr. 1st 2012)

2.       Black base with white (Apr. 4th 2012)

3.       Black base with color (Apr. 7th 2012)

4.       White base with color (Apr. 10th 2012)

5.       Color base with black (Apr. 13th 2012)

6.       Color base with white (Apr. 16th 2012)

7.       Black & white with glitters (Apr. 19th 2012)

8.       Sponging (Apr. 22th 2012)

9.       Water marble (Apr. 25th 2012)

10.     Manicure of your choice with black and white (Apr. 28th 2012)

Thoughts?