Friday, March 29, 2013

Strawberry Cucumber Mojito and Polish Addict * Mojito

Hello loves!  I was lazy last night and slacked off with my blog post.  BUT!  Better late than never!  I did some shitty nail are that I couldn't stand [still debating posting a pic], so I decided I would swatch this amazing nail polish that was sent to me to swatch/review by Laura over at Polish Addict Nail Color :]

But first, after this redonkulous day, we need a drank!  
I didn't have anything planned so I stalked my Pinterest board for a good one.  I found this and tweaked it to make it a mojito!

You'll Need:
Bacardi Dragin Berry Rum
Agave Syrup [or plain sugar]
Lime Juice
Fresh Strawberries
Sliced Cucumber
Fresh Mint Leaves
Seltzer Water [I would use Sprite cuz I love my mojitos extra sweet]
Ice

Make It!
Cup.  Muddle strawberries, cucumber, mint, lime juice and sugar.  Add a couple glugs of rum, ice then Sprite.  I haven't tried this, but I'm about to walk over to Publix and get the ingredients because it sounds really good!!  My brain has good ideas...sometimes. ;P

Polish Addict * Mojito
Well, it's perfectly fitting that I was sent this polish!  Mojito is a gorgeous mint crelly base filled with so.much.glitterrrr!  There are neon green hex, turquoise hex & square, orange hex, pink and turquoise stars, matte pink bar, and I'm probably leaving so much out!

I did three coats of Mojito, no undies.  It has a great smooth formula.  With all that glitter, I expected it to be a little gritty looking, but no!  It's perfect!  I did not use a topcoat with these swatches.

Three coats Polish Addict Nail Color Mojito,
no undies
Three coats Polish Addict Nail Color Mojito,
no undies
Head over to Polish Addict's online shop, like on Facebook, and follow on IG [@polish_addict_34]!
This awesome polish is on sale for $5.85 - full size!  Its a great color for spring and summer!  Get yours like nowwww!  :]

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Follow me on Pinterest & IG [@nauti_mermaid]

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Swatch Tuesday! Nabi * Purple Jumbo Glitter

Hello Loves!  I just have an awesome swatch/a zillion pictures of Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter over O.P.I. Every Month is Oktoberfest.

I really LOVE this stuff!  Its similar to Essie SOTT, but its not a flakie AND there are purple glitters [shocker!].  PJG was sent to me by my nail polish bestie Katie <3 lol She said she got it from a ghetto dollar store.  I have never seen Nabi in any stores near me.  I got the O.P.I. from Ulta [apparently super HTF now - there was only one when I got it when the Germany collex came out.]

Enjoy the glittahhhh!
One coat Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter
over one coat O.P.I. Every Month is Oktoberfest
One coat Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter
over one coat O.P.I. Every Month is Oktoberfest
One coat Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter
over one coat O.P.I. Every Month is Oktoberfest
One coat Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter
over one coat O.P.I. Every Month is Oktoberfest
One coat Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter
over one coat O.P.I. Every Month is Oktoberfest
THENNNNN I mattified it with Hard Candy matte topcoat.
One coat Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter
over one coat O.P.I. Every Month is Oktoberfest
matte
One coat Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter
over one coat O.P.I. Every Month is Oktoberfest
matte
One coat Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter
over one coat O.P.I. Every Month is Oktoberfest
matte
One coat Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter
over one coat O.P.I. Every Month is Oktoberfest
matte
Hope y'all liked it!  I swatched O.P.I. before here

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Follow me on Pinterest @miss_best and IG @nauti_mermaid

Friday, March 22, 2013

Sex In The Driveway and Holo Gradient Mani

Hello Lovelies!  Happy Friday!  We made it through another week!  Today I have a pretty drink and a super awesomesauceballz mani for you :]

To make Sex In The Driveway,
You'll Need:
Your Boyfriend...
A Car...
haha JUST KIDDING!
You'll [really] Need:
Vodka
Peach Schnapps
Blue Curacao
Sprite
Ice

Make It!
Cup, ice, a shot each of vodka, curaƧao, & schnapps.  Top with Sprite.  I can't wait to make this!  Sadly, my whole liquor cabinet is still at my parents' house.  All I have at the moment is wine booooo! lol
Photo found on Pinterest.  Link to pin here.

Holo Gradient Mani
I have seen girls on IG do a holo gradient, but I could never see the color differentiation.  I decided to do two colors that would have no problem showing up.  I used two coats Color Club Kismet [Spring 2013 collex] as the base.  I used Over the Moon as the gradient color.  I love how it turned out!  I'll post sunlight pics at a later time because there's no sun out now.  My quick gradient tutorial can be found here.
Color Club Kismet & Over the Moon gradient
Color Club Kismet & Over the Moon gradient
Have a great weekend loves!

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Follow me on Pinterest @miss_best & IG @nauti_mermaid

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Swatch Tuesday! Stardust Polish * Alice in Wonderland Collection


Well hello Lovelies!  Happy Tuesday!  Did everyone enjoy St. Patrick’s Day?  Hope you weren’t hurting too bad on Monday.  This week I have swatches of Stardust Polish’s complete Alice in Wonderland Collection for you!  The lovely Drema was so nice to send me the line to swatch and review :] 

The line includes five pearl based polishes, one holo, and one thermal. So.Great!!  All swatches of the pearl based polish are shown with one to two coats of Out The Door topcoat.  This is needed to tame the glitter.

First up is Painting the Roses Red.  This is a slivery white pearl based polish with small ruby red holo glitters and medium matte black hex glitters. I did two coats Painting the Roses Red over one coat of Sinful Colors Snow Me White.  Easy application, there was a good amount of glitter on the brush each time. 
Two coats Stardust Polish Painting the Roses Red
over one coat Sinful Colors Snow Me White
This is the first ever pearl polish I have used, so it took me a little bit to get the hang of it.  I figured the thicker you apply it, the better it looks and the more it builds.  Normal dry time. 

Next is Who Are You?, a blue pearl based polish with large blue hex glitters and medium yellow hex glitters.  This blue OMG!!  It reminds me of the metallic look of Essie Aruba Blue but with the added bonus of glitter!  This is three coats of Who Are You? with no undies.  Very buildable polish.  It would have been okay with two coats, but I had a few bald spots [I was still getting the hang of the application].  Normal dry time also.
Three coats Stardust Polish Who Are You?
Next is Un-Birthday Party.  It’s a green pearl based polish with all sorts of glitter! You’ve got medium and small purple, blue, orange, red, gold and green hex and square glitters.  I really loved the idea of this polish, but I think the glitter got lost once it was on.  When I first swatched it, I put it over a green base [some O.P.I. – I forget] and only did one coat.  The glitter stood out much more then.  This is three coats, no undies.  I still like it a lot! [This was my second favorite of the pearl based polish] 
Three coats Stardust Polish Un-Birthday Party
Everyone’s Mad Here is a pink pearl based polish with small magenta holo hex glitters and medium matte purple square glitters.  This is three coats, no undies.  I feel like the glitter is lost in this one also.  I will definitely need to try it over a pink base, because he glitter combo is very pretty.  I’ll be sure to post when I do!
Three  coats Stardust Polish Everyone's Mad Here
The last pearl based [and definitely my favorite of them] is Down the Rabbit Hole. It’s a purple pearl based polish that kind of has a blue/purple color shift.  There’s small charcoal and silver holo hex glitters throughout. Yummies!  Again, three coats, no undies. 
Three coats Stardust Polish Down the Rabbit Hole
I think these pearl polishes are unique because it looks like the glitter is popping out at you.  In reality, if you don’t put a generous amount of topcoat on, it is popping out and it will be bumpy.  But once you smooth with a topcoat, it has a really cool effect.

Now the holooooo polsihhhh of the collection!  I really need to stop saying I don’t like certain kinds of polish, because I always have to eat my words [besides crackle – I will forever dislike that stuff!].  I said before I didn’t really like gold polish because it looks tacky.  Welllllllll I changed my mind! Golden Afternoon is a gold polish with fine holo dust.  It’s not a bam-crazy-look at-this-linear holo like any of the Color Club Halo Hues.  There’s just the most subtle hint of shimmer in the right light.  I liked it so much I wore it for a few days.  I did two coats Golden Afternoon, no undies.  Dry time was quick.  It wore well - no chippage :]
Two coats Stardust Polish Golden Afternoon
[light box lighting]
Two coats Stardust Polish Golden Afternoon
[normal indoor lighting]
Two coats Stardust Polish Golden Afternoon
[direct sun]
Two coats Stardust Polish Golden Afternoon
[direct sun - blurred]
Two coats Stardust Polish Golden Afternoon
[direct sun - blurred]
Ready for this???  A thermal polish!  I’ve been mesmerized by thermals for so long now and I’ve been meaning to order some.  I’m glad Eat Me! was my first one.  It goes from a dusty mauve-ish when cold  to a light violet red when warm.  Oh.  And the nice mini silver holo hex glitters aren’t horrible to look at either ;]   I have swatched with and without undies. 
Two coats Stardust Polish Eat Me!
[no undies, normal temperature]
Two coats Stardust Polish Eat Me!
[no undies, dipped in ice water]
Two coats Stardust Polish Eat Me!
[no undies, ran under hot water]
Two coats Stardust Polish Eat Me!
[no undies, pointer & middle cold; ring & pinky warm]
I wanted to be entertained by the color changes and see the effect while going about my normal days, so I used this polish over Zoya Jolene.  This polish wears well also.  No chipping or tip wear after three days [that’s an ooolllld mani around these parts! lol].
Two coats Stardust Polish Eat Me!over Zoya Jolene
 [cold]
Two coats Stardust Polish Eat Me!over Zoya Jolene
 [normal temperature] 
Two coats Stardust Polish Eat Me!over Zoya Jolene
 [normal temperature]
Two coats Stardust Polish Eat Me!over Zoya Jolene
 [normal temperature - blurred]
Two coats Stardust Polish Eat Me!over Zoya Jolene
 [normal/cold contrast - I was cutting up cold tomatoes lol]
Well, I hope you enjoyed the swatch fest!!  Now, go check out Stardust Polish on storenvy!  Prices range from $6.25 to $8.25 for the Alice in Wonderland polish.  I popped over to the shop to post the link and saw a sweeeeet red linear holo [Miss Temptation] along with some other nice lookin polish. :] Follow on IG @stardustpolish

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Follow me on Pinterest [@miss_best] & IG [@nauti_mermaid]

Friday, March 15, 2013

Green Cocktail & Lucky Nail Art

Hello lovelies!  Today I have a festive drink for St. Patrick's Day and some matching nail art!

To make the St. Patty's Day Cocktail,
You'll Need:
Cointreau
Blue Curacao
OJ

Make It!
Ingredients (couple glugs of each alcohol; equal amount of OJ).  Shaker with ice.  Shake.  Strain into a cocktail glass.
Photo found on Pinterest here
BONUS JELL-O SHOT RECIPE!  Lucky you!  Irish Car Bomb Jell-O Shot recipe?  Ohh yeahhh!  Click here
You have my boss to thank for sharing that gem with me on Facebook! loll

Annnnnd heres some nail art!
China Glaze In The Limelight
I started out with China Glaze In The Limelight as the base.  Then I wrote "LUCK" with a nail art pen I got for Christmas a few years ago.
China Glaze In The Limelight
I wanted to add a little more, so I dotted on a shamrock with Essie Good As Gold.  I just made three dots in a semi-heart-triangle-ish pattern.  Needs some practice compared to some other shamrock nail art I've seen over the past week.  Oh well.  I liked them!
LOOK!!! My elusive right hand!!  Haha.  I liked my LUCK nails so much, I decided to do my other hand also.  I made a large shamrock on my pointer.  It was horrible, so I covered it with Darling Diva Leprechaun's Gold that was sent to me by a lovely IG polish friend [Kayla - holla!! ;) ].  I did two baby shamrocks that turned out semi-okay, so I left them as is.  

Welp, that's all darlings!  I was going to do a mocktail recipe, but honestly, I forgot what day it was and I'm writing this up at 11:45 Thursday night and I want to go to sleep!! 

Stick around for Swatch Tuesday.  I'll be swatching & reviewing all seven of Stardust Polish's Alice in Wonderland collex.  Heck yes!!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Swatch Tuesday! Some O.P.I. Euro Centrale Polish!

Hello Lovelies!  Today I have some gorgeous O.P.I. polish to show you!  And guess what?  It's blue!! haha

First up is O.P.I. ... Eurso Euro.  I.  love. this. soooo much!  It reminds me a little of Essie No More Film, but the O.P.I. is not a creme; its got more of a glossy look to it.  It's a very inky looking blue that is just absolutely gorgeous. 
Two coats O.P.I. O.P.I. ... Eurso Euro
I thought this would be really hard to capture, but the color is pretty true to life.  It's just a smidge more purple.  This is two coats, no tops.  Application was great.  Thinner on the first coat, but perfect with two.

Next up is Can't Find Mt Czechbook.  Just yes.  It's a light creme teal/aqua that I am just completely in love with! 
Two coats O.P.I. Can't Find My Czechbook
The application was a little tricky with this one.  It was streaky on the first coat.  I let it dry and went to do the second coat, and it streaked as well (on my right hand - not shown).  I had to go a little thicker on the coat second coat, and it was just fine.

Finally, I topped Can't Find Mt Czechbook with Nail Sauce Secret Lagoon, a glitter packed polish with medium and small holo teal hex and small holo purple hex.  *aaahhhh*mermaids singing* lol
Two coats Nail Sauce Secret Lagoon 
over O.P.I. Can't Find My Czechbook
I did two coats Secret Lagoon over O.P.I.  Application was great.  So much glitter on the brush each time.  I finished off with Seche Vite to smooth out.  

If you want some Nail Sauce, I highly recommend it!  I always want to buy alllllll the polish ;) Prices range but most bottles are $8.75.  Some are on sale now for 35% off!  

I got my O.P.I.s from Ulta, they didn't have a very wide selection, and they didnt know when they would be getting another shipment, so I snagged these up. 

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Folow me on IG @nauti_mermaid & Pinterest @miss_best

Friday, March 8, 2013

Moscato Spritzer and Random Nail Art

Well shoot guys!  I'm out of practice!  Completely forgot about my usual Friday post so I'm scrambling to write this quickly.

Today I have this simple drink recipe that I found on Pinterest.  To make a Moscato Spritzer,

You'll Need:
Moscato [Barefoot brand is my favoritest of all]
OJ
Cranberry Juice

Make It!
This recipe only calls for one ounce of wine with 1/2 oz each of OJ & cranberry juice.  I don't know about you, but that's what I'd call a shot.  So lets step this up a tad, shall we??  Fill your glass with a few glugs of wine...about half full.  Then add OJ & cranberry to taste.  We make big girl drinks around these parts!  lol

Random Nail Arts!
In my new found freedom of polishing my nails whenever I want, I have been stepping up my nail art [yay!].  Below are a few designs I'm particularly proud of :)

First, I have a successful kick ass blue to purple gradient* topped with glittahhhh!  I used Essie Bikini So Teeny as the blue base and phased into L'Oreal Royalty Reinvented then topped with China Glaze Make a Spectacle.  I did these with my polish buddy Katie [as in nail polish...not actually Polish] for the Bestie Twin Nail tag on IG.
*my quick gradient tutorial found here.
Next is a schweeeeet nude holographic and bright red freehanded leopard print mani.  I used Color Club Cherubic as the nude base, and China Glaze Hey Sailor as the red base.  I dotted with the same and used Sally Hansen Onyx for the black.  Also did this look for BTN with Katie.
On to the mints!  I REALLY like mint lately!  I used China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint and Color Club Harp On It for this mani.  I was attempting chevrons for the NailArtMar challenge by @californails on IG.  This was my first ever "chevron" attempt.  I don't think this should actually qualify as chevron, but whatever.  It turned out decent enough.  I used painter's tape [frog tape] to make the triangles.  
Lastly, for BTN and the NailArtMar [stripes], I did mint base with gold zebra stripes.  I used Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet, stamped with Essie Good As Gold [Bundle Monster stamp plate BM-223].  On the accent nail I used Black Cat Lacquer Doomsday [or as I call it: #HOLYSHITBALLZANDGLITTER].  

Okay y'all!  Enjoy your weekend!  Next Friday I hope to include a mocktail drink as well for all the youngins, pregos, or non-alcoholics...whatever your situation may be!  ;P