The Two-Week Review

Well, this is definitely more manageable: a few week's worth of work wrapped in one post with my commentary.  I'm thinking this will be my new "style" of blogging for a while.

I started out with a plain classy white.   Okay.  I WAS going to do some dot nail art, but I got busy playing with my lipstick.

SH White On with a dumb pose by my Lime Crime Red Velvet
Velvetine lippie 

One coat SH White On

This is one coat Sally Hansen (SH) White On.  I personally LOVE this polish's formula.  I have gotten mixed feelings when I post about White On on IG.  My bottle is absolutely perfect and I have no issues with it.  Some say their bottle's formula is lumpy like most other white polish; most agree with me though.  It's hit or miss and I suspect some bottles may be on the older side.

I have been having major polish block lately.  I feel like I have so many I want to use that I just get so flustered and can't decide.  A little saying popped in to my head one night - when in doubt, wear red.  Well thanks, self, I only have 17 reds to choose from!  I finally decided on China Glaze Hey Sailor because I was in a nauti mood I suppose.

ChG Hey Sailor

I did two coats Hey Sailor.  The formula is good.  Its kind of a crelly polish.  Not exactly opaque, not exactly jelly.

Next I have an couple indies!  First I have a thermo-linear polish from Cameo Colours Lacquers.  This is called Morning Dew.  Its a thermal polish that changes from lime green when warm to teal when cool.  And y'all know "linear" refers to ... (read with Oprah voice) ... HOLOOOO!

Cameo Colours Lacquers Morning Dew
Top - Warm; Bottom - Cold; Right - Transition

PS - Thermals are the lazy girl's ombre!!  This is a super fun polish to wear if you're in a pinch but want something...jazzy?  Yeah.  Jazzy.

I slapped on some Mod Lacquer 8-Bit Digits because...micro matte neon glitter goes with everything, duh!

Cameo Colours Lacquers Morning Dew with
Mod Lacquer 8-Bit Digits

Cameo Colours Lacquers Morning Dew with
Mod Lacquer 8-Bit Digits

I don't think I ever do very girly manis.  Girly in the sense of like pinks and flowery.  So I girl'd it up with two coats Essie Fiji with one coat Different Dimension Inner Goddess.

Essie Fiji and Different Dimension Inner Goddess

I really LOVED this look but had a big problem with the DD.  It was suuuuper thick and took forrrrevvvverrrr to dry.  My polish twinnie/bestie suggested thinner, but 1) I don't own any and 2) I think an indie brand should pay more attention to their products' quality.  I have no beef whatsoever with DD, I love the brand and have never had an issue before this particular polish.

sadface

Also this gorg mani lasted less than a day because housework is evil.

Now, who doesn't love some neon & holo???  I had seen this look floating around IG for a while and wanted to try it out forever.  I did a base of NOPI Make a Comet-Ment topped with Darling Diva I'm Fwee with an accent of Orly Passion Fruit.

Neon holo goodness

I went simple with some Julep Dianna from the June Boho Glam Maven box.  This is a OCW too!  In my opinion, Julep's formula has improved so much since I first signed up in September.  I just love this sea foamy mint color!

Julep Dianna

Still with me?  Almost done!

I don't know if I have ever expressed my intense lust after Emily de Molly's The Fifth Element on the blog before.  Besides Lime Crime Pastelchio (which I have ordered and am waiting to receive!!!), THIS was my main lemming.  I NEEDED this.  It was the holy grail of indie polish.  The most beautiful thing I had laid my eyes on.  A beautiful precious gem that needed to be mine.  Yes, I was obsessed.  Well.  Katie (@notjustnails on IG) sent it to me as a surprise.  It was originally just a polish loan if you will; I was supposed to send it back after I got to have this beauty on my nails.  BUT she was nice enough to actually GIVE it to me when she found a replacement.  I seriously died.  Enough rambling: here is two coats EDM The Fifth Element!

Emily de Molly The Fifth Element

LAST ONE!  A skittlette mani!  Now, I didn't do it exactly how you're supposed to (like ChitChatNails/@martawarmuz on IG), but close enough!!  I of course wanted more glitter.  I have been feeling very blah and empty lately and my polish twinnie/bestie had the idea a while ago for black vintage roses.  Seemed to fit my current mood; I took her idea and turned it into a red/dark/glitter rose mani.

Skittlette Dark Roses

Oy, I used so many polishes:
Pointer & Pinky: SH Cherry Red topped with Stardust Polish I'm Seeing Red
Da Bling Ring: Color Club Harp On It topped with ChG Make a Spectacle
Middle & Thumb (thumb not shown, but its there!!) - Base: Orly Naughty or Nice Roses: SH Grey Area, Cherry Red, Essie Chinchilly, SH White On & Essie Good as Gold


Find the indies!  Like what you saw?  Go check out their shops & IG's!
Cameo Colours Lacquers on Etsy @CameoColoursLacquers on IG
Mod Lacquer on Etsy @ModLacquer on IG
Different Dimension on Etsy @MissiBarry on IG
Stardust Polish on Big Cartel @StardustPolish on IG
Emily de Molly is an Aussie brand that can be found on Llarowe (or visit the link to EDM's Etsy shop to find other distributors) @EmilyDeMolly on IG

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Follow me on Pinterest & IG @nauti_mermaid

"Kelly Sucks" Month-in-Review Post

LOL guys what the hell?! I can NEVER keep up with posting my nail art!! So, heres a shit ton:

First I tried another half-moon mani!
I started out with China Glaze Pool Party as the base...

I got bored and put it under a black light because, somewhat like Jenna Marbles' neighbor, maybe I enjoy one-girl raves in my apartment.

Then I wore it out with my schmexay baby octopus ring.

Then I actually got around to the nail art part:

By now, y'all know I'm super OCD with my nails, and this wasn't PERFECT, so I added holo to make it less terrible.

And then it was perfect.

I did a Nauti Neon Mani using Make It Stick decals:

[China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini over SH White On; accent SH Onyx]

I did a quick mani using Hard Candy Piece of Papaya.  A while back I saw The Lacquerologist post about the new HC polishes and I had to have some....

Gorgeous color.  HATED the cleanup.  There is SO much shimmer/flakies that it got all over my fingers/cuticles.  I'm really not a messy polish applier, seriously.  But I had shimmer up to my knuckles!! What in the world?! I like it, but I don't want to wear it again for that reason :[

I decided to give bar glitter another try...

and remembered why I loathe it so.

Rockstar Polish Punk Rock Barbie was my first ever indie glitter.  Oh when I was young and dumb.  I. HATE. BAR. GLITTER. PERIOD END OF STORY. FOR.EV.ER. 

HOWEVER: I really loved this color combo [Essie Boxer Shorts is the base], so I did this mani.  And immediately regretted it.  Bar glitter doesn't cooperate with me.  It doesn't lay flat on my nail then snags on everything and scratches me ;[ WITH two coats of Seche!!

After that mani, I realized I had large talons...

 So I filed them back to normal and slapped on some Julep Oxygen Treatment.

I rediscovered a gorgeous Zoya polish I had [Maura] and loved how it matched my geranium.

Still with me?! Almost done!

And finally a Mermaid-y Mani using Essie Naughty Nautical [HOW perfect?!], Orly Jealous, Much? and Sparkling Garbage with a MIS nail decal.

WHEW!! CLEARLY I suck at blogging now, so I suggest y'all follow me on instagram if you don't already!! [@nauti_mermaid] I always post there the minute I have a mani done.

As usual, follow me on Pinterest too!

Catch Up Post! Vintage Roses, Neon Gradient & [Early] Swatch Tuesday!

Clearly I suck at keeping up with my posts on here.  I'm so used to posting on IG all the time as soon as I'm done with my manis :( Anyways, I FINALLY attempted vintage roses that turned out VERY successful in my opinion!

Vintage Roses

Vintage Roses

I used a crazy amount of nail polish for this.  Ya ready?

Yellow Base: Milani Yellow Whiz

Roses: Essie Mod Square, Cascade Cool, and Fiji

Leaves: Essie Pretty Edgy and Navigate Her

Pink Holo Accent Nail: Color Club Miss Bliss topped with Milani Jewel FX Hot Pink

When I get a little better I hope to do a tutorial for this look! 

I also did a kick ass neon gradient!

I used China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini and Japanese Koi over SC Snow Me White.

ChG Neon Gradient 

ChG Neon Gradient

ChG Neon Gradient

Like my sweet new black light?!

Gradient vs. Ombre: What the Fuck is the Difference??  IS there a fucking difference?

The answer is YES THERE IS A DIFFERENCE!  and no its not because ombre is a trendy hipster term.  Damn hipsters.

I digress.

The difference between a gradient and ombre is as follows:

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Gradient uses two or more DIFFERENT colors...such as mine above.

Ombre uses different shades of the SAME color...such as fading from light green to dark green.

Think of it like this: GradienT, differenT; OmbrE, samE

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Annnnnd it IS Swatch Tuesday after all [tomorrow], so enjoy this swatch of SC Dream On.

Two coats Sinful Colors Dream On

Two coats Sinful Colors Dream On

I did two coats Dream On, no undies, no tops.  Its a beautiful vivid purple that dries squishy-matte.  I am so in love!  BUT it chips so easy!  I did this late Sunday night and I had three fingers chip before I even got to work at 8:30 this morning! :(  I'm sure it had to do with the fact I didn't topcoat it, but I loved the matte look.

So apparently I can't stick to a certain "schedule" with my manis and posting, so I'm just going to post on my blog as I do my nails.  I'll still do drinks [obviously ... TIPSY Tips lol] but it might just not be specifically on Friday any more.  And Swatch Tuesday might happen on a Monday or something.  We shall see.  Life is hard when I have to decide between cooking myself dinne [or like, showering or drooling over Don Draper on Mad Men] and doing my nails

As usual: follow me on Pinterest & IG [@nauti_mermaid].

Swatch Tuesday! Polish Me To Go Neon Glow Polish Review

Hello Lovelies!  I’m back for a quick Swatch Tuesday post!  Today I’ll be reviewing some awesome matte neon glow polishes from Polish Me To Go.

Such cute packaging! :)

First up is Lucky Me, a vivid neon green.  I did two thin coats over a White Undie polish that was included. As with all neons, you need a white base to make the color really pop.  It has a bit of a speckle effect that I think is really unique.  No tops on this so you can see how the matte effect is.

Two coats Polish Me To Go Lucky Me
over one coat white

Just look at that glow!  This is by far the brightest glow polish I own.  This was after about 45 seconds under a light bulb. 

Two coats Polish Me To Go Lucky Me
over one coat white
45 second light exposure

Like I said, this is a matte polish (like most neons), so dry time was pretty quick.  There were no issues with application.  The formula was thinner than most mattes I have, but I like that.  I find most matte polish gets chunky and streaky before I can even get it to the tip of  my nail.  I did not have that problem with this polish.

Next I have Pretty Girls, an intense neon pink.   Again I did two coats over the White Undie.  No topcoat.

Two coats Polish Me To Go Pretty Girls
over one coat white

This one takes a little longer to charge up.  I held my hand under a light for about a minute and a half.  I had to shake this one up for a good while to get the glowy stuff mixed well (see below; the glow pigment looks like it settled to the bottom). 

Two coats Polish Me To Go Pretty Girls
over one coat white
1:30 light exposure

Yummy bottle shots; some settling on the pink glow.
Shake well!

Pretty Girls is most definitely my favorite.  I’ve been searching for a pink glow polish since I found out about glow polish!  lol and it did not disappoint. 

Check out Polish Me To Go’s shop where full size bottles go for $8, or you can pick up the whole matte neon glow mini set (pink, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple) for $16.  Pastel glow polish options are also available.  Great variety of products!

Like Polish Me To Go on Facebook, and

Follow on IG (@PolishMeToGo)!

I got a little nail art bug in me this weekend, so I did a full mani with these colors :)

I used the White Undie as the base, Pretty Girls and Lucky Me then did some leopard spots with Color Club Harp On It and Sally Hansen Onyx.  I topped with Seche Vite.

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Hibiscus Martini and Gradient Mani Fail/Redemption

Hello lovelies!  Happy Friday :)  Sorry I completely forgot about my Wasted Wednesday post.  I stayed home sick on Tuesday and got sucked in to watching the whole first season of American Horror Story. Anyways, I have a GREAT drink recipe (similar to last weeks) and some nail fail/redemption pics.

To make a Hibiscus Pom Martini,

You’ll Need:

Absolut Hibiskus

Stirrings Pomegranate Mixer

Stirrings Pomegranate Sugar

Ice

Make It!

Rim a glass with the sugar.  Combine one shot vodka with two shots mixer.  Shake in a glass with ice. Strain into sugar rimmed glass.

This tastes JUST like a Passion Tea Lemonade from Starbucks.  LOVE it!  And the vodka bottle is pretty; so that’s a plus.

Gradient Nail FAIL and Redemption

I started out with this great idea in my head.  I was going to attempt a gradient that looked like a sunset.  I started with China Glaze Peachy Keen as the base.  Gorgeous right?!  Well, that was the prettiest it’s gonna get.  lol

Two coats China Glaze Peachy Keen

China Glaze Peachy Keen, Escaping Reality
and Japanese Koi (neon)

I tried to do the gradient with ChG Escaping Reality (pink) and Japanese Koi (neon) (orange).  Ehhhh it didn’t look as good as I envisioned it.  I would have suffered through it, but I was out from work one day so I decided to attempt again.

Julep Eileen and
China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

Julep Eileen and
China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

This one was MUCH better.  I only used one color (ChG Yellow Polka Dot Bikini) over Julep Eileen.  It’s really hard for me to explain if you don’t know the method for gradients.  I am hoping to do a tutorial one of these days.  Not like I’m an expert, obviously, but the way I did it worked for me.  In a nutshell, follow these steps:

Paint your nails a base color (Julep Eileen) and let it dry completely.

On a makeup sponge, apply the base color and the gradient color.

Dab the sponge on the nail.  Be sure to dab the sponge in different areas of the nail, in order to blend the colors (so you don’t get such a harsh color line like my first attempt).

Turn the sponge over and paint some of the gradient color (ChG Yellow Polka Dot Bikini) onto it. 

Dab this on the very tip of the nail to give full color coverage.

Flip the sponge back over to blend once more.

Let dry briefly.  Seal with a topcoat to smooth sponge marks.

Like I said, it’s a little hard to explain without step-by-step. I will try to do one ASAP. 

I’ve only attempted gradients probably about three times.  This is the best I’ve done and I’m very proud of these babies :D

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Swatch Tuesday! Julep * Ava & Bette - January Bombshell Box

Hello lovelies!  Today I have the Julep Maven January Box.  The theme this month was Nude & Neon.  My normal box style is American Beauty, but I didn't really like the orange neon they offered, so I switched to the Bombshell style because I really liked the purple.

Julep Bette and Ava

The nude selection was a pretty polish called Ava.  It's a very light frosty pink.  Went on perfect in two coats, no application issues.  Dry time was normal.

Two coats Julep Ava

Two coats Julep Ava

Two coats Julep Ava

The neon in January's box is a sheer purple jelly polish called Bette.  Julep describes this a "creme", but I am going to disagree.  It is definitely not a creme in my definition of the word.  It went on nicely.  As you see, I used it with various undies/no undies combos.

Two coats Julep Bette various undies

Like I've found with most neons, dry time was fast and it dried semi-matte.  The pictures shown have no topcoat.  There is some sheen, but not as much as a normal polish, but it's not as matte as a matte polish.

Two coats Julep Bette various undies

Two coats Julep Bette various undies

I thought the neon would be much more in-yo-face!-where's-my-sunglasses?-blam!! neon, but it really wasn't.  The color shown is pretty much how it looks in person.

If you would like to be a Julep Maven and receive polish boxes monthly for about $20, click here for my referral link, take the style quiz, and enter code "4993142" at sign up.  It's a real deal to be a Maven, you get two polishes - sometimes three depending on your box style - plus an extra beauty goodie!  All for $20!  AND if you want to order polish at other times, you get a discount on regular prices.  Just sayin'!

If for some reason you don't want to be a Maven, you can check out Julep's website and pick out some great polish for $14 each.

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