Zoya Focus & Flair

Press Samples

Hi, everyone!

Today I have Zoya's fall 2015 collection: Focus & Flair! 

Zoya Charli & Aggie

Zoya Desiree & Cinnamon

Zoya Hannah & Tris

Zoya Janel & Ember

Zoya Lidia & Giada

Zoya Sia & Estelle

These retail for $9.00USD and can be found on Zoya.com!

What do you think? Will you be picking these polishes up?

Anchors Away

*Press Samples

Hi, everyone!

Wow, I've been gone for a while. I honestly didn't mean to stay gone this long, but life gets in the way. Anyways, I'm back and plan to make up for all of the time that I've missed!

Here is my first manicure, to get me back in the swing of things!  It features some of my favorite brands, so let's get right into it!

Let's start with the basis of all manicures: nail upkeep. I've currently been using a four-way buffer* from Born Pretty Store to keep my nails in shape! I would consider this buffer one of the best I've ever used - it hasn't shown a lot of wear and I've been using it for a while now! You can find it on Born Pretty Store's website for $1.99 USD!

For my pinky I started off with two coats of Zoya Ryan*. Then, I added the cute seagulls from the QJ-197 water decal sheet*, which retails for $0.99 USD at Born Pretty Store! I'm a little upset that they didn't transfer like I'd hoped, as they don't have a white background. I was, however, very happy with the way the anchors transferred onto my thumb (not pictured).

For my ring and index fingers I started off with two coats of OPI Red My Fortune Cookie. Then, I transferred full nail water decals from the BP-W07 sheet*. For my middle finger I started off with two coats of Wet n Wild French White Creme and I used a decal from the same sheet. The BP-W07 water decal sheet retails for $1.99 USD.

I really love the way this manicure turned out! It is definitely a great summer send off mani!

What do you think? Are you still on the water decal train? Let me know below!

Zoya Paradise Sun

Press Samples

Hi everyone! 

It has been a while since I last posted, as I've been super busy at work!

 Today I have the second Zoya collection for summer 2015: Paradise Sun! Let's get to the polishes!

Zoya Genesis

Zoya Aphrodite

Zoya Mae

Zoya Oceane

Zoya Isa

Zoya Selene

My favorite is definitely Oceane- it is such a gorgeous color!

I used two thin coats for each polish, as they all had a decent formula. All of these pictures were taken underneath artificial sunlight.

You can get these polishes from Zoya.com or where ever Zoya is sold.

What do you think? Will you be picking any of these polishes up? Let me know below!

Zoya Island Fun

Press Samples

Hi everyone!

Today I have Zoya's newest summer collection: Island Fun! This collection is made up of six beautiful cream polishes and I loved all of them! Let's get to the polishes!

Zoya Demetria

Zoya Nana

 

Zoya Serenity

Zoya Cecilia

Zoya Talia

Zoya Jace

All six of the polishes had creamy formulas, calling for only two coats! 

I took all of these pictures under artificial sunlight.

You can get these polishes from Zoya.com or where ever Zoya is sold!

What do you think? Will you be picking any of these polishes up? Let me know below! 

Random Water Decals

Press Sample

Hi everyone!

Can you tell that I have been on a water decal kick lately? They are seriously my new favorite thing! This is my last post about them for a while though, seeing as I have used my collection up! :)

I ordered the $0.99 lucky water decal bag from Born Pretty Store and I loved the two sheets I received. I got JS-018 and B-090, both of which have super cute designs! For this look I used the B-090 sheet and Essence Off to Miami!

Don't forget to use the code YSG10 to get 10% off your BPS purchase!

Princess Water Decals

Press Sample

Hi everyone! 

Sorry I haven't been around for the last few weeks. I got a job at a popular coffee chain and I can't wear nail polish for food safety reasons, which makes blogging a lot harder. I'm going to try to post on a more regular schedule, so we will see what I can manage. :)

For today's look I used the QS-017 water decal sheet from Born Pretty Store. This sheet features most of the Disney princesses in one way or another and is super cute! I chose to apply these two decals over China Glaze Petal to the Metal! You can find these decals at Born Pretty Store for $2.65USD, plus use the code YSG10 for 10% off!

What do you think? Let me know below!

Gold Studs

Press Sample

Hi everyone!

Today I have a super simple look featuring some gold studs from Born Pretty Store!

My base color is Revlon Enchanting, which is a gorgeous lavender polish with a slight shimmer. For this look I used two thin coats. 

I then added on some large gold studs. They came from a wheel that has about 400 silver and gold studs of various shapes and sizes. The wheel is $3.31 USD and you can use the code YSG10 for 10% off!

I really love the way studs change a look! What do you think?

Feathers

Press Sample

Hi everyone!

Today I have a more subtle look using feather water decals from Born Pretty Store!

For my base color I used two coats of Revlon Seashell. I used the orange/pink/purple feathers from a set of decals which also included green/yellow feathers. You can pick the set of ten decals up from Born Pretty Store for $0.99USD! Don't forget to use the code YSG10 for 10% off of your purchase!

Born Pretty Store Mixed Nail Art Wheel

Press Sample

Hi everyone! 

Today I used one of my all time favorite yellow polishes, along with a really cool 3D flower from Born Pretty Store!

For a completely opaque look, I started off with three thin coats of China Glaze Metro Pollin-Tin! It dries to a matte finish, which I love! 

The 3D flower came from a mixed nail art wheel that I ordered from Born Pretty Store. The wheel contains 360 pieces and they range from studs and bows to flowers and fruit. It costs $3.86 USD.

Don't forget to use the code YSG10 for 10% off of your Born Pretty Store purchase!

Rose Water Decals

Press Sample

Hi, everyone!

I have been loving water decals lately! They are perfect for fast nail art looks. Today's look features some of my favorite types of decals: flowers!

I started off with two coats of my favorite teal, which is a unnamed Color Club. I applied the decals and added top coat to complete the look!

The water decals are the G103 Rose Water Decals from Born Pretty Store. For $2.86 USD you get one sheet of twenty decals. They are good quality and very easy to use! You will get the perfect placement every time!

You can use the coupon codeYSG10 for 10% off of your order!

What are your thoughts on water decals? Let me know below! 

Twinsie Thursday: Leoaprd Stripe Skittlette

 Check out this super cute look that Lothwen created for Twinsie Thursday! Don't forget to see my mani by visiting her blog! :)

Hello lovelies!

I'm back for Twinsie Thursday and Samantha picked an awesome inspirational manicure for this month! This is the inspiration, and here is my recreation!

I started off with a white base (Essie "Blanc") on all my nails, except the ring finger. Then I applied 2 coats of Essie "I'm Addicted" on my index finger. On my ring finger are three coats of an unnamed nude from Etos. The black stripes were done using a cheap striper from Primark. I applied the leopard spots with a dotting tool, black polish and OPI "Wooden Shoe Like To Know", from the Holland collection, lol! The studs are from Ebay. All in all it was a relatively fast manicure! I like it :)

I like skittlettes, lol! They make me happy. I should do them more often! Now, I haven't seen Samantha's mani yet, but I already know it's going to be awesome, so visit my blog and check it out!!!

InstaNatural Advanced Repair Scar Gel

Press Sample

Hi everyone!

As a nail blogger, and in general, hands are important! A few months ago I got a super nasty burn on my right hand and, of course, it left a nasty scar behind. I'll spare you photos, as no one wants to see it, not even me (haha).

To find out more about this scar gel, visit InstaNatural.com.

I'll be honest when I say I tried this product once. I applied the gel, which is a brownish color, and let it sink in overnight. When I woke up the next morning, the skin where I had applied the gel was stained dark brown. I washed and washed, and scrubbed and scrubbed, but the stain was still there. It wasn't until I took an exfoliating brush and gave it a good five minute scrub for the stain to lighten.

I've seen a lot of good reviews, so the gel may not get along with my body chemistry. I'm very disappointed, as I was really looking forward to receiving this product.

Do you have any scar removal tricks? Let me know below!

Stamping with Born Pretty Store

 Press Samples

Hi everyone! 

Today I have two stamping looks for you using BPS stamping plates!

Base Color: Essence L.O.L.   Stamp: BP-L007   Stamping Color: Rimmel London Black Satin

For this look, I chose a fan image from the BP-L007 plate. This plate retails for $5.99 USD and it has twenty-five different images, many of which are full nail images. The plate was etched well and the images came out nice.

Base Color: Essence Break Through   Stamp: m41   Stamping Color: Julep Bunny

For this look I used a plate from a mystery set I received. In the mystery bag I got two plates named m41 and m74. The images in these plates were also well etched. These were not plates I would have picked for myself, but that is what mystery bags are all about! One mystery bag retails for $0.99 USD!

I am no stamping master by any means, but practice makes perfect! 

What are your favorite stamping plates? Let me know below!

Milani Hi-Res

Hey y'all!

I hope everyone is having a great day! It is currently sleeting along with some freezing rain at my house, which is very uncommon in the south! If you're enduring crazy weather right now, like me, stay safe! 

Let's get to the polish!

Milani Hi-Res: two coats; base and top coat.

Milani Hi-Res is a light purple holographic polish! The formula was streaky at first, but a second coat evened it out. I was impressed by the holographic payoff, since drugstore brands have a hard time pulling off holographic polishes.

Overall, I really like this polish! I picked it up a while ago on clearance, along with the other colors in the line, and I'm so glad I did!

Have you found any drugstore gems lately? 

Zoya Leah with a Rhinestone Bow Accent

Press Samples

Hey y'all! 

Today's post features one of Zoya's new satin polishes and a rhinestone bow from Born Pretty Store!

For this look I used two coats of Zoya Leah, no base or top coat! I added the rhinestone bow, as an accent, by putting a small dot of top coat right wear I wanted the bow to go. I applied the bow and held it down for a few seconds and I was good to go! It didn't budge for the rest of the time I wore it. The bow had a slight curve in it, so it sat perfectly on my nail!

I got the rhinestone bow from Born Pretty Store! It costs $5.09 USD for a set of ten. Make sure to use the code YSG10 for 10% off of your purchase!

What are your thoughts on 3D nail art supplies, like bows and charms? Let me know below!