Deborah Lippmann I've Gotta Be Me 15th Anniversary Set

Hey all! I was in the middle of this post yesterday when Photoshop decided to stop working. Arg. Thank goodness for my hubby who got it running again! Today I have for you the limited edition Deborah Lippmann I've Gotta Be Me 15th Anniversary Set comprised of six 8ml minis. While scoping all the holiday sets at Sephora last month I was intrigued by this one in particular, but passed because of the $49 price tag. When I returned this week I found it reduced to $34 and it immediately went into my basket. 

Previous to this set I've only had one Deborah Lippmann polish in my possession- La Vie en Rose. It's a gorgeous shade and I'm so glad I have it, but the formula wasn't the easiest to work with. Since I'm still familiarizing myself with the DL brand I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleased to discover that with each shade in the set the formulas were high quality, smooth and easy to apply. The only issue I had was with the thinness of each coat, because they highlighted my ridges and flaws. 

Lastly, I had a bugger of a time photographing these. I got them as color accurate as I could. Each one is shown without topcoat.

Candy Cane Swirl

My number one rule for December: keep life simple, simple, simple. With the tendency for the holiday season to get a little frantic, I can be easily overwhelmed. Once that happens, I curl up in a ball and get nothing accomplished. So I aim to keep the presents easy, not overload my schedule, and go with the flow. Of course, just as I cross everything off my list and reach my zen, I remember my son's birthday is three days after Christmas :P. He's turning five this year, which means I can't keep his celebrations as basic as I once did.

Now on to the nails. In accordance with my above^ rule, I have kept my nails s i m p l e. Thinking of a complicated design hurts my brain right now. And really, I just like how this looks better. 

Formula X for Sephora The X Look: Holiday Edition Set

Hey Ladies! Today I have swatches of a the Formula X for Sephora The X Look: Holiday Edition Set. It contains four mini (0.13oz) polishes, each with a different formula. I have yet to try a bad Formula X polish, and these are no exception. While the shades for the most part aren't innovative, they are good staples. I think the set would be a great stocking stuffer. In fact, I thought it was a lovely gift to myself. 

image source: sephora.com

My True Love Creations Fall 2014 Collection

Hey All! Today I have a some polishes from a new-to-me indie brand, My True Love Creations. MTL Creations hails from Canada and offers a range of products in addition to nail polish, including bath products and crocheted hats.

Formula: MTL polishes are all 5-free (meaning no Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor). All three of the holo shades are jelly formulas. Each one applied evenly and smoothly with no issues. I personally don't like having visible nail line showing through the polish, so I used three thin coats for all three. Even with three coats there is some VNL. All are shown without topcoat.

Brush and Bottle: The bottles I received were minis so I can't speak to the full size ones. Being minis the handles of course were short, but the brushes were a good medium size. 

Christmas Zebra Print

I finally have some holiday nail art for you today! I was in the middle of swatching a few polishes and had the need for some easy nail art. Animal print is my go-to for quick and easy nail art. This zebra print is sort of my follow up to last year's Christmas leopard print mani. It doesn't read "zebra" very strongly in this color combo, but it still comes across as Christmas-y, which was my main intention. 

Colores de Carol Winter/Holiday 2014 Collection

Arcane Lacquer Respite Lane and Anti Gravity

Hello lovelies! My nails have been suffering this past month from the brutal dry climate. As a result I haven't been able to take any new photos because of my constant nail breaks. *sob* So thank goodness I have some swatches stored away!

I have two gorgeous polishes to show you today. Arcane Lacquer is an Australian based indie polish brand that I had my eye on for a while. In recent months I have acquired a small stash of them, all gorgeous and unique, including one from my most recent post. The two I have for you today are bold and beautiful, and have good formulas. With blue/teal shades, staining is always a concern. I only had them on long enough to swatch them, but in that time I didn't experience any staining. That is a major plus in my book! Let's take a closer look.

Fall In Love: Indies I'm Wearing This Autumn

First things first, what do you think of my collage? I've been trying to figure out how to do more things in Photoshop without my husband's help. It may not be the best, but I'm so proud of myself for putting it together!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating tomorrow! Before Autumn is figuratively over and we get into the full swing of Christmas season, I wanted to show you some of my favorite seasonally appropriate polishes that I've been wearing. I have for you five gorgeous shades from five different amazing indie brands. Let's take a look!

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Colors by Llarowe Swatches

Hey everyone! I have some yummy polishes to show you. I bought these shades back in August when the Colors by Llarowe Tribute to MJ Collection was released, and I'm finally getting around to posting photos. The collection was quite big and I only picked up the three that interested me the most. I am really satisfied with my choices because each one looks fabulous!

ALIQUID Lacquer Make A Wish

Hello lovelies! Today I have for you the delightful ALIQUID Lacquer Make A Wish which I wore (can you guess?) for my family birthday celebration! I know, I know, that was like, two weeks ago. I don't have any real legit excuses for my lack of posts, except maybe that I've come down with a bad case of the winter blues. Can someone please tell me why humans don't hibernate?

Shimmer Polish Swatches and Review Part Two

I have five more Shimmer Polishes for you today! If you missed my Part One post from yesterday, you can check it out here. Let's get straight to part two!

Shimmer Polish Swatches and Review Part One

Hey ladies! Nail Polish Society has been a little quite for the past week as I've enjoyed birthday celebrations and extra time with family. I'm back today with some more Shimmer Polishes to show you. I have a total of ten that I have divided into two posts so as not to overwhelm you (or myself) with so much fabulous glitter! Just as my previous Shimmer Polish post, I have swatched each polish over bare nails to showcase the individuality of each one.

Luxe Birthday Nails

Another year, another birthday. Which is awesome news for me because that means more nail polish! I had a plan for festive birthday nails for today, but my stamping plates still haven't arrived (grr). So instead I decided to celebrate with something that is simply beautiful and luxurious.

piCture pOlish Imperial

Hello lovelies! Today I have gorgeous (I dare you to disagree) polish to show you. PiCture pOlish Imperial is a 2013 collaboration shade by The Swatchaholic. I purchased Imperial last month and it has quickly become one of my favorite PP shades. 

Candy Corn and Skulls

Happy Halloween gals and ghouls! I have one final Halloween mani for you all. My day is packed full of fun with the kiddos so I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

Polished Glossy Spiderwebs

Surprise! More Halloween nails! This mani is not only classy and chic, it's easy enough for anyone to do. The subtlety is perfect for those days that you don't want your nails to scream, "I LOVE HALLOWEEN"! I mean, it's my favorite holiday and all. I just don't always feel like being obnoxious about it.

Colores de Carol Swatches and Review

Today I have four fabulous Colores de Carol polishes to show you. I was more than pleased with every single one. The formulas were all good and the colors are really beautiful. 

Halloween Night Sky

There are just a few days left until Halloween! My other Halloween mani this year was on the romantic and sophisticated side. For this one I wanted something that's more playful and juvenile. I'd say I achieved that objective because my kids especially loved this mani!

Fall Harvest Water Marble

I started this mani with the thought of combining Fall colors. When it was finished, instead of Fall, it reminded me a little more of the 1970's color palette. Of course, that palette is based off the same colors, just with weirder and uglier shades of it. Probably the most iconic color from this period is known as "harvest gold". Where the gold mixes with the brown on my nails it's the perfect representation. So here I have for you an odd and intriguing Fall Harvest mani.

Limited Edition Cinnamon Swirl from Clinique Party Pretty Makeup Gift Set

Every year Clinique comes out with a makeup gift set for the holiday season that is an AMAZING deal. This year's set is extra special because it includes a gorgeous limited edition nail polish, Cinnamon Swirl. I bought the Clinique Party Pretty Makeup Gift Set because of the full sized eye cream, one that I use every day. But honestly, the polishaholic in me almost could have justified the purchase because of the tiny 4ml nail polish alone. 

Some En-Haunted Evening

Hello my lovely ladies! You might remember that Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday. Last year I did a few Halloween themed manis here, here, and here. This year though, I was struggling to come up with something I was excited about. As much as I love the holiday, there are images associated with it that I don't care to wear on my nails. I am not a fan of gore or the horror genre in general. Finally I came up with a design that was the opposite of creepy and gross- pretty and feminine. I couldn't be more happy with how it turned out!

Nailpolis Magazine Interview

image source: lisarosman

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! I've been interviewed by Nailpolis Magazine! They have previously interviewed some of my favorite nail bloggers, and I feel quite honored to be among them. 

If you would like to know a little about the woman behind the blog, go take a gander. I share some fun facts about myself, my nail polish obsession, and how I really feel about nail art.

>>>>>>>CHECK OUT MY INTERVIEW HERE<<<<<<<

Hope you enjoy! Have any questions that weren't included and you're dying to have answered? Let me know!

Contrary Polish Tiger's Eye

Today I have a stunning polish that I'd been lusting after for some time and finally got my hands on. This is Contrary Polish Tiger's Eye, from the On the Rocks 2013 Winter collection. I hope to eventually own the entire collection, but for now I'm starting with my favorite. You probably know by now how much I love brown nail polish, and it's shades like this that are the reason why. 

Hugs For Emily

Today I have a special mani for you- Myself and a few other bloggers are recreating manis done by Very Emily. We want to show Emily our love and support for a difficult time she's going through right now. Living on opposite sides of the world means I can't give her moral support in person. So I'm taking this opportunity to reach out and show her how much I admire and care about her. Here is my attempt at honoring one of my favorites, Very Emily's Summer Ikat Nails

Shimmer Polish Swatches and Review

Hey there everyone! Today I have for you swatches of my very first and newly acquired Shimmer Polishes to show you. Shimmer Polish is an indie brand made in California, and consists of glitter, glitter, and more glitter! Each one I have to show you is densely packed with glitter which means they not only can be layered on top of other polishes, but can be worn alone. I chose to just show you the glitter on it's own.

I Love Nail Polish Fall 2014 Swatches and Review

Hello ladies! Today I have some truly gorgeous polishes to show you. When the I Love Nail Polish Fall 2014 collection was released I was delighted and depressed at the same time. Too many pretties and not enough money! While I couldn't manage the entire collection, I couldn't resist snatching up at least some of them. So I ended up purchasing what I believe are the best of the collection. I'd love to know if you agree.

ALIQUID Angel In Hell Partial Collection Swatches and Review

Hello lovely readers! You may know by now that I am a big Phantom of the Opera fan, as expressed in one of my most popular manis here. You may not know that I often dream about what nail polishes and collections I would create myself (who doesn't?), if I were ever to have the time, space, money, etc to create my own brand. You better believe that Phantom of the Opera has been one of the collections I've imagined! Well my theoretical creations aren't happening any day soon, if ever. Good thing someone else had the brilliant idea of making a POTO collection! That someone is ALIQUID Lacquer, and I think she did a fantastic job capturing the mystery, fantasy, and allure of the infamous Opera Ghost.

The Angel in Hell collection is comprised of six polishes. I have three of them to show you here. Each one is a unique addition to my collection. Am I biased because they're Phantom inspired? Yes, naturally. Are they still good, quality polishes? Well I've been pleased with my other ALIQUID Lacquers (here and here), so I'm not surprised that these are just as good.



Forever and a Day is my favorite of the collection, so I had to show it to you first. It's described as a "dark teal-grey polish with green, purple and iridescent flecks and ruddy brown shimmer". This is my kind of polish, with the unique neutral-ish shade and subtle but complex flecks and shimmers. For me, I still don't have much experience with these squishy jelly formulas, so I had to be careful not to overwork the first coat. The formula was good and evened out well. I used two coats, plus topcoat.

31 Day Challenge 2014: In Review

The crazy and relentless 31 days are over! Now it's time to sit back and admire all the awesome work that's been done. My goal for this past month was not only to complete each day, but to really push myself by trying new techniques and develop new skills. I'm really satisfied with the results, and feel like I achieved that goal. After a month long binge of nail art, I am looking forward to what I am officially dubbing this month- Swatchtober. It's time to show off some beautiful polishes in their pure and unadulterated form. I also want to spend time going back to check out other bloggers' work for the Challenge that I haven't had time for yet. I'm sure I missed some good ones.

Here is all 31 days in once place in case you missed any. Or if you caught them all and just want to come back for more. 

31DC2014 Day 31: Honor Nails You Love- Very Emily's Floral Houndstooth Nails

Hallelujah! I did it! I'm done! *Cue Chariots of Fire* I have come to the end of my second 31 Day Challenge both totally exhausted and energized. 

For the last Challenge prompt, Honor Nails You Love, I chose this Floral Houndstooth mani by my darling friend Emily of Very Emily. I totally gushed over Emily's nails when I saw her post, and I immediately knew that I would have to try and recreate them. I am so in love! I think this one ends the Challenge with a bang, don't you?

31DC2014 Day 30: Inspired by Lucy's Stash's One Stroke Abstract Petals

The penultimate day of the 31 Day Challenge! I'm telling you, I am completely exhausted. I think I've been staring at the screen for about 20 minutes now without writing a thing, because my brain just wants to sleep. So I'll be succinct.
For today's Inspired by a Tutorial prompt I tried to follow this tutorial by Lucy's Stash. She is absolutely amazing with her one-stroke method manis. I have never tried the one-stroke method before and still felt a little lost after watching the video. Watching it a second time would have helped a ton, but by the time I got started with my mani the computer was occupied. So I kind of just went for it and created some random flower-like shapes.

31DC2014 Day 29: Swirling Vortex of Boomstick

Inspired by the Supernatural has got to be the toughest prompt of the Challenge for me. I just don't feel that inspired by it. Good thing I ended up with something awesome anyway! While brainstorming ideas, the image of an eerie, ominous, vortex came to mind. You know, the kind that you see in movies that sucks you inside and spits you out through some different portal in another time and place. Well it reminded me especially of the vortexes in the game Fistful of Boomstick, a video game based on the Evil Dead movies (more on this in a sec). Then it all came together that this swirling vortex of doom would have the perfect title of Swirling Vortex of Boomstick.

31DC2014 Day 28: Inspired by Tibetan Prayer Flags

Hello lovelies! Today's Challenge prompt, inspired by a flag, may seem a little random to some. It's actually one that I look forward to because I am a little bit of a flag aficionado, if such a thing exists. For today's inspiration I went with prayer flags. There is a beauty in their colors, delicateness, fluidity and purpose. I tried to capture some of that beauty in this mani.

31DC2014 Day 27: I Want To Live Until I Die, Inspired By Explodingdog

I had initially hoped that this year's Inspired by Artwork mani wouldn't take me as long or be as stressful as last year's Banksy nails. But once again I really wanted to try my hardest to do this artwork justice. Today's mani was inspired by a piece titled "I Want To Live Until I Die" by Sam Brown, the artist behind Explodingdog.com. I knew I wanted to do an image from Explodingdog, but had the hardest time choosing which one! Finally I decided on this one because it is so joyful and just felt right.

31DC2014 Day 26: Kamon Inspired Pattern

For today's Inspired by a Pattern prompt I chose this image representational of Japanese kamon, emblems or crests that identify a family. This particular kamon is repeating in a beautiful tiled design. During my trip to Japan a few years ago I noticed similar images at every temple and castle we visited. Most of them consist of a floral or botanic motif. I loved discovering the different variations of each kamon from place to place.

31DC2014 Day 25: Emilio Pucci Inspired Nails

Hello my pretty polished peeps! For today's Inspired by Fashion prompt I was inspired by this Emilio Pucci dress here. It was my original plan, but when I woke up today I wanted to do a take on a t-shirt and jeans. That's my "style" most days. So, hey, why not honor it? In the end I knew I still wanted to be a little more adventurous, and I'm happy that I did.

31DC2014 Day 24: The Hangry Games

I really, really struggled with today's Inspired by a Book prompt. I came up with a half a dozen ideas that I just wasn't happy about. I even started two different manis before scrapping them. What I ended up with is completely my husband's invention. I asked him for ideas for the Book prompt and without much effort he suggested "The Hunger Games". I was in the middle of rolling my eyes and explaining "Yeah, that's been done before", when he followed up by adding that it would food based. Hunger Games....food that makes you hungry. Hahaha. It's just too funny not to do. 

31DC2014 Day 23: Drive Scorpion Jacket Nails

I based today's Inspired by a Movie mani on the movie Drive. It is one of my favorite movies for a million reasons which I could go on and on about. I will be succinct and give you my top reason- Ryan Gosling. There. Nothing more needs to be said. Okay, I will mention that the rest of the cast is stellar too.

The image I tried to replicate was of the scorpion jacket that Gosling's character wears throughout the movie. This jacket is to die for! Someday I will get my hands on a replica. Until then, well, I'll just have to keep crying into my pillow.

image credit: mcmbuzz.com

31DC2014 Day 22: Sound and Vision

Once again David Bowie was my muse for today's Challenge prompt, Inspired by a Song. What can I say? I'm obsessed. Last year's was inspired by Bowie's Let's Dance, a mani that I was so proud of! Today's is inspired by another classic, Sound and Vision from his album Low, which has a couple other of my favorite songs on there.

Don't you wonder sometimes, about sound and vision

31DC2014 Day 21: A Color That Can't Be Tamed

I didn't go super, over-the-top creative with today's prompt. To figure out what to do I searched through my nail polish collection, paying attention to the names, and came up with a handful of ideas. Then I picked the easiest one. The color that I was inspired by is Sephora by OPI A Color That Can't Be Tamed. Hence the "wild" leopard print. And who doesn't love a good leopard print?

31DC2014 Day 20: Green Distressed Water Marble

Once again for this year I chose to do a green water marble. Actually, sometimes the nail polish chooses YOU. Haha, kidding, I chose it. This year I added a little twist by doing my distressed water marble technique, which I made a tutorial for here. I love this technique because it's so unpredictable. Every mani turns out truly unique. 

31DC2014 Day 19: Guardians of the Galaxy Nails

Hey dudettes! My galaxy nails last year were geeky and I knew that I had to stay on that theme this year too. So today's mani features the Nova Corps insignia from Guardians of the Galaxy. I enjoyed almost every moment of the movie. I was probably extremely annoying in the theater, singing along to the songs and guffawing at every joke. I can't wait to watch it again! The image I based this on was from an insignia patch being sold on the interwebs here. Okay, who else really wants to buy this badge now? 

31DC2014 Day 18: Peekaboo Negative Space Half Moons

Hey everyone! Today I have my first ever negative space mani. Actually I'm not totally positive, but I can't remember doing one before! I've stayed away from them for a few reasons: a) My ridges are more visible without nail polish, b) I don't need to show how yellow my nails are! (they get bad at the tips), and c) I hate the feel of my nails with just topcoat on, it gives me the willies. So with all that said, and despite all my hesitations, I am really digging this look!

31DC2014 Day 17: Mermaid Scales Glitter Placement

Hello lovelies! Today's post is more picture heavy than usual. I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking, because they have so much to say! 

31DC2014 Day 16: Geometric Perfect Symmetry

Happy Halfway of the Challenge ladies! Only 15 more days to go! I just swept my floor, possibly for the first time in two weeks. I haven't showered yet today (yes that's where that smell is coming from). Probably 100 other things have been neglected (love you kids!), but I think it's been worth it so far..

I have another album cover art mani for you today. This time my inspiration was an album from probably my all-time favorite band, Keane. As I sat down to do my nails, the cover of Perfect Symmetry popped into my head. I realized that this had been on some mental mani to-do list a long time ago, and this was the perfect opportunity to finally try it.

31DC2014 Day 15: Delicate Gold Lattice

I'm still a day behind on the challenge but I'm hoping to catch up soon! I knew this baby pink polish would be hard for me to photograph, but the pink and gold look soo purdy together. 

31DC2014 Day 14: Patriotic-esque Floral Print

I had a few floral designs ideas for today. I decided against all of them yesterday once I saw a lady in church wearing this pattern. I almost asked her if I could take a photo of her dress for reference. But I don't know her and didn't want her to think I was a weirdo. Because people who do know me already know I'm a weirdo.

31DC2014 Day 13: Fancy Hide Cow Print

Having fun with the family = 0 time to do my nails! I also feel like a cold might be coming on any day now, and I need to sleep as much as I can manage to. So I am playing catch up with my Challenge posts!

On my "to try" list I've been wanting to experiment with cow print. I thought today was as good an opportunity as ever. I love how unexpected the gold flakie is over the cow print. I must lament how flakies never photograph as well as they look in person. So you'll have to just imagine that they looked even better than this!