Get Out Your Sunglasses Water Marble

Yay! It's May! That means the temperatures are getting warmer, the days are getting longer, and I can spend more time outside. The weather was absolutely gorgeous yesterday and I was compelled to break out the neons. It's not summer yet, but being the 2nd of May in Utah, it will be here in a flash.

For this mani I started with a base of white polish so the neon would really pop. Then I prepped around the nails with Vaseline to make cleanup faster. I still don't know if I prefer this method, or just using tape. The Vaseline can be really messy, but the tape can ruin the polish if you don't take it off carefully enough. 

Then I commenced with the water marble using Forever 21 Neon Green, Finger Paints Pink Perspective, and Sinful Colors Coral Riff. For more information on how to water marble, check out my Distressed Water Marble Tutorial and just skip the distressing part.

I love water marble manis because once you've found polishes that will work, it's pretty quick. Even when you mess up the same nail twice (my ring finger couldn't get it together), it doesn't take that long. Especially compared to other nail art I've done. I'm looking at you spiraling dots! I think I got this done in about an hour. With more practice I'm sure I'll be even speedier.

What do you think? Do you like wearing a mani that refuses not to be noticed?

What I used:
Sephora by OPI White Hot- base color
Forever 21 Neon Green
Finger Paints Pink Perspective
Sinful Colors Coral Riff
Out The Door Northern Lights top coat

Bonus Cuteness Overload photo

I found these little cuties while I was outside taking my photos.

So when does summer officially start in your book? Once the weather reaches a certain temperature? Once your kids are out of school? When the calendar says it is? For me summer always arrives on Memorial Day Weekend, when my pool opens!

Forever 21 Love & Beauty Nail Polish Swatches and Review

Ahh, the hazards of working at the mall. I work in a multitude of locations, which exposes me to way too many establishments that sell nail polish! The other day on my lunch break, I happened into Forever 21 to see what they had to offer, and found a number of unique polishes that needed a home (specifically, my home).

It took a while to make a decision on which ones to get, pretty much my entire 20 minute break. Is it a problem that I prioritized nail polish shopping over providing my body nourishment? I finally whittled my selection down to just six, but I have a feeling I'll be back for more. I've swatched them all for you, because I'm the nicest ever, and will share some thoughts on them.

The first thing you should know is that none of these polishes have names on the bottles. I think you're familiar with how I, and any other lacquerhead, feel about nail polish names. Five of the six names I have provided with the photos came from the Forever 21 website. The sixth one I couldn't find on the website. Secondly, you might be wondering where I'm getting the name "Love & Beauty". Good question. Once again, it doesn't appear on the front of the bottle or on the label, but I got it from the website.
Without further ado, here are the photos:

Pink Confetti has a bubblegum pink base with multicolored and multi-sized glitter. I used two coats, plus topcoat. The formula was easy to apply and there is a lot of glitter payout in just two coats. I used two mostly to get the pink base more opaque. I think the combination of colors in the glitter is fun and festive. Perfect for a birthday party, don't you think?

Festive is a milky white base with green, gold holo, and orange glitter. I used two coats, plus topcoat. The glitter is not as dense as Pink Confetti, but I like that. This polish would have been perfect in a St.Patrick's Day mani. I'll have to make a note for next year. IMO, the name Festive would have been more appropriate for Pink Confetti.

Subtle Blue Confetti is a robin's egg blue base with magenta and teal hex glitter, as well as holo bar glitter that didn't show in my photos. As the oh-so-clever name suggests, it has a more "subtle" amount of glitter, which is great because it's so wearable. This was two coats, plus top coat.

Mint Confetti (shown over Sephora by OPI Give Peach a Chance) has a clear base with mint and white glitter. The mint glitter has a pretty sheen to it that adds a special touch. This is one carefully-placed coat, plus top coat. For another look, I used this in my Heavenly Pastels mani.

This no-name polish (shown over Sephora by OPI Casting Call) is the one I couldn't find online. It has a clear base and a variety of silver holographic microglitter, shards, and hearts. This is the one polish that I had to put some effort into the application. I really wanted to get those darn hearts on! I had to fish around more than I hoped to to find any, so I just stuck with two. I like the shards of glitter the most.

Cosmic Matter has a deep grey base color with chunky silver glitter. You can see in the photos the bumpiness this glitter creates. I like that it makes it have a textured look, without it being rough. I don't have another grey polish like this. This is two coats, plus top coat.

I ended up wearing this polish the longest. I can't remember how long I wore it for (hours? a day?), but I know that it started to chip pretty quickly. For the price I bought them for, it isn't much of a surprise. Still, if you wear your polishes for more than a day, it might be a concern for you.

Mint Confetti retailed at $3.80. The rest were all $2.80. I purchased them in store, and they are also available at Forever21.com. Some additional thoughts:

What I liked:

• Fun, unique colors
• A good variety of glitters
• Formulas were easy to apply
• Inexpensive!

What I didn't like:

• Caps that are bulky and don't line up correctly when screwed back on. If you're OCD, this will drive you nuts!
• No names on the bottle!! Why?? How hard is it? Stormy Gray.. bam! There's a name. Pink Surprise.. bam! Another name. You Make My Heart Sparkle... bam! Someone give me a job already. It took me 5 seconds to come up with three names. Yes they have "names" on the website, but I want them on my bottle! (Also, the disconnect of the name "Love & Beauty".)
• Cosmic Matter chipped quickly.

So what do you think? Do you own any of Forever 21's polishes? Any of them catch your eye? I hope this review was helpful for you. Let me know in the comments!

Heavenly Pastels

You know how sometimes you do a beautiful manicure that you really like, but you still only wear it for one day, because you have something else you want to try? That happens a lot for me. Occasionally though, I create a manicure that I just can't bear to take off, and find myself staring at it constantly. This was one such occasion. I timed it perfectly too. On day two of this mani I worked at a ticket booth for the Scrapbook USA Expo where I sold hundreds of tickets, and applied just as many wristbands. It was pretty much the best possible situation for tons of people to see my nails and compliment me on them. Hey, I'm not shy about it. I love praise. Why else would I publish my photos for the whole world to see? ;)

A close up of all the cloudy, cotton candy-y, sparkly goodness.

I started with a base color of Essie Bikini So Teeny (one of my faves!) on each nail. For my middle and ring fingers I applied one coat of Love & Beauty Mint Confetti glitter, and finished off with Seche Vite top coat. For my thumb, index, and pinky, I alternately sponged Bikini So Teeny, a mint shade, and white polish over the base color. I repeated the sponging until I had the desired effect. I topped those nails off with Out The Door Northern Lights, a fast-drying top coat with a beautiful holo sparkle!

What I used:
Essie Bikini So Teeny- periwinkle blue
(Forever 21) Love & Beauty Mint Confetti- glitter
Love, Charlotte XO (no name mint shade)
Sephora by OPI White Hot- white
Out the Door Northern Lights top coat- holographic glitter


I loved the simplicity and wear-ability of this mani. What visions does it conjure up for you? Tell me what you think in the comments, and have a fabulous day!