40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Red + Half & Half

Happy Friday everyone! Anyone have fun plans for the weekend? Today's challenge prompt is red + half and half, and I couldn't for the life of me come up with an idea. When I was good and stuck and time was running out I reached out to some nail polish friends for help. Jae of The Procrastinating Polishr shared with me this look that she had done a couple of years ago for the same prompt. I loved the look so problem solved!

Pink Skittlette With UberChic

Great news guys! I have a new computer! A friend of ours built it for us, wasn't that so nice? Thanks dude (he's never going to read this)! Only thing is, I still need Photoshop installed, and an auxiliary camera card reader. So for now I will be showing you another post I've had saved up in my draft file. Why haven't I published it yet? Good question, I don't really know why. You can tell how long I've been hanging on to this though by looking at how GREEN the grass is in the background. All of my outside photos have white backgrounds now, haha.

Formula X for Sephora Creme Swatches Part 2

Happy Monday everyone! How are your Christmas preparations going? I have so much that I wish I could get done, but I'm just too doggone tired! So I'm trying to just relax a little and do what I can.

Today I'm back with Part 2 of my Formula X for Sephora creme swatches. I'm going to jump straight to them, so for more information please refer to Part 1. 

Formula X for Sephora Creme Swatches Part 1

Hi ladies! I have some swatches of a brand I haven't featured for some time even though it's one of my favorites. Today's post is a LONG time coming. These photos have been chilling out in my computer since January! But I haven't forgotten about them, and today is their day to shine. Last Christmas I bought the Formula X for Sephora Paint the Town set. It contained a whooping 22 mini bottles of varying formulas. I usually try to stay away from minis because they never apply as well with their tiny brushes. Still this had so many polishes, I couldn't resist buying it so I could try them all. I feel like I don't see enough Formula X in the nail blog circuit. I know it's mainly because of its limited availability and partly because of the higher price ($10.50-$12.50). So I had planned on swatching the whole set for those who want to get a better idea of the polishes. The descriptions and images on Sephora's site aren't sufficient enough. I haven't gotten to all of them yet, but I did begin with all of the cremes since that's my favorite formula. These are all part of the permanent line and are categorized under "The Colors". The set contained eleven cremes which I have broken up into two posts.

Blooming Valentine Hearts

Happy Saturday everyone! Anyone else as excited as I am that it's the last day of January? It feels twice as long as every other month each year. I feel a little giddy now it's over. I am already in full-swing with Valentine's Day nail art. My draft box is lined up with a number of them for the next couple weeks. Get ready for a lot of pink!

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

Zebra of the Sea

Hi everyone! I wanted to do a really quick and easy, yet bold, mani. I remembered how much I loved my Funkedelic Stamping mani, so I went with something similar. It wasn't intended to look like a zebra print, but I ended up loving it anyway.

Formula X Solar Flare and Photoelectric

Hello Lovelies! I have two gorgeous Formula X polishes to share with you today. A few months ago I showed you two from the Liquid Crystals collection in this post. I mentioned then that Solar Flare was next on my wishlist, and I finally got my paws on it! I had also been eyeing Photoelectric and had to add that to my cart. They are fairly expensive as nail polishes go, so I am slowly building my collection.

Formula:

The formula for both shades was great. They applied easily and evenly. They are described as sheer, and these two are. When I swatched Beacon and Magma I felt two coats gave sufficient coverage. I stuck with two coats for Solar Flare and Photoelectric too, but you can tell from the photos that I probably should have applied a third coat. It wasn't too obvious in real life though.

Cap and brush:

The Formula X bottles are topped with a bulky outer cap, but when removed it shows the smaller, easy-to-handle cap. The brushes are thin and flexible, and capture a balanced amount of polish on them for application.

Solar Flare is a "pink micro-glitter in sheer strawberry". I used two coats, plus topcoat. It's just as pretty as I hoped it would be!

Formula X for Sephora Nova

Hello ladies! Today I have a really lovely polish for you, Formula X Nova from their Celestials collection. You haven't seen a whole lot of textured polishes on the blog, I think this may only be the third. The others are here and here. 

Textured polishes have slowly grown on me. The scratchy tips aren't the best feeling, but not that horrible either. To be perfectly honest, the main reason I haven't been motivated to buy more is that they just don't photograph well. Would you forgive me if I say I think they look ugly in photos? Hey, I'm just saying what we're all thinking. 

Scottish Festival and Highland Games

This weekend my family and I had a fun time at the annual Highland Games held here. The weather was perfect (it was strangely cold for the middle of June but eventually warmed up), so we were able to spend a few hours there. We listened to bagpipes, watched a dancing competition, my son battled a medieval knight, and did a little shopping too. Last year my husband picked up a kilt, a Douglas Clan tartan. This year we shopped to find a sporran to go with it.

Of course I had to have nails appropriate for the festival, so this is what I came up with.

Spring Polishes Part 2: Stamping

I've mentioned that I want to work on my stamping skills, as I've found that it really takes practice. When I was swatching polishes for My Favorite Polishes Right Now For Spring post, I took the opportunity to get some of that practice in. I originally was going to include these photos in that post until I realized that would make it realllly long. So this post is part deux. 

Base: Nail Tek Hydration Therapy Color Morning Dew

Stamped: Konad Special Polish White

Plate: Cisi & Sisi 04

Sunlight photo to show off the golden glow.

Base: Ulta Salon Formula Peach Parfait
Stamped: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Peachy Breeze
Plate: Cisi & Sisi 06
Middle and ring finger: Formula X for Sephora Magma

Base: Sinful Colors Cinderella
Stamped: Konad Special Polish White
Plate: Cisi & Sisi 06, 02, and 03
I also did some dry-brush strokes of Clinique Strappy Sandals, and glitter

Base: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle Loyal Lavendar
Stamped: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Pronto Purple and Pink Blink
Plate: Cisi & Sisi 03

Base: Deborah Lippmann La Vie en Rose
Stamped: Konad Special Polish Black
Plate: Cisi & Sisi 05

All of the stamping plates I used are from the Cici & Sisi Jumbo Series #1 collection.

Which combination do you like the best? I'm torn between the first and the last. Can you tell I'm getting better (I think)? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Chaotic Chiaroscuro

When I wrote my Formula X swatches post yesterday, I looked at Chaotic and remembered how I've been meaning to wear it again. I loved how it looked on top of my gradient for my Blue Medley nails. Ever since, I've had this mani in mind, waiting for the right time to try it. In between all the soft, flowery, pastels of Spring, it's nice to have something stark and dramatic. I just love how the glitter seems to change in contrast over the black and white.

I started off with a white base, two coats of Sinful Colors Snow Me White. I let that dry for a few minutes while I prepped my skin around the nail with Elmer's glue. When the glue was all dry I got a makeup sponge and painted it with Snow Me White and Wet N Wild Fast Dry Ebony Hates Chris. I dabbed the sponge on a few times until I achieved the effect I wanted. Then I applied a coat of Formula X Chaotic over the gradient. I finished it off with a coat of China Glaze Matte Magic. Then it was cleanup time! I removed the dry glue off my skin and used my cleanup brush and acetone to remove the remaining polish around the cuticles. I'm so glad it came out how I imagined it!

I always forget about the aftermath of a gradient mani. They take soooooo long to clean up. The polish sticks to my cuticles and doesn't want to let go. I thought this would take little time, easy peasy. It took just as much time to clean up as it did to apply it! Oh well, always worth it in the end.

What I used:
Sinful Colors Snow Me White
Wet N Wild Fast Dry Ebony Hates Chris
Formula X for Sephora Chaotic
China Glaze Matte Magic top coat

Do you like the dramatics of this mani? It's definitely one that demands everyone to "Look at me!".

Formula X for Sephora Beacon and Magma Swatches and Review

I'm so excited to share with you two more Formula X for Sephora polishes, because they're gorgeous! My Formula X stash so far has consisted of polishes from their X-plosive Topcoats, Shifters, and New Classics collections. These new additions are from their Liquid Crystals collection, which is amazing! Sephora's describes the Liquid Crystals as, "A brilliant, light-reflecting nail lacquer made from crushed micro-crystalline and pigmented mica that captivates the eye with vivid color." I would also add that the finish is a combination of dense glass fleck and foil, with some having a subtle duochrome flash of color.

Both of these polishes have great pigmentation and applied smoothly and evenly. The Formula X bottles are topped with a bulky outer cap, but when removed it shows the smaller, easy-to-handle cap. The brushes are thin and flexible, and capture a balanced amount of polish on them for application.

Magma is a stunning, very wearable orange shade with brilliant gold flecks. It is so glow-y and fiery, I think Magma was the perfect name for this shade. I used two coats, plus top coat.

Direct sunlight

Artificial lighting

Artificial lighting

Beacon is a rich, shimmering, royal blue with a slight duochrome shift of violet color. This polish has so much depth, and is such a flattering shade. It's an eye-catcher for sure. I used two coats, plus top coat.

Direct sunlight

Artificial lighting

Here you can see the duochrome flash of violet.

Artificial lighting

An outdoor photo, out of focus, to show the duochrome shift.

Outdoors, shade

These are available at Sephora, in store and online. They are a little more pricey at $12.50, but fortunately I had my Sephora VIB 15% off coupon. It was hard to narrow my purchase down to just two, I want all the Liquid Crystals! I know I got two special winners, but the whole collection is so beautiful. Next on my wish list is Solar Flare.
Do you own any from the collection? Do you plan on picking up any?

Did you like this post? Follow me on facebook, twitter, bloglovin', pinterest, google+, and google friend connect so you don't miss out on future posts! Thanks for reading!

Blue Medley With MoYou Suki

I was so excited to finally get a MoYou Suki Plate! I hope someday I will have them all. Because you know what they say, too much of a good thing is often an excellent thing. I got the Suki Collection 06 (XL images). I still have an issue with them being called XL. I mean, I need them to be XL to fit my big nails. But it makes me feel like I need to put my nails on a diet. Maybe they could rename them, "They Actually Fit Your Entire Nail Plates".

On my index and middle finger I have three coats of Sephora by OPI Havana Dreams. I stamped  over that with Sephora by OPI Break a Leg Warmer. On my ring finger I applied two coats of China Glaze Pelican Gray and sponged China Glaze For Audrey on top. Over that I applied one coat of Formula X for Sephora Chaotic. On my thumb and pinky finger I have two coats of piCture pOlish Ocean.

Isn't Ocean such a dreamy color? I think it's only my third piCture pOlish shade, and I'm so glad I decided on that one. There are so many more that I want, and I hope to slowly grow my collection. I purchased mine from llarowe.com.

I think I need to dedicate some time to stamping practice. These nails turned out better than my last stamped manicure, but still wasn't as crisp as I wanted. Looks like it's back to stamping school for me!

What I used:
piCture pOlish Ocean
China Glaze For Audrey
China Glaze Pelican Gray
Formula X for Sephora Chaotic
Sephora by OPI Havana Dreams
Sephora by OPI Break a Leg Warmer
MoYou Suki Plate Collection 06 (XL images)


Let me know what you think in the comments!

Also, I'm participating in this week's (and hopefully the whole month) N.A.I.L. challenge which is shown below. The graphic itself was just so cute, I had to join in.



Click here to see the other N.A.I.L. stamping manicures!

Formula X for Sephora Wham!

Today I have another Formula X swatch for you. Wham! is from the Xplosive Top Coats category, as is Chaotic, which I swatched here. It is described as "white confetti", and contains multiple sizes of hex glitter along with bar glitter. It applied easily, with just a little coaxing needed to get the bar glitters in the right place.

This polish is certainly eye-catching. I had a number or people ask, "Oo, what is that?", or "How did you do that?"

This is one coat of Wham! shown over two coats of OPI Muir Muir on the Wall. This last photo shows off the color shifts of the OPI polish the best. I'm a fan of Muir Muir because it's so vampy and mysterious. I think the two paired well together.

Formula X for Sephora Wham! retails for $12.50 and can be purchased at Sephora locations or Sephora.com.

Birthday Haul and Formula X for Sephora Swatches

Yay for birthdays and presents!! Here's a shout out to my friends and family who gave me nail polish or cash/gift cards, that obviously went to buying nail polish. So let's see what I got!

 Formula X for Sephora left to right: Heroic, Dusk, Chaotic 

Left to right: OPI Liquid Sand Honey Ryder, OPI Underneath the Mistletoe, Essie Carry On

Zoya left to right: Zuza, Arizona, Opal, Sailor, Seraphina, Hunter

Left to right: Contrary Polish Sand, PiCture POlish Freya's Cats, PiCture POlish Ocean, 

A England Saint George (these four purchase through Llarowe.)

It would have been a little insane to swatch all of these for you guys, so I just went with three. I decided on the Formula X for Sephora polishes because it's a recently launched brand and you might  not be as familiar with those yet. On a similar note, this whole time I have been referring to them as "Sephora X". There was originally a Sephora X brand, and this Formula X has replaced it. I mislabeled it in my Formula X for Sephora Legend post (it's fixed now). I apologize for the confusion!! Next time if you notice something questionable, just give my head a good whack.

Formula X for Sephora Heroic: 2 coats, with topcoat

Described as lilac and gold metallic, Heroic is from Formula X's "Shifters" category. Another from the category is Legend that I swatched last month. Unlike Legend which only has the glitters that shift, Heroic has more of a duochrome quality.
I like that it has a silvery appearance, but actually contains gold flecks. The coverage looked great in person with only two coats. For the photos you can tell that I probably should have used three, but they looked fine to the naked eye. Retails for $12.50.

Formula X for Sephora Dusk: 2 coats, with topcoat

Dusk is part of the "New Classics" category. It's described as "sunset red pearl", which I guess isn't necessarily misleading, depending on your interpretation of "sunset". I would describe it as a pearly brick color, or even burnt red with pearl finish.
Whatever it is, it fills a gap in my stash, because I don't have another color like this. The application was really smooth, with good coverage in even just one coat. Retails for $10.50.

Formula X by Sephora Chaotic: 1 coat, with topcoat.

Shown over 1 coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Rose Rum. Chaotic is part of the "Xplosives Top Coats" catergory. It is packed with multi-sized black and white glitters in a clear base. I believe there are five sizes of hex glitter in both black and white, as well as black bar glitter.
I was really surprised how much glitter stuck to the brush! As you can see, quite a big glitter payout. Retails for $12.50

What do you think of the Formula X polishes so far? Are there any other polishes from my haul you would like to see swatched?