Opposing Stripes Manicure with Moonflower Polish and Polished for Days

Posted in Indie Polish, Manicures, Nail Art, pictures, reviews by Jessica W.

Polishes used:
1 coat of base polish
Polished For Days Solar Flare (April 2018 Polish Pickup Pack), 2 coats plus 2 coats top coat. This is a blackened base polish that shifts from orange to green, with orange to green flakies and with scattered holographic effect. I did need two coats of top coat for a smooth finish. It wasn’t exactly rough after 1 coat, but it wasn’t super shiny smooth.
Moonflower Polish Dip in the Pool, 2 coats, a bright green-blue with blue shimmer. This could have been a One-Coat Wonder. I was worried about nail staining so I doubled up on base coat on my right hand. When I removed it, I did not have any staining.
1 coat of quick-dry top coat

I was thinking about how how people perceive me versus how I perceive myself. Especially as a mom (who drives a minivan), especially now that I’m 40. I know that when I was younger, I saw all moms who drove minivans as hopelessly out-of-touch, lame, with their “mom” haircuts and “mom” jeans. But conversely, if they looked too hip, then they were “trying too hard”. Man, can I go back in time and slap some sense into myself? >.<
Continue reading →

Neon and Magnetic double gradient manicure with Moonflower Polish and Tonic Polish

Posted in Indie Polish, Mainstream Polish, Manicures, Nail Art, pictures by Jessica W.

Polishes used:
L.A. Colors Energy Source
Moonflower Polish Pool Party and Lemonade
Tonic Polish Mirabilis and Here Comes the Sun

It’s the simple pleasures in life, right? Like seeing a beautiful rainbow after a storm. Now that we don’t live in the city proper, having an afternoon thunderstorm blow through is such a sight to behold. One of the best things about living in Montana is the big beautiful sky that allows you to see for miles and miles; seeing a thunderstorm from so far away and then coming through and then seeing a rainbow afterwards…sigh. It’s just so comforting to me.
Continue reading →

14Sep2018

Magnetic Marbled skittlette manicure with L.A. Colors, Tonic Polish, Moonflower Polish, P.O.P Polish

Posted in Indie Polish, Mainstream Polish, Manicures, Nail Art, pictures, reviews by Jessica W.

Polishes used:
1 coat of base polish
L.A. Colors 109 Blankie, a soft blue-grey creme polish.
Tonic Polish Helpless, 3 coats, a multichrome magnetic polish with indigo iridescent flakies. I see blue, green, teal. It was more see-through at 2 coats than I liked, hence the third coat.
Moonflower Polish I Just Can’t Wait (Polish Pickup Pack May 2018), a hot coral stamping polish.
P.O.P Polish SandSlick, 3 coats, a pastel multichrome. Primary colors: nude, blush, tan, pink gold; secondary colors: green, blue; tertiary colors: cobalt, lavender. Check, check, and check! Good, buildable formula.
1 coat of quick dry top coat

Do you know what I would do if money wasn’t an issue in my life? Besides setting up a non-profit for dental work for those who fall through the cracks, I’d never wash my makeup brushes again. I’d just give away my brushes when they got dirty and buy new ones. Wasteful, yes. But my goodness do I hate to wash my brushes!
Continue reading →

13Sep2018

Oil slick nail art manicure with P.O.P Polish Pastel Oil Slicks 360 nail polish collection

Posted in Indie Polish, Mainstream Polish, Manicures, Nail Art, pictures, reviews by Jessica W.

Polishes used:
1 coat of base coat
1 coat of L.A. Colors Circuits
Ribbits Stickits Unfroggetable Cuticle Cover in Plain Toad
Entire P.O.P Polish Pastel Oil Slicks 360 collection
2 coats of P.O.P Polish Liquid Glass top coat

Current mani time! If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time, you know that I’ve been trying to perfect an oil slick or oil puddle look. I tried an oil slick manicure with Parrot Polish, with KBShimmer, and I think I finally nailed it! Keep reading to see how I created this look.
Continue reading →

12Sep2018

Neon magnetic paint splatter manicure with Moonflower Polish, Bee’s Knees Lacquer, L.A. Colors Unicorn Sparkle, Blackheart Beauty Vampire Matte

Posted in Indie Polish, Mainstream Polish, Manicures, Nail Art, pictures by Jessica W.

Polishes used:
1 coat of base polish
Blackheart Beauty Plum Vampire Satin Matte, 1 coat
L.A. Colors Unicorn Sparkle Sparkling Gem, 1 coat
Moonflower Polish Summer Sunset, 1 coat
Bee’s Knees Lacquer She Would Not Go Gently, 1 coat
1 coat of Beauty Secrets top coat to smooth things out
1 coat of P.O.P Polish Liquid Glass for quick-dry
1 coat of Sinful Colors Radical Matte top coat

Do you ever have a moment of “woah” because someone said something that made you change how you looked at a problem? That is totally what happened when I saw someone say they did a paint splatter manicure by making decals. Like, mind blown! Continue reading →

10Sep2018

Swirled magnetic manicure with Tonic Polish

Posted in Indie Polish, Manicures, Nail Art, Nail Swatches, pictures by Jessica W.

Polishes used:
1 coat of base polish
Tonic Polish Bliss, 1 coat (should have done two though)
Tonic Polish Here Comes the Sun

Have you ever had a moment of just pure, uncomplicated, contemplative joy? I was thinking about this when I wore this polish, because of the name. Times that I just have those kind of moments are when I’m running and the sun breaks over the mountains; or driving on a road trip and smelling sweet grass on the interstate; or having a song come on the radio that takes you back to a moment in time and you can’t help but sing along.
Continue reading →

7Sep2018

Water Spotted Manicure with POP Polish and L.A. Colors

Posted in Indie Polish, Mainstream Polish, Manicures, Nail Art, Nail Swatches, pictures, reviews by Jessica W.

Polishes used:
1 coat of base polish
P.O.P Polish Slick Days of Summer, 3 coats. This is sheer but builds nicely.
L.A. Colors Circuits, 2 coats. This is more of a jelly formula than I expected.
1 coat of quick-dry top coat

Things you may not know about me: I’ve never broken a bone. I think I may be one of my only siblings (there are 9 of us) that hasn’t. I don’t know how common it is to not break a bone, and it isn’t like I don’t have plenty of scars all over. Don’t ask why that just popped into my head, but here we are. 😀
Continue reading →

Be Happy and Buy Polish

Adventures in beauty, creativity, and happiness