Turquoise & Caicos

I was tired of my dark toes. I wanted to get playful for spring/ summer! We don't really have a spring here in Texas. So it's summer time to me already! I used Essie Turquoise & Caicos. I like it a lot. It leans towards an aqua/green, instead of a true blue, which I think makes it unique and a must have for every stash!

Also, I recieved my Zoya Earth Day order AND my prize from Rainbows&Sparkles today! Stay tuned- I'll be posting photos of the haul later tonight, and hopefully spending all day tomorrow swatching!

Ode to Seche

Oh, Seche Vite,
Your drying time is such a feat,
You make my nails feel smooth as glass,
And make my polish last and last.

Before, I doubted your power,
While I waited for polish to dry for an hour!
But with one stroke you had my heart,
And now from you I will never part.

Though I can't use you near heat or flame,
My love for you burns all the same,
I will never go back to other topcoat slop,
Because you, my dear, are simply the top!

112

If you know me, you I have many quirks and may be nearing the edge of OCD. Well, I noticed that I have made 111 posts on this blog, and I just have a weird thing about 11's. I probably won't be doing my nails for awhile, with these Sally Hansen things on, and while I wait for some new orders to come in... My Zoya Earth Day promo, and the awesome prize I won on the Rainbows&Sparkles blog which I can't wait to post all about! I just couldn't leave my blog at 111 for that long, so today I'll show you another of my favorite things besides polish...

My Waxing Poetic necklace. I love the vintage feel of it, the mixed metals, and the way the charms slightly jingle all the time. Thanks Dad, Katie, Aunt Marie & Family!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Well, we certainly haven't had many April showers here in Texas this year. We're in a huge drought, which killed all our beautiful wildflowers. Never the less, we're reaching the end of April and Spring is in full swing! I did my nails with Sally Hansen Nail Effects in Girl Flower (340). These are fun to do, even if they are a bit on the pricey side ($8.50 gets you enough to do your nails mayyyybe twice if you use sparingly and have short nails.) I really like the fact that I can do these in bed without worrying about my prized white comforter.

Half hearted

Didn't really feel like painting my nails today, but Easter weekend brought lots of chips and I knew I'd feel embarassed tomorrow if I didn't re-do them. So here's my really messy, not really trying mani. Color is Essie Main Squeeze. It's sort of a light grey/purple opalescent type color. Very pretty to leave sheer as well, but I had to cover some of the mess from last time, so this is 3 coats.

Break the Bank (on a Budget!)

Want to know how to get the polishes you want without going over budget? Coupons and club cards! I have a limit for myself not to go over $10 dollars a bottle of polish. This does mean I miss out on some, but I was able to snag a $12.50 bottle of OPI from the Designer Series for less!

Here's what I got at Ulta recently. OPI "DS Reflection", Ulta brand "Jaded", Ulta brand "Little Black Dress", and Nicole "Love Your Life."

Purchase details: When you are a member of Ulta's club card program, when you buy, you earn "levels" which you can use to get totally free stuff! This time, I got a level 4. I chose to split that up and get one item from the level 1 section (free Ulta brand polish, not the professional line, just their regular stuff, same difference to me), and one item from the level 3 section (free salon brand polish up to $8.50). Even though the OPI was more ($12.50) they let me use the coupon and just took $8.50 off the price. DS for $4! Also, anytime you buy any of Ulta brands products (not just polish- but any makeup, excludes professional line of polish) you can get one at equal or lesser value free! Both Ulta brand polishes were $5, got both free! In the Sunday paper this week, there was a coupon for $1 off any Nicole polish (vendor coupon- so it's good anywhere that sells Nicole) so I grabbed one of those too. Total purchase cost- $11.90! LESS THAN THE ONE OPI POLISH I WANTED! Score!

Why I picked these polishes:

OPI DS Reflection- It's just so pretty! Totally my color and the glitter in it is really pretty and subtle.

Ulta Jaded- Looked like a peacock feather! Blue and green and in the bottle it even shined a little bit purple too!

Ulta LBD- I don't have any black. I won't wear it alone, but I needed it for adding details like polka dots- or Mickey Mouse heads for when I go to Disney this summer! I wanted a flat black, this has shimmer, but it was the only black they had in the Ulta brand and hey- free is free!

Nicole Love Your Life- Just looked like a fun topcoat. It's pink hearts floating in pink glitter.

Here's what I tried out first:

Reflection on my nails

It dried fast!!!! Two coats was perfect, but it was still a little dull without topcoat. I put Seche Vite on top and- perfection!

Jaded on my toes

Pretty, but I think it looked better in the bottle. This is two coats. I might add some glitter topcoat on it later.

P.S. I've had a full-spectrum lamp this whole time that I use for crafts- don't know why I never thought of using it for my nail photos! Big improvement. I'll be using it from now on since these turned out so much better! :)

Triple dot

I had a bit of fun picking off my old grey polish today. Who doesn't love it when it comes off in big strips? :) So, it was time for a new mani. I used Ulta "Punch" and Sally Hansen "French Tip" for the dots. I saved Punch from the bottom of the sale bucket at Ulta. She's kind of a terra-cotta color. I was going to do just one dot style flower on my ring fingers, but the French Tip polish was very runny, so my dots spread out too big to make a whole flower. I think the three dots is both cute and spunky. I'm happy with how this turned out even though it wasn't my original plan.

Post Beluga nail check

So it turns out that swimming in salt water and hanging out with Beluga whales has absolutely no effect on the wear of nail polish. All the damage here in my "after" picture, was actually done before hand. I had a lot of tip wear with this polish, and the big chip on my middle finger was from hard water in the hotel shower. Oh well. I had such a blast. I could have stayed in that cold, cold (60 degree) water with the whales all day!

Oliver and I.

Side-by-Side Color Comparison 1

While waiting for my Zoya Caitlin to come in, I was looking for another medium blue to hold me over. I found China Glaze "Secret Peri-Wink-le". I like the shade, but obviously Caitlin is far superior. ;)

China Glaze Secret Peri-Wink-le (pointer) and Zoya Caitlin (middle). These are both 1 coat. The ChG goes on must streakier.

(Excuse the shadow. Sorry.)

I Once Was Lost, But Now I'm Found

Packing for my Sea World trip, I was digging under my sink to see if I had any travel sized shampoo buried somewhere under there- I don't. But, look what I found! OPI "My Kind of Brown." It's not brown at all, but a very pretty brick red. Welcome back to the stash!

Revlon Lasting Finish Pro- Steel Grey

This polish was sent to me by a friend, and I really love it. I'd been really wanting to try grey, but I am very warm toned and wondered how it would look on me. Let me just say- this one is PERFECT! It's not to dark, it's not metallic, and has a warm brown undertone. I have to give a best brush award to Revlon on this polish. It's nice and wide and flat, which makes painting with my left hand a lot easier, it's easier for me to control, and I can cover my nail with less strokes, which is the secret to good lookin' nails!

I decided to go with grey today, because on Sunday I will be swimming with Beluga whales! Adult belugas are white, but the babies are born grey. I think this will be a good test of just how "lasting" this polish is. It claims to last 10 days. I'll take another picture after my beluga interaction, and see just how well it held up! (I'M SO EXCITED! AHHH!)

Rica and Kieko in action

Simple mani/ pedi today.

Zoya Rica- awesome coral with tons of gold glitter. Very shimmery. She's very nearly orange- but not, which is perfect for me.

Zoya Kieko- a new favorite for sure! She's much brighter in person, but not too bright. She's got an almost red undertone which I love and looks great with my warm skin tone. She'll be getting lots of use from me I'm sure!

In other news, Ulta has started carrying a small collection of the current lines from Zoya. I felt like they were kind of just shoving it back in the store where no one would see or hear about it. I got this weeks flyer from Ulta, and they are having buy 2 get one free on China Glaze, Piggy Polish, and ZOYA! Maybe this means that they will start expanding their Zoya collections, and marketing it more. I was just so thrilled to see a mention!

Getting to know me

What do I do besides obsess about nail polish, you ask?

Firstly, I am an aunt- you can see all my nieces and nephews over there in the side bar.

I'm a nanny for a really awesome little boy who really likes building with blocks, blowing bubbles, and pretending to be a kangaroo.

I'm a Girl Scout leader for a troop of 5th grade Juniors. I'm known as Miss Purl because...

I love to knit!

knitted creatures

I also am a quilter.

pink and red quilt

Creative projects are just my thing. I sew and scrapbook.

taggie blanket

I'm also learning how to smock.

my first smocked dress modeled by Bella

I think the only creative thing I don't like doing is cooking! Oh, and I can't crochet my way out of a paper bag! 

I'm a proud new momma!

IT'S A GIRL! AND ANOTHER GIRL!

Their long awaited delivery was today. I'm pleased to introduce you to...
Rica & Kieko

Obviously, they're fraternal twins. ;)
Now however will I choose which to use next? Need a new color on my toes!

Tape Mani- check!

This post is brought to you with a special shout-out to my friends- Caitlyn and Michelle- who taught me the proper technique to a tape mani. So here's my first successful stab at it!

I don't think I slanted the tape enough to get a defined angled look, but oh well. Also, it just didn't look done with just the two colors, so I added a few dots.

I used Zoya Marley for the base, and Zoya Dannii for the accent. Both are from an awesome promo Zoya had on the Intimate spring line. They often do promos for their fans, so I highly reccomend friend-ing them on Facebook!

Polish Storage

Before I really got into collecting polish and doing my nails daily, I kept my nail polish in a shoebox. Obviously, I've outgrown that very quickly! This weekend I picked up a Snapware 2-Tiered box for $12.99 at Target. Works great!

What do you use for storage?
 

Stash Catalog

Zoya
Nikki
Gemma
Marley
Dove
Gigi
Zara
Bijou
Jules
Willow
Sweet
Julieanne
Kieko
Blossom
Reece
Gloria
Dannii
Caitlin
Lindsay
Reva
Laney
Rica
Dea
Lana
Stacy
Neeka
Jana
Jem
Sloane

OPI
Dutch Tulips
Mermaid's Tears
Strawberry Margarita
My Chihuahua Bites
Russian Navy
My Kind of Brown
I Want to be A-Lone Star
Houston We Have a Purple
Mauving to Manitoba
DS Reflection
Black Shatter
Silver Shatter
The One That Got Away
It's My Year
Spark de Triomphe
Bring on the Bling
The Show Must Go On

China Glaze
Classic Camel
Secret Peri-Wink-le
Exceptionally Gifted
Tree Hugger
Fairy Dust
Broken Hearted Crackle
Below Deck

Essie
Petal Pink
No Pre-Nup
Sew Psyched
Turquoise & Caicos
Aruba Blue
Main Squeeze
Damsel in a Dress
Splash of Grenadine
Smooth Sailing

Sinful Colors
Innocent
Dream On
Big Daddy
Unicorn
Let Me Go
Aquamarine
Hottie
Pinky Glitter
Nail Junkie

Ulta
Vintage Violet
Glacier
Freshwater Pearl
Fuschia Crush
Fiery
Punch
Jaded
Material Girl
Little Black Dress
Pinata Yada Yada
Tagless Burgandy
Tagless Copper Shimmer

Rimmel
Steel Grey
Sunset Orange
Violet Metal

Orly
Love Each Other

Nicole
Love Your Life
Stick With Me (Nic's Sticks)
Where's My Chocolate (Nic's Sticks)

Sally Hansen
White Tip
Antiqued Gold Crackle

Pure Ice
Creme Siren
Frosted Ice Azalea

Cover Girl
Tickled Pink

Loreal Paris
Mango-Get-'Em

Wet N Wild
Infatuation

Piggy Polish
Just A Girl

Color Club
Alter Ego
Secret Agent
Total Mystery
Alias
Ulterior Motive
Masquerading
Get Your Lem-On
The Lime Starts Here
I Always Get My Man-darin
Yum Gum
Raspberry Rush
Gimme a Grape Big Kiss
Wicked Sweet

Sephora
No. 44 (mini bottle)
Miss Bossy Pants
Slushied
Celibacy Club
Gleek Out
Sue Vs. Shue
Express Yourself to Yourself

Del Sol
Jupiter (color change glitter)

Target dollar bin
Red
Pink

Laffy Taffy
Strawberry
Watermelon
Grape
Banana
Cherry
Blue Raspberry

Nail Therapy

As some of you may or may not know, I suffer from Generalized and Social Anxiety disorders. I'm always looking for ways to cope, because the anxiety permeates every part of my life (sounds dramatic, but if you've experienced anxiety, you know what I mean) but I still have to go on and push through. I've found that nail polish has actually helped me relieve a lot of stress and worry.


So, since I didn't change my nails today, I thought I'd leave you with Six Reasons Nail Polish is Therapeutic:

1. Painting is a very precise task, where you have to pay close attention to what you are doing, which leaves less time to be worried about other things.

2. Taking off old polish feels like starting with a clean slate.

3. I worry a lot about change. Changing my polish reminds me that change can be fun and exciting, not always something to dread.

4. I usually paint my nails in the evening after work. If I'm having a rough day, it gives me something to look forward to. I can think about what color I'd like to wear instead of thinking about how long the day has been or worrying that tomorrow will be even worse.

5. It's tactile. I've I'm feeling stressed about a situation but need to stay collected, a lot of the time I'll just rub my nails, because they feel smooth and it relaxes me.

6. It's just pretty to look at! (Of course!)

Tricky Tape Manis

I think I'm the only dummy on earth who can't get this right. I've tried several times to do a very simple two-tone diagonal stripe scotch tape mani.

I've heard (Thanks to Amber on Rainbows&Sparkles) that the trick is using Seche Vite topcoat. I've avoided this because I've heard it can be tricky to use with Zoya polish, which is my favorite, but I picked up a bottle today anyway just for tape manis.

Confident that it would work, I planned something gorgeous, and got to work. But no- another massive failure. When I peel the tape off, a good chunk of the accent polish (not the base, the Seche Vite fixed that) comes off with it.

I did 2 base coats, with a long dry time, and Seche Vite. Then, taped my fingers, put on my accent color, Seche Vite, and dried it for a minute or two.

Am I not waiting long enough to peel the tape off? Could I be putting too much accent coat? Do you do a thick layer or thin? Could my tape just be old? I'm clueless people.

Help? Advice? Tricks? Comments?

Pink Polka

First try with a dotting tool. It came out pretty well, but you do *not* want to see how it came out when I had to do it left-handed.

CoverGirl Nail Slicks Tickled Pink with Ulta Fuschia Crush dots on top.

First Shatter!

I've been on a quest to find shatter polish, finally Ulta got a huge shipment, so I grabbed a bottle. Here's my first shatter mani.

China Glaze Classic Camel under OPI Black Shatter.

This came out with an animal print quality to it. Also, it's perfect for Saints fans! My mom can't wait to wear this mani during football season!

You'll have to excuse me if my photos aren't the greatest. Haven't gotten the hang of photographing hands yet. I'm sure I'll get better as I go on.

I'm back!

Six things that have changed since I last blogged:
1) I got a super fun job that I really love.
2) I'm now obsessed with nail polish.
3) I can sew purses.
4) I can knit various stuffed animals.
5) I am closer with my family.
6) I feel more positive and less stressed.

Six things that are still the same:
1) I still have just 9 nieces and nephews.
2) I still love to read.
3) I still collect Barbie artwork.
4) I still help with my niece's Girl Scout troop.
5) I still quilt (even though knitting has taken over for awhile.)
6) I'm still a Disney fanatic.

I think I'll be making changes to this blog. I'm thinking it will be more about fun with nail polish, and about the various projects I do. I have no idea if I'll still keep the "six" theme, we'll just see how it goes. I'd like to keep it up, because I don't know what else to name the blog!