Piper and Scarlette's Disney nails

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Mobile photos

Looks like sending mobile photos isn't working for me. I tried a couple different ways. So if they eventually go through, and you get spammed with multiple pictures before I can get back here, I appologize. If not, have a happy day! :)

Testing this mobile blog thing

Testing this mobile blog thing so I can say hi to y'all from the road! :)

4 Days til Disney!

As promised, another Disney mani! I got my inspiration for this one here. Instead of doing a black bow, I went more literal and did a classic Mickey head peeking out from the corners.

I used Essie Petal Pink for the base, Pure Ice Fiery for the tips, Sally Hansen French White for the polka dots, Ulta Little Black Dress for the Mickey, and of course lots of Seche Vite inbetween coats. To get my tips to have a nice pretty even curve to them, I used hole reinforcers, because they are already in that perfectly round shape, so no need to try to free hand cut my scotch tape in an even curve.

One of the Tshirts I'll be wearing on my trip. Thanks Mom!

Not perfect, but pretty good.

Recruitment time! Let's have a giveaway!

Hi, VI followers! There are 30 of you now, and I love y'all! I've had a great time entering (and WINNING) giveaways on other blogs, and I just think it would be such a blast to have a giveaway of my own!

If we can get to 50 followers by the end of June, I'll do a giveaway just in time for my birth month- July! It's not much further to go, I know we can do it! Details to follow. Meanwhile, leave a comment and let me know what kind of thing you'd like to see in my giveaway. Hopefully, with our minds together we can think of something fun and unique!

First Konad

Sorry for the delay in my posting, as I was out of town. I was able to go to my uncle's funeral, which made me feel a lot better. So glad I could be there for my family. Since I was up in Cleveland, home of Zoya, there's no way I could come home without some new polishes.

Here's my new pretties, Stacy, Laney, and Julieanne.

Also, right before I left town, my Konad stuff came in! So first thing I did when I got home was try it out! (If you haven't heard of Konad, I'm sure most of you have, I recommend searching on YouTube to see how it works.) I did have a little trouble getting the whole image on the stamper with dark lines, and no little breaks in the design. So they're not totally perfect. I think I'll try just stamping straight down to pick up the design next time, instead of using the rolling method like I did.

For this mani, I started with Zoya Laney as the base. Laney is the PERFECT silver in my opinion. Shiny but not overwhelmingly metallic. Also, I only needed two coats, even though it looks pretty light and thin in the bottle. Then I used my black Konad polish with the loopy pattern on plate M63, and of course a topcoat of Seche Vite.

I think it turned out great for a first try, even though there are some breaks in the design, it's really not that noticable in a glance. I thought it would take awhile for me to get used to stamping with my left hand, but it was really easy! I can honestly say for once that I'm as proud of my right hand as I am of my left! :)

Also, needed a change on my toes. I used Julieanne, a gorgeous dark sparkly purple. I don't have any purples this dark, so it was definately a great addition to my stash.

I'm also getting close to my Disney trip, so look forward to some more Hidden Mickey mani's!

Zoya Gigi

Today's mani is Zoya Gigi- described by the company on their website as "Light baby pink with pink duochrome shimmer and lots of twinkling silver microglitter. The ultimate girly pink shade with just enough sparkle." They say it better than I can, because, hey- they get paid to come up with this stuff. ;)

She's very pretty, but I'm sort of on the fence about her. The application was a little streaky. I used four coats of polish here to even her up, but still have some visible nail line. VNL doesn't bother me (sometimes a girl just wants a sheer polish), but I know for some people that's a deal breaker. I do like this shade of pink, and love that it's glittery but not overwhelming. From far away you might think, "Oh, pretty pink," but upclose you think "Hello, little silver sparkle!" Pretty, but not destined to be a favorite.

We had a death in my family this week, so I really wanted to wear something that would cheer me up to look at, but was still subtle and appropriate, so Gigi it is.

First Gradient

Today I decided to try a gradient effect with Zoya Dove as my base, with a fade of China Glaze Fairy Dust. It's definately subtle. At a glance you probably wouldn't see the fade. It was hard to build up with Fairy Dust since the glitter is so tiny. Next time I'll try a more substantial glitter. Now, they aren't perfectly flat with all those layers and you can tell in the pictures. Just ignore that. I feel like I have acryllics on there are so many layers of polish at the tips! Click to enlarge if you'd like to see the gradient detail more easily.

China Glaze Fairy Dust

Zoya Dove

I also did my toes with Zoya Gloria. She is so pretty! Very different on the nail than it looks in the bottle. The gold flash is less noticable on the nail, but it still has plenty of sparkle!

Zoya Zara

On my nails today is Zoya Zara. I love this polish. It's a lot like Dannii, which is another favorite of mine, and I think a lot of people's! Zara is more sheer than Dannii, and it has gold flash as opposed to the strong silver glitter in Dannii. I was going to take a side-by-side of the bottles, but forgot. I'll do it another day.

Quick poll

Don't know how to do an actual poll feature yet, so just leave your answer in the comments.

Nail polish smell: Love it or Hate it?

Ahoy Matey's!

That's right. Along with almost every other nail blog out there, today's topic is OPI's Pirates of the Caribbean line.

Before I get to todays manicure, I just have to say. I don't get this line. The colors are all pastels. Where are the jewel tones? The pirates booty? Gold, Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire? I just thought it would be more bold! So I only partook in one of the polishes from this line... the very pirate-y...

SILVER SHATTER! Oh yeah! I was not getting my hopes up to actually find this polish on the first try, but I did! I also found the pink China Glaze crackle I've been wanting and haven't been able to find anywhere. Major score!

So here's my Silver Shatter mani. I used OPI Russian Navy for the base, and then the Silver Shatter on top. I found that the Silver Shatter is a lot thinner than the Black Shatter, so I was applying too much, and it wasn't crackling right. So it took several tries to get this right.

I like it a lot! I'm so glad this beauty is part of my collection!

Zoya Nikki & Lana

These are the two polishes I traded Zoya Caitlin & Marley for. I'm calling both of them huge successes. I love both.

Here's the bottles. Nikki is a shimmery pinky taupe and Lana is like a tomato soup red with some gold flash.

I used Nikki on my mani. I really love the subtlety of this one. I got complimented at the dentist today on this polish, so even though it's neutral it's definately noticably unique. I actually have a dress this color too, so I'm planning on wearing it for our fancy dinner out on Mother's Day.

Lana is super summery and fun! I didn't have anything like it in my Zoya collection, plus I love the name of it which is super important. I just love to have red on my toes, because it's so classic. So, this is a welcome change from my turquoise pedicure!

Oh Mickey, you're so fine!

You're so fine you blow my mind!
-Random fact, not only is this song awesome, but in the video Toni Basil is wearing a cheerleader uniform with the letters LVH on it, which happen to be my initials! I love it!-

Anyway, I'm going to Walt Disney World in June. It'll be my 10th trip which is a big milestone. Anyway, it's getting close, and I'm getting pumped. I wanted to practice my Mickey dotting skills before the trip!

For this look, the base is Pure Ice "Creme Siren." Then I used two strips of scotch tape to create a white triangle on the tip of my nails. (It looked super cute at this stage as well, but forgot to take a picture. Will be doing this again soon.) The white polish is Sally Hansen 10-day in "White Tip."  Then I used my dotting tool to make a Mickey head using Ulta "Little Black Dress" at the point of the white triangle. I made all the big dots first, then added the smaller ear dots after.

Out of focus, sorry. It's hard to take detail shots one-handed!

Can't wait to see my pal again!

Liberty Red!

Firstly, I broke a few nails, so I cut them even. Sorry they're so short.

So today I'm sporting my Osama's Dead: Wear Red nails! This is Pure Ice "Creme Siren." I have had this polish in my stash for a long, long time (like years and years) and it still applies like a dream. I love this because it's my only true fire-engine red!

And, I've gotten a little flack for trying to get people involved in this. I'm not trying to make a "political statement." What I'm doing is using moments in history to inspire my nail color/ design choices, akin to wearing Red, White, and Blue on the Fourth of July or green on St. Patrick's Day or what-have-you. I'm choosing not to dwell on it- just stating my reasons for this and saying a big thanks to those who want to participate!

Don't forget to post a link to your red mani in the comments!

Lindsay vs. Bijou

When making my Zoya selections, I never realized just how close my own namesake, Lindsay, and Bijou were to each other. I had gotten Lindsay in the 3-Free promo back in January and just picked up Bijou in the Earth Day promo. I'm kind of bummed that I have two so similar, but they're both gorgeous, and definately a favorite shade anyway. So here they are side-by-side.

Bottles side-by-side. Bijou, left. Lindsay, right.

Quick 2-coat swatches. Pointer and ring are Lindsay. Middle and pinkie are Bijou. You might want to click to englare this one.

Lindsay, Bijou, Lindsay, Bijou.

 Different lighting. Pointer and ring are Lindsay. Middle and pinkie are Bijou.

Bijou, Lindsay, Bijou, Lindsay.

 So as you can see, one person probably doesn't need both. Bijou is a little more orange tinted, like a subtle neon pink and Lindsay is a hot rose pink with bigger pieces of glitter.

Growing Pains

I think I've already outgrown my stash box. Whoops.

OSAMA'S DEAD: WEAR RED!

Let's see how many nail junkies we can pass this around to!

On Tuesday, May 3rd, let's all wear RED NAILS in support of our troops, in honor of freedom, and in celebration of one less terrorist in the world!

Comment me and link to your post if you have a blog and would like to join!

R&S swatches + pedi

Okay everybody, settle in because this is going to be a long one. Maybe grab a snack before you start scrolling. ;)

Sinful Colors: Hottie, Pinky Glitter, Nail Junkie. These are seriously drool worthy.

Sinful Colors: Let Me Go, Unicorn, Innocent. Sorry for the mess. Everything people say about yellows being hard to paint is true.

Color Club "Alter Ego": Total Mystery, Secret Agent, Alter Ego. I wasn't that into Alter Ego in the bottle, but when I put it on I fell in love. My mom asked for it for her next mani, and it's way out of her comfort zone- so yay! Secret Agent is a true purple, but it photographed very blue. Sorry.

Color Club "Alter Ego": Masquerading, Ulterior Motive, Alias. My prediction was correct, I LOVE Ulterior Motive.

Color Club "Wicked Sweet": Yum Gum, I Always Get My Man-darin, The Lime Starts Here, Get Your Lem-on. I don't have any neon polish, so these are a lot of fun! Of these, the lime flavor smells the best.

Color Club "Wicked Sweet": Wicked Sweet, Gimme A Grape Big Kiss, Raspberry Rush. The Wicked Sweet scent was hard to place, but I think it's sort of a sugary cupcake smell. Delicious. I love the color of Raspberry Rush!

-In case your curious, I preferred the scents of the Color Club polish to the Laffy Taffy below-

Laffy Taffy scents: Grape, Watermelon, Strawberry. These colors are very candy colored and pretty. The watermelon scent was pretty gross though, I don't think watermelon truly has a scent in real life, but if it does, this was not it. Haha.

Laffy Taffy scents: Blue Raspberry, Cherry, Banana. Sorry about the streakyness, I didn't let the blue dry all the way before taking the picture. I was kind of sick of smelling myself by that point. :)



And here's my pedi. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Turquoise & Caicos yet, so I just added the Sinful Colors Pinky Glitter on top and Wow-EE! It's soooo sparkly, I love it!

 I'm posting this close up as well. I slapped this on quickly, and as you can see there is glitter in every square millimeter of this polish! I love that. Maximum punch with minimal effort!

Hope you enjoyed! I sure did! If I haven't said it enough times- Thanks Amber! I hope one day to be able to pass on the awesomeness and have a big giveaway of my own. :)

Zoya Swatches + mani

Here are my new Zoya babies.

Bijou, Sweet, Gigi, and Reece. 1 coat swatch, should have done more to properly showcase Gigi, Sorry.

Bijou was kind of a bummer to me, because it looks a lot like my namesake, Lindsay. I'll have to do a side by side, but as far as I can tell they are the same color but Lindsay has larger pieces of glitter?
Sweet is exactly its name. Really sweet bubblegum pink. Has great coverage!
Gigi is really awesome in real life. I'll have to do more coats of it though. I will be wearing it as a mani very soon! It's a lovely pale pink with silver glitter in it!
Reece is simply stunning. I couldn't stop staring at it. I love how the gold in it really catches in the light.

Zara and Gloria.

Zara is the perfect sparkly lavender. I like her a lot.
When I saw Gloria in the bottle, I was very unsure. But she looks great on!

So, I decided my first mani should be Reece since she was my stand out favorite.

My Lucky Day- R&S Giveaway

In addition to my Zoya package coming in, I also got a package from the lovely Amber from Rainbows&Sparkles. She was nice enough to have a big giveaway on her blog, and I WON! And now it's all here! I gotta say I love everything and I can't wait to use it. Actually, my littlest niece, Pebbles, will be here tomorrow, and I'm hoping to take some of this fun stuff to her nails, if I can get her to sit still long enough. She won't be 2 for another month, so it'll be a gamble. :)

Opening the package. Amber put a sweet note inside.

I got a super cute makeup bag, with this stuff inside of it. Laffy Taffy scented polish (Strawberry, Watermelon, Grape, Banana, Cherry and Blue Raspberry), a buffing block, a nail file, and Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, which is one of my favorite things ever. It smells like lemonade. 

I got these two Color Club sets. On top is "Alter Ego" which includes (from L-R) Alter Ego, Secret Agent, Total Mystery, Alias, Ulterior Motive, Masquerading, and a topcoat. Ulterior Motive is my favorite, both in name and color! On bottom is "Wicked Sweet" which is another scented set of polish. It includes (L-R) Get Your Lem-on, The Lime Starts Here, I Always Get My Man-darin, Yum Gum, Raspberry Rush, Gimme A Grape Big Kiss, and Wicked Sweet.

Zoya Caitlin and Marley were also in the package. I already have these two beauties, so I will be trading with a friend for Zoya Lana and Nikki. Caitlin is one of my favorite all time polishes, of any brand. So if you haven't tried her, I highly reccomend it! I'm glad I get to share part of my exchange. :)

Last but not least, I got these awesome Sinful Colors polishes. L-R is Nail Junkie, Pinky Glitter, Hottie, Innocent, Unicorn, and Let Me Go. The glitter ones are even more phenominal in real life! Also, my sister made an "appointment" for me to paint her nails next week while she's recovering from surgery. I bet you she picks Let Me Go for her nails. The light catches all these different colors in it, and it's just very her. So, we'll see!

Thanks a million, Amber! I think I have more polish than I know what to do with now! My whole family thanks you, since I often paint my mom's nails, and I'm sure my nieces will be clammoring for all these pretties on their nails too! Swatches to come tomorrow, or maybe the next day, since I have so many to do! Stay tuned! :)